Gooseberry Patch's Quick & Easy Autumn Cookbook Review & {Giveaway}

Congrats to Christina Stewart {Comment #349} . She is the winner of Quick & Easy Autumn. Enjoy your cookbook.

Hi everyone today I am bringing you another yummy review from my favorite cookbook series, Gooseberry Patch. I know Spring has sprung, but I have been in the Fall mood for the last couple weeks. I can blame all that on this delicious cookbook Quick & Easy Autumn that I found waiting for me on my doorstep.

I love Spring but Fall is my favorite time of year. The changing of the leaves the nip in the air, pumpkins, apples and pecans those are a few of my favorite things. Goodness now I have that song stuck in my head. I can't help it those are my favorite Fall things.

Gooseberry Patch's Quick & Easy Autumn lets you enjoy the flavors of fall without all the fuss of complicated ingredients. I think that's what I love most about this book. Most of the recipes require only 8 ingredients or less and can be prepared in or under 30 minutes. Who doesn't love that?

Quick & Easy Autumn has over 220 delicious recipes for autumn occasions like Homecoming, Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving! I really enjoy reading the little tips and craft hints at the bottom of each page. They have so many inspiring and fun ideas. Most times they are fun little projects utilizing items you have laying around your house. I love that!!!

What I love most about the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Series is that all the recipes are from home cooks just like you and me. Tried and true cherished recipes that have been passed down from family and friends, so you know they're good. This cookbook really put me in the Fall spirit and it was so hard to choose just a few recipes to sample. This cookbook is divided into 6 yummy categories.

• Breakfast & Brunch
• Snacks & Appetizers
  
• Soups, Salads & Sides
• Mains
• Desserts
• Slow Cooker

Here are some of the recipes just to name a few. Homemade Donuts, Applesauce Baked Oatmeal, Quick Cheese Danishes, Beer Dip, Monster Munch, Graveyard Crunch, Ice Box Mashed Potatoes, Pear Harvest Salad, Turkey Spaghetti, Stove top Lasagna, Holy Cow Cake, Pumpkin Pound Cake, Tennessee Fudge Pie, Sweet Potato Candy and Autumn Country Ribs and Cranberry Chicken. Goodness Gracious all those recipes just make my head spin.

For my first recipe I chose Mini Apple Hand Pies from page 180. These were a big hit in our house. I especially loved this recipe because I had all the ingredients on hand. Chopped apples, raisins, cinnamon, sugar and butter are tucked away into a little pocket made with refrigerator biscuits. I almost added pecans but remembered my kiddos don't like nuts. Oh well maybe next time.

This recipe did not call for a simple icing but I thought it was only fitting. I think these scrumptious little hand pies would be perfect for breakfast, dessert or quick snack. Anyone who loves apples will love these.

The second recipe I chose was from page 162, German Chocolate Pound Cake. German Chocolate Cake is one of my favorite cakes. Sometimes I just don't have the time to make it from start to finish. What I loved most about this recipe was that I could indulge in my favorite cake without all the fuss.

This recipe utilizes a cake mix which I really like. I don't think there is anything wrong with using a cake mix. Actually I think cake mix cakes make a great base for some pretty awesome cake recipes. I have a few of my own here at Mommy's Kitchen. In this cake recipe the frosting is added into the batter instead of used as a topping. Pretty nifty idea if you ask me. By adding the frosting into the batter this makes the cake so moist. No frosting is needed on top just a dusting of powdered sugar will do the trick.

As you can see by the recipes I choose they were all desserts. I couldn't help myself I'm a sucker for sweets. I did make the Jolly Pumpkin Oatmeal from page 20, but that photo is sitting on my desktop computer that decided to die last week. (god rest her sole). I can vouch for it's yumminess though. Who would of thought pumpkin and oatmeal would go so great together as a hot cereal.

You don't have to take my word for it. If you want to get a quick jump on some pretty outstanding Fall recipes I recommend that you defiantly get this cookbook. Quick & Easy Autumn wont be released until May 16Th 2011. But now worries you can pre - order your copy at Amazon for only $10.71. That is such a steal for any of the Gooseberry Patch Titles.


I also wanted to let you know that Gooseberry Patch has been generous enough to send me an additional copy to share with one of my readers. I know ♥ Gooseberry Patch is awesome like that ♥.

How To Enter The Giveaway:
Just leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favorite Fall Food is. (mandatory entry) For me it's a good old fashioned apple cake & pumpkin bread.

Additional Entries:
You can do any or all of the following for extra entries. Please leave a separate comment for each one.

1. Become a Fan of Gooseberry Patch on Face book. When you have done that, return to this post and leave a separate comment letting me know that you are a fan.
2. Join Gooseberry Patch "Circle of Friends" so you can stay Gooseberry Patch updated.
3. Become a Fan of Mommy's Kitchen on Face book.
4. Mention this giveaway on your face book page. Come back and leave a comment telling me so.
5. Become a Google Follower to Mommy's Kitchen (left side of my blog page)
6. Tweet the following for another entry: Win a not yet released copy of @gooseberrypatch Quick & Easy Autumn @mommyskitchen http://tiny.cc/l0u4g #reviews

Last day to enter this giveaway will be Tuesday May 3rd at midnight (CST). I will pick a random winner using random.org and announce the winner on this blog, face book and twitter. Good Luck to everyone. Contest open to U.S & Canadian Residents only due to shipping charges. If you leave an anonymous comment please include your email address so I can contact you in the event that you are the winner. Good Luck!!!

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Disclosure: Gooseberry Patch provided me with a copy of "Quick & Easy Autumn" for the purpose of this review. They also provided me with an additional copy to use in a reader giveaway. With that being said the opinions & comments stated above are entirely my own. I would like to thank Gooseberry Patch for choosing Mommy's Kitchen as a "Early Bird Reviewer" and for sponsoring this giveaway.

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Vanilla Popcorn Mix {Easter Themed Snack}

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter? We went out of town for the holiday for some much needed family time. The kids were really excited to see their cousins and have a Easter Egg Hunt. Our Easter dinner was potluck style, so everyone brought something.

I have to say those are my favorite kinds of meals. I love going through all the dishes and piling a little bit of this and a little bit of that on my plate. Those are the get togethers that I usually get my best recipes from.

I contributed Frosted Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Bars, Creamy Macaroni and Cheese and this fun Easter Bunny Popcorn Mix. I always try to bring something fun and yummy for the kids and this festive popcorn treat is always a hit. I have to warn you this treat is 100% sugar!

We defiantly don't eat this every day, so I usually save this yummy treat for the holidays. The popped popcorn is covered with a melted vanilla coating, holiday themed sprinkles and festive m&m's are mixed in. Not low calorie by far, but certainly a fun treat.

This popcorn mix looks so pretty placed in a festive bowl or Easter Basket. Most folks mistake this fun treat for just plain popcorn, so you need to let everyone know what it is. I love this recipe because the popcorn mix can be prepared the night before and stored in a large zip lock bag.

No worries because the popcorn stays fresh and crunchy. I usually make this treat for the kids holiday parties. It looks so pretty in little clear treat sacks. I know Easter has passed, but keep this treat in mind for you next holiday or school themed party. It was too cute not to share.

Speaking of cute this is my cutie patooty niece Sophie. Isn't she a doll? I have to say all of my nieces are beautiful but, y'all know how I get around babies. I just can't help myself she is too stinkin cute.

I especially love her pouty little lip and her wild stick um up hair LOL. I had such a great time spoiling her while I was there. Babies are so fun and cute on their first holidays. Sophie, Aunt Tina will see you soon for your 1st Birthday.

Enjoy

Easter Bunny Popcorn Mix

2 - bags microwave popcorn, popped
1/2 - of a 24 oz package vanilla almond bark (prefer plymouth pantry or
1 - 16 oz package white chocolate chips
Easter Sprinkles
Easter m&m's plain or peanut
clear treat sacks
holiday themed ribbon

Pop the popcorn and remove any un popped kernels. Place pop corn in a large bowl and set aside. unwrap the almond bark and break into smaller pieces, I break it into fours. Add the almond bark to a microwavable bowl and melt on the DEFROST setting on your microwave. Don't use the cook or reheat setting or you will cook the almond bark instead of melting it. I melt mine in 3 minute intervals and stir in between.

When the almond bark is completely melted and smooth pour it over the popcorn. Using a large spoon mix together coating all of the popcorn. Lay out the popcorn on a piece of waxed paper until pop corn is dry. You can add the m&m's now or when the popcorn is dry. When dry break into smaller popcorn size pieces and add back to a large bowl. Mix in the m&m candies and place popcorn mixture into individual treat bags or holiday themed bowl.

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Easter Peep Nests {Edible Easter Treats}

Do you remember eating those little chow mien noodle bird nests? Well I do and they were so yummy. I wanted to make some cute little nests for my kids so they could enjoy them as much as I did. Well this year I tried something a bit different. I saw a recipe for Easter Peep Nests in the latest edition of Taste of Home Magazine. They were too cute not to make and since my daughter is a big peeps fan. I thought they would be perfect.

The difference in these edible nests is that instead of chow mien noodles this recipe calls for pretzel sticks. The photo above just melts my heart. Carson looks so sweet gently holding his little bird nest. The photo of him looking down shows just how gentle and loving my little guy is. Those little bird nests really put a smile on his face. There is just something about photographing little hands that puts a smile on my face.

OK now back to the task at hand. This recipe is very kid friendly. I actually think the kids could pretty much handle the entire recipe by themselves. Mom or dad will need to melt the vanilla bark and pour it over the pretzel sticks, but the kids can do the rest. They will have so much fun assembling the bird nests and adding different candies and the birds.

You can use little chocolate eggs, jelly beans, m&m's, malted milk balls or a combination of all the candies. It's really all up to you. Easter is only 5 days away, but there's still time to make these adorable little peeps nests. As for us we are headed out of town this Easter holiday to enjoy some much needed fun with my husbands family.

The kids are really excited about the Easter Egg Hunt and getting to play with their cousins. I will be contributing a few goodies for our holiday potluck. The kids requested their favorite Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars! And I can't say that I blame them. These cookie bars were a huge hit last year plus they travel well. I will also be bringing a big dish of Cheesy Hash brown Casserole to go with our ham. I can't wait Potlucks are my absolute favorite. What are your plans this Easter Holiday?

Here a few step by step photos of how easy these bird nests are to assemble. The full recipe is at the end of this post. Melt the white chocolate chips or almond bark. Add to the pretzels and stir to coat. Using two forks assemble the bird nests and place on waxed paper or foil.

Add your candy eggs and your birds by dipping them in the reserved melted chocolate so they will stick. It's as easy as that. I think the purple ones are my favorite.

But my Mackenzie loved the pink ones. Enjoy

Easter Peep Bird Nests

2 -packages (10 to 12 ounces each) white baking chips or
1- 24 oz package vanilla almond bark
1 - package (10 ounces) pretzel sticks
25- colored Chick Peeps
Assorted Candies: M&M’s, Chocolate Eggs, Jelly Beans or any other egg shaped candy.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, using the defrost setting melt the white chocolate chips or almond bark. Stir until smooth. I usually melt my chocolate in 3 minute intervals and stirring in between each one. Set aside 1/2 cup of the melted white chocolate for decorating.

Add the pretzel sticks to melted chocolate and stir until coated. Scoop a small amount of mixture onto waxed paper; shape into a nest using two forks. Repeat, forming 25 nests. Dip bottom of Peep into reserved white chocolate; place in a nest. Add eggs and other candies to nests, securing with melted chocolate. Repeat. Let stand until set. Yield: 25 servings.

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I also wanted to add a quick note to let everyone know that there will not be a potluck Sunday post this weekend. I'm taking the day OFF!!!
Happy Easter Everyone.

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Louise's Popovers {Potluck Sunday}

Have you ever had a Popover? The first time I had one was at my mother in laws house years ago. I had never had a popover so I really couldn't tell you what they looked liked. All I knew was that when she placed that basket full of popovers on the table, she instantly had my attention. I asked her Louise what are those? Popovers! Haven't you ever eaten one?

I told her no and the look on her face alone made me realize I had been living a deprived life LOL. One taste and it was love at first bite. How could I have not ever had one of these golden, puffy, crispy little pockets of love. Goodness that is the best way that I could describe a popover.

All I know is we sat at that table and filled them with butter and honey until the entire basket was gone!!! She got a tad upset with me and my husband because we had gotten a bit greedy and ate more than our fair share. I was so excited to get home so I could make them myself. I have to say my first attempt I crashed and burned miserably. Hm what did I do wrong? Well let me share a few little facts about popovers.

You must always remember to make sure your pan is hot, hot, hot. And secondly do not under any circumstances open the oven door not even for a peek! This will make your popovers fall. Of course that is what I had been doing the entire time opening and shutting the door because I just couldn't wait. So don't make the same mistake I did the first time. Just be patient because in the end they are so worth it.

You can make your popovers plain or savory it's all up to you. Me, I choose plain so I can fill those yummy little delights with butter, syrup, honey or jam. Honey and butter are my fave. It's really whatever you like. You can make popovers along side a breakfast or dinner meal which makes these popovers so great and versatile. Just remember if you are making these to go with supper, make sure everything else is ready to go because the popovers need to be served immediately. I hope you enjoy today's recipe.

OK now it's your turn, do you have a recipe you would like to bring to our virtual potluck? If so then submit your recipe at the end of this post. Please link directly to your post, not your homepage and don't forget to include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen.

I would like to thank everyone who participates in Potluck Sunday. I hope y'all will take some time and stop by and visit all of these wonderful blogs. I have included in usual fashion some step by step photos. The full recipe is at the end of this post.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees add 1/2 teaspoon of oil into each popover cup or muffin tin. Place the muffin tin into the oven and let the pan get really hot. When the oil starts to bubble then it's ready. You want the pan hot! Using a blender add the eggs, milk, flour and salt. Mix until blended. Set the batter aside.

When the pan is hot carefully remove it from the oven and quickly start filling the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. You will hear the batter sizzle at it goes into the cups. That's what you want. Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and place the pan on the center rack.

Bake for 30 - 40 minutes without opening the oven door for the first 30 minutes of baking or your popovers will fall! Here are the popovers already starting to rise up and do their magic.

You can see my popovers started drooping just a bit. This was because all my popovers had to attend their photo shoot! While I was taking the photos all the natives were getting so restless and I can't say that I blame them.

Louise's Popovers

3 - eggs, room temperature
1 - cup milk, room temperature
1 - cup all purpose flour
1/4 - teaspoon salt
Vegetable or Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees add 1/2 teaspoon of oil into each popover cup or muffin tin. You can also use custard cups and place them on a large baking sheet. Place the muffin tin into the oven and let the pan get really hot. When the oil starts to bubble then it is ready. You want the pan hot! Using a blender add the eggs, milk, flour and salt. Mix until blended. Set the batter aside.

When the pan is hot carefully remove it from the oven and quickly start filling the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. You will hear the batter sizzle at it goes into the cups. That's what you want. Lower the temperature to 400 degrees and place the pan on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes without opening the oven door.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately pierce the side of each popover with the tip of a sharp knife to allow steam to escape. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve the popovers hot with butter, jelly, syrup, or honey.

DON'T PEEK! I know it's hard but keep in mind popovers are leavened by steam. Heat is required for the rising of the popovers. If you open the oven door, the heat escapes, the oven cools down, the steam inside the popovers condenses, and the popovers collapse. So, don't peek for at least the first half hour of baking.

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Easter Bunny Buns {A Yummy Easter Treat}

Yesterday I made the cutest little Easter Bunny Buns! Last week I stumbled across a recipe at Recipe Shoebox for Easter Bunny Rolls. As soon as I saw the photo I knew I had to make them. The original recipe was for an orange based yeast dough, but my husband is the only one in our house that cares for orange rolls.

So what I did I used my personal favorite yeast roll recipe to come up with a different version of these cute little rolls. I started with this recipe for Cake Mix Dinner Rolls. The reason I chose this particular yeast dough was because it yields a slightly sweeter dinner roll making it the perfect dough for this recipe.

I made two different bunny variations. One with cinnamon sugar and a simple icing. And the second was just plain bunnies with the same simple icing and sprinkles. I think both versions turned out really cute. I actually don't know which one I liked better because they were both quite tasty.

My son preferred the ones with the colored sprinkles, but my daughter chose the cinnamon bunnies. I think whichever one you choose to make your really can't go wrong. If you don't want a sugary roll I recommend just leaving them plain without the icing. I think they would make a cute addition to your Easter dinner. I have included some step by step photos of how easy is to make these fun little bunny buns.

Start by preparing the yeast dough recipe as directed and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (approx. 40 minutes- 1 hour). Punch the dough down and knead on a floured surface until the dough is no longer sticky.

Roll dough into a long rectangle 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2-inch wide and 14-inches long. (sorry I did not get a photo of that part). Reserve 1-2 of the strips to cut into pieces about 1/2-inch long and roll into small balls (use for bunny tails)

Then roll the dough to make rounded snake shapes.( I just cut them into strips without rolling). Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop (to be the tail).

Brush the bunnies with melted butter and sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. You can also leave some of the bunnies plain. Cover the bunnies with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with baking spray. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool and then brush on a simple icing and add holiday sprinkles to the plain rolls. Just add the simple icing to the cinnamon ones.

Enjoy your bunny rolls. Carson says it is best to have one roll for each hand. LOL

So pretty and so festive.

Easter Bunny Buns
inspired by Recipe Shoebox

1 - (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (I use rapid rise)
1 1/2 - cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 1/4 - cups all-purpose or bread flour (I prefer bread flour)
1 - 9 oz package jiffy yellow cake mix or 1/2 of
regular 18.5 oz cake mix approx 1 1/4 cups
1/4 cup butter, softened to brush on baked rolls
Cinnamon Sugar
Colored Easter Sprinkles

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cake mix. Beat until dough is smooth. Add some flour on the counter and knead any additional flour into the dough. Knead until it is no longer sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes - 1 hour. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.

Roll dough into a long rectangle 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2-inch wide and 14-inches long. (sorry I did not get a photo of that part). Reserve 1-2 of the strips to cut into pieces about 1/2-inch long and roll into small balls (use for bunny tails).

Then roll the dough to make rounded snake shapes.( I just cut them into strips without rolling). Place one long piece of dough on a greased baking sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop (to be the tail).

Brush the bunnies with melted butter and sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. You can also leave some of the bunnies plain. Cover the bunnies with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with baking spray. Allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool and then brush on a simple icing and add holiday sprinkles to the plain rolls. Just add the simple icing to the cinnamon ones.

Simple Icing

2 - cups powdered sugar
2 - tablespoons milk
1/2 - teaspoon vanilla extract
1 - teaspoon butter, softened

Stir the powdered add the butter and blend with a fork. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and mix until you have the consistency of a pourable glaze. Brush on the glaze while the bunnies are still warm. Add colored sprinkles.

Note: These bunny buns can be left plain and used as a dinner roll. Just shape, rise and bake the bunnies. When they are finished brush with melted butter before serving.

Recipe Yields - Approx. 20 Bunny Buns

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Mud Hen Bars {My New Addiction}

I have been wanting to make these Mud Hen Bars for quite sometime now. This was actually a recipe I had forgotten about until I saw them pop up on the Sunday Bakers blog. These delicious little bars are quite addicting to say the least. The bottom of these bars consist are a ooey gooey cookie crust that is then topped with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and nuts.

Now wait because we aren't done yet. I know like all of that isn't bad enough right? Finally these decadent little bars are topped with a crispy brown sugar meringue topping that puffs up as they bake. Goodness all I can say is evil, evil, evil. It was so hard to wait for these to cool so I could get my first taste.

My husband just happened to get home as I pulled these bars out of the oven. He kept hovering around the pan waiting for me to cut him a piece. I told him they were way to hot to cut. He said I don't care just cut me one. Goodness some people just don't have any patience. LOL. In his defense I could hardly wait to get a taste myself.

These bars are best right out of the oven after they cool down just a bit. Although my husband said they were just as good the next day. So everyones different. I do know one thing I don't know where the name Mud Hens came from so I looked it up on Google and this is what I came up with. Both theories are pretty interesting.

A mud hen is a bird with long legs and short wings that inhabits swamps and marshes. Such birds have been known as marsh hens, rails, coots or mud hens. This bird requires a great deal of effort to get airborne so it has to paddle across the water for quite a ways before it attains flight. This is what gives it the name "mud hen", because it stirs up a lot of mud in the process. Some folks say the sugary meringue topping on these bars resemble the color of mud.

There is also a minor league baseball team called the Toledo Mud Hens.The name "Mud Hens" was first used in 1896, after the team was bought by Charles Strobel. One of the two parks where the team played that year, Bay View Park, was adjacent to marshland which was inhabited by American Coots, also known as marsh hens or mud hens, from which the team adopted their name. Your guess is as good as mine if either one of these are true.

I do know one thing you gotta make these bars. They are simply divine!

Let's get started on making these bars. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the granulated sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (set the egg whites aside for later). In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Spread into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold in the brown sugar and spread over the marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown and the crust is cooked through. (this part can be difficult to determine) if you see the meringue browning to fast and the bars are not fully cooked just lightly cover with a piece of foil sprayed with baking spray.

Cool in pan and then cut into bars.

Mud Hen Bars

1/2 - cup butter, room temperature
1 - cup granulated sugar
3 - eggs
1-1/2 - cups all-purpose flour
1 - teaspoon baking powder
1/4 - teaspoon salt
1 - cup nuts, chopped
1/2 - cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 - cup marshmallows
1 - cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the granulated sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (put aside the whites for later). In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Spread into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in the brown sugar. Spread the meringue mixture over the marshmallows and chocolate chips. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown and the crust is cooked through.

You may have to cook them a bit longer than 30 minutes to get the bottom crust completely cooked through. Cool in pan and cut. If the meringues starts to browns to quickly cover lightly with a piece of foil sprayed with baking spray.

Note: I had a bit of difficulty getting the bottom crust cooked all they way through. Next time I might cook the bottom crust just a bit before adding the marshmallow, chocolate chips and nuts. I know they are suppose to be gooey a bit, but the meringue tends to cook quicker than the cookie part.

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Easter Chicky Card {Kid Friendly Easter Craft}

It's been awhile since we have done a Crafty Kitchen post here at Mommy's Kitchen. My kids were fighting like cats and dogs all weekend. Goodness now I know what my mother went through with me and my 3 siblings. You would think they could get along for just a bit, but it just wasn't happening this weekend. I thought that it would be a good idea to set some time aside to do an arts and crafts together. Maybe it would quite things down a bit. Since Easter is right around the corner we thought of a Easter project.

I saw these cute Easter Chicky Cards online a couple weeks back, so I thought they would only be fitting. The fun thing about these Easter Cards is that part of it is made with your child's hand prints. Making these these the perfect Easter Cards for Grandparents, family members and teachers. This project is very easy, very inexpensive and pretty straight forward.

The kids did all the cutting and gluing all by themselves. Well, except for mom helping them trace out their hand prints. Other than that they did it!!! So go grab your kiddos and break out the scissors and the glue and have some Easter fun. My little guy Carson did not want to be in the photo, so this was the best I could do LOL. Stay tuned because I will be posting another cute Easter treat here at Mommy's Kitchen. This time this one will be edible.

These are the supplies you will need:

• 2 - sheet of yellow construction paper
  
• 1 - sheet orange construction paper
• 2 - paper fasteners (couldn't find at Walmart)
• 2 - large wiggly eyes
• white craft glue or glue sticks
  
• scissors
• pencil
• marker or crayon (Easter message)|
  

All we had to purchase was the wiggly eyes ($1.97 pkg) and the construction paper ($2.47 pkg) at Walmart. We can use the remaining construction paper for future projects. Everything else we had on hand. I know if you have kids then you always have pencils, glue, scissors and crayons in your house.

Grab your template here and print off one for each child.

Trace your child's hands onto one sheet of the yellow construction paper and cut out. Use the oval pattern to draw an oval onto the other yellow piece of construction paper. Cut out. Lay the oval on the table and position the wings (hand cut outs) behind it, using the photo as a guide.

When the wings are where you want them, carefully poke the fasteners through the construction paper to attach the wings. (it might be easier to poke a hole with a pencil first) Since we could not locate fasteners we just glued down the wings. Using the pattern provided, cut out beak and legs from the orange construction paper.

Fold the diamond in half to create the beak and glue one side of the diamond to the yellow paper so that the beak is three dimensional and can open and close. Glue wiggle eyes above the beak. Position the legs under the oval. When you have them where you want them, glue them in place. Use the marker or dark crayon to write a Easter message on the front of the card.

I think they turned out really cute.

Easter Chicky Card

2 - sheet of yellow construction paper
1 - sheet orange construction paper
2 - paper fasteners (couldn't find)
2 - large wiggly eyes
white craft glue
scissors
pencil
marker or crayon (for Easter message)

Trace child's hands onto one sheet of yellow construction paper and cut out. Use the oval pattern to draw an oval onto the other yellow piece of construction paper. Cut out. Lay the oval on the table and position the wings (hand cut outs) behind it, using the photo as a guide. When the wings are where you want them, carefully poke the fasteners through the construction paper to attach the wings. Using fasteners allows the wings to flap up and down. Using the pattern provided, cut out beak and legs from the orange construction paper.

Fold the diamond in half to create the beak and glue one side of the diamond to the yellow paper so that the beak is three dimensional and can open and close.Glue wiggle eyes above the beak. Position the legs under the oval. When you have them where you want them, glue them in place. Use the marker or dark crayon to write a message on the front of the card.

Inspired by: Kaboose.com

For more great affordable Easter Ideas check out Liz from Hoosierhomemade, Heather from the Domestic Diva and more ideas from my fellow Walmart Mom's.

This post is part of a campaign I am participating in with the Walmart Moms. Participation in this program is voluntary. Walmart has provided me with compensation and a gift card in return for this post. Opinions stated above are entirely my own.

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