Cashew Pretzel Hugs For Dad

It's no secret that we love our HUGS at this house...both the real kind and these special but-oh-so-easy homemade treats. Since my husband loves cashews, I thought I would put a bit of a different spin on regular pretzel hugs and replace the M&M candy with cashews. And they taste AH-mazing with the cashews. And I think that ANY nut would work just well...peanuts or almonds, for instance.

I have made many versions of pretzel hugs including a Valentine's version and an Easter version, in addition to the Christmas version. They are just such a wonderful gift and everyone likes them.

You can find the recipe HERE, but it's just pretzels with melted Hersheys hugs or candy melts and a candy pressed into the melted chocolate. {I got every thing I needed at Bulk Barn Canada}. It's a very easy project and great for kids to make!

I found the chevron patterned bucket in the dollar spot at Target and then I made some tags for you to print off so you can make re-create this package on your own.

Special Hugs Just For Dad

You can see some of my other Father's Day gift ideas here, here and here.

And to check out more ideas, visit these boards on Pinterest:

Father's Day Ideas

Fabulous Things In A Jar

Bedrooms for Boys

This post in linked to these parties:
Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, Cooking With Ruthie, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Uncommon Design, Aalderberry Hill, Craft-O-Maniac, Made By You Monday, The 36th Avenue, Today's Creative Blog, Sugarbee Crafts, Chef-In-Training, Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A to Z, The DIY Dreamer,  Gingersnap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons,  Design, Dining &  30 Handmade Days, A Pretty Little Life in the Suburbs, Under The Table & Dreaming, Not Just A Housewife, 

A Gardening Weekend & An Ice Cream Treat

 We are just coming away from a gorgeous long holiday weekend where we enjoyed a weekend of relaxing, gardening projects and barbecuing. My husband and son spent a good part of the last 3 days in the yard...getting our flower beds cleaned up from winter and preparing the vegetable garden for planting. My son was great about helping his Dad all weekend.

Husband and son also spent time working on this special project together....a platform for the water barrel so we can water our garden in the environmentally friendly way...with a gravity fed hose from a barrel of collected rain water. We have been wanting make this for a few years, and finally got it completed.

And of course, supervising all the projects in the backyard were these little girls...our scruffy but adorable dogs Molly & Rigley.  They follow my son around like he's the Holy Grail!

For all of his hard work, I promised my son a special treat when he was finished with his chores. This week, the kind folks at Nestle Canada contacted me to see if our family would like to try their new frozen treat...Peelin' Pops. {And then they shipped us Peelin' Pops on dry ice. How cool is that? I love my job!}

Peelin' Pops are a fun frozen treat shaped like a banana with an edible banana flavoured gummy peel shell that 'peels' like a banana to reveal a tasty vanilla center. I have to say that we were a bit skeptical about the 'peel like a banana' part, but this pop delivered the fun it promised. Have a look!

To open the treat like a banana, kids need to bite the top of the bar, then 'peel' the "banana skin" and enjoy the delicious vanilla filling. It really is such a cute creation for kids!

I have to say that the Peelin' Pops were a hit with our whole family! Our 12 year liked them, my teenage daughter like them and my husband and I both liked them too! The entire box of Peelin' Pops was gone in 2 days. We all loved the texture of the banana gummy peel and the delicious vanilla ice cream center. My son, in particular, loved them and was constantly asking me when he could have one! {Don't get ice cream on your nose Ty!}

And as a mom, you might like to know that Peelin' Pops contain no artificial colours, are low in fat, and come in packs of eight for $5.99. They can be found at grocery stores across Canada and I have already noticed them in the freezer section of my local grocery store. These are a great little treat for summer, and a budget-friendly alternative to the ice cream truck or local ice cream parlour.

{Disclosure~I received this product as part of a sponsored post for Nestle Canada. However, all opinions are my own and my family truly enjoyed Peelin' Pops.}

Easy Homeade Peanut Brittle For Father's Day {Gift Idea}

Before I share this post about how to make easy peanut brittle in the microwave,  I have to say that while I was working in the kitchen today, I was also watching the news about Oklahoma and my heart just breaks for all those people. I am feeling very grateful tonight for my family, a roof over my head, food and a warm bed to sleep in.

This recipe comes from my Aunt Nannette, who is my mother's youngest sister, and an amazing cook like all of my mother's siblings. She shared this recipe with us about 10 years ago and I often make it for Christmas and my husband loves it. So I thought I would make some for him for Father's Day and share with y'all just how easy it is to make. Plus....as a bonus it is GLUTEN FREE!

This recipe is surprisingly simple and only takes 4 ingredients, and a few minutes in the microwave.

Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle
{Please note: My microwave is 800 watts. You may have to adjust the cooking slightly based on your microwave's wattage.}

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1-1/2 cup peanuts
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:
1.Grease a cookie sheet.  In a glass bowl, mix together white sugar, corn syrup and peanuts.

2. Place in microwave for 3 minutes on high. Then take it out and give it a quick stir. It will look like this:

3. Place back  in microwave for another 3-4 minutes. Remove very carefully as the sugar mixture will be extremely hot.

4. Add baking soda into peanut/sugar mixture and stir. The mixture will foam up and look like this.

5. Working quickly and being careful not to burn yourself, pour mixture onto greased cookie sheet and spread. {If you are having trouble spreading the mixture, my Aunt Nannette recommends using a wet spoon to help with the stickiness.}

6.Let peanut brittle cool  and harden for several hours and then break into pieces. {I would not recommend eating this until it is fully cooled...unless you would like to lose an old filling!}This recipe makes enough for  a gift bag as shown.

And because I love making tags for packages and sharing with my readers, here is a tag to use for the peanut brittle for a Father's Day gift.

Peanut Brittle Tags

This would make a great gift along with some tickets to a baseball or football game of Dad's favourite team.

Who knew that homemade peanut brittle was so easy?!

You can see a few more of my father's day gift ideas here and here and have a peek at my Father's Day Board on Pinterest .

This post is linked to these parties:
The 36th Avenue, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons,The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Becoming Martha, Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, Cookie With Ruthie, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Uncommon Designs,  Aalderberry Hill, Craft-O-Maniac, Skip To My Lou, Sugarbee Crafts, Chef-In-Training, Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A to Z, The DIY Dreamer, Gingersnap Crafts, Clean & Scentsible, Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue, Under The Table & Dreaming, 30 Handmade Days,  A Pretty Little Life In the Suburbs, Not Just A Housewife,

Making Time To Get My Sweat On

One of the hazards of being a full-time blogger is the amount of time spent sitting in a chair... just like any other office job. And it puts you at risk for what I like to call 'blog butt' and 'blog gut'. Yes. The lack of exercise can do that to a girl. So I recently made the decision to re-commit to daily exercise and get my sweat on. And the easiest way to do that is get my runners on and get outside for a brisk walk.

And these two little girls are my trusty companions. They are great walkers and get so excited as soon as they see me get my walking shoes on. I could not ask for more enthusiastic fitness partners.

Recently I was asked to give these two Lady Speed Sticks a try, but honestly, it took no convincing because I have used Lady Speed Stick for years. I trust Lady Speed Stick to help me stay dry and fresh all day and have for a long time. I have really sensitive skin, and Lady Speed Stick has been my go-to antiperspirant for years. And I like how it doesn't leave stains on my clothing. Lady Speed Stick Power™ offers long lasting superior protection, tough invisible 24 hour protection and is available in 4 fragrances to keep you feeling fresh from morning until night.  Here are two products I tried:

Lady Speed Stick Power in Cool Breeze 

Lady Speed Stick Gel in Fresh Fusion

And as I have been getting my sweat on recently with walks with my girls, I don't worry about Lady Speed Stick keeping me dry....I know it will and it has for years.

So, please tell me, what makes you sweat?

You know what makes me sweat beside my walks?

Getting lost when I am already late for something because I put the wrong address in my map app! 

{And it happens more often than I would like to admit!}

Don't sweat it! HANDLE IT*!

Would you like to try it for yourself? 

Visit HERE to find a downloadable coupon to use on your NEXT purchase of Lady Speed Stick™.

{Coupon expires May  25th}

See how other women wearing Lady Speed Stick* antiperspirant stay cool when faced with sweaty situations in this clip:

And how about a chance to WIN 1 of 6 Gift Baskets of assorted Lady Speed Stick products?

Visit HERE to sign up for your chance to WIN!

6 lucky winners will be chosen at random on May 31, 2013.
Good Luck!

{Disclosure~I received this product as part of a sponsored post for Colgate Canada. However, all opinions are my own and I really have used Lady Speed Stick for 25+ years.}

Italian Pasta Salad Picnic Lunch

{To celebrate Summer as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias, I made this Italian Pasta Salad from ingredients found at the Bulk Barn Canada. #cbias}

Summer is here! And that means it's the season for one of my very favorite summer activities...picnics. Our family loves taking picnic lunches to the park,  beach or outdoor concerts & events, so I created this cool & fresh  Italian pasta salad that is a great travel trooper and will satisfy any appetite on a hot summer day.

The inspiration for this recipe came when I was browsing the aisles of Bulk Barn and I happened to see  some sun-dried tomatoes. When I opened up the bin, they smelled so good that I knew that I had to make something with them.  As I browsed the rest of the aisles, the ingredients for the rest of the salad began to take shape as I picked up some penne pasta, pine nuts, and Italian spice, among lots of other things for upcoming baking projects and Father's Day items.

If you read a few of the recipes that I shared last summer,  you might remember that our family is not a fan of gloppy, runny mayo-based salads. We like salads that hold up well with ingredients that don't become drown in runny dressings, so many of my salad recipes included olive oil, along with other seasonings, as the dressing to keep everything together.  This salad includes not only penne pasta, pine nuts, sun-roasted tomatoes and Italian spice, but also some crunchy vegetables and spicy meat that makes it satisfying for a meal.

Italian Pasta Salad 

{serves 4 main meals or 8 side dishes}

Ingredients

8-10 cups cooked penne pasta, cooled
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1-1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1-2 cloves minced garlic {optional}
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 diced red onion
4 oz. diced sopressata salami
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In large bowl, add cooked penne pasta and olive oil, dijon mustard, Italian spice garlic. Mix until pasta is coated in a light layer of olive oil. This gives it flavor, but also prevents the pasta from sticking.
2. Add pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, diced red & green pepper, onion and salami. Mix until combined. Serve or refrigerate until serving time.

And now we stir it all together. This salad is perfect for a family dinner or a summer potluck.

And because you know how I love pretty, I want to share with you how I made this Italian pasta salad into a lovely little picnic lunch by placing it in a small foil container and adding a little fresh fruit and some small chocolates to make a perfectly packaged lunch for one.

 And then I thought that it needed a pretty tag, so I created this colorful tag to share with you. These packaged picnic lunches would be perfect for a gathering of friends for an outdoor concert, a birthday party or just because you want to make a picnic lunch special.

Summer Picnic Tag

So, the next time you are looking for a cool & refreshing summer salad that you can put together in under 30 minutes, you may want to give this delicious Italian pasta salad a try!


This post is linked to these parties:
Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, The 36th Avenue, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple,Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Becoming Martha, Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, Cooking With Ruthie, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime, I Should Be Mopping The Floor,  Uncommon Designs, Aaldeberry Hill, Skip To My Lou, Cozy Little House, Sugarbee Crafts, Chef-In-Training, Time To Sparkle, Home Stories A To Z, The DIY Dreamer, Clean & Scentsible,  Not Just A Housewife,

Encouraging Kids to Eat Well & Get Active with Alberta's Healthy U 5&1 Experiment...

Here at Echoes of Laughter, I have written several posts in the past on packing healthy lunches and healthy drinks & snacks for kids, and often written how my son loves hockey and my daughter figure skated for many years. Needless to say, we are like most families and have a busy sports schedule during the week.  One way I encourage my kids to have several servings of fresh fruit & vegetables is to have them cut up and bagged in individual portions and stored in a special bin in the fridge for snacking at any time.

Recently, I was  happy to learn about the Alberta Government's latest initiative to support healthy eating and physical activity for kids with the Healthy U 5&1 Experiment. This campaign, which began on May 6, focuses on  the importance of how kids 6-12 need at least five servings of vegetables and fruit and at least one hour of physical activity each day. Developing these healthy habits will help kids improve their health, maintain a healthy weight, improve their fitness level, boost their self-confidence and help them to do better in school.

As part of the Healthy U 5&1 Experiment, the campaign has launched a fabulous website for kids that offers 42 fun & easy science experiments that will get kids ages 6-12 engaged in learning about eating healthy and staying active in a fun way. Kids live in an online world, and the program takes this into consideration by offering a website {& app}where kids can sign up and track their progress, challenge friends and family to join in, and earn awards, all  while taking part in 21 days of nifty science experiments. Also included in the website are great resources like shopping lists for foods to try, materials needed for experiments and grocery coupons to help towards the cost of healthy eating.

In help support the Healthy U5&1 Experiment, there will also be 'street teams', dubbed the 'Healthy U Crew' touring Alberta from May to September 2013. You will find the 'Healthy U Crew' at popular community events such as the Calgary Stampede and the St. Albert International Children's Festival, and everywhere in between. To see when the street teams will be in your community, please visit HERE and check out the touring schedules listed at the bottom of the page.

In addition to all of this, the Healthy U 5&1 program has also put together a pretty amazing website aimed at helping kids learn to cook with fun, interactive games while preparing healthy recipes. You can find that website by clicking here: Healthy U Jr. Chef.  I think teaching kids to learn how to cook is such an important life skill and the key to eating healthy.

Make sure to visit some of these fabulous resources to help your family make healthy eating and active living fun for your kids and the whole family.

Ps- You can also find the Healthy U 5&1 Facebook Page HERE.

Delicious Chocolate & Strawberry Breakfast Pizza

Here are Echoes of Laughter, we are proud to announce the birth of a favorite new breakfast....introducing the fast, easy & delicious Chocolate & Strawberry Pizza.

Oh! How I love this fabulous treat for breakfast! And is there anything better than the flavour combo of chocolate & strawberries?

The birth of this delicious breakfast pizza began when our family spotted the new Chocolate Philly in the grocery store and it came home with us. Since Philly Cream Cheese is a regular at our house, we could not resist the temptation of a new flavour to try!

And this simple breakfast dish has become THE thing at our house.

The kids love it and as soon as they smell something in the toaster, they appear in the kitchen!

Philly Chocolate & Strawberry Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

Bagel

Chocolate Philly Cream Cheese

Fresh strawberries, sliced

To make: Toast bagel and then spread with Chocolate Philly & fresh sliced strawberries.

This is so easy that kids can make it for themselves!

If you haven't tried the new Chocolate Philly yet, it is ah-mazing! Our whole family loves it.

With Chocolate Philly you get the dairy goodness of Philly plus the deliciousness of pure milk chocolate-with half the sugar and calories (per 1 tbsp. serving) of the other guys.

And as a busy mom who needs an occasional break, I  have put my order in for my next 'breakfast in bed' treat to my family. {wink, wink.}

If you haven't had the chance to try the new Chocolate Philly yet,  as of May 21st, Chocolate Philly will be offering a new coupon that can be downloaded from the Philly Facebook page for a limited time.

And in addition to the coupon, you can also join in

 Chocolate Philly's FB Breakfast in Bed "Likes" Challenge.

To download the coupon and find out more about the Breakfast in Bed "Likes" Challenge,

visit the Philly Facebook Page HERE.

Now please excuse me while I go get smoochy-woochy in the corner with my Chocolate Philly and some fresh strawberries.  **SWOON**

{Disclosure: The products mentioned above are part of a sponsored post for Kraft Canada. However, all opinions expressed are my own and we love Chocolate Philly.}

This post is linked to these parties:
Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, It's Overflowing, I Heart Naptime, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon Designs,  Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Under The Table & Dreaming, Skip To My Lou, Lil' Luna,  Gingersnap Craft, The 36th Avenue, I Gotta Create, StoneGable, Somewhat Simple, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons,  The Frugal Girls, Design, Dining & Diapers, Becoming Martha, Cooking With Ruthie,  It's Overflowing, I Should Be Mopping The Floor,