Girl Scout Cookies Milkshake

I love this time of year.  It’s time for Girl Scout cookies!

I was a Brownie and a Girl Scout growing up and so were both of my girls.  I loved being their leader too.  But the best part of being part of the Girl Scouts is definitely the cookies!   I loved going around with my girls as they sold cookies door to door.  Unlike other types of sales people, people are actually excited to see a Girl Scout selling cookies.  Well, at least I am.  Fortunately for me I still have a cute little girl at church who calls me every year to buy cookies.  Not sure what I’m going to do when she outgrows Girl Scouts!!

My favorite Girl Scout cookie hands down is Thin Mints.  I buy boxes of them and stash them in the freezer.  Thin Mints are best eaten frozen.  So that got me to thinking.  If they are so good frozen, what would they be like in a milk shake?  I was first introduced to baked goods in milk shakes by Sammy’s in Provo Utah.  They use both cupcakes and pies.  I have even made my own version at home with a Pumpkin Pie Shake.

So I decided to give it a try and guess what – it’s amazing!  I had a box of Thin Mints and a box of Tagalongs (my second favorite cookie)  Tessa had taken all the Samoas back to school with her so I couldn’t try Samoas but I’m sure they would be amazing too.

I got out my trusty old Vitamix but you could use your blender too and filled it with ice cream, milk and cookies.  I used 4-5 cookies for each shake for just the right texture and flavor.

The first Girl Scout Cookie Shake I made was a Tagalong one.

For the Tagalong Cookie Shake I chose chocolate ice cream.

Two cups of ice cream, a cup of milk and 4 Tagalong cookies was just the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

I love the flavor and the texture that the cookies gave the milkshake.  It tasted just like a Tagalong cookie with the creaminess and yumminess of ice cream!

Next up was the Thin Mint Cookie Shake.  Pretty much pure heaven.

I added five cookies into this one for just that extra bit of cookie crunch and flavor.

I highly recommend Girl Scout Cookie Shakes!  So what are your favorite Girl Scout Cookies!???

For other favorite frozen desserts check out these:

Pumpkin Pie Shakes

Cinnamon and Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream

Thin Mint Pizza Supreme

Ice Cream Sandwich Bar

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Enjoy! Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 2 C ice cream for thin mint I used vanilla and for tagalong I used chocolate
• 1 C milk
• 4-5 cookies of choice five for thin mint shake and four for tagalong shake

Instructions

• Add all ingredients into your blender and blend! Enjoy

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French Crumble Apple Pie

French Crumb Apple Pie

Easy and delicious apple pie with a French Crumb topping.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 1 perfect pie crust tutorial
• Recipe makes two pie crusts only need one for pie

Apple Filling

• 6-7 C sliced peeled apples (about 7) I like to use a tart apple such as granny smith
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 C sugar

French Crumb Topping

• 1/3 C butter
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C flour

Instructions

Apple Filling:

• Combine apples, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and toss to coat apples. Place apples in unbaked pie crust. Top with French Crumb Topping. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender. If pie begins to brown too much cover with a piece of foil and remove for the last 5 minutes of baking.

French Crumb Topping:

• Mix together butter and sugar. Add in flour and combine until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of apples in the pie plate.

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Valentine Peeps Bouquet

Peeps are not just for Easter anymore!
Yes, I am a self proclaimed Peeps fan.  You know, those cute little marshmallow birds that use to only come out at Easter. My favorite way to eat them is of course to leave the bag open and let them dry out a bit. Yum!
Well, you may or may not have noticed that Peeps now come out at all the major holidays and I love it! I no longer have to wait until the Spring to indulge. For Valentine’s they have come out with these Strawberry Creme Valentine hearts – how cute are they?

This weekend I needed a last minute Valentine table decoration and since I always try to be prepared I just happen to have a couple packages of these Peeps in my pantry!  Be prepared!

There is one way to improve upon a Peep though – that is to dip it in chocolate.  So that’s just what I did.  I found this cute idea for Peeps Sweetheart Lollipops. on their website.   For even more ideas for peeps check out their fun  Pinterest boards.  In fact you will see a few of my ideas on there!

I used milk chocolate and white chocolate, dipping half the heart into the chocolate.

I then gave it a nice dusting of Valentine sprinkles.

I then put the hearts onto sucker sticks or you could use pretty straws if you had them and then let the chocolate set up.

You are then ready to put your Valentine Peeps Bouquet together.

I filled an old canning jar with conversation hearts.  I added some ribbon and washi tape to a few of the sticks for some added fun in the Valentine peeps bouquet.

I then added in my Valentine Peeps into the bouquet.  The conversation hearts help hold the sticks in place.

A super quick and fun way to put together a little Valentine decor for your Valentine’s dinner, don’t’ you think!?

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Pom Pom Bookmarks & Book Review {Activity Day Idea}

We had Activity Day this last week. (A twice a month church activity for girls ages 8-12)  They already had a book review scheduled before I was put in as one of the leaders.  I thought it was a great idea but I thought maybe we needed to add a little fun, hands-on project and treat into the activity too.

So as the girl’s arrived they were able to visit the Valentines Day Hot Chocolate Bar. For more details on how I put it together check out my post earlier this week.
Can you tell my the girl’s face that they really, really liked it!

They came up with some pretty creative combinations.  I told them their mother could not blame me if they didn’t eat their dinner that night!!  Total sugar overload!!

But so much fun!

They brought their hot chocolate to the kitchen table and they all had brought a favorite book to share.  They told us a little about the story and why they liked it.

I shared with them some of my favorite books from when I was their age like Nancy Drew Mysteries, Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.  I also gave them a list of suggested books they might enjoy that came from this great website, A Mighty Girl, that recommends books for certain ages.  Thanks to one of my readers who sent me the link and to many of you who responded to my request on Facebook for book suggestions for girls 8-12 years of age.

After they shared their book we had a little hands on activity and made pom pom book marks.  I had found the idea ovr at Design Mom.  The girl’s loved it.

They chose their favorite color of yarn and got to work.  For a good tutorial on making pom poms check go visit Design Mom.

It does make a bit of a mess as they give their pom pom a haircut but totally worth it.  They turned out so cute.  I’ll be sweeping up little pieces of yarn for a while!

We had a half hour for the activity part and each girl was able to make two bookmarks.

Next Activity:  Pie Making!

For other Activity Day Ideas check out these posts:

Valentine Advent Calender

Enjoy! Leigh Anne

You can also visit me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

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The Art of Being Busy

I have decided that on one Sunday a month or maybe two, I am going to share some of my thoughts, my musings, my ramblings with you. Ideas that have been floating around in my head.These thoughts will be of a more personal nature. An opportunity for me to share a little more of my personal side. I share a lot with you on the blog but I’d like to share more of the why behind my what. Why I do what I do. You game?

I was recently reading an article in a church magazine we receive each month called the Ensign. The article was entitled “Don’t be in a Hurry” by John C. Thomas. The article got me thinking a lot about being busy and how so many of us, myself included, have turned it into an art form – The Art of Being Busy.

Have you ever greeted a friend, asked how they were and they then proceeded to tell you how busy they were and all about everything they had to do. The thing is though, you joined right in, sharing with your friend how busy you were too and everything you had to do. It almost became a friendly competition of who was busier. Been there, done that!

In my magazine article Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin is quoted as having said, “…feel that the busier we are, the more important we are – as though busyness defines our worth.”  Does your busyness define your worth?

I have always loved the quote by Henry David Thoreau:

That is my question today – what are we busy about?

I remember several years ago driving behind a car and looking at their bumper sticker.  It said:

“Jesus is Coming. Look busy!”

Well, for most of us that wouldn’t be a problem.  There are so many things, both mundane and meaningful that compete for our attention on a daily basis, on an hourly basis and even on a minute by minute basis.  Technology is to blame for a lot of the busyness but we have caused a lot of it all by ourselves!

How many of us play that game of “When this happens (fill in the blank) , then things will slow down.”  I know I’ve played it – many times and I still play it.  I remember years ago sitting in a meeting with a group of ladies from church.  We were all playing the “I’m so busy” game.  Each talking about all the things they have to do and I remember hearing several of the “older” sisters (of which I am now one of!) talk about how busy they were as empty nesters.  I remember thinking to myself, “Yeah, right, you can’t possibly be as busy as I am.”  But they assured me that their life now was just as busy, if not busier than it was when they had kids at home.  I didn’t believe them.

Now, I do.  It is just busy doing different things.  I have discovered that being busy doesn’t come with a certain season of life.  It is self induced.  I am just as busy now as I was when I had four children living under my roof.  I have perfected the Art of Being Busy.  I continue to fill my life with activities, work, obligations, etc.  I am sure some of you are shaking your head at me right about now but it’s true.  When you have perfected the Art of Being Busy or should we call it the addiction to being busy it doesn’t just stop when your kids move out.

But lately I have been trying to work on another art form.  The Art of Being Still.

In the church magazine article I was reading , I found this quote,

“Our hurry to meet the relentless demands of the clock tears away at our inner peace.” ‘

-James E. Faust

How many of you have felt a little like the  Queen of Hearts  in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland when she says to Alice:

Life just seems to be running at such a pace that we can’t keep up or catch up.  There are always too many things on the list and not enough hours in the day.  No matter how late you stay up!  My To Do list as an empty nester is just as long as it ever was before.

But I have decided I don’t like it.

Now I’m not going to get into a discussion about how many activities you should be involved in or your kids should be involved in.  That is your decision.  If you’d like to invite me to lunch someday I’d love  to have that discussion with you though.  What I do want you to ask yourself is this –  “How can we obtain the peace we want to enjoy, even in a world of commotion?

Let’s face it, we can make some changes, we can eliminate some activities from our life but we are still going to be busy.    Neal A. Maxwell said, “frantic, heedless busyness…crowds out contemplation and leaves no room for renewal.”

So ask yourself:

What am I busy about?

How much frantic, heedless busyness do I have in my life?

Is there room in my life for renewal?

How can we leave room for renewal in our life ?

How can we develop the Art of Being Still?

So I’m going to leave you with some food for thought today.  I’ll be back the first of next month (or maybe sooner)  to share with you some more of my thoughts and how I have found ways to make room for renewal in my life.  And I promise, you all have room for it if you just choose to make room.

If you’d like some more food for thought today I’d invite you to visit a few of my blogger friends:

Mandy over at Sugar Bee Crafts

McKenzie at Girl Loves Glam

Mariel at Or So She Says

 

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