Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

New thing I'm into? Finding recipes on actual product websites. It's like the virtual "I got the recipe from the back of the box" way of doing things! Who'da thought?

And Betty Crocker has been my gal for the past week. From tonight's Au Gratin Chicken Bake to tomorrow's Mexican Manicotti, already prepped and in the fridge, I am all about some basic comfort food during this holiday season.

Cake mix cookies are no exception.

For the somewhat lazy/ fairly instinct-less cook like yours truly, this is the answer to your (seeming) culinary shortcomings. These were even taste-tested and loved by a close friend and chef! So, make this your next party trick. Happy Baking!

PEANUT BUTTER CAKE MIX COOKIES

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons water 

1 cup creamy peanut butter 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs 

Granulated sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. In large bowl, combine cake mix, brown sugar, water, peanut butter, oil and eggs (if using an electric mixer, blend on medium speed until mix is smooth).

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and, on ungreased cookie sheet, place 2 inches apart. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork dipped in sugar. (Tip: Cool dough in the fridge for 15-30 minutes for simpler ball-rolling).

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Allow cookies to cool.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

A Thrifty, Homespun Christmas: Easy Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

I've loved these since I was a kid. They're cheap, easy and make your home smell delicious!

What You'll Need

• 1 Cup of Cinnamon (Powder, not Cinnamon Sugar!)

• 3/4 Cup Applesauce

• 1 Tbs Ground Cloves

• 2 Tbs Elmer's Glue (I used Dollar Tree white glue)

• Cookie Cutter

• Straw

• String, Yarn, or Ribbon for Hanging

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine cinnamon and cloves.

2. Add the applesauce and glue.

3. Knead by hand in bowl for a few minutes, until you have a firm, pliable dough. If the dough is too wet, add more cinnamon if the dough is too wet, more applesauce if it's too dry.

4.  Dust your work surface with cinnamon.

5. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

6. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. 

7. While the dough is still moist, cut a hole in the top of each ornament with the end of a straw for hanging.

8. Place ornaments onto a cookie sheet (with no wax paper or tin foil and this could leave imprints on your dough during the drying process) and air dry for several days. Carefully flip them several times while drying so they won't bend or warp.

9. For a shorter drying process, bake ornaments at 200 degrees F for two hours, turning occasionally.

A Thrifty, Homespun Christmas: Simple Yarn-Wrapped Holiday Wreath

Yarn-wrapped wreaths are one of my favorite crafts to do, especially during the holidays. They're easy to whip up while watching a Christmas flick and sipping cider. They're brainless, cheap and turn out lookin' super fancy and quirky. On Etsy or other specialty shops, these wreaths can range anywhere from $17- $50. But, you can make them yourself for just around eight bucks. Crafters will already have most of these items on hand.

What You'll Need

Foam Wreath (Got mine at Wal-Mart for $3.97)

Yarn (Had on hand; you can purchase at Wal-Mart for $2.40 and always keep your eyes peeled for sales!)

Holiday Accessories (Got mine at Dollar Tree for a buck!)

Tacky Glue

Hot Glue Gun and Glue (optional)

Scissors

Directions

1. Place a dot of glue at the top of your foam wreath.
2. Cut a manageable length of yarn (I like to wrap the yarn continuously around my hand until I have a large amount, cut, and begin from there).
3. Simply begin wrapping! I prefer applying a line of glue to ensure that the yarn stays in place. Wrap away, let your mind go wild with patterns and color combinations. Since I was using gold, glittery add-ons, I decided to keep my yarn simple and monochromatic.
4. Place your holiday add-ons where desired. For heavier add-ons, hot glue will work best when applying. For lighter add-ons, tacky glue will work fine. Let dry. Voila! 

Linking Up With:

The DIY Party || DIY Sunday Showcase

Five on Friday (7.5.13)

Link-up!

Happy Post-4th/ Pre-My Birthday Day! Here's what's good in the land of Can this week.

1. I have finally tried spaghetti squash. I'm not entirely sure what took me so long. I love every other form of squash. I once was lost, but now I'm found (is it wrong to equate squash to amazing grace?). It is ridiculously good. We had ours with a little olive oil and feta cheese and will definitely begin incorporating this as a meal staple.

2. My bangs were all kinds long. So, I trimmed that business up. No more looking like a muppet.

3. My birthday is tomorrow! That means an enormous deluge of restaurant coupons has flooded inbox.

4. This Vine video we made of our cat doing his best Scar impression.

5. We had about as stereotypical of a July 4th as you can have. It was a sparkletastic, grillin' good time. I'm sure it was really safe for Timothy to hold his sparkler so close to the grill.

And finally, get some of this fantastic song, "Royals" by Lorde.

Keeping America Cute!

Well, glory be! It's birthday week! Amurrica always be crampin' my style this time of year. I'm all, "Oh hey everybody! My birthday is July 6th!" And Amurrica be all, "Oh yeah? Well, it's my birthday TODAY and I have WAY more friends and years on you. Do you get fireworks on your birthday? Nooooo. Do you get cookouts across the nation in celebration of your glory? Nope. Do people throw parades on your behalf and sing festive songs in your name? Nada. I win."

That's okay, America. How can I stay mad at you when there's THIS GUY?

Note: This is not my cat. I only terrorize our cats with costume torture during Halloween and Christmas. Also, yesterday. 

In other news, my ongoing quest for the perfect, tiny apartment continues. This week? A simple knob improvement. The unsightly old school doors to our laundry room sported an even more unsightly knob. Clearly untouched since 1985, these grungy old things were tarnished and splotched with careless paint stains. So, we grabbed these modern, sleek square knobs at Lowes.

The Damage: $2.97 per knob

Total Time To Replace Knobs: About five minutes. Boom.