Chocolate Snow Balls...DELICIOUS!

Easy to make and hard to resist!

What you need:

• One package of Oreo cookies
• One 16 oz. package of cream cheese softened
• White chocolate bark (and dark chocolate if you'd like)
• Large bowl for mixing
• Microwave safe bowl for melting chocolate bark

What you do...

Crush the entire package of Oreos. I use my hand-dandy Pampered Chef chopper and crush 2-3 cookies at a time into a crumbly dry mixture leaving a few small pieces of cookie. Dump the crushed cookies into the large mixing bowl. While you're crushing these cookies leave the cream cheese out to soften.

 

Once the cookies are all crushed up you'll need to cut the cream cheese into small chunks and drop into the dry cookie mix. If you can recruit some help, like I did, I find that a cute little elf and a loving husband always make this project more fun :)  The next step is fun but a little more messy...using your hands, you will mix the softened cream cheese into the dry cookie crumbles so that it's mixed well.

Then, roll the dough into small, bite-sized bites and place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet...

  

Place the cookie sheet filled with the balls in the fridge to chill for an hour . Then, after that hour you will melt 1-2 pieces of white (or chocolate) bark in a microwave safe bowl. I usually microwave for about 30 seconds, stir, then microwave again for another 30 seconds. You may need to repeat that step depending on the power of your microwave. 

Once the chocolate bark is melted you'll take one ball and roll around in the melted chocolate until completely covered. Then, set back on the cookie sheet. Continue covering each chocolate ball until they are all covered in melted chocolate and cooling on the cookie sheet. Put back in the fridge over night. Serve chilled. Depending upon the size of the balls you roll you could easily have 40-50 pieces and make wonderful gifts. Enjoy!

Keeping it clean!

With Christmas and New Years Day nearly here I'm sure you have family & friends coming & going for visits, which means more cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Here's an easy, effective and VERY CHEAP way to keep it all clean...vinegar! This bottle pictured here costs about $.75 at my local grocery story (Kroger) and I buy it weekly. Here are a few tips to clean the microwave, sink, coffee maker & washing clean and you can do these weekly, monthly or as often as needed....

• Microwave: Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar & water in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for about 5 minutes. When the water boils it will produce the steam needed to help loosen the "junk" from the inside of the microwave. Then wipe down with a clean, damp paper towel.  
• Kitchen sink/garbage disposal: after cleaning the microwave, pour the hot vinegar/water into the garbage disposal where you have already poured 1 TBSP of baking soda. The hot vinegar/water will cause the soda to bubble up and then I run hot water and the disposal for about 15 seconds.  TIP: during the week I will run hot water and add a few drops of dish soap and run the disposal to keep it clean and smelling fresh.
• Coffee maker: pour 1 cup of vinegar into the water-reservoir and run it through one cycle. Pour that vinegar out and refill the water-reservoir with fresh water and run that through two times.
• Washing machine: I have a front-loading machine and I pour 1 cup of vinegar in to the pull-out drawer where I normally pour the detergent. I run a regular washing cycle (make sure the washer is empty) on the hottest temperature cycle.