Watch a Dig It Up Dragon toy being excavated.

https://youtu.be/YrpRL8IR1EQ

Thanks for tuning in! Please feel free to Like, Comment, and Share! Also, Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Until next time,

Carla XOXO

Show appreciation to your delivery drivers with a basket of treats.

https://youtu.be/gCSmrf_J67g

Delivery drivers such as USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Amazon work so hard all year long, but especially this time of year. The hours are long, they work several days in a hour with no break because they know people are counting on them to receive mail and packages from loved ones.

This is all too familiar to me because my husband is a mail carrier. He enjoys serving his customers. Every year however, just after Thanksgiving, I barely see my husband, as his job needs him. The hours are long and exhausting, to be honest, I don’t know how he does it! His job is very physical. He has a walking route and walks approximately 12 to 14 miles a day. Much more in December because the volumes are beyond high. While every December has been challenging, this year the volumes have been non-stop due to Covid. Add the election ballots in, and now the holidays and you have the trifecta of mail volumes and packages.

There are a couple of customers on my husband’s route that leave snacks and drinks out for him. He appreciates it so much! I have always wanted to do the same for the people that deliver mail and packages to us, but was never organized enough to do it, ha ha! I finally got my act together and made up a basket of thank you treats and some drinks to say thank you for the delivery people that work so hard!

Here’s what I put together:

Please share, like, and Subscribe. Thanks for tuning in!

Make up a basket for your delivery person, they will appreciate it in these crazy times!

Happy Holidays! 🎄🎄🎄

Carla XOXO

Kickin’ the original Rice Krispie Treats up a couple notches by adding in some peanut butter, then topping them with some Golden Grahams Cereal, some melted Butterscotch Chips, and some mini Reese’s Pieces candies. Ummmm, can you say YUM?!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Jif)
• 1 bag of mini Marshmallows
• 5 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• Golden Grahams Cereal (about a cup)
• Butterscotch Chips
• Reese’s Pieces Baking Candy Pieces

Prepare an 8×8 brownie pan by lining it with parchment paper. (Or generously spray with Pam Spray.) Melt the butter in a large pot on medium low heat. Add in the mini marshmallows and stir until almost melted. Add in 1/2 cup of peanut butter, reserving the other half. Add in 5 1/2 cups of Rice Krispies cereal, stir to combine. Then swirl in the remaining 1/2 cup of peanut butter.

Pour into the parchment lined pan. Use the back of a large spoon to firmly press the mixture into the pan. Top with Golden Grahams Cereal. Push cereal into top of bars. Next, add Butterscotch Chips and place in a low 200 degree oven until Butterscotch Chips are melted and spreadable. Spread the Butterscotch Chips over the Golden Grahams Cereal. Next, add the mini Reese’s Pieces candies and press them into the Melted Butterscotch Chips.

Let the bars cool, pull them out by the parchment paper, remove the parchment paper, and slice them into squares. Stack them neatly on a platter of your choice and they are ready for serving! Any leftovers, keep them in a sealed container to retain their freshness. Enjoy!

Here is my YouTube Video on how to make these yummy treats! Please feel free to comment, share, save, and Subscribe to my channel for future videos.

See you next time! Carla XOXO

My method to baking pizza always delivers a crispy crust and yummy flavorful cheese. Get ready for Flavor-town and say goodbye to soggy pizza crust forever!

https://youtu.be/ycg7N22HMXI

Yummy Pizza Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (I used Beer Pizza Crust from Giant)
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella Cheese (I used deli sliced thin Boar’s Head Mozzarella)
• Pizza Sauce (I like Don Peppino’s brand sauce)
• Garlic powder
• Italian Seasoning
• Sea Salt Grinder
• Sesame Seeds

Preheat oven and non stick cast iron pan to 425 degrees. Pull out pan and use a silicone pastry brush to apply olive oil to coat the pan. Stretch the pizza dough to fit the shape of the pan with your clean hands. Carefully place the stretched dough into the HOT cast iron pan. I keep a pot holder or oven mitt on the handle of the pan to remind me that it is HOT!

Use the silicone brush to coat the top of the pizza with olive oil. Next, add sliced mozzarella cheese to the top of the pizza dough, crust to crust. Then, add dollops of pizza sauce around the pizza, and sprinkle on Italian Seasoning. Finally, add some garlic powder to the edge of the pizza, also add a small amount of sea salt, then add sesame seeds around the crust as well.

Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. I generally set my timer for 6 to 7 minutes, then start to watch the pizza closely until it is the color desired. It can bake anywhere from 11 to 15 minutes. Pull the pizza out when brown and let it cool and then ENJOY!! It’s yummy with a side salad. Ice cream for dessert. YUM!

Please check out my YouTube Video on how I made the yummy pizza. Hit that Subscribe button for notifications on my future videos. Check out all my videos on my YouTube Channel: DIYHappyHome.

Carla XOXO

This homemade vanilla soft serve ice cream could not be easier to make and hits the spot during the hot summer months.

https://youtu.be/FOW-Bj6N6ZM

Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream:

• 2 ounces pasteurized eggs (such as egg beaters)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla (I used extra)
• 1/2 cup of half and half
• 1 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream)

I used my liquid measuring cup to quickly whisk the ingredients together. It has a pour spout so it makes it easy to pour the mixture into the ice cream barrel. My ice cream maker makes about a pint of ice cream, it’s one of those thermo-electric ones where you don’t need to put the barrel in the freezer ahead of time, nor do you need to use the rock salt. It takes 45 minutes for soft serve ice cream, and about an hour and a half for scoopable ice cream.

This ice cream turned out rich, decadent, and delicious! The best part? You know what ingredients are in it, because you made it yourself. My kids loved the ice cream and immediately asked me to make another batch. I loved it too! Next, I will have to try different flavors. I think strawberry would be so yummy! And of course chocolate!

Please check out my YouTube Video on how I made the ice cream. Hit that Subscribe button for notifications on my future videos. Check out all my videos on my YouTube Channel: DIYHappyHome.

Thanks for tuning in! Happy Summer!

Carla XOXO

Look no further for a banana bread recipe, this banana bread is flavorful, moist, and delicious! Perfect for breakfast or a snack with a cup of coffee, tea, or milk. Yum!

https://youtu.be/CkfO6eWSQj0

The Best Banana Bread Ever! Ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• 1/3 cup Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt (Or Vanilla Yogurt, or buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas (I used 2 large ripe bananas, they must be ripe!)
• 1/4 cup White Sugar
• 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 3/4 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray loaf pan with Olive oil spray and line with parchment paper for easy slicing.

In a bowl mix together eggs, yogurt, oil, smashed bananas, vanilla extract, and white and brown sugars until combined.

In a separate bowl, measure flour, baking soda, and salt.

Incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, be sure not to over mix.

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 15 minutes and remove from loaf pan. Enjoy!

Please Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and feel free to share this yummy recipe!

Carla XOXO

This hearty baked ziti is one of the best comfort foods and comes together quickly for a delicious and satisfying pasta dish!

https://youtu.be/8MC5dU_HVeQ

Easy, Cheesy Baked Ziti Ingredients:

• 1 box of Ziti Pasta, cooked until al dente
• Pasta Sauce of your choice (I like Don Pepino)
• 1 small container of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• Block of Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
• Locatelli Cheese (Pecorino Romano)
• Olive Oil
• Parsley (Fresh or Dried Parsley Flakes)
• Italian Seasoning
• 1 small container of Mushrooms, Sliced
• 1 medium Sweet Onion, diced
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

Sauté mushrooms in olive oil without salt until they are caramelized. Then add diced onions to the pan and sauté until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste, and add garlic last so it does not burn.

Cook ziti according to package directions, make sure to cook until al dente. Toss the ziti with your choice of pasta sauce.

In a bowl, add the container of whole milk ricotta cheese, two cloves of crushed garlic, a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and parsley flakes to your liking.

You are ready to assemble your baked ziti.

Add sauce to the bottom of your casserole dish. Next, add a layer of the sauced pasta.

Then add some of the mushrooms and onions.

Then, add some of the ricotta mixture.

Next, some Locatelli cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Then add some sauce.

Then start the layering process again until you are out of ingredients, or at the top of your casserole dish, LOL!

Top final layer with mozzarella and Locatelli cheese, and sprinkle with Parsley flakes and Italian Seasoning.

Bake covered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

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Carla XOXO