< christmas chef >

I have found the world's greatest helper in the kitchen... and his name is Chef Jacob. He likes to help me stir & sift flour, he makes sure that I'm using the right numerical measurements, and he lets me know when I'm making a mess. Most of all, he is encouraging - "this looks like it's going to be DELICIOUS, Mommy!"

We're going to Oakdale tomorrow to celebrate with my family, so tonight we made Sour Cream Pound Cake (a la Paula Deen), some Cheddar Ranch Dip, and last but not least we made something we're calling "Mini Pretzel Bites" (see pictures below). Also, Joe &/or I will be getting up at 4:30AM to start our Sweet-n-Sour Meatballs. It calls for 4-5 hours cooking in a CrockPot - so if we have to leave here at 9AM... that means we have to get up WAY TOO EARLY to start the meatballs. There will be no pictures of us at that time of morning... not a pretty sight, I can assure you!

I'll leave you with the recipe for Mini Pretzel Bites:

• 1 bag Snyder's Butter Snap Pretzels
• Hershey's Kisses &/or Hugs (depending on your taste)
• M&Ms
• Preheat oven to 170F
• Line baking sheet with wax paper
  

Here's Jacob doing his quality checks and making sure our ingredients are good to go:

Put one Hug or Kiss in the center of each pretzel:

Spread some love around...

Then BAKE in 170F oven for 5-6 minutes, just until Hugs/Kisses are soft. Place an M&M on top of each and press down. Place baking sheet in refrigerator until chocolate is set.

or sometimes you just can't wait for that refrigerator part and you go ahead and sample the goods. ENJOY!

This was when we finished cooking our treats... someone got to stay up REALLY LATE tonight. Hope that doesn't come back to bite us tomorrow! =)

And this is the final product - easy, delicious & a great way for your little one to help out in the kitchen!