In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

I figured that with Thanksgiving being just hours away, I should join with the masses and talk about what I'm thankful for.

Here's a very condensed list of what I'm thankful for:

family
a job
a home
friends
Jesus
Aubrey
food
a car
gas in my car
money to buy gifts for people
snow
sunshine
opportunity


Now that I've got "the list" out of the way, here's the thing... I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of two wonderful families.

Munters 2014

 Kyle & nephew 2013

 me & nephew 2014

niece & me 2014

#k2getshitched2013 

Eric, Amanda, Kyle, & me July 2014

After sharing all of these photos, I just am struck with how blessed we are. Both sets of parents are so supportive and loving. They spoil each and every one of their children (and in-laws). We seriously have the best siblings ever. Older and younger siblings alike are some of our best friends. If ya'll are reading this...we don't see some of you often enough, but we really do appreciate and love all of you. We've got the best niece & nephew ever (and one more on the way)! We LOVE being aunt and uncle to you. All-in-all, we love each and every one of you. And if we ever forget to tell you, don't hesitate to remind us.

Happy Thanksgiving and we love you all!

How Dumb.

As I was sitting on my couch with my mom next to me and my brother and his girlfriend close by, I realized how important time to connect with your family is. You see, we weren't just sitting in the living room. We were watching this movie.

And I caught myself muttering, "Oh how dumb." I'm sure I muttered that phrase at least 10 times throughout the movie.

It's not that I haven't seen the movie before. Last night was probably the 10th time I've seen it. But I just forgot how dumb funny that movie was. 

Even though we were watching Dumb and Dumber, we were bonding. It's not a common occurrence that I get to just sit down with my mom and watch a movie we can laugh at.

That being said...I hope you can spend some time enjoying the company of someone in your family this weekend.

Happy Friday!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies [per request]

Many moons ago (close to 4 years to be exact), I made some tasty cookies for a friend of mine. I'm pretty sure we demolished them in one sitting. Bethany, correct me if I'm wrong!

Here are the Chocolate Peppermint Cookies I brought to Bethany's house!

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/4 c oil

peppermint extract

powdered sugar
milk
crushed candy canes

Mix the cake mix, 2 eggs, & 1/4 c oil. Add in peppermint extract to preference. Roll the dough into small balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes (or until done).

For the frosting, use approx 2 cups powdered sugar, 1-2 T milk, a splash of peppermint extract, and crushed candy canes (to taste). If you want the frosting to set better, use 1-2 T melted butter instead of milk. The thicker the frosting, the easier it will be to frost the cookies.


My goal is to make these cookies again soon. When I do, I'll make sure to take photos and upload them here! Let me know how you liked them!

Christmas is on the way...

I know what you're thinking. "Kelly, your recent posts told me it was hunting this weekend. Plus, it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Why are you thinking about Christmas?"

Well, you see, Fosston had their first accumulating snowfall this weekend. What a better time to take photos for a Christmas card?

So, we had a mini photo shoot. Oh...and I'll add some weekend photos too.

Here are some photos that didn't quite make it onto 

our Christmas cards.

*Silly dog, now I've got a tail?*

A Contest: Update

Why hello, sweet readers!

I've been informed that I've not updated my pet peeves for the contest winners. Yikes...I'm slacking!

So as a refresher...here was my most recent contest.

And the winners are.......

My siblings.
Talk about a little anti-climactic!



On that note, we are gearing up for Deer Holiday this weekend! It's bound to be a weekend full of plaid, blaze orange, potato klub, family, deer, and relaxing.

What fall traditions do you have?

Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting--for any occasion!

Okay, so I know I gave you a little tease on the media for socials last night. And I'm okay with that.

I was baking for a coworker's baby shower and I thought, "Why not share this recipe with your readers?" So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

**confession...I'm not so good at taking photos of the ingredients and process. Sorry!**

So although I do have a sparse amount of photos, they'll have to suffice.

And without further delay, I present to you:

Grandma Sharon's Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes
(She usually makes a giant pan of cake/bars...but I like frosting cupcakes more.)

6 eggs, beaten 

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups flour

1 cup coconut

6 cups carrots, shredded *Mine were frozen--I thawed them and they added more liquid to the batter*

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

Grandma's directions say to beat 6 eggs for a minute or so. I had them in the Kitchen Aid* for 2-3 minutes--I think the cupcakes ended up a little more fluffy that way. Then, add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes (or until all mixed together). While your Kitchen Aid* is mixing the eggs and sugar together, mix your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. (save your carrots for a little later) After your dry ingredients are all mixed together, alternate adding the oil and dry ingredients to your eggar (that's eggs and sugar mixed together) mixture. After everything is all mixed in, add your 6 cups of carrots. If you're using frozen, shredded carrots and your batter is too runny--don't panic! It's okay. Mine was that way too. It will set as it bakes.

"Bake at 350 degrees until done"

Honest, that's what the recipe says! But mine were done in about 25 minutes.

So I wasn't sure how many cupcakes I would end up with...I was hoping for 2 dozen.

*Sorry for the low quality photos...I'll work on that* 

3 dozen cupcakes later and this is the final product:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package of cream cheese

1 stick of butter

powdered sugar

vanilla extract

I was doing some reading about cream cheese frosting yesterday. So when it was time to make the frosting for these cupcakes, I was prepared. Check out Joy the Baker's Cream Cheese Frosting 101. Love her.

So, per her instructions I let my cream cheese and butter sit out so it wouldn't curdle. Then, I pretty much did my own thing.

I whipped the cream cheese for a few minutes in my Kitchen Aid*. I then added the butter and whipped it real good. Anyone?

As for the vanilla, I probably only added 1/2 teaspoon. I'm too spacey to buy white vanilla when I'm prepping for a bake-a-thon, so normal Mexico vanilla was my weapon of choice.

And the powdered sugar...here's the thing. Look back to Grandma's directions for baking..."until done"... I'm kind of the same way. I just added powdered sugar until it was creamy and sweet enough, but not too sweet. Sorry for those of you who need a specific number!
PS. I doubled the frosting recipe for the cupcakes. I couldn't risk running out!

I then piped the frosting on top of the cupcakes and took a break from being a housewife. It's tough work, I tell ya! If you want to take the really fancy route, add a few edible pearls and all will be right with the world.

*A Kitchen Aid isn't necessary...a hand blender would work...so would your good old arm power.*

As always, if you try out a recipe, please let me know how it turns out. I love to hear variations on recipes. Enjoy!

A favorite coming your way!

Alright, I took a look at my recipe page last night and it looked awfully sparse. So I decided that today I would share our plans for supper with you.

Unfortunately the mr. is not feeling well tonight, so he'll be out on both times we've had this meal. But my brother loved it last time. It's a wonderful comfort food.

Tonight I'm making Kentucky Hot Brown Bake. I found it online around 6 months ago, pinned it, and there it sat. Until September.

Now it's October and we're having it again. Winning in the Entzel house!

Click on the link above to see the original recipe. Below, I'll share how I made it last time and how I'll make it again tonight.

**If you read this post before I make supper tonight, stay tuned for photos.**

Ingredient list:
• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 1/2 lb turkey deli meat
• Pepperoni (as much as you'd like to layer--we like pepperoni in our house)
• 8 slices Provolone cheese
• 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin (I used 2 tomatoes per layer)
• 4 eggs, beaten (When preparing the eggs, I whipped up two at a time so I wouldn't over-use and run out)
• a pinch of oregano

Directions:
1. Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 2 squares
2. Place one square in bottom of 8" pan that is greased or lined with parchment paper
     I really liked the parchment paper method--easier clean up!
3. Press 1 dough square to fit pan
4. Layer with half the turkey, pepperoni, cheese and tomatoes
5. Pour half the eggs over the top.
6. Repeat the layers.
7. Top with remaining dough square.
8. Pour remaining eggs over top.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, covered with foil.
10. Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
11. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.

**We served it with marinara sauce for those who aren't fond of straight tomatoes.


-If you try this recipe and use a different variation, I'd love to hear how it turned out!