KIDding Around

It's been quite the full week and I guess there's no better way to start a new month, right?!  We started with a little flag football game for this kid...

baby showered a soon-to-be-new kid (a new nephew!!!)....

adored the most precious kid work at Open House....

and acted like kids at "Luke's"...

My sister and I share the same affinity for Gilmore Girls and couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy a hot cup of coffee served with a side of nostalgia when these little pop-up diners made their way to town on Wednesday.  It was definitely over-hyped, but fun nonetheless. We walked away with the itch to re-watch Gilmore Girls starting from season 1, a commemorative coffee cup sleeve, and pictures to boot.   

#lorelaiandroryaremyspiritanimals

Now let's start the weekend with a kid-friendly recipe and I say that only because it's sweet as all get out and perfect for those of us who still entertain a 5-year-old taste palate. 

#allthesweets

CRACKER CRUNCH CANDY

1 sleeve of Saltine crackers (and maybe half of another sleeve, depending on the size of your pan)

1 C. (2 sticks) of butter (salted or unsalted)

1 C. + 2 TBSP firmly packed light brown sugar

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:  toffee bits (yes please!), slivered almonds, and/or pecans

Please avoid this recipe if you're trying to refrain from sweets, trying to lose weight, or trying curb your sweet tooth cravings.  NONE of that is possible with this stuff on hand.  

First up, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick cooking spray.  Then line the sheet with crackers like this...

Next up, melt two sticks of butter on medium heat in a saucepan. 

 Once it's all melted, add in the brown sugar (I prefer light, but you could use dark if that's all you have available), stir well, and bring to a boil.  Heat/boil for about 3 minutes and be sure to stir frequently to avoid burning or sticking to the saucepan.

Now remove the brown sugar/butter mixture from the heat, pour on top of the crackers, and spread evenly so that all crackers are covered in this sweet, gooey goodness.

Bake at 350 for 5 minutes and remove from oven.  

Pour a bag of semi-sweet morsels on top of the crackers and cover the pan with another sheet of foil.  Let that sit for about 3ish minutes and remove foil.  This allows time for the chocolate to melt so that you can spread it evenly over the sheet of crackers like this....

Now here's the fun part.  You could always stop at that step, but let's go ahead and just make it a bit more decadent, shall we?!  I added a bag of toffee chips to the top of the melted chocolate and then tossed some sliced almonds to the mix because I'm a huge fan of sweet & salty snacks.  Ohmiword.

Place the entire pan in the fridge and give it about 20+ minutes to allow time for everything to set and harden.  Once the chocolate is nice and firm, remove the pan from the fridge and break the crackers into small pieces.  

Aaaahhhh!!!!  SO GOOD!!!!  

We bagged up a good portion of this "candy" and took it to the boy's teachers as an Open House treat.  There was still a ton leftover, so naturally we ate most of that :)  Not sad about it.  Then I had to get the stuff out of my house because I was turning to it for breakfast, dear LORD!!!  One of my girls had a birthday dinner on Wednesday, so I went ahead and took the rest as a dessert and there wasn't a bite left in the bowl by the time the night was over!  Whew!!!  

The sad thing is that I'm already craving it again and planning on making another batch this afternoon.  Thank God for elastic waistbands because Lord knows I need them desperately :)