Life With Katie

2025 Goals: Part 3!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

We're here! The third and final goals installment. This one is a new topic for me: Streaming. As some of you know, I started streaming on Twitch in September. I would love to bring more people in and to build a community of amazing people. It's not really about making money there, though that is possible. It's more about the community.

Still, I have a list!

- Replace power cord for laptop

- Look into USB splitter for cameras

- Get a 2^nd camera and arm for Lego streaming

- Add in a stream deck for quick changes

- Set up streaming center in the wall

- Merch (See Goal 1 post)

- Add in a 2^nd stream each week

o Lego

o Pomodoro

- Improve streaming skills

o Add redeems

o Learn how to share screen

o Giveaway plugin

o Learn more about streamerbot

- “Advertise” streams

o IG

o Twitter

o Facebook

o Discord servers

§ Create list of servers

- Look into working with charities

o SU2C!

o Starlight

...and that's it! That's my 2025 "business" goal list(s)! Some of these things will be easier than others to accomplish, but none of them are impossible. Watch out 2025, we're going to be learning and advancing!

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2025 Goals: Part 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:49:00 +0000

Welcome back to the 2025 goals list: Editing edition! This is going to be a shorter list but no less important. I love my work as an editor and I have no intention of stopping any time soon. A lot of this is all about education...and education will lead to advancement!

- Update LinkedIn profile

- Update testimonials

- Keep blog updated

o 1x per week general post

o 1x per week review

o 1x per week recipe (?)

- Add new skills

o Formatting w/ Atticus ($)

o Proofreaders Guide to Comic Book Style ($17.99 - https://comicbookstyle.com/collections/individuals )

o What Editors Do

o Making Comics

o The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

o Other Wish List Books:

§ https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y43VUCFBES1Z?ref_=wl_share

- IG posts

o Learn Canva

There's a lot of reading and learning to do, but I can do this! I hope you'll stick with me and follow along this 2025 journey!

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Katie's Book of Bedtime Stories

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:01:00 +0000

A number of years ago, before I started writing children's/all ages books, I used to write what we lovingly called erotica. Now, I joke and just call it smut. I really enjoyed writing it and had a small group of followers who encouraged me to turn those stories into a book.

Recently, I shared an old story with a new friend and they encouraged me to create that book. Honestly, I was and am nervous. What if I'm so rusty that I can't write like that anymore or what if I publish it and it turns off my current readers so much that they don't buy any of my other series?

Well, there was only one way to find out. I wrote a new story and shared it with a couple of people that I know really enjoy that type of writing. They loved it! Honestly, that made me feel pretty good. I like writing things that people really enjoy. I decided to go ahead with a project that I've joked for years that I would write... Katie's Book of Bedtime Stories.

It went live on Amazon this afternoon and I'm nervously excited to be sharing it with all of you. Remember, this is very adult content so please don't buy it for the kiddos! Buy it for yourself, your friends, your partner(s)...

All proceeds will be going to help me attend Writer MBA so buy lots!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQLPC9N6

For now, there's more writing to be done! See you soon!

2025 Goals: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 14:17:00 +0000

If you read my post yesterday, you may have noticed that I said I had things that I want to share with you. Well, welcome to day 1 of those things! As 2024 winds down, a lot of us are turning our attention to the new year. I don't really do resolutions, but I do like to have a plan and a theme. The theme for 2025 is going to be ....

Education and Advancement!

As a writer, editor, and streamer, there is a lot that I can learn to improve on all of those areas. I truly believe that if I start investing in myself and in those areas, I can change the situation that my family finds itself in. I can get us out of a bad housing situation and into something that is truly ours. I can stop worrying that we're going to be homeless. That's one of my personal goals for 2025 that will be supported by my business goals.

You may have noticed that I broke the business goals into three areas: writing, editing, and streaming. I'm also going to split this into three posts, starting with my writing goals!

My overall goal? Two books. I want to do one more toy store book and possibly wrap that series. That or figure out a better way to market it. I think I need to talk to Phoebe about keywords on Amazon. She’s much better in that area than I am. She offered before, but we just never got around to it. Okay, so let’s break this down in more of a list format.

- Keywords with Phoebe

o See how much she’d charge to go over all 6 current books

- Write 2 more books by December 2025

o Bongo’s Buddies

o Holidays at the Toy Store Part 2 (obviously working title there)

- Merch

o This is a cross-pollination kind of thing with streaming.

o Build up the fourthwall store.

§ Character shirts

§ Logo shirts

§ Hats

· Baseball

· Beanie

§ Mugs

§ Notebooks

§ Tote bag

o Talk to Will about getting designs from him

o Talk to Maxx about some new designs

o Talk to Eric about using the book covers in some fashion

- Shows

o Alma - March

o Lansing - July

o Grand Rapids - November

o St Catherine’s - November

* Midland (?)

- Craft Shows

o Middleville

o Hastings

o Lake Odessa (Christmas)?

* Hastings - Jingle Mingle (Library)

- Show Stock

o My books

o Coloring book

o Snow Paw

o Cthulhu books

o Mittens (?)

o Stickers (?)

o Pins (?)

o Prints (?)

- Library readings

- Bookstore signings

- Holiday Bundles

- Look into ALLi (see Russell email 11/27)

- Set up a mailing list

As you can see, I've put a lot of thought into this. It's that important to me. This is just part of a three page document that I wrote out. Come back soon for Part 2: Editing.

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Career Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 23:33:00 +0000

I have so many things that I want to share with you, but something has come up that I want to talk about first thing before anything else.

Last night, I was having a rough night. It had just been a perfect storm of an emotional rollercoaster. Then, out of nowhere, a friend reached out to me and offered me a ticket to what I consider an exclusive event: Writer MBA.

Every person that I know who has attended this conference has told me that it's career changing. It's run by someone who I have looked up to in business ever since I met them and we started working together. He has probably forgotten more about writing as a business than I know. I spoke to him last night about attending and he wants me there.

Honestly, I'm kind of in shock. The people who attend this conference are...elite. These are people who are know what they're doing. Even though I've published 5 books, I still feel incredibly clueless. Maybe I put on a good face...lol. Nah, Russell would see right through that. We've also worked together for years now and he knows me well. If Russell thinks I'm ready for this and Phoebe (who will be speaking there) thinks I'm ready for this, I must be ready for this.

So, I'm going to do something incredibly brave of me. For those that know me, you know I don't often make big moves and almost never for me. This time though, I'm going to do everything I can to attend this event. Not only could it very much advance my career as a writer, but it's also full of networking opportunities. Both of these could very much help my family in 2025 and beyond.

The problem? You guys were waiting for this part, right? It's not an inexpensive trip to take. In fact, I did a breakdown of the costs earlier today and here's what I came up with:

Amtrak : $350 (This is cheaper than flying and something I've always wanted to do.)
Hotel : $1250-1500 (This is the host hotel. I checked with a travel agent friend and for that time, any money I'd save at another hotel would be taken up in Ubers, etc.)
Uber: $25 (Amtrak station to hotel and then back for on the way home.)
Food: $500 (It would be 8 days and I'm willing to take a bag of bagels for breakfast if this is low.)

Total: $2375

Now, I'm hoping that there's a chance I can share a room with someone. If not though, I need to be prepared to pay the whole amount. $2375 is a lot of money, especially when your budget for something like this is $0. However, an opportunity like this doesn't come around every day and I truly feel as if I need to do this...for me and for my family. I've said 2025 is all about education and advancement and if this doesn't fall under these categories, I don't know what will.

If you've read all of this, thank you. Your support of me as a writer and an editor means the world to me. If you feel led to try to help out, there are a few ways that you can do that.

* Recommend me to anyone who is looking for an editor or proofreader.
* Donate via PayPal : Katrina@KatScratchPress.com - Mark as for New Orleans
* Donate via Ko-fi : https://ko-fi.com/katrinaroets

* Donate via Throne: https://throne.com/katieroets
* Purchase a book bundle on Fourthwall: https://katieroets-shop.fourthwall.com/

Again, thank you so much for your continued support! The new year approaches quickly so watch for my 2025 goals post to come very soon!

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Crockpot Monday: Spaghetti Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 17:52:00 +0000

Spaghetti Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 12.5 ounce can Italian flavored diced tomatoes.
16 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 pound super lean ground turkey or hamburger

Directions:

Add the thawed (or fresh) meat to the crockpot. Dump in all the cans of tomatoes and break the ground meat up with a large spoon. Stir in the spices and mushrooms.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When done cooking, break up the ground meat a bit more and season to taste.

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Crockpot Monday: Pizza Fondue

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:50:00 +0000

Pizza Fondue:

Ingredients:

1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
10 pieces pepperoni, diced
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Put the pasta sauce into your Little Dipper, and plug it in. Add the Italian seasoning and diced pepperoni. Shove in the cup of shredded cheese. Cover and leave plugged in (there are no heat settings on a Little Dipper) for 45 minutes.

Stir well and serve with tortilla chips, bread sticks, or crostini.

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Crockpot Monday: Cranberry Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 17:48:00 +0000

Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients:

12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Use a 2- quart crockpot. If you only have a huge crockpot, you can put an oven-safe dish into it to create a smaller cooking vessel.

Rinse off the cranberries and put them into your crockpot. Add the orange juice and water. Add the sugar and the cinnamon. Stir. There will be a lot of liquid and the cranberries will float.

Cover and cook on high. It will take about 3 hours.

Stir every hour or so. When the skin from the cranberries has softened, the cranberries will "pop" when pushed with a spoon up against the side of the crock. Smoosh all of the cranberries. Stir well.

Heat enough for it to be warm throughout. Take the lid off and heat on high for another 30 to 45 minutes.

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Crockpot Monday: Cream Cheese and Rotel Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 17:46:00 +0000

Cream Cheese & Rotel Dip:

Ingredients:

8 ounces block of cream cheese
1 can tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel), drained
1 pound breakfast sausage, browned and drained

Directions:

This is perfect for the 1.5 quart crockpot.

Brown the sausage on the stove, and drain on paper towels. Unwrap the cream cheese, and put it into your crockpot. Chop up the sausage and add on top. Drain the Rotel and then add that.

Cover and cook on low for about 90 minutes, or on high for 45. Stir well and eat with tortilla chips.

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Crockpot Monday: Falafel

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 17:42:00 +0000

Falafel:

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

2 cloves minced garlic

1 egg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Drain garbanzo beans. Pour them into a mixing bowl and smash them with a fork. Set aside.

Get out your blender or food processor. Blend together all of the spices, the onion, the garlic, the egg, and the lemon juice. Pour on top of your smashed garbanzo beans. Use your fork to mix together, and add the breadcrumbs slowly until the mixture is wet and sticky but can be formed into balls nicely.

Pour 2 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot.

Form squished golf-ball sized patties of falafel. Dip each side into the olive oil and then add into your crockpot. It's okay if they overlap or are on top of each other.

Cook on high for 2-5 hours. You will know that the falafels are done when they turn brownish-golden.

Serve with yogurt sauce or mayonnaise.

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Crockpot Monday: Chicken Broth

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 17:20:00 +0000

Ingredients:

store bought rotisserie chicken carcass

1 chopped onion

bunch of celery

2 cups or so baby carrots

small bunch of green onions

head of garlic

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

6 cups of water

Directions:
Place chicken carcass into crockpot. Coarsely chop onion, celery, and green onion. Add them into crock along with the baby carrots. Peel entire head of garlic and add. Add Italian Seasoning, bay leaves and water.

Cover and cook on high for 8-10 hours. Remove crockpot insert, and let cool completely on stove-top.

Once cool, pick through the broth to find all the little chicken bones, to peel off any remaining chicken and discard the bones and bay leaves. Pour remains into your blender and blend until it’s broth like. Once done, pour into freezer bags into useable portions and freeze.

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Crockpot Monday: Chex Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:53:00 +0000

Chex Mix:

Ingredients:

5 Cups General Mills Rice Chex Cereal
1-2 cups of dry roasted peanuts (salted or not, your choice)
2 cups pretzel sticks
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 Tablespoons butter
1.5 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:
Put the butter into the bottom of your crockpot and turn it on low. Add the onion powder, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce before adding in the dry ingredients. Stir.

Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring every 45 min or so. Dump out onto a cookie sheet to cool.

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Crockpot Monday: Apple Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:51:00 +0000

Apple Butter:

Ingredients:

Apples. 14 large apples fit in my 6.5 quart crockpot
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Directions:

This is a 2-day process. Core, peel, and quarter your apples. Put all of the quartered apples into your crockpot. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

When the cooking is done, mash the apples with a fork. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.

Cover again and cook on low for 6 hours. If you prefer your apple butter to be velvety-smooth, blend with an immersion blender, or blend in small batches in a traditional blender.

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Crockpot Monday: Mac n Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:49:00 +0000

Mac n Cheese:

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked macaroni
4 cups of milk
1 egg
4 cups shredded cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried mustard

Directions:

Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices. Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot. This will have a lot of liquid to it.

Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3.

Check after 1 hour. All crockpots are different and this will be done when the pasta is fork-tender.

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Book Review: The Littlest Cells

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

It's a dangerous, germ-filled world out there, and Little knows it. Little is a young white blood cell with a mission to protect The Human from any pathogens that try to cause infections. However, Little isn't as strong as the other white blood cells, and he's certainly not brave, either. Even his sister Tiny is not afraid of anything. They, along with their new friend Mike, soon discover a new virus that is trying to weaken The Human's immune system! Will Little, Tiny, and Mike be able to stop this virus before the immune system collapses?

While not published in traditional comic form, this comic is perhaps the better for it. The sturdy cover will hold up to many read throughs and I can guarantee that you won't be reading this book just once. With art and story by Lindsey Douglas, this book tells the tale of two white blood cells and their early adventures. Honestly, I loved it and even learned a little bit. It's perfect for anyone, kid or adult, who just wants a fun and dare I say it, educational, comic. The art is cute and the characters a lot of fun.

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Crockpot Monday: Applesauce

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:46:00 +0000

Applesauce:

Ingredients:

4 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Add the pieces into your crockpot. Add the juice from the lemon, and the water. Pour in the vanilla and add the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork.

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Book Review: Pro Gamer's Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Introducing 'The Pro Gamer's Guide to Healthy Habits,' the ultimate resource for young gamers looking to take their skills to the next level. This book is packed with tips and strategies for maintaining good health and wellness while pursuing a career in competitive gaming. From nutrition and exercise to proper sleep and hanging out with friends, this book covers everything you need to know to stay at the top of your game. Join Brian on his journey to become a gaming superstar, with the help of his parrot pal Pauly. Whether you want to make it as a content creator or hone your skills in your favorite video game, this book has everything you need to become a certified Professional Gamer. An instant classic for any game room!

An adorable baby penguin wants to find friendship in a big city. Are you up to the challenge?

Leveling up your gaming skills is a tough task,but not if you have friends to help along the way. Where do you make friends? What should you say to break the ice?

Join Brian, Pauly, and Cecelia as they guide Cuddles the Penguin through an epic journey to foster friendships in Brick City. You’ll meet new Players, animals, and environments in Pro Gamer’s Guide.

Discover the “Pro Gamer Tips” for making meaningful connections in everyday life. This uplifting story of resiliency, positivity, and courage is suitable for all ages.

Bring life back to Brick City in Pro Gamer’s Guide to Coloring! Join Bricks ‘O’ Brian, Pauly the Parrot, Cecelia the Cat, and Cuddles the Penguin as they guide you through an all-new coloring adventure.

Enjoy 40 colorable pages from Pro Gamer's Guide, including original illustrations, character illustration tutorials, and never-before-seen artwork.

This book features artwork from Pro Gamer's Guide to Healthy Habits and Pro Gamer's Guide to Making Friends.

Normally, I would write three individual reviews for these books, but the reality is that when you buy one of them, you should just go ahead and buy all three. I sat down and read all three of these in one sitting. The art and colors drew me in immediately, but it was the storytelling that held me there. I know that these are geared towards children, but the lessons are really all ages. There's not one of us out there who doesn't have moments of self-care slippage or sometimes wonders if they can make a new friend. Plus, let's face it...coloring is for everyone. Honestly, I can't say enough good about these books. As an author/publisher, I know just how much work goes into making a quality book and you can just tell that quality matters to this team. Brian and Kevin know what they're doing and you won't be disappointed if you order these today. You can pick up all three on Amazon or on the Pro Gamer's Guide website . If you happen to order from their website, you can get autographed copies!

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Update: Where I've Been

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Wow, I can't believe that I dropped on the ball on posting for so long. I cannot apologize enough for this. I love interacting with everyone, but life just sort of swallowed me up. Let me see if I can do a quick rundown of life over the past 6 months or so.

As some of you know, my oldest son has cerebral palsy. This prevents him from being able to drive. He's also taking college courses so I became his official driver and tutor. This takes up a lot of time and while I have no regrets, I didn't learn how to balance everything else along side of it. It's a new semester now and we're gone even more than last semester for his classes.

On top of that, we have the house issue. Unfortunately, that's ongoing. We were supposed to buy the house in May, but due to circumstances, I cannot get a loan. The owners, even though we've never missed a rent payment in over 15 years, would not sell to use on a land contract. What does that mean? We're living here on borrowed time while I desperately attempt to save up about $16,000 to allow us to buy a used trailer so that we can move out of here. It won't be the nicest home, but it will be ours, and a safe space for myself, the kids, and the cats. As you can imagine, this is very stressful and also interfered with things.

Due to my feeling of urgency to move, we took the summer and downsized our belongings and took a weekend to completely gut our barn. We didn't know it was leaking and so many things were ruined. It broke my heart and my bank account, but we filled a dumpster and now everything is packed away in totes. No carboard allowed out there.

I'm sure there were other things, but those were the big ones. It's been a stressful and busy time. Now that the semester has started, I'm hoping that my editing work picks up so I can continue to put away money so that we can get out of here before the owners kick us out with nowhere to go. I'm also hoping to start the next book in our cat series by the end of the year. I know I'm behind on that and all I can do is apologize.

One good thing that I have added is Twitch streaming! That's right! Every Thursday night, you can tune in and listen to me read stories from my books. Right now, I'm reading from Return to the Toy Store. This is also a great time to have the opportunity to chat with not just me, but people from all over the world. I promise that it's a great time and completely safe for your children to tune in and listen too! Just head over to http://twitch.tv/katieroets every Thursday night at 8pm eastern. The streams are just over an hour so not a huge time commitment and something that I'm very much enjoying!

Okay, I've kept you long enough. Just know that I'm still here and doing my best to stay on top of things. I hope you're still here with me!

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Crockpot Monday: Creamy Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 16:41:00 +0000

Creamy Veggies:

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh broccoli

16 oz fresh green beans

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 whole jalapeno peppers (don't chop them up, just lay them nicely on top)

2 Tablespoons water

Directions:

Wash and trim your vegetables, put into crockpot. Cover them with the sour cream, cheeses, butter, spices, and add your touch of water.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

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Announcement: We hit $500!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 20:43:00 +0000

Guys, I am so excited to be able to say that we hit $500 in pledges on the Holidays at the Toy Store pre-order campaign! This pre-order period has been rough. I've been fighting getting sick again (I was diagnosed previously with copd), running the oldest around everywhere, and working. On top of that, the campaign itself is just moving slow. I've had my ups and downs with it, but I've never given up hope that we'll make it. Today, that hope has been rewarded!

What does that mean for all of you? If you pledge to the campaign, you will get an ebook copy of Apo's Army automatically if we fund. Plus, I'm going to be going live on Twitch to read at least two stories from Holidays at the Toy Store. It's your chance to get a sneak peek at the newest book!

Want to get in on the action? Click this link right here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katrinaroets/holidays-at-the-toy-store-another-toy-store-collection/

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Announcement: Kickstarter Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:44:00 +0000

Hi, everyone! We're almost a week into the pre-order campaign and we've raised 20% of the total needed to bring the book to print. I'm super excited! Only about $1200 more to go. I have total faith that we can do it. Remember, this is for our very first coloring book as well as Holidays at the Toy Store.

I did want to give you a little incentive though. For every $500 we raise, I'm going to give everyone an ebook copy of a book. They will be:

$500 - Apo's Army

$1000 - Origins #1 by Jessica Judd

$1500 - Cobalt's Castaways

These books are not available elsewhere on the campaign. The only way to get them for free is to pledge and get us to those individual levels. Easy peasy, right?

If you want to pledge, just click on this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katrinaroets/holidays-at-the-toy-store-another-toy-store-collection/

Until next week's update,

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Crockpot Monday: Turtle Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Turtle Pudding:

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) box brownie mix

1 large egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water (room temp, or slightly warm)

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

20 wrapped soft caramels (unwrapped)

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Directions:

Use a 4 or 6 quart slow cooker with an inserted oven safe dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the brownie mix, egg, oil, and water. When batter has formed, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into your dish. Unwrap all of the caramel candies and press them into your brownie batter.

Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water into the bottom of your slow cooker, then lower in the brownie dish. Be careful not to splash any water into your batter.

Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the edges have pulled away from the sides and the center has set.

Unplug your cooker, and let the dish set in it for 1 hour with the lid off before removing. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Announcement: Kickstarter Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000

It's up! Eric did a smashing job and finished 95% of the graphics. The others will be done soon and inserted, but that was enough to get it up and running. It will launch on January 31st, but if you want to be notified when it happens, I'm going to share a link with all of you. You just click that and then click notify and you'll get an email when I hit the go live button!

I can't wait for all of you to see this book! I'm super excited about it. Remember, if you want to be notified, just click the title of the book here: Holidays at the Toy Store

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Crockpot Monday : Apple Crisp

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Apple Crisp:

Ingredients:
9 smallish apples

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar plus another 2 Tablespoons for crumb topping
1/4 cup orange juice

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup crushed gingersnaps or graham crackers.

Preheat your crock on high, and butter the inside of the crockpot. Chop up the apples and place them in the bottom. Cover with the remaining ingredients. Cube your butter. Toss the orange juice, cubed butter, brown sugar, vanilla and apples together.

Mix your crushed gingersnaps/graham crackers and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Layer on top of apples.

Cover and cook on high for approximately 3 hours, or until apples are sufficiently tender.

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Crockpot Monday: Bananas Foster

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Bananas Foster:

Ingredients:

3 nasty squishy bananas

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup brandy

Directions:

This is best done in a small crockpot.

Place your bananas in a freezer bag and smush them up. Squeeze the goop into your crockpot and add remaining ingredients.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours or 1-2 on high. Stir and serve over vanilla ice cream.

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