Birthday Boy....and Last Minute Dessert

Tomorrow is child #2's birthday! My baby boy is going to be 12. Pretty soon in a few months he won't be my baby boy anymore....a newbie enters the picture! (grins)

I always like to decorate the house when they wake up on their day (unless it falls on a weekend...then I'm a horrible mom) Well it's getting harder and harder to not be a cheese ball with decorations since they are getting older. But I had an idea I pulled out of my ummm sleeve! I'll post pics tomorrow! I've still got some things to cut w/my cricut to make things ready! I think he is getting a bit too old for this idea, but hey....!

I've got time to kill before I drink my yummy orange Glucola drink...so I'll bore you with dessert! I mean since I can't have sweets this morning might as well talk about it right?!

The inlaws had to postpone dinner until tonight...so the Black Bottom Pecan Cheesecake Pie is still in the fridge screaming our names. I thought..hmmmmm I really need to make a quick dessert for the kids....something hubs would love too! If you are like me you will have a pantry full of half bags of things....ie half bags of chopped pecans...half bags of choc chips...half bags of powdered sugar....half bags of coconut! (ok that's not one you always have available) I noticed yesterday I had 2 half bags of coconut! So I ran for my Macaroon recipe!!!

Some helpful tips if you have never made Macaroons....

~use glass or metal bowls...they are the best when making egg whites frothy! (plastic doesn't come as perfectly clean as the other 2 kind....and you want really clean grease free bowls)

~if you have time have the egg whites room temp (I always forget...it's still ok)

~make sure you're egg whites are yolk free. If not they won't froth and make peaks! Break one at a time in a bowl and then add to the others to ensure no yolks.

Ok on to the goodness!

4 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

one 16oz package of sweetened coconut

*optional 1 cup semi sweet choc chips

preheat oven to 350

place egg whites and salt in a bowl and beat w/an electric mixer until frothy! Add the sugar a little bit at a time until SOFT PEAKS form.

fold in coconut w/a spatula until evenly mixed

with a 2oz ice cream scooper, scoop out mixture onto a cookie sheets that have been lightly sprayed w/cooking spray!

bake for 18-20 mins until lightly browned. Remove from pan while hot and cool on rack.

(I then melted choc chips and dipped a few macaroons in the chocolate. I left a few plain! As you can see from the picture some little hands snatched a few before I got to take a picture!)

These are quick, easy, and cheap to make. So put this on your list for a quick last minute get together!

One of Wild Thangs Christmas presents came in the mail and I couldn't wait. I mean really she's only 2 so it's not like ....ok who am I kidding...I suck at waiting for the big day!

Since her new bedding is the owl collection...I just had she needed some adorable owls to join the set. Pottery Barn actually had some adorable ones w/legs...Meet Penny and Joy. They have slept with her and gone everywhere with her the past 2 days! Try carrying Lily and the owls and your big belly around...not an easy task! But they sure are cute!