Need a quick snack recipe and I mean quick? Plus it is yummy!!

I made these for my Christmas plates but they would be fabulous for a New Year’s Party, Super Bowl Party or anytime during the year.

Cinnamon Pretzels!

It is such a nice surprise when you think you are biting into a regular pretzel and then find the taste of cinnamon and sugar! Delicious.

Put them in a Decorative Tin and they would make a wonderful Hostess Gift as well.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 pound package small pretzel twists

Directions:

1. In a large roasting pan stir together oil, sugar and cinnamon. Add pretzels; toss well to combine. Bake, uncovered in a 300 degree F oven for 30 minutes, stirring twice. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 12 cups.

Microwave Directions:

2. In a very large bowl stir together oil, sugar and cinnamon. Add pretzels; toss well to combine. Place half of the pretzel mixture in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 3 minutes, stirring after every minute. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Repeat with remaining pretzel mixture.

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In reading the reviews of this recipe a couple complaints were that the sugar wasn’t sticking to the pretzel. To make sure the pretzels were well coated this is what I did. (I used the oven, not the microwave).

A couple hints of what I did:

1) I used Rold Gold Mini Pretzels as they are a little fatter. (I made one batch with the thinner ones and not as good).

2) I doubled the oil, sugar and cinnamon for 1 pound of pretzels to make the coating thicker.

3) I put the coating in a bowl, poured in 1/2 the pretzels and stirred them until well coated. I used tongs to place them on the pan. Then I repeated the process. Any additional coating remaining in the bowl I poured over the pretzels in the pan. I also set the timer at 10 minute intervals to stir them thoroughly to keep them coated. I had no problems and the thicker coating was the best!!

I cannot stress enough how easy this recipe is and how good they are!! I hope you make them for yourself if nothing else. Enjoy!

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

Do You Need A Silent Night?

My life has been nuts lately….what about yours?

Business as usual, shopping, wrapping, baking, blogging, year end planning, marketing, business planning for 2012, and on and on and on.

So maybe you need a Silent Night too.

Let the words and music of Amy Grant give you that….at least for a few minutes.

What do you love to do? Can you do what you love and bless others at the same time?

I love to read, knit and bake. I take the love of knitting and make prayer shawls for those in the hospitals, nursing homes or just someone needing a pick me up gift.

I take my love of baking and turn it into a blessing for others during the holiday season by providing plates of cookies during Christmas Caroling to those that are shut-in. After being sung to, each person is handed a plate of homemade cookies.

Let’s follow my day recently:

Bright and early in the morning with my pastry chef outfit and my cup of coffee, I am ready to go with my very clean kitchen island and heavy duty mixer. (don’t I look just like Vanna White??).

A couple hours later…..look what my friend Patty has done to my clean kitchen!!

When I started doing this about ten years ago I was asked for about 8 – 10 plates of cookies. Then it was 12- 15, etc.  This year was the biggest need ever with many elderly men losing their wives and many very sick people. I was asked for 30 plates of cookies so 30 it was.

Assembly day looked something like this:

We made about 18 different things and every year I just have to try a few new recipes. Last year it was ‘Sea Salt and Pink Peppercorn Caramels’. This year it was ‘Spicy Peanut Brittle’ and ‘Christmas Mice’.

Can you fine my little Christmas Church Mouse peeking out on the plate? Complete with ears and a tail?

Oh….and of course the empty Tupperware containers after the assembly process was quite the sight!!

So what do you love to do? Can you bless others with it? How about making that a goal for 2012??

Wishing you a very blessed Christmas Season and a wonderful 2012!

www.roomswithstyle.com

952-567-1124

Sold in 17 Days! Woo Hoo!! Home Staging Minnetonka MN

Now that’s what I’m talking about. Love to get those emails saying a property I staged sold so quickly.

I was hired to stage this vacant home because it had a really tough living room layout. I even stood and scratched my head when I was in the home taking measurements. I normally know immediately the layout I will use or at least have a pretty good idea. This one. Nothing.

If I was struggling and I do this for a living what do you think the potential buyer thought??

Long narrow room, fireplace on one end, traffic pattern down one entire side, patio doors to get access on the other. Yikes!

A sofa was too long to put crosswise facing the fireplace, and if I put it perpendicular to the fireplace you couldn’t walk behind it to get out the patio door or into the dining room.

So here is what I came up with:

Even a few colorful things on the counter-tops help the white kitchen.

The small dining room with a strangely placed light fixture were also enhanced with home staging.

The Master Bedroom was not only a little blah, it looked very small. I think this helped:

Don’t leave the buyer standing in the middle of a room baffled and wondering what they would do with their furniture…..show them! Call a Professional Home Stager and let your house be the one the buyer wants!

Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign MN

952-567-1124

www.roomswithstyle.com