Easy Petits Fours Recipe and Homemaking Link-Up Weekend

Good Evening! Wow, where has the time gone? I have to admit, it's been a crazy busy week! It's 1:00 a.m. on Friday and I am ready for bed!! I'm going to sort of cheat a little this week and offer up an old post.

My recipe for Easy Petits Fours is, by far, my most popular post. I have people coming to that post every single day! It's very popular on Google Search---Ha! So, here you go!

When you're done reading the recipe, please make sure and read about my blogging friend, Cindy at Blessings From Cindy, and the gorgeous craft idea she came up with! Her Craft Blotter is so easy---you could make one today for a Christmas gift---and make one tomorrow for yourself!

Have a lovely weekend and thanks for linking up with my Homemaking Link-Up Weekend!

For several years, I would make these really easy petits fours for different church functions.  I hadn't made them in a long time but was thinking about them the other day and thought they'd make a good blog post, as well as a yummy treat for my friends at our homeschool co-op today!  Here's how you can make a simple petit four with basic ingredients and supplies you likely have on hand.

 Begin with a boxed Pound Cake mix and the ingredients mentioned on the back (eggs, water, etc.)  You will also need a package of vanilla almond bark and food coloring if desired.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.  I like to spray the pan with nonstick spray or water first to help the paper stick to the pan and not roll up.  Mix your cake ingredients according to the directions on the box, spread batter into pan, and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. or until done and lightly golden brown.  

Let the cake cool completely and then cut it into squares with a sharp knife.  You will likely not cut into the parchment paper but if you are concerned about that you can turn the cake out onto a cutting board and remove the paper first.  Pound Cake is very easy to cut into nice squares thus eliminating the need for an actual petit four pan.

When cake is completely cooled, break half the package of almond bark into a bowl and microwave at 30 sec. intervals, stirring in-between.  I like to add some oil or shortening too to make dipping easier.  When it is completely melted, you can mix in some food coloring if you'd like.

Using a fork, dip the cake into the coating to cover it completely.  The coating gets thicker as it cools so you may find yourself having to spoon the coating onto the cake and then tap the excess off on the side of your bowl.  Transfer the coated petit four to wax or parchment paper.

If you desire a decoration on top, add it as soon as you place the cake on the paper to cool.  Almond Bark sets up pretty quickly and you want your decoration to stick.  I found these pearly candies at Target in the Easter section.

Once the coating has hardened, you are all done!  I got several compliments on these today from my homeschooling mom friends!  In the past, I've taken the time to fill them with jelly or frosting.  This makes for a much taller petit four, but one could always cut the cake in half before filling---although this will make it less stable as the cake will be pretty thin.  Have fun making these and make sure to send me pictures of your own creations!

Make sure and visit Cindy's blog, Blessings from Cindy to learn how to make this adorable Craft Blotter:

   Cindy's instructions are super easy and the project is made from things you probably already have around the home! Thank you, Cindy!


Linking up today with Beverly's Pink Saturday!

Giveaway!!! Children's Bible Story Book --- International

I am so happy to offer my readers to win a sweet little book just in time for Christmas!  

Baker Publishing Group is offering to send one of my readers a copy of My Favorite Bible Children's Bible Story Book.  

All you have to do is leave me a note in the comments below and you will be entered in to the drawing!  The giveaway is open to international readers as well!  

Also, if you are reading this via my Facebook page, a comment within that feed will earn you an entry.

Here's what the publisher has to say about My Favorite Bible:

"With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God."

Giveaway ends December 12th.  

Disclosure: (because the law will come after me if I don't disclose...)  I didn't receive anything from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for posting this giveaway notice---well, nothing except a bunch of happy readers!

Homemaking Weekend Link-Up! Pretend Tea Party!

My husband works nights and tonight I was feeling a little lonely.  So, I fixed myself up a pretty table setting and enjoyed a big pot of soup, a whole pot of tea, and a plate heaped with rich, creamy fudge !

Ok, true confession:  My husband DOES work nights...but I fixed the setting so I could show off my new soup tureen!  (Everything's actually empty and the fudge is wrapped up to send with my mom to work tomorrow!)  I found this neat Lefton soup tureen at Salvation Army recently for $2.00!!!  Our local store has a little room with extremely overpriced "antiques" (some of which are actually Dollar Store items that were made to look antique...but whatever...)  I saw this tureen in the window and knew it would be priced pretty high.  When I got in there, I saw that there was no price on it!  I asked the girl and she said $2.00!!  OKAY!!!  Oh, I should add that our family will not actually use this for soup---it's waaay too small for the 10 of us!  Instead, it will be our gravy "boat" this Thanksgiving...just the right size for that!

This pretty china set and (some of the) tea service was in a shop that my mom bought a few years ago. She gave it to me and I love using it!  I bought the pot and a few extra items on eBay.

Since I don't take milk with my tea, I thought Sam the Lamb would be a cute addition to the table!  I should also add that this "table cloth" is actually a flannel nightgown I made myself a couple years ago!  Ha!! That cracks me up! 

Here's a pretty sampler my oldest daughter made me last year for Mother's Day.  She's got such talent---especially for an 11-year-old girl!

Here's a couple new flavors of fudge I just put in my Etsy store tonight.  Here is Pumpkin Pie fudge and Mocha Almond fudge!  Are you interested in winning some?  Check out my giveaway here.  

It's time for another Homemaking Weekend Link-Up!  I'd love for anyone interested to link-up her homemaking posts today!  You can do more than one a week, if you'd like, and please make sure to take a button and link back to this page so others can visit as well!  The button is at the top of my sidebar!

Linking to:

Encourage One Another Link-Up @ Deep Roots at Home

Homemaking linkup @ Raising Homemakers

White Wednesdays @ Faded Charm

Vintage Thingie Thursday @ Coloradolady

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple

Pearls and Lace Thursday @ Faith, Grace & Crafts
Beverly's Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound