A Pleasure To Have In Class

Of course my grade school teachers would write in my report cards that I was "a pleasure to have in class." Not sure I was, but it was pretty much a standard phrase they used – back in the 1900s! Was it sincere? I'm going to say sure since I have historic documents stating so. Ha.

But this summer as I was a "teacher" of sorts, my star pupil was definitely a true pleasure to have on our writing team. I mentored a college-aged intern again and she was amazing! 

It happened that I've known this "tiny dancer" and her parents for years, but that didn't automatically get her the position. She had to – and did – rock her way through all the interviews! It wasn't the summer we promised her since we were working remotely for half of it. But she enjoyed it. We made it work.

Since tomorrow is her last day already (sob, sob) that means today had to be Trifle Thursday! Naturally.

I texted her mom for ideas of flavors and was pleased to hear she liked chocolate (who doesn't?) and mint, too. My favorite!

For this delicious concoction: Bottom layer is crumbled up brownies. Pudding layer is white chocolate pudding with a touch of mint extract and green food coloring. Crunchy layer is crushed Thin Mints. With a little Cool Whip layer. Repeat. Then garnished with Andes Mints, naturally. So good.

My mom would be so proud of how often I use her rolling pin! Never for pie crust or anything as domestic as that. But I have crushed a lot of cookies for my trifle crunchy layers! Just put them in a gallon Ziploc bag and vent your frustrations. Trifle making is 100% therapy!

When I texted the picture of my completed masterpiece to Jim last night. He happened to be golfing against my intern's dad. He said, "She better be bringing some of that home!" So like a good mentor, when I realized there was about one large serving left in the early afternoon (they go fast), I got her a to-go container and told her "You better scoop up the rest and take it home to your dad!"

Not only was she a quick learner and very professional, she's obviously very considerate. 

(You're welcome, Mr. G. Enjoy your trifle!)

Hump Day Excite-Mint

I had a nice little surprise this morning. Oh not on the level of getting a hole-in-one to start to day, but it did provide me some enjoy-MINT.

Hubby had a chiro appointment first thing and apparently stopped at a store on the way home. He told me to check the freezer.

Well happy birthday MONTH to me! And they were on sale! So there is another box in the lower freezer drawer!

If you want to know if this counted as "lunch" with Mr. Deck Chair today, it most certainly did. It's a sandwich, after all!

When I got done, I said to hubby, "Well that was dumb. I shouldn't have had dessert first. Now I don't want to eat anything else. I want this flavor to stay in my mouth all day!" Yum.

Now to pace myself with just ONE per day. That would get me through the month of birthday excite-MINT! 😀

Have Trifle, Will Travel

A little change of plans for my scrapbooking weekend. My friend Julie (coming up from Madison) and I are heading to camp tonight due to a forecast change. It looks a bit sketchy for Rosholt tonight and tomorrow. When they add "ice" to the forecast, I shift into precaution mode, that's for sure.

But of course, I still had things to get done after work. Finish organizing (bwaahaa), pack (just finished) and whip together a chocolate-mint trifle for the scrappers! That's the only thing I better not forget!

So for this one, the bottom layer is crumbled brownies, next layer is white chocolate pudding using Kwik Trip Mint Milk, then it's a combo crunchy layer of Thin Mints and Keebler Mint Stripe cookies. Then repeat and top with some whip and Andes Mints – pieces and grated.

I'm 99.9% sure I will not be bringing any home on Sunday!

Gotta hit the road soon. Be careful in the dang non-spring weather!

Love Favorite Feelings

Our nephew Colin's wife does an amazing job each Christmas of creating a family calendar of sorts for the next year. 

So when Endless January did indeed finally end, it was nice to see cute pictures of him with his family at the racetrack, with his mom at the awards ceremony, and just a random shot of his favorite uncle and aunt at the Nashville Music Hall of Fame Museum.

I like the title: You are my favorite feeling.

What's your favorite feeling? Does it involve a person, place, or object?

I can tell you I love goodbye kisses in the morning from my husband... but also loved the feeling of eating that Andes Mint Chocolate Cupcake at work 2 hours later today (Bless you, 2 1/2 Cups Bakery in Marshfield!)

I also love when people drool over my trifles, genuinely appreciate my photography, and give me the best hugs ever (usually my sisters – there's no holding back!).

But it depends on the day, doesn't it? 

On many Sundays my favorite feeling is nailing our choir song in church. Then later hanging out with BINGO friends I didn't even know a year ago – whether we win or lose.

On Mondays, my favorite feeling is sleeping until the last possible minute to just cross the hallway into my office to work! No shower. Maybe comb my hair.

On Tuesdays, it's going into the office and seeing the people I sincerely like and respect, who care if I had a decent weekend and days out of the office.

Wednesdays typically mean my monthly Girls' Night Out dinner then church choir squad. (Yes, a squad. We're that cool.)

On Thursdays, my favorite feeling only applies in the summer when I have my Foxy Ladies Night golf league.

Friday it's ditto of Monday with an occasional fish fry sprinkled in.

On Saturdays, my favorite feeling is no alarm and no plans. 

So yes our favorite feeling can vary by the calendar. But mine, no matter what, is just feeling loved, respected, and appreciated – no matter who or what prompts that feeling! 

Hope you all have some favorites that never let you down!

A Trifle Cold

I will say it was more than a trifle cold today! And we'll get back to that trifle later!

Woke up to 8 degrees below zero today with a "feels like" of 12 below! We reached our high temperatures of 1 degree ABOVE zero a little after 3 p.m. It was very short-lived. Thank God I didn't have to leave the house. But tomorrow will be even worse! 

And I do have to leave. Because I need to deliver that birthday trifle to work! 

I was not-so-secretly giddy that Kwik Trip is carrying their St. Patty's themed "mint milk" already. So I just had to make mint pudding and another Andes Mint-Chocolate Trifle! If people don't want to brave the cold in the morning, I'll be happy with the leftovers.

Just kidding. That never happens.

Seriously, though. Make smart decisions and be prepared for anything out there in the morning. I don't need an emergency food kit since I have the trifle, but I'll be sure actually wear a winter coat this time!

So as I say, not as I do. Most times.

For Your Enjoy-Mint

 

Had a busy day and evening with work, then book club, then choir practice. The whole time I'm thinking, "I gotta get home and whip together that trifle!"

And I did.

Bottom layer is brownies, next is that fabulous Shamrocky pudding, then crushed up Mint Oreos. Repeat and top with a thin layer of Cool Whip and Andes Mint chips.

Think anybody will like it?

I don't even know if the birthday boy will like it. But I did two peanut butter and chocolate ones in a row so I needed a change of flavor. I wouldn't mind taking most of this back home with me since it's my favorite. Ha.

Hope you found some enjoy-mint in your Wednesday as well!

Well Shake My Shamrocks

I forgot to mention one of the highlights of Camp Crop-a-Lot. Every year the event falls on the weekend of my friend Becky's birthday. She's one of the coordinators so for her, there's no place she'd rather be to celebrate.

As a bonus, her husband always delivers her a cake, balloons, and a Shamrock Shake. Make that a 4-pack – because he's been bringing one for me for the last 10 years! So that was a nice surprise that I hoped would happen.

Either way, it put me in a minty mood.

So this week's work birthday trifle – yes, the 3rd week of trifling in a row – will include a wee bit of Shamrock flavor with chocolate.

Here's my game-changing ingredient. Instead of adding mint extract to pudding mix, one of these bad boys from Kwik Trip is 2 cups. And blends perfectly with a package of instant White Chocolate pudding. It's Shamrock-a-licious! A perfect pudding layer for what I will now have to call my Shamrock Trifle when I "assemble" it tomorrow night.

Follow me for more Trifle Tips! ☘😋

Sweet as Sugar

Grad party season is winding down. We had a combo party for two boys, er young men, from Assumption and then my favorite girl – our sweet Lydia.

I made some white diploma and Royal blue rose mints for her party. Although, I've made these before, this time I got to use Mom's mint molds – because they were just a bit bigger than mine. And I just wanted to feel connected to her. They turned out pretty delicious, if I do say so myself.

And yes, basically sugar! Cream cheese and 2 pounds of powdered sugar!

Speaking of sweet... I forgot how many of Lydia's senior pictures turned out so adorable. We had such a good time doing those last summer. It was great to see them displayed! She's so sweet.

I also made her a special gift but I don't know when she's getting around to opening those, so I won't share a picture.

Got home from the party and I whipped together a trifle for Father's Day tomorrow. Going to Jim's sister's house for lunch. Pretty sure I'll have leftovers. This is a chocolate-vanilla-caramel concoction. If I get good reviews, I'll share the recipe! 

Hope something SWEET happened to you today!

Holiday Excite-Mint

I could say I knew all along that today was National Chocolate Mint Day and that's why mint was on my mind. But I'd be lying.

I can't keep track of all the made-up daily celebrations. This one must be a legit holiday, though, because the banks were closed and there was no mail service. That's serious!

Too bad I had no more chocolate mint anything left in the house. Pretty sure I "pre-gamed" enough of it this weekend. Speaking of games...

Got home in time to catch the end of the Assumption Royals game on TV. Well, we THOUGHT it was the end. But they pushed it into OT. And thanks to accurate free-throw shooting in the closing extra minutes, our boys came away with an exciting victory! Finally some decent hoops on TV. 

I have a lot going on this week, but I'm hoping to catch one more home game for the girls (starting playoffs tomorrow) and the boys (home game Thursday). 

Get hot and stay hot!

For Your Enjoy-Mint

So it turns out my sun-seeking sister Sylvester is also my Shamrock Shake sister! I couldn't eat all of it on Valentine's Day, so I put it in the freezer and we both enjoyed the slightly thawed version Friday night.

Which served as my inspiration Saturday morning when I made a Thin Mint Magic trifle! As usual, I never make a trifle the same as previously. I just FIND the ingredients. In this case, the cake layers didn't involve me baking. I happened to see a big frosted mint brownie pan at Festival Foods and grabbed it. Next layer is white chocolate pudding with a bit of mint extract and green food coloring. Then comes a layer of crushed Thin Mints. Repeat and add Cool Whip to the top and sprinkle Andes Mint chips on top. 

And yes, it was as tasty as it sounds!

I brought it to Rudolph for the pot luck after church – featuring the guitar choir – last night.

Besides great music and fun with friends, we were treated to this gorgeous sunset out the back door of the Welcome Center.

Today I sang in my own church choir and was treated to an early moon view this afternoon during a short walk. It was finally above freezing again after a few days of cold, "normal" winter. 

And our brain-washed Wisconsin minds are thinking... it's 36 degrees. Maybe we should grill out for supper! The brats in our fridge are yelling, "Yes, please!"

Hope you found some sources of enjoy-MINT this weekend!

A Trifle Bit of Madness

Trifle Tuesday has become a thing. And I can't stop it. I mean it just so happened our department was having a potluck today. And it was a Tuesday. So it's like state law that a trifle be made!

Because we're dorks, we celebrated our new work digs. I mean we exchanged places with the creative types on the other side of the room basically. But still, we officially are sitting in new spots so why not celebrate?

Knowing I am not (I don't think) making a trifle for next Tuesday, I went with my favorite tasty bit of green for St. Paddy's month. My March Mint Madness trifle. Which, by the way, coincides nicely with Girl Scout Cookie season, too.

So the layers this time around, if you want to try this at home...

Bottom is mint-chocolate brownies with some chopped up Andes Mints on top. Then comes a thin layer of my leftover Dirt Cake mixture followed by a layer of crushed Thin Mints (or Keebler brand or generic). The next colorful layer is white chocolate pudding with a hint of mint extract and green food coloring.

Repeat.

Top layer is Cool Whip and shaved Andes Mints.

And oh, was it as good as it sounds and looks!

I even had a teeny bit left over because there was so much food and so many tasty dessert-type treats. I don't mind leftovers. Usually there's barely enough left for me to lick the bowl clean. Now hubby can have some if he so choses.

And if he doesn't act quickly enough, I will be happy to join the Clean Bowl Club. 

March brings out a bit of madness in all of us.

I say: Choose your MADNESS.

Be careful out there!

Current State of Things

 I figured for my future self (and scrapbooks) I should provide a current state of affairs these days.

Russia has invaded Ukraine and the world is shaken up. And gases prices are, too. Up and up.

For my historical archives: On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that had begun in 2014. It is the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. 

So that's on record. 

Now the fun stuff ...

Less than a week from calendar-official spring and we have a melting season going on in the Midwest. I don't mind it at all.

And neither does Sylvester. If it's warm enough for us to open a window, it's warm enough for her to sunbathe a bit. But she didn't last long. Still doesn't compare (yet) to the warmth of her heated bathroom floor. Yes, hers. She spends more time in there than Jim and I combined – for the last 20 years we've lived here!

Also happening now...

Flowers are blooming... somewhere, not here. But they have them at grocery stores and floral shops. And if you have a nice friend, they'll drop them by as a surprise. Because we have awesome friends. No matter the season or occasion or non-occasion. Thank you!

The other flowers on my mind are these lovely mint roses. I watched my mom make mints as a child, then she taught me how, and now I am making them for my mom's 90th birthday party. So I have some spring pastel ones – yellow and pink above, and lavender and white below. 

See how I wisely kept the purple and yellow ones in separate pans? No need to start a family ruckus before the wonder-SKOL day.

Also, my current state of things includes me marking Day 741 out of the office. Don't have definitive word on when we're going back this spring or whenever. But when we do, you can bet that will be on the calendar.

In Jim's handwriting.

C'mon, you know he and Sylvester will miss me. At least one of them will enjoy fewer interruptions to nap time. This is where I let you guess which one.

In the meantime... Don't forget to fill out your bracket! 

A Trifle Busy

I feel bad that my trifle bowls (yes, I have 2) have been sequestered away in a cupboard during the pandemic as they'd done something wrong. Nope, just the world hasn't created enough opportunities to make one. Because making one requires a bit of a group gathering so we won't scarf it down ourselves.

Because, we probably would. Because, yes, they always are that good!

Today I was a trifle busy during my lunch hour whipping this together for such a gathering. Baked the cake last night and added the other layers in today. Basically, bottom layer is mint-chocolate cake with Andes mint baking chips, a layer of cheesecake pudding (colored green), topped with crushed Thin Mint cookies, then Cool Whip, and start the layers again with cake.

Yup, as good as it sounds.

Definitely had to treat it like precious cargo since it had to ride all the way to Wausau. It arrived intact and was well-received. Actually it was the perfect trade – I provided the long-awaited trifle to the game night crew and they provided the much-needed laughs I've missed this year. 

It really was a blessing to just set aside life and worries and big concerns to just eat and visit and laugh and laugh. It is the perfect medicine for the blues, that's for sure.

Even came home with just about a serving or two in the bowl. In case I want to share with the mister tomorrow. He'll have to act quickly though. I mean, who doesn't love some tasty trifle for breakfast?

SWEET dreams!

My Enjoy-Mint

Stop me if you've heard this before: I have this compulsion for making more work for myself or something. That's right, I said it last night. Now we are again with my latest putzy project.

C'mon. You know if a friend needs something for a graduation party, you know I'm going to volunteer to provide something. The question to myself was homemade mints or a trifle or both?

Well I started with the one I could now and freeze...

Got the blue roses done after work last night.

And got the white mints done tonight. Yes, they all taste the same. I just can't be so boring I have all the same color. Plus that significantly reduces the putzing and we wouldn't want that.

How do I make them? An old family recipes. Ha. Actually I loved it when my mom would make these when I was a kid. Depending on the special occasion, she used different molds. The rose was a popular one because it pretty much can go with any celebration. I do have molds for a diploma and grad hat, but they are actually smaller and really do take forever.

And honestly the recipe is basically 8 ounces cream cheese mixed with 2 pounds of powdered sugar – yet they're not super sweet, I swear – and whatever extract you want to use. These are with a teaspoon of peppermint (for my enjoy-MINT), but I guess people use lemon flavoring and yellow food coloring sometimes or maybe even almond flavor. Like I said, whatever trips your taste buds.

Anyway, you roll up the "dough" in little balls, dip them in sugar, press into the mold, then pop it out onto some non-stick surface like waxed paper. They have to "dry out" a while so they aren't too soft to pick up. Then you can eat them – well, maybe sneak one or two – or freeze them if you don't need them for another week or so.

So yes, tasty. Yes, putzy. And yes, this graduate is so worth it!

Well Shake My Shamrocks

Some companies can save you 15 percent on car insurance. Kwik Trip, though, can save you nearly 50 percent on calories when you choose their mint-flavored milk over McD's Shamrock Shake.

Thank you, KT!

Grabbed this on my way home from Wausau tonight when I wisely decided to gas up instead of waiting for subzero temps in the morning. It is only 350 calories (ha) compared to 680 calories for a Shamrock Shake of the same size.

Does it taste as good?

While it does bill itself as a "Pint o' Gold," it doesn't quite reach that ranking for me. Tastes like a completely melted Shamrock Shake would. So not too bad. But it's missing some secret ingredient that must be in those extra 330 calories.

Oh... that's right. Sugar! A non-Keto friendly shake has 111 carbs (82 grams sugar) versus this milk from a green cow, which has 37 carbs (34 grams sugar).

Either way, it's really not that healthy for me. But this mint freak chose the lesser of two evils.

Thanks for visiting Robyn's Justification Station. See you next time!

Back to What Shopping?

I wanted to prove that I don't just jet off places every day and have fun. But then this...

Even back-to-school shopping is fun at Wal-Mart when I run into brand new treats, er healthy breakfast cereal, like this! Yes, I said "back to school' just because I was hunting deals on flash drives. And no, I didn't buy this. But dang. Those might make some good bars. Move over, Rice Krispies. Am I right?

In other boring news, I've just been getting through lists of things to do, paying bills, and all that jazz. Things don't get done magically when I'm out gallivanting around at photo shoots and professional baseball games.

Although the piles of laundry magically got done while I was gone today. (Love you, honey!)

I must admit it was nice to go to work and have it feel like a Monday and have Friday already coming tomorrow. Maybe you were right. I just keep living the dream, don't I?

Thank you, Lord!

Today's High... Sugar

Today's Word of the Day was definitely SUGAR. For me, anyway.

After 4.5 graduation parties (we went back to one of them a second time), I am crashing hard from my sugar rush. I don't remember the question, but the answer is yes, I did try a piece of cake at each one. Merely comparative research, of course.

I also got to sample the mints (above) at the party for my friend Michelle's son. Just kidding, I made them so they passed the taste test at home.

If your mother or grandmother ever made them, you know they are delicious. Putzy to make, but so yummy. Ingredients are 8 ounces cream cheese mixed with 2 pounds of powdered sugar. Plus, a half to full teaspoon of flavoring. I use mint extract. Mix it together a chill for a bit. Then roll "dough" into little balls, roll in regular sugar, place in mold, scrape off excess and pop out of mold.

Like I said, putzy, but the sweet graduate was worth it!

After starting the party circuit 10 hours ago, I can confirm we've got some great friends AND that we're too old for marathons of this nature. Thank goodness for this...

Happy Memorial Day! Also known as no-sugar Monday for this girl.

Trifle 101: Inside the layers

It's the holi-graze season. Endless treats at the office, topped with evening and weekend events and festivities. Graze away. All food. All festive. All, well mostly all, fattening.

If you want to do your part, why not do a trifle? You can get a bowl at Wal-Mart or many fine retailers. A friend of mine was seeking some ideas today and I thought, why not make some of my top-secret seasonal sensations public?

I have never made two exactly the same. I'm a experimental mixologist. But here are a few of my Christmas-time favorites:

Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle

For crumbled cake layer: Mix up a spice cake mix as directed. Add and mix in 1 Tb molasses and 1 tsp nutmeg. For pudding layer: Mix it with eggnog instead of milk. Third layer is whipped cream. I topped mine with top with Craisins and Ginger Snap cookies.

Chocolate Candy Cane Trifle

Delicious layers of crumbled chocolate cake baked with a hint of peppermint (extract or oil), white chocolate pudding, delicately crushed Milano chocolate peppermint cookies, and extra creamy non-dairy whipped topping.

Chocolate-Peppermint Trifle

A slightly different take with many of the same flavors. The chocolate layer consists of crumbled brownies I baked with Andes Peppermint Baking Chips mixed in. The pink/red layer above that is cheesecake pudding, mixed with some eggnog and a few drops of red food coloring strictly for presentation purposes.

Next layer up is crushed Keebler Peppermint Stripe Cookies (the holiday version of their famous Fudge Stripe Cookies). Topped with a thin layer of whipped cream to divide the colors. (I have heard they do have Peppermint Cool Whip but I could not locate any. Without it, I think it's just minty enough. Not overwhelming.)

Thin Mint Trifle

And now for the "other mint" of the season. There's so many ways you can do this. I baked my cake with mint chips – I think I got them at Fleet Farm, which surprisingly has everything for creative bakers. Other layers are crushed Thin Mints (which you can buy generically year-round) and either cheesecake flavored or white chocolate flavored pudding (with green food coloring for presentation, of course). Plus whipped cream. Top with the chips and Andes Mints.

Pumpkin Spice Eggnog Trifle

If you can't let go of the pumpkin spice season... For crumbled cake layers, I baked a yellow cake mix but added 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix for flavor. This was a really light flavor though, so you probably could go with 2 teaspoons or a tablespoon. For pudding layers, I used Pumpkin Spice instant pudding with some Pumpkin Spice Eggnog mixed in with the milk. (For serious Spice Girls only.) Layer further with whipped cream.

Who's hungry? This'll get you started! Happy holi-graze!

Land of Enchant-MINT

Once upon a time, a boy and girl met at the racetrack and later, decided to get married. Since hubby has known her parents family forever and ever, we were invited to share in their excite-MINT today.

Why stress mint? Well, it didn't take me long to spy some Andes Mint cupcakes on the wedding cake cupcake tower! I knew it was proper etiquette to wait for dinner first. Then the bride and groom to cut the top tier. Then an official announcement.

But oh, it was worth the wait! Somebody at our table actually got me two of them. Proper weddubg etiquette also notes you should say "thank you" and accept the gift. And eat it!

The reception and dance were at the Hotel Mead in town so not far away. I figured I'd take this handsome guy home with me whether he danced with me or not! And he didn't. But he had a good excuse. It's November.

Most guys don't shave in November. Mr. Austin apparently doesn't dance in November.

And you thought I had an answer for everything! Somehow Prince Charming gets away with it.

I better log off before midnight, though, in case I turn into a pumpkin. As much as I love pumpkin spice, I have plans for tomorrow that involve a heckuva lot more Christmas than autumn! Stay turned for more excite-MINT!

Friday's Excite-Mint

Truth be told, today is sort of a Robyn holiday. As a loyal subject to King Cone, I felt it was my duty to take the afternoon off. Frankly, it's been a long winter and this lady-in-waiting has waited long enough!

For real, though, it was just a nice coincidence that I had a few things happening and this fit into my schedule as well.

After visions of March Mint Madness were dancing in my head all week, I sort of felt I had to get it out of my system. The Mint Brownie concoction did not disappoint.

But the really sweet reason for the day off was this...

Hubby and I got to watch one of our favorite girls "sign" to play college softball. Ellie and her sisters and parents are just the sweetest! Was a privilege to take photos today and just a blessing to be able to see her grow up before our eyes. Cute little girl to determined young woman with goals and a big heart.

Ellie will be playing softball at Loras College in Dubuque, just down the road from Platteville. Her Grandpa Doug, who was my special father figure we lost in mid-November, had attended Loras back in the day. It just happened that the day she was accepted to Loras was the day he died. She felt it in her heart to go. Like that's where she is meant to shine.

Isn't that a cool story? She's a pretty cool girl.

Even though she had to go back to class (still a kid) after the signing ceremony, quite a number of us went out to lunch to celebrate in her honor. I also got to take care of several errands, get adjusted by my chiropractor, catch up on This is Us, welcome his majesty King Cone back in my life and, oh yes, get on the treadmill to get my 10,000 steps.

Now that's a holiday. Time to go sit in my recliner and read.