Auntie Em’s DIET Rolo/Pretzel Snacks

Have you seen this picture from Pinterest?

I pinned it and decided to make them! They were SO easy, and wonderful. I decided to make some more for our family Thanksgiving dinner at Granny’s house. (By the way, in Texas, Thanksgiving DINNER is at noon, not in the evening.) I got “mini” pretzels just like before, but noticed they were a good deal bigger than the last ones I used. Mr X said these are a different brand than before. Then I got out my bag of  UNWRAPPED Rolos, which I was happy to discover because all that unwapping was a pain! I began placing them on the pretzels and noticed they were smaller than the last time. Mr X said, “See? It says MINI.” oops. All I saw was “unwrapped” and my laziness resourcefulness took over and I skipped over the much larger “mini.” However, my optimism decided that they will now be DIET candies.

 

Here’s the skinny (HAH… get it? Diet candy?) on how to make them.

Preheat your oven to 350.

1. Place pretzels on a cookie sheet. In hindsight, I’d use one with sides. I got nervous moving this sheet in and out of the oven.

2. Put a Rolo on each pretzel.

3. Bake 3-5 minutes, till soft. If you use mini Rolos, it will be less time!

 

4. While they are hot and squishy, mash a pecan half into it. 5. Let cool and eat ‘em up!

*NOTE If you use the large pretzels, the Rolos will melt down onto the pan and make removal difficult. Let it cool some. But not too much or the pretzel will break when you try to remove it from the pan! I think I’ll try lining the pan with parchment paper next time.

Every Little Helps!

“Every little helps,” said the old woman as she wet in the sea.

                                                                              My mother was raised by her grandmother, Lizzie Adkisson Forrest. This is one of the sayings she liked to quote! (And you’re right, I wondered too why she didn’t put “bit” in there!)

This is a great mantra for recovering perfectionists. I say it to myself and my friends over and over. Here are a few instances where my great-grandmother’s wisdom helped this week:

A friend and I were talking about how we loved Pinterest. I was admiring the wonderful elementary classroom ideas she had collected. She said disparagingly, “Now if I’d only USE them I’d be a good teacher!” But I  reminded her that even if she used just a few, she would be a better teacher than she was last year. Every little helps!

Along the same idea, my colleague and I have come up with a methodical system of skills and checklists to move our choir students from “zero to hero,”  so to speak. There are ribbons to be awarded, and videos to record… lots of bells and whistles. We’ve put the checklists and lots of the material we use for teaching all on a website, with the idea that the kids can practice at home. I don’t know how much that happens, and we’ve been hit-and-miss about ribbons, but I can tell you, we’ve brought our kids much further than we ever did without the whole system. Every little helps!

I am really realizing that I need to exercise! My mother had her first stroke and retired early at 54. I plan to live a long, healthy life, so I won’t have to move into Sis’s guesthouse, so it’s really hitting home. But I’d so much rather read or write! It’s so hot outside! My feet hurt! But I did bicycle for 21 minutes this week with TeeKay. It’s not great, but it’s something. Every little helps! 

And finally, for the job at hand. One of the projects I always put on my to-do list at the beginning of any period of time off, is to straighten every closet, drawer, and storage receptacle in my house. (A perfect goal for a perfectionist, no?) And I have one week more until I go back to work. So I think I’ll start today with my freezer, and when I’m done I’ll be one step closer. Every little helps!

How do you deal with big projects that weigh you down?