Rice Krispies Treat Heart Pops

A few things inspired me to make these Rice Krispies Treat Heart Pops:

1. We had a Valentine's Day Party to go to, hosted by one of WP's friends.  I was wanting to take something special, but hadn't planned anything. So, I had settled on taking my quick and easy garlicky hummus, until....
2. I saw these pink and white marshmallows on special at HEB (FREE when you buy almond bark!)  Of course I got them, unsure of what to do with them. But then....
3. I found the cutest heart-shaped measuring cups in the $1 bin at Target.  And so....

I got pretty excited to make these, using my favorite recipe for Rice Krispies Treats.  FYI, this is my first time to ever make "pops" because they intimidate me.  But these really weren't too hard or time consuming, and I will definitely be making them again.  I made 24 Heart Pops, start to finish including cellophane wrapping, in under an hour.  If you are allowed to take homemade treats to your kiddo's school, these would be so perfect. 

Rice Krispies Treat Heart Pops

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 10 oz bag of marshmallows (pink & white if you can find it) OR 7 oz marshmallow cream 

5 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

1/4 cup heart-shaped mold (or any heart-shaped mold you have. A small dish would work.) 

12 paper drinking straws

24 cellophane treat bags with ribbon and/or ties

Clean, then coat the inside of the heart-shaped mold with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.  Stir in the salt and vanilla, then add marshmallows.  Stir until completely melted then remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies cereal and stir until well coated. 

Using greased hands, firmly press 1/4 cup of Rice Krispies mixture into the heart-shaped mold. Cool slightly (for just a few seconds.) Remove the mixture from the mold by turning the mold upside down and tapping it on the back if needed. Place on wax paper and allow to cool before wrapping. Repeat until you have molded all of the mixture.

Cut each of the 12 paper drinking straws in half. Insert a straw into the bottom of each heart. Once cooled, insert each Heart Pop into a cellophane treat bag and tie with ribbon. 

Makes approximately 24 hearts (1/4 cup each). 

 Note: this same method of spraying the heart-shaped mold with PAM works for just about any holiday (plastic eggs at easter, etc...) AND... I just saw on Pinterest and here that a cookie cutter sprayed with cooking spray works too!

Print recipe here.

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Love, Lauren

The pink & white marshmallows from HEB.

They made such a pretty color when melted
and even had a slight strawberry flavor to them. Mmmm.

Here is the 1/4 cup measuring cup from the Target $1 bin
that I sprayed with PAM and used as a mold for all of the Pops. 

Paper drinking straws inserted into the hearts to make Pops.

All wrapped up and ready for the party!

I ran out of straws, so wrapped a few plain hearts.

Pinterest-inspired Toy Storage & a Giveaway!

I'm in love with Pinterest.  It's full of great ideas and is so easy to organize anything you'd like to remember.  One of my first Pins was of these storage bags.  When my mom got on Pinterest she saw them on my board, made a pattern, bought some fabric and got to work.

Organizing Art Supplies

We love our easel and use it almost daily.  I put a bunch of art supplies on our Christmas wish list and received just what I wanted!  The boys have loved playing with all the different paints and stamps and colors but it was getting out of hand. Things were being thrown aside and stored in crazy places (the bathroom and kitchen cabinets).  I invested in two inexpensive pieces and there is harmony again.

I like this Sterlite drawer ($20 at Target) because it fits nicely under the easel, it is tall enough that I can have containers for pens to sit upright, and it's easy enough for my son to open and close by himself.  It's also deep enough that I can put the paint in the back and he never seems to see it without me getting in there too.

I also bought a plastic storage bin($4) from Ikea that is reminiscent of my Hello Kitty pencil boxes in elementary school but on a larger scale.  Paint brushes and stamps fit perfectly and it fits right on top of the drawer.

After three weeks, it doesn't look too much different than this . . .  Success!

Finisher

I'm very proud of my husband who ran his first marathon today!  He had two enthusiastic little cheerleaders wearing homemade shirts that got a lot of 'that is cute' comments and looks.

I made them using printable iron-on transfers. They are an easy way to make your own original t-shirts.  I scanned my husband's bib and printed it in mirror-image on to the iron-on paper (always do a test until it comes out just how you'd like and laser doesn't work on this paper).  Then, simply ironed it on to two plain T-shirts.  I added safety pins so it looked liked their daddy's.

I have to 100% agree with the 'cute' comments:)
Kim