Lego Head Marshmallow Pops

This little party favor/decoration only has a few ingredients, but it makes a cute end result!  With a little patience, I was able to make these little lego heads for my son's birthday party - they turned out a hit!

All you need are:

• 1 bag Yellow candy melts
• 1 bag regular marshmallows
• 1 bag mini marshmallows
• lollipop sticks
• your choice frosting (optional)

I started with my marshmallows.  Originally, I was going to cut the minis in half and stick them to the bigs with frosting, but it's really not necessary bc the minis have their own stickiness when you cut them, and they worked just fine later on.  So I didn't use the frosting, but if you weren't going to cut the minis, I would definitely go with the frosting.

After sticking my minis to the bigs and putting them on the lollipop stick, I put them in my super-fancy lollipop holder (i.e. a Cap'n Crunch box with holes in it that I made from a screwdriver - yay for using what you have!!)

Then it was my nemesis.  The candy melts.  For some reason, I have conquered the Almond Bark, but candy melts still allude me.  They just don't melt to that drippy consistency for me.  I've tried stove & microwave & neither one gets it how I want it.  This time was closer, but still not drippy.  Anywho.  Melt the candy melts and dip the marshmallow pops in the melts.

I then used a knife to smooth the coating around until it looked good (enough) - ha.

Now, several sources online said to use these for the faces.  I tried them and I can't say I loved how it turned out.  So, I bought a sparkle gel writer that gave me better results for what I was looking for.

The only trick with the sparkle gel was to be very careful not to use too much & watch for drips.

They were perfect for the party!

Deviled Eggs & Fluffy Fruit Salad

It's so funny how food brings back memories for me.  For example, these two dishes remind me of dear friends (you know, friends that you had before kiddos, which now seems like a lifetime ago!!) and every time I make them it reminds me of those friends, those events, or those people that I shared that food with.  Isn't it wonderful how food does that?!?  I felt that I needed to share that little extra tidbit with these easy peasy recipes that are great - not only for Easter, but to bring to any event or get together.

These deviled eggs remind me of my dad - who can eat a dozen deviled eggs in one sitting :) - but also of an Easter we spent with several friends, who were all far away from family, and I brought these as a taste of home - such a fun memory!

For the deviled eggs, you'll need:

• 6 hard cooked eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp vinegar
• paprika

I made 2 and a half times the amount of eggs, so I adjusted the above recipe accordingly.  I needed a lot of eggs, my dad & husband & I eat WAY too many of these eggs!! :)

Halve hard cooked eggs lengthwise and remove yolks.  Collect yolks in a bowl & mash with a fork.  Add mayo, mustard, and vinegar, mix well.  Stuff egg whites with mixture.  Sprinkle paprika for a bit of color :)  

Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Then, if you're like me, eat way too many!!  Enjoy!!

• This next recipe I found several years ago when I was looking for a recipe for fruit salad that didn't have mayo as an ingredient - to take to a friend's house who didn't like mayo.  I found this fruit salad & now every time I make it, it always reminds me of them!  I've also been told that this fruit salad reminds people of the old school pink fruit salad that old ladies used to bring to church events (but in a good, comforting way - haha!).

For the fruit salad, you'll need:

• 12 oz Cool Whip
• 21 oz cherry pie filling
• 8 oz crushed pineapple
• 11 oz mandarin oranges (drained)
• 1/2 bag miniature marshmallows

Mix together, chill for at least an hour, and serve.  Easy, easy, easy!!  And yummy, yummy, yummy!!

Feel free to share any recipes that bring back a memory or two in the comments!