Missing the N&N's

I know this is supposed to be a cooking blog...but I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately. Being pregnant makes preparing food a nauseating experience. So I decided to just write a little bit. I had such a good time this past 4th of July weekend visiting with so many of you. It was my first time meeting little one year old Andrew and he completely stole my heart just like all my other nieces and nephews do. Kaeden has gotten so big since the last time I saw him. He has the same hair color as Jenny and is way too cute to handle. And who can believe how big Jacob and Joe have gotten? Joe is so tall and thin and is as sweet as can be. Whenever I came into his room to play legos with the kids, Joe would look up at me and say with a big toothy smile, "You're my aunt!" It was so great. One day Joe was asking me what my last name was. I told him that it is Jones but that it used to be Hodge just like his. He asked me when I could get it changed back to normal. :) At least we know the Hodge name will go on thanks to Jeff's 3 little boys.

I guess that's all for now. I need to go write my talk...boooo! I was asked to share my thoughts about my girls camp experience this Sunday in Sacrament meeting. Please tell my nieces and nephews that their Aunt Kelly loves them so much.

Love, Kelly

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

About 20 strawberries.

8 oz pkg softened cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 sleeve of graham crackers

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

First you will want to wash the strawberries and cut off the tops.
Now core them! I used a small knife, and baby spoon. If I had a grapefruit spoon that would have worked AMAZING. But in this recipe they also say to try a apple pealer, I do not have one. The knife worked great.
The easiest way to core the strawberries is to hold the entire berry in your hand (wrap your fingers around it) and literally just core out the center. Get as deep as you can without breaking through the bottom.
fill the strawberries just use a ziplock and snip the end and fill strawberries. It may not seem like you have enough filling, but you will
Crush 3 crackers.
Sprinkle G-cracker crumbs on top! I did not take my own personal pictures, but here are some from the website.
Now you can just leave them or for a little more fun melt either white or milk or dark chocolate and drizzle over top of strawberries.
I made these and served them right away, but next time I think I will put them in the fridge to set for at least an hour or two. These were way easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I got this recipe from Sugar Derby! They have some way cute ideas! Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Kelly...representing the IE

oh..this is gonna be fun. I've never had a blog before. Can't wait to see/read everyone's recipe idea's and to read about your lives. So I just turned 30 the other day and I've already learned that people don't stop asking your age when you're "all grown up". I'm wondering when it's considered okay to start telling people you're younger than you really are...You know like the mom who tells her kids every year on her birthday that she's 29. I know I know...it's never okay to lie. But is it okay to give em a hi-ee-ya and a wooh-ah..and a keeker when they ask my age? I'm just wonderin :)

Some Bonds Can't Be Burnt (even if our dinner is!)

We are 6 sisters that live in 6 different states: Michigan, Texas, California, Nevada, Utah and Idaho. This blog was created as a recipe blog and a way for us to stay connected and support one another as we embark on our own adventures.

Happy Cooking!