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.

Finding Balance in a 10K

I managed to do two, yes two, 10K's today. Hold the applause.

First of all the "K" is thousands, not kilometers. Still, I rejoice any day I get 10K (or 10,000) steps on my FitBit. Now about that other 10K...

So today was called Sentry Success Day at work. Basically like Christmas in March. We celebrate our successes from the prior year and look forward to goals in the current year. Oh, and play games for prizes. Oh, and eat. And eat. And eat.

Since the theme for this year's event revolved around St. Patrick's Day, our department suggested clothing and food be green. Naturally I concocted some Mint Madness.

Layers of mint chocolate cake, green-colored white chocolate pudding (with shavings of Andes Mints mixed in), crushed Thin Mints, and Cool Whip for contrast. Good, good stuff. But guess what? I brought half of it home.

Not kidding. That may give you an idea how many green treats were there today for our potluck. Typically, it would be gone. But today there were green cookies, sugar cookies with green frosting, doughnuts with green sprinkles, green Rice Krispy treats and so on. And that was just the treats, not the real food like Irish stew and mashed potatoes and soda bread and chips and guacamole, etc.

Have you figured out what the other 10K is yet? Here's another clue.

After work, I had a dinner date with my friends Colleen and Nicki, who I used to work with at Renaissance. It's been almost 2 months since the last one so we are overdue. Naturally, I wasn't hungry. But still ordered my Pineapple Express Burger. And ate it.

So yeah, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I consumed 10,000 calories today. Gosh, I hope not. But I'm so full it sure feels like it.

And I'm guessing the 10K's don't cancel each other out. Not exactly balanced on the scales are they?

But let's not talk about scales.

March Mint Mania

I've decided to change the overused OMG (oh my god) to Oh Mint Goodness.

So in the month of March, King Cone's offerings are OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!

Yup four kinds of mint. What they're calling March Mint Mania. All month long! It's not often they have the Fudge Brownie Mint. That's a good one.

In other exciting news. The Plover location has been open a week or so (still haven't stopped there yet) and the Wisconsin Rapids location is opening at 3 p.m. next Friday, March 9.

Not that I need the calories, but it was one of two spots of good news today. After attending funeral visitation this afternoon, I could use that. The other good thing is our Assumption Royals survived round 2 of regional playoffs tonight, beating Gresham. Now its onto the regional championship game tomorrow night – at home.

I welcome the distractions. Basketball or OMG scoops of ice cream that take the shape of basketballs.

I'm pretty easy to please.

A Trifle Much? Never

I introduced my new co-workers to my trifle bowl today. As always, it's imperative I take a "before" picture because it's impossible to tell what can happen on a 30-minute commute. Slam on the brakes once for a deer and the beautiful creation is mush.

That is also what happens after the first spoon digs in. It transitions quickly from art to treat status.

Since I've been editing and proofing a lot of menus lately for our company's two restaurants, I came up with a description for this creation...

Chocolate Candy Cane Trifle: Delicious layers of crumbled chocolate cake with a hint of peppermint, white chocolate pudding, delicately crushed Milano chocolate peppermint cookies, and extra creamy non-dairy whipped topping.

Yep. I know you want some. Just not enough left over to share. I am licking the bottom of the bowl as we speak.

What... the festive 15 has to start somewhere.

Winner, Winner, What's for Dinner?

Two of my best and, at the same time, worst traits are that I am competitive and predictable.

As noted above, December sort of is just a month-long eating contest. Darn my competitive nature. I think I am totally winning!

Which brings me to predictable. I won't even bother looking back at past blogs from the last 6 or 7 Decembers. I can almost guarantee. I can almost predict, rather, that I was having issues with the holiday graze craze. It really is the most wonderful time of the year when it comes to home-baked treats. Oh my gosh. So many yummy, yummy choices. So much mint and chocolate, too. Where to start?

Where to stop? Can I stop?

I think my will power goes right down the drain with my energy and extra cash this time of year. The other day I actually stopped at Culver's for an eggnog shake because I heard McDonald's was out and I considered it a crime if I didn't have one before Christmas. It goes against the law of Christmas cheer or something.

Was it worth it? Probably not.

I did the usual berating of oneself when one is eating like Elf.

That might have played into why I actually got up for 5:40 a.m. kickboxing on Friday. Alas, the martial arts center was closed the next 3 days. So I continued to eat my way through the long Christmas weekend and am coming up for air today.  

Sadly, I can't seem to break the cycle. Am I the only one? My thought pattern is something like this. I try to eat right for the most part and exercise when I can. Just enough of both disciplines for me to feel like I DESERVE these treats this one time of the year. Anyone else feel that?

I won't sugarcoat it – though that might be tasty – but this means there is some level of emotional eating going on here. I deserve this because I am stressed and need it or I have been good and earned it. Either way, it's not because of needed nourishment.

The other bit (not bite) of bad news about this "one time of the year" is that "one time" equals a month! OK, let's be honest. More like 6 weeks spanning from Turkey Day to New Year's Day. Not good, folks.

Obviously, you and I are not the only big "winners" in this competition. Why else would all the diet and exercise products be on sale for New Year's?

Let's just accept it and enjoy the rest of the year. We're into the 6th week here. Can't undo the choices we've made. And frankly, there weren't too many bad ones. Most were delicious beyond measure!

Keep on winning. We have all of January to be big losers. Plus, there's kind of only one way to get rid of these treats around here.

Open wide and say "Ahh-m-m-m."

Winner. Winner. What's for dinner?

A Trifle Minty

Today's holiday treat will bowl you over... well, trifle bowl you over anyway.

Made this for my family Christmas this weekend and, after last year's "tip over" road-trip disaster, I took a picture before we hit the road. Thanks to a tight fit between 2-liter bottles of pop and major bubble wrap, it arrived in Minnesota intact. But enough about the journey. Let's talk simple layers of yum...

This was a chocolate-peppermint concoction – not to be confused with the crème de menthe variety of mint.

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. Yes, they have the holiday version of their famous Fudge Stripe Cookies. I heard about them from my friend Brenda, who has me on her Holiday Hotline. Throw cookies into a gallon Ziploc, get out the rolling pin and take out your frustrations.

The white layer is simply a thin layer of regular Cool Whip to divide the colors. I have heard they do have Peppermint Cool Whip but I could not locate any. Without it, I think it was just minty enough. Not overwhelming.

Just a trifle minty.

Enjoy the photo because there are no leftovers!

Blank Space Sunday

Do you know what this is a picture of? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. A completely blank space on the calendar for the first day in, well, forever.

We saw it. And there was much rejoicing.

No obligations for us today. Well kind of. Hubby and I went to church and Carter actually had to work. His choice. He has to get his work done today so he can be off Monday through Thursday for a senior trip to the Dells and camping, etc. No rest for the wicked.

I, on the other hand, could be wicked and restful, if I so choose.

Came home right after church and got my Saturday cleaning chores done. Then I road-tripped to Plover and Stevens Point for some errands and shopping. Had to drop off an old printer for "free" recycling at Best Buy. Then went to Kohl's to buy a bridal shower gift for our neighbor boy's fiance. Looked around there, Christopher & Banks, Target and even Goodwill for something for ME. Can you believe I came home empty handed? Just wanted some summery tops for work and most of today's designs are just ugly, if you ask me. I don't want to throw back to the '70s or the desert southwest look. But that's just me. It might look great on YOU!

Got home and reacquainted myself with Mr. Deck finally! Wow. He was ticked. Have neglected him all summer. Though I pointed out it hasn't technically been summer for even a week, he was having none of it. So I made sure we had an extended date on the back deck. Everybody wins.

At 7:30 p.m., it's still 84 degrees, so I'm not sure when I'll get my walk/run in. To kill time, I have mixed up my dough for mints and am going to make some white and pink roses for the bridal shower on Tuesday. Maybe by the time I knock out a hundred, it will be cool enough to run.

Or just go to bed. I didn't see running on my calendar, did you?

Just a Trifle Freaked

If you heard a scream two blocks away this afternoon, that would be me seeing a snake while pulling weeds. If you heard a scream 2 MILES away, that would be me seeing another, bigger snake 5 minutes later. Yup. I think the yard is going au naturale this summer...

I was merely trying to pull and trim some weeds too close to landscaping borders for the mower to reach. I saw a "gardener" snake and squealed pretty good in surprise. Of course I exclaimed to the man that I saw a bleeping snake. Hubby asks, "Was it a big one?" I'm thinking, yes, any snake I SEE is too big.

So I switch to a different area of the yard and am thinking about that darn snake when I was surprised beyond breathing to see another, bigger one, which led to another, much bigger scream. Hubby comes out to see after I exclaimed it was another bleeping snake. We could even see the tongue going in and out of its mouth. In fact I have goose bumps all over again just typing that.

I run into the house to grab my phone because naturally, I need a photo to document my trauma.

You know what's worse than seeing a snake? Not finding it again when you go back! Needless to say, I put Carter on clipping duty and I went into the house.

Thankfully, I had Book Club this evening so I had a valid excuse to stay indoors. Eww. And uff da!

So to put our mind on better things and in hopes I dream about ice cream, not snakes, let me share with you a yummy trifle recipe I concocted today for our treat.

I call this a Thin Mint Fudge Brownie Cheesecake Trifle. The thin only refers to the Thin Mint part. It is not to be confused with a diet-friendly Weight Watchers recipe!

Bottom layer is crumbled up brownie. That's topped with Cheesecake-flavored pudding mixed with Cool Whip. I did have green food coloring in the pudding to give it a minty look but that faded away when I folded in the Cool Whip. So if you make this, don't be afraid to go more green knowing it will lighten up. It was not for taste, purely for aesthetics. That layer was topped with crushed Thin Mints (which are available year-round in a generic mint-chocolate cookie wafer sold at Wal-Mart).

Then you just repeat layers and chill and enjoy. Since my sister-in-law gifted me with a gallon pail of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, I added a scoop of that on top of each serving.

Did I mention this is not for the calorie minded? For my own piece of mind I did use fat-free sugar-free pudding and "light" whipped topping. Probably didn't compensate for the brownies, cookies and ice cream, but I can live with myself.

I deserved the treat anyway after my two near-death experiences. Good thing I have a strong ticker.

No need to test it any further!