Munchies 4 Missions: Success!

We had a WONDERFUL day Saturday at the Merry Mall. Tons of people stopped by, and I know those that couldn't make it were praying for our success because we certainly had it! I raised enough money to completely cover my passport expense, application fee, and put some in savings. It was a good day!

In the hustle and bustle of setting everything up, I left my good camera at home, so you get the stinky iPhone pics. Oh, well!

On the tables from left to right we had: Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Cake Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies, Crunchy Holiday Peanut Butter Mix, Marshmallow Pops, Tiger Butter Fudge, Peanut Butter Cookies, Sweet 'n Salty Sammies, Haddles, and then all my hair stuff. I had made some braided headbands, as well as some stretchy bands with flowers or buttons. I even got some custom orders and made them that day!

Mom was with me most of the day and she helped me SO much. I couldn't have done it without her. We had a rush at the end of the night because Santa came by to take pictures with the kids. It was wonderful! :)

Thursday night and Friday afternoon/evening after work were set aside for all the baking. It was tedious work, but I got it all done. Dad helped a lot and we managed to thoroughly make a mess of the kitchen.

 One of my favorite things was getting to smash up the peanut butter cups for the chocolate cake cookies. And oh my goodness...they were AMAZING! So, so good.

Tiger Butter fudge cooling off in the fridge. It was hard not to run my finger through that whole thing and lick it. It's seriously the easiest fudge you will ever make.

Grab one package (24 oz.) of white almond bark, 1.5 cups of creamy peanut butter, and one regular sized bag of milk chocolate chips. Make SURE they are milk chocolate. It will make you smile.

Cut the almond bark into pieces and melt in the microwave. I always start out with 2 minutes, stir and see how it's doing. I usually put it in for another minute, then add in the peanut butter. You want the almond bark to be almost completely melted before adding in the PB. Melt that for about 45 seconds/minute and stir until completely combined. Pour the bark/PB mixture in a parchment lined 9x13 glass dish. And please, for the sake of your sanity, line the dish with parchment or wax. You can't get the fudge out if you don't.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (1-2 minutes) and spoon it over the peanut butter mixture. I usually start drizzling it in a circular pattern. Once it's all on, swirl it with the tip of a butter knife. It won't look pretty while you're spooning the chocolate on, but once you start swirling it will become lovely. Put this in the fridge over night, or freeze it for about 45 minutes if you're in a hurry. Once it's set, pop it out of the pan, and cut into small chunks.

This stuff is extremely decadent, so you want to make these small pieces. It will go further, and a little goes a long way with Tiger Butter.

 These guys were fun to make. It was a pain unwrapping all those Hugs, but Dad helped and we made quick work of it. They were so easy! You just lay out Pretzel snaps on a cookie sheet (covered in parchment), stack one Hug on each pretzel and pop them in the oven for about 3 minutes. You just want them to get soft so you can moosh the tops on. *Moosh is a technical baking term.

We had some extra Reese's cups left over, so Dad even tried some with those. He just cut one cup in half and mooshed them just like the Hugs. They were yummy! Everyone thought they were so cool.

Probably my favorite thing on the table was the Peanut Butter cookies. I found an old fashioned recipe online for "Welfare Cookies" and they were divine. I used crunchy peanut butter, and it just gave them an extra special punch. Yumm-o!

Surprisingly, these marshmallow pops were super popular. The kids really loved them. I set them up on a cake stand, and sold them 3 for $1. We sold out of these babies! And the ones with the broken sticks...I ete em. =)

I knew I would have plenty of down time during the day to work on hair bows, so I took my craft supplies with me. Some ladies I knew wanted custom braided headbands in specific colors, so I made a few custom orders earlier in the day. They were thrilled!

I had tons of bright colored felt with me, so I used a flower template I already had on hand to make this colorful gal. I sold it about an hour after I had it finished! The little girl that got it immediately put it on.


We still have plenty of peanut brittle left (we made a large order) so if you need to order some, or know someone looking for some, just give me a shout and we'll get you some. They are $3 per bag with 2 medium patties in each bag.

It was a tiring weekend, but very successful for my first fundraising attempt. God had favor on us, and I'm so thankful!


-Jenn (With 2 N's)


Recipe Links:
Welfare Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Cake Reese's Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies

Munchies 4 Missions

This summer I got to travel to Columbus, OH for North American Youth Congress. I met up with my sister and her church from NY, and we had a blast. The last time I got to go I was about 14. This trip was much more meaningful for me.

For awhile I've been feeling like there's something extra I need to be doing. Some goal I need to be striving for. I found out what it was this summer.

Our church organization hosts missions trips each summer for youth and young adults. There are numerous overseas trips to choose from and some North American trips as well. I've known about Apostolic Youth Corps for years, but was never interested. My parents and family have told me I should go on a trip, but I like being home, and I like being in my comfort zone, so I never gave it any thought.

At Youth Congress one night they had individuals get up who had been on AYC trips last summer. One of the girls was from my sister's church. After hearing their stories and listening to the speaker talk about the life changing trips, I leaned around and looked at my sister. She was looking at me at that precise moment too. I kind of smiled and nodded. She did too. I had found what it was I was supposed to be doing.

After much prayer and thought, I've almost 100% decided on the Tanzania trip. I've felt a certain pull there, and have heard wonderful things about the missionaries. Just saying Tanzania is where I'm going is exciting to me. I can't wait to be on the plane, to be landing in Africa of all places, and to be working with the host missionaries. I want it to be July right now!

However, before I can go anywhere I need to raise money. Quite a bit, actually. So, this Saturday my Mom is helping me host a booth at the Merry Mall in our town. The Merry Mall is an empty building on Broadway where vendors can set up and sell their wares. Our Christmas parade is that evening, so people will be milling around town, hopefully stopping in and buying things!

Anyone who will be around Cleveland should come see me! I'll be selling Christmas goodies, as well as hair bows, braided headbands and clippies. ALL my proceeds will be going toward my trip.

The official Munchies 4 Missions List:

Chocolate Marshmallow Pops
-Jumbo marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate on a pretzel lollipop stick.

Chocolate Cake Reese's Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies
-Devil's food cake mix cookies dotted with mini chocolate chips and crumbled Reese's cups.

Crunchy Holiday Peanut Butter Mix
-A fun twist on trail mix with Golden Graham's, Cocoa Puff's, pretzels, peanuts and Reese's pieces, tossed in white chocolate and powdered sugar.

Haddles
-Clusters of mini marshmallows, peanuts and white chocolate.

Tiger Butter
-Peanut butter and white chocolate fudge swirled with milk chocolate.

Sweet N' Salty Sammies
-A Hershey's Hug sandwiched between two salty pretzel snaps.

Homemade Peanut Brittle
Traditional Peanut Butter Cookies


I hope you can stop in and see me this weekend. I know not everyone can, so more than anything I covet your prayers. I've never been out of the country before...let alone to Africa, so there is still some trepidation on my part. I know this is what God wants for me, and I'm beyond thrilled to be preparing for this trip, but I need all the prayer I can get! Pray that God will give me strength, courage and the ability to truly help where I am needed while I am there. Pray that we will see souls saved.

-Jenn With 2 N's

P.S. If you would like to order any goodies for Christmas send an email to jlsdesign@att.net.