Bring out the cowbells & the horns! It was our privilege to enjoy a Tri-City Americans game last night.

As many of you know, MOM Magazine partners with the Ams each year to give away tickets to our valued readers and honor some amazing dads in the community.  This evening, we honored Jason Haynes (read more about him in the April/May issue!).

Not only do the Ams provide the SuperDAD and his family with tickets for the game, but they take them out on the ice just before the game begins and share part of Dad's story.

Then, the GAME!  Admittedly, I haven't been to a hockey game before, so I was surprised at how much is happening all of the time. From the giveaways throughout the evening to the continual action on the ice (there were several fights last night), you'll find something for everyone in your family.  While most parents seemed interested in the rubber chicken toss (that offered a deal at Wingstop!), the kids put on a show with shirts flying above their heads during a break in the 3rd period!

We truly appreciate the partnership with the Tri-City Americans each year!  We have one more ticket giveaway before the season ends.

Our next game is March 16! Share the Dad in your life's story in a comment below on our blog!  You'll be entered to win a set of tickets for this game. Winner will be announced on March 4!  (No purchase necessary to win.)

The Oregon State University Chamber Music Workshop will welcome advanced and intermediate string students ages 9 to 19 to the campuses of Oregon State University and Ashbrook Independent School in July 2013

Session I July 8 - 13

Session II July 15 - 20

Workshop participants will benefit from coaching, sight-reading, supervised practice, master classes and opportunities to perform with ensembles in informal concerts.

Participants will also have the chance to explore Oregon State University through a range of on-campus activities. In addition to Artistic Director Jessica Lambert, instructor of violin at OSU and concertmaster with the Corvallis-OSU Symphony, distinguished faculty will include members of the renowned FearNoMusic ensemble from the Oregon Symphony. Audition recordings will be accepted beginning on Friday, Feb. 15. Tuition for one week is $350. Please visit pne.oregonstate.edu/strings for more information.

Okay - I found it! Here is the recipe for Red Velvet Love.

Marbled Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownie

Red Velvet Layer:
1 2/3 c. flour
1 c. + 2 T. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 small eggs
1/2 c. oil
2 T. milk, divided
3 tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. red food coloring
1 tsp. white vinegar

Cheesecake Layer:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. + 2 T. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, 1 tablespoon milk, vanilla, food coloring and vinegar. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until completely combined. Remove 1/2 cup of the batter and place it in a small bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoons of milk. Pour the remaining batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.

In a medium bowl, place cream cheese and sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined and smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter (that you mixed with milk) onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or just until the center is set and no longer jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Use a medium sized heart cookie cutter to create the perfect Valentine's Day treat!

Tips: These brownies were a bit of work, but the result was so cute it made it all worth it! I put parchment paper down in the baking dish which made it easier to bring the brownies out and use the cookie cutter once it was cooled.

I can see these also being made for other holidays with different food coloring. (True, that would technically not be red velvet but the taste would be the same.) Green with a shamrock cookie cutter for St. Patrick's day, pink with an Easter egg cookie cutter for Easter, blue and red with a star cookie cutter for 4th of July, the possibilities are endless.

If you do use the heart cookie cutter, you will obviously have some scrap pieces leftover. If you can keep your kids or husband from eating them right away, check out the recipe for the Red Velvet Cheesecake Milkshake!

This version is from Recipes for MOMs website.

I'm in red velvet love! Marbled Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownie love, that is.

Amazing baker mom Stephanie brought these beauties to practice last night. I've begged her to share the recipe with us. Watch for it - I'll get it out of her yet!

Okay, I Found it! Check out the Marbled Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownie recipe here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Feb/Mar 2012 Birthday Party issue of MOM Magazine is out in the Tri-Cities! Read these stories and much more:

Click on the cover image above to view the Feb/Mar issue.

Recipes - Heart healthy meal makeovers

It's Party Time! - Great birthday party ideas

Feb/Mar Giveaway- Win a Birthday Surprise!

Get involved - Know your children

 

Santa is working with the website Portable North Pole to make special video messages for all the girls and boys. Visit the site below, enter some quick info and Santa send you the coolest personalized video. And it's FREE! We loved it. Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought - and what reaction you got from your children. It's fun to find one more thing that keeps the magic alive for a bit.

I'm ready to start some serious Christmas baking, but need a new recipe inspiration. Found it! I just saw this recipe posted on Facebook by a local MOM reader. I can't wait to get started. I love making bars in a pan because they share, travel and store so well. I'll let you know how it goes…or how fast they go.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

Ingredients

2 cups butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

4 cups flour

1 14 oz bag caramels, unwrapped
(About 40 - 50 individually wrapped)

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp coarse sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper, spray lightly with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat until creamy. Add in vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in flour until a soft dough forms. Press half of the dough into the prepared 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.  Refrigerate remaining half of dough. Remove from oven while you prepare the caramels.

Place the caramel in a microwave safe bowl. Add the cream and vanilla, and microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Pour the caramel filling over the cooked crust (Do your best to pour it evenly over crust as it is very difficult to spread). Sprinkle salt over the top.

Removing remaining dough from fridge and crumble it evenly over the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake until filling is bubbly and the topping is firm and golden brown. About 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Sources:
Thank you Joe and Sue Blog! (Slightly Adapted from  Cookie and Cups)
Check out their sites for more amazing recipes.

Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Click here for some great Holiday Cookie and Homemade Candy recipes on the MOM Blog.

We are working hard on our Birthday Party issue for Feb/Mar. That got us thinking, what's the point? What mom throws the 'perfect party' every time? As hard as we may try - we don't. So this year, in addition to our fun and creative ideas that are meant to be inspiratinal, we are adding a new section: Birthday Disasters.

You know you've had them! Planning only gets you so far before exhaustion, sugar-rush or downright unstoppable natural disasters get in the way. Even you can't control that.

Share in the comments section below some of your best "What not to do" moments in your childrens' Birthday Party past. And maybe a good, hard laugh and words of advice to go along with it.