Table Center Piece

We had a work party at our house this this past week. I used these flower blooms from our yard as table center pieces. I was happy with the way they turned out and you can't beat the price....free! (You could also use canning jars with raffia bows to put the flowers in.)

Does any one know the name of the flowers? They are always in bloom around the 4th of July and make great center pieces this time of year.

Julie Cole let me know that this type of flower is called, agapantha. She said, "They come in purple and white....once you grow them, the 'bulbs' multiply. They are easy to separate and then you have more. Very easy to grow." Thanks, Julie for the information!

White Trash

• 1 1/2 lbs quality white chocolate 
• 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
• 3 cups Cheerios toasted oat cereal
• 3 cups corn  or Rice Chex
• 3 cups small pretzels
• 2 cups nuts (I use unsalted dry roasted peanuts from Walmart)

1. In a double boiler, melt white chocolate and shortening.
2. Stir the white chocolate mixture until blended and smooth.
3. In the meantime, combine all the cereal and nuts in a very large bowl.
4. Pour melted white chocolate over the cereal and nuts, gently stirring to coat all pieces.
5. Scoop mixture out onto large cookie sheets or jelly roll pans to set.
6. After the white chocolate has hardened, break into pieces and store in a large airtight container or Ziploc-type bags.
7. Enjoy!

I had this treat years ago when I attended a PTA function at Temple City High School when Scott was working there. I was told that the delicious treat I ate was called White Trash. I have looked for the recipe on and off until I finally found the recipe. 

My input for the recipe is this: For the quality white chocolate that is listed above, I used Almond Bark that I got at Walmart. (It came in a 1 1/2 lb. pkg) I didn't use the shortening because the packaged said to use the shortening to thin the bark. I followed the microwave melting direction on the back of the Almond Bark package.

You will love this treat!

ps Someone asked me why I used Almond Bark instead of white chocolate. I used it because they looked like they were the same thing, except white chocolate chips were A LOT more expensive. I looked up the definition of Almond Bark on wikipedia and this is what it said:
Almond Bark (also known as vanilla flavored candy coating) is an artificial chocolate made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter  and with coloring and flavors added. It can be found in 1.5 pound packages, in blocks, or in round discs where candy supplies or holiday nuts and crackers are sold. The confection is commonly used to cover or dip fruits, nuts, cookies, or crackers, in place of real chocolate. It can also be used with peanut butter and crackers, as with this recipe.