Thursday, December 8, 2011

This Valentines Day say "I Love You" with Cookies

!±8± This Valentines Day say "I Love You" with Cookies

What better way to tell your sweetie "I Love You" than with some fresh baked cookies? Give some of these sweet treats a try this Valentine's Day. Cupid himself would be impressed by these yummy creations. They are sure to be a hit with your Sweetheart, Children, Neighbors or anyone else special to you as well. Don't forget to get the kids involved! I still have memories of making Valentine's Day Cookies as a child.

Heart Shaped Cookies

Make you favorite roll-out sugar cookie recipe. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them. Bake, frost and decorate to your heart's content. You can sprinkle them with red or pink crystallized sugar before you bake them, or frost and sprinkle with some tiny candied hearts or pink sprinkles after they are baked. Use icing in a tube to write a message or draw a picture on the cookie.

Cookie Lollipop

Heart Shaped cookie lollipops are always a big hit. Start with basic sugar cookie dough. Roll it out to about 1/8th inch thickness (place the dough between two sheets of wax paper to keep the dough from sticking). Use a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut an equal amount of hearts. Place half a bamboo skewer, a lollipop stick (found at craft stores) or a Popsicle stick on the bottom half of the hearts. Place the remaining hearts on top and press them firmly together. Bake according to your recipe instructions and decorate as desired.

Tip - soak the skewers or Popsicle sticks in water before placing them on the cookies to keep them from getting burnt.

Valentine's Rice Krispies Treats

Make Rice Krispies Treats and while the mixture is still warm use a large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out. If you can't find a cookie cutter of the right size, draw a heart on cardboard and use it as a template. Just lay it on the sheet of Rice Krispies Treats and trace around it with a knife. For even more Valentine fun add a few drops of red food coloring to the marshmallow mixture for a pink version of the sticky treat.

Cookie Dough Jar

Place the dry ingredients of your favorite cookie recipe in a pretty jar. Write the recipe for the cookie on a heart shaped piece of paper or a valentine's note card. Tie it with a pretty bow around the jar. Make the glass jar even more special by drawing little red hearts on it with a permanent marker. These are so cute and easy!

Bouquet of Cookies

Bake up some of your favorite cookies. Get a pretty basket and line it with a red or pink cloth napkin. Arrange the homemade cookies in the basket. If you'd like, you can also add some heart shaped cookie cutters, Valentine's Day themed sprinkles, or some hot chocolate mix. Another option would be to use a piece of floral foam and arrange some decorated Cookie Lollipops within the basket and fill the bottom with Hershey's Kisses or other Valentine Candy.

All of these cookie ideas for Valentine's Day make wonderful gifts for a special someone that has a personal touch. They are
sure to be appreciated, after all, who doesn't like cookies?


This Valentines Day say "I Love You" with Cookies

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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Best Easter Food Ideas - How to Make the Most Talked About Dish

!±8± Best Easter Food Ideas - How to Make the Most Talked About Dish

Easter is one of the best holidays to cook for. You get to enjoy a meal with your family and friends without having to worry about all those last minute gifts you have to buy. However, many people have trouble coming up with some good Easter brunch ideas which are both tasty and will get lots of compliments. Of course ham, cheese balls, and many other common Easter foods come to mind, but what about something really unique? Here are some easy ideas you might try.

1. Birds Nest Treats

These are like Rice Krispies treats, except you should use Chow Mein Noodles instead of Rice Krispies. Form them into a ball, and then before they are done cooling shape them into a bird's nest. Place some jelly beans in the nest and you'll have the cutest treats anyone has ever seen.

2. Cupcakes

There are a few good options for cupcakes. One is to make bunny cupcakes. Use the icing to draw a bunny on top. You might do the same with a yellow chick. Another option is to make a bunny-nest cupcake. This is the same as a coconut cupcake, but you should first dye the coconut strands green. You can do this by putting green dye and shredded coconut into a Ziploc bag and working the dye into the coconut.

3. Easter Egg Hunt Cake

This is a regular cake, except it's a lot more fun! When you decorate your cake, sprinkle shredded green coconut on top. Then use some speckled jelly beans as eggs, and "hide" them underneath the grass at various places. You might even put a chocolate or marshmallow bunny on top of the cake who is "looking" for the hidden eggs!

4. Jello Eggs

Jello is one of the easiest foods to make, so this is a quick and easy recipe. Rather than making your Jello in a bowl, you can make it in the shape of eggs. You can buy the mold at the grocery store or a craft store. There are many different colors you can make, and they look great served on a plate.

5. Salad

Not just any salad. We're talking Easter salad here. You're bound to have a lot of hard-boiled eggs left over from the Easter festivities, so why not put them to good use? You can make a delicious egg salad. Another great idea is to make a carrot salad. Carrots are bunny food, so this is an obvious Easter theme. Why not combine both: Carrot egg salad.


Best Easter Food Ideas - How to Make the Most Talked About Dish

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Rice Crispy Treats on a Campfire Grill

www.disc-it.com Campfire grill cooking rice crispy treats. This rice crispy treats recipe on the Disc-It campfire grill is a family favorite and a hit each and every time we go camping!

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Monday, November 7, 2011

How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

!±8± How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

Finding the right balance of healthy food that kids will eat at parties can be quite a challenge, particularly with the popularity and brand recognition of fast foods. However, with a bit of creativity and effort you can make healthy food look appetizing and fun to eat and here are a few tips.

Instead of serving bread with hundreds and thousands/sprinkles on it, make a variety of sandwiches with different fillings, for example cheese, ham, tuna, egg, cheese and tomato or tuna and sweet corn. Small, quality sausages, such as chipolatas are also an excellent addition to any party and popular with children. The children are more likely to eat these if you present them in a fun way.

Instead of lots of chocolate, place dried fruit on toothpicks, ensuring that you use a variety off different colors to make it look fun. You can also have muesli bars and you can buy carob coated rice cakes. You could also make carob coated chocolate rice krispies treats. You can use cornflakes as a wheat free alternative but please ensure that you check the package in case of children with allergies.

If you want to offer vegetarian, dairy free or wheat/gluten free party food, then here are a few different ideas for you to try:-

o If you are able to locate them, Scottish oatcakes (some oatcakes may contain wheat or gluten - check the packages for further details) are an excellent choice served with tuna and sweet corn.

o For a sweet idea, rice cakes with a carob chocolate topping or for a savory idea, you could add some cheese, pineapple, aubergine (eggplant) or a variety of pureed vegetables. Make sure that these are colorful to attract the children's eye.

o You can add cheese to muffins (you can make these gluten free) and place them under the grill. Try placing some fruit and shredded zucchini (courgette) inside them also. You can also make them into little pizzas and get the party boy/girl to help you make them.

o Waffles are also another good idea (these may not be gluten free though) and you can add all sorts of things, for example pureed fruits as a sweet alternative or freshly cooked beans as a savory topping.

o Tofu (bean curd) can also be used, although to make this attractive to children, you will need to ensure that you serve it in an interesting way. One way to do this is to slice the tofu finely and then dip it into some beaten up egg. Then add some sesame seeds and shallow fry it, serving it hot. The adults may prefer this but nothing ventured nothing gained!

o Home made pizzas cut into small rectangles, so that the children can eat them easily. You can add all sorts of different flavors and pineapple and cheese, tomato and cheese, or grated vegetables and cheese are excellent vegetarian choices. If you have someone at the party who cannot eat wheat or is a strict vegan, you can then add soya cheese and use wheat free dough. You can ask the party girl/boy to help you make them into funny faces. Getting the children involved with what you are doing is always a great idea, since they will then enjoy their party more as they have participated in the food preparation.

o You can also offer a variety of foods on a stick, for example cheese or fruit cubes.

o Falafels (a Lebanese delicacy made with chick peas).

o Rice crackers or pitta bread served with hummous and avocado dip, with carrot, zucchini and celery.


How to Create Healthy Party Snacks For Kids That They Will Eat

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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Happy Father's Day Gifts

!±8± Happy Father's Day Gifts

My father is a great man and always loved gifts from the heart more than expensive gifts. If you have a great dad you want to give something special to here are some ideas.

I make soap and bath products so I made my dad a gift basket with some soap and bath oils in it. He likes the Oregon coast so I put scents like Ocean Breeze, China Rain and a cologne scent that he liked called Draakar. He has some arthritis in his back and knees so I made him a bath or massage oil with ingredients like lavender oil, olive oil and some other healing oils to relax the nerves in his joints. Lavender is also very calming so it helps with insomnia which my dad also has. You can also buy some soap and bath products along with picture frames, popcorn, etc to make your own gift basket for dad.

Homemade cookies is another thing my dad always loves. No bakes are easy and yummy. Here is a recipe Boil 2 c sugar, 1/2 c milk, 1 stick butter and 1/2 c cocoa over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 3 c quick oats, 1/2 c peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix together and drop onto wax paper on cookie sheet. Let set for 1/2 an hour or so until firm. I forgot the sugar last time I made these and had to throw them out. They looked good but you need the sugar!

Rice Krispie Treats are another yummy easy treat. There are several good recipes online. I don't have mine with me now but they are really good. I went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago and had a star shaped one with frosting. It was good but I would have made mine a little sweeter. The next time I make these I will use frosting. Canned or homemade frosting works well. You can use cookie cutters or a knife to make shapes like hearts or stars.

A self-portrait on a paper plate is another cute idea. I had the kids in Sunday school do this and they loved it. You can write I love you Dad on it or write the child's name on the back. You can draw everything on or get more creative. Use construction paper or yarn for hair, googly eyes and red yarn for mouth. The kid's faces were really cute. This is a craft for 3 and up. Little ones might want to eat the other stuff. Glue sticks work great for gluing things but if you use glitter you'll want to use something like Elmer's glue.

Father's Day cards are always nice. You can fold a square piece of construction paper and let the child write or draw something in it. You can use card stock too and get creative. Write I love you or make your own poem such as I have a cool Dad The best Dad that could ever be had And I'm so very glad That you are my Dad.


Happy Father's Day Gifts

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Easy Valentine Treats to Take to School

!±8± Easy Valentine Treats to Take to School

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, considering making some easy Valentine's snacks that the little ones can bring to school? Whether you are preparing them for your own child's lunch or as a special treat for the class, here are some snacks that are easy to transport and easy for the little ones to devour once they dig in!

Marshmallow-Popcorn Hearts are a simple alternative to popcorn balls. With this recipe, you can skip the Karo syrup and just melt some marshmallows instead! This quick and easy recipe works just like Rice Krispie bars, only with popcorn instead!

Here's what you need to get started:

o 10 cups popped popcorn
o 3 tablespoons margarine or butter
o 1 10-ounce package regular marshmallows
o Red food coloring
o Red colored sugar

Directions

o Put the popped corn (minus the unpopped kernels) into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan and keep it warm in your 300 degree oven.
o Melt the butter/margarine and marshmallows in a large kettle or in the microwave. (Microwave: 1 ½ to 2 minutes, stirring once) Stir the mixture until it is smooth, no lumps, and then add the red food coloring.
o Stir in the popped popcorn- about half at a time.
o Wait 10 minutes or so until it is cool enough to handle.
o Grease individual heart shaped pans with butter.
o Press the popcorn mixture into the greased pans.
o Cool the popcorn hearts. Remove from pans. Sprinkle each with red colored sugar.
o Wrap each individually in plastic wrap- pink or red finishes it off nicely.
o Makes 9 hearts.

This one is a little messy, but for an extra-special treat, exceptions can be made to almost any rule. Take along a pre-packaged wet napkin in a zippered plastic bag to assist in quick clean-up.

Candy Apple or Caramel Apple Valentines

1 bag of caramels
1 pack of craft sticks (like popsicle sticks)
1 bag of apples or your choice
wax paper
cake decorating tool
Flavored icing

Melt the caramels or hard candy according to the package directions. Insert a craft stick into one end of each apple. Dip the apple into the melted caramel, covering it completely. Lift the apple and let it drip for a few seconds and then set it on the wax paper until completely set- about two hours) Use your cake decorating tool (or a plastic bag with a hole in the corner and a decorating tip) to write a nice message on each apple. Wrap in plastic wrap and secure the wrap at the top of the apple with a rubber band, leaving the stick exposed as a handle.

Finally, you can mix up these peppermint stars from a quick meringue batter. They make a tasty little treat that travels well in a lunch.

Peppermint Stars
Makes: 45 cookies
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 15 minutes

Ingredients
o 2 egg whites
o 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
o 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
o 1/2 cup sugar
o 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
o Red food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Place egg whites in a medium mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Line two large cookie sheets with brown paper or foil; set aside.
3. Add vanilla and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form (tips stand straight) and sugar dissolves. Quickly beat in peppermint extract. Tint pink with several drops of red food coloring, if desired.
4. Using a pastry tube with a large star decorating tip, pipe cookies onto prepared cookie sheets (form cookies about 1-1/2 inches in diameter). Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let cookies dry in oven with door closed about 30 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets. Cover and store in a dry place. Makes 45 cookies.

Your kids will be delighted when you take the time to make these special Valentine's Day snacks for their lunches. After all, special surprises from those who loves us most are what Valentine's Day is all about!


Easy Valentine Treats to Take to School

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