Bonus Post - Peanut Butter Cookies

I got a couple recipes I had been working on finished up tonight so you get a bonus post tonight!

As part of DS's allergies, I can use dairy products in baking as long as it is baked at 350 for at least 40 mins.  So when hubby had a birthday I could eat cake!  BUT, I can't eat cookies and you know how you always want what you can't have?  Well, I tried out a cookie recipe with these ingredients as a substitute for butter:

Canola oil and applesauce

(homemade applesauce because all the store bought ones had high fructose corn syrup,

which I can't eat due to DS's allergies)

 

 

Doesn't this dough look yummy?!

 

 

Baking away!

 

Peanut Butter M & M Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 medium-sized bag of M & M's (I used plain, but peanut butter would be awesome!)

Directions:

Mix butter, sugar and peanut butter together.  Add eggs, flour, baking soda and vanilla extract. Fold in bag of M & M's. Roll dough into 1 inch (or a little larger) balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies (depending on how large you roll your cookies).

 

 

The only other adjustment I made was leaving out the M&M's.  I had 3 dozen cookies and enough dough left for just a few more cookies so I added some chocolate chips to them for hubby and DD.

 

It's interesting going to the store as a label reader.  When you don't have to read labels, you can just run in and run out.  Now I have to stop and check everything.  The peanut butter we usually eat is Skippy Natural with Honey.  I didn't want to use my "good" peanut butter for baking so I looked around at some of the cheaper/store brands.  The first one I looked at had corn syrup.  It was the last ingredient so I might have been tempted to try it but it was only the first jar I checked so I looked at another one and this one had molasses instead of corn syrup.  Sounded interesting so I bought it.

 

 

 

Don't these cookies look really good?!  They were and DD loved helping me make them so it was a great day all around!

 

 

 

Zucchini Chips

I had seen several people post on Facebook about making zucchini chips.  Most didn't seem that excited about it but I just had to try it.  The recipe I found was from http://www.thebootblog.net/2012/07/baked-zucchini-chips.html.

I had to modify it slightly due to DS's allergies so I will show what I did but I encourage you to check out the recipe at the above link.

Ingredients needed are shown below:

 

On the plate I have one sliced zucchini.

The bowl closest to the front has 1/4 cup of almond milk.

The bowl in the back has 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs, 2 Tb of honey wheat bread crumbs, 1/4 tsp each of salt & pepper.  In this batch I also included a little bit of cayenne pepper. 

 

In the second batch I made I left the cayenne out because I thought it was too spicy.  I gave the rest of the first batch to Hubby and with a glass of milk, he survived the first batch!  We both liked the second batch better, although I still thought it was a little spicy.

 

 

Bake at 425 for 30 mins. 

As you can see, batch #1 only made 6 chips. 

For my second batch, I doubled the bread crumbs so I could make a bigger batch.

 

 

Pork chops, homemade applesauce and zucchini chips

 

 

 

 

Ironic Crisp

There is some incredible irony in this post.  My husband and I will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary next month.  We were good friends for 7 years before that but until we started going out there was one fruit I did not like.

 

Yes, that's right.  Cherries.  I did not like cherries.  Hubby did.  Guess who now likes cherries?

And in my first blog post after discovering our son's dairy, soy & corn allergies I am making a cherry crisp (more aptly called 'ironic crisp').

 

It really is yummy so let's get started!

 

I first made this crisp for our church's annual baptism and picnic.  I felt like it needed more topping so this time I made more topping.  I will tell the measurements I used as I go through but at the end I will put the web address of where I originally got the recipe from so you can check out her recipe, too.  It is slightly different but was the basic inspiration for my recipe.

 

 

2 cups pitted & sliced cherries (I used frozen), 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp almond extract

marinating together for 15 mins

 

 

For the topping, mix together 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 lb. cold butter and a good sprinkle of cinnamon.

 

Don't those chunks of butter look delish?! 

 

How can I eat this if it has butter, you ask?  The allergy dr told us if a baked item is baked at 350 degrees for at least 40 mins then it is  ok to eat.  This crisp bakes at 350 for 1 hr!

 

 

Ready to bake!  And in case, you are wondering, it's possible to bake this crisp for 15 mins then put in the refrigerator while you and the kids run to Menards with hubby then finish baking when you return home.  Don't ask me how I know!

 

 

I was almost done and hubby brought me some of the So Delicious I mentioned in my previous post (chocolate coconut milk ice-cream) to finish up with.  Very sweet combination but all legal!

 

 

Here is the web address for the original recipe:

  http://www.peanutblossom.com/blog/2013/07/food-photography-cherry-crisp.html/

 

 

Please check out the original recipe as well!

 

And enjoy!

 

 

 

No dairy, no soy, no corn = no fun! Say What?!

Hey, Everyone!

It's been awhile since I blogged because life has gotten a little crazy. 

I don't write a lot about my kids but I have an 8-month-son that has spent most of his life dealing with eczema.  At first we thought it was just dry skin and our doctor told us a really good lotion to use.  We tried that.  Helped some but not completely.  After he spent a day at my mom's and it was better we thought it was possibly an environmental allergy.  So our doctor gave us a referral to an allergy doctor.

A little over a week ago my husband and I took our little man to his appointment.  They were great to work with and seemed genuinely thrilled to have such a cute little guy to work with.  They asked a lot of questions then explained the testing to us.  As they began to explain the process of putting test spots on his back and having to keep them there and not touch or disturb for 15 mins, it became very clear that it was a good thing we were both there.  If you're not familiar with allergy testing, they make two control spots on your back.  One is just salt water and it just makes the skin slightly red.  The other control is an antihistamine that will bubble up like a bug bite.  Then they have what looks kind of like a sticker that has the test serum on it and they touch those spots to your back and then you wait... They tested DS for dairy, soy, corn, indoor mold, outdoor mold and pet dander.  Hubby held DS on his tummy (like an airplane) and they allowed us to walk the hallways with him so I held DS's hands and talked about random/silly stuff while we walked the hospital hallways for 15 mins.  Before the test was even done, Hubby & I could tell by looking at the test spots that dairy was our big issue (it had bubbled up even bigger than the control spot!).  When the 15 mins was up the nurses came back and measured each spot and took the info to the doctor.  The official results came back as dairy being the main culprit but also lesser allergies to soy and corn, with corn being the least.  On the environmental side, indoor mold was the highest there with outdoor and cat dander being the others.  They were not as concerned about the environmental allergies since the dairy was so obvious.  However, they did encourage us to check under sinks to ensure we did not have any mold hiding anywhere, only take him outside after 3 PM and use All detergent after being around cats (otherwise, continue with my homemade laundry detergent).  So no dairy, no soy and no corn.  Life as I knew it was about to end!  For someone who's favorite foods are ice-cream, pizza and chocolate, I was handed a death sentence.  ok - not quite but I now had the daunting challenge to make some major changes in my cooking.  Why?  What difference does it make what my son is allergic to.  When he's still nursing, it makes a lot of difference!!  8 months is a good stretch of time, why not just switch to formula?  To be honest, I didn't even consider that at first.  I knew it was me that would have to change.  The allergy doctor did mention that if adjusting my diet didn't help we could switch to formula but she was very pro-breastfeeding.   After a few days, I started realizing that most people probably would just switch to formula and almost everyone I knew was probably wondering why I would torture myself when I could easily free myself from munchkin and continue to live a happy dairy-filled life. 

Let's look at the history... I grew up in a home where breast-feeding was the norm.  When I became pregnant with DD, it was a no-brainer; I would nurse for a year.  I wasn't going to go extreme and nurse for years & years (no offense to those that do; that's awesome if that's what you want to do but my goal was a year).  She latched on great and even though I had pain at first it was a wonderful, successful year.  When I got pregnant with DS, obviously I intended to nurse for a year.  As a second time mom, this would be a breeze.  And he had a great suck... if I could get him to latch.  I struggled every feeding in the hospital and thought they were crazy for letting me go home with a baby that couldn't eat.  After a couple frustrating days at home, in which hubby and I both had to work with him to get him to latch, I "gave up" and pumped so we could attend family Christmas without a screaming/crying newborn (and a crying mommy!).  I ended up spending several weeks exclusively pumping.  He drank great from a bottle so I resigned myself to making sure he got "the best"  (breast milk) the only way I could get it to him.  Hubby kept encouraging me to nurse and I resisted, all the while nervously wondering what would happen when I went back to work (I couldn't pump enough to stay ahead at that point in time).  Finally one night DS woke up hungry and I had no bottle in the fridge so out of desperation I tried nursing and what do you know?  He latched and nursed just fine!  I had a can of formula that was given at the hospital in all the freebie's that I sent to daycare for the days I might not have enough milk.  We never needed it and before long we had reached 6 months.  At the beginning I honestly didn't think we had would make it that far.  I was elated!  I have fought to be able to provide my baby with the best he could have.  I can't give that up now.  I have nothing against those who use formula.  Sometimes you have no choice but I will continue to fight for my child to nurse. 

So, a week later, what does this new lifestyle look like?  I was never a big milk drinker so that shouldn't be an issue, right?  Well, it's not just milk; it's diary.  SO, I tried almond milk, which actually isn't so bad and I've discovered that raisin bran with flaxseed, eaten with almond milk is really good and the chocolate almond milk?  Amazing!!  I have also tried rice milk ice-cream, which wasn't too bad but the chocolate coconut milk ice-cream is so yummy I may continue to eat it even after it's ok to back to dairy!!  The tricky thing is usually the non-diary alternative is soy and then seriously, who can live in Iowa and be allergic to corn??!!  Especially when it is in EVERY BLESSED THING!!!  So far I've been eating real basic (like hamburgers/fruit/veggies, pasta) but I'm hoping to branch out a little more.  My new favorite snack is Lay's Kettle Cooked chips with guacamole (Holy Guacamole brand).  My general rule of thumb is eliminate all dairy, most soy and all corn but not be as concerned with some of the things corn is in (like citric acid).  Has it worked?  Oh, my goodness, yes!!  I am craving pizza like you wouldn't believe but my baby boy's skin is already looked majorly improved! 

Besides the food changes, he is on an antihistamine and a med that is basically like Zantac.  Both of those are twice a day.  Then before bed he has to have a bath every night (I thought it would dry his skin out so I wasn't giving him full baths very often), grease him up in Aquafor (and on a 'one week on - one week off' schedule a steroid cream for the worst spots) and put him in long sleeved-footie pajamas to sleep.  I am blown away by how good his skin looks.  He always was a happy baby but now he doesn't scratch all the time! 

The good news is, the doctor said he should out-grow it by the time he's 3 so eventually we should be back to our normal eating in a few years!!  In the meantime, we may develop some healthier eating habits.  And the things I blog about will probably be slightly different as I can't eat all that super sweet, chocolatey stuff anymore.  But I have a really good cherry crisp recipe I can eat that I'm hoping to share with you tomorrow.

I hope this bog, although different from normal, has been interesting to you.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask and if any of you have dealt with these allergies, I'll take tips as well!

Good night, my readers!

Jello Salad in a Can

 

MMM... fresh pineapple juice from the can!!

 

Did you know if you drain the juice from a can of sliced pineapple and

then replace it with jello you can have a simple jello salad?

 

To make a jello salad like the one pictured above:

Pour off the juice

Replace with jello made with half the water

Chill until set (I left it in the fridge while we were at church)

Run hot water on the sides and bottom of can.

Cut off bottom of can and use to help push out fruit & jello

Cut between slices and serve

 

 

 

Today's lunch was grilled brats, jello salad in a can and

fresh cucumbers from my mom's garden with ranch dressing.

 

 

Recipe originally pinned from

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/charmandpoise/5806376278/in/pool-362486@N20/

Baked Potato Casserole

I have a new recipe that is not sweet!  Amazing, I know!  For this blog post I am returning to an earlier type of recipe - a potato casserole!

These potatoes earned me 8 cents on my Fuel Saver card and are the basis for this yummy casserole!

 

Everything's better with bacon!

 

I used my stove as my assembly surface. 

Below is all the yummy ingredients:

a heaping bowl of sliced potatoes (10 potatoes)

2 sticks of softened (or because I nuked them too long, partially melted) butter

Sour cream/Ranch dressing mixture (32 oz of sour cream and 1 pkt of ranch dressing mix)

(the original recipe said to put green chili's in the mixture as well but as a nursing mom I decided to leave them out for DS's sake)

4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp 'cause I love my cheese!)

5 slices of bacon (broken into bits)

 

 

 

These ingredients were layered together (leaving the bacon for the last layer) and baked at 350 for approx. 45 mins. to create this yummy casserole:

 

See the butter pooling at the bottom of the plate?!

 

This dish is so unhealthy but so yummy!!

 

Original recipe pinned from justapinch.com

What's More American Than A Root Beer Float (Brownie)?

I have been blogging for about 2 months now.  I am really enjoying it and I hope that you all are enjoying reading about my experiments.  I feel like I blog about food & recipes a lot and tonight will be no exception.  Not just am I getting a chance to write but I'm also doing new things.  From the different cleaning methods I've tried to different techniques in cooking I've never tried before.  Tonight's recipe is no exception. 

 

Until tonight I had never baked in a foil lined pan. 

 

So what was I baking?

Well, with the 4th of July approaching my thoughts turn to birthdays (mine is the 3rd) and all things American (apple pie, baseball, Mom, small town parades and root beer floats).

So tonight I made root beer float brownies!

 

 

Melting butter, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate chips

 

 

 

Mixing eggs, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla

 

 

 

 

A little too excited about root beer!!

Thanks to my 3-yr-old photographer and cooking assistant for a fun picture!

 

 

 

 

Baking away!

 

 

 

 

Frosting time!  Butter, powdered sugar and root beer!

 

 

 

Original recipe pinned from cookiesandcups.com

 

Recipe: Root Beer Float Brownies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 6 oz chopped semi sweet chocolate
• 3 oz white chocolate
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 8 oz. root beer
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Line a 9×9 baking dish with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Over a double boiler (or in microwave) melt the butter, semi-sweet and white chocolates together.
5. Remove from heat when just melted and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Using your mixer mix the eggs, sugars and vanilla together.
7. Slowly add in the cooled chocolate mixture.
8. Now add half the flour and half the root beer. Mix on low, scraping the sides.
9. Repeat with the remaining flour and root beer until just combined. Batter will be on the thin side.
10. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, until center is just set.
11. Let cool completely before cutting or frosting.

Quick notes

adapted from Baking Bites

Preparation time: 40 minute(s)
Cooking time: 25 minute(s)

[print_link]

Recipe: Root Beer Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup room temp butter
• 1/3 cup root beer, no foam
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. root beer extract (optional)

Instructions

1. Beat butter on medium speed until smooth.
2. Slowly add in your powdered sugar and mix in.
3. Now add your root beer and extract, if desired.
4. Beat on medium until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.

Quick notes

The root beer extract is optional. It will give the frosting more of a distinct root beer flavor. Always add more or less powdered sugar until the consistency you desire is reached.

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Enjoy!


I did not use the root beer extract and I only used 3 cups of powdered sugar. 
Tip:  Be sure to get the frosting beat until smooth; mine was a little grainy still.

These brownies are amazing but definitely a sugar rush!!

 

 

Happy 4th of July early!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies For Breakfast

Cookies: Are they healthy or not?  This is one of the greatest dilemmas of all times!  I found a great recipe for yummy healthy cookies that are intended to eat for breakfast!  Win-Win!!

Start out with ripe bananas, peanut butter (I used honey peanut butter), applesauce and vanilla extract.

 

Add some instant oatmeal and some nuts & chocolate chips (if you like).

Let sit for 10 mins

 

Father's Day morning and my oven was multi-tasking. 

Cooking chicken for lunch and baking cookies!

 

Yummy!

 

Recipe originally pinned from http://watching-what-I-eat.blogspot.com

 

 

2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth & creamy

1/3 cup peanut butter ~ creamy or chunky 

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 scoop vanilla protein powder ** (can be made without, cookie will just be lower in protein)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp butter flavor extract ** (optional)

1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal  ~ uncooked  (or use old fashioned oats for more oatmeal texture)

1/4 cup chopped nuts (peanut, walnut, or your favorite)

1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips (**optional)

 

Preheat heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix mashed banana & peanut butter until completely combined then add in the applesauce, vanilla protein powder & the extract(s) ~ mix again until all are completely combined.

Add in the oatmeal & nuts to the banana mixture & combine.  (** add the optional carob / chocolate chips at this time if you want them mixed throughout)

Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Drop cookie dough, by spoonfuls, onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet & flatten cookies into circles. (** if you just want the carob / chocolate chips on the top of the cookies, add now)

 

Bake cookies approx. 20-30 minutes (some like their cookies less cooked, some cooked more - try it both ways to find which works best for your tastes) or until golden brown & done.  Remove from oven & let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack.  (if you want the traditional fork tong marks on the cookies, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to score the tops of the cookies while they're still warm) 
When cookies are completely cool, store in a covered container.  Enjoy!

 

Misc. Projects

I have a few smaller projects I've done that didn't seem long enough for a full blog by themselves so I've combined a few into one blog.


1.  Towels. 
Try washing your towels in hot water with one cup vinegar instead of your regular soap.  Then wash again in hot water with 1/2 cup baking soda instead of your regular soap.  I can't vouch for how much better they smell because my nose was stuffed up when I did this but they sure felt cleaner!!


2.  Shower Head

 

Icky!

 

 

Put 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar in a Ziploc bag.  Mixing slowly as it will react!

Attach Ziploc bag to shower head with a rubber band (make sure you get a stretched out one or you will find yourself like me: Standing on the side of the bathtub hollering for your hubby to get a stretched out ponytail holder!). 

Let sit at least 4 hrs (overnight is better if it's really bad). 

Wipe off extra with damp rag.

(Originally pinned from www.ingodseconomy.com)

 

Much better!  Can't wait to take a shower!

 

 

3.  Unplugging DD from TV.

www.notimeforflashcards.com has some great ideas of TV-free ideas you can do with your toddler.

I tried a couple today.  They are so simple and some are things that make you do a face palm because you totally should have thought of this yourself!  Like one we did today, which was to toss bean bags into laundry baskets.  We did soft-sided baby blocks into an empty diaper box.  At bed time I put a diaper box in her doorway and challenged her that she had to make a basket with all of them before she could go to bed and I didn't think she could do it.  At first, she wanted to build a castle with them but I kept jokingly challenging her until she had to prove Mom wrong!  She did and got a High-5! 

 

The other one we tried today was a modification on painting with yogurt.  I would never let my child play in her food but to make breakfast fun I dumped her yogurt on a plate and make a smiley face in it.  Just a simple, cheery way to start the day!

 

Another fun TV-free activity we have done came from www.iheartcraftythings.com.

They re-enacted the children's book "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" with magnets on a cookie sheet.  I have never read this book so wasn't real familiar with their original idea but one day I let DD play with magnets on a cookie sheet in the living room.  She quickly bored of it.  I think because she's such a pro at the alphabet but we both agreed it would be a fun activity for a fun road trip.

 

 

Hope you got some fun, easy ideas from my blog today and until next time, Keep Pinnin'!

 

 



*Not so* (Red Velvet) Cheesecake Brownies

This pan is about to receive the perfectly blended ingredients for...

 

Orange Velvet?  Hmmm...not looking so red.  Maybe some more red food coloring would be good?

 

 

Brownie layer

 

 

Baking away!

 

Here is the recipe if you, too, would like to make Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies:

 

(originally pinned from http://doughmesstic.com)

 

Ingredients

• 10 Tablespoons butter
• 3 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• Red Food Coloring (I used 6 drops - obviously not enough!)
• 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
For the Cheesecake Layer
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper long enough to hang over on two sides, making it easier to remove from pan once baked. Spray pan and paper.
2. In small saucepot over medium heat, or in the microwave, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and red food coloring with the sugar. Slowly add in chocolate mixture until well combined.
4. In small bowl, sift together cocoa, salt and flour. Add mixture to rest of batter. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.

 

For the Cheesecake Layer
1. Beat ingredients together until smooth. Pour over brownie batter. Use sharp knife to swirl together.
2. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until just set and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool. Enjoy!

I baked it for 1 hr then checked it.  The toothpick came out clean but when we ate them they just seemed a little done.  Not burnt, just a little done.

 

Brownie anyone?

 

 

 

I decided to make these brownies as a special thank you treat for my Hubby.  He is a member of our local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).  This week they were activated to a near-by town who was on a boil order.  They unloaded many bottles of water, set up a distribution center and delivered to those unable to make it to the distribution center.  He worked hard on the days he was able to go and wished he could be there on the days he couldn't be.  Don't ever underestimate the hard work volunteers do for their community.  Be sure to thank your local emergency responders!

 

So what was the verdict? 

"They were good, although a little done so you'd probably better keep practicing." 

I think that's his way of asking me to make them again!

 

These brownies may have been made for a serious cause but I couldn't resist a silly selfie!

 

 

 

 

Stinky, Stinky, Stinky!

So, you know those problem areas that just get a funky odor?  Things like trashcans, sink drains, shoes??  Did you know that baking soda is an odor neutralizer?  I have used baking soda to help neutralize odors in all of those locations.


Trashcans:  When changing the bag, sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the can.  I especially noticed the improvement in my 3-yr-old's diaper can!

Sink Drains:  Pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain.  Put in 1/3 cup baking soda.  After a few moments, pour down a mixture of vinegar and hot water (I've seen 1 cup each.  The first time I tried it I only had 1/3 cup vinegar and then just added enough hot water to get to 1 1/2 cups).  Let it sit 15 - 20 mins and follow up with another kettle of boiling water.

Shoes:  Not to embarrass my hubby or be disrespectful or anything rude like that, but his shoes (especially his work shoes) can be downright nasty!  Unfortunately, our daughter has stinky feet issues, too.  So last Friday night after hubby was in bed I snuck some baking soda into the bottom of his work boots.  I haven't been brave enough to stick my nose down them yet but he's only worked 5 hrs since then so it hasn't gotten a real tough work-out.  It didn't bother his feet, though, so there may be hope for stink-less feet at the Ridenour house!!  Woo-Hoo!!


Now for some animal stink... does the odor of zoos bother you?  All those stinky animals doing their stinky animal thing all together?  It doesn't bother me but I suppose growing up on a farm may help in that area.  Well, I have a solution to make the zoo less stinky...

It is...

Make your own!!  And here you thought I was going to say 'baking soda,' didn't you?!

No, if you're looking for a fun activity with your toddler, you totally need to make your own zoo.  It's really easy;  all you need a bunch of stuffed animals and a laundry basket.  Here's some pictures of the one DD and I made this afternoon:

 

 

We gather a bunch of stuffed animals in an old laundry basket.  I put a blue pillowcase on her pillow and the duck & the alligator got to enjoy their natural habitat!  We gathered the animals then we came back into her room, using a telescope to look for animals.  We played with the stuffed animals then got her sandbox bucket and "fed" the animals.  Very simple but a great time with my little girl!  After about 20 mins we climbed on my bed to have a snack (lemonade, wild berry, raspberry twizzlers) and after a few minutes she decided we need to share with the animals.  So we played for a few more minutes then she took me by the hand and said, "Let's watch a movie!"  So we snuggled for awhile in front of the TV. 

 

Considering the events in OKC today, it doesn't hurt to have some simple bonding time activities up a parents' sleeve.  Remember to hug your kids tight!  They are a gift from God!

 

 

 

 

Credits: 

Baking Soda ideas:  www.beautyandbedlam.com

(Drain cleaner slightly different - I must have combined with one I had read somewhere else)

Zoo idea:  simplekids.net

 

 

 

Frozen Strawberries & Cream Dessert

I don't know what the weather is like where you live but it's been hot & humid here (or at least warm & humid).  Summer weather calls for a summer treat so tonight I made a frozen strawberries & cream dessert. 

This recipe also calls for the use of the food processor and I'm pleased to report that it worked much better this time!  See?

 

DD was excellent help breaking up the graham crackers.  There is also some pecans in there.

 

I processed that until fine then added melted butter, flour and brown sugar.

(Don't worry - the exact recipe will be at the end)

 

 

Little blurry but DD was stirring away!

 

While this mixture was "baking" in the oven, I got to separate a couple eggs.  Now don't laugh but I'd never separated eggs before.  First time = success!! 

 

 

Blending egg whites & sugar.

 

 

Squeezing lemon juice

 

Doesn't this look yummy?!

 

 

Almost ready for the freezer!

 

 

 

Now we wait...

 

 

And it was worth it!

 

 

 

Recipe originally pinned from www.pipandebby.com

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/4 cup pecans

4 graham crackers, broken into pieces

10 tbl. melted butter

1 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

juice from 1 lemon

4 oz softened cream cheese

2 cups strawberries

 

 

 

Instructions:

 

Preheat oven to 325.  Spray 8x8 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

 

In a food processor, combine pecans and graham crackers.  Process into fine crumbs.

Add crumbs to large bowl with butter, flour & brown sugar.

Mix well.  Spread crumbs evenly on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 mins, stirring half-way through.

 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine egg whites & sugar. 

Using a handheld mixer, mix on medium speed for 3 mins.

Add whipping cream.  Mix on medium speed for another 6 mins.

Add lemon juice & cream cheese.  Mix on low speed until creamy.

 

Coarsely chop strawberries.  Gently fold strawberries into cream mixture.

 

Press half the crumb mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Top with strawberry/cream mixture.

Top with remaining crumbs.

Cover with foil and freeze for at least 3 hrs.

 

 

I'm thinking about trying this again for the 4th of July with a combination of strawberries and blueberries.

 

Enjoy!