Ok...let's start out by saying, I do know that I still have about four months before it's my daughter's birthday, but I like to be prepared. As you can tell from my serious lack of posts, working full time, going to school, and being a single mommy doesn't really leave all that much time for little things. Trust me, blogging is great and seriously can be relaxing. Anyway...on to the party stuff.
Her Chosen Theme: For any of you that are unfamiliar with this book, here is the basis: A girl makes pink cupcakes with her mom one afternoon and keeps eating them and eating them until suddenly she actually TURNS pink! Her hair and everything. Her mom takes her to the doctor and he says that the only way she can return to normal is to avoid eating anything pink and counteracting the effects by eating lots of green stuff. It's a really cute book and has become a serious favorite. I picked it up from a Scholastic book order McKayla's pre-school had. Why not, if I remember right, it was listed for either 99¢ or $1.99. Killer deal if you ask me.
So, for her party...we're looking for any fun ideas to use with a pink/green theme and of course, cupcakes!! Usually, I can hold my own with the creativity aspect and coming up with fun and festive things for the kids and adults to enjoy. This year...we're struggling. Even my serious adoration for cupcakes isn't bringing out anything. Now you understand why I'm buying things now? With Valentine's Day and Easter, there is pink everywhere! I've been hitting a few clearance aisles and browsing for anything that might spark some hint of "must have".
Here is what we've come up with:
I'm using the above pan to make a GIANT cupcake as the "main" blow-out-the-candles cake. I've decided to cover it using marshmallow fondant, so it will at least taste good. Then, I'll be making a few different types of cupcakes and using cupcake tiers/trees to display them. I'm considering leaving a few unfrosted to frost during the party and let the kids decorate them themselves. If that doesn't work out so well...maybe we'll still have the decorated cupcakes and an ice cream bar? I'm not so sure. Anyway...I NEED ideas. Please Please Please! Let me know if you have any ideas for fun games or activities, decorations, etc. I haven't even decided how to make invites, so even ideas there are helpful! Thanks in advance!! I will post any ideas or crafty things I do make related to her birthday...including pictures since I finally got a new camera!
This has to be, by far, my favorite treat. I adore caramel. These are so easy and always great for gatherings or work parties.
Ingredients::
Crust: 1 1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 cup flour 2 cup quick oats
Filling: 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping (use the jar, not the squeeze bottle type) 3 tablespoons flour 1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix crust ingredients and press into bottom of 13x9 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Mix flour and caramel in small bowl and pour over crust in pan. Top with chocolate chips, then the rest of the crust mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.
I rarely eat at Magleby's, I'm really not a fan. However, whenever we have some type of catered event at work, we have Magleby's Fresh. Not completely a bad thing, I am addicted to the rolls. I've found a way to make my own at home. These are great, we use them for Thanksgiving, with soup, or pretty much with any dinner needing a good, savory roll. They are SO easy to make, I couldn't believe it! Every recipe I came across used Rhodes Texas frozen rolls. I don't really need something that big, plus, we go through so many rolls, I buy them at Costco in a huge bag and make as many or few as I need. Besides, if they're smaller...it's okay to eat a few more, right? Ingredients: Rhodes frozen rolls (no exact amount, but the following ingredients will be sufficient for an entire 36 count bag) 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the bottle stuff is fine, I'm sort of partial to freshly grated-I buy the tub that's already grated at Costco) 1/4 cup dried parsley 1 tsp garlic powder
Directions: 1- Spray a large baking sheet. (When making the entire 36 count bag, I use two half sheet pans-aka jellyroll pans-and put 18 rolls on each) 2- Mix cheese, parsley, and garlic powder in a bowl. 3- Roll frozen dough balls in melted butter, then in the cheese mixture. Be sure to completely cover the dough. (You may have extra cheese mixture depending on how many rolls you made. I like to save the mixture in a container or plastic bag in the fridge-we'll use a little in step 7-it will keep as long as the cheese allows, depending on what you use determines an exact time. You can use the mixture at a later date to make more rolls.) 4- Place on pan allowing plenty of rising room. 5- Cover dough to rise. (If using baking sheets, I like to spray a piece of plastic wrap and lay it lightly over the rolls, then cover with a towel.) 6- Allow dough to rise in a warm place, usually around 3 hours or more. 7- Remove plastic wrap. (At this point, I like to inspect my rolls, if there are any large gaps with no cheese mixture, I use the extra I saved to sprinkle the tops.) 8- Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. About 15 minutes if using the baking sheets. (I like to cook them at a lower temp. to be sure the middles are fully baked without burning my cheese.)
**If you prefer to use a homemade roll dough, you can. After dough prep., roll into balls and continue with the same steps. Instead of step 8, follow the directions for your recipe.
I tried these out today and they were SO easy. Such a great fall/Thanksgiving type treat. Since I'm not really a huge fan of pie, I'm pretty sure these bars will be making it to our Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients: Bars:: 1 box (1lb 2oz) carrot cake mix 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 eggs 3 Tbsp milk 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp maple flavor
Icing:: 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 2 to 3 Tbsp milk 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with baked spray with flour. 2. In large bowl, beat bar ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread evenly in pan. 3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until top is evenly golden brown and bars spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours. 4. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla and cinnamon with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting evenly over cooled bars. Store covered in refrigerator.
While we're out holiday shopping, I like to have something healthy for McKayla to snack on. She seemed to be getting bored of the usual dried fruit, etc. To make it a little more fun and even something I might snack on myself, we carry these around... 1/4 cup peanut butter 1/8 tsp each ground allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg 1 whole wheat pita bread, cut in half 1/2 medium apple, thinly sliced 1/2 medium firm banana, sliced In a small bowl, blend the peanut butter, allspice, cinnamon, & nutmeg. Spread inside pita bread halves; fill with apple & banana slices. *There are times we might not have apples around, so just bananas works fine. *We use a lot of peanut butter, so when we have about half of a jar left, I just double the spice amounts in the jar and mix up the whole thing, this keeps us in a good supply for a while. The mix works fine on plain bread, but bread doesn't travel as well inside my purse...lol.
So, I'm not a huge fan of anything sweet on any type of meat, but I know my friend Jessica (who is such a cute & sweet mommy to 3 precious children) absolutely LOVES the sweet pork salad from Costa Vida. I must admit, I'm a fan of the steak and chicken...so, in my search for the perfect "knock-off" of their ranch dressing, I came across this for her. Figured some other people may be interested as well. Ingredients: 4 lb pork shoulder roast (the more fat, the better) 1 cup of Pace Picante Sauce (medium works best, but mild is fine) 2 cups brown sugar salt & pepper to taste Directions: 1. Remove pork roast from packaging, rinse well under cool water. 2. In a separate bowl, mix picante sauce & brown sugar. Wisk together until sugar is mostly dissolved. 3. In a crock pot or slow cooker, place the roast in the cooker & cover with picante sauce mixture. 4. Place on medium heat, cover & simmer. Check every hour or so to rotate roast in the juices. The roast will eventually produce enough juices to make the right consistency, do not add water. 5. Once the roast is fully cooked, it will begin to fall apart. Use a fork to separate meat into smaller segments. Cover & continue cooking. 6. After 8 hours, continue to shread the meat until no chunks remain. 7. If appears to have too much liquid, turn the slow cooker to low & leave with lid off to simmer off excess. So, that's it for the sweet pork...I've found a few things that make putting it together in a salad taste very close to the Costa Vida made one. To put together your salad: 1 head romain lettuce 1 can Bush's black or pinto beans 3 cups sweet pork Pico de Gallo (see below) Tortilla Strips Cilantro Ranch Dressing (see below) 6 Flour Tortillas Place a warm tortilla in a bowl or on a plate. Place approximately 1/3 cup of warmed sweet pork & 1/3 cup of warmed Bush’s beans on the tortilla. Place lettuce over the meat & beans. Sprinkle ¼ cup of pico de gallo over the salad as desired. Drizzle with cilantro ranch dressing and top with a healthy amount of tortilla strip crunchies. Serve and enjoy. Pico de Gallo 1 cup diced tomatoes, seeds removed 1/3 cup diced red onion 1 jalapeno diced 1 Tbsp minced garlic 2 limes, juiced 1 Tbsp cilantro Salt & Pepper Mix all ingredients in bowl, stirring well. Chill. Cilantro Ranch Dressing (my personal favorite!) 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk ranch dressing (prepare according to package directions) 2 tomatillos (they look like green tomatoes, you can substitute 3 Tbsp prepared salsa verde-found near the regular salsas) cilantro-about 1/4 of a bunch 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup lime juice 1/8 tsp Tabasco Peel tomatillos & cut into fourths. Clean & rinse cilantro & remove large stems. Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender, & add cilantro leaves, tomatillos, garlic, lime juice & Tobasco. Blend until cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dressing has thickened.
Wow...it has been FOR.EV.ER since I"ve blogged anything for you guys. Sorry! LOL, here's what's going on: McKayla had a great Halloween. (I'll be posting pictures soon!) She chose to dress as a bee! She was adorable. We went to Safe Trick-or-Treating down Main St. Her bucket was completely filled. It was actually spilling out and I had to put some of the larger items into my purse. Later that night, she went to a few houses in our neighborhood. I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like a whole lot of people participated this year.
Here's something new, in order to further our childrens' education, McKayla's teacher has sent home a list of "homework" assignments that will need to be completed each week and turned in before Friday of each week. Since they are only 4-years-old, she's allowing them to turn in things late. Thanks to her for that, since I work full-time and have my own homework to trudge through. Here's how it is...she sent home a list of things they will be learning each week. This week, the color white and letter G. It is up to the parents to come up with something for the child to complete and turn in each week. I have been racking my brain to come up with fun things to help her out. I know this is the chance to involve her in several crafty fun things, but I just can't think of anything "kid-friendly" enough for her actual weekly assignments. If anyone has any suggestions on things, please please please let me know.
This week, we celebrated white by talking about all the things that were around our house or that she could think of that were white. I scoured the Family Fun website and they had a recipe for Snow Play Dough! To better illustrate the counting, I helped her measure and count each ingredient. She loves the dough! It's great, it looks just like snow would...if it were meant to be brought inside. She spends hours playing with it and forming snowflakes and snowmen. I'll be posting the recipe later tonight along with a few pictures!
I love keeping up with friends & family through blogging. This will also give us an easy way to post those ideas/recipes that people are always asking for.
This way, we can also find a place for some of those MANY pictures I have saved with no where else to put them.
For any of you that are unfamiliar with this book, here is the basis: A girl makes pink cupcakes with her mom one afternoon and keeps eating them and eating them until suddenly she actually TURNS pink! Her hair and everything. Her mom takes her to the doctor and he says that the only way she can return to normal is to avoid eating anything pink and counteracting the effects by eating lots of green stuff. It's a really cute book and has become a serious favorite. I picked it up from a Scholastic book order McKayla's pre-school had. Why not, if I remember right, it was listed for either 99¢ or $1.99. Killer deal if you ask me.
I'm using the above pan to make a GIANT cupcake as the "main" blow-out-the-candles cake. I've decided to cover it using marshmallow fondant, so it will at least taste good. Then, I'll be making a few different types of cupcakes and using cupcake tiers/trees to display them. I'm considering leaving a few unfrosted to frost during the party and let the kids decorate them themselves. If that doesn't work out so well...maybe we'll still have the decorated cupcakes and an ice cream bar? I'm not so sure. Anyway...I NEED ideas. Please Please Please! Let me know if you have any ideas for fun games or activities, decorations, etc. I haven't even decided how to make invites, so even ideas there are helpful! Thanks in advance!! I will post any ideas or crafty things I do make related to her birthday...including pictures since I finally got a new camera!
