Friendly Skeleton Snacks

Well, last year, my preschooler was doing a 5-week study on the different parts of the body.  We were assigned snack on the week they were learning about the brain and the spine.  Given my desire to coordinate a fabulous snack with the weekly theme (all while trying to impress students, teachers, and other parents alike), I went searching for something body related.  Only trouble was, googling "brain" and "spine" food images do not conjure up anything remotely appetizing.  I did find some inspiration over at the "Wants and Wishes" blog, however, it included some messy chocolate covered gauche brownie and a bamboo skewer.  Since sharp, pointy objects and 4.5 year olds don't go together all that well, I came up with this easier version.  Not only would these work for a preschool body lesson, BUT they also are the cutest little friendly skeletons that would work for a school snack or after school craft for the kiddos.

Friendly little brains and spines - how cute is that?

Luckily, you only need a few things to make this little craft/snack come to life:

Marshmallows
Yogurt or white chocolate covered pretzles
Food dye ink pens

Plus cellophane and twist ties. 

First get out your marshmallows and your food dye pens.  I got a pack of 5 colors at Joann's in the cake decorating section for $9.  Using the 40% off coupon you can get them for around $5.  Draw on some happy faces.  By the way, the first time I tried to do this, I attempted a more "accurate" skeleton face with just the black pen.  Let's just say the ink ran a bit and made the face turn out a little too spooky.  You don't want your food to look like it could jump off the table and latch onto your neck, right?  Yikes.  Get ye behind me, evil marshmallow head!

unintentional creepy ghoul.

If you DO want yours a bit more spooky, then by all means use just black ink.  Since we were making these were for the small fry, I opted to make green-eyed happy faces.

The happiest disembodied heads you ever done seen!

After you make your heads, all you need is a small stack of the yogurt covered pretzels (we found ours in the bulk section at Winco).  It turns out five stack up pretty nice, and are sturdy enough to stand up without tipping over.  At first I bought some tall 1-inch narrow cellophane bags (usually meant for large chocolate dipped pretzel rods), thinking the skeletons would stack up nicely inside.  However, they were too small for the pretzels to fit in laying down flat.  I ended up tearing out a small rectangle of plastic wrap for each skeleton and wrapping them up the old fashioned way, with the marshmallow balanced on the top.  Then when you seal them up with the twist tie, everything will stay together in one nice stack.

Awwww adorable!

After that, just make as many as you need to give one away to each child in the class.  As you can see, we made a little army of happy skeletons.  The kids absolutely LOVED these!  Not to mention, yogurt covered pretzels are my daughter's favorite snack.  Win and a win again!

The teacher, Ms. Cindy, (who is a BIG fan of themed snacks) was excited, nay giddy about our cute little spines and brains. By the way, the kids thought we had used sharpies on the marshmallows at first, so be sure to let them know it is food dye.  Just thought I would pass these along to you for the month of October.  These would make a great little snack to take to school!  Enjoy.

Cinco de Mayo Sombrero Cookies

Well Cinco de Mayo was yesterday of course, but as fate would have it, my youngest daughter's preschool is doing a few weeks of studying other countries and cultures, and on Tuesday they are "flying" to Mexico .  We are in charge of snack and so I went searching for something we could bring.  I came across the cutest sombrero hat cookies that I knew we would have a blast making them.

Ole'!  Some very festive sombrero cookies.

I got the idea from Kelli over at the Random thoughts of a supermom blog and added a few minor adjustments of my own.  First, gather the things you will need:

Flat round cookies
Container of frosting
Nonpareils or sprinkles
gumdrops (I choose the larger ones)

This one is so easy the kids can help make these!

So in the original post they used store bought sugar cookies.  Since the preschoolers are "visiting" Mexico I thought it would be better to use cookies from Mexico. You can find this box of Serenatas in the Mexican food aisle of the grocery store (we found these at Walmart).  They are large, flat, and very tasty!  The first thing you want to do is scoop some frosting into a zip lock bag  (We are going to create a make-shift piping bag).

You can also use a regular piping bag.

Once you get a bunch of frosting down in the bag.  Squeeze the top together and cut off a small tip in one corner of the bag.

Next pipe a circle of frosting around the edge of the cookie.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

This will get covered with sprinkles

Next, quickly turn the cookie upside down into a shallow plate of spinkles

It feels wrong to dump the cookie in like this at first

Tap it around a bit and make sure the sprinkles are sticking to the line of frosting.  Next pipe a blob of frosting in the center of the cookie.

Gently place a large gumdrop in the center of the blob, pushing down gently so a ring of frosting forms around it.  In the original instructions, they used a very tiny gumdrop, and I thought the proportions looked better with the bigger gumdrop for that "authentic" sombrero look.  By the way, it was hard to find gumdrops in May (are they an Easter thing or something?) But the best place I ending up finding them was in the Winco bulk items section.  They had both the small and large sizes.

Goody goody gumdrops!

Sprinkle a few extra nonpareils  around so they stick to the white ring at the base of the gumdrop.

We chose the gumdrops in the three shades of the Mexican flag: Red, White, and Green

Anyone else feel like playing the Chiapanecas song now? (The Mexican hand-clapping song)

Anyway, we just loved how they turned out and can't wait to bring them tomorrow to preschool.  We are thinking of serving them with some Mexican hot chocolate (hot chocolate with cinnamon in it for the small fry) along with some Spanish translations of simple words, and I think it will be a big hit!  

By the way, even though Cinco de Mayo is now over, these would make a cute and fun craft for the kids after school, or a clever dessert for any upcoming fiesta or taco feed you might have this summer.  Ole'!!
 

Mr. D's Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I think this blogging thing is catchy... wanna know why? I caught my hubby trying a new recipe all on his own.  Not only was he just trying a new recipe, but he was taking pictures of the step by step process, you know, in case I wanted to blog about it.  It was a beautiful sight.  I was so proud.  He picked out something he had been wanting to do for a year or two, but I had never been that keen on it because of the "gross" factor.  Namely pumpkin guts.  Each year he suggests we roast the seeds, and then I tend to gaze at the big ol' pile of slimy stringy pumpkin innards and think they don't look all that appetizing. But guess what people?  I was WRONG. So very wrong. That's right.  I apologize Honey for ever doubting you because once we roasted these little babies, I actually ended up liking them, nay snacking on them.  AND -  they are suppose to be pretty healthy, high in fiber, and all that extra bonus stuff.

Roasted pumpkin seeds - a crispy, crunchy, tasty snack

We happened to carve five pumpkins this year and once we cleaned them all out, we had about two cups of pumpkin seeds.  He found an online recipe here, and altered it only slightly.  Okay so how do you make them?  You have dug  out your seeds. They recommend not cleaning them off all the way. Take out the major chunks of pumpkin strings and goop, but it is alright to leave some of it on, it adds "flavor".  Preheat your oven to 300º.

I'm resisting the gross out slimy factor here... I'm still doubting the recipe at this time

  
Add one tablespoon of melted butter and coat the pumpkin seeds

Next you want to toss the seeds in the flavoring of your choice.  Mr. D got all creative here and wanted to try two, that's right TWO different flavors on our first time out. He separated the seeds evenly into 1 cup portions. First we went with a classic seasoning salt

Johnny's Seasoning Salt is awesome!

Then, and I think this is where I am my most proud.  He went way back into the spice rack, and came out with: Grill Mates Mojito Lime seasoning.  Never in my life would I have picked that flavor.  I thought for sure that at the very least, it would be a completely "out there" flavor and he could have these as his own personal snack.  That no one else would touch them....

Who has ever heard of lime mojito pumpkin seeds... before now, I mean.

Once your seasonings are mixed well, pour them onto a baking tray in a single layer.

After that place the tray(s) in the oven and let the low heat do it's magic for 45 mintues.  And by magic, I mean take these suspiciously sticky seeds and turn them into a hearty gourmet treat even I could not resist.  Be sure to turn the seeds a few times during the roasting process to make sure they cook evenly.  Under an hour later you will have this:

Lime Mojito roasted pumpkin seeds.  Who KNEW they would turn out this good?

Here are the seasoned salt ones:

I thought oh, I'll just try these simple seasoned salted ones and then walk away.  So I tried one and... hey it wasn't that bad.  Sort of like a big sunflower seed.  Okay okay, I'll give in and try the lime mojito ones... hey wait a second.  These were good.  Better than good.  These were tasty.  So tasty I might eat a second one.  The girls came over and I thought for sure they would only eat the plain salted ones, but we all ended up liking them both!  Who knew?  So now we have a whole new fun family tradition we can add to our harvest fun, and it is all thanks to my industrious hubby for sticking to his guns and making us love a brand new snack.  I realize now it only tastes a little like crow...

So don't throw out your pumpkin seeds this year!  Roast them with your favorite seasonings.  Other options would be garlic salt, cayenne, Cajun, it's up to you.  My youngest wants us to try cinnamon next.  Let me know what your favorite seasoning is!

Marshmallow Popcorn - Late night treat

I guess you could say I'm a victim of another Pinterest food gawking incident.  You know that feeling when you see a recipe at 9pm on a Saturday night and think, wait a sec, I have all these ingredients down stairs right NOW!  Flash forward to a few minutes later and I was whipping up a fun treat that satisfies that age old salty sweet dilemma perfectly. Think rice crispy treat meets a kettle corn caramel popcorn ball...
Behold I give you marshmallow popcorn. (Put this on your "I must make this weekend" list)

Marshmallow popcorn

You only need a few ingredients to crank out a batch of this ooey gooey deliciousness:

1 bag microwave popcorn (or 8 cups popped)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups mini marshmallows

Pop the popcorn according to package directions.  Empty into a bowl and carefully remove all the unpopped kernels.  Set aside.  In a medium pan add 1/3 cup of butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar.

  
Melt on medium low heat and stir until combined. Add in 2 cups of mini marshmallows.

Stir and coat with melted sugar and butter

You can't go wrong with caramel and marshmallows together

Continue until everything is blended together. (Original recipe from Carol at her Pinterest post found here)

bubble bubble toil and trouble....

After that pour this molten liquid while still warm over the waiting bowl of popcorn.  Stir and mix thoroughly until all the kernels are coated with marshmallowy goodness.

sticky, yet fabulous!

You can pour everything out onto wax paper, let cool a bit, break apart then store in an air tight container like a responsible grown up... OR you can just stand over and eat it right from the bowl it was made in, the second it is cool enough to touch, like we did. The choice is yours.

Salty, buttery, sweet, crunchy, what's not to love?

This is a great little treat you can whip up last minute.  Make a batch and snuggle up to watch a favorite movie with the fam or significant other.  My guess is that teenagers would go absolutely ga-ga over this stuff, so it would be a definite go to for any birthday celebration and especially a sleep over! There is only really one thing actually wrong with this recipe... it's so addictive!  Enjoy!

Muddy Buddies - Puppy Chow

We are expert Rice Krispie square makers around these parts.  The girls love to help make them, and we love dying the marshmallows different hues to make a fun and colorful treat.  We were looking for a totally new and different snack to make the other day, when we came across a recipe for Muddy Buddies.  Also known as "Puppy Chow" or "Monkey Munch".  Apparently animals everywhere love this stuff!  We happened to have a whole unopened box of Rice Chex up in the pantry and I thought let's DO this.

Muddy Buddies - The snack crack of the new millennium

You only need a few ingredients to make these yummy treats:

9  cups Chex cereal
1  cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

First, measure 9 cups of Chex cereal into a big bowl (lightly sprayed with cooking spray) and set aside.

Chex totally reminds me of my childhood

In a small (microwave safe) bowl, pour 1 C chocolate chips, 1/4 C of butter, and 1/2 C of peanut butter.

Be sure to make your pile of peanut butter as unattractive and unappetizing as possible....

The girls had fun measuring all these cups, half cup, quarter cups themselves and pouring them into the bowls.  Next you want to put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 1 minute.  Stir and do another :30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until completely melted together.

Mmmm.. melted chocolate and peanut butter

Add the vanilla at this time and stir until combined.  After that you want to immediately pour the chocolate mixture over your bowl of waiting cereal.

Next the recipe says to "pour mixture in a 2-gallon plastic zip lock bag"... Well hello there Chex executives, but my biggest bag is 1-gallon, who has a 2-gallon plastic bag?  Do they even make those?  Instead, I thought let's put it into the container we are going to store it in, and shake it with the lid on!  I'm sure I'll be nominated for some kind of mom genius of the year award for that one.  Once in the container, dump in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, put on the lid, and shake your money maker (while shaking the muddy buddies).  Hubby wants to add, don't shake it too hard, rather slowly rotate it around till everything was covered in powdered sugar, you don't want broken muddy muddies.

Deliciousness is about to happen... I can feel it.

From this point on, my girls started calling these "Snow Buddies"... because the powered sugar coats everything and makes them white.  Okay, rather a grey/brown/white, but who's keeping track?  Pour your mixture out onto some sheets of wax paper to cool.

You have to sneak one to taste, it's the law

By this time, your whole house smells like you just made peanut butter cookies. It's awesome.  After they were cooled and dried out a bit, we put them right back into the container with matching lid and they were ready to store.  We of course, chowed down on them first.  They have a great flavor of that delectable chocolate peanut butter taste, plus an added bonus of crunch.  Sort of like if Reese's Peanut butter cups and powdered donuts had a baby with a rice krispie treats.  

Muddy Buddies as far as the eye can see...

I must warn you... these are hard to stop eating once you start.  That's why I want to rename them "snack crack".  Another few ideas are: You can package them up in baggies for school treats, preschool snacks, after school snacks, and these would even be great in a cute package for teacher gifts or Christmas gifts for neighbors.  Make a batch for your next movie night.  Enjoy!

Almond Bark Popcorn

I have a quick, easy, fun snack that satisfies both the salty and sweet simultaneously. It only takes a few ingredients and whips up in minutes.  To top it off, you can keep it white or dye it a myriad of colors to match any special occasion you might be having; weddings, birthday parties, sporting events, graduations, baby showers...  I am talking about Almond Bark Popcorn, and you are going to love it!

The ingredients you will need are the following:

1 bag of microwave popcorn (or 8 cups)
3 squares of almond bark (found in a 12-block brick in most baking sections)
1 teaspoon of Crisco (to thin it out)
Cooking spray
Food coloring (optional)

First, pop one bag of microwave popcorn (It's ok if it's butter flavored or salted, it will add to the sweet/salty combination and ends up tasting awesome).  Sift through the popcorn by the cup full and put into a bowl sprayed with some cooking spray, this sifting will help make sure there will be no seeds or un-popped kernels to break your teeth later.

Next, in a small microwave safe bowl, add three squares of almond bark and a small spoonful of Crisco and melt for 60-90 seconds. Don't gross out too much about the Crisco.  It thins out the bark and makes it easier to mix in with the popcorn.  I've also heard of using coconut oil, or a spoonful of vegetable oil.

This pic has too much Crisco in it, I ended up taking 1/2 of it away.  It's more like a teaspoon of Crisco

Stir and see how melted it is.  Keep nuking for 20 second intervals until everything is melted together.  This is a good time to add food coloring if you are going to.

Next poor the mixture into the bowl of sifted popcorn and stir until blended

I also went ahead and made a second batch using more food coloring and making a darker contrasting purple color

Dump everything out onto a cookie sheet lined with foil and cooking spray, or one covered in a silpat mat. Allow the mixture to cool and break apart into chunks.  It's ready to eat right away. 

The possibilities are endless.  You could leave it as is and munch away, you could bag them up in cellophane bags and tie with ribbons and present as party favors or teacher's gifts.  You could add cashews, peanuts, M&M's to the mix before adding the almond bark.  You could add just sprinkles (instead of food dye) to the melted almond bark (and after) to make it more festive looking, it's all up to you!  Don't be surprised if people freak out and want this recipe as soon as they try it.  Enjoy!

Quick Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla

How's that title for a rockin' alliteration?  I don't know about you, but I've been on a quest for a better quesadilla.  We got this handy quesadilla maker a few years back as a gift, and it's great for a quick dinner.  However, what I normally do is just slap some left over taco meat, and handful of cheese, and what comes out is a dry, crisp, hockey puck of blandness.  The kids and hubby dig them just fine but I want more I tell you, MORE!

Flash forward to a few nights ago I was staring at some left over rotisserie chicken and willing the inspiration gods to come and help me figure out what to make for dinner.  Suddenly, like a mad scientist I started mixing and chopping and... shazam, I had whipped up a little number that was pure deliciousness in a crispy flour shell.  It was creamy, cheesy, ooey-gooey, and oozing with flavor  So I thought I'd share my little recipe.

The best part is I only used left overs and things I had lying around. Nothing I added was earth shattering, but it was one of those slap your hand to head moments and a "why haven't I thought of this sooner" kind of thing.   Ok so in a small bowl I added:


a big handful of finely chopped rotisserie chicken pieces
a spoonful of sour cream
a spoonful of salsa
a dash of taco seasoning

Mix together and spread on a flour tortilla.  Next spread a handful of grated cheese over the mixture, place another flour tortilla on the top and close the lid of your quesadilla maker.  (You can do this on the stove as well)  Soon you will have some sizzling goodness wafting through the air.

Oh these were so much better than my old quesadillas!  You don't even have to dip them in anything else, they were creamy all on their own and the salsa and taco seasoning gave it a punch of Mexican flavor with a hint of veggies.  This would make a good quick dinner, a fast mom lunch, or even a late night snack with the hubs.