Banana treat

Emma got the idea for this activity off of the Nick Jr. website, and she told me how to do it. I think she saw a video of how to do it. You cut a banana in half, add craft sticks, dip in yogurt, and cover with a topping (we used crispy rice cereal).

Think she’s got a future running a cooking show? We made these twice today, but while she was immensely proud of the finished product both times she only ate a couple tiny bites of each banana…

Carrot muffins

 

Emma and I have made a few different versions of carrot muffins recently, and this is our favorite. We made an earlier version without the white sugar, but it only tasted good with frosting (we used buttercream frosting, but a cream cheese frosting would also taste good). This version is good with or without frosting, and it’s the only version to get Johnny’s stamp of approval.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup grated carrots
2/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 cup milk

Combine all dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients. Mix well, and spoon into greased muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400F. Makes 12 muffins. 

I tried baking these in muffin tin liners, but they stick to the liners. Anyone know why?

Ziploc pudding

MATERIALS:

• Instant pudding mix
• Milk
• Ziploc bags

STEPS:

1. Pour mix into bags
2. Add milk
3. Add a second ziploc bag (or two) to prevent spills
4. Squish/squash the bag for 2-5 minutes
5. Remove outer bags
6. Cut a hole in the corner of the bag and  pour into cups
7. Enjoy :)

I didn’t get any good pictures from this activity, but Emma had a blast. I think it was a good sensory experience for her, as well as a chance to do some “cooking”. Older kids can throw the bags of pudding water balloon toss style instead of squishing them, so it has potential appeal for a wide age range.

Gingerbread House!

I made some gingerbread using this recipe, and then found a great pattern for a gingerbread house over at Chocolate on My Cranium. I like this pattern because you can cut the entire house out of a single sheet of gingerbread.

I spread the dough out on top of some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, baked, cut the pieces out (in the pan), then put the pan back in the oven (with the oven off) to let the pieces harden up a little more. The picture is of the raw dough.


After 10 more minutes in the turned-off ofen, I took the parchment sheet (with the pieces) off the cookie sheet and laid it out on a rack to finish cooling. You can cut pieces out to look nicer than this, but I was making a house with a two-year-old and I wasn't being detail-oriented. My pieces are rather thick; next time I would probably spread the gingerbread more thinly (although the thickness did make it so the walls stood up very nicely).
We made some Royal Icing (1 Tablespoon meringue powder, 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon warm water, and 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar made enough for this house) and decorated. I put on the frosting and Emma stuck on M&Ms and mini marshmallows. Johnny sat on my lap and grabbed any M&Ms he could and stuffed them in his mouth as quickly as possible.

Emma taking a picture of her masterpiece.

Scrumptious Chocolate Cake

Johnny turned one year old today! We celebrated yesterday, since Mike is gone for the week at a conference. Johnny continued the tradition Emma established of my children not refusing to eat their first birthday cake, but everyone else really enjoyed it.

I made the cakes using the Buttermilk Chocolate Cake recipe found in this cookbook. I split the batter between two round cake pans, added strawberry puree in the middle...and topped with cream whipped with a little vanilla, sugar, and cocoa. I sprinkled some cocoa on top also (not as evenly as I would have liked...)
It was an easy way to make a very yummy cake - and since the recipe I used doesn't call for eggs I could let my daughter lick the bowl without worrying about salmonella.

Looking for an egg-free recipe for chocolate cake but don't want to buy another cookbook? Try this.

Instant pizza

We got this idea from a friend, and it's been a favorite ever since.

INGREDIENTS:

• tortillas
• tomato or pasta sauce
• pizza toppings of your choice

STEPS:

1) Lay tortillas on pan with parchment paper

2) Add toppings

3) Broil in oven on high for 5-10 minutes

4) Slice into pieces (scissors work great for this)

5) Enjoy