Tie-Dye Cupcakes {Two Color Cupcakes}

21 Apr

This week was so busy for us.  Ben traveled to Taiwan for work and the boys and I traveled back home for a visit.  It was a whirl wind week of seeing friends and family.  We had an amazing time.  On Tuesday we celebrated our dear friend Ms. Betty’s birthday at Jennifer and Tim’s house.  We were in charge of bringing dessert and what did we bring?  Cake mix… yep, that’s how it goes when you travel!  We brought a cake mix and all the stuff you need to make yummy cake and amazing frosting.  Our friend Jennifer had the idea to make swirly tie-dye cupcakes so that is what we did!  We chose orange and purple because those are two of Ms. Betty’s favorite colors!  Here’s the scoop:

Make a white cake mix according to the package directions

Split the batter into two separate bowls

Using gel food coloring (we used the wilton brand) dye the two bowls of batter two different colors (you can obviously do more colors if you just split up the batter into several different bowls)

Pour one color of the batter into about 1/4 of the cupcake lined pan

Pour the other color on top and repeat the process with any remaining dye

Using a toothpick swirl the batter together

Bake as directed and decorate for your favorite birthday girl or boy!

Top with your favorite frosting recipe (we used Wilton’s Buttercream icing Recipe)

TADA!

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Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

12 Apr

 

Ben left for Taiwan this morning and as his “last dinner in America” I fed him fish.  While we were eating I mentioned how I probably should have made red meat or something, but oh well, he can have red meat when he returns!  It was a good way to prep him for his trip, right??????

We make this recipe quite a bit and I assure you it is EASY, QUICK, and YUMMY…   Here’s the scoop:

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 Tilapia Filets
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 4 green onions (optional)
  • 1 whole Lemon, zested and juiced
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Canola Oil
  • Kosher Salt And Lemon Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season both sides of the fish generously with salt and lemon pepper.

Heat olive or canola oil in a medium-sized oven-safe pan (I use our all clad pan) over high heat for a few minutes to let the oil get nice and hot.
Once the oil has heated up for a couple of minutes, drop the fish into place and let it sit there untouched for two minutes.  Sear over high heat for 2 minutes, then transfer the pan into the 375-degree oven WITHOUT FLIPPING THE FISH OVER.  I know this sounds CRAZY, but trust me, it works every time!   Set the oven timer to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, begin making the lemon butter sauce. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the minced green onions and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes.

When the onions have become a little softer, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Whisk together and cook until you’ve got a nice thick, but not too thick sauce.

Once the fish has been in the oven for 8 minutes, remove it and let it rest for a moment before serving.  ENJOY….

 

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Earth Day Project

10 Apr

Earth Day is April 22nd, so right around the corner!   Every year in my Kindergarten class I used to make these paper mache Earth’s… It was a bit of an undertaking, but with lots of parents to help I was able to do it.  I tell you this because if you are afraid to paper mache with your children, just remember we did it with 20 children!  So here’s the scoop:

You’ll Need:

Balloons

Newspaper cut into strips,

Paper mache paste (recipe below)

Blue and Green Paint (I used tempera)

Paint Brushes

Directions:

Blow up the balloon to the desired shape.  The bigger you blow the balloon the more oval shaped it will turn, I tried to keep mine relatively small and round.  The goal of paper mache is to cover the entire balloon with the paste coated newspaper strips so GO!  I try to help the kids keep their strips flat (not crumpled) and smooth.  I also try to show them how to dip their strip in the paste and then pinch the strip and slide your fingers down to drain off any excess paste.  Once the entire balloon is covered you will need to let it dry for a day or even longer :).  You can hang it by the balloon tie to dry it, set it in a cup, or lay it flat turning it often so all sides dry.  Once the paper mache is dry you can take a marker and draw a rough estimate of the continents on your globe.  I do this just so they know where to paint.  I then have them paint the blue first outside of all the continents.  We let this dry before painting the green…  Waiting a day is ideal, but the paint will dry rather quickly….  Once they are done you can pop the balloon on the inside or just leave it to deflate on it’s own.  Viola, an Earth to last a lifetime!

Paste Recipe:

*** I always put a little white glue in with my paste, just makes me feel better about it, but it ISN’T necessary!

Mix one part flour in with two parts water… then add some white glue (optional)… Stir until pastey adding more flour or water if needed!

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Hotdogs in the Sun!

9 Apr

On Monday’s I have the privilege of volunteering in my son’s Kindergarten class.  I usually help with reading groups, which I love, but today was a little different.  In science the class is learning about the sun.  Their main focus being that it gives off heat and light.  Today, while I was there, the class had the opportunity to start an experiment!  This is one I haven’t seen before and I really got a kick out of it.  I’m not sure if the fact that we are so much closer to the sun makes it more possible to conduct this experiment or not, you’ll have to try it to find out!  You will definitely need a sunny day!  So here’s the scoop:

 

HOTDOGS IN THE SUN, YOU’LL NEED:

One hotdog

One Pringles can

One metal skewer

(MAYBE)A thin piece of plastic (if you had a box that had a new toy in it that little piece of plastic that you can look through would be perfect  or even old laminator film :))

Directions:  I think the picture probably speaks for itself, but the can was used as a reflector so that all sides of the dog were “grilled”.  You will need to cut out a “window” on the side of the can for the sun to peak in and do it’s magic, this is also where the plastic was placed.  I’m not sure you “need” the plastic, but it’s there so I’ll tell you about it.  The sharp end of the skewer is then poked through the bottom end of the can and then the hotdog is placed inside the tube on the skewer.  The top is then placed on the can and the skewer is poked through the top.  It’s like your own ballpark cooker!  The class set their dog in the sun from 9-2 today and guess what???????  IT WORKED!  The hotdog was cooked, warm to the touch, and even smelled of grilled, well hotdog :).  Of course I DO NOT recommend eating anything that has been outside all day, but it’s a fun experiment none the less.  And what did we learn you ask?  We learned that you need heat to cook things and the sun has heat so it was able to cook the hotdog!  It was a great way for them to understand heat!  When we got home we even talked about “sunburn”!  The hotdog helped to explain that a little better!  Maybe tomorrow we’ll do a sunscreen experiment!

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Bunny Windsock

7 Apr

Yesterday my oldest son had a play date with a little girl from his Kindergarten class.  We walked home from school, had a snack, and they wanted to do a craft…  This one came to mind because I used to make it with my own classroom every year.  It’s fun to make in the spring because if you hang it near a window it will blow every so lightly with the spring breeze!  We made three of these yesterday (all different in color) and the kids loved swishing them around and creating their own “wind”….  You can probably figure out how I did this just by looking at the picture, but if not, HERE’S THE SCOOP:

You’ll Need:

Construction Paper

Glue

Scissors

Cotton Ball (for the tail, not pictured)

Puff Ball for the nose

Tissue Paper

DIRECTIONS:

Roll a piece of construction paper into a tube shape. Glue or staple the seams.  Cut out and glue on some ears, whiskers and a nose.  The nose has a hard time sticking, so just press down for a minute or two to assure it sticks.  Cotton Balls seem to stick great if you want to use one for the nose.  We used them for the tail…  Let these dry prior to drawing on the mouth and eyes.  You can also use google eyes if you prefer.  Cut out strips of tissue paper for the bottom and glue or staple them on.  VIOLA a bunny windsock….

 

PS.  In the background you can probably see that we water painted some giant Easter eggs…  This took up A LOT of time if you’re looking for a filler!

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Bunny Bags….

6 Apr

Cute little bunny bags… I remember when Ben and I were dating and I went to his Parent’s house for Easter… I brought these little bags filled with treats as a “thanks for having me” gift for his family.  Of course at that time I didn’t know that his mom was an amazing chef and she made fancy treats and candy from scratch, but they still appreciated my gift!  Well, fast forward 9 years and here we are having our boys make these bags!   They LOVED making them and it took them no time at all.  They would be fun little bags to bring as hostess gifts or even to have the kids make at your Easter gathering…  You can fill them with Easter grass and treats too!  So…. Here’s the Scoop:

You’ll Need:

Lunch size paper bags

Scissors

Construction Paper

Cotton Balls or Puff Balls

Glue

Google Eyes (optional, you can also draw eyes on)

Pipe Cleaners (again Optional, construction paper works too)

Directions:  I went ahead and cut out the ear shape for my boys, but depending on the age of your kids they could do this themselves!  The rest is basically up to your child.  They can draw eyes, nose, and mouth.  They can use puff balls, google eyes and construction paper.  Whiskers can be made with pipe cleaners or construction paper.  Really what ever you want…. The cutest part (not shown) is to add a little cotton ball to the back side of the bag as a tail, :)…  Your kids will love this too, I’m sure of it!  “HOPPY EASTER”

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Lunch Box Notes….

3 Apr

I try to leave little notes in the boys snack boxes, lunch boxes, or backpacks every day.  I love imagining the looks on their faces when they open their snack/lunch and feel the love!  This morning they actually asked me for a note, which proved to me that it makes a difference to them…  They are only little once and I’m not sure they will want notes from me when they are 15 so I’m going for it now!  I try to cut out little shapes that have to do with something going on in their lives.  This week it’s Easter…  Next week I’m planning to do little airplanes because we are taking a trip on Friday.  I’ve done shapes during Sutton’s geometry unit, shamrocks for St. Patty’s Day, snowflakes on snowy days, and sunshines on sunny ones!  I encourage you to drop your little ones a note when ever possible!

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Easter Sun Catchers

24 Mar

All three boys and I whipped these up this morning to start decorating for Easter.  We also made some EGG shaped sun catchers and if you’re handy with the scissors you could even make BUNNIES…  For us, this was a great opportunity to talk about the meaning of Easter and the symbolism of the cross, eggs, bunnies, etc..

Here’s The Scoop:

You’ll need just a few things:  Clear contact paper, tissue paper cut into squares, scissors, a hole punch, and ribbon…

Directions:

1.  Cut two identical sized rectangles out of contact paper.  I cut a large one and let my kids all use it as one canvas, but you could also cut separate ones for each child.  You will need TWO identical size pieces per project.

2.  Lay one of the pieces of contact paper in front of your child sticky side up and let them stick tissue paper all over it.  If they are young you may need to fill in the empty spots when they are finished.

3.  Once the contact paper is covered with tissue take the identical sized piece of contact paper and lay it on the top of the tissue sticky side down.  You now have made a tissue sandwich!

4.  At this point you can cut out any shape you want.  Like I said we made two large crosses, two mini crosses and 4 eggs.

5.  Punch a hole in the top of each shape, tie it with a ribbon and hang it on your nearest window.

**  I think these are cute gifts for a Sunday School Teacher, neighbor, daycare provider etc…  Have fun!

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One Proud Mama…

19 Mar

My Kindergartener drew this picture today… It’s a picture of our family traveling in our pajamas back to Minnesota.  I LOVE IT…. I LOVE IT SO MUCH… SO SO SO SO MUCH…  I love the little details like the lights on the runway, the headphones on the boys, and the polkadots on our matching PJ’s.  I love that when I asked him where the baby was he said in the stroller!  I love that even Wrigley is traveling by plane :).  Did you notice that our polkadot PJ’s are sporting the Minnesota Twins logo?  I am so proud of our little artist, I really think he has a special gift!  Thank you Sutton for this adorable gift, I can’t wait to frame it!  It’s awesome, signed one proud Mama!

Easy Nest Cookies…

18 Mar

When I was a little girl I remember eating these birds nests every year around this time.  I am almost positive we made “butterscotch” nests or maybe they were a peanut butter/butterscotch combination.  My grandmother used to make them with me and she is no longer available to ask so I had to rely on the internet to find a recipe that suited me!  When I looked for the recipe I found all sorts of variations.  Butterscotch, Peanut Butter, Chocolate and combinations of all three…  Because my boys are really into “marshmallows” right now I made the standard “rice crispy treat” version… Here is the recipe I used:

3 c. mini marshmallows
3 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 c. dry chow mein noodles
small candies, jelly beans, m & m’s, etc.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Over low heat, melt the marshmallows and butter in a large saucepan.

Once melted, stir in the vanilla, then the chow mein noodles.

Coat your hands liberally with shortening.  Grab a clump of noodles smaller than a tennis ball and larger than a golf ball. Form into a ball while pressing your thumbs into the middle, forming a nest.  Allow the nests to cool, then fill with with the candy of your choice….

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