Doing what I love, and loving what I do
This is really a recipe.. just an awesome suggestion. If you have a smoker running throw some shucked corn on the cob where ever you have an empty spot and an hour later you have the most amazing corn on the cob!
You can brush some melted butter or olive oil on it before hand and sprinkle with seasoning, or just throw it in plain like we did and really let the smoke flavor shine.
So good!
Next time I’m making extra so I can use the leftovers to make some smoky corn fritters!
If you think the unicorn themed treats are so last year.. well, you don’t live in our house! These are the funnest little parfaits for little ones that believe in all things magical.. and delicious! 🙂 I highly recommend getting some edible gold star sprinkles for an extra touch!
UNICORN PARFAITS
Lucky charms
Whipped cream (or non dairy whipped topping, thawed)
various sprinkles and decorations for topping
Separate the marshmallows out of the cereal. Set aside.
Divide whipped cream into 2 or 3 bowls and color each. We did one purple and one blue.
Fill two disposable pastry bags with whipped cream. Place both bags inside a large pastry bag fitted with a large star.
Alternatively, you could just spoon the whipped cream in.
Pipe or spoon some in parfait cups or small canning jars. Sprinkle some cereal, then pipe some more. Do 3 or 4 of these layers, depending on the size of your containers.
Sprinkle the top with the marshmallows and sprinkles just before serving.
My youngest LOVES Scooby Doo so for her last birthday we of course had a Scooby Doo theme.
I have a few rules about birthdays:
1. We’re not breaking the bank, a kid’s birthday party should be fun, but also inexpensive.
2. If we’re going to have a “theme” it’s because we’re going to spend time together making fun things.
We thought of some pretty fun things for the Scooby Doo theme, and had lots of fun making them together.
First up, hamburger “cake pops”. Directions here.
And of course Scooby would want some hot dogs to go with the burgers!
Orange Soda.. I mean, Jinkies Juice.
The cake was probably her favorite thing to make. We found some ideas on pinterest for making a fondant scooby.
We used our trusty Marshmallow fondant of course.
More directions on making it here.
For activities they make their own pizzas.
And played the “mummy game”.
And pin the tag on scooby.
These were the perfect addition to a Scooby-Doo themed party!
HAMBURGER CUPCAKES
Chocolate cake batter or brownie batter
White cake batter
Sesame seeds
Frosting
Bake the chocolate cake in a sheet pan to make a thin layer.
Bake the white cake in mini muffin tins.
Cut small circles out of the cooled chocolate cake to make the burger patties.
Cut the white cake in half to make the buns.
Use different colors of frosting to make the condiments.
Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds.
Place a toothpick through each one, add a washi tape flag if desired.
Perfect with the cookie hot dogs and fries!
These are super easy. Super fun. Perfect to make with your kids! They went perfectly with our daughter’s Scooby-Doo themed birthday party. I used homemade sugar cookie dough, but even store bought is fine. Divide the dough into thirds. Color one third red for the hot dog, leave the other 2 thirds uncolored for buns and fries.
Divide one third into however many hot dogs you are making to make the buns.
To shape the buns, make an oval shape and cut down the middle, not quite all the way through.
Divide the red to make the hot dogs.
Shape into tiny hot dogs and place in the center of the “buns”.
I chilled mine so they would hold their shape better. Then baked at 350 for about 9 minutes.
After they cooled I added a squiggle of yellow frosting for “mustard”.
For the fries, roll out the remaining third of uncolored dough on a silicone mat thinly (about 1/4″)
Cut into “fries”.
Bake and cool. We made little paper fry pouches and lined them with checkered parchment.
Why “super” chicken? Well, it’s SUPER easy, SUPER quick, SUPER crispy, and SUPER DUPER delicious. So yes, “Super Chicken” is fitting to me!
My kids love chicken strips and I’ve made many a variations. Some are here on the site and turn out well. But I wanted one I could make in no time that didn’t require flipping, or frying, or marinating. And crispy on the bottom too! Impossible.. right? Well, not anymore! I’ve experimented with tons of tricks that honestly don’t make that much difference. I’ve made these with fresh breadcrumbs and that version turned out well too.. still crispy and pretty easy. But I wanted easier. So I took inspiration from this recipe , but used a parchment lined baking sheet so they would get crispy without sticking to the tray.
I pulse up a whole box of cornflakes in my food processor and keep them in a ziplock in the freezer for added convenience.
These were gobbled up in less time than it took to make them!
SUPER CHICKEN
1 1/2-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or tenderloins
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups crushed cornflakes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 T unsalted butter, melted
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
If using chicken breasts, cut into strips.
Set up 2 shallow bowls, the beaten eggs in one and combine the cornflakes and spices in another.
Dip chicken in eggs, then cornflake mixture, then place on baking sheet.
Drizzle with the melted butter.
Bake for 30 minutes. Boom. Dinner.
Have you ever tried a tie-dye cake? They are easier than you think and super fun to do with kids. You can really do these in any colors you like as well. Think purple and orange for Halloween, red and green for Christmas, pink and white for a flowery cake.. you get the idea. It’s super easy, here’s how.
Separate cake batter into 6 equal portions and color.
Decide what order you want the colors in, then pour your first color in the prepared pans. Each color should be poured into the center, the weight of the batter will push the other colors out to the edge.
Repeat until batter is used.
Bake as usual.
And decorate! We used our trusty Marshmallow Fondant recipe to make a Scooby-Doo to go on top.
The fun part is cutting into this cake!
Maybe once a month I make a fun “dinner in” dinner. We make something my kids would order in a restaurant. The more kids can see how things are made from scratch and involved in the process the more open they are to trying new foods. So every now and again it’s fun to let them pick something to make that’s more of a treat too.
These are super crunchy, tender and fluffy inside. They even stay pretty crunchy the next day.
We tried wedges and circles, and both turned out great. The circles are slightly easier to cook evenly since they are an even shape.
Either way, get ready for some mom points!
Homemade Jo-Jos
1 1/2 – 2 lbs gold potatoes, cut in wedges or sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 T vegetable or canola oil, plus extra for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Spice Mix:
1 T kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
Toss the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl with 2 T oil and 1 T of the spice mix.
Cover completely with plastic wrap. Microwave for 8 minutes, carefully tossing them around after 4 minutes to redistribute without removing the plastic wrap.
Carefully remove plastic wrap and pour potatoes out onto a baking tray and let cool. You should be able to pierce them with a knife but they won’t completely fall apart.
Heat a couple inches of oil in a dutch oven or deep pot to about 350 degrees.
Set up 2 bowls. In one, mix the buttermilk and baking soda together.
In another, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and remaining spice mix together.
Coat the potatoes in the flour mix, then the buttermilk, then back in the flour mix.
Place on a wire rack and continue coating the remaining potatoes.
Fry in batches for a few minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and crunchy.
Since they potatoes are pretty well cooked you’re really just cooking the coating more so.
When done, remove to a new wire rack set over a baking tray.
Sprinkle with salt while warm if desired.
Adapted from Cook’s Country
I’ve tried too many versions of Instant Pot hard boiled eggs to count. But this is definitely the best in my opinion. By using low pressure the whites stay more tender, the yolks are still perfectly cooked without a dark ring (which indicates overcooking). Cooking on high pressure for 8 minutes works well also, but the low pressure is definitely better. And the best part? Pressure cooked eggs are unbelievable easy to peel! I always make a lot of deviled eggs for our family holidays and every time I am immensely annoyed peeling all the eggs and how tedious it is. Not anymore!
Perfect Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Eggs, how every many you want
1 cup cold water
Place a steamer basket in the instant pot and pour the water in as well. Place the eggs in the basket, making sure the eggs are not in the water.
Cook on low pressure for 12 minutes, then quickly release the pressure.
As soon as the pressure drops, open the lid and place the eggs in ice water to stop the cooking.
Remove after about 5 minutes when eggs are cool and peel or refrigerate and peel later.
For the pizza crust:
1 cup unsalted butter
For topping:
raspberry jam (pizza sauce)
frosting (cheese)
Marshmallow fondant or fruit leather to cut out topping shapes
sprinkles, for herbs and parmesan cheese
