Pretzel Sticks and Marshmallows

A bowl of assorted marshmallows (gingerbread men, french vanilla snowmen, mini marshmallows, and jumbo marshmallows - all leftover from Christmas baking) and pretzel sticks turned into an entire day's worth of activity.
We used these to build all sorts of things from animal corrals, fences, houses, a mailbox, etc. The activity ended only when Miss Priss asked this mama to make a kangaroo...out of pretzels and marshmallows. Oh boy. I failed miserably, and we took a break.
Thankfully Daddy is extremely creative and resourceful, and he pulled through for her that evening.
Ta-da! A kangaroo made of pretzel sticks and marshmallows. Unreal!Clearly she was thrilled.

If you're looking to escape the doldrums of winter indoors, this was a cheap, easy way to entertain for the day!

Rainy/Snowy Day Fun

The Texas weather has been CRAZY this winter leaving us guessing at times as to when we can leave the house again. We've had to pull out all the stops to keep these kids busy, and when something occupies this almost three-year-old's time for more than a few minutes, I like to share. One morning I grabbed some foam paintbrushes, a bottle of shaving cream, and filled up the bathtub. This little lady painted to her heart's content. You can mix a drop of food coloring into the shaving cream for another sensory element, but make sure to do so in a bowl and not in the tub. When the food coloring is completely mixed into the shaving cream, it should not stain your tub or grout.

Killer Cookies

On the afternoon of Superbowl Sunday, I got the urge to bake some cookies to take alongside our other goodies to the Superbowl party. I wanted to change up the traditional chocolate-chip variety. I remembered a recipe I had seen online called Killer Cookies. The original recipe stated that these cookies alone had made over $1,000 at a bake sale. Trying it was a must. My alterations were only due to my limited pantry contents. But, they were so good I'm not sure I'd change it in any way. Here's my spin on things:

Killer Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Mix these dry ingredients in a bowl, and set aside

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

Cream these with a mixer. Then add, one at a time,

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon pure Mexican vanilla

Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Then, stir in

2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

2 cups old-fashioned oats

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

The mixture is really crumbly and difficult to mix, but it will all come together. I found that it was easiest to scoop the cookies with an ice cream scoop (the squeezable kind). Any other method just made everything fall apart.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheets. Then, allow the cookies to cool about 10 minute on the sheet. Try to avoid the temptation to dive right in as they will be WAY too messy to handle while hot.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Idea

I saw this amazing website on TV this morning, and I can't stop thinking about the possibilities! Check them out if you have a minute.

Snow Days are for Baking

Knowing it was going to be a crazy, icy, snowy day here in Texas, we loaded up with baking supplies. This coconut lime banana bread got the winning vote, and we spent the morning covered in flour and mashed bananas. If you're looking for a great recipe, this was a hit! I made it according to the recipe save for two things. I had already used all of our yogurt to make smoothies, so I just used a quarter cup of a smoothie in its place. Also, mine cooked for significantly longer than an hour - probably closer to 1 1/2 hours, actually. I've never had a problem with my oven timing following other recipes, so it may be that this recipe was written for a convection oven. Enjoy!

est1930

My sister and I have always talked about opening an etsy shop together. A few months back it became a reality with est1930. Our Grandma Trudy was our crafting legacy. She taught us to knit, sew, cross-stitch, cook, bake, etc. When we were at her house, we were always creating. Born in 1930, she is the inspiration for our store's name. We just wish she were still with us to receive the honor.We are slowly but surely (I have 2 kids 2 and under, and my sister teaches language arts at a performing arts middle school) stocking the store with goodies. Please visit, look around, and let us know if you have any special requests!

Hot Dog Octopus

Have you ever seen this idea? Our Little Miss, while an adventurous eater, eats very little by way of protein. I try to get pretty creative, and this idea was a hit. I just took one turkey dog, and cut it in half. Then I cut octopus legs by slicing the dog into 6 sections being careful to stop cutting about an inch from the gathered end. Then, just drop them in boiling water for a few minutes, and they curl right up. You could get really creative and draw faces with ketchup and mustard, or just serve them up to your hungry kid!