S'more Grateful

 
So, we've been out of town enjoying our summer together as a family.  And my wonderful neighbor volunteered to take care of our yard for us while we were gone.  This is no task for the faint of heart.  I have a lot of flowers that need to be tended to and watered manually.  It's kind of a pain.  Not to mention the vegetable gardens and the grass.  I wanted to do something nice for her.  Something fun.  Something summery.

What says summer more than...s'mores?

Nothing.  That's what.  So I ran to the store.  All you need is a package of fudge graham crackers and a package of marshmallows.  I love making s'mores this way.  The chocolate is already built in!  Delicious!
Just wrap it up with a tag and a bow and you are good to go!

Thanks neighbor!  You're the best!

[St Patrick's Day] Lucky No. 7

Is there a number luckier than seven?

How about when you add it to eleven?  I'm not talking eighteen.  I'm talking 7-eleven!  Nothing is luckier than that.  Especially when it involves Slurpees!

And a gift card.

My boy is in California.  He is a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He is riding his bike in the California heat.  All day long.  This just might be the perfect way for him to stay cool this summer.   I'm thinking every high school and college student I know could put this to good use.  Cut two pieces of white card stock to measure 5 3/4 inches square.  Measure in 1 1/4 inches from one of the sides and fold.  Repeat with the other piece.  This little flap will eventually make the pocket for the gift card.  Click here for the "Lucky no. 7" printable.  Cut out the card front and glue it to one of the card stock pieces.  Line up the card stock so the flaps meet in the middle.  Glue carefully around the sides and the back of the flap.  Leave the front open.  That's where the gift card slides in!  I used some green patterned paper to embellish the pocket and the back of the card.  I wanted to leave the inside of my card white so I could write a little letter.  But whatever tickles your fancy.  Go crazy if you want.  Have fun.

Write a sentiment or two.  Send your love.  Then slip the gift card into the pocket.  Slide the card into an envelope and send that fun-mail on it's way!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

The Garden Secret

Clandestine activity out back in the garden.  If only I could get the other carrots to talk.

A Game of Mouse

Have you ever played Mouse before?  I've been looking into some dice games for a reason I will explain shortly.  But I came across this fun game of Mouse and I thought I would share it with you.  This is a great game for kids ages three and up.  You will need some dice...one for each player.  Or I suppose you could share and get away with just one.  You will also need this printable.  I chose to laminate my game cards so they could be used over and over again.  If you chose to laminate them, you will want to use dry erase markers.  If not, pencils will do just fine.

The object of the game is to be the first to complete your picture of the mouse.  You must start with the body.  So, in order to start your picture, you will need to roll a six.  If you don't get a six, pass the die to the next player and wait for your next turn.  Once you roll a six, you are free to add the other body parts in any order.  If you roll a number that corresponds to a part you have already drawn, then you forfeit your turn.

So what are you waiting for?  Print out a couple of cards, grab some dice and get going!  I think we will be playing this tonight.

Birthday Cake in a Bottle

Every year, I am invited to a night at Girl's Camp.  Awesome, right?    

And I have the privilege of bringing dinner with me.   I guess by the end of the week, the girls are tired of camp food. I love to cook.  They love to eat.  It's a win win.  To make it even more fun, one of the girls was celebrating their birthday at camp, on the very day that I was to go.  So, I knew that I wanted to make a special birthday cake for dessert.  It needed to be portable because camp was nearly forty-five minutes away.  It also needed to be easy to serve and clean up.  Hmm.

Birthday cake in a Bottle!  Or in this case, mason jar.  It worked perfectly.  We were able to stack them in a cooler and transport them without any problem.  When we were finished, we stacked the empty bottles back up and I hauled them home to my dishwasher.  There was just one hitch to the whole thing.  My camera was in a duffel bag with my daughter forty-five minutes away in the mountains.  So, you are going to have to use your imagination as we go through the process. I was able to snap a few instagram pictures with my son's phone before I left home.  And I got a few more with my own camera once I arrived in camp.

First, you will want to bake a cake.  Or two or four.  Depending on the crowd.  I needed to make fifty servings, so I made four cakes.  Make your own favorite recipe from scratch, or use your favorite boxed mix.  I won't judge.  Truth be told, I used a mix.  Instead of baking them in rounds you will want to spread the batter thin and bake it in a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with substantial sides.  It only takes about fifteen minutes to bake.  Let the cake cool completely. 
  
Second, you need to cut the cake into appropriately sized rounds.  I used a small tomato paste can to cut out my cakes.  Empty the contents of the can (save it for pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce) and wash the can thoroughly.  Then use the can as a cookie cutter of sorts.  It makes a cake round that fits perfectly into the mason jars.  I placed the rounds back onto a clean cookie sheet lined with parchment and wrapped the whole thing tightly in plastic wrap.  I made the cakes over the course of a few days, and froze my cake rounds in the freezer until I was ready to assemble. I decided to give the girls some options and made two different cake flavors...chocolate and french vanilla.

(For heaven's sake, don't discard the scraps after you cut out your cake rounds.  I tossed them into a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer.  I have been using them for weeks now, for all kinds of lovely desserts and trifles.)

Third, you will want to make a filling to go in between the cake layers.  This was the trickiest step for me.  I tried butter cream frosting and it was just too sweet.  Next I tried a homemade cream filling of twinkie fame.  Too blah.  Finally I tried a marshmallow based filling (see the recipe below) and much to my surprise it was my favorite.   The marshmallow is not overpowering at all.  In fact, most people won't even know it's there unless you tell them.  I liked it best paired with the chocolate cake.  So, what to do about the vanilla cake?  I decided to make a pudding based filling.  Whip up a batch of vanilla pudding and gently fold in a half of a tub (the smaller size) of Cool Whip.  Easy peasy.  And delicious. 

To take your little cakes over the top, you will want to make a batch of chocolate ganache.  Just dump a cup of chocolate chips (I used a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate) into a bowl.  Measure and warm 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream.  You want it to be very warm but not boiling.  Pour it over your chocolate chips and stir until it comes together.  It will be beautiful and smooth.  If you need to thin it a bit add 1-2 tablespoons of corn syrup. 

Fourth, assemble your cakes!  Let's do the chocolate version first.  Drop a chocolate cake round into the bottom of your jar.  (Make sure that your jars are washed and completely dry!).  Drop a tablespoon of ganache onto the cake round.  Top with a mound of marshmallow filling.  I scooped my filling into a disposable cake decorating bag and snipped off the end about an inch from the tip.  Then I just squeezed a dollop onto the cake.  Next you will want to drop in another cake round and push it down gently.  Finally, add another cute dollop of filling to the top and sprinkle it with...sprinkles!

For the vanilla cake version, drop a vanilla cake round into the jar.  Add a generous dollop of the pudding on top.  Drop another cake round into the jar and push down slightly.  This time, add the ganache to the top of your vanilla cake round.  Finish it off with some sprinkles.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I needed to be able to put the lids on my jars for transport.  But if you don't mind the last layer peeking out of the top, you could add a third cake round. 

Fifth, decorate your jars.  Not necessary, but definitely fun.  I added a simple paper topper to the lid and tied it with some variegated pink yarn that I had in my stash.  I thought it added the perfect touch.  Don't forget to pack some plastic spoons or forks!

 

The girls loved the birthday cake!  The chocolate version tastes a lot like the Hostess Suzie Q's.  Remember those?  (I am probably showing my age.)  The vanilla version is similar in taste to a Boston cream pie.  It was hard to decide which one I liked the best.  Give them a try and tell me what you think!

*****
Marshmallow FIlling
(King Arthur Flour The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup butter
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup marshmallow cream

Beat together the shortening, buttter, salt, vanilla, and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the corn syrup a bit at a time until well blended.  Beat in the marshmallow cream until just blended. 

100 Degrees in the Shade

Summer has come with a vengeance.  It is *H*O*T* outside.  Our solution?  Watch a movie in Grandma's freezing cold basement and make homemade slurpees.  Have you done this before?  Pure brilliance.

I hesitate giving you the recipe...it's just so simple.  OK.  Here it is.  Are you ready?

You need four cans of your favorite soda pop.  We used root beer.  (This will make just enough for five people.  Cause we got five people in our family!  Adjust as necessary)

That's pretty much it.

Dump your soda pop into your ice cream canister.  Put your dasher in and tighten the lid.  Secure the motor to the canister.  Surround that baby with ice and rock salt.  Plug it in.  Turn it on.

Watch a movie for a while.  Check back occasionally.  Making slurpees is much faster than making ice cream.  It doesn't take long at all.  (I want to say 20-30 minutes)  Especially if your soda pop is already cold.  I think I may have churned mine for a bit too long.  There wasn't any liquid left at all.  But, no worries.  Scoop it into a fancy glass and wait for a minute or two.  It will be just melty enough to enjoy with a spoon or a straw.

Now go confront the heat.  You'll totally win.
I've got your back.

[Project Dinner] Can you guess?

Last night was the first official night of "Project Dinner".  My daughter picked a fairly easy and healthy menu for her first go at it.  I was so proud of her.  The best part?  The confidence she felt after completing her meal.

Want to guess what she made?  I'll give you two little clues.

So, what would you make with the above ingredients?  (see the comments below for our answer).

[Project Dinner] Menu Planners

We are officially on summer break!

Moments after school let out last week, we headed for the hills.  Getting there was quite the adventure, but once we were there, life was pure bliss.  We spent five days in the embrace of our super awesome family cabin.  We played games and watched movies and went on hikes and read books.  Puzzles...did I mention puzzles?  We put together a crazy make-your-eyes-go-crossed puzzle that took almost two entire days.  We definitely ate far too many sweets.  Now we are back home and it is time to crack the whip, so to speak.  I have been working today on our summer calendar and job charts.  One of the things that I really want to focus on this summer is getting my older kids more involved in planning and preparing dinner for the family.  They are very good cooks.  Especially when it comes to desserts.  And they each help with dinner preparations quite regularly. You know, a salad here...mashed potatoes there, maybe steak or chicken on the BBQ.   But I am ready to turn over the reins.  I want them to find some recipes that they are interested in learning to make and prepare the entire meal from start to finish. 
 
So, my son will be cooking dinner on Tuesday nights and my daughter will be cooking on Wednesdays.  I bribed them with the knowledge that the cook will not have to do the dishes.  I am excited to see how they do.   I made this simple menu planner to help steer them in the right direction.  My hope is that they will think about it a little ahead of time and not resort to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese every time.  More than that, I am looking forward to some well balanced meals with multiple food groups represented.  Maybe they will learn a few new skills?  We shall see.

I thought maybe your kids would like to join us for the dinner challenge.  I'd love to hear what menus they come up with.  Enjoy this free download.  Hopefully it will make things a bit easier...and it looks cute on the fridge!

[The Ice Cream Scoop] Strawberry

I have been on the biggest ice cream kick lately.  I think I've made four batches in two weeks.  Yeah.  It's a problem.  Actually it's no problem at all!  It's absolutely wonderful!  My favorite flavor so far has been this homemade fresh strawberry Philadelphia style ice cream.  "Philadelphia" style just means that it is not a custard base (as in no eggs).  Just your basic cream and sugar.  After you mix up your vanilla base using the recipe below, you will want to add your strawberries.  I tried this a couple of ways, and finally landed on the procedure that I like the best.

Take a container of strawberries and wash and hull them.  Place some in a blender and give it a whirl.  You want enough to make a cup and a half of strawberry puree.  Mix your puree directly with your vanilla base and put it in your ice cream maker.  Proceed following the directions on your maker.  I have an electric ice cream maker with a metal container and a wooden bucket.  It uses a plastic dasher to churn the ice cream.  You know, the kind that needs ice and rock salt to do it's magic.  I'm sure it would work well with whatever style maker you own.  You will want to process your ice cream until it starts to firm up and becomes semi-frozen.

While you are waiting for your ice cream to process, prepare the rest of your strawberries.  Give them a rough chop on a cutting board.

Then place them in a bowl and mash them up good.  I usually use my potato masher, but a fork works just as well.  Again, you want about a cup and a half of mashed berries.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar.  Stir it up.  Let it sit until your ice cream is ready.

When your ice cream is starting to firm up you will want to add your mashed strawberries.  I drained off the juice and just added the strawberry mash.  Dump it right into your canister and let the dasher distribute the chunks evenly for you.  When your ice cream has reached perfection, you have two choices.  First, you can grab a bowl and a spoon and dig right in.  The ice cream will still be relatively soft but incredibly delicious.  Or you can scoop your ice cream into a freezer safe container and let it harden in the freezer.    This will give you beautiful rounded scoops of ice cream that you may serve in a bowl or a cone.  Delicious!

Now, if you want to make make your ice cream extra fancy pants you could do the following:

Grab three or four graham crackers from the pantry.  Melt some white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.  I think I used about a half of a cup.  I like to melt them for 30 second intervals at 40% power, stirring well after each interval, until all of the chocolate is melted.  Dollop your chocolate onto your cracker and smooth it all out.  Put your crackers in the freezer for a minute or two to firm up your chocolate.  Now remove your crackers from the freezer and break them into small chunks.

Add your chocolate glazed crackers to the ice cream at the same time as your mashed strawberries.  Have your dasher stir it all in.   The crackers taste just like a graham cracker crust, with a chocolate bonus.  The chocolate prevents them from getting too soggy.  (I saw this technique on the Tasty Kitchen blog and it is miraculous!)

And there you have it---strawberry pie ice cream!!