The Sweet Ballerina Snack

Don't you love getting packages in the mail - the good kind with fun things inside that you ordered with a birthday or Christmas gift certificate?  Weelll, the delicate pink muffin cups you see in the snack above were part of said wonderful package.  :)  They were practically begging me to be part of a ballerina snack as soon as they left the box.

Pink baking cups:  "Pleez, oh pleez, Michelle!  We have leeved (lived) for dees (this) moment!"

I am thinking their accent was definitely French.  Anyways, who am I to refuse talking pink muffin cups?  So without further ado, I give you "The Sweet Ballerina Snack":

**Leotard:  peanut butter sandwich with strawberry cream cheese on top.  The bows on the leotard are made from canadian bacon.

**Muffin cups #1 and #3 (sides of "tutu"):  strawberry banana yogurt

**Muffin cup #2 (middle of "tutu"):  canadian bacon

**Pink Fluffy Stuff:  cotton candy.  Please forgive the clumpy look of it -  my vision was for the puffy, wispy kind.  I quickly learned that cotton candy doesn't necessarily stay nice for long periods of time and definitely not when moisture is added (like when you touch it with wet fingers).  It just seemed to fit the fluffy tutu idea so well, I had to give it a try.  Although it didn't turn out quite as "tutu-y" as I had hoped, I think my daughter didn't care so much what shape it was in when she ate it and enjoyed the unexpected little treat. (The stuff we bought at the store had some blue cotton candy mixed in which is why some of it might have  a slight blue tinge here and there.)

**Garnishes:  strawberry hearts, string cheese flowers with red center added using a food marker, kiwi fruit leaves.

**Not shown are muffin cups #4 and 5:  bananas and string cheese

Homemade Chipotle Peach Gummi Bears - YUMMMM!!

Peach, chewy goodness with a hint of yummy chipotle for an added kick!  Not only are these little bear gems a cinch to make, they taste good too!  When I first realized that one could make one's own gummi bears so easily, it quickly became part of my "To-Do-With-Kids" list for the summer.  Fortunately, Father's Day was right around the corner so I decided after our first gummi bear attempt (grape flavor), we would jazz up the next try to give it more of a manly adult flair.  A quick taste test and I knew we had a winner!  My husband felt the same way and polished off the gummi bears the same day we gave them to him!

(Word of caution:  if you are trying these with small children, make sure YOU handle the chipotle part and warn them that the chipotle part of the gummi bear will be hot/spicy.  You might want to try one first!)

We used the basic recipe from this blog (Skip to my Lou) and then added our chipotles (in step #5):  http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/01/06/homemade-gummi-candy/

YOU WILL NEED:

** 1 - 3 ounce box of jello (we used peach)

** 2 - 1/4 ounce packages of unflavored gelatin (I think we used Knox brand and I think we used maybe an extra half a package to increase the chewiness of the gummi candy)

** 1/3 cup of water

** small saucepan

** mold for making candy (We used one we found on clearance at a craft store.  Make sure it is safe to use for heated purposes because the gummi mixture will be hot at first.   Sorry I could not find a link to the exact mold I have; BUT if you cannot find one at a store near you, you might be interested in some of the other fun possibilities I found while searching - see links below.)

**minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (if you want to make the peach chipotle gummi bears)

RECIPE:

1.  Mix the jello and unflavored gelatin and water together in a saucepan (not over flame yet).

2.  Heat ingredients in the pan over medium heat until the gelatin has dissolved.

3.  Pour the mixture into a container for pouring (remember that it will still be hot so don't use a pouring container that will melt when heated).

4.  Pour mixture into your mold.

5.  If you are making peach chipotle gummi bears, this is where you would quickly add a small piece or pieces of your minced chipolte pepper by pushing them gently into the gummi filled mold - just enough so they get covered or semi-covered with the gummi mixture.

6.  You can let these cool completely on the counter or speed things up by placing them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes (just don't forget them in the freezer!).

7.  Peel out of the mold, eat, and ENJOY!!  :)

Dress Up Doll Snack

If you have a daughter then you know how much little girls love to play dress up!  Why not carry that passion right into snack time with a dress up doll theme.  Simply cut out little shapes from fruits and veggies for her to use when making her "doll" fancy.
Snack Details:
* Dolls (there is another doll shape underneath in case my daughter wanted to decorate a second doll) - flour tortilla with strawberry cream cheese spread.  Chocolate eyes, strawberry mouth, cheese hair.
* Muffin Cup #1 (top) - cranberries
* Muffin Cup #2 (top) - pear flowers
* Muffin Cup #3 (bottom) - avocado flowers
* Muffin Cup #4 (bottom) - strawberry flowers
* Garnishes - chocolate words and vines and blue fruit roll up flowers

Links to some items I used below - you should be able to find most in a craft or food decorating/kitchen specialty store.  If not - there's always online shopping.  I could not find a link to the exact girl cookie cutter I used, so I just posted a couple of links to some cute ones I found.  :)

And of course, if you would like some more "snackspiration" - check out these two blogs: http://www.meetthedubiens.blogspot.com/ and http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/

Linking to:  http://paisleypassions.blogspot.com/2011/07/fun-w-food-friday-linky-party_15.html

Father's Day Delights

Happy Father's Day to three of the most amazing men:  my father, my husband, and father-in-law!!!

I found this free printable door hanger for Father's Day Room Service (see the pic above) here:  http://733blog.blogspot.com/2011/06/fathers-day-room-service.html .  You simply download, print, and add yummy menu items - then let dad pick what he wants for his breakfast on Father's Day.   So, you may ask, what scrumptious fare did my husband choose from the list I gave him?  The wonderful father of my children breakfasted on Grand Marnier French Toast, Baked Egg Custard with Gruyere and Chives and Irish Coffee (he picked orange juice too, but unfortunately it seemed to have gone bad so I had to throw it out). 

The menu may sound fancy, but all the dishes were pretty easy to make and most of the prep could be done the night before too which is a huge plus in my book!  The recipes are on http://www.epicurious.com/ if you are interested in trying some of them yourself. 

In addition to a lovely breakfast, we also presented him with a pretty wonderful card (because homemade cards made by one's own children are often like that) and some homemade chipolte peach gummi bears (more on that later this week).

We capped off the day with another round of delights:  Rib-eye Steaks with Blue Cheese and Toasted Walnut Butter, Sweet Potato Fries, Tomato & Avocado with Feta salad, and rich Chocolate Stout Cake with Hershey's Dark Chocolate Frosting.  Yep, it was good.  Very good.  :)  In fact, one could find oneself wishing that Father's Day was more than a once-a-year occurrence.   :)  And I am here to tell you - it CAN be.  :)  Just choose another day and celebrate all over again - I doubt your husband or father would mind. ;)

Mommy and Me Activity - Handprint Ballet Tutu

Handprint Tutu with Bow on Waist (above)

Handprint Tutu without Bow on Waist (below)

I suppose the "endless" clouds of tulle draped about my daughter's waist just looked so akin to bunches of handprints that my brain made the necessary connection between the two and the idea for this fun craft began to take shape.  With all the hundreds of thousands of other mommies of petite prima ballerinas out there, I cannot imagine someone else has not thought of this same thing - but here is our version!  So "cheers" to all the mothers out there who have spent hours making tutus for their daughters, driving to dance class, and clapping at their little one's adorable first attempts which we all hope will one day be practiced, graceful movements!  :)

Materials:  canvas (find at arts and crafts store or see link below), paint, pink paper, regular white paper, glue, ribbon or rhinestones or other embellishments.

How To:
1.  Paint a hanger onto your canvas (you may want to draw this with a pencil first)
2.  Fold a white piece of paper in half (hot dog style) and draw half of leotard shape (length-wise).  Cut this out, open it up and you should have a symmetrical leotard shape.
3.  Trace that shape onto your pink paper and cut it out.  Glue to the hanger you painted and let it dry.
4.  Paint your daughter's hands and place them on the canvas around the leotard to create a full tutu effect.  On ours, we used four handprints in a light pink first, then after those had dried, we made two more handprints on top of the light pink handprints in a darker pink shade.  Allow these to dry. (BTW:  if you are using a pre-stretched canvas, you may want to place a book under the area of canvas where your child will be placing her handprints to avoid her denting or pushing through the canvas.)
5.  Glue a section of pink ribbon and a bow around the waist of your "tutu".  Make and glue a smaller bow to the top of your leotard or the hanger.  You might also want to add other embellishments of your own to the leotard and tutu (rhinestones, real tulle, etc.).
6.  Admire and display your cutie's handprints!  :)




Linking up to:

Hello Summer! Good-Bye School...

Sooo, my daughter informed me that she would like for me to make a school for her next snack.  Out the window again went my snack plans because I cater to the whims of my children (not really - but in this case, I thought about it and decided I could make it work with an "End of the School Year" snack theme).  Now, I know you must be thinking - end of the year?!  That was weeks ago!!  Well my friends, not for us.  We have had a full year of expected and unexpected delays in school (medical, travel, etc.) so we are just finishing up now.  One reason I love homeschooling - very flexible!!!  :)
Okay, enough about our lives and more details on the snack itself:
SNACK:
School - apple, graham cracker door and roof, cheese bell.
Muffin cup #1 - blue jello stars - because of her star work and effort this year :)
Muffin cup #2 - blueberry yogurt with another "jello star sticker".
Garnishes:  chocolate letters, cheese suns, fruit roll-up and pretzel trees.

SUPPLIES:
I bought the muffin cup liners on Amazon (see link below).  The circle cutters you can probably find at any hobby or craft store that sells cake/cookie decorating items or buy online (see link below).  The spoon was part of a set I purchased at Hobby Lobby so I am not sure where else you could find one.  I tried to find something similar online and found myself drawn into the world of amazing baby and toddler spoons (who knew there were so many cool kinds out there?  I had to stop myself from looking before my links were longer than my post!) so I posted some links below to some neat ones I found as well.  :)

HEADS UP:  Tomorrow, I will try to post a cute craft my daughter and I made for hanging in her room!  Come back and take a look!!  :)

Turn That Frown Upside Down - Smile!!!

My daughter was not feeling that well today and needed some cheering up.  Thus, my original snack idea went out the window, and I started afresh with a new theme - "Turn That Frown Upside Down - Smile!"  The idea was to give her a bunch of different "smiles" with which to replace the frown on the little girl's face.
You gotta love those snacks with a double purpose - cheer the heart and strengthen the body with lots of vitamins.  I hope it does the trick and kicks this cold/allergy/or whatever it is, good-bye!!!
Details:
Face - peanut butter and banana sandwich with strawberry frown, banana and chocolate chip eyes, fruit roll-up hair and bow.
Cup of smiles #1:  mandarin oranges
Cup of smiles #2:  kiwi slices
Cup of smiles #3:  nectarine (hmm, or maybe it was a peach) slices
Garnishes:  chocolate words and avocado "smiles"

For more snack inspiration, check out the muffin tin mom website or Jill Dubien's blog under Fun Food Friday.  :)