Microwave Kool-Aid Playdough

Kid's love play-dough, but it can be expensive to keep play-dough stocked. Growing up it was one of my sister and my favorite activities. My girls are no different. They can sit and play for an hour.

My mom always made play dough from scratch. I can remember her standing over the stove making us a new batch of play dough. 

In High School I helped out in a special education preschool room. Several times during the year I made play dough for the kids. The teacher had a great recipe that could be made in the microwave and used Kool aid. I thought it was a much better recipe then the one my mom made. It smells so good and is so easy you can make it almost anywhere. 

Now that I am a mom, this is the recipe we use in our house. I makes a large batch of play dough, so all the girls have plenty to play with. 

Microwave Kool Aid Play Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 Tbs oil
4 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 cups water
1 pkg of kool aid

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Heat water and oil to boiling in a microwave safe bowl. When cool to the touch, mix together. Knead as it cools till it is all mixed and smooth.  

Taco Bake

Taco Bake is one of my family's favorite recipes. It is one of the very limited recipes that everyone can agree on. It's not healthy at all but sometimes you just need a go to recipe that will bring everyone to the supper table with smiles on their faces.

Ready to go in the oven.

Taco Bake from Two Maids a Milking

1 lb. hamburger
1 pkg. taco seasoning
8 oz. sour cream
Salsa
1 pkg. crescent rolls (8)
1 can of black beans (I added from original recipe)
1 c. shredded cheese
Doritos

First cook your hamburger meat and season it as you would for tacos.

Then layer starting with crescent rolls. I bake it for 5 minutes or so otherwise it will be slightly soggy. 

Now come the meat and beans. 

You may add a layer of sour cream and salsa if you desire. We add it on top after baking. 

Next add your cheese.

Top it off  with crumbled Doritos. I use a half to 3/4 of a bag.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes 
 

All that's left. The girls will actually eat this!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

The other day my 3 and 4 year old helped me make cookies. We had a wonderful recipe in our Answers for Preschoolers from Answers in Genesis. While making it we had a chance to talk about washing our hands before we started and measuring out the ingredients. We had a great time and we all loved the yummy cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 can of pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour
1 12oz bag of chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together as listed. Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased  cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on waxed paper.

My girls LOVED them!

Easy Kid Friendly Freezer Meal

One of my favorite new meals for nights when I don't have a lot of time, is corndog muffins. I've seen them several times on Pinterest. They are so incredibly easy and if you want to make a double batch, stick some in the freezer for later. 

Just a few easy steps. It takes about 5 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake.

1. Mix a batch of cornmeal, whatever recipe you prefer, and fill the muffin tin about 2/3 full.

 

2. Cut your hotdogs in half (or thirds if you use bun size) and place them on top of your cornmeal mix.

 3. Bake according to the cornmeal recipe. Mine was 350 for about 20 minutes. The hotdogs should be cooked through and the cornmeal muffins should be golden.

My girls and my husband love these. I like making a double batch and sticking them in the freezer. Easy to thaw out and reheat. Either stick in the oven until they are heated through or warm them in the microwave.

 

Guilty Pleasures: Baked Rice Pudding

Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Mine tend to be desserts. One of my all time favorites is rice pudding. Not just any rice pudding but the old baked recipe found in my mom's old church cookbooks. Some of my favorite recipes come from those old church and community cookbooks. 

I have made this recipe a few times as a young adult, but when I got married and started collecting recipes I love, I tried to find this recipe again and failed. My mom and I both looked through all the old and worn blue cookbooks and came up empty handed. This sent me on a quest to find the recipe online. After serching everywhere, I finally came across the recipe from Paula Dean. Finally I light at the end of the tunnel!

I cannot tell you how excited I was to try it out and even more excited that it actually turned out! Nice warm bread pudding right out of the oven on a cold winter night is such a great joy.

Baked Rice Pudding from Paula Dean

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together first 7 ingredients. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Place baking dish in a large pan; pour water into the pan to a depth of 1-inch. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until lightly browned and set. Combine cinnamon and nutmeg; sift over top of pudding. Cool slightly and cut into squares to serve.

(I stir mine every 15 minutes or so as I remember the original recipe called for so I can't cut into squares but scoop it out.)

Cookie Cutter Christmas

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is cut out cookies. It is usually the one thing besides decorating the tree that we do together. It takes most of the day to mix, cut, bake, decorate, and clean up but the memory makes it worth it.
This year I tried a new recipe I found through Pintrest. My husband loved it. It uses cake mix and since I know he loves Funfetti cake and cookies, I chose that cake mix.
 I of course had to make the cookies I have made every year and my mom made every year since I can remember. It's an old family recipe from one of those old church cookbooks sitting in my mom's kitchen. These are my all time favorites.
 So grab your kids, make some cookies and while you are at it, make some memories.


Cake Mix Cut-Out Cookies from Goodnessgracious.com

• 1 Box Cake Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Stick Slightly Softened Butter (Not Margarine or Light Butter)
• 1 t Vanilla

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients well.
2. Chill dough for 2 hours (Edited to add: Freeze for one of those hours for best results).
3. Roll out on floured surface and cut with cookie cutters.
4. Decorate as desired.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes on a greased/lined cookie sheet

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
5 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar. Add beaten eggs and vanilla to sour cream. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and soda; add alternately with liquid to creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly. Roll out and cut. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

(Any dough you are not using, put back in the refrigerator. Keep it chilled for best results.)


Frosting from Allrecipes.com

• 2/3 cup butter, softened

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 2 tablespoons milk  

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

• 4 drops red food coloring
  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, confectioners' sugar, and milk until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring. Spread on or between cookies.

Crock Pot Potato Soup

As much as I love summer and the chance to play outside with my kids, the cooler weather brings more enjoyment in the kitchen. I love stews and soups, my favorite being potato soup. I have tried many different recipes and really love this one. My kids even ate it and they are very hard to please, especially when it has anything to do with potatoes.
This is the first crock pot potato soup I've tried. With having three kids 3 and under, crock pot recipes are my favorites. I can usually throw everything in the crock pot while my youngest is napping or the kids are eating lunch. This provides a much less stressful supper hour for me and more time to spend with my kids.


Crock pot Ham and Potato Soup from Bohemian Transplant
Ingredients:
7 c. diced potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 c. diced onion (about 1 medium)
1 large carrot, chopped
2 c. ham, diced
5 c. hot water
1 Knorr Chicken Bullion cube (extra large size that makes 1 quart broth or 4 small cubes that make 1 cup each)
1 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. sour cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Add diced potatoes, onion, carrot, and ham to a crock pot. Dissolve chicken bullion in 5 cups hot water, then add this to the crock pot also. Cook on low 7 hours, or high 3 hours. Then add milk and sour cream. Stir and cook an additional 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes twelve 1-cup servings.If you'd like a thicker soup, just before adding milk and sour cream, remove 2-3 cups of the potatoes and slightly mash, then return the mashed mixture to the crock pot.

Makes 12 Servings (About 1 Cup Per Serving)

DIY: Granola Bars

Our family loves granola bars. They are a great snack and much better than candy bars. My only problem with them is that they have so many added preservatives and other ingredients I haven't heard of before. I want a healthier option for my family. I like to add crasins to sneak in something healthy and add to the flavor since my youngest and I can't have any chocolate. The others get chocolate in their granola bars and of course love it.

Below I have two different recipes. I love the peanut butter recipe and so does my family, but not everyone does or can eat it so I have also included a recipe that I enjoy without peanut butter. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate chip Granola Bars

2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pan bring the brown sugar and honey to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter. Let it cool a bit, add the mini chips, and then spread into a buttered 9×13″ cake pan.


Chocolate Chip Granola Bars from Lauren's Latest
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn’t small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Recipe Notes: If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have made them too thin or you didn’t pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. {Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they’ll become super hard!} The next time you make them, try reducing the butter to 3 tablespoons and really packing them down.

DIY: Fruit Snacks

My girls love fruit snacks, but our grocery budget doesn't always allow for extras. I also like to find healthier alternatives with less preservatives and other ingredients I've never even heard of. I came across two different recipes and both are very simple to make. 

The first recipe is the one my girls enjoy the most. It is very similar in texture to the fruit snacks bought in the stores and costs around $1.00 for each batch. Each batch will make close to the same amount as a small box of fruit snacks. 

You will need jello molds which can be found at Walmart or ice cube trays. I use ice cube trays from IKEA that have flower, heart, and star shapes. 

 

Homemade Jello Fruit Snacks Recipe: from Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
1 (3 oz) package gelatin, any flavor
2 (.25 oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/3 c. water

Directions:
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.  Pour into molds and allow to set at least 20 minutes.

I love the next recipe. It has real fruit making it much tastier and much healthier alternative.This is more grown up fruit snack that even my picky husband enjoys.

Gummy Fruit Snacks from All Day I Dream About Food

1 cup mixed berries

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup fruit juice (apple, cranberry, blueberry, whatever)

2 envelopes gelatin (1 envelope = 2 1/2 tsp)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries and water. Bring to a boil and cook until berries are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree berries until smooth. Return to pot. Add applesauce and return to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and set aside.
In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over fruit juice and let stand one minute. Add hot fruit mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour into 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish (or into molds, if you want to go that route). Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Cut into blocks or shapes.

 

Guilty Pleasures: Carmel Apple Cake

I love Pintrest and I love trying new recipes I find on Pintrest. With it being fall, apples and pumpkins are everywhere and in everything. I don't mind at all. To me pumpkin and apples are the best things about fall. I found two recipes that I've tried the past two weeks. 

The first is a caramel apple cake from Paula Deen. I received many compliments from my family. It is a very rich cake and defiantly a guilty pleasure. I came across this recipe on Pintrest from a wonderful blog called The Charm of Home. 





Carmel Apple Cake

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups diced apples, canned or fresh

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Cream together sugar, eggs, and oil.  Add flour; mix together until well blended.  Add vanilla, nuts, and diced apples.  Spread into a lightly greased and floured 
13 x 9-inch baking dish; bake for 45 to 60 minutes.  Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  When cake is done, punch holes in it with a knife and pour topping over.

Caramel Topping:

(I cut all of this recipe in half as the recipe appears on The Charm of Home, it was just way too much butter and sugar.)  This is the cut in half version.

1 1/2 stick of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1/8 cup of milk

Heat all ingredients together over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Let boil for about 2 minutes.  Pour over warm cake.

Serves 15-20