Indian Corn September Classroom Snack

My oldest daughter's classroom is doing a snack rotation this year.  We haven't done that since kindergarten, and I am excited.  Classroom snack gives me a chance to get creative for every month of the year.  Late September doesn't exactly offer a wealth of inspiration, but I finally settled on Indian Corn.

As I was preparing the snacks, she came in and said, "Mommy, all of the other moms in my class just buy junk for us and don't even care if we like it or  not. I'm glad you make things cute for us."  That, to me, makes any amount of effort that went into these totally worth it.

I knew I wanted to use popcorn for this project, but had trouble deciding how to prepare it.  I looked at several popcorn mix and caramel corn recipes. In the end, I decided that if I were a teacher I wouldn't want all that sticky everywhere.  I grabbed some Reese's pieces instead.  They ended up making the perfect fall colors for this.

What you'll need:
clear cellophane treat bags (or snack size bags if you feel brave)
green crepe paper streamer
rubber bands (or raffia)
popcorn (you can get 4-5 out of a bag of popcorn)
Reese's pieces (a family size bag worked perfect for 24)

Pop all of your popcorn and put it all in a gigantic bowl (I hate the butter on the back of the hand dilemma).  Open the rest of your supplies up to get them all ready.

You will also want to measure out lengths of streamer based on how big your bags are.  I cut two 24" pieces for each treat bag.  I also cut some additional pieces, cutting those into four long skinny pieces to tie off the tops.

Place two to three heaping handfuls of popcorn into a treat bag, then add a handful of Reese's pieces and shake.  Twist tie the bag shut with the tie provided.  Pinch the bottom corners together, roll up with the streamers, and secure with rubber band or raffia.  I had rubber bands on hand, so I skipped buying raffia.  I think it would be super cute though.  Bring the streamer ends up together in the top center so that it looks like corn husks. Then secure them with the smaller pieces of streamer you cut. (or raffia if you have it)

 

I will admit...the first two of these I made, I was ready to just roll down to the store and buy some junk and not care if they liked it or not.  After that I got a better grip on it. 

 

24 of these babies later, I felt super accomplished and had an adorable September snack for my daughter's class.  I also brought some apple juice boxes to go along with these.

She thanked me not once, but three times when she got home for how awesome these were.  I can't wait to plan and deliver next month's snack.

Monster Party Part 1: The Food

Alright, folks!  It's birthday party time!  I decided this time around to break the party up into sections, then do a recap with linkups.  Since Mondays are Meal Plan Mondays, we'll start off with the food.

I debated and debated over a birthday party theme this year.  I picked a theme, fought to fall in love with the theme, decided I couldn't get on board with it, brainstormed, came up with a new theme, and the fun started!

MONSTERS!!!

What a perfect theme for my little critters!  My little monsters turn 2 & 3 this year, and this was a fun unisex theme that everyone could enjoy.

Every party (at least at my house) has to have themed food.  Here's what I settled on.

Monster Smiles
Monster Ears (with Earwax)
Monster Teeth
Monster Fingers (with Slime)
Monster Eyes & Noses
Monster Toes

..and of course, Monster Cupcakes!!

Smiles were croissant sandwiches.  We chose Ham, Turkey, and Cheese since it pleased most of our guests.  You could pick whatever fits your crowd the best.

 

 

Ears were Wavy Lays Original chips and earwax was just chip dip.

Teeth were Nacho Cheese Doritos.  What monster wouldn't have cheesy teeth?!?!

Monster Fingers were baby carrots and celery sticks.  The slime was, of course, ranch dip with food coloring.

The eyes and noses were strawberries, grapes, and pineapples.

The toes were pigs in pretzel dough blankets.

The Monster Juice was green Hawaiian Punch and Lemonade.  We also had sweet tea for the adults who weren't into drinking monster juice.

Last but not least, the cupcakes!  I baked key lime and orange dreamcicle cupcakes from mixes that were on sale to make the monster insides green and orange.  Then I got to work with brightly colored vanilla icing, a star tip, and a grass tip (borrowed from one of our favorite cousins). For the best results on the monster fur, I recommend starting from the outside edges and working your way in toward the center.  Once you get your desired fur texture, just top each cupcakes off with one, two, or three eyes to make your monsters complete.  These were so fun, and such a great addition to our party.

This was a pretty low maintenance menu.  I just whipped up some sandwiches, threw the pigs in the oven, sliced the strawberry tops, and was ready to go.  Everything else was just open and pour.  The most complicated thing on the whole menu was the cupcakes...and those were easy peasy as well.

I can't wait to show you the details for the rest of the party!  Stay tuned for the rest of the week!  Here's a small sneak peak of the dessert/favor table to show off the cupcakes a little more.

 

 

Enjoy!

Pot Roast Perfection

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my crock-pot!

There...I said it.  I mean it, too.  There is nothing better than doing a little prep work and tossing things into the pot in the morning and then returning home to a delicious smelling house and a crock-pot full of ready-to-eat goodness.  Some days, I pull out one of my million crock pot cookbooks. Others I just throw things into a pot and hope for the best.  One thing I can always count on being wonderful is a roast.  It seems like you can throw just about anything into a crock-pot with a decent roast and come out with an amazing meal.  

For this pot roast you will need the following:

1 - 3-4 pound beef roast (this was chuck roast on sale for $3.49 per pound)

5-6 whole carrots

2-3 stalks celery

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 Tbsp Rosemary Herb Mix Seasoning (I had this from Pampered Chef...you could just as easily use a pinch each of rosemary and thyme or whatever herbs you prefer)

1-2 c beef or chicken broth (I'm easy like that)

2 Tbsp flour or 1 Tbsp corn starch(optional)

First things first....bust out the crock pot!

Yours doesn't HAVE to be camouflage like mine, but I am convinced that it makes the food taste better!



I recommend using crock pot liners...they make life so much easier.  You just drop the liner in, cook inside of it, and when you are done you just remove the bag and wipe out the condensation from your crock pot instead of scrubbing.

Now that your crock-pot is all set up and ready to roll, you will need to start with your veggies.  Wash, peel, and cut your carrots.

Tip...instead of making cute, short little ch ch ch cuts I recommend using long fluid motion to peel.  It may not sound as cute, but it makes for less of a mess, less waste, and prettier carrots.

I just blew your mind with the upside down carrots, right?




Now if you are like me...when you get your 5 or 6 carrots out, there will be something like this left in your bag of carrots.

At this point, you have two options.....wash, peel, and eat....or wash, cut, peel and throw in the crock-pot.  I LOVE carrots with my roast, so I prepped them for the pot.

Make sure you remove the tops and the tippiest little ends of the carrots.  Now, I know these are not cut with the most perfect knife cuts in the world.  What would a good old fashioned pot roast be without some good rustic cut carrots?  Don't let perfectionism spoil this for you...have fun with it!

Now, you will start prepping your celery.  Give it a good wash and begin by removing the very bottom portion.

It will leave you with a cute little piece that looks like a flower....I'm saving mine for a project, so you'll see this little guy again.  If you aren't doing the project though, you can toss this piece.

Isn't he cute?!?!


Ok, enough of that!  Go ahead and continue cutting up your celery in slices as thick or thin as you like.  I cut all of my celery to save some for another recipe.

Put the portion of celery you plan to save for later into the fridge in a bowl with a lid or saran wrap.

Now, if you are like me, take a moment to remove the blueberry muffins from the oven....what? You didn't know you had muffins in the oven? It's ok if you don't.  We can't all be multi-taskers.

Toss your carrots and celery into your crock-pot.  How did I not get a picture of that?!?!  Anyway....

Now place your meat down directly on top of the vegetables.  Mmm...look at that cut of meat...this is gonna be great.

Sprinkle onto the meat your herb seasoning mix and your onion soup mix.

Now pour your chicken or beef broth down evenly over all of this.  I used about 1 1/2 c. chicken broth.

Now toss the lid onto the crock-pot and set it to low for 8-10 hours.

Go ahead at this point and wash the dishes up from everything we just did (muffins included) so that you don't have to do it later....go on...you know you need to.  Awe, heck, just throw them into the dishwasher.  I won't tell.

Now go serve the muffins to the children.

Well...the ones that are awake anyway...

And enjoy a big cup of morning happy.

Then go about your day.  The roast will start smelling delicious right away, but don't be tempted to lift the lid.  Leave that thing alone all day long!

When the day is done, and you are ready to serve your roast, go ahead and shred the meat with a fork.

If the gravy is too runny for your taste, you can thicken it up with an easy fix.  Remove a little bit of the liquid to a small bowl and add either 2 Tbsp flour or 1 Tbsp corn starch and mix well.  Return to the pot and stir in well.  This will thicken to a more gravy-like consistency.

Now just serve over rice or mashed potatoes...whichever you prefer.  In a pinch, we have even eaten it as is.

This pot roast turned out absolutely amazing. The baby was the only one who would let me have her bowl long enough to get a picture...everyone else was too busy scarfing this down!  The carrots turned out so tender, the celery melted away in our mouths, and the meat was so tender and juicy.  I can't wait to make this again.

Oh, and, FYI....this makes awesome leftover roast sandwiches!




I hope your family enjoys this dish as much as mine did.  If you try it, let me know!

Italian Chicken Pasta

So, no matter how hard I try to be organized and have a plan for dinner....sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.  Sometimes I realize at 4:45 that I haven't taken out anything to thaw or even given a thought to what I will prepare.  I'm sure that none of you have ever experienced this lack of preparation or planning, right?  Well...some pretty great recipes have been born out of these times at our house.  These are the times when I just start grabbing things from the pantry and throwing them together haphazardly until they make a dish.  This past week, I accidentally came up with a pretty great Italian Chicken Pasta that everyone has been begging for more of.  I just had to share it with you!

Here's what you need:
1 bag Penne pasta
2 cans white chunk chicken
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 15 ounce can italian fire roasted tomatoes
1 small can mushroom pieces

Yes, I know...canned everything!  That is what happens when you don't plan ahead.

Here's what you do.

Start out by preparing your penne pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside while you
Arprepare the sauce.  In a large, deep skillet, mix together chicken, tomatoes, Italian tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Heat until boiling.  Add noodles to skillet and continue cooking until bubbly.  Add cheese if desired and serve.

That was pretty easy, right?!?!  Now look at the yummy results!

I have already added this recipe to my next shopping/menu list.  The kids and husband gobbled it up!  We had just enough for lunch the next day for the babies and me.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!

                                     

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these spoons!  The one pictured is from this set.  They just fit your hand really well.

Softball/Baseball Team Snack: Sugar Cookies with Flood Icing

This year, my oldest decided to give up dance and gymnastics to try softball.  We have had a fun year so far. Here's a shot of her hitting her first ever single at her first ever game during her first ever at bat.

Every game, a different parent is responsible for the team snacks.  Most moms bring Capri Suns or juice boxes accompanied by some sort of bagged chip or cookie.  I wanted to shoot for something a little bit more personal.  I originally intended to make baseball cupcakes.  They seemed easy enough...white icing and pipe on some red lines.  Laney, however, had a completely different plan.  She wanted baseball cookies.  The problem....I had no idea how in the world I was going to make baseball cookies.  I did some internet research and flipped through a few cookbooks before finally deciding I was up for the challenge.  You ready to make your own?  Here we go.

Tools and supplies needed for entire project:
Mixing bowls
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Baking Sheets
Oven (oven mitts are helpful too)
Cooling racks
3 ziploc baggies
a toothpick

Start with your favorite sugar cookie recipe for cut cookies, not drop cookies.  I am going to be honest here and admit that I used a Betty Crocker mix to save time.  Prepare the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to around 1/4" thickness.  Using a round cookie cutter, cut the desired size cookies.  I used my small biscuit cutter.  Transfer dough rounds onto a cookie sheet and bake according to mix or recipe directions.  Let cool on a rack until completely cooled.

For the icing, here is what you will need (per batch):

1 c. confectioner's sugar
1 Tbsp. light karo syrup
1 Tbsp. milk (plus a little extra for flood batch)
One drop of lemon juice
Red food coloring (only for laces batch)

Mix up your first batch of white icing using 1c. confectioner's sugar, 1 Tbsp karo syrup, and 1 Tbsp milk and one drop of lemon juice.  The acidity in the lemon juice cuts the sweetness by just a teeny bit and adds depth to the flavor of the icing.  You will not taste lemon when you eat them. You may need to add about a 1/2 Tbsp more milk if the mixture is too thick.  Transfer this mixture into a ziploc baggie and snip off the very tip of the bottom corner so that you can use it like a fancy piping bag.  Trace around the outside edge of the top of your cookie, making sure to close the circle all the way. Somehow, I didn't end up with a photo of this step.

While that is drying, mix up a second batch of icing.  This time, you will need to add around a tablespoon and a half of milk to the original recipe in order to get the consistency needed.  You want it to flow freely without being really runny either.  Good rule of thumb is that if you scrape a spoon across the bottom of the mixing bowl, you want the line to fill in within five seconds.  Transfer this batch of icing into a new ziploc baggie, snipping the corner as we did before.  This time, you can cut a little more of the corner off since this step requires less precision.  Pour a generous amount of this icing inside of the ring you drew onto each cookie.  After the first one or two, you will get a feel for how much it will take to fill the circle up without going overboard.  Once you have poured the icing in, use a tootpick to spread the icing to the edges of your outline and pop any air bubbles that may be present.  I did about 8 of these at a time until I finished.  The icing starts hardening fairly quickly, so I don't recommend doing too many more than that before smoothing with a toothpick.

This step will take a little longer to dry, so I worked on the rest of the snack while I was waiting.  I'll tell you about that when we finish working on our cookies.

When the icing has set up from your last step, go ahead and mix up a third and final batch of icing.  To the original recipe, you will not add additional milk.  You will add red food coloring.  (I recommend a gel coloring as opposed to a liquid due to the changes in consistency it will make to your icing.  You will see that my icing spread a little more than I would have liked because I used liquid coloring.)  Once again, transfer the icing into a plastic bag and snip the corner.  This time, you will want to snip only a tiny bit so that you have a finer stream of icing coming out.  Carefully draw your lace lines onto each cookie.  Moving quickly and confidently works best for this.

I left my cookies just like this, but if you wanted, you could add the detailed lace lines.  I just felt like it was a little too much.  Had I used gel coloring rather than liquid, I possibly would have like the result better.

As you can see, some of my cookies have little drip drips or crooked lines.  Never let perfection ruin a good project.




I made enough of these that each player had three cookies.  Once the cookies had completely dried (just under an hour) I stack them three high in red and white cupcake liners for easy transport.  In addition to the cookies, I also gave each child a Capri Sun and a baggie of pretzel stick "bats" with a "great game" note attached.

While my flooding step was setting up, I made and printed the little business card sized notes that said "great game," filled snack sized bags with pretzel sticks, and stapled the notes to the baggies.

I was very pleased with how everything turned out, and the other parents all had a fit over how cute it all was.  I hope your snack day is as much of a success as mine was.

Chalupa Roast: A 5 Ingredient Crock Pot Favorite

Growing up in a town near an Air Force base, you get used to people coming and going frequently.  As a result, you can experience many different things from all over.  My family picked this recipe up from an airman who visited quite a few years back.  I'm not sure where his family began making it, but I am sure glad that they did.

This recipe is easy to throw together in the morning to have a great meal waiting in the evening.  It has a really nice southwestern feel to it while still being kid friendly.

Here is what you need:
1 three to five pound pork roast (I have done this with different size roast and I have done it with beef roast...turns out great no matter what...we just prefer the pork roast...the roast pictured is actually with a pork loin roast)
2 cans Ranch style beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 small (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Here is what you do:

Layer all ingredients in the crock pot in the order listed.  DO NOT STIR! Cook on low in crock pot for 8-10 hours.  Shred roast and stir.  Serve over hot rice or over tortillas.

My family actually eats this two days in a row (sometimes three).  The first day we serve it over rice.  The next day, after the juices have soaked in, we serve it in tortillas with sour cream and other toppings.  My husband sometimes just throws it in a bowl and has at it.  Every family member has their own favorite way to enjoy this dish...but the point is that they all enjoy it!

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine has!

Chicken Thighs and Veggies: Crockpot

I have seen several variations of this recipe online, so I adapted my own for our family.  Chicken thighs were on sale recently for 99c per pound.  Actually, had I waited, they had leg quarters this week for 60c per pound that just needed to be cut.  Can't pass up deals like that!

This was super easy to throw together in the crock pot, and my family LOVED it!  Everyone wanted seconds and asked could we make it again soon.  In a family of five...that is winning.

This also made the house smell REALLY good!

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken thighs (about 1 1/2-2 lb)
5-7 red potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
2 c. baby carrots
2 c. chicken broth
1-2 Tbsp Greek seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Directions:
Place sliced onion into bottom of crock pot.  Layer in potato slices and carrots.  Sprinkle with half of the Greek seasoning and desired salt and pepper, then pour in chicken broth.  Coat chicken thighs with desired salt and pepper and remaining Greek seasoning.  Rub on paprika generously.  Add chicken to crock pot.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Serve hot & enjoy!

I hope your family enjoys this one as much as mine did.  I plan to prepare it again soon.  The chicken thighs were so fall apart tender that the bones literally slipped out and were in the bottom of the crock pot.

Casual Mexican Dinner Party

My husband and I rarely get the opportunity to have people over to our home, so when we do I like to make it a big deal.  I always want people to feel special when they come here.  I want them to feel like they are worth being put on for.  When I started planning this dinner party for friends of ours, I knew Mexican food was the way I wanted to go.  We were feeding not only adults, but teenagers and children as well so it had to be something that crossed the age gap.  So here is what our plates looked like....

Yum!  Our dinner consisted of a salad with some interesting add ins, open face chipotle cheese quesadillas, mexican cheesy rice casserole, refried beans, and steak fajitas.  Then for dessert we had chipotle chocolate toffee!  Party in your mouth!

This toffee was sweet and spicy and crunchy and creamy and a whole bunch of other delicious words too.  It was such a taste adventure.  You see candy and start out tasting sweet and then the subtle spicy bite kicks in and is such a surprise.  Everyone LOVED this.

Let's start out with the recipes and then I'll give you a game plan.

Red Onion, Avocado, Mint Salad

2 heads romain lettuce, chopped
one red onion, sliced thinly, halved, separated
3-5 oranges, peeled and separated
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
8 mint leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch sugar
1/3 c. olive oil

Chop lettuce and place in a large salad bowl.  Prep and add onion, oranges, and avacados.  Toss.  Top with mint leaves.  Mix remaining ingredients well and dress right before serving.


Open Face Chipotle Cheese Quesadillas (the kids call these Mexican Pizza)

4-5 large flour tortillas, burrito size

Olive oil

2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 tsp adobo sauce from can

1/2 c. roasted red peppers, finely chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

Monterey Jack cheese, about 2 cups

Brush olive oil over the tortillas.  Mix next 5 ingredients together well and spread over the tortillas in desired amount.  Please know that this can get spicy quick if you put too much of this.  Top each quesadilla heavily with cheese.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 6 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

Mexican Cheesy Rice Casserole

2 packages Mexican Rice Mix (I used Knorr's Fiesta Sides)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 cup sour cream
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Make rice according to directions.  In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, half of the cheese, onions, sour cream, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to a 9x13 dish and sprinkle with paprika and remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

Refried Beans....dump....heat....serve...yeah, I cheat sometimes too.  :o)

Steak Fajitas

1/2 c olive oil
12 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c lime juice
4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 lbs flank steak (unless something better is on sale...this time I got to use sirloin)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 large bell peppers cut into thin strips (use different colors for a prettier display...I had green and red in the freezer)
2 large onions, sliced and separated
1 1/2 tsp oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c minced fresh cilantro
10 inch flour tortillas
Any desired toppings: salsa, guac, sour cream, etc

Combine first six, cover, and chill for at least 8 hours to marinate.  Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium.  Add peppers, onions, and oregano.  Cook until translucent (around 12 minutes). Add remaining minced garlic and cook 2 more minutes.  Stir in cilantro and set aside, keeping warm.  Remove steak from the marinade and grill for 5 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.  Cut into thin strips.  Serve with onions and peppers on tortillas with desired toppings.

Chipotle Chocolate Toffee

1 1/4 c butter (I like to use salted for contrast)
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/3 c water
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped chipotle pepper plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce from can
2 c almonds, chopped
1 c dark chocolate morsels

Melt butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat.  Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt.  Cook until sugar dissolves.  Place a candy thermometer in the pan, increase heat to medium and add pepper and sauce.  Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly or until thermometer reaches 290.  Remove from heat and pour onto a jelly roll pan spreading to 1/4" thickness.  (I find it helpful to have the pan be warm so that the mixture doesn't harden too quickly)  Sprinkle chocolate morsels over toffee mixture.  Let stand two minutes, then spread the chocolate with a spatula.  Let cool completely, then break into pieces like brittle.


This all sounds like a good bit of work, but with a well laid out plan, it can be pretty simple.  Here is what I did...

Day Before:
Marinate Beef
Assemble Cheesy Rice Casserole and refrigerate
Prepare Toffee

A few hours before:
Prep and bag salad ingredients and dressing and refrigerate

1 hour before:
Saute Onions and Peppers for fajitas

30 minutes before:
Bake Mexican Cheesy Rice
Begin cooking refried beans

Last Minute:
Grill and slice steak
Prepare Quesadillas
Toss & Dress Salad


ENJOY!  We had so much fun sharing this meal with our friends.  I wish I had gotten pictures of all of us together.  Afterward, we built a fire in the fire pit and let the kids roast marshmallows.  I hope your guests or family will enjoy this meal as much as we did.