Monster Munch

Monster Munch! A fun spin on chex mix!! My kids and their friends loved it!

Monster Munch
5 ounces pretzels
2 ½ cups Apple Jax Halloween version
2 ½ cups Corn Chex
2 cups M & M's chocolate candies Halloween edition
2 cups white chocolate chips (12 ounce bag)
1 ½ Tablespoons vegetable oil
Candy eyeballs

In a VERY large bowl (or two medium bowls), combine the first 6 ingredients. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat white chips and oil on high for 60 seconds (you could also melt chocolate and oil in a double boiler pan).

Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds and stir until completely melted and smooth (you may need to microwave for a couple more seconds).

Pour melted chocolate over cereal mix and stir until all the cereal is evenly covered with white chocolate.

Spread cereal mix on 2 large baking sheets (I used cookie sheets) lined with wax paper.

Let cool and then break apart into chunks.

Store in an airtight container.

*This time I added Hocus Pocus cereal (it has purple, orange and green cereal and tiny cereal marshmellows)

Homemade Butter

My kids are on Spring break this week and because this is the first time we haven't taken a vacation during Spring break, I've been challenging myself to come up with fun and interesting ways to keep my kids entertained. We've been reading the Little House on the Prairie series and I thought it would be fun to tie this into that time period.

Today, we made homemade butter!! We used my KitchenAid for a big batch - and while that was churning, each of the kids had smaller amounts of this recipe in jars with 3 marbles in the jars to help agitate the butter and make it easier for them. It was a good lesson as they each shook their jars to realize how much effort went into making butter "in the olden days" when people used a churn instead of an electric device.  

Homemade Butter
1/4 c milk
1 shredded carrot*
1 qt heavy cream
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp table sugar

1. Peel & finely grate a carrot (*or do what I did and just buy shredded carrots and use about 1/2 c from the bag). Heat in small saucepan with 1/4 cup milk until milk is bubbly. Put the carrots in a clean cheesecloth (I actually used a cloth napkin) and pour the hot milk over the carrots into the bowl of your stand mixer. Squeeze all the milk out of the carrots. Discard shredded carrot.

2. Pour cream into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add salt and sugar. Cover mixer with a towel it will be a little messy. Set mixer on low (2) and let the paddle do the work.

3. Continue mixing, checking on mixture frequently. It will first turn to whipped cream, then begin to get grainy and separate into butter and buttermilk. The butter is ready when it sticks in a clump to the paddle.

4. Strain the buttermilk off of the butter.

5. Using your hands or a spatula, press out excess buttermilk under cold running water until water runs clear. Shape into stick or ball. Butter will keep covered in refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Serve with bread and enjoy!

**The butter we shook in jars didn't turn out as firm as the butter from the KitchenAid - not enough elbow grease I guess.

Number of servings (yield): Approximately 1 pound of butter + 3/4 cup of buttermilk

April Fools Food Ideas

I realize April Fools came and went a week or so ago - but I want to get these ideas and pics in the book.

The "SUSHI BAR" rice kris pies, jelly worms, skittles, licorice, swedish fish…

Each child makes their own "roll"according to their tastes...

 Maisie is always the most creative and neat. She wants her faux roll to look just like a real one...

 Izzie is the greedy one. We don't eat a lot of candy around here - unless it's for a special occasion - so when she gets the chance - she goes for it!!

 Jack likes to keep his food separately - ALWAYS. Food doesn't touch another type of food on his plate - see those separations?

Kids favorite "jello" juice - I'm surprised that there is always on of them that fall for it every year...

 This lil one was super excited before she even knew what it was - "there is something red in my cup!"

Maisie made "cupcakes with frosting" which are really meatballs with sweet potato sauce

 Other fun things we've done in years past are hamburgers made by cutting cupcakes in half and decorating them with frosting, m&m's served with bread sticks rolled in butter then sugar and cinnamon. cut them in half and serve in half an envelope.

Last year I bought two new sponges and decorated them with frosting and sprinkles. First I had the kids try to each cut a slice. Then I sliced it in half and without getting the joke - they all took a bite!

I've done this one every year for several. Sometimes I do it the night before after the kids go to bed, sometimes I do it while they are at school, sometimes I do it while they are at extracurriculars - bc they don't know when to expect it - it always makes them laugh when they find all these goggly eyes on every single container in the fridge!!

Deviled Egg Chicks

Today, my girls and I made these fun deviled egg chicks! Easy peasy. Make your favorite deviled egg recipe - I made mine today with mayonnaise, mustard, pickle juice, salt and pepper... yum!

Cut your hard boiled eggs in the top section of the egg in zig zags. I used a pairing knife to make it quick work. Scoop out the yolks and add the other ingredients. Whip until smooth. I put the mixture in a small ziplock back. Squeeze all the mixture to one bottom corner of the bag and cut the very tip. This makes it easy to "pipe" the yolks into the eggs.

Use diced olives for eyes and shredded carrots for the nose. Fun, easy and delicious!