Are you looking for something simple and fun to do with your kids? I’ve got just the thing. Break all the rules tonight and be the coolest mom on the block when you let your kids play with their food! Why? New presentations break down barriers for little kids. Unknown foods become less intimidating when you can play with them. Read my post over at the Georgia Blueberry Commission to get some ideas for how you can have fun with your kids AND get them to try a new food tonight!
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A few weeks ago I hosted a snowman party for my son and some of his friends. I thought it would be a fun way to get the kids together during the weeks they (and I) were off - well, that an there’s the fact that I was looking for an excuse to host another party. 
We had fun doing all things snowman, starting with making snowman pizzas! While the pizzas cooked we did a little foam snowman craft (I picked up a simple self-adhesive foam craft kit at Michael’s that didn’t require any glue!}.
Each of the kiddos mad there own pizzas from scratch! I made the dough before they arrived. Once everyone was scrubbed up I tossed a bunch of flour on the kitchen table and let them have at it! They pressed and stretched their dough into two circles {one larger than the other} and placed them together to make them look like snowmen. They had so much fun stretching the dough all by themselves. We topped the pizzas with fresh tomato sauce and they decorated them with black olives and pepperonis {and a few of them decided to add other toppings I had for our adult pizza}. {Note: those cute snowmen drink bottles came from Walmart for just $0.97 – aren’t they too cute!?}.
After their pizzas were devoured we got down to the real reason for the party – snowman cookies! The day before the party I made a big batch of snowmen sugar cookies using my FAMOUS sugar cookie recipe {I’m telling you, this is the best sugar cookie recipe you will EVER taste!}. See the bottom of the post for my printable recipe! The day of the party I whipped up a batch of black buttercream frosting and a batch of white buttercream frosting. I had some leftover colors of buttercream frosting in the freezer (buttercream freezes REALLY well) that the kids used as well.
My buttercream frosting recipe is SO easy and so good. Some people use 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter for buttercream because it will stand up to heat better but I prefer to use all butter. It has a better taste and it doesn’t give you that greasy feeling in your mouth that shortening leaves behind. I also prefer to use SALTED butter in all my recipes … including my frosting. I think it gives it more flavor. Unsalted butter tastes flat to me. I know that most recipes call for unsalted, and maybe it is a southern thing, but we like it SALTED. On this particular day I used Plugra European Style salted butter. Plugra butter contains less water than average table butter. Lower moisture helps you create cakes that rise higher, cookies that crisp more evenly, and flakier pastries. I could really tell a difference in the look and taste of my cookies. I highly recommend it – especially for your baking needs.
1/2 cup (1 stick) of salted butter
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract
The kids got right down to business with the cookies – decorating about 5 cookies a piece. They surprised me with their skills and creativity! They had so much fun using the different frosting colors, the fun sprinkles, colored sugars, pearls candies, and licorice laces.
They worked together so well and shared the supplies so nicely. And, I only had to give Judah {my son} a new knife twice – not licking the knife after each spread of the frosting is SO. HARD. when you are just three years old.
After the cookies were finished we enjoyed eating them {of course} with a warm cup of hot chocolate. Some of the kids decided to take some of their masterpieces home with them too.
The party was a real success. The kids had a great time, the pizzas and cookies looked great, and thanks to my mom and Sally, there was very little mess when the party was over. I hope we can make this an annual tradition… it was such a great night.
1/2 cup almond paste
4 egg yolks
2 cups butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Beat the almond paste and egg yolks until crumbly. Add the butter, sugar, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Divide into 4 portions. Roll the dough in a ball and then flatten into a disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours (until easy to handle).
On a floured surface (flour is important!), roll one portion of the dough with a floured rolling pin until it is 1/4 inch thick. (Leave other portions of dough in the fridge until you are ready to roll them, they heat up and get hard to work with quickly!) Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 6 to 8 minutes (until the edges begin to brown). cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them onto cooling racks to cool completely.
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My family has been researching and learning about our Jewish roots as Christians for several years now. As a family with young children we’ve had to decide what we want for our children and how we should impart our faith into them. It has been a learning curve and I don’t have it all figured out by any means. We’ve tried things and changed things along the way and we will continue to do so.
But as of lately we have decided to spend Shabbat (or Sabbath) resting and just spending time enjoying our family. We usually take some time to read a Bible story to the kids and do a craft or activity with them to extend their learning. This gives them an opportunity to talk about and retell the story that they listened to. This is in addition to our bible study group we meet with to have an adult lesson, a children’s lesson for the kiddos, and some time for praise and worship. Since sometimes the lesson is bit over Judah’s head we decided to do something with him at home too. We also take some time during the day to pray for each other.
Last week Judah and I read the story of Daniel and the Lions’ Den. Then, we made some sugar cookies and decorated them to look like little lions. Even Eliana got to get in on the action {playing with the flour and tasting the dough 
}.
Judah requested that we take the cookies to church to share with the other kids which I though was really generous of him. We had a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that Judah has requested that we make and decorate cookies this week. LOL. We’ll see if we can make that happen.
I think they turned out kind of cute for an amateur. And, they certainly tasted great! What do you think? Do you have other ideas for things to do as we teach our littles the classic Bible stories? I’m all ears!!
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My kids are fruit crazy. They love any and all varieties of fruit. Pineapple is one of our favorites and buying it fresh is the way to go. We cut a fresh pineapple just today and made this cute boat. All you need is a fresh pineapple.
First, I cut the end and the top off. Then, I cut the the pineapple in half long ways and in half again (picture 1). Then, I cut a sliver off of each quarter – that piece is the core (picture 2). Then, I cut the skin off and cut the flesh into pieces. I skewered a couple of the pieces to make sails for the boat. Judah added two cherries to the top of the sails. Isn’t is cute?
I also used some of the fresh fruit to make non-alcoholic pina coladas for us. I added 1 cup of the fresh pineapple, 4 ounces of Coco Lopez Coconut Cream, 4 ounces of pineapple juice, and 2 cups of ice to the blender. It was SOOO delicious!
If the intimidating outer layer is what has kept you from buying a fresh pineapple – have no fear! It is WAY cheaper to buy a whole fresh pineapple than to buy peeled and cored pineapple at your local grocery store. And, it isn’t hard at all once you’ve learned how to do it. All you need is a sharp knife and a cutting board. Here’s a video how to:
Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.
Are you familiar with Biscoff cookies? If you’ve flown in a plane anytime during the past few decades then you’ve had them. There those delicious little cinnamon cookies that were/are served to the passengers. They used to be a staple, now that airlines have cut their costs they aren’t a given. I remember the first time I had a pack of Biscoff cookies. I was pleaseantly suprised by how delicious they were. I thought they would be icky gingerbread cookies (I am not a fan) but they were delicious! I wished I had a few more!
Well now those delicious little cookies from Belgium can be found on the Walmart shelves along with a fantastic spread that tastes like (and is made from!) those delicious little cookies! The spread comes in two varieties: chunky and smooth – just like peanut butter. But, this is ANYTHING but peanut butter. Actually, it doesn’t even contain peanuts! It is a vegan product. And, while it isn’t a health food, it makes a delicious little treat spread on apples, pretzels, sliced pears, waffles, pancakes, and crepes (and this is just what we tried it on!).
It is also fabulous spread across theose little Biscoff cookies. The cookies come prepackaged with two cookies in a pack which makes them a great little lunchbox treat. {Portion control! I need it with these things!}
We used the Biscoff spread to make a little treat of our own: Chocolate covered Biscoff Pretzel Bites. Here’s our video how to:
A jar of Biscoff creamy spread
Some small pretzels (we used Snyders)
Melted Chocolate for dipping
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Spread the Biscoff spread over one pretzel and then snap another on top making a little pretzel sandwich. Dip one side of the pretzel sandwich in the chocolate and lay it on wax paper to dry. Viola! A tasty little late night treat! (:
*Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.
St. Patrick’s Day is this Saturday and I’ve got a simple treat you can make with your kiddos! All it takes is some pretzels, some Hershey Hugs candies, and some M&M’s. And in just 10 minutes you’ve got a fun little treat you can keep all for yourselves or bag ‘em up and hand ‘em out at school or at the office (which is what I intend to do!). I love to give little treats out to my coworkers to say I’m thinking about you! (:
Ok, so here’s the how to:
First, have your toddler sort out the green M&M’s for this St. Patty’s Day treat. (You could use other colors for other holidays – red and blue on the fourth of July, or color coordinate for a shower or birthday party too!)
Next, place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and have the toddler place pretzels on the baking sheet. Then, have the toddler unwrap the Hugs and place them on top of the pretzels. Be prepared to have said toddler eat several handfuls of the ingredients. (:
Place the pretzels with Hugs into a preheated, 200 degree oven for 5 minutes.
Push an M&M into the Hugs. They will be a little warm. You may prefer to do this step yourself but my toddler did help without being burned.
Allow to cool on the counter or pop into the fridge for faster cooling. I wrapped mine in these cute natural brown wax paper bags (I found them at Earth Fare) with some green raffia ribbon. Easy peasy – done in a flash.
To see more cute St. Patrick’s Day ideas visit my Pinterest board here.
I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own
Last week I made some sugar cookies to get into the fall frame of mind. After seeing the project sheets that Wilton sent I was inspired to make some fun sugar cookie cut outs. {These project sheets are available where the cake supplies are at Walmart by the way}. Last time I made sugar cookies I frosted them with royal icing. Although they turned out pretty, I was really disappointed with the taste of the royal icing – especially after seeing how long it took to do! So, I’ve vowed to never waste my time again – I’m using the good stuff, butter cream icing … and lots of it.
I cut the dough into pumpkin and candy corn shapes using the cookie cutters that Wilton sent. I actually cut the cookie recipe in half since it makes so many. I didn’t have time to do that many and I really didn’t need to eat that many!
After allowing the cookies to cool I iced them with the butter cream frosting that I had colored with Wilton’s food coloring gel. I also added some fun orange sugar from Wilton as well to dress them up! I love colored sugar – so sparkly… it is like glitter and bling for food.
The recipe I use boasts that it is the best sugar cookie recipe and it is my opinion that they are absolutely right! These cookies didn’t last long, they were so yummy. I’m sure I ate my share!
:: Best Ever Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup almond paste
4 egg yolks
2 cups butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
Beat the almond paste and egg yolks until crumbly. Add the butter, sugar, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Divide into 4 portions. Roll the dough in a ball and then flatten into a disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours (until easy to handle).
On a floured surface (flour is important!), roll one portion of the dough with a floured rolling pin until it is 1/4 inch thick. (Leave other portions of dough in the fridge until you are ready to roll them, they heat up and get hard to work with quickly!) Cut with cookie cutters and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 6 to 8 minutes (until the edges begin to brown). cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing them onto cooling racks to cool completely.
Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. I used Wilton’s buttercream frosting recipe. Except, I prefer to use almond extract instead of vanilla and I use all butter instead of half butter and half solid shortening. I prefer the flavor but if you like a stiffer icing the shortening will help it to stabilize and not melt at room temperature. I didn’t have any trouble with mine melting though. Use food coloring gel to color the icing the shades you need. (It is important to use gel and not liquid so you don’t water down the icing).
I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Walmart has provided me with compensation for my time on this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Since Eliana has made her entry into this world I’ve been trying to find a little time each day to do something fun with Judah. This is usually during Eliana’s napping in the morning. I think it is important to give him a little private time with mommy and I enjoy it also.
Last week we had fun doing a few fall projects. I’ve been finding lots of great ideas on Pinterest and you can see whatI’ve been finding by checking out my boards here.
One idea I found that Judah and I did together were these delicious little chocolate covered pretzels. Chocolate covered pretzels are always a hit – who doesn’t love this salty and sweet snack?! – and we made them especially for fall to share with some friends by using Wilton chocolates in orange, yellow, and white.
I melted each color one at a time and dipped the pretzels using a skewer allowing the extra chocolate to drip back in the bowl. I put them on parchment paper to dry. My sous chef, Judah, helped by putting the sprinkles on while the chocolate was still wet. I had some sprinkles in these exact same colors that I had picked up in the fall baking stuff.
It took a little reminding to get him to ease up on the sprinkle coverage. (: I kept reminding him to “save some for the other pretzels,” and to “only use a little.” He had so much fun though.
And my sprinkle-covered kitchen floors were proof. (:
Once all the colored pretzels were done and dry I packaged them up into small little bags and added a cute sticker that read, From the Kitchen of Denise Sawyer. I purchased this digital file a while back on Etsy and now I can print and punch these cut tags/stickers any time I want.
Judah, Eliana, and I delivered these to my coworkers at Berry College the following day. Judah had fun helping me hand out our creations. And, we kept a few for ourselves too… and they were yummy!
So this week, I’m mixing it up a bit. I usually do a meal solution post every other Wednesday to share with you what is on sale at Walmart to make meal time fast – and then I give you my spin on it. However, this week I’m doing things a little differently. I’m not focusing on a meal – I’m doing dessert. And, due to the season that we’re in I want to share a fabulous (low fuss) cookie recipe that is sure to wow this season!
I’m going to break the ingredients down for you by price, like I always do for these posts. And the feature ingredient: Pistachios! {I like to think I’m on Iron Chef!}
And how am I using these ingredients? I’m making Pistachio Chocolate Batons -of course! Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that obvious. These are the cookies I made for the cookie swap and they got rave reviews. Several of the ladies said they kept these cookies all to their selves when they got home. =)
:: Pistachio Chocolate Batons
3/4 cup of butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup almond paste
1 egg yolk
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (6 oz) milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup pistachios, very finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream the butter, sugar, and almond paste in your mixer until well blended and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Gradually add flour in three additions and mix well. Roll all the dough into a ball and flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about an hour.
Divide dough into eight equal portions. Then divide each portion in half. Roll each portion with your hands like a snake on a lightly floured surface (this is the fun part) until the dough is about 12 inches long. Cut each rope into 2 inch lengths making 6 batons per rope.
Place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (I use a Silpat Nonstick Baking Mat
Microwave the chocolate until melted and smooth. Dip one end of the cookie in the chocolate then dip into the pistachios. Place on wax paper until set. Store in air tight container.
*Note- I had the hardest time finding almond paste. But, it was worth the effort to find it. None of my local grocery stores carried it. I also couldn’t find it at Michael’s – which surprised me. I did find it in two places though – Whole Foods grocery and a local cake supply store. If I were you I start there – a local cake supply or even online.
These cookies are beautiful displayed and with the green pistachios they look very festive!
This post is part of a series on Making Meals Easier for Mom (Meal Solutions). I hope you love it as much as I do! Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms, Jenn at Frugal Upstate, Heather at The Domestic Diva, and Lori at My Wooden Spoon, to get a fresh take on a new meal plan each week. Walmart has provided me with compensation and a gift card in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own.
