Cat in the Hat Treats

 Crafting is an obsession of mine. I LOVE to make things... Food is also a bit of an obsession. I LOVE eating things. Combining the two is not only a fulfilling hobby, it can become a medium of art work that can inspire and thrill people to new levels.

Part of the thrill comes from understanding ones audience. Creating a dish for my husband is far different than creating one for my children. My husband appreciates food with deep flavors and can be awed by the food's appearance in a more natural form. This is not always true for my children... they appreciate a more crafted appearance that focuses less on the taste and more on the look of the food. Of course they enjoy a decadent dish, but let's face it- they get pretty excited about mac-n-cheese from a box as well, so long as it has Spongebob or Scooby characters.


Crafting a dish for a child is more about inviting their eyes to the party, bringing something from outside the kitchen that THEY appreciate. Thematic treats or colors that are not completely 'natural'. These are all ways to thrill them and their senses- and a really crafty mom can do this while introducing them to new flavors and better for them recipes. It's all in how you go about crafting the dish.

Classroom treats are one of my favorite ways to showcase delicious goodies. Children are delighted to eat sugary snacks, but are so fun to watch as their eyes light up upon seeing a new looking dish crafted in a way that captivates their imaginations. The joy it brings them, is worth all the time preparing them. And, let's face it- that's why crafters craft! We WANT people to see our creations and be excited by them, no matter how big or small the item... that is the reason for making them.

Last year, for my daughter's first grade class, I made a treat to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. It was simple and yet VERY memorable. A winner in my (and their) eyes.

I started with my FAVORITE graham cracker recipe from Weelicious. An awesome source for simple and kid approved recipes. I've manipulated this recipe so many times to meet my needs- it is the best! For this treat, however, I left it as-is and used a small circle shaped cookie cutter to create enough hat bases as I needed. I had plenty of dough left over and I just cut out bigger crackers for my kids to eat later- no worries, they are quickly devoured around here.

While the graham crackers are cooking/cooling, I painted my marshmallows. Using a food approved paintbrush (I keep mine with my cake decorating supplies... truthfully, I purchase the green Wilton brushes because they are a specific color and have Wilton printed on them. I cannot 'accidentally' misplace or misuse them.)

To make the 'paint' I simply add a few drops of food coloring to a bit of Caro Syrup. Some people are against corn syrup- but it is all about moderation. Paint the tops and a few stripes. If you have trouble holding onto the marshmallow while painting them, pop them onto a kabob skewer! (Be sure not to go all the way through.)

After the crackers are cool, I dipped each one in white chocolate and placed them on my cookie rack to harden. After dipping, place one big marshmallow upon the melted chocolate- the chocolate will 'glue' the marshmallow onto the cracker.

Simple to make.
Fun to look at.
Educational?

It's all how you look at it!

Counting Down the Days...

In a religious setting, the Advent Calendar begins on the first day of Advent, which changes from year to year based upon the liturgical calendar. It can begin as early as November 27th and as late as December 3rd. It celebrates the first four weekends prior to Christmas, the time of anticipation and preparation of the birth of Christ. This year, Advent began on November 29th.

Most commercial Advent Calendars forgo the change of date and begin on December 1st and last until December 24th. They are the most fun for small children and help them keep track of the time until Santa brings them presents. As a mother of young children, I understand that the holiday season can be a bit overwhelming for our smallest friends. They see the decorations and the anticipation of it all can be too much. It can also seem to drag on forever... though for us, it's gone in a blink of an eye.

Giving children something special and tangible is a great way to keep them eager, involved and moving along. We have a special Advent calendar that my father gave to our family just last year (we got to replace the cheap one I bought years ago.) It is special as it is the same calendar I used as a child and it brings back many memories. I always wanted to make my own, in my true fashion, but never did. I guess it was fate that we adopted this one instead.

I like to cut small pieces of paper and insert them into various dates throughout the month to let the kids see what is coming up, it helps break up the month and give them little things to look forward to as they wait for "the big day." I also create the ever so popular, Candy Chain. I pull out 24 baggies, or cut 24 squares of plastic wrap and fill it with chocolates. I have three kids, so each baggie/wrap gets 3 pieces (of the same thing, of course). I tie them to some ribbon and hang them up around the Advent Calendar. Each night, we get to cut off one of the baggies and eat the chocolates as we move our Christmas Mouse to the next day and discuss what is coming up next.

There are many possibilities to incorporate into the Advent Calendar idea... you can note songs, poems or biblical verses each night- incorporate a Jesse Tree into the idea and discuss biblical characters. The main idea is that our children become involved and are not just waiting for something so far off into the future that it becomes overwhelming... because too much stress really has a way of taking the fun out of the whole idea of it being, The most wonderful time of the year.

Ninja Waffles *drool*

One of my very good friends turned me on to a waffle recipe so amazing, they have been dubbed "Ninja Waffles." They'll be consumed so quickly- you won't even see them disappear. They swipe in with their super goodness and make children AND mom's happy.

Yup- they really are THAT awesome. Lucky for my followers, I'm going to share the secret of the Ninja Waffle with you. Enjoy them, pass the recipe on and live in awe of the greatness that is, Ninja.

First off- this recipe makes quite a few waffles. I have an 8" round waffle iron and I get about 18-20 waffles. (actually, I have 2 8" round waffle irons... because I make these regularly and it helps to make 2 at a time.) But, no worries about the extras- they freeze up wonderfully, toast up perfectly under the broiler in less than 2 minutes, and are a PERFECT on the go breakfast food for the whole family.

See why they are so amazing? Kiss those silly little premade store waffles goodbye. These bad boys are filling and are full of good for you stuffs... just don't tell the family, they'll be weirded out.


To begin: You'll need 4 cups of buttermilk. If you're like me, you do not usually keep buttermilk on hand. The substitute is far too easy of an alternative to mess with keeping more stuff in the fridge. In your big mixing cup- add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice before measuring your milk... then, fill up to the proper amount. *this works anytime you need buttermilk- it is a 1 tablespoon to 1 cup ratio* Stir really well and let sit off to the side for 10-15 minutes.

Next you'll be mixing your dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger (a must!)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milled flax seed

In a medium sized mixing bowl, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar until well dissolved. The more you allow the sugar to dissolve into the butter, the easier it'll be to incorporate the mix into your dry ingredients. As you can see, I use a fork.

Combine 1 tablespoon of vanilla to the butter/sugar mix. Then mix in 6 large eggs- ensuring they are well blended. Slowly combine your soured milk mixture while stirring the mix so the sugar does not settle back to the bottom.

Slowly pour wet ingredients into the dry bowl. Mix well.

At this glorious point- think of your batter as a blank canvas. You can pretty much add anything YOU are willing to eat. Nuts, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, fruit and seeds all come to mind. I will personally add that the peanut butter chips are my number one. However on this occasion I added 3 cups of blueberries to the batter. *when adding fruit, you will need to grease your iron more often* The results are just so darn yummy...

As I stated above, these freeze REALLY well. As I pull them from the iron, they cool completely on my cookie rack. Then I stack them 3 high and place them in the freezer until frozen solid. I then store them in groups of 6 in gallon sized ziplock bags. They MUST be cooled before going into the freezer and they cannot be stacked very high. The taller the stack, the heavier they are... the heavier they are- the more the bottoms ones get squished while freezing. If they squish together, they'll be harder to get apart in the morning... and if you're anything like me, you do not need any added stress to your morning routine. So, just make sure those wonderful tasty treats are frozen solid before stacking them too tall.

In the morning, or afternoon, or late at night... when you are ready for a waffle, turn your oven on to broil and put the rack up high- pull out however many waffles you need, and lay them under the heat. Keep an eye on them, it doesn't take long... less than a minute! Flip once (twice sometimes... if you feel a cool spot) and you're READY!


Trust me... you'll love me for this recipe. So, you're welcome.

Crafting with Kids

One of the most common things I hear from people is, “your children must be so crafty…” This is either said to be with a look of wonder or a look of pity. The wonder comes from the people who think I put forth so much effort in this regard; the pity comes from those who see only the hassle. Well, sometimes pity comes from those who see all the effort as well, but that’s chalked up to hassle when pity is the end result.

Contrary to popular belief, crafting with my kids is one of the easiest things I do around here. The problem is what adults view as crafting as opposed to what children view as crafting. They are very different things. Adults want an end product, something to give away, use or display. Kids just want to make.

I often am told by others, “I’m not crafty” or “I have no patience for that.” Sadly, their expectation of what crafting is does not match that of the child’s. Kids want to experience the joy of cutting, gluing and exploring what can be done with the materials around them. Particularly young children, as, we must remember, the older we grow the mindset of what crafting is will change as well.

Young children are the best crafters, and the easiest to pacify. They happily take what is offered and can do ANYTHING with them. Learning to use only the right amount of glue, understanding how to bend the pipe cleaner, organizing pompoms in some made up sequence that is only apparent to a 3 year old brain, are all legitimate modes of kid craft. None of those require adult imagination or work. 

I do admit that I’m more lenient with my children and their use of glue, paint and other messy products. But I account for this and make use of newspaper, plastic bags and foil to create easy to clean up work surfaces. I know mothers that will dab glue for their children because they don’t want to deal with the mess, I on the other hand glop a big ol’ blob of glue on their working surface and toss them a handful of q-tips. I know that half the fun is trying to learn how to make it work! 

My personal advice for those that worry about what to expect when crafting with kids is simple- Have NO expectations. Seriously, you never know what you are going to get. The goal may be to make butterflies but end up with space creatures instead. No problem! You may begin the project by painting, only to discover that painting isn’t as much fun as it was last week, this week cutting things into small and nearly invisible parts is WAY more entertaining. Paintbrushes should be optional, really. The joy of running your fingers through that cool and thick substance is awe inspiring. Kids learn by feeling and doing, always buy washable and non-toxic and there is no need to be worried. Besides, baby wipes were invented for just this reason… those bad boys can clean paint off ANYTHING.

Trust me… this I know from experience.

Adults that do not enjoy crafting usually cannot let themselves go and feel at ease with their creativity. The same adults find it difficult to let go of the same feelings in regards to their children, but children are not programmed the same way. They are naturally carefree and open minded, crafting comes naturally. Expect nothing and everything will come as it should.