Pudding Paint for the kids and those rainy-indoor days!

This was a perfect afternoon activity for my kids. They loved it. I made my pudding paint with Vanilla Instant Jell-O Pudding. I split it into 4 dishes and added different food colors to each. I gave my kids each a cookie sheet for their pudding art. We used some giant paint brushes to color with. We threw in some graham crackers and marshmallows for decorating and snacking.

They loved painting pictures. The fun ended... or should I say began... when one little boy accidentally painted on his older brothers' hand. It was so much fun, he just kept on going and going. They were laughing so hard. That was their favorite part. The little boy who started it started painting on himself. When they were finished, or I was finished with it all over the floor, it was bathtime! (It's best to just do this in the diapers and underwear.)

They had a great time with the pudding paint, and I had a great time watching them and taking pictures. So if you need a fun activity for the kiddos, and you are patient enough to clean up a little mess, you won't regret it. We love making memories, and my boys will always remember this one!

Happy Spring!!!

Olympic Pizza & my new FAVORITE Pizza Crust

I love a good pizza. Friday nights are usually Pizza night at our house. It is a meal that the whole family enjoys, and I don't have to force it down! We designed our Pepperoni's to make the Olympic Rings on our pizza. We ate pizza and watched the Olympics. It was a lot of fun, and something we never do. We always eat dinner at the dinner table, and never sit in front of the TV while we eat. Our kids just ate it right up, and tried to immitate the ice skaters and their jumps. This would be a great way to close out the Olympics. Enough about the Pizza decorating, and Olympics... The crust is what I am talking about today. This crust is delicious! Chewy, crispy, crusty, and quick!!! I was most pleased with the quick part about it. You bake this pizza at 500 degrees. That scared me, but it was perfect. I can't wait to make it again tonight for another Olympic night. We are going to do some junior olympics with our kids. We are going to play games like "carry the cotton balls on a spoon", throw the ball into a jar", "balance a pose on one foot", "kitchen hockey with wooden spoons", etc... I've got young kids, so it won't be complicated at all. I am going to make medals for everyone out of canning jar lids, tied with ribbon. Then we will watch the Olympics. We'll see how it goes. Because my kids are young I try not to get my hopes up, and I don't put too much time and effort into it, in case it totally blows! So, if you want to do an Olympic party this weekend to close out the 2010 Winter Olympics, whip up this awesome pizza crust and make it festive for the closing ceremonies.

I found this recipe through The Sisters' dish at www.thesistersdish.blogspot.com , who found it at Little Birdie Secrets at www.littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com . Thanks for sharing this yummy crust! Check out their blogs. They are great!

15-Minute Pizza Dough

2 1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water (120-130 degrees, use a candy thermometer for accuracy)
1 Tbsp Rapid Ris or Bread Machine yeast (I used SAF Instant yeast with great results)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together. Add hot water and olive oil. Mix for five minutes (I used my mixer with dough hook, but you could do it by hand too). Let rest 10 minutes. Press dough on pizza pan, pizza stone, or jelly roll pan. Bake at 500 degrees for 3 minutes. Take out of the oven and cover with toppings. Return to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes more. Makes on large pizza (16-18 inches).

***I rolled mine out to fit my cookie sheet and it was perfect for an Olympic flag.

Lemony "LOVE" Potion

We had a fun Valentine's party for all the cousins last week, and this was the drink we served. I found the recipe on Family Fun's website. That is one of my "go-to" sites when I am looking for something kid-friendly. I did modify the recipe a bit, and I do have ideas to make it even better! I found these cute valentine kiddie cups at Wal-Mart, and my mom got the straws from none other than... 7-eleven. They were kind to give us 15 long slurpee straws for free! Thanks 7-eleven! The kids just guzzled these right up, and we were right there taking pictures of it all. I wish I had it on video. They were slurping, and blowing bubbles...all the things we tell them not to do at the dinner table. They would say, "On your mark, get set, go"... and they would all blow bubbles at the same time. It was a hoot. They loved it, and so did we, because they were sitting still and being quiet...other than the slurping and bubble blowing! They were having fun spending time with their cousins, and that is why we plan these parties. It is very easy to assemble, and takes little prep time. So, if you have a Valentine's party to plan, throw this onto the menu. You'll be glad you did!

Lemony Love Potion
Family Fun

12-ounce can frozen Raspberry Lemonade concentrate
1/2 gallon Raspberry Sherbet
1 liter Lemon-Lime soda (I used 1-up)

In a pitcher prepare frozen lemonade with recommended water. (Decide how much drink you want, and you will put half lemonade and half 7-up.) Pour lemonade in cup. Drop one large scoop of sherbet into lemonade and top with 7-up to fill cup and make good bubbles. Stick one red soda straw in each cup, and serve!

***I think this would be great with a pineapple sherbet, or rainbow sherbet. I liked the tarty taste that the lemonade gave it, but I probably will leave it out next time. I love the sherbet and 7-up combo. It's just like a Root Beer Float, but it's fruity. Love it! I think next time I will top them each with a nice red cherry. They would look beautiful in Sundae mugs.

Mini Cheesy Meatloaves...the better way to serve meatloaf!

For all you meatloaf lovers out there, here is a new and improved meatloaf! For all you meatloaf haters, here is a new and improved meatloaf, that will make you love meatloaf again!!! Growing up, we had our share of meatloaf...I wasn't a big fan, and never made it after I was married, until my sister shared this recipe that she got from a good family friend. I make this once a month. It is super easy, a great way to get meat into the kids, they are mini, filled with cheese, oats, and topped with a mouth watering sauce! They are delicious! I will never stray from these mini meatloaves.

Mini Cheesy Meatloaves

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

3 Tbsp onion (chopped)

Sauce

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

Combine all ingredients very well. Shape into 4 mini meatloaves, packing together very tight. Place in greased, shallow baking dish. Cover with sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

***I usually make extra sauce, because it is really tasty, and I like my meatloaves covered.

Boxed Shells 'N Cheese Makeover

We love this simple boxed meal makeover at my house. It is always gobbled up. Especially because anything with noodles my 2 year old will eat! This recipe comes from Kraft Foods, of course! Anything brilliant and yummy usually comes from them. I love the taste of the fresh basil from my garden. The garlic salt gives it a little bit of a zing, and the tomatoes give this a fresh twist on a plain boxed meal. It is so easy and quick...perfect for a summer lunch! I also love this quick Italian Garlic Bread that I just pop in the broiler. If you are looking for a quick fix meal, this is it!

Shells 'N Cheese with Tomato, Basil & Garlic

1 Box Shells 'N Cheese Dinner

1 Tomato, diced

1 handful Basil, chopped

Garlic Salt, sprinkle to your liking

Cook Shells 'N Cheese according to package. Drain and return noodles to same pan. Add cheese and stir well. Add tomatoes, basil and garlic salt. Serves 4.

Italian Garlic Bread

1 Loaf French Bread

Butter

1 pkg Italian dressing mix

Parmesan Cheese

Mozarella Cheese

Cut loaf of french bread lengthwise and butter both sides. Sprinkle Italian dressing mix lightly on both sides (I usually only use half of the package, and save the other half for the next time.) Sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozarella cheeses to your liking. Broil on high for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning, and when sides get crisp.

Hot Dogs on a Stick

One of my weaknesses is buying the magazines or little recipe books that you see when you're standing in line at the grocery store. Well, I found this in one of those. It came from a Taste of Home magazine. They were so yummy! I don't like corn dogs, so these were perfect for me. They were easy for my kids to eat too! I made five using one package of crescent rolls. On a couple I used 1 1/2 of the rolls to make sure in went to the end of the hot dog. It just depends on how much roll you want.

1 pkg. crescent rolls (break apart and roll into 15 inch ropes)

8 hot dogs

Skewers or popsicle sticks

Place hot dog on skewer and wrap roll rope around to top. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes on a well greased baking sheet. Serve with ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce or Ranch.

Around the Campfire

Campfire Macaroni & Cheese

We had planned to go to our family cabin for the 4th of July, but had a change of plans. I found this recipe and thought it would be something fun and different. We usually roast hot dogs but I needed something different. We didn't end up going to the cabin, but we decided to do use our firepit in the backyard instead. I can't believe how good it turned out. My kids absolutely loved this because they got to help put it together. Here's the link http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50385? .







Easiet S'mores Ever

This is our family version of s'mores. It's so much easier than having to break the graham crackers and chocolate bars to fit. All you need are Fudge Stripe Cookies and big marshmallows. Roast the marshmallow and place it between 2 cookies. Enjoy!

Grandma's Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

This recipe goes down in history! I never made it until I got married and lived far from family. My Grandma makes it best. It is so tasty, cheesy, and creamy. See for yourself...you have to try it out! This recipe is made by my whole family and we probably all make it differently. Here is the recipe, and how I like to make it. I probably make this once a month. My son loves "loo-loo's", that's noodles for those of you who don't know, so this is always a successful meal. It is perfect with some hot out of the oven rolls and Peas, Green Beans, or Carrots. Gotta have the veggies! I like to salt and pepper mine. If you want to throw in some meat for the kids, you can cut up cooked hot dog, or ham. Enjoy!!!

Boil water and cook 4 cups Macaroni Elbow Noodles as directed; Rinse and drain. (I always make extra noodles for my son to munch on while it is cooking, and for later.)

5 Tbsp Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
2 1/4 Cups Milk
2 1/2 Cups Cheddar Cheese

Melt Butter in medium saucepan. Whisk Flour into butter. Be careful not to let it burn on the bottom. I usually pull my pan off of the heat. Add your Milk and whisk. Stir constantly to prevent from burning on the bottom of the pan. When your white sauce is thick and bubbling, remove from heat and add 3/4 cup of Cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Grease 9X13 Baking dish. Pour drained, cooked macaroni noodles in your baking dish. Mix in 1 Cup of cheese with noodles. Add cheesy white sauce and mix well. Top with remaining Cheese and cook at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are bubbling.

Yummy Soft Pretzels!

I made these yummy pretzels last week that are so close to Pretzel Maker/Pretzel Time's pretzels it is crazy! They were really yummy. I was led to these pretzels from a website called The Crafty Crow. I love it. It has got some great craft ideas for kids of all ages. Check it out here: http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/ . You can find the recipe for the pretzels here: http://pepperpaints.com/2008/05/24/homemade-soft-pretzels/ . I sprinkled my pretzels with cinnamon & sugar, Salad Supreme seasoning, and parmesan cheese. They are really good. Try dipping them in cream cheese. You will love them, and your kids will have fun making crazy pretzel shapes with you. Enjoy!

Get ready kids, this Play-Doh tastes good!!!

These are super fun to make, and super cute too! They really do look just like Play-Doh, but they sure don't taste like Play-Doh. The cream cheese in this recipe makes these oh, so good...as does anything with cream cheese! You have got to try these. Your kids will have a great time helping roll the dough into balls, then into ropes. My 2 year old was a great helper when he wasn't tearing them apart! He sure loved eating them, and so will you!

Rainbow Play-Doh Cookie Pops

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
assorted colors of food coloring
24 lollipop sticks

Directions:

1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. tint each with a different food color. (This takes some time and fore-arm muscles, so get ready! The more the food coloring, the more vibrant the color.) Wrap each color in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place one of each color and form into a ball. (Make sure they are all sticking together well.) Shape the big ball into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Carefully insert lollipop sticks into bottoms of cookies.

4. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

I really want to switch these up with the different holiday colors. I want to throw on some sprinkles too! I've got a great recipe for some Christmas candy cane cookies that I think would be great as a Rainbow pop. I can't wait to make these for a party favor for a birthday party, baby shower, or whatever! You can really have a lot of fun with these. Goodluck, and happy play-doh eating! Fheeew... I made it through my very first post. This blog thing is new to me.