Been There, Pinned That

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bites

2012-02-08T21:17:00.002-08:00

I recently had a party where I needed some sort of dessert. I didn't want to bake, and I didn't want something straight off the shelf.

While I was wandering Cost Plus World Market the day before the party, I saw this cool toothpicks with knotted bamboo at the decorative end. And it struck me (an idea - not the toothpick): I could do a dessert skewer!

Thus, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bites were born.

Ingredients:

Strawberries - cut into halves or quarters, depending on size

1 Sara Lee Pound Cake - cut into bit-sized cubes

Candy chocolate (or chocolate chips and a spoonful of Crisco)

1. Skewer alternating chunks of pound cake and strawberry

2. Melt chocolate in microwave - stirring often.

3. Drizzle chocolate over skewered food (skewers should be placed on wax paper or something similar for this step).

4. Let set.

Dinner Braids

2012-02-08T20:52:00.003-08:00

I was bouncing along Pinterest one day recently when I came across this idea to stuff dinner inside a bread braid. I thought about how lazy I am when it comes to baking breads. And how generally lazy I am in making dinner when I have no other adults to feed any give night. So, I immediately wrote off the bread braid idea.

One night while staring at my fridge - praying a fully prepared dinner would randomly show up on a shelf - I noticed a tube of Pillsbury crescent dough. You know, the kind that rolls out in one whole sheet. And that's when I realized I, too, could be fancy!

Bread Braid:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Unroll crescent dough. Roll out or press out slightly with fingers.

3. Fill center third with whatever filling you want (see below for ideas)

4. Make cuts about an inch apart along the remaining two-thirds of the dough.

5. Braid pieces over each other.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Simple, right?

Isn't it pretty?

Filling Ideas:

- Ham and cheese

- Pesto, mozzerella & sliced tomato

- Peanut butter, banana, and jelly

- Small meatballs, marinara, mozzerella

- Pizza fillings

- Grilled veggies and cheese

- Taco fillings

Go Try it. See how awesome it is. Everyone will think you're fancy, too!

If you try any other fillings, let me know! I love new ideas!

Brownie Bottom Cupcakes

2012-02-08T20:42:00.003-08:00

The premise: A cupcake with a layer of brownie on the bottom

The reality: A cupcake with brownie on the bottom

Here's my attempt at here. I'd say it worked out. It was yummy and easy to make. Two boxes of mix. Twice as many cupcakes as normal. All around, it's a simple, lovely way to make a "fancy" cupcake.

Rolos Butter Bars

2012-02-08T20:32:00.003-08:00

I'm addicted to a blog called Cookies and Cups. This chick makes super yummy looking desserts. I'm a fan. I haven't tried everything on her blog, but I have stared at the screen and drooled for hours. Of the few things I've made, they've been winners...

Except this one:

The blogger did a series on desserts using cake mixes. I'm not a purist. Cake mixes rock my world. So, I showed the pic of the Rolos Bars to my officemate and he started drooling. So I made them. And they weren't that exciting. They tasted an awful lot like cake mix and Rolos. I guess I imagined a buttery, caramelly, chocolately goodness. And it just wasn't that.

I know I didn't botch the recipe (read it - you'll see why you can't botch it.) And I know the author of Cookies and Cups knows her stuff. But even when you're the best whatever-er in the world, you're going to make something less than a homerun every once in a while.

Now, I must get off the computer before I drool over her other blog entries.

Quick and Easy Appetizers

2012-02-08T20:23:00.002-08:00

For years and years I've gone to this easy-peasy appetizer recipe for all my party needs. I throw everything in a crockpot and then just leave it to do its thing while I get ready for the party.

Cocktail Meatballs:

Put into corckpot 1 jar (10oz) of chili sauce, 1 jar (12 oz) of grape jelly, and one package of frozen, cooked meatballs or lil smokies. Set crockpot to low for at least two hours.

Serve from crockpot with slotted spoon or toothpicks.

Moosetracks:

Why not put both meatballs and lil smokies in the crockpot? It's yummy and is a good source of giggles for the right (immature) crowd.

Anniversary Gift

2012-01-21T20:50:00.003-08:00

The day after my 9th wedding anniversary I wandered through the journal/gift section of Barnes and Noble and picked out a journal similar to the one here.

Starting that very night, I started a journal for my husband.

The first page was a 10th anniversary love letter, explaining what the journal was and why I was doing it.

Then, every night of our 10th year of marriage, I wrote a journal entry. Most were short and sweet, some were long and wordy. But each one was a declaration of my love. And I always made the subject of the entry something that either he did, didn't do, said, or even something I saw/heard that reminded me of him.

The journal turned into 365 expressions of my love. Someday the only thing I could write was "The text message you sent me today made me pause for a minute in the middle of my crazy work day and remember why I work so hard when I'm away from home."

Other days, when we weren't communicating exactly as the perfect married couple should, I wrote something along the lines of "We're not happy with each other right now. In fact, I'm pretty unhappy with you. But that's why I'm writing this. No matter how frustrated I am with you, I know the feeling is this strong because I love you that much."

On our 10th anniversary, I wrapped up the journal and handed it over.

Still, almost a year later, Mr Moose will pull the journal out and read the words I wrote well over a year ago and understand the many different ways I love him and appreciate him.

Now, the trick is - at least for me - to figure out what to get him for our anniversary this year. Any suggestions?

3 Minute Bracelet

2012-01-21T20:34:00.002-08:00

I was test-driving another project when I decided to take a break and wander through my craft supplies. I found some grosgrain ribbon and another strip of ribbon/trim of huge flowers (easily found in the by-the-yard ribbon area of your local fabric/craft store). I grabbed my needle and thread and a snap closure. That's it. Easy peasy.

Step 1: Cut off excess mesh backing from the flower/embellishment

Step 2: Cut ribbon about an inch bigger than the wearer's wrist.

Step 3: Sew the flower/embellishment to the ribbon by hand.

Step 4: Sew each half of the snap closure to the ends of the grosgrain ribbon.

Step 5: Snap on the wearer's wrist.

Moose Tracks:

This really did take me three minutes to put together.

The sewing doesn't need to be amazing or precise (thank goodness.)

I'm going to be making another one of these in a day or two because I want to see how it reacts with a spray or two of fabric stiffener.

I also want to see if it works better with some other form of closure. The snap closure works great, but I'm too lazy to really sew it down to make sure it doesn't come back up.

DIY Feather Flats

2012-01-21T20:11:00.002-08:00

All over Pinterest I've seen people pinning heels with trendy feathers attached in different ways. And I've loved them all. But I don't wear heels - for a multitude of reasons. So, my brain started churning and this is what I came up with: Feather Flats.

Materials:

Two feather fascinators (easily found in the jewelry/headband making section of your favorite craft store)

A pair of color-coordinating cloth flats (see Moose Tracks for thoughts on leather flats)

Sewing thread in a coordinating color

Heavy-duty needle

The feathers I found are the type used to make your own headband. The are glued to a backing and have loops the headband slides through.

Step 1: Remove any sort of decoration on the show in the area where you want to apply the feather. Use a seam ripper or small scissors.

Step 2: Using the needle and thread, sew the feathers to the shoes.

Step 3: Show those babies off!

Moose Tracks:

I needed a thimble to help push the needle through the shoes and the feather. It wasn't difficult, but it's painful to push a sewing needle with bare hands.

If I can find some skinnier feathers (in a color/pattern I like, of course), I'd like to try wrapping/sewing the feathers around the heel of the flat.

I'm not a seamstress. I'm a lazy crafter. Because I used the right color blue thread, you couldn't tell how well I did or didn't sew. I made sure to get the edges of the feather fascinators and didn't worry about the center.

I did learn that any sort of large space between stitches results in a weird sensation on the foot.

If I'd had leather flats I'd probably have tried attaching the feather fascinators with some sort of adhesive cement that works on fabric and leather. Maybe I'll try that next time.

My total investment for these hip, trendy shoes was $9 for the flats and $4 for the feathers. So, pretty cool shoes for $13, right?

Last-Minute Creamy Penne with Chicken & Broccoli

2012-01-21T19:47:00.003-08:00

I have young kids. Two beautiful boys. And as much as I love them, I'm starting to notice that they depend on me. Greatly. Like how they want dinner every night, even though they were fed lunch, breakfast, and a snack or three. They still want dinner. Why is that?!

Well, until I can solve the problem of them having to eat so regularly, I chose to work on the problem of what to feed them. Some nights I just don't have it in me to make a four course meal for two little guys (hubs works nights. I don't feed him during the week, in case you were wondering.)

Last week I threw together some stuff and it turned out to be a pretty good dinner.

Last-Minute Creamy Penne with Chicken & Broccoli

2 chicken breasts (no need to be thawed)

1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

2+ cloves minced garlic (or equiv amount garlic powder)

1 - 2 C broccoli florets, frozen

2-3 C Penne Pasta

1 C cream, half and half, or milk

2-4 Tbsp butter

1/4 C parmesean cheese

Diced tomatoes for garnish

Parsley for garnish

Dice frozen chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken, salt, pepper and garlic.

Brown chicken.

While chicken cooks, boil water for pasta.

Cook pasta and broccoli according to directions on pasta box/bag.

Just before pasta's done, scoop 3-4 ladelfuls of pasta water into chicken.

Add cream, butter and parm.

Stir until sauce thickens slightly.

Add in drained pasta and broccoli. Stir to coat.

Sprinkle with minced/julienne/chopped parsley and fresh diced tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Peach Bread (Canned Fruit)

2012-01-21T19:41:00.004-08:00

Peach bread. It's made of yum.

Have I told y'all I live at high altitude? It means some of my quick breads fall in the middle. But they're still baked wonderfully and are super yummy. I like to think of it as a feature of quick breads I make.

Without further ado, I bring you another bread recipe for canned fruit.

3 eggs

2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 C vegetable oil

3 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp orange zest/dried orange peel

2 C diced peaches, drained

1/2 C walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

Grease and flour bread pans (this recipe makes the equivalent of 2 8x4 inch loaves).

Beat together all wet ingredients.

Add in dry ingredients until combined.

Fold in peaches.

Pour or scoop batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Note: For 8x4 loaves it's about an hour. For mini loaves I tend to get it done in just under 35 minutes. Muffins take 18-25.

Moose Tracks:

When you find something that works - stick with it. Peach bread is a variation on a theme of the Ginger Pear Blueberry Bread. See what I did there?

Ginger Pear Blueberry Bread

2012-01-21T19:26:00.003-08:00

It turns out I have a bunch of canned fruit. And I don't necessarily enjoy popping open a can and going at it. So, I've been trying to find ways to use the fruit. Here's one of the ways that's turned out darn good:

Ginger Pear Blueberry Bread

3 eggs

2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 C vegetable oil

3 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp lemon zest/peel

1 1/2 C diced pears, drained

1 C blueberries

Preheat oven to 350

Grease and flour bread pans (this recipe makes the equivalent of 2 8x4 inch loaves).

Beat together all wet ingredients.

Add in dry ingredients until combined.

Fold in pears and blueberries.

Pour or scoop batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Note: For 8x4 loaves it's about an hour. For mini loaves I tend to get it done in just under 35 minutes. Muffins take 18-25.

Noon Year's Eve Party

2012-01-02T20:29:00.006-08:00

My boys go to bed relatively early, regardless of what day the calendar says it is. Yet it's important to me to celebrate holidays with them. Which means New Year's Eve presents a problem for me. I don't even want to stay up until midnight, and there's no way I'm going to entertain my grumpy, tired children way past their bedtime. So, I came up with Noon Year's Eve. And when I say I came up with it, I mean 6 days until the new year I decided to go all out and throw a party. With a little more planning, some things would have been done differently. I'll explain those as I go along.

The invitations - a confetti cannon. Blog post all about that can be found here.

The decorations:

The New Year's banner at the top of the post. Ideally I'd have modified it so it said Noon Year. But on 6 days (three of which I had to work), it was good enough straight out of the package.

I chose paper lanterns (unlit) to hang above the food area. I used 3M's Command Adhesive and hooks to hang up the lanterns (strung with fishing line). The color scheme was multicolored, is I have two multi-colored ones and a bright green lantern, all from Cost Plus World Market.

I covered my island with a tablecloth cut to fit the odd shape. It kept the countertop clean and kept anyone from noticing the flaws in my laminate counters.

The dining and craft area was pretty simple. Above the table I hung foil spiral stars (3 pack for each color, available at Walmart).

From the light fixture I hung some sparkly balls. These I bought from Cost Plus in an after Christmas clearance sell. If I had to make them I'd get some sequins and foam balls from a craft store and just go at it.

The centerpiece was a cheap flowerpot and flower foam. I stuck after Christmas clearance sparkly things into the foam, and then covered the foam with multi-colored foil-covered candies. Easy peasy.

Crafts: Around the centerpiece above you'll see a collection of picture frame sets. They're little printed frames with markers. I found them in the $1 aisle at my local craft store. I was actually looking for foam frames and foam stickers.

I also had available a large bowl of random plastic beads and some elastic cord for do it yourself kid jewelry.

For party favors I went simple. A multipack of kid's star-shaped sun glasses (15 for $5.99 at my local party supply store) and some glow in the dark bracelets ($1 for 15 at my local craft store).

For the countdown, I also provided an assortment of New Year's party hats. If I'd had more time, I'd have made my own hats that said Noon Years.

Food (sorry for the bad pics):

I found some cute framed chalk boards at Cost Plus World Market. I used these to provide the menu to guests.

Lunch was a nacho bar. I had nacho cheese in one crockpot and chili in another, I also provided chips (I used some red/green Christmas ones, mixed with some yellow and blue tortilla chips), sour cream, jalapenos and salsa. Nachos could be dished up in standard nacho dishes (the red and white kind found at football games. You know the type.) The nacho bowls were easy to get at my local craft store. I provided smaller animal face bowls from Walmart. They were easy to find in the paper goods aisle.

Dessert was a popcorn bar. I used pre-popped popcorn in popcorn boxes (craft store.) I had set out different popcorn flavorings (cheese, caramel, butter, and cinnamon sugar), along with lots of yummy mix-ins (mini Oreos, mixed nuts, mini M&Ms, and gummi bears) The kids loved being able to choose their own mix-ins.

We counted down to Noon, and then had a balloon drop (Instructions here.)The kids had a blast playing with the balloons for at least a half hour.

And that, my readers, is how the Moose household celebrated Noon Year's Eve.

The party was a success, was easy to set up, and even easier to clean up (aside from the 91ish balloon still scattered in my livingroom). We started at 10:30AM and said goodbye to our last guests around 1pm. It was short, sweet, and - most importantly - perfect for getting everyone to bed on time. We'll be doing it again next year - maybe a black and white theme for 2012...

DIY Balloon Drop

2012-01-02T20:18:00.004-08:00

For the Noon Year's Eve party I wanted something big to happen at Noon. And what kid doesn't love a gazillion balloons?! So a balloon drop it is.

I used a standard paper tablecloth - the kind with a plastic backing, a piece of yearn about 10' long, a hole puncher, 91 balloons, and some confetti.

Step 1: Cut tablecloth in half to create two almost squares.

Step 2: Along the cut edge of each half, punch holes, approx 1" apart.

Step 3: Thread yarn through holes, creating a "zipper" through the middle of the tablecloth, making sure to leave most of the yarn hanging from one side (this will become the ripcord when it's time for the drop).

Step 4: Hang the tablecloth from the ceiling. Duct tape works perfectly for this. We used command adhesive and some plastic hooks. Just make sure you hang it so there's some slack in the tablecloth. That's where you'll put the balloons.

Step 5: Blow up balloons until your lungs hurt and your fingers are raw from tying the darn things. I used 91 balloons - a mixture of 7" and 9".

Step 6: Place balloons in tablecloth.

Step 7: Throw confetti on top of balloons.

When it's time for the balloon drop, quickly pull the yarn ripcord. The balloons and confetti will drop. And the kids will love it (adults too!)

Silly Elfkins (Part 2)

2012-01-02T20:00:00.002-08:00

The continuing saga of Elfkins, our Elf on the Shelf.

Again, some ideas are found from the pictures on Pinterest. Some are my own.

Elfkins didn't quite make it back inside before Toddler Moose woke up. Good thing he flies with his ear muffs and scarf on! Silly Elfkins.

Elfkins brought a new puzzle to play with. He even almost finished it by the morning. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins hid out on a wall sculpture. This particular one is about 9 feet off the ground. Silly Elfkins.

Elfkins dusted our fan, but got caught up there when Toddler Moose woke up the next morning. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins hid Toddler Moose's stocking and replaced it with one he made at preschool. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins started building a snowman army out of Marshmallows, toothpicks and Sharpie Markers. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins doesn't know the password to the iPad, so he had to go with the physical Angry Birds game. Silly Elfkins!

Toddler Moose woke one morning to find Elfkins in the midst of partying hard. He was caught with pretzels everywhere and even a few Hershey's Kisses. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins used some glitter to make a snow angel. Silly Elfkins!

The night of my birthday, Elfkins found himself helping to hang my birthday sign. Silly Elfkins!

Not shown (the only picture I didn't get): Elfkins brought us a gingerbread train kit, and he even took the time to frosting-glue the pieces together. He must have known how impatient we are with that step in the process. Silly Elfkins!

I have it on good authority that Elfkins will likely stop in a few times throughout the year to check on the boys.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

2012-01-02T19:52:00.002-08:00

So, my bestie has often mentioned this meal in text messages. And with only four ingredients, I thought I'd give it a try. It was easy and made plenty to eat. She has a twist on the meal. I'll happily explain that later.

Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

1 jar Hawaiian barbecue sauce (I used Target brand/Archer Farms)

1 can crushed pineapple

2-4 frozen chicken breasts

Rice

Place chicken breasts in crockpot (spray with oil if not using a liner)

Mix pineapple and barbecue sauce.

Pour over chicken.

Let cook on high 4-6 hours, or low 6-8 hours, or until chicken falls apart easily with tongs.

Serve over rice.

Mel's variation:

Serve on bun with coleslaw.

Enjoy!

Scooter Boards

2012-01-02T19:41:00.002-08:00

My boys love anything with wheels. And if it's something they can do together - AND has wheels - it's golden in the Moose house.

So, we've made scooter boards. Pretty easy to make.

Scrap wood - approx 14" x 14"

4 casters

16 screws, no longer than the width of the scrap wood

sandpaper

Cut board to size. Square is ideal, but a perfect square just isn't necessary. We used an old scrap piece of laminate countertop. It's what we had handy.

Attach a caster in each corner using the screws.

Sand down any sharp/rough edges.

Have fun.

Moose Tracks:

You could paint or decoupage or decorate the heck out of this thing,. I would have if it weren't for the laminate countertop material.

My boys love to take turns sitting on the scooter and having the other push him around. It's a ton of fun.

Baby Moose (shown above) is wearing a helmet. It's not because helmets are necessary on these (although it's never a bad idea), but because he'd just gotten off a motorized vehicle that did require a helmet.

We often move the livingroom furniture around to create some sort of a racetrack or obstacle course. Then the boys each take a scooter board and race. It's perfect rainy day fun.

The Best Bread Ever

2012-01-02T18:57:00.004-08:00

I've started 2012 by going to heaven. One bite of this bread and you'll grow wings and don the white gowns and everything. You'll hear imperial sounds and see shining lights that can only be from the maker Himself. Really. It's that good.

Friends, crafters, countrymen, I offer to you Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread.

The recipe comes from this awesome blog. I didn't modify a thing. I see no rel need to. Those who know me know how rare it is for me to accept a recipe as written. This is a big deal.

Peanut Butter Cup Banana Bread

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 C peanut butter

1/4 C oil

1 egg

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8.5 oz bag of Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups

Preheat oven to 350*

Grease loaf pan(s) (choose whatever size you want. I uses mini loaf pans)

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Stir together bananas, oil, peanut butter, and sugars.

Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Stir until moist. The batter will be lumpy.

Fold in Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups.

Pour into prepared pan(s).

Bake at 350*. 8x4 pans will bake for approx an hour. Smaller pans will bake less time. The mini loaf pans I used baked for 35-45 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 min. Then remove from pan and let cool, if you can.

Do you see how awesome this bread is? Have you gained five lbs just looking at it? Wait until you taste it. Your life will be changed forever.

Moose Tracks:

I used almost the whole bag of mini pb cups. In fact, I used all but one. because somebody has to do quality control.

I prefer mini loaves to one large loaf. For many reasons. 1) They cook faster 2) They tend to brown evenly without the edges getting burnt and 3) I feel much less guilt when I admit to having eaten a whole loaf.

If I were to make any changes to this recipe, it'd probably be to coarsely chop the pb cups before folding them into the batter.

Big Yay Paper Chain Company

2011-12-29T11:05:00.006-08:00

Quite often I find I have friends in far away places counting down to something exciting. And I want to help them celebrate. So I developed my own paper chain kit company. It's not a true company, as I don't sell anything and no one buys anything. But nonetheless, I've made it look like a paper chain company. And here's the only product the company has:

Big Yay Paperchain Company is a company that sends out build-your-own paper chains. I personalize each package, with stickers and patterned papers for the event.

With each kit I offer an instruction sheet. It explains how to make a paper chain. It also provides details about how many links are provided (enough to fulfill the countdown), as well as the day the countdown should start. I print that sucker out on plain paper, add a lovely black cardstock backing, and then get creative with a whole punch. I loop ribbon through the punched holes to make it more decorative. I'm pretty sure I haven't looped the ribbon the same way twice.

When my friend was getting a (much needed) divorce and was counting down the days until it was final, I used girl's night out style paper. For my friend that was coming to visit, I used papers patterned with things about the area I live in. Another friend was counting down the days until her deployed husband came home, so I used Americana type paper. You get the idea.

For the themed paper links, I use 12" x 12" scrapbook paper. I get 13 1" wide strips out of the paper (each is 1" x 11"). You'll need to figure out the quantity, which can be difficult since time keeps on ticking while you're creating and while it's in the mail. This is why I usually provide a start date.

Package it all up with a little stapler. This makes the kit complete. Then mail it out.

I've only ever had good response from these. I don't ever tell the person it's in the mail. They know nothing about it until a random envelope shows up in their mailbox. And it's from some company called Big Yay! Paper Chain Company. Who wouldn't love that?!

Noon Year's Eve Party Invites

2011-12-29T10:43:00.002-08:00

So, I love celebrating holidays with my boys. But I also love their bedtime. And that just doesn't kive with New year's Eve. Heck, I'll likely be in bed before midnight. So, i'm throwing a noon Year's Eve party for the under 10 crowd.

First step is always the invite, right? I saw this confetti cannon idea and just had to do it. So I did (and you'll see i'm showing all of you on my lovely worksurface that's been through hell and back. Feel free to ignore the lime green lines and whatnot. they're not a aprt of the invite)

First step was figuring out the party details. then making an invite on a long string of confetti. Confetti canons are about 1" in diameter, so you don't have a lot of room to work with. I used one side of the squares to write "It's a NOON Year's Eve Party" and the other side to provide details. We're starting the party at 10:30 so the kids can play, make a craft., eat lunch, and do the countdown (complete with balloon drop) at noon. Anywhoodles, make the invite.

Then empty the confetti cannons. Two ways you can do this. 1) take off the label and remove the "seal" at the top. Dump everything out. or 2) Release the cannon, shooting confetti and streamers in your house. then reset the cannon by pushing down real hard and twisting until the cylinder is locked again. Up to you.

Fill the cannons: fold your invite in. Add 1" discs of paper or pretty paper napkin (like I did) to separate the invite from the cylinder pusher thingy and the confetti. Fill as full as you wish.

Confetti!

Cover the cannon with a piece of paper cut larger than the top. Use another strip of paper/napkin to hold the cover on. Tape the edge of the strip down, but not the paper (just like how the cannon was assembled when you bought it).

Cover the outside with paper/napkin. The napkin had the colors I wanted, so it was an easy solution.

Add a strip of paper at the bottom (made on your home computer) that says "Twist Me" and then has a directional arrow. My graphics abilities are limited to MS Word, and even I can do this. you can too!

Tape it on.

Hand out the invitations. See your invited guests' faces light up.

I've passed out a few of these already (the party's Saturday, afterall), and everyone has loved the invitation! So easy and festive.

Snow Writing

2011-12-11T20:17:00.002-08:00

We live where it snows. And being stuck inside sucks. So, we have to get creative.

a ketchup squirter, 1/4 C of rubbing alcohol, food coloring, and water make it more fun.
The more food coloring, the deeper the colors. The pic below was taken hours after the boys played outside. The color's still there. Too fun!

Breakfast is served

2011-12-11T20:13:00.002-08:00

This is straight from Pinterest. Well, sort of. They used waffles. I used french toast. They used bacon. I used sausage. They used yogurt. I used powdered sugar. But yeah, it's from Pinterest.

Silly Elfkins!

2011-12-11T19:35:00.008-08:00

Elfkins is a lovely little creature that's joined our family this Christmas season. And like all little Elf on the Shelf recruits, he gets into a bit of mischief while we sleep.

Every morning Toddler Moose goes on the hunt for Elfkins. And I always know the second he's spotted because I hear "Silly Elfkins!"

Below you'll find the many different ways we've found him when we wake up in the morning.

Elfkins stole the star on the top of our tree. I'm guessing he was jealous of the position, so he took it over. Silly Elfkins!

All the little boys in my house have colds. Looks like Elfkins might be coming down with one too. And we all know lots of rest is exactly what you need when you're sick. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins took s a bubble bath in our sink. And washed his back with a new toothbrush for Toddler Moose. Silly Elfkins.

Elfkins found our orphaned sock stash and decided to play in it. He also wore a new pair of Christmas socks (Dollar Spot at Target), and brought a new pair for me and Toddler Moose, as well. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins must love hot chocolate as much as I do. He snuck into the stash and decided to have a cup. Silly Elfkins!

We've been in a bit of a cold spell in Mooseville, so I imagine Elfkins jumped into the fridge to warm up. His pipe cleaner and pom pom ear muffs and felt scarf are sure to speed up the process. Silly Elfkins!

Elfkins started his career in our main living areas. His first foray outside of the norm was into the playroom. Here he was found spying over all the toys from a wall hanging. Silly Elfkins!

Looks like Elfkins got into the pantry and the playroom again. The goldfish from the pantry and the fishing pole from the fishing game. Silly Elfkins!

One night I wrapped all the presents to go under our tree. But I'm lazy, and didn't bother with bows or ribbons. Elfkins was just trying to help me out. Silly Elfkins!

High atop our cabinets Elfkins got high centered while flying around in the barn from our Uno Moo game. Silly Elfkins!

Toddler Moose had been behaving so well - even being kind to his little brother - so Daddy moose and I wanted to treat him to a movie. Elfkins must have overheard our plans because the morning o the movie we found him sipping on soda from a movie theater cup, eating popcorn, and hanging out with a gift card to the movies. Silly Elfkins!

Every year we get an ornament for our kids. The ornament always symbolizes something that happened during the year. 2011 marked many things, among them the first plane ride for both. Elfkins made the job easy on us and found airplane ornaments for the boys. Silly (and thoughtful!) Elfkins.

On Elfkins' second night with us, he spent a long time decorating the dining room with garland and snowflakes. He must have needed to rest after all that hard work. Silly Elfkins!

On his very first night with us, Elfkins made it quite easy on Toddler Moose. He hid in a stocking while munching on a candy cane from our tree. Silly Elfkins!

Moose Tracks:

Many of the ideas are inspired by pins I saw on Pinterest. Many are original, at least to me.

I'll post again with all the fun Elfkins gets into in a few days. weeks.

Pineapple Cookies

2011-12-11T19:09:00.003-08:00

It's not Christmas time without a batch of Pineapple Cookies somewhere in my life. Since moving out of my parent's house I've been responsible for creating these every year. My mother still does, as well. But my father typically eats them all before I ever see them.

Pineapple Cookies

Ingrendients:

1 1/2 C Sugar

1 C butter, softened

2 eggs

1 C crushed pineapple, undrained

1 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp cool water

3 1/2 C flour

1 C chopped nuts

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar. While the mixer is doing it's thing, measure out pineapple in juice. Add soda and water.

To the creamed butter/sugar mixture, beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in pineapple mixture. Fold in flour, salt and nuts.

Drop by large tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 350.

Let cookies cool. Enjoy as is, or drizzle with frosting (recipe below.)

Frosting recipe:

3 Tbsp crushed pineapple with juice

2 Tbsp white corn syrup

2 Tbsp sugar

~2 C powdered sugar

Boil pineapple, corn syrup and sugar. Sift in powdered sugar until thickened to desirable consistency. Drizzle over coolies. Allow to cool.

Moose Tracks:

These cookies are quite bread-like in consistency.

To store, stack between sheets of wax paper. These bad boys will stick to each other like crazy.

Bacon... Fudge?

2011-12-11T18:52:00.003-08:00

You heard me. Bacon Fudge. Bacon Maple Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge, to be exact. The original recipe was found via NPR.

Ingredients:

1/4 C butter

1 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/2 C Peanut Butter Chips

1 1/2 C Chocolate Chips

1/2 tsp maple extract

1 lb maple-flavored bacon

Step 1: Cook bacon until crisp. Crumble.

Step 2: Combine all ingredients, except bacon, in a large saucepan.

Step 3: Stir mixture over medium heat until chips and butter are melted and smooth.

Step 4: Remove from heat. Stir in bacon, reserving about a 1/2 C of bacon pieces for topping.

Step 5: Pour mixture into foil-lined and greased square pan. Sprinkle remaining bits over the top, pressing in lightly.

Step 6: Cover. Let set in fridge at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Step 7: Cut into squares (about 7x7, or 49 total.) Served best at room temperature.

Moose Tracks:

I'm lazy. I also don't like too much maple in my life. So I did precooked/precrumbled bacon bits - regular flavor. One bag of that did this recipe justice.

This recipe is crazy simple. There's no need to boil anything, no need to worry about temperatures or candy thermometers.

I've adapted this recipe in other ways. By changing up the extract or leaving out the bacon, you can create so many different fudge types.

Earlier today I made peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, mint chocolate fudge, and raspberry chocolate fudge - all using this recipe as the base. It's kind of perfect.

Cinnomn Roll Ring

2011-11-14T19:59:00.004-08:00

I saw quite a few people pinning this a few weeks ago. It looked lovely. I pinned it myself, but only because I liked it for the inspiration aspect. I haven't tried the recipe as it's written on the source blog. It might be great or horrible. I wouldn't know. I just knew I couldn't go wrong with the version below.

Sticky Bun Wreath

1 can refrigerated cinnamon roll dough (like Pillsbury)

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In small saucepan, heat sugar, corn syrup and butter over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Pour sugar mixture into a greased bundt pan.

Place cinnamon rolls around pan, overlapping slightly (Pillsbury Grands tend to have 5 biscuits. Non-Grands have 8. That seemed to work. I probably could have gone with 1.5 cans)

Bake at 375 for twenty minutes, or until rolls are puffed, dry-looking and browned slightly.

Let set for 1-2 minutes.

Place large plate over pan. Invert (use pot holders or oven gloves!). Let pan sit on plate for a bit, allowing syrup to drip onto rolls

Enjoy!

Grandparent Christmas Gift

2011-11-14T19:43:00.004-08:00

This puppy's straight from Pinterest here (Note: I tried to link the blog this came from, but it doesn't exist anymore. Sorry.) I can't embroider. At all. needle crafts aren't my thing. If I can't duct tape it I usually don't do it. But this I could do.

Materials:

Cloth (like muslin or something easily embroiderable)

Embroidery thread - one color for each hand

Needle (and threader)

Washable marker (I used a sewing-specific one)

Embroidery Hoop

Cardstock

Scissors

Frame

Step 1: Use the cardstock to trace each family member's hand print. Cut out each hand slightly smaller than the tracing.

Step 2: Place fabric in embroidery hoop, aiming for the middle of the fabric (if framing.) Pull fabric taut.

Step 3: Trace around the largest hand outline with washable marker.

Step 4: Thread needle. Start sewing/embroidering along the drawn hand.

Step 5: Continue until the first hand is done. Layer the second hand over the first, following steps 3 and 4 with a different color embroidery thread color.

Continue until all the hands have been embroidered.

Optional: Using the washable marker, write the year or family name near the hands. Embroider with yet another thread color.

Step 7: Remove fabric from hoop. Wash lightly in cool water. Let dry. Iron flat.

Step 8: Trim fabric to frame size. Frame.

Step 9: Wrap and put under the Christmas tree.

Moose Tracks:

Of course I forgot to take a pic before I wrapped the frames. So, you don't get a fully framed shot. My apologies.

I used a gradient of blue colors to donate the boys in the family. I used pink to highlight me (the only chick in this joint.) I feel like it gives another element to the project.

I chose to embroider (ha!) the year underneath the hands. The first one I tried was with a smaller date. That's hard to embroider. So, the second time around I went with a larger "2011". It came out much better.

Again, I have no idea if the stitch method I used is actually embroidery. I'm sure it's not. I went purely on instinct and I'm happy with how it turned out. In an effort to not develop my own language, I'm simply calling my hot mess of a stitch embroidery. Don't flame me.

Turkey Ts

2011-11-14T19:13:00.003-08:00

My boys are young enough they still allow me to dress them. And with Thanksgiving coming up, I needed something to dress them in. So, I went to Pinterest. And found this. But, I couldn't find the right fabrics to pull it off. Instead, I found a bunch of fat quarters in coordinating Fall-like colors. So I got a bit creative and came up with a tshirt idea similar. And, because I'm lazy, I went the no-sew route.

Need:

Plain tshirt

5 small pieces of cloth for feathers (I used fat quraters for everything)

1 orange-flavored fabric

1 brown-flavored fabric

2 googly eyes

Wonder Under or Heat N Bond (craft section of Walmart carries this stuff)

Cardboard or cardstock

Fabric Glue

Step 1: Wash and dry shirt - do NOT use fabric softener or any kind.

Step 2: Using cardbaord/cardstock, draw out templates: Large raindrop for the feathers, Snowman-like stacked circles for the body, triangle for the beak. Cut out templates.

Step 3: Trace 1 body, 1 beak and 5 feathers onto paper side of Heat N Bond/Wonder Under. Cut out shapes, leaving a border all the way around the traced lines.

Step 4: Iron shapes to the wrong side (back side) or fabric - Brown for the body, orange for the beak, and one feather for each of the ramining fabric pieces. Follow directions on back of package for Heat N Bond / Wonder Under.

Step 5: Cut out body and beak. Cut out feathers (I used pinking shears for that extra feathery look. Not necessary.)

Step 6: Remove paper backing from each piece. Align Body and beak in the center of the front of the shirt. Iron on. Let cool.

Step 7: Arrange feathers on the back of the shirt. Iron on. Let cool.

Step 8: Glue googly eyes on using fabric glue. Let dry.

Ta-Da

This Little Guy Needs a Name

2011-11-08T20:17:00.004-08:00

I made this nameless guy after spying something similar here. The beauty of this little guy is that you don't have to be a seamstress to do this. It's just a few straight lines.

Materials:

1/4 Yard+ Soft material (I used a blue gray flannel)

Two buttons, preferably not exactly alike

Coordinating fabric scrap

Black yarn

Embroidery thread

Polyester fill

Sewing Needle

thread or sewing machine

Step 1: Double over the fabric and cut out a rough monster shape.

Step 2: Using black yarn, sew on a mouth on the right side of one piece of fabric.

Step 3: Cut out a circle larger than the button. Sew button and circle onto monster. Sew on other eye. Use yarn for both.

Step 3: Turn fabric so right sides are facing each other (you want the "good" sides facing each other. (Optional - pin fabric together around edges. I did not.)

Step 4: Using either a sewing machine or do so by hand, sew around the outside of the monster, making sure to leave a space large enough for you hand to fit through. I left the space at the top.

Step 5: Trim corners, making sure not to clip sewn thread. The clipped corners will allow you to turn the corners rightside out easier.

Step 6: Turn your monster right side out. Use a capped pen or corner turner to help push the corners out,.

Step 7: Stuff him, making sure to use small amounts of fill to stuff the arms and the legs.

Step 8: Using embroidery thread, stitch the hole up. I chose to stitch all teh way across the top (making sure to not make it too good looking). This made the hand-stitched area look kind of like hair. I also didn't have to worry about making the seam perfect.

Step 9: Using a needle and embroidery thread, thread 3"ish long pieces of thread through the top of the monster (half of the thread on each side). Double knot the thread. Continue at random intervals across the top of the monster. Now you have hair!

Step 10: Name him (I still have to complete this step)

Moose Tracks:

I'll be making another one of these very shortly. I intend to make it a girl by adding a bow and using a heart shape for the backing of the eye. As long as the fabric is soft, it'll be perfect. Don't worry.

Oh - sorry about the sideways pictures. I'm pretty sure blogger hates me.

Fall Argyle Wreath

2011-11-08T19:40:00.004-08:00

This bad boy I made for my front door. It's inspired by about seventeen million different wreaths pinned on Pinterest. Go search for "wreath" and you'll see what I mean. It's why I can't source just one. There isn't just one.

Materials:

3 sheets green felt

1/2 sheet purple and yellow

Gray yarn

Foam wreath

Fall decorations

Gel glue

Pretend the picture above has all green felt (I used the brown in a pinch - I only had two sheets of green)

Step 1: Cute each sheet of green felt in half (the long way). The cut each half into 1.5"ish strips (the short way)

Step 2: Glue the strips to the wreath, overlapping slightly.

Step 3: Cut the purple and yellow felt in half (long ways). Then cut each half into quarters. You should end up with 8 small rectangles for each color.

Step 4: Cut diamonds from each rectangle (fold in half twice over. Cut off the corner. Ta-da - a diamond.)

Step 5: Glue diamonds to wreath, alternating colors and overlapping tips slightly.

Step 6: Wrap the yarn at an angle in one direction (clockwise) until you get back to where you started. Tie off yarn underneath. Repeat in the opposite direction (counter-clockwise).

Step 7: Glue fall decoration over the area you like the least (like if you had to use brown felt when you ran out of green felt.)

Step 8: Hang!

Moose Tracks:

I kind of liked the color blocking I unintentionally created with the brown felt Perhaps I'll make one for Christmas that's color blocked Christmas colors. Seems fun.

If you're hanging this outside, I'd suggest backing the wreath with a donut of cardboard or some coordinating/matching felt.

I haven't done so yet, but I fully intend to line the edge of the wreath (where the felt end and the back of the wreath begins) with a length of brown ribbon. All the way around. It might be cute.

High Altitude Candy-making Conversion

2011-11-08T19:28:00.004-08:00

I live about a mile up (not the Mile High City), which means everything boils sooner, the air is thinner, and ski resorts are only a few miles away. So, in order to create delectable candies, you have to do a little converting of the recipe. The table gives you both the stage name and the temperature range. However you choose to do it, keep an keep on your boiling sugar.

Happy candy making!

		Candy Thermometer Readings for:
Type	Stage	2000ft	5000ft	7500ft
Creams, Fudges, Fondants	Soft Ball	230°-236°	224°-230°	219°-225°
Caramels	Firm Ball	238°-244°	232°-238.5°	227°-233°
Divinities, Taffies, Caramel Popcorn	Hard Ball	246°-264°	240°-258°	235°-253°
Butterscotch, English Toffies	Soft Crack	266°-286°	260°-286°	255°-275°
Brittles	Hard Crack	296°-306°	290°-300°	285°-295°

Healthy Turkey Meatball Stoup

2011-11-08T18:59:00.004-08:00

When the weather starts to turn, I always make up a pot of Meatball Stoup. The word stoup (stolen from Rachel Ray) is a cross between and soup and a stew. The basic recipe is from Seinfeld's wife. The beauty of this sucker is the veggies snuck in. And, instead of bothering to cook and then puree my own veggies, I simply use baby food. yeah, you heard me. Baby food. Get the good stuff (like Gerber) that's literally just pureed veggies. The Stage 1 tubs come in 1/4 C. increments already. No measuring. Easy peasy.

Healthy Meatball Stoup

1Tbsp Olive Oil

1 sm onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 sm zucchini, chopped

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes

1/4 C (1 tub) pureed carrots

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 C reduced sodium beef or chicken broth

3-4 oz whole wheat pasta shapes (bowtie, wagon wheels, small shells, etc)

3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed

1 lg egg

1/4 C (1 tub) sweet potato puree

1/4 C nonfat milk

2 Tbsp grated parmesean

1/4 tsp pepper and paprika, each

1/2 lb ground turkey

In medium bowl, mix together egg, sweet potato puree, milk, Parmesean, pepper and paprika together. Stir in cubed bread. Let set for 5-10 minutes (while you chop vegetables or start the first step in the cooking process.)

Stir mixture into paste. By hand, mix in turkey.

Form into mall meatballs. I use a 1tsp cookie dough scoop at first. When I actually put teh meatballs into the soup I break each mound in half to form tiny meatballs. Meatball size is totally up to you.
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium. Add in onion and garlic. Cook until onion is softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add in zucchini.

In blender, puree the tomatoes (with juice) and carrot puree. Add to pot, along with salt and broth.

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add meatballs to the pot, one at a time. Make sure to put the meatballs in different places along the bottom of the pot.

Let simmer for two or three minutes before stirring (to set the meatballs).

Add in pasta. let simmer until pasta is soft (follow package directions).

(Optional) Sprinkle more Parmesean on the top.

Moose Tracks:

Seriously - baby food rocks for things like this.

Add in other vegetable as you see fit.

I serve this with bread and butter. It kind of takes away from the healthy aspects of the soup, but who cares.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

2011-10-17T20:26:00.002-08:00

I developed this recipe from a bunch of different molasses cookie recipes. It's not nearly as pumpkin-y as I'd like, but it's yummy nonetheless.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/3 C. flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg, ground

½ tsp cloves, ground

½ tsp ginger, ground

½ tsp rum extract

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp orange peel

½ C. butter, room temperature

1 C. brown sugar, packed

¼ C. molasses

2/3 C. pumpkin puree

1 large egg

½ C. sugar, for rolling

Directions

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Cream butter until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree. Mix thoroughly. Add egg. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. You will have a very soft dough.

3. Cover dough with plastic wrap (or Tupperware-type lid.) Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it can chill the easier it is to work with.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Put the sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into walnut-sized balles. Roll the balls in the sugar and use a the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between ¼ to ½ inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Moose Tracks:

-It seems like I only take pics when I'm using aluminium foil. It's my backup for when my silpats are otherwise occupied. Weird.

-For a festive touch, I mixed in orange-colored sugar with the rolling sugar. It's the same kind I'd use to sprinkle on cupcakes or whatever.

-Next time I'm going to add some orange zest to the sugar mixture, I think.

Spiderweb Wreath

2011-10-17T19:47:00.006-08:00

Every year I make at least three of these - One for my front door, and two to give away. They take all of 90 minutes (max) and are pretty easy on the concentration (I typically make them while watching TV).

Materials:

Embroidery Hoop (I usually purchase wood, but used a blue on for contrast in the pics)

Black Yarn (The pic above has "fuzzy" yarn for the swirl)

Fabric in fun Halloween colors - tulle, quilting fabrics, etc

Small decorative spider (totally optional)

Step 1: Take the outer ring off the embroidery hoop. You'll use it later.

Step 2: Tie black yarn across the inside hoop to create "pie slices." This is the web.

Step 3: Take a long length of yarn and cut it off the skein. You'll need a smaller yarn ball to do the swirl.

Step 4: Starting at the middle, tie the yarn around the web intersection.

Step 5: In a swirl pattern, start looping the yarn around the existing web.

My looping technique.

Step 6: Continue looping yarn around until you reach the embroidery hoop.

Step 7: Tie the yarn off on the hoop.

Step 8: Reattach the outer hoop. Tighten the thumb screw.

Step 9: Cut off the ends of the yarn. The embroidery hoop will help hold the knot and a bit of extra yarn in place.

Step 10: Rip, snip, pink or shred the fabric into ~1" strips (1" by at least 6")

Step 11: Using any pattern of color you wish, start tying the fabric strips around the hoop, making sure to keep the fabric ties close together.

Step 12: Continue until the whole wreath has fabric around the outside.

Step 13: Fluff fabric so it uniformly sticks out from the wreath. Trim fabric in any manner that appeals to you.

Step 14 (optional): Trim fabric ends into any shape that appeals to you (I never do this). Glue on cute spider decoration. Add hanging ribbon (the htumbscrew area of the outer hoop is a great place to hang the ribbon)

Moose Tracks:

- If I'm shipping the wreath I've been known to glue the outer ring to the inner one - just for warm fuzzies.

- I've used every manner of fabric available. I've cut it super short, I've left it super long. I've even used ribbon instead of fabric strips. I've used printed fabric )think pumpkins and witches hats), I've used plain. I've used tulle and even brocade (not my recommendation on that last one.) They've all turned out cute. Go with what works for you!

- The more homespun and crafty the fabric strips are (read - not even and definitely hairing), the more charm these wreaths seem to have. So don't fuss too much.

- I usually end up buying fat quarters for this if I'm doing the quilting fabrics.

- I never put the spider on my own wreaths. I always add the spider when I'm giving it as a gift.

Apple Cider Caramels

2011-10-12T20:54:00.003-08:00

Sometimes things just don't work out the first time. Or the second. Or the third. But, after you try a 4th time (after many modifications and scientific study) they work out just like you expected. This might be my experience with apple cider caramels. Maybe.

The recipe I started with is here. It's likely a good base recipe at sea level. But, as is always the case, things are different when you live a mile or so above the sea. Humidity matters more, sugar content matters more, and temperatures are critical. So, through much trial and error, I modified the recipe to make it work. What I have listed below is how I made it. Down in the Moose Tracks section I have info on the proper temperatures if you're not sitting pretty at 7k ft in elevation.

Apple Cider Caramels

2 cup high-quality apple cider
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup real butter, cubed, divided

- Boil cider in a medium saucepan for about 20 minutes or until the cider is reduced to 1/3 c.

- Line an 8" square pan with aluminum foil (or parchment paper), making sure to leave about 1" hanging over the edges for easy removal. Coat with a spritz of oil spray (I like olive oil or canola oil)
- In a small bowl, combine 2/3 c. cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and reduced apple cider. Set aside.

- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/3 c. whipping cream + enough water to reach the 1/2 c. line on the measuring cup, and corn syrup. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Insert the candy thermometer and simmer until the syrup reaches 219 degrees.
- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Add the three-quarters of the cubed butter and stir until the cream and butter are fully incorporated. Return the pan to heat and re-insert the candy thermometer. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 227 degrees.

- Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter until the butter melts and in incorporated.

- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Let set at least two hours or until cool.

- Remove caramels from pan and cut into 1" squares (or smaller). Wrap each caramel in wax paper.

Moose Tracks:
- Sea Level temperatures: 1st boil - 234 degrees, 2nd boil - 248
- In the fall some grocery stores or specialty stores often carry reduced apple cider. It's easier to use that, if you can find it and you're lazy. Otherwise just reduce some good apple cider. It's easy, but time consuming. I made a point of reducing a whole bottle by simmering it for about 15 minutes.
- Do not boil this stuff too long. For me, up in the mountains, it's a matter of a half a degree before I have something too hard to eat.
- Again, I over-spice these bad boys. Some recipes can't handle extra cinnamon or allspice or cloves or nutmeg or whatever. This isn't one of them So don't feel like you need to be precise on those measurements.
- The original recipe required the butter to all be added in before the 2nd boil. I had better luck by saving a bit of butter until the end. By doing so, I essentially quenched the molten sugar mixture so it didn't continue to cook longer than I wished it to. It resulted in caramels that had a slightly oily feel to them, but they get that just from the aluminum foil or parchment paper sprayed with oil anyhow. And it was the only way to save my caramels from getting too hard.

Pirate Party!

2011-10-12T20:12:00.006-08:00

You're invited to a pirate-themed 4th Birthday party.

Captain Moosie hopes you enjoy the party as much as he did!

The Food:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (recipe here), served with graham crackers and animal crackers.

Cupcakes (boxed mix, canned frosting, decorations from etsy)

Octopus Crack Dip served with tortilla chips.

Just after this pic was taken I added a few goldfish to the dish. Made it seem much more sea-like.

Treasure chest full of juice boxes and water bottles. Water bottles were pirated-up by wrapping Skull-themed Duct Tape around the label. Duct tape is water proof. It works well in the ice chest.

The Swag:

Favor boxes, pirate gear and pinata contents courtesy of Oriental Trading. Each child received a pirate hat, an eye patch, and a treasure chest box full of booty.

Decorations:

Pirate Code of Conduct printed on burlap. (Burlap instructions here)

Table centerpiece: $5 wood model kit of ship from Micheals Crafts (took a few days for Mr Moose to put together. Might want to start the week before)

Pinata: Purchased from local party store. Stuffed with goodies from Oriental Trading Company.

Balloons: Helium doesn't do so well at high altitudes. Stringing balloons on fishing wire was the perfect solution. Originally learned of the idea here. I used five different colors of balloons. A 15 pack of single-color balloons can be purchased at some place like Walmart for less than a buck.

Outside decorations: A Jolly Roger (Pirate Flag) from Oriental Trading.

Not shown/easily seen:

I love to cover my eating/serving areas with some sort of table covering. The dining table was covered with two different paper tablecloths. The brighter color tablecloth I placed on the table as is. The darker of the two I tore the edges off and hand tore holes throughout the table cloth. Then I place it at an angle over the first. It gave the appearance of old cloth without actually being so.

On the kitchen island, where I served all the food, I placed a yard of burlap draped across the countertop. I didn't worry too much about wrinkles and folds. To fill in the rest of the space I purchased cheap Halloween decorations. I used black "scary" fabric (open-weave fabric with pre-made holes and tears - typically used to cover doors) on either side of the burlap. The effect was pirate-like cloth across the whole serving area.

In each cardboard treasure chest (party favor boxes), I rolled up a do it yourself pirate ship project sheet and a watercolor pirate-themed page for the child to paint (the kind where the paint's already on the page and the child just dips a paintbrush or q-tip in water to paint.

The party went off without a hitch, and the kids had a blast. I was even able to skimp out on the cleaning and claim the dust was part of the decorations. Score!

Moose Dropping

2011-10-06T21:32:00.004-08:00

Tomorrow is Toddler Moose's 4th birthday. And the day after is his pirate party. In preparation of that, I haven't done a darn thing craft or baking-wise. But rest assured - I'll be back to it soon. Life just gets in the way sometimes.

Things you can look forward to (and hold me to):

A Halloween Spider Web Wreath

Pirate Party Pictures

A Monster

A Lego Minifigures Display Shelf (for my work office!)

More food (candies, cookies, the whole nine yards)

Super Hero costume accessories (or, as I like to call it "The Lazy-girl's superhero costume")

and possibly even another dinosaur costume. Perhaps one that does require sewing.

Random update on my snail mail: The recipient has named him Escargot and given him an appropriately French mustache. He resides at her work desk and brightens her day whenever possible.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

2011-10-06T21:21:00.002-08:00

I love a good Caprese Salad. The flavors are perfect to me. So, when I'm looking for new sorts of lunch-ish foods to make, I often consider what I can do with those same three ingredients. Well, this one turned out perfectly.

Caprese Grilled Cheese

2 slices sandwich bread

2 slices mozzarella cheese

1 tomato, sliced thin

basil (or pesto, if you have it)

butter

Place 1 piece of mozz on each slice of bread. Layer tomato slices in an even layer on one piece of mozz. Then sprinkle with basil strips (basil cut into thin strips.) Place sandwich halves together, sandwiching the cheese. Spread butter on the top of the bread.

Place bread butter-side down in a pre-heated skillet over medium heat. Let cook. Don't cheat and flip early. While the bottom is cooking, spread butter on the other slice of bread. Once browned, flip the sandwich over and brown the remaining side.

Enjoy.

Moose Tracks:

Grilled cheese sandwiches aren't fast food. Grilled cheese should take 15-20 minuets to cook. You want the bread to toast (fry in butter - whatever), and the cheese in between to melt evenly. High heat won't get you there.

Dips. I've always dipped my grilled cheese sandwiches. Good ol' Velveeta and bread always got the ketchup treatment. But my grown-up grilled cheese is a little too fancy for that. So, I used some balsamic vinaigrette reduction to dip into. Or, you could use some balsamic dressing. Heck - get a little crazy and paint some balsamic dressing on the bread before adding the cheese.

If you prefer pesto to basil, just use it like a sandwich spread. Basil, cheese, tomato, cheese, basil. Easy-peasy.

Pizza Rolls

2011-10-06T21:10:00.003-08:00

I was so busy eating the following to remember to take a picture. Luckily I snuck one in just before they were all consumed.

This recipe is inspired by something I saw on Pinterest (here). But instead of getting a computer or phone or iPad or whatever and finding the recipe, I just made something up. So, enjoy.

Pizza Rolls:

1 tube pizza dough (a la Pillsbury)

favorite pizza meat (pepperoni, ham, whatever)

4 sticks string cheese

cooking spray

parmesean cheese

Italian seasoning

pizza sauce

Heat oven to 400degrees.

Spread out pizza dough. Slice into approx 20 squares (about 1.5" per side)

Cut each piece of string cheese into 5 smaller pieces.

Place a slice of meat and a piece of cheese on every square. Fold dough around meat and cheese, pressing edges together to seal. Place pizza ball seam side down in greased 9" pan (round or square - doesn't matter to me). Continue making pizza rolls. They'll touch in the pan, but that's okay.

Spray tops of rolls with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and parmesean cheese.

Cook 20-25 minutes.

When cooled slightly, serve on one big plate, allowing everyone to peel off their own pizza ball. or just eat straight out of the pan without regard to ettiquite, as Mr Moose and I did.

Dip pizza balls in warmed pizza sauce.

Enjoy!

Moose Tracks:

Olive Oil spray works best, in my opinion. Any pure oil spray - meaning those that aren't mean't for baking and don't contain flour - will work.

Get crazy with the spice. If you like red peppers on your pizza, why not sprinkle some on top?

Get creative with meat choices. I used pepperoni because it's what I had. I'd actually have preferred thin ham.

Also, feel free to add "toppings" on top of each ball. If I'd had them, I would have placed a mushroom slice on top of the dough before spraying with oil. Go crazy - it's hard to mess this one up.

A most uneventful muffin

2011-10-06T21:04:00.004-08:00

So, I pinned a muffin that promised to be "the best muffin ever" and "a culinary foodgasm." So, Toddler Moose and I spent a lovely weekend morning preparing breakfast muffins (their rightful name, from what I gather.) And, I have to say I was underwhelmed. They're fine. They taste like muffins with nutmeg and cinnamon and sugar. Mostly because they're muffins with nutmeg and cinnamon and sugar. But that's where the excitement ends.

I didn't see fireworks, I had no involuntary moaning or bosom-heaving while consuming said muffin, and I definitely had no desire to go back for seconds.

So, I challenge you to make these bad boys and tell me what I'm missing. Are my tastebuds whack? Did I potentially do something wrong? I'm I too unsophisticated to handle such awesomeness? You tell me. Here's the recipe.

I promise you to share the absolutely best muffin recipe ever - next time I make them. You'll never look at a blueberry muffin the same way again.

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

2011-10-06T20:57:00.002-08:00

Another yummy recipe. Another yeast dough (oh, how I loathe rolling out yeast doughs)

This recipe came straight from Pinterest (see here).

Moose Tracks:

The only modification I made was to add a bit of rum extract to the bread. But, faithful readers of my blog know I do that with any pumpkin recipe.

I didn't add the glaze to the bread, as it wasn't necessary.

I also don't have a picture of the bread out of the pan. For two reasons: 1) It fell apart as soon as it came out of the pan. This actually made it easier to claim a chunk of bread for myself. Mr Moose grabbed the rest, and B) The bread so so ooey-gooey because of the caramelized goop that collects at the bottom of the pan.

The ooey-gooeyness made me realize that the dough and sugary filling would be perfect for my version of cinnamon rolls. I grew up calling them cinnamon rolls, but they're more akin to sticky buns. And yet they're none of the above. But they are the greatest things known to man. Someday I'll make some and take a picture for you. Simply to make you jealous. Okay, maybe I'll share my recipe, too.

Celebrate good times, Come on!

2011-10-06T20:52:00.002-08:00

I have a way of deciding to make cards for coworkers at about 5:30am, just as I running out the door to go to work. So, I grab some basic cardstock and go. Then, I make the card using whatever I have on hand in my office. luckily for me, I stock quite a bit more "stuff" than what I actually use as an engineer. So, you get creative cards. And, in case anyone from work reads this blog, I promise I didn't take anything from the first-aid cabinet this time.

To celebrate a friend's new job/commitment/version of hell, I made a celebration card. Simple black cardstock folded into a card shape. White cardstock, cut slightly smaller than the front. Then I clipped off some curled ribbon from a gift bag I had just hanging around (seriously - I have the most random stuff in my desk.) Some glue and a silver sharpie later, Viola - a celebration card.

It's a 3D card. It's not the sort of thing you shove in an envelope and mail. ribbon curls are amazingly pathetic when smooshed. But there you have - a lazy-girl's congrats card.

RAWR

2011-09-28T19:30:00.006-08:00

Risa - this one's for you!

A No-Sew Dinosaur

Materials (here's what I used for a 3T dinosaur):

Sweatsuit in an appropriate dinosaur costume

1 sheet white felt (9" x 12" is the standard size for all felt)

1/2 sheet black felt

1 sheet eyebrow/hand/foot claw colored felt

4 sheets spike-color felt

1/2 yard coordinating fabric (felt, fleece, something hefty but not heavy)

Fabric glue

Craft glue

Safety pins

fabric stiffener (optional)

belt (optional)

Cut spikes from spike-colored felt leaving a 1/2" edge on the bottom of the spike. I folded the felt in half long-ways (like a hot dog bun) to cut two strips of spikes from each sheet.
Slice the 1/2 border up just less than 1/2 inch at the apex of each spike (see pic above to make that make sense.) This creates tabs you can use for gluing.
Folding the tabs back and forth, start gluing the spikes down the length of the hoodie, starting at the very top of the hood. Alternating the tabs helps the spikes to stand up. Fabric stiffener may be used to keep spikes standing up, too.
Continue gluing spike strips down the length of the hoodie.
Let dry. I used some extra lumber and veggie cans to help keep weight on the tabs while they dried.
Using your favorite circle or oval-shaped household object, trace the shape onto white fabric. Cut out for the eyes. Using a small circle shape, cut out the black circles. Cut the eyebrows. I went freeform on those bad boys. To make sure they were matching I folded the felt in half and cut both at the same time.
Glue onto the side of the hoodie. Let dry.
For the tail, cut a a piece of color-coordinating fabric slightly longer than the wearer's legs and bum (small of the back to the ground.) Shape into a rounded triangle.
Follow the same pattern of spikes down the tail, starting about an inch down from the top (as not properly illustrated in the pic above.) Alternate sides with the tabs again to keep the spikes standing out.
Let dry.
Optional accesories: Teeth for the hoodie. Cut triangles with gluing area.
Cut claws for the hands and feet. To do this, I used felt the width of the legs (for the feet) and the arm bands (for the hands)
To put together, glue or pin the tail straight into the pants or a belt. Pin or glue the feet and/or hand claws on.

That's it. Easy peasy.

Trick or Treat!

Moose Tracks:

I chose to make this a no-sew dinosaur. If my kid were a dinosaur for Halloween I'd probably revise the steps to include sewing the spikes on.

There's two different glue listed in the materials section. That's because my fabric glue randomly chooses to hate felt. So I often reinforce my gluing with craft glue.

The hoodie can be worn well after Halloween. Because of this, I choose to pin on the claws and teeth. Toddler Moose can rock the dino hoodie at preschool now without the "extra" stuff in the way.

The tail hangs rather limply in the pictures above. It will for you too. This would be where you could "shape" the tail using spray fabric stiffener and following the directions on the bottle. If this were to be Toddler Moose's Halloween costume I'd likely use stiffener to give it some pop.

To get even more creative, I'd probably give the dino a cute belly, too. I'd use a large oval of felt on the belly of the hoodie. And I'd cut out smaller circles of a coordinating color to glue onto the oval. For the "costume" above I'd probably go with a green belly the same color as the spikes and then use darker green spots. And if it were cute, I might even put a few dark green spots elsewhere on the hoodie. But don't go overboard!

The fabric I used for the tail is felt. It was a random find in the remnants bin at the fabric store. For the purposes of this tutorial, it worked perfectly. In real life I'd likely use felt or fleece. Canvas or something like it would be too stiff. The cottons and other light fabrics would be too light. Play it by ear. You can always make it better with fabric stiffener. That stuff's awesome.

You can do it, Risa! I'll be needing pics of Toddler Wild all dino'd out.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-09-26T20:27:00.003-08:00

This has got to be Mr Moose's favorite snack. And it's so easy to make, because I always throw in whatever's around.

Ingredients:

White mushrooms - stems removed

Brick cream cheese (4oz will do - but 8oz is easier to find) - softened

1/4 C sour cream per 4oz cream cheese

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

~1/4 C bacon pieces/bits/whatevers

seasonings from around the house (parsley, garlic, oregano, cheddar cheese, pepper flakes, parm cheese, chilis, etc etc etc)

Line a baking sheet with foil. Place mushrooms on sheet, bottoms up.

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.

Place filling mixture in a piping bag, or in a plastic zip-top bag. Snip off the end of the bag to create a piping bag.

Fill each muchroom cap generously.

Broil the mushrooms on low until brown on top.

Enjoy.

Moose Tracks:

In the past I've skipped the sour cream and used a bit of Ranch dressing.

Sometimes I don't add any cheese or spices. Just the basic ingredients.

No two batches are ever the same. And they're always yummy.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

2011-09-26T20:05:00.005-08:00

Toddler Moose has decided he needs to be a spider for Halloween. Easy-peasy. I just need a 6-armed sweatshirt (his legs are the other two), some black pants and a bunch of eyes. Toddler Moose has the pants. It was the rest I needed to make. So I did.

Materials:

Sweatshirt

2 pair men's black socks

Stuffing (like Poly-fil)

Black ribbon

Sewing materials or fabric glue

Black Hat

8 Googly Eyes

Optional materials:

3 pair cotton gloves

felt in a matching or coordinating color

Lay out the sweatshirt and the socks to create six arms.

Using a seam ripper or scissors, rip the side seams where the socks will intersect the sweatshirt for a total of four openings.

Stuff the socks with stuffing.
Invert sweatshirt (if not already done.) Place the stuffed socks inside the sweatshirt, oriented so the heel of the socks faces up (toward the neckline.) Pull the end of the socks through the open seams. Glue or stitch in place.

Cut off excess sock material from the inside of the sweatshirt.

Invert sweatshirt with socks. Tie ribbon around the lower socks to keep them attached to the sweatshirt's sleeve. Sew or glue ribbon onto/into sleeve.

Decorate sweatshirt as you like. For my formal little spider, I cut a bow tie out of felt and glued it on. I also stuffed gloves with polyester stuffing and glued them on the end of the socks.
Hat (not really pictured): Glue large googly eyes in a cluster to the front of the hat.

Moose Tracks:

When we actually go out trick or treating on Halloween, Toddler Moose will be sporting black pants, black shoes and white gloves on his hand.

His girlfriend will also be a spider. Her spider has purple gloves, a girly purple bowtie and feminine googly eyes (the kind with fake eyelashes.)

Had he asked to be a "scary spider", I would have used red felt and given Toddler Moose an hourglass belly for a black widow.

Trick or treat!

Soda Jello

2011-09-26T19:50:00.004-08:00

Promise me you won't spend $2 on name-brand jello flavored like your favorite soda or fruit juice ever again. PROMISE ME!

Soda Jello. It's 1/8th the cost of name brand. and I promise it's just as easy. Check it out: the kid likes it. you will too.
Ingredients:
2 C Soda of your choice

1 pkt gelatin (like Knox gelatin)

In microwave safe glass/bowl, heat 1/2 C soda until it boils.

Combine in bowl with gelatin. Stir for 3 minutes or until gelatin is fully melted.

Add in the rest of the soda (up to 1.5 cups). Stir to combine.

For prettier jello, let foam dissipate before putting in fridge.
Let cool for 4 hours, or until set.

Enjoy!

Moose Tracks:

You can do jigglers by either adding more gelatin to the same amount of soda, or just use less soda.

This recipe can be done with fruit juice of your choice. Equally yummy.

Kool-Aid Cookies

2011-09-24T19:42:00.003-08:00

You heard me. Kool-Aid cookies. There's something so unique about Kool-Aid, regardless of flavor choice. And these cookies use that to their advantage.

You're probably still thinking to yourself, "Moosie. Did you really use Kool-Aid to make cookies? Are you playin' me?" I present to you the evidence:

An opened package of unsweetened Kool-aid.

Ingredients:

1 pkg (0.16oz) unsweetened Kool-Aid

1 2/3 C sugar

1 1/4 C softened butter

2 lg eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 C flour (packed)

1/2 C sugar for rolling

Cream butter, sugar, and Kool-Aid

Add eggs, one at a time. Mix well.

Combine flour, salt and soda (I never do this step.)

Slowly add in the flour.

Preheat oven to 325

Roll dough into 1" balls (I use a 2tsp cookie scoop.)

Roll dough balls in sugar.

Place cookies 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to brown slightly.

Let cool no more than 1min on baking sheet before moving to a wire rack.

Moose Tracks:

I dislike doing dishes. So unless it's amazingly critical I just add in ingredients in order after the eggs. It hasn't really made a huge difference in most baked goods. It can, but you have to know the recipe and how ingredients interact to catch it before trying and failing once.

The cookies above our Fruit Punch Kool-Aid cookies. If/when I can find unsweetened watermelon Kool-Aid I'll be making these cookies again.

Moose Fail

2011-09-24T19:26:00.004-08:00

Alrighty. I agreed - somewhere on the right-hand side of your screen - to share my adventures in baking. And, that doesn't always mean they'll be successful. As much as I deny it, I have to accept that fact that i'm human and I make mistakes. It's okay; you are too.

So, this misadventure is the Pinterest-famous Mini Kiss Pie. I'm pretty sure they have a different name on each board it's pinned on. but nonetheless, it's a little bite-sized pie using simply pie crust and a Hershey's kiss. What's to mess up, right? They started out so very promising.

They started out normal. I followed the recipe to a T. And I don't usually, so this is big!

But, this happened:
Even the best of the bunch looked horrible.
So, I'm calling this one a bust. Not because anything's wrong with the recipe. The recipe's great. It works. What went wrong here was my choice of Hershey's Kisses.

If you ever go find the recipe out on Pinterest or the interwebs, just keep in mind one thing: DO NOT USE THE CARAMEL HERSHEY'S KISSES!

I did because it's what I've got at home. And I wanted to try these. But I didn't stop to think about what I was actually doing. Caramel, when baked, is molten. Think about it: Remember that time you made turtle brownies and tried to sneak a nibble fresh out the oven? Remember how you cursed and ran for the sink and had to put out your sizzling lip and/or tongue? Yeah, that's caramel.

Caramel heats quickly and to a high temperature. Which means the softened chocolate isn't much of a containment device for molten caramel. And the end result looks a little something like I posted above.

It's not a total loss - Mr Moose is enjoying cleaning up the casualties from this baking war.

Moose Dropping

2011-09-22T19:40:00.001-08:00

If Moose Tracks are my notes along the way in any given post, then a Moose Dropping must be a random post containing neither crafts nor foods. Sometimes it'll be tips and tricks. Other times it'll be general notes from the Moose herself (btw - it's always the Moose herself. I haven't shared my blogger password with anyone, nor given them access to post on my blog.)

Photos: I'm not a photographer. In fact, I'm nothing like a photographer. My camera of choice is often my cell phone. I don't set up shots - I take them as they come. My shots aren't professional. I don't spend hours making sure the subject is perfectly placed and lit. Nope. I point and shoot.

What this means for you: My photos are real. The fallen cake, the goopy glue on a craft, the splotchy fabric, the misadventure in creating. All are real. Love 'em or leave 'em, but choose to deal either way. Much like I tell my little Moose (<- that's plural), you get what you get.

And hey! If you're reading this and you're not Mel (as she's obligated), then THANKS! Hope you're enjoying, learning and growing. I appreciate it.

Apple Bread

2011-09-22T19:20:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I screw up a recipe so bad it becomes something good. One big-a$$ wrong becomes a right, I suppose. This is just another one of those times that's true for me.

Generally speaking, sugar is considered a "wet ingredient." In some recipes it doesn't matter. In muffins and quick breads it does. Dry ingredients go together and wet ingredients go together. Then the marry to make carb-loaded euphoria. Well, when you do it the wrong way with quick breads, you end up with something dry as hell. And, at least for me, that always leads to experimentation.

Only once have I ever thrown something away instead of trying to salvage it with experimentation. It's just not something I do. You shouldn't either. Be brave. Experiment. In the kitchen (and elsewhere - but that's not the point of this post.)

Ingredients:

3 C flour

2 tsp apple pie spice

1 Tbsp cinnamon *see Moose Tracks

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 C sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 C applesauce (that's 2 of the kid-sized cups)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rum or rum extract (optional)

1 tsp orange peel (optional)

2 C apples - cored, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 C walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together all the dry stuff.

In a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, vanilla, applesauce, extract and orange peel

Stir it all together

Fold in apples and walnuts.

Divide mixture between two greased 8"x4" bread pans

Bake for 40-45 min or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let sit on wire rack for 10 min.

Remove from pan and enjoy.

Moose Tracks:

Most autumn-flavored things are enhanced by a few drops of rum extract. I personally don't drink, and don't often have alcohol hanging around the house. So I use extract. But, when my own desire to bake and my orders from customers mean I'm likely to be doing lots of pumpkin and/or apple baking, I buy a nip of rum for this sole purpose. Go ahead, add a few drops to your next pumpkin pie. I promise - you won't regret it.

Spice... especially spiced breads or cookies... the recipes just don't do it for me. I don't want a hint of spice, or an after-flavor of "hmmm... maybe that was cinnamon." Spice it up! Recipes like this are the perfect place to try a bit more spice. Or maybe even a different spice. Cloves, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg. You can't go wrong with any combination of those (in moderation. The whole bottle would likely be "wrong" for a few loaves of bread.)
Orange peel - I used the dried stuff from little glass jars in the spice aisle. I keep a stock of lemon peel and orange peel on hand. A bit of citrus brightens up fruit and/or vegetable quick breads like you wouldn't believe. Trust me on this one.

Get Well Now

2011-09-22T19:10:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately I have too many friends in the hospital right now. Some of them are in quarantine for being radioactive. And that just sucks. So I can't really give them anything permanent (radioactive things tend not to be allowed to go home after the person is not radioactive). So, I created some cards for them. I remember seeing something similar on Pinterest (and needed something easy to do from the comfort of my desk at work), so I scanned my memory and made up this:

Band-aids. Googly eyes. Sweet smiles. Can't really go wrong.

Ice Cream for dinner?

2011-09-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

I decided to surprise Toddler Moose with breakfast for dinner. When he sat at the table he got so excited because it looked like an ice cream cone. Sure, it wasn't the healthiest meal, but the smile on his face was worth it.

Eggo Waffle

Banana

Strawberry

Chocolate Sauce

Sprinkles

Inspired by this

Autumn Brittle

2011-09-21T19:29:00.002-08:00

I stumbled upon an Autumn Brittle recipe on Pinterest, I read through it and thought "Meh - it's a good start." I'm sure it's a lovely Autumn brittle, but to me Autumn must have certain smells. And certain flavors. And this brittle from there just didn't have it. So, using that recipe as inspiration, I've created my own recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 C granulated sugar

1 1/2 C golden brown sugar

1 C water

1/2 C honey

1/2 tsp salt (see Moose Tracks below)

1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 C almonds

1 C cashews

2/3 C dried cranberries

3/4 roasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 C shelled sunflower seeds

Step 1: Combine sugars, water, honey and salt in a large stockpot (trust me here - the large stockpot is necessary. Ask me how I know.) Clip a candy thermometer on the pot. You'll need this - unless you know the water method. And if you do, good for you! It's how I learned. Now I rely on the candy thermometer. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir every few minutes.

Step 2: Boil mixture until it reaches approximately 250 degrees. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well.

Step 3: When sugar mixture reaches 302 degrees/Hard Crack stage (lower temperature if you're at higher elevations) , remove from heat and add in - all at once - the nuts, butter, dried cranberries and seeds. Stir to combine.

Step 4: Turn out onto a foil-lined, greased jelly roll pan. Use spoon or spatula to spread the brittle as thin as possible.

Step 5: Let cool. Break into small chunks. Enjoy.

Moose Tracks:

I skipped adding the salt, as the almonds and cashews I used were already salted.

If you run out of honey you can use light corn syrup. It works in a pinch.

Don't skip on the size of the pot. It took me hours to clean my stovetop off when I underestimated my cookware needs.

Boiled sugar in hot. Don't get any on you. You'll rue the day.

You can add the cinnamon and nutmeg at the beginning, but it'll result in a burnt smell of the hot brittle. It doesn't greatly affect the taste, but it makes the house smell bad.

Next time I make this I'll likely try different nuts and/or seeds.

The nerdy rainbow

2011-09-20T20:12:00.001-08:00

Playdough's the greatest thing ever, unless you have to actually pay for it or try to get it out of the carpet. But that's part of the risk with playdough, right?

Ever make homemade playdough and have it be dry and crumbly - almost a one time use sort of thing? Me neither. I have no interest in wasting my time that way. But, I'm all for making playdough if I know it'll last. And this recipe will.

Ingredients:

1 C flour

1 C water

1/2 C salt

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp cream of tartar

food coloring

Combine everything in a saucepan. Heat until mixture starts to clump up and pull away from the sides of the pan,stirring the whole time. When it's all doughy, remove from pan and knead until cool. Store in an airtight container.

Moose Tracks:

Liquid food coloring creates pastel colors (or runny playdough if you use enough). The vibrant colors I achieved were done so by using icing gels. Wilton sells them. They're little jars of concentrated colored gel. They're lovely.

Because Baby Moose and Toddler Moose love to help me in the kitchen, I made sure to knead the dough until it was only warm. Then I split each batch in half and let them have at it.

The cooking time ends up being a good two-ish minutes. This stuff is easy peasy.

Each ball in my ROYGBIV-like rainbo up there is the equivalent to one batch. For comparison purposes, the bags are quart size.

Lemon Pull Apart Bread

2011-09-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mr Moose is a sucker for lemon bread. I'm a sucker for baking as soon as a hint of briskness hits the air. We're made for each other.

I found this lemon pull apart bread on Pinterest.

Yeast breads are a PITA where I live. So, it was a true labor of love to make this for hubs.

The pic is before adding the tangy cream cheese frosting stuff. Honestly, it's not necessary. It added a little something, but the bread was awesome without it.

Next time I try this (which'll be a while, as it's a yeast bread and you already know how I feel about that,) I'll be modifying the recipe to make orange pull apart bread. Mr Moose doesn't care for orange too much, but it can't always be about him.

Jet Pack

2011-09-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

Toddler Moose (my reluctant model here) can spend hours "flying" around the house. I asked him if he's like some assistance in flight. He lifted his shirt, pointed to his bellybutton and said, "I put the gas in here, Mommy." Then he turned around and pointed to his bum. Then he giggled "It falls out here!"

Well, if that isn't a conundrum I don't know what is. So, I developed this jet pack to help him with his leaky gas issues.

Step 1: Spray plastic bottles with plastic primer (I used Krylon Fusion). Let dry.

Step 2: Spray bottles with your favorite silver spray paint (doesn't have to be plastic specific.) Let dry.

Step 3: Adhere bottles to a piece of cardboard, approximately the width of the bottles next to each other. Let dry.

Step 4: Use ribbon to create backpack-like straps. Adhere. (I used duct tape. That shiz works for everything!)

Step 5: Cut crepe paper strips to create flames. Glue the tops of the strips to another piece of crepe paper. Let dry.

Step 6: Accordion fold the top strip of the flames. Glue to the inside of the bottle tops (which are actually the bottom of the jetpack.) Let Dry.

Step 7: Run around the house making flying sounds with your mouth (or let your kid handle this step)

Moose Tracks:

I used the 1.25 liter bottles of Coke products that can be found for about a buck at most big box stores. They have a cool shape, if you ask me. the straight cylinders of 2liter bottles work just as well.

I cut the tips of the crepe paper to make it look more like flames. Toddler Moose doesn't really appreciate that touch, but it makes me feel better about it.

Snail Mail

2011-09-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

I recently had a friend in need of some cheering up. So, I decided to send her a card (I think Hallmark calls 'em "Encouragement" cards.) Since I was sending it via snail mail, I figured sending a snail would brighten her day, too. Who doesn't love to get something in the mail? Not me!

Directions:

cut your favorite color(s) felt into 1" strips.

Wrap the felt around itself, creating the shell of the snail.

Glue ends to hold it together.

Glue another strip to the bottom of the roll, gluing the seam of the shell down.

Customize the tail and face of the snail using scissors.

Glue on your favorite googly eyes.

Hand bend the face down.

Friend should get this cute little guy in the mail later this week. I hope it brightens her day like I expect it to.

The Best Chicken Nuggets Ever

2011-09-20T19:37:00.001-08:00

Rumor has it these taste just like Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. They're yummy, but not the same, for sure.

1 lb Chicken, cut into 1" cubes

1-2 C milk

1 C flour

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp salt & pepper, each

Canola oil for frying

Dip

Place chicken cubes in sealable plastic bag (Ziploc) or plastic container. Cover with milk. Let sit overnight in fridge, shaking up the contents a few times.

When ready to fry, heat oil in a large saucepan or stockpot. Oil should be at 375.

While the oil is heating, combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Drop chicken into flour mixture and shake or "mush" bag to coat chicken. Drop a few coated chicken pieces into the oil, allowing it to cook thoroughly (mine took less than 3min per batch.)

Drain cooked chicken on a paper towel-lined plate while the rest of the chicken is frying.

Discard any leftover milk and/or flour mixture (chicken germs - ewww)

Serve with your favorite dip

Moose Tracks:

I'll likely try adding different kinds of spice to the flour mixture next time I make these. Perhaps some Spike - it's my favorite spice mix to add to chicken dishes. Someday I'll blog about my "healthy" friend chicken. Spike is the winning ingredient there.

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on Pinterest (original recipe here). You'll know this in future posts because I'll tag them with "Pinterest".

Pirate Party Invitations

2011-09-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

So, Toddler Moose requested a pirate party for his fourth. Fair enough.

I struggled with what to make for invites when a Twitter friend suggested a message in a bottle. Okay, I could make this work. First step: Drink 10oz of bottled water for every invite you need to make. This can take a couple of days. Fair warning.

Step 1: Distress vellum for invite and name tag

~Wrinkle vellum - try not to tear it too much

~Using an ink pad, dab the re-flattened vellum - Don't be too perfect with this

(I used two different colors of ink - a dirty linen and a coffee stain color

~Spray vellum lightly with water

~Iron flat with a warm iron (no steam)

Step 2: Prepare burlap to be printed on (see this: Printing on burlap)

Step 3: Print invites & name tags on vellum; Jolly Roger on burlap

Step 4: Cut burlap to approx the width of the water bottle label. Rip vellum to give it a "rough" edge

Step 5: Glue Burlap around bottle (10oz water bottle from Walmart). I made sure to glue the skull opposite the manufacturer's stamp. I also didn't bother to remove the label, as the label provided a nice white backdrop when looking through the bottle.

Step 6: Use your favorite ribbon to thread through the name tag and around the top of the bottle (I removed the ring leftover from the cap)

Step 7: Add sand to bottle. I used about a 1/4 cup per. I also made sure to let the sand dry a bit.

Step 8: Roll up invite and shove it in the bottle.

These invites are best hand-delievered. If they must be mailed, "cork" the bottle - either with a real cork or the plastic bottle cap.

Invite wording (in the coolest ol' English font I could find)

Ye be invited

to join Captain Moose's crew

He'd like to celebrate

his fourth birthday with you

Chart yer course for [insert address here]

On [insert date here] at half past 10

Grub and Grog will be provided for ye treasure seekers

Deserters only 555x555x1234