Christmas Crack

Each Christmas I like to try a new recipe.  It can be a cookie,cake, cookie bar, drink...I'm not particular.  This year, I tried a Christmas Crack recipe.  Christmas Crack is a delicious dessert that won rave reviews at each party this holiday season.  Not only was it delicious, it is so easy to make.  With ingredients I am sure that you already have handy, this is a quick dessert to bring to parties or wrap up and gift to friends, teachers, or neighbors!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 sleeve of Saltine Crackers or Graham Crackers
• 1 bag of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
• Toppings such as pretzels or M&M’s

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a shallow roasting pan with foil that has been sprayed with Pam or a similar cooking spray.
3. Lay out the crackers in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.
4. Bring the 1 cup of butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar to a boil in a pan. Keep stirring the mixture constantly until it is well blended.  Once it is blended let it boil for 5 minutes while stirring.  
5. When the toffee is done, it will pull away from the edge of the pan easily.  You can then pour the toffee over the top of the crackers and spread it out.  It sets quickly, so try to spread it as much as you can. 
6. Immediately place the covered crackers in the oven for 5-6 minutes.
7. After this time, pull out the crackers and let them cool for about 5 minutes.
8. After it has cooled for 5 minutes sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.  They will start to melt but if they don’t melt fast enough, just place the pan back in the oven for a minute or two.  When the chips are soft, spread the chocolate around with a spatula.  Smooth it out across the top to make it look pretty!
9. At this step, I decided to add some crushed pretzels and M&M's on top of the melted chocolate.  I have also heard of adding nuts or crushed peppermint candy on top.  The choice is yours!
10. Now you are pretty much done!  Let the pan set for 4-5 hours. If you are in a rush like I usually am, you can put the pan in the freezer for about 30-40 minutes.
11. When the chocolate is set turn the pan over, let the crackers turned candy fall out and break into pieces.
12. ENJOY and share only if you want!!!!!!

Snow Ice Cream

It finally happened! SNOW! I stumbled across this recipe on Frugal Upstate. Plus, it's a nice treat after all the hard work you put in while shoveling.

Enjoy!

Snow Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 6 C of very clean snow
• 1/2 C Sugar
• 1 C Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

• Put the snow in your biggest bowl.
• Sprinkle sugar over the top of the snow.
• Add milk & vanilla and then gently stir until the snow squishes down to about 1/4 of the volume you started with.

Once everything seems fully combined, dish into bowls and enjoy immediately!

Kid Friendly Pumpkin Pie

So my kids are not super picky eaters, but they do present their challenges from time to time.  I wanted to have adessert this Thanksgiving that I thought everyone might enjoy.  Now what is Thanksgiving with out pumpkin pie?  How about Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie?  I think I found a winner!

Ingredients

• 18 graham cracker boards

• 1/2 cup  (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons  cinnamon sugar

• 1 pint  chocolate chip ice cream, softened

• 1 pint  vanilla ice cream, softened

• 1 cup  solid pack pumpkin

• Chocolate curls for garnish, optional

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In food processor, pulse graham crackers to form fine crumbs. Add butter and 1 tablespoon of the sugar; pulse to moisten crumbs. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove to a rack; cool completely.
4. Spread the softened chocolate chip ice cream over the bottom of the cooled crust. Freeze until hardened, about 3 hours.
5. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the vanilla ice cream, pumpkin and remaining tablespoon of cinnamon sugar. Spread over the top of the frozen chocolate chip layer. Freeze 3 hours or overnight.
6. To serve, garnish with chocolate curls if desired. If frozen overnight, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

 

Check this recipe out and find more on Parents.com

 

 

Layered Salted Caramel Bars

 

I am looking to add some new dessert ideas to my holiday lineup this year.  I will be starting with this one.  Maybe for breakfast?  Sure...why not!

Layered Salted Caramel Bars

Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheets are the base for these breakfast bars that incorporate all your favorite caramel roll flavors.

    

prep time 15 min                    

total time 60 min

servings 12                    

 

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup butter, melted
• 1/2  cup packed brown sugar
• 1     tablespoon corn syrup
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1/2  cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted                

 

Steps

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix 1/3 cup melted butter, the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Spread evenly in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans.                         
2. In small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon. Unroll one of the dough sheets. Press into 13x9-inch rectangle. Place in pan. Brush with some of the 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle with some of the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with remaining dough sheets, butter and cinnamon sugar, ending with cinnamon sugar.
3. Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof tray or serving plate. Let stand 1 minute so caramel will drizzle over rolls; remove pan. Cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.                     

Expert Tips

**If you can't find Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheets, you can substitute Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls. Just be sure to firmly press perforations to seal.

**These bars are best served straight from the oven while the caramel is still warm.

For more great recipes like this one, go to Pillsbury.com!!!

Pillsbury Crescent Roll Taco Bake

I love Mexican food and certainly do not make it often enough.  I have made tacos, fajitas, and this tasty Beef Taco Bake.  I'm not sure where I came across this recipe, maybe on Pillsbury.com?  But, this will be our experimental Cinco de Mayo dinner this year!

Pillsbury's Crescent Roll Taco Bake Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• 2 crescent roll tubes
• 1 LB ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• ... Shredded lettuce
• 1 or 2 diced tomatoes
• 1/2 small can sliced olives (if desired)
• Sour cream, optional
• sliced avocado, optional

 

Directions:

1. Lay out the two tubes of crescent pastry, thick sides in. Use some of the left over crescent rolls to to make the center a bit thicker.
2. Brown beef and add taco seasoning.
3. Lay beef in a circle inside of the laid out crescent rolls
4. Add cheese to the top
5. Pull over crescent rolls and tuck in under meat and cheese.
6. Follow cook time on the pack of crescent rolls.
7. Add cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream or whatever toppings you like for your tacos, in the middle.

 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Dip

I am totally guilty of eating raw cookie dough, despite the warnings against it.  I'm sure I'm not the only one, go ahead, admit it!

I found this dessert dip on Lynsey Lou's via Shugary Sweets that takes the guilt out of eating raw cookie dough.  I made this last week for Mason's birthday party and several people asked for the recipe before leaving. 

One the side, I served it with vanilla wafers, graham crackers, and pretzels.  Each combination was a winner!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 8 oz (1 bar) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 Cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 1/2 Cup brown sugar
• 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tsp vanilla
• 3/4 Cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 (8oz) bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups or 8 regular size peanut butter cups cup up in pieces

Directions:

1. Combine butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and place over low-medium heat. Stir mixture occasionally until butter is completely melted. Once the butter has melted whisk to combine, until sugar is dissolved into the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil then immediately remove from heat. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir to combine. Set mixture aside and allow to cool.
2. Pour the heavy whipping cream in a small bowl and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl and beat until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the mixing speed to low and slowly pour the peanut butter mixture into the cream cheese, mixing until completely incorporated.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter cups. Once the chocolate chips and peanut butter cups are mixed in, fold in the whipping cream.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

How to Hard Boil Eggs in 12 Minutes

Ok, so I am thirty-something years old and I have never hard-boiled an egg.  I don't eat eggs ever, but do enjoy the occasional quiche.  I know, it doesn't make sense. 

Mason's school had sign-ups for helping in the classroom in September and I thought bringing hard-boiled eggs in for the class to decorate would be easy.  Again, I really don't know what I was thinking since I never did this. 

So, off to Google I went and found these super easy directions from simplyrecipes.com.  It worked like a charm and I had perfect eggs to send in with Mason!

How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

• Cook time: 12 minutes

 

Hints:

• If you want hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, make sure they are several days old. If this is Easter time, and everyone is buying their eggs at the last minute, buy your eggs 5 days in advance of boiling.  Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, try putting them in the refrigerator for a few days; they should be easier to peel then. If you need to hard cook fresh eggs, and want them easy to peel, steaming the eggs works well. Even fresh eggs steamed for 20 minutes will be easy to peel.
• I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.

Method

1. Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste.  Adding a half teaspoon of salt is thought to help both with the preventing of cracking and making the eggs easier to peel. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.
2. Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (Note: If you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.)
3. After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn't done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the pan, the size of the eggs, the number of eggs compared to the amount of water, and how cooked you like them, it can take a few minutes more. When you find the right time that works for you given your pan, the size of eggs you usually buy, the type of stove top you have, stick with it.
4. Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.

Easy Valentine Treats

Everyone knows how to make Rice Crispy Treats.  Here is a super simple twist for Valentines Day to make your treats extra special.  This is also perfect for little hands to help out with!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine                                         
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows  or 4 cups miniature marshmallows                           
• 6 cups Crispy Rice Cereal
• red food coloring
• white chocolate chips, if desired

Directions:

     1. To begin, lightly coat a 10- by 15-inch baking sheet
        with cooking spray and set it aside.

     2. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add
        marshmallows and stir continuously
        until completely melted. Remove from heat.

    3. Stir in drops of red food coloring until the color

        receives a thumbs-up from the chef.

     4. Add Crispy Rice Cereal.  Stir until they are evenly
         and well coated.

     5. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press
         mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with
         cooking spray.

     6. Cool slightly.   Cut out hearts with the cookie

         cutter. Place hearts in a clear plastic bag or on

         a plate and they're ready for giving

**MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow the rest of the steps as noted above.  Microwave cooking times may vary.

**I split the batter in half and kept some to cut for squares and some to cut out for hearts.  That way, I was able to make a tray with squares for the adults and bite sized hearts for the kids.

I know the possibilities are endless with this dessert, but I made a special heart for my husband,  Since my husband loves white chocolate, I melted some white chocolate chips and drizzled it over the big heart.  YUM!

Homemade Disinfecting Wipes

For the second week in a row, I forgot to buy disinfecting wipes.  The kids are sick, the hubby is sick, and I'm the last one standing.  Anyone knows that SAHM's do not have PTO or sick days to use up.  Those are a far and distant memory, so I HAVE to stay well. 

Then it hit me...how could I not figure this out sooner?  I will make my own disinfecting wipes.  Easy enough, I Googled it and found the directions on eHow.com.  I can't take credit for this, but I will take the credit for being smart enough to make them instead of buying pricey wipes from the store!

Instructions:

1. Lay the roll of paper towels on its side on a flat, level surface such as a cutting board or counter. Use the serrated knife to cut the roll in half, width-wise. Press down on the roll as you cut so that the cardboard tube in the center of the roll is compressed and somewhat crushed.
2. Remove the cardboard tube from the roll of paper towels and discard it. Set the two half-rolls of paper towels aside.
3. Measure 1 1/2 cups of distilled water into a plastic container, such as a clean margarine tub or food storage container. The container should be large enough to hold one of the half-rolls of paper towels upright. Add 1/2 cup of liquid disinfectant household cleaner to the water and stir.
4. Place one of the half-rolls of paper towels into the container. Seal the lid tightly, and flip the container onto its lid. Set it in a sink or on a counter in case any of the liquid leaks.
5. Allow the homemade disinfectant wipes to stand overnight so that all of the liquid will be absorbed into the paper towels. Use the homemade disinfectant wipes by opening the lid and pulling a paper towel out of the center of the roll. If desired, you may cut a slit in the lid, and pull the homemade disinfectant wipes out through this hole.

Tips & Warnings

• These homemade disinfectant wipes are only intended to use for household cleaning. Do not use the homemade disinfectant wipes for personal cleaning.

Read more: How to Make Homemade Disinfectant Wipes | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5431933_make-homemade-disinfectant-wipes.html#ixzz2Iphf6aQY

French Toast Bread Pudding Recipe

With the holidays behind me, I can now get back to posting and sharing all the wonderful recipes I tried over the holiday season.  First, I posted the Christmas Crack recipe, which is absolutely delicious, if you haven't tried it yet.  Now, I can post my favorite breakfast dish of the holiday.  Each year, my sister makes this for our Christmas morning gathering.  This year, we decided to have a brunch, so instead of missing out on the tradition, I finally got the recipe from her.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup brown sugar (not packed)
• 1 box frozen french toast sticks, cut in half (I use Murray's brand)
• 1cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut french toast into pieces while frozen
3. Layer 9x13 pan with brown sugar
4. Lay french toast in sugar in a single layer
5. In a large bowl, whisk cream, eggs, vanilla, salt, and water.
6. Cover french toast with mixture
7. Leave in refrigerator overnight for creamier texture. 
8. When ready to bake, sprinkle top of french toast with white sugar.
9. Bake 30-40 minutes, then broil top of bake for 2-3 minutes to brown the top.
10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!  And don't expect there to be anything left over for the next day!

Crunchy Pork Chop Recipe

I kind of stumbled upon this recipe one day while I was trying to come up with something new.  Pork chops....what to do with them?  I searched crunchy pork chop recipes, but I didn't like any one recipe I saw.   So, as usual, I took the best of each recipe and came up with my own!  This recipe was a hit with my family and so easy!

Ingredients:

• 2 to 4 Boneless Pork Chops
• 1 Egg and 1 teaspoon of milk
• 1 Cup Herb Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• Salt, Pepper and whatever spices you like on your chops to taste.  I use Rosemary and Thyme
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the thick white fat off the pork chops, cutting carefully around the outside edge. Lay the chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet beat them until the meaty part of the chop is about half as thick.
3. Beat the egg in a shallow wide bowl with the salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. On a large plate or platter, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan cheese.
4. Press each of the chops into the egg mixture, coating either side. Then dip the egg covered chops into the bread crumbs, covering them evenly.
5. Place in a shallow pan lined with tin foil and drizzle the melted butter over the coated pork chops.
6. Bake in the oven at 400 for 30-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

 

 

Puffy Paint

Mason loves to paint, especially with his hands.  I have been looking for new kinds of paint to try with him, something with a different texture than regular paint.  This simple puffy paint recipe seems just right!  It is great too, since most people will have all the ingredients needed for this recipe on hand.

Yields about 1.5 cups of paint

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons poster or tempura paint

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together
2. Paint and have fun!

Happy Thanksgiving and Quick Corn Bread Recipe

Happy Thanksgiving!  In case you are on short notice and need a good cornbread recipe quickly, here you go!  Every year it is my job to make the corn bread.  I have taken many, many recipes and tweaked it to how I like it.  Most are too dry or not sweet enough for my liking.  Here is the recipe I have developed over the years.  I hope you like it as much as my family does!

Ingredients

4 tbs butter or solid vegetable shortening - softened
1 and 1/3 cups cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (I have used up to 3/4 cup if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 8oz can of creamed corn

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 11x8 inch baking pan with the butter or shortening.

2. Stir the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until mixed.  Beat the milk, oil, and eggs in a separate bowl until blended.  Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just blended - a few lumps won't matter.  Stir in can of creamed corn and mix slightly.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes.  Since ovens vary, it may take longer to cook thoroughly.  Remove and cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!!!!

Thanksgiving Fun!

I found some fun last minute Thanksgiving activities on Babyzone.com.  Click on the link below to be taken directly to the activity.  Have fun!

Gingerbread Turkey Cookies

 

Icing for Gingerbread Turkeys

Homemade Butter

Apple Turkey

Thanksgiving Cornucopias

Felt Leaf Placemats and Napkin Rings

Tree of Thanks

Squash Geese

Sweet Pototo Cornbread

I love cornbread this time of year!  I searched and searched for a recipe that included everything I had in the house.  It was near impossible, so I made my own recipe.  Below is the final recipe I came up with.  Enjoy!!!

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 2 tablespoons of butter 
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of honey (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf tin with cooking spray.
• Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
• Peel sweet potato and chop into large pieces. Boil until tender. Drain and mash. Add melted butter, milk, and egg and stir to combine.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until a dough forms.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.

For this recipe, I used sweet potato that I oven baked and pureed in a blender.  It works that same as boiling and mashing the sweet potato.

Pumpkin Pancakes...A New Tradition

So, Mason has started pre-school! I am so excited for him and so far he LOVES it. Each day he goes to school, he comes home singing another song and babbles on and on about what he did.

I remember the first day of school with fond memories and would like Mason to have the same memories.  I wanted to make the first day of school extra special so I decided to make him a batch of pumpkin pancakes that just screams the first day of school.

I can't take credit for coming up with this recipe all on my own.  I looked around for different recipes, but in the end, I decided to use the recipe from Martha Stewart.

Directions:

• Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves.
• In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg;

• fold mixture into dry ingredients.

 

• Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
• Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup.
• Makes 8 to 10.

These pancakes turned out to be quite delicious.  They were a big hit with the whole family.  The pancakes were fluffy and moist, not at all heavy.  The pumpkin taste was just right and the spices added a feeling of fall that was perfect for the first day of school.  They were very simple and I wound up freezing the leftovers so I have them handy whenever I need a quick breakfast.

A New Favorite Recipe..Pumpkin Muffins!

Recently, I was perusing some of my favorite sites for super easy and quick recipes.  Here is a great recipe I found on That's Country Living for Pumpkin Spiced Muffins that require only two ingredients.  Yes, you read that right, two ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Spiced Cake Mix
• 1 can Pumpkin (15oz can)

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine both ingredients in a bowl.  I also added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to moisten it a little.  You can add it to your liking if you wish.
3. Blend until well mixed together.
4. Spoon batter into greased cupcake pan.
5. Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes (or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean)
6. Let cool and enjoy!

We have been enjoying these treats for a couple of days now.  They are so yummy and don't last long, so I will be making more next week!

All-Natural Facial

Since Amanda was born I have been neglecting my regular beauty routine.  Well, it isn't much of a routine, but every so often I would pamper myself with a facial or scrub.  I have used ones that I bought from the store, but they always leave my face red and irritated. 

This recipe, created by KIWI magazine contributing editor Todra Payne, is best suited for normal to dry skin.  This recipe uses apricots, which are full of Vitamin A and C.  It will help to soften skin and stimulate cell turnover.  If you are looking for an all natural (and inexpensive) facial, give this one a try.

Here's what to do:

• Bring 2 tablespoons whole milk to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. 
• In a blender, add the milk, 1 ripe apricot (pit removed) and 1 tablespoon raw honey.  Blend until smooth. 
• Apply to face and neck.  Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. 

Yields enough for two facials.

Fantastic Organic Campaign

Eating healthy is something that all families strive for, but sometimes choosing healthy items can be tough, especially with the hectic back-to-school schedule. Having healthy snacks on hand can be an important step in keeping kids’ nutrition on track throughout the day.

Earlier this month, PBS KIDS and Whole Foods Markets launched the “Fantastic Organic” campaign aimed at providing educational tools and resources to help families learn to cook, shop and explore healthy foods together!

Below, please find some tips from PBS KIDS on choosing healthy snacks for kids as well as some healthy snack ideas.

Choosing and Buying Healthy Snacks

• Stock the fridge and pantry with healthy snacks, such as fruits and vegetables and ingredients for the recipes below.
• Before you go shopping, tell your children what behavior you expect and what, if any, snack they can expect.
• Take snacks with you when you go to appointments or run errands.
• Provide snacks that are easy to eat.
• Use snacks to provide the food groups your children are missing during meals.
• Make snacks small, then give seconds if the child asks for more.
• Decide what snacks you will allow, and when. Explain the rules to your child and stick to them.

Healthy Snack Ideas:

• Crunchy vegetable sticks (carrots, celery) with low-fat ranch dip (for older preschoolers)
• Nearly frozen applesauce
• Melon Melody: Watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew with non-fat whipped cream
• Ants on a Log: Peanut butter on celery with raisins
• Mud & Dirt: Low-fat pudding with crushed graham crackers mixed in
• Peanut butter on half of a whole-wheat bagel
• Whole-wheat crackers or whole-wheat tortilla with salsa
• Hummus and pita wedges
• “Light” microwave popcorn with grated Parmesan cheese (for children three years and older)
• Mini-pizzas: Half an English muffin covered with a tablespoon of tomato sauce, then topped with part-skim mozzarella cheese

You can find additional information on the Fantastic Organic program here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120801006186/en/PBS-KIDS-Foods-Market%C2%AE-Partner-Educate-Families

Delicious Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Recently, I was at my local farmers market.  The fruits and veggys looked amazing!  On this trip I was able to get a bunch of overripe strawberries at deep discount.  The only problem...what to do with so many ripe strawberries.  I know they will spoil before we could possibly eat all of them.  So, the first thing I did was wash and freeze most of them until I could figure out what I wanted to make with these. 

So I thought about it and one of the first things I thought of was a refreshing lemonade drink.  This is the first recipe I decided to try, a strawberry lemonade I found on babycenter.com via Weelicious.com.  Not only is it a great alternative to other sugary recipes, the kids can help with this too!

Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Strawberry Lemonade (Serves 4)

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade? Naturally sweet, frothy and refreshing!

 Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Strawberries, stemmed & washed
• 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1/4 Cup Agave or Honey or sugar
• 2 Cups Water
• Ice for Serving

Directions:

1. Puree strawberries and honey (or agave) in a blender or food processor until smooth and transfer to a pitcher.
2. Pour the strawberry mixture, water and lemon juice in a pitcher and stir to combine.
3. Chill and serve over ice.

I strained the lemonade after everything was mixed together since I don't like pulp in my drinks.  You can also alter the amount of sugar depending on the sweetness of the strawberries.