Superhero Time

I saw this project last week on Filth Wizardry and I had to make one for my own daughter. She likes Batman so I constructed her a Batman Poncho-Cape and she LOVES it! I got the instructions from http://www.filthwizardry.com/2010/01/home-made-superhero-fleece-poncho-cape.html.

1 UP Burgers

I was having so much fun remaking Mario, I decided to incorporate him into our food by making 1UP burgers! Thanks to http://www.instructables.com/id/1UP-Mushroom-Mushroom-Burger/ for the help in constructing the burger :)

Mama Odie's Muffuletta Sandwich

Mine definitely did not come out as nice as the book pictured, but it still came out OK. This sandwich was very messy and hard to eat because of the height, but it was still delicious! This sandwich contained ham, salami, provolone cheese, and swiss cheese on a round Italian loaf spread with olive oil and muffuletta spread. 

Muffuletta Spread Recipe

5 ounces of green olives with pimientos, drained and sliced

1 tomato, chopped and seeded

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper

-from Disney's The Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook Recipes for Kids/ Copyright 2009 Disney Enterprises Inc. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book Group. 

Banana French Toast

The Banana French Toast was absolutely delicious! I haven't made French toast in awhile and this version was wonderful. It was a bit hard to cook because it was so tall, next time I will cut the bread thinner so its easier to cook.

Ingredients:

Loaf bread (French or Italian) cut into thick slices, about 2 inches

1-2 bananas sliced

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1-2 tablespoons butter

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

butter and maple syrup (for topping)

Cut a slit through the middle of the bread crust about 1/2 way through the slice. Stuff the pocket with 3-4 slices of banana. In a shallow dish, wish the eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat both sides of the bread in the milk-egg mixture and place in the skillet. Cook the bread on each side for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Recipe adapted from the book: Disney's The Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook Recipes for Kids. Copyright © 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Published by Disney Press, an Imprint of Disney Book Group.

Too much fun with perler beads!!!

This week, Lexi, my husband, and I have been having too much fun with perler beads! I saw them on some craft websites which reminded me how much fun I used to have with them as a child. My creations as of yet are now much more detailed recreations of favorite characters.

Can you tell we like Mario and friends? :)

Fun with shirts

Over the summer I had a blast stenciling shirts! Here are some of the shirts I made. I had so much fun I plan to make more in the near future...

Duke's Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe was both simple and delicious! It was VERY cheesy! The only issue was that the top got very dry and the noodles on top were hard. I'm going to try to hunt down how to fix this issue for the next time I make it. In all, I think it was delicious and a good first attempt at homemade baked mac and cheese! :)

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked elbow or shell macaroni

Butter or Crisco for greasing the pan

3 cups half and half or whole milk (skim milk would work too)

12 - 18 slices cheddar or American cheese

Topping:

12 buttery crackers

2 teaspoons paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9 baking pan or casserole dish. Spoon in 1/3 the cooked macaroni and one cup of milk then top with 4 to 6 slices of cheese. Repeat this two more times. 

For the topping, place the crackers in a bag and crush them with your hands or with a rolling pin. Mix in the salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle mixture on top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until bubbly, or about 35 to 45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from the book: Disney's The Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook Recipes for Kids. Copyright © 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Published by Disney Press, an Imprint of Disney Book Group.

Tiana's Famous Beignets

Tiana's Famous Beignets were delicious!!! Light, fluffy, square doughnuts, what's not to love? They are my favorite breakfast food! My daughter helped mix the ingredients and pat the dough down, I did everything else. They are not perfect but they were delicious! 

We fried them in our deep fryer but they didn't puff how I wanted them to and ended up being a bit lopsided. I think if the dough was thicker it would have been easier to fry them and they may have looked more square. I'll have to try adding some more flour next time.

Here's the recipe we used:

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups flour (and additional for dusting)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup buttermilk* 
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
• Honey (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine 2 3/4 cups of the flour with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk everything together. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk*, water, egg, and vanilla extract. Then mix in the flour mixture. Dust your work surface with some flour and place the dough on it. Pat or roll the dough into a large 1/2 -inch-thick square, you can dust with more flour if it gets sticky. Next, slice the dough into 2 1/2 -inch squares.


To fry the beignets, you can either use a deep fryer or 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan. If you use a saucepan, heat the oil until it reaches 325°F on a deep-fat thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature while cooking and adjust the heat accordingly. Then, carefully drop 2-3 dough squares at a time into the hot oil. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes, turn flip and continue frying for 2-3 more minutes. Using a metal or silicone slotted spoon (plastic could get damaged), transfer the beignets to a wire rack set atop paper towels to drain (if you don't have a wire rack a plate with paper towels on it works). Dust the beignets with confectioners’ sugar or drizzle with honey (or both) and enjoy!

*you can substitute with lemon juice or vinegar and milk. Put 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill the rest of the cup to the one cup mark with milk.

Recipe adapted from the book: Disney's The Princess and the Frog Tiana's Cookbook Recipes for Kids. Copyright © 2009 Disney Enterprises, Inc. Published by Disney Press, an Imprint of Disney Book Group. 

Dollar Store Crafts - Bob the Tomato

I saw this craft on Dollar Store Crafts and I had to make one for my daughter, Katelynn, who is currently in love with VeggieTales! The craft can be found at at http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2009/12/bob-the-tomato-toy/! It only cost $2 and I was able to make one for each my girls, one big and one small.

Dollar Store Crafts - Wish Sign

 Wish Sign


$1 Wish sign
$1 Butterflies (3 pack)
paint - on hand
hot glue - on hand

I found this at the dollar store and I have seen wooden signs everywhere nowadays and I thought I'd make my own. I considered painting it a solid color like black, since most I've seen were black or white, but I preferred the brighter colors! I think the butterflies make it a little bit more whimsical. :)

I don't think instructions are needed... Paint and add butterflies... simple enough huh? :)