Munchkin Monday: Dessert Shish Kabob

Why is this a Munchkin Monday?? Well it is because my 9 yr old daughter is on a treat making kick! She is always wanting to make desserts and treats for us and her friends. 

This is her creation. 

1st make a box of brownies (I say box cause for kids this is her easiest option to use) 

2nd clean and cut your strawberries

3rd pull out your mini marshmallows

4th cut brownies into squares and roll into balls. 

5th put everything onto the skewers

6th serve and eat! 

p.s. If you don't roll the brownies into balls then they just pull off the skewers and fall right off. 

Foodie Friday: Mexican Salad

 The perfect filling summer salad. For those days when it is just to dang hot to cook. My Grandma found this recipe in the 70's and we have been consuming it ever since. Its light enough that you feel good about yourself for eating a salad and filling enough that you can serve it by itself for dinner and your husband won't complain about being hungry two hours later.

The only ingredient that will give you the slightest pause is called Ranch Style Beans. Its is a specific brand of beans that can be found in most stores. I found these at Smiths for $.69. Just find them, use them, love them.

Combine 1 basket of cherry tomatoes, 1 1/2 cup sharp grated chedder cheese, 5 sliced scallions,1 can drained and rinsed Ranch Style Beans, and one head of lettuce.

 Add one small bottle of Catalina dressing.

 Then crush one bag of corn or tortilla chips (We love Fritos) and add the the salad.

Mix it all up and dig in. This is quite a big salad. It will fill 4-6 people if you serve it by itself and more if you serve it as a side. I know that it sounds a little odd all together but just trust the 70's it is an amazing, easy, delicious salad. Enjoy!

Mexican Salad

1 head lettuce

1 basket cherry tomatoes, whole

5 scallions, sliced

12 oz. or 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 can Ranch Style Beans, drained and rinsed

1 sm. bottle Catalina dressing

1 bag corn or tortilla chips, crushed

Toss all ingredients together except chips. Add chips then toss again.

Wild Card Wednesday: Guest Post by Bridget Sandorford

Hey all our readers! We have got a special treat for you today! Today we have a guest post by Bridget Sandorford who's bio information is at the very end of this post. Some of these ideas are pure genius and I'm sure any kid would love to have any of these toys/beds! Thanks Bridget for contributing!  

Best Ikea Hacks for a Kids’ Space

Ikea furniture is a great choice for a kid’s room. Not only is it inexpensive, but it is also infinitely customizable. With a little bit of paint, some fabric, and some creativity, you can create pieces that are beautiful, interesting, and uniquely yours.

Ikea hacks – as customized Ikea furniture is known – are also great for creating kids’ play items, such as play kitchens, train tables, and puppet stages. A look through Pinterest or a search on Google will turn up hundreds of innovative ideas that will fit any budget. Here are some of our favorite picks for the best Ikea hacks for a kids’ space:

Kitchen from a Sideboard (http://krighanna.blogg.se/2013/january/mera-vimplar.html)

A little paint and a few modifications turned this sideboard into a fun and modern play kitchen.

Nightstand Play Kitchen (http://www.smallfriendly.com/small-friendly/2012/01/diy-modern-play-kitchen.html)

Two Ikea nightstands were converted into this play kitchen with a sink, stove, and backsplash. This conversion required a little more muscle work, with a hole cut for the sink, a new door made for the stove, and a lot of painted details.

Bookcase into a Train Table (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2010/11/dreaded-kids-train-table-with-new-twist.html)

This bookcase was turned on its side and put on casters to become the perfect train table with under table storage.

Tractor Bed (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/04/tractor-bed.html)

This bunk bed was converted into a cool tractor bed with a few modifications to the height, the addition of the wheels and other elements, and a coat of new paint.

Firetruck Bed (http://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/03/kura-firetruck-bed.html)

This makeover turns a boring toddler bed into a fire truck. With a little extra elbow grease, the bed has even been transformed to include working headlights!

Your Feedback

What are some of the best Ikea hacks you’ve seen? Do you have any that you’ve tried yourself? Share links to your favorites or tell us about your own projects in the comments!

Author Bio:

Bridget Sandorford is a freelance blog and culinary writer, where recently she's been researching top chef schools. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.

Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Boysenberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

My daughter and I were craving something sweet a little while back and while skimming through my collection of recipes I found this one which I had never made before, but looked good. The original recipe calls for raspberry jam, but I just had strawberry and boysenberry so I decided to try out the boysenberry and they were still really yummy! These are sure to satisfy that sweet tooth!


Cookies:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• seedless raspberry jam (or another flavor if you prefer)

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 3 tsp milk

Mix together the butter, sugar, and almond extract. Mix in flour. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb in center of ball to make a small hole. Fill the hole with jam. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until edges are slightly brown. Let cool a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Dizzle warm cookies with glaze. Make about 18 cookies.
* If you put some towels under the cooling rack it will make cleanup a lot easier!

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Yummy!!!



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Foodie Friday: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I enjoy anything that has citrus in it especially lemon!  So I was anxious to try this recipe for lemon muffins. The original recipe doesn't call for poppyseeds, but I think lemon and poppyseeds combined is a great combination so I decided to add some in. If you love muffins you will love this recipe!

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins:

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softenend
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp poppyseeds (optional)

Muffins:

In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar, lemon, juice, and egg. Sift together dry ingredients. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to make a thick batter. Stir in lemon zest and poppyseeds. Spoon into paper lined muffin tin (2/3 full) or a loaf pan. Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Bake loaf at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Just before the muffins or bread comes out of the oven, combine syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan.

Syrup:

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

Combine and heat just until the sugar is dissolved. Prick small holes in the top of baked bread of muffins with toothpick, then gently pour syrup into holes. Cool.  Makes 12 muffins or 1 loaf.