S'mores Pudding Parfait

The kids LOVE to help in the kitchen.  

When I stumbled upon Food Network's Sandra Lee's S'mores Pudding Parfait I knew it would be a huge hit with my kids.  (Not to mention easy!)

C and M loved  mixing the instant pudding, crushing the graham crackers and assembling their parfaits.  The only real help they needed from me was toasting the tops of the marshmallows.

image from here

No big surprise here...Chocolate Pudding, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows are all you need.

Layer them all, toast the top, and dig in. 

find the recipe HERE.

YUM!

with whimsy~

Snowman Soup

It's official... the kids are out of school until the new year!

I assembled these cute Snowman Soup Kits for the Cutie Patootie's classmates.

A clever twist to an ordinary hot cocoa packet.

 What's inside the bag?
hot cocoa packet, candy cane, hershey kisses (plain and caramel), mini marshmallows, a fun swirly candy cane straw (found at Hobby Lobby)

 The Poem:

With whimsy~

Cinnamon Sugar Snowflakes

What's crispy, warm, buttery, and festive with cinnamon sugar all over?  

Why cinnamon sugar snowflakes, of course!

1. Fold flour tortilla into 1/4

2. snip around the edges 

3. Voila!

4. brush on melted butter

5. sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, etc.

6. Bake at 375 for 5-7 min. (or until cinnamon sugar is bubbly)

M insisted his snowflake was a dinosaur mask... Rarrrrrrr!

They were a hit!

With whimsy~

Cranberry Salsa

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I wanted to share a recipe that I shared with my family over the break.

Cranberry Salsa!

I originally discovered this recipe from, where else, Pinterest via Jamie Cooks it Up.

Want to make it?

Ingredients:

1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries

1/4 c. green onion , chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1-2 jalapeno peppers

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 t cumin

2 limes, juiced

dash of salt

2 8oz. package of cream cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Add fresh cranberries, green onion, cilantro, jalapenos, sugar, cumin, salt, lime juice to food processor and PULSE until desired consistency.
Refrigerate in an air tight container for at least 4 hours.
• Optional:  Spread cream cheese in shallow serving dish and pour salsa over the top.
• Serve with wheat thins or pita chips

image via Jamie Cooks It Up

*tips and tweaks*  

you may notice that my ingredients and their amounts may vary slightly from Jamie's original ingredient list.  

• Sugar: Jamie's recipe calls for 1 1/4 c.  I actually made mine with only 1 c. (it was still too sweet). The next time I make this I plan on adding only 1/2 c.  ......  the sugar breaks down the cranberries the more it sits. I actually made this salsa one day in advance.  It traveled well!

• Jalapeno:  Jamie's recipe only calls for 1 small jalapeno.  I like a little more heat, and with all of the sugar the heat was lost. The next time I make this I plan on adding 2 small jalapenos (with out their seeds, of course. )

• Lime vs. Lemon:  Being a Texan it only makes sense to add Lime juice vs. Jamie's suggested Lemon. (Either would work, I  just prefer the lime)

• Crackers vs. Chips:  What to serve with this salsa?  If you plan to layer the salsa over cream cheese I would serve this with a wheat cracker (wheat thins) or a pita chip.  If you plan on serving the salsa by itself a traditional tortilla chip would be tasty.

I love this recipe!  The cranberries add a fun and festive twist to traditional salsa.  

With whimsy~

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Halloween night was filled with friends, trick or treating, and pumpkin dump cake.

image via cookies and cups

A dear friend of mine sent me a link to this recipe from Cookies and Cups, shortly thereafter I started to see it plastered all over Pinterest.

So, obviously, I had to see what all the hype was about.

Let me tell you...... it was super easy to make and delicious!

Click HERE for the recipe.

This recipe is a keeper!




With whimsy~

Tonight's dinner

I am absolutely LOVING the cold front that has graced San Antonio, an impressive high of 74.  Pretty perfect if you ask me!

So, tonight I plan on making one of our favorite dinners in honor of this beautiful and breezy fall day!

Potato, Corn, and Shrimp Chowder

Ingredients:

• Russet Potatoes - 4 c. , peeled & cubed
• 1 1/2 c. Kernel Corn, Frozen
• 2 c. Shrimp, Peeled / tail-off (I use frozen shrimp)
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. Canadian Bacon , chopped
• 4 c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 c. Fat Free Half & Half
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil 
• salt/ pepper - to taste
• 1 tsp. dill
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook until softened. Add chopped Canadian bacon and heat through.
2. Add chicken broth and potato.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until potatoes are fork tender.
3. Once potatoes are cooked remove half of them into a separate bowl and mash.  Add mashed potatoes back into the soup pot.
4. Add shrimp, corn, and half &half.  Bring back up to a simmer.  
5. Add dill, red pepper flake and salt/pepper. (*tip* - before adding the red pepper flakes reserve a few servings in a separate bowl for the kids.  My kids find the red pepper too spicy, but the adults love the extra kick. ;)

This recipe makes a ton!  Freeze what is left over for an easy dinner night down the road.

If you or your kiddos are not huge fans of shrimp, chicken would be an awesome substitute. 

OR

Leave the shrimp and/or chicken out all together.   

Hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do!

Happy Fall!

With whimsy~

Crescent S'mores

Over the weekend the Cutie Patootie and I made this ooey gooey goodness of a treat.  The inspiration came from enticing photos via Pinterest.   I did put a  little spin on the recipe I found by adding graham cracker bits inside and cinnamon sugar on top.  These two ingredients helped reinforce that traditional s'mores flavor.

Ingredients:

• Pillsbury crescent rolls
• semi sweet chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows
• graham cracker
• cinnamon sugar

Directions:

• roll out your Pillsbury crescent rolls
• Pile in chocolate morsels, graham cracker bits, and mini marshmallows (*tip: the more mini marshmallows you can stuff in there the better, the majority of them will melt away in the baking process.  Also, the graham cracker bits absorb a lot of moisture while baking and change into a more cake-like consistency, yum!)
• Roll into traditional crescent shape
• Pinch any openings in dough together to prevent gooey spillage.
• Top with cinnamon sugar
• Bake (Follow baking time and temp on the crescent roll container.)

Let me just tell you, my whole house smelled of delisciousness as they baked. C LOVED these special treats (as did I).  They were quite decadent and not to mention gigantic so the Cutie Patootie and I shared one.  We were two happy girls.

With whimsy~

Frozen Banana Pops

The Summer Fun Jar:  LET'S EAT

The recipe chosen at random: FROZEN BANANA POPS

1. Cut the banana in half,  insert Popsicle/lollipop stick.

2. Peel the bananas and then Freeze.

3. Dip the frozen banana in melted chocolate and roll in toppings of choice.

4. There you have it!

5. MmMmMmMm...

These banana pops save well in the freezer for a few days.

C loves these fun (somewhat healthy) summer treats.

With whimsy~

fresh squeezed lemonade

Summer Fun Jar:  LET'S EAT

Recipe Chosen at random:  FRESH SQUEEZED LEMONADE

There is something so sweet about enjoying the simpler things in life.  How easy it is to forget that we don't always need all of the bells and whistles pushed upon us.  

This past weekend we made a pitcher of delicious fresh squeezed lemonade.

The kids LOVED it, and with only 3 ingredients... who could resist?

Click HERE for the recipe.

Here's a look:

1. Grab your ingredients:  Lemons, sugar, water,  mint (optional)

2. Set up (super cute toddler... optional. )

3. .....and SQUEEZE....

4. Start-a-mixing.   (Purse on arm is a must....)

**at this step we actually tweaked Paula Dean's recipe a bit.... while dissolving the sugar in the hot water we actually muddled mint in with it....(similar to mojito style). Make sure to reserve some mint for the garnish at the end.  You know... to keep things pretty.  ;)

5.  Ooh La La

6. MmMmMmMm...

What a perfectly simple afternoon.  :)

With whimsy~

Happy 4th of July!

The Cutie Patootie helped make some red, white, and blue treats for today...

Here is a look:

Red, White, and Blue Marshmallow Pops & Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:  Marshmallows, Strawberries, white chocolate, red & blue sprinkles, lollipop sticks

Assemble: dip - sprinkle - repeat

Voila!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

With whimsy~

Groovy Smoothies

The Summer Fun Jar:  Let's EAT

The treat chosen at random:  Groovy Smoothies

What is a Groovy Smoothie?

Nothing more than a regular smoothie made however you want.
(C obviously has watched the Fresh Beat Band one too many times, and insists that all smoothies are, in fact, Groovy.)

I originally started making smoothies to get more fruits and protein into my picky little eater.
The Cutie Patootie loves them and they have become a very special treat at our house.


Here's a look:

1. Grab your ingredients

• frozen or fresh fruit - we used 1 ripe banana, 1/2 c. blueberries, 1 c. strawberries)
• 1/3 c. juice (what ever type you like) -  we used 1/3 c. apple juice
• 1/3 c. yogurt (what ever type you like) - we used 1/3 c non fat greek yogurt .... (for more sweetness I recommend vanilla yogurt)
• 1/3 c. milk (optional) 
• hand full of ice cubes

2. Blend ingredients together

3.  Poor into glass and add a GROOVY straw.  

• We added fat free whipped cream and sprinkles to make it extra special.

4. Enjoy!

The Cutie Patootie loves Groovy Smoothies so much that she requested them for her Birthday snack at school this year. 

They traveled to school surprising well.  

• I just made a big batch of them right before running up to school. 
• I packed them in pitchers on ice in a cooler.
• Once at school I poured them in each child's cup.  
• The kids then put their own special toppings on them (whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, and mini marshmallows.

The kids absolutely loved them and the Groovy Smoothies were a great alternative to the typical cookie/cupcake Birthday snack shared with school friends.

With whimsy~

P is for Party

Recently, a good friend of mine, Leslie, created a Perfect Party for her little one's 5th Birthday.

Take a look!

The Theme:  

• The Letter ~P~

The Color Scheme:

• Pink & Purple

The Invitation:

• Leslie found a great custom designer, 505 design+paperie, via Etsy.  

Location:  

• The Birthday Girl's Backyard

The Decorations:

• All of the Party decorations were in the pink and purple color scheme with a touch of Princess.
• Pink and Purple Pom Poms (click here for an easy tutorial) added Pops of color through out the Party.  
• Pink and Purple Birthday Banner via 505 Design+Paperie
• Pink and Purple Princess labels for the food and favor table via 505 Design+Paperie

Cupcake Topper & Printable food Label images from here

The Attire:

• The guests were asked to wear their favorite Pajamas. 
• As we arrived the kids entered a Pink & Purple Photo Booth to take a themed pic as Pirates and Princesses.

The Activities:

• All of the activities started with, of course, the letter P.
• (Pony Races, Puzzles, Painting Puppies, Pouncing in a Princesses Palace, and a Pinata filled with Putty, Playdough, Puppy stickers, and Pencils )

The Food:

• Snacks: Pretzles, Potatoe chips, Pirates Booty, Popcorn, Cheese Puffs
• Drinks: Pour your own Potion (Kool Aid singles in a variety of flavors could be added to the guests water bottles)

Lunch:  

• Pizza & Pineapple

The Dessert:

• Yummy Pink and Purple cupcakes and a Princess themed Birthday Cake.

The Favors:

• The kiddos filled their Party bags with a Plethora of treats at the letter ~P~ candy bar!!

What was included in the Letter P candy bar?

• Peanut Butter Cups
• Pop Rocks
• Pixy Stix
• Popcorn Balls - Find the recipe here
• Peppermints
• Peanut Butter MMs
• Peppermint Patties
• Pink and Purple Peeps
• Tootsie Pops

The favor table decor was also accented with Pink and Purple mini Pinwheels!   

(Is there anything Leslie didn't think of?!)

Props to Leslie for Putting together this Particularly Perfect ~P~ themed Party!!!

Thanks for sharing your party with us Leslie!

With whimsy~

featured party!!!

I am thrilled to announce that M's construction themed 2nd Birthday party was discovered by babylifestyles.com and is their current featured 'real' party'!!!

Babylifestyles.com is an awesome place to find tons of inspiration for children's birthday parties, nursery decor, the latest in hollywood's parenting news. Check them out!!!

Check out M's 'Real Party' feature here.

A big thank you to Tara, the editor from babylifestyles.com,  for discovering my blog and wanting to feature M's fun Birthday party!  What an honor!!!

I "dig" babylifestyles.com!

With whimsy~

Fruit Pizza

The Jar:  'LET'S EAT':
The treat chosen at random:  FRUIT PIZZA

Let's get started:

1. Gather ingredients:  Pizza Stone (or cookie sheet), sugar cookie dough, 8 oz. cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, fruit (C chose blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, & peaches), apple jelly.
2. Spread sugar cookie dough out into one large round disc.  Bake at your specific recipe's directions. Let cool completely.
3. Make the frosting:  Mix together one 8 oz. package of cream cheese (room temp. works best),       1 cup powdered sugar, & 1 tsp vanilla. (refrigerate until ready for use)
4. Slice fruit.

      5.  Spread cream cheese frosting onto cooled cookie crust.

      6.  Arrange sliced fruit on top.  After fruit is arranged on pizza, glaze with apple jelly (optional).

           To glaze:  Stir apple jelly well and drizzle (or brush) over fruit.  

      7.  Take in all of it's beauty!  Slice and serve.

      8.  Enjoy!   mmmmm mmmmm.

Wasn't that easy?

C enjoyed this cooking experiment so much!  (M enjoyed eating it.) 

Such a great way to get your little ones in the kitchen.  

With whimsy~