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Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Popable Bites

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This Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Popable Bites are the perfect kid’s summer treat!

Watch the girls make these Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Popable Bites!

Growing up, the summers meant lots of fun!  One of the best things was the almost endless amount of ice pops and other frozen treats that we were allowed to consume.  I remember whenever we went to my grandparent’s house, we got these ginormous ice pops that took forever to eat.

Naturally, my girls love frozen treats too.  What I love is how easy it is to make homemade frozen treats. Kids literally don’t care what you put inside a frozen treat either.  It’s the perfect opportunity to stuff in a ton of fruits or vegetables and get in their daily allotment of nutrients.  One of the girls favorite ice pops are a combination of avocado and banana.  Seriously!

What I don’t like as a parent though, is that any variation of ice pops have a tendency to get a little messy, especially if it’s hot outside.  They start dripping.  Things get sticky. And often, the kids don’t even want to finish the entire ice pop which is frustrating as we try to limit the waste we have.

Insert: Frozen Fruit and Yogurt Popable Bites

Kids are still getting a delicious frozen treat that’s healthy for them, but they can just pop them in their mouth and eat them within seconds, minimizing the mess and the waste. It’s a win, win for everyone. Plus they are super easy to make. Our girls loved making them almost entirely by themselves.

Here’s the recipe:

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Frozen Fruit & Yogurt Popable Bites
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup frozen mixed berries
  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
Instructions
  1. Let frozen berries, slightly unthaw.
  2. Chop with a knife into tiny pieces.
  3. Combine chopped mixed berries and chopped strawberries together in a bowl.
  4. Inside silicone mold, layer berry mixture, then yogurt.
  5. If any berry mixture is left over, top yogurt with remaining mixture.
  6. Place in freezer for 4 hours or until frozen solid.
  7. Serve immediately or pop out and store in air tighter container in freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Tip:  Empower your kids by letting them cut things on their own.  These amazing kid’s knives are what we are using in the video. They are sharp enough to cut the food, but they can’t cut your child.  The girls love asking for their knives to take control themselves in the kitchen!

These products may be beneficial for this recipe:


Crispy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

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The ultimate oatmeal cookies.  The Crispy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

Name your favorite cookie….

Not like a brand. Like a type. Go ahead. Whats your favorite kind of cookie?

I already know what your gonna say. Better yet, you already know what most people would say. If this was Family Feud… and Steve said, “Name a kind of cookie that is everyone’s favorite?” You would say it, wouldn’t you? You would slam your sweaty palm, on the red buzzer, as fast and hard as you can, to tell that bald headed man that cookie!

But I am not here to talk about that cookie. Nope! Not today!

I am here to talk about this cookie! The Underdog…

The Dark Horse.

The Out-of-Towner.

The Black Swan!!!!

THE OATMEAL COOKIE!

Not just any old neglected, in the back of the cabinet, oatmeal cookie. Im talking about the…..

Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

Say whhaattttt???????

Yes, this is the Cadillac of cookies right here.

I mean once you Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookie. You never go back!

Bullshit! I go back all the time. But I like variety. But not you my friend. You will fall in love. Hand them out like flyers to strangers. You will make these and put them out for Santa. And as for the gift you will get from Santa that night…. Let’s just say you may want to get the kids some quality headphones so they can sleep tight. Can I get an AMEN!?

Okay, let me stop.  Here’s the recipe:

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Crispy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
18 mins
 

The ultimate oatmeal cookies.  The Crispy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 344 kcal
Author: Andrew
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 14 tbsp unsalted butter slightly melted (1 stick + 6 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, sugar, and butter until light and fluffy.
  3. Add in vanilla and egg and beat until just combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  5. Slowly beat into wet ingredients until combined.
  6. Fold in oats, cranberries and walnuts.
  7. Roll into 1 inch balls.
  8. Place on baking sheet.
  9. Put in oven for 8-10 minutes of until golden brown.
  10. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in air tight container.
Nutrition Facts
Crispy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)
Calories 344 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 256mg 11%
Potassium 128mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 43g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 24g
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 8.7%
Calcium 3.7%
Iron 7.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

So what are you waiting for?  Go! Right now.  Get in the kitchen and start whipping these up right now.  Then report back with how much you loved them.  We also understand if you don’t want to share them.

Consider pinning this image below so you never loose track of this delicious cookie recipe that you already know is going to be a favorite-

Pizza Cake

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Growing up, Andrew and I were never the class clowns. However, we both enjoy a good prank every now and again.  We’ve done some silly stuff in the almost decade that we’ve been together. What’s even funnier though is now pulling pranks on our kids. The pure belly laughter that you get when your little one laughs is the best sound in the world. We love it. We jump out and scare them.  We’ve sprayed them with water when they weren’t expecting it. Pushed their face into a piece of cake when they went to take a bit, ensuring that icing went all over their face. 

Good, fun, humorous pranks. Serenity is getting to be the age that’s it’s even funnier.  She even tries to play her own pranks sometimes. Her favorite thing to do right now is to put toys in our shoes. She literally bursts out in laughter when we try to put our shoes on and realize there’s something inside. She also occasionally blames her sister. However, her laughter kind of gives her away.

This is how our family works to “Unbottle Laffter”. Right now Tampico beverages is working to promote the new DreamWorks’ movie “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” (which is full of pranks!) to make sure every family gets together to “Unbottle Laffter” in their own home. Tampico is also introducing a fun, Captain Underpants themed contest on its Facebook page. Keep reading to learn more.

It was time to up the anti.

To celebrate the new Captain Underpants movie, we realized that we needed to take up our pranks a bit with her. Again, we don’t want to do anything harmful, but we want our house to be full of laughter and fun. We’ve never done prank food before, but I know a friend that gave her family cupcakes that were really mashed potatoes and meatloaf. Serenity’s favorite food is pizza, so we decided to make a cake that looked like pizza.  We wanted her to be included in the fun day, so we ended up telling her what we were doing, but she was a bit confused until the end product was done.  She then proclaimed, “It really does look like a pizza!” #Winning We all know if a kid says it’s so, it is.

Making the pizza cake

It actually isn’t that hard to make this pizza cake. The girls said it was so delicious. It’s a bit on the sweet side and Serenity declared that she’s never eating black licorice ever again. Otherwise amazing.  We did use a box cake mix for this recipe, but you could totally use for your favorite homemade cake recipe too.  The key with this cake recipe though it that we used Tampico Citrus Punch in place of the water the recipe calls for. The Tampico juice gives it such a sweet citrus flavor that it really makes this whole cake come together perfectly.

Here’s the full recipe:

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Pizza Cake
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
  • 1/4 cup oil*
  • 3 whole eggs*
  • 1 cup Tampico Citrus Punch juice*
  • 1 can cherry pie filling
  • 1 white chocolate bar
  • fruit leather
  • red yellow, green, and orange gum drops
  • black licorice
Instructions
  1. *Bake cake according to directions, replacing water with Tampico Citrus Punch juice. Our recipe called for 1/4 cup oil, 3 whole eggs, and 1 cup liquid.
  2. One done, remove from oven and let cool completely.
  3. While cool, add half the can of cherry pie filling to a food processor and pulse until it resembles and chunky marinara sauce. Set aside.
  4. Using a cheese grater, grate a white chocolate bar. You need approximately 1/4 cup of grated chocolate.
  5. Lay fruit leather out in a single sheet. Cut small circles out. *We used the large end of a metal cake piping tip to cut easily.
  6. Using a rolling pin, roll out 2 of each color gum drops. Cut in very thin slices.
  7. Chop up the black licorice.
Time to Assemble
  1. Spread cherry pie mixture on top of a cooled cake
  2. Sprinkle with grated chocolate
  3. Top with sliced gum drops, round fruit leather pieces, and chopped black licorice. (Peppers, pepperoni, and olives)
  4. Serve immediately or cover in air tight container up to 3 days.

This is how our family works to “Unbottle Laffter”.

In partnership with DreamWorks’ animated comedy “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” Tampico Beverages, one of the world’s leading beverage brands, is introducing its “Unbottle Laffter” contest. Participants can enter now through 11:59 p.m. EST July 13 by visiting Tampico’s Facebook Page and commenting on a contest post. The first 20 entrants to respond to a contest post will receive a family pack of movie tickets. Additionally, every entrant will be automatically entered for a chance to win the Grand Prize: a pair of tablets for laughing, learning and enjoying life together. The grand prize winner will be announced July 14. Participants are also invited to enjoy Tampico’s Prank Board, a collage of hilarious sounds in the style of Captain Underpants.

Participation is easy:

  1. Every two weeks, visitors of Facebook.com/DrinkTampico may enter the contest by providing creative responses to irresistibly silly superhero requests posted to the page.
  2. The first 25 entries to every contest post will be awarded with a family four-pack of movie tickets valued at $50 via Fandango.
  3. Every participant is automatically entered into the sweepstakes for the Grand Prize: a pair of tablets (Large “Superhero” and Mini “Sidekick” size). 

The Prank Board can be accessed by all at: UnbottleLaffter.tampicoiscolor.com.

Participants must be age 17 or older to be eligible. For more information, including no-purchase entry, visit TampicoIsColor.com.

 

Banana Swirl Ice Cream

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This post is made possible with support from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program. All opinions are my own.

I remember when we had our first baby.  I was OBSESSED with whether or not she was meeting her milestones. Anytime like I felt she was falling behind on something, I panicked.  I would ask the same question in all 3,421 Facebook parenting groups I’m a part of and they would all tell me the same thing, “Breathe.”

Thankfully, I was just being a first-time parent in all of the circumstances I presented. It’s important that while milestones are critical, hitting all of them exactly the second they turn 3, 6, or whatever corresponding age bracket, isn’t always going to happen.  Much to my friend’s pleasure, I calmed down a bit with my second child. I realized that sometimes she would hit things much earlier than projected, while other things took a few more weeks. And that was okay. What is important is to find reputable sources of information on developmental milestones and keep tracking your child’s progress.

CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program offers developmental milestones that most children should reach by different ages. What’s great about this campaign is that parents can now know exactly which milestones their children should be reaching from birth to age 5 years old.

The “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program is geared towards early identification of children with developmental disabilities, including autism.  By detecting these concerns early, children and families are able to get the services, as well as the support, they need. Each milestone age gives targets for how your child should play, learn, speak, act, and move. By watching and tracking your little’s development, you are able to quickly act if something is not on track.

We recently hit the 18 month milestones, and are now gearing towards the 2 year old ones.

Some of the 18 month milestones she has been reaching are:

  • May have temper tantrums
  • May be afraid of strangers
  • Says and shakes head “no”
  • Knows what ordinary things are for; for example, telephone, brush, spoon
  • Scribbles on her own
  • May walk up steps and run
  • Drinks from a cup
  • Eats with a spoon
  • and more...


       

One of my favorite milestones from this age was her learning to really use a spoon.  Mostly, because it meant that there was less mess to clean up. Don’t get me wrong, there are still messes and accidents, but her learning to use a spoon has helped so much.

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite treats to make at this age is Banana Swirl Ice Cream.

Now, I know what you may be thinking.  Ice Cream at 18 months!? This isn’t healthy! But SURPRISE!  This Banana Swirl Ice Cream has just 3 ingredients, helps to meet the daily fruit serving size AND helps with teething. SAY WHAT!?  It’s true.  Frozen foods have always helped my girls when teething and these last teeth they get between 12-24 months are always the hardest in our house. It also helps with teaching them spoon skills.  What kid won’t practice spoon skills for some ice cream! 😉

Here’s the recipe for Banana Swirl Ice Cream

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Banana Swirl Ice Cream
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 6 large bananas
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Chopped Walnuts Optional
Instructions
  1. On a baking sheet lined with wax paper, chop up bananas into large chunks and spread across sheet.
  2. Place in the freeze until harden.
  3. Meanwhile, place frozen strawberries and water in a suacepan and heat over medium heat.
  4. Stir often until the strawberries break down.
  5. Using a sieve, separate the strawberry juice from the pieces.
  6. Set juice aside and let cool. *You can throw away or compost the pieces.
  7. Once bananas are frozen, place in a food processor and pulse until the consistency of ice cream.
  8. This takes about 3 minutes and you may have to scrap down the sides of your food processor.
  9. Pour ice cream into a bowl and swirl in the strawberry juice.
  10. Serve immediately or place back in freezer until ready to use in an air tight container.

 

Looking for more information about where your little should be?  Head over to the Learn The Signs. Act Early page today! 

Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting

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One of my main goals, after just keeping the girls alive, is to get them to have an extremely versatile palate when it comes to food.  I want them growing up and constantly tasting new things, challenging their senses, and grow up loving all types of different things. This Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting was something that I would have never touched at their age. I wouldn’t have even touched it as a high school student. But yet, here we are, making this carrot cake together as a great brunch dessert for Easter, and my kid’s gobbled it up.

Think about it…growing up, you weren’t touching Aunt Sally’s carrot cake when you saw real carrots in the cake. Who’s eating that? I barely ate the vegetables on my plate, really only because I was forced too, yet here we are and you think You’re going to be able to get me to eat some?  You must have lost your mind. 

But seriously, a lot of us didn’t/don’t eat carrot cake.

I don’t actually recall the first time I did try a carrot cake, but I remember being like DOH. Why did I never have this before, it’s actually really good!

Our homemade version carrot cake from scratch is insanely easy to make and our girls loved licking the beaters clean. It was my favorite thing to do as a kid and I love sharing in their joy as they do it now (Andrew, however, thinks we are nuts because he was never allowed to do it growing up). The only downside is that I don’t get one for myself anymore.


The baby is really getting involved more in the kitchen and it’s absolutely adorable to see her excitement as she stirs and mixes things together. There’s no greater feeling than watching the joy on your child’s face. I love that she’s learning at such a young age also.

Tip Time!

The carrot cake recipe is super easy to make. We make it a bit healthier by subbing in applesauce instead of using oil, which does make for a denser cake.  If you aren’t a fan of that, definitely try making it with coconut oil instead.

Always fold in your carrots.  You don’t want these being mixed earlier because they will stick to the beaters and become super annoying. Trust me from experience. 

Always make your frosting ahead of time.  It takes awhile to make maple cashew frosting, as the cashews need to soak in water, so don’t wait!

One of my favorite cake tips to share is that as soon as your cake is cool enough to touch, but still very warm, take plastic wrap and wrap up the cake. Then put in the freezer until completely cooled.  This allows for all the steam to stay trapped inside the cake, allowing for a very moist cake.

The blend of homemade carrot cake mixed in with the maple cashew frosting is such an amazing combination.  We can’t wait to eat it again!

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Carrot Cake with Maple Cashew Frosting
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Maple Cashew Frosting
  • 2 cup cashews
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp pink salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan with coconut oil.
  3. In a large bowl, mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs for 30 seconds.
  4. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Beat for 1 minute.
  6. Fold in carrots and nuts.
  7. Pour into greased pan.
  8. Cook 30-40 minutes
  9. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan, cool completely.
Maple Cashew Frosting
  1. Soak cashews in water for 1 hour. Water should cover cashews.
  2. Strain cashews from water
  3. Add to food processor with maple syrup until smooth
  4. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  5. Spread on top of cooled cake.
  6. Sprinkle nutmeg on top of frosting.
  7. Serve!

ENJOY!

Here’s some things that could help you with your cake making!


NEED MORE IDEAS FOR EASTER!?  

HERE’S 25 EASTER RECIPES FOR THE ULTIMATE MENU! 

Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake

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If you know me on a personal level, you’ll know my love for both Bailey’s and cheesecake run really deep. So why it took me this long to come up with a Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake is beyond me, but it’s finally happened and the end result was the single most perfect dessert I’ve ever created. I paired it with our Bailey’s Buttercream frosting recipe and utter perfection happened.

The hardest part of making this dessert was that both of the girls kept asking to taste the beaters for both the frosting and the cheesecake batter.  Typically, they know that they can get the beaters when I’m done, so they were both really annoyed with me that I wouldn’t give them any. I ended up making them a regular cheesecake the next day because I felt so bad about them not having something to enjoy.

For some reason, cheesecake is one of those desserts that most people are really scared to make, but I have some tips for you to be really confident in making your own.

  1. Try making a no bake cheesecake first. These take no real skill set to make, especially if you use a premade crust and premade whipped topping.  Want to up your skill set a bit?  Try making your own crust and your own homemade whipped topping.  It saves you money and you feel about about the ingredient list.
  2. Use a springform pan. You want to really see your perfection, and the easy removal of the sides allow for that.  Plus, when you are dealing with a delicate bottom layer, like graham cracker crust, you want easy.
  3. Cover springform pan with two layers of aluminum foil and sit in a water bath to cook.  We sit ours in our Dutch oven because we don’t have a roasting pan, but either works. This ensures your cheesecake won’t crack, brown, or curdle.
  4. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for an hour AFTER it’s done baking. Turn the heat off but do not open the door.


Now that you got some amazing tips, here’s the recipe for this amazing Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake!

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Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 20 chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
  • 1.5 cups milk chocolate chips, melted
  • Bailey's Buttercream Frosting recipe
  • Shaved chocolate (optional)
Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 300 degree F.

  2. In a bowl, mix together the chocolate sandwich cookies and butter.

  3. Press cookie mixture firmly onto the bottom of an 8" springform pan with the back of a spoon. Set aside. 

  4. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, condensed milk, and vanilla.

  5. Pour in melted chocolate and Bailey's and mix well.

  6. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing just until blended.

  7. Pour cheesecake mixture over cookie mixture.


  8. Double wrap springform pan in aluminum foil.

  9. Set inside a roasting pan or dutch oven.

  10. Pour hot water into roasting pan or dutch oven until it comes 1" above bottom of springform pan. (Careful not to get in cheesecake)

  11. Bake for 1 hour or until center is almost set. Center should have a slight jiggle - like set jello.

  12. Turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside for one hour with the door shut. **DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR


  13. Remove from oven after 1 hour and let cool completely

  14. Refrigerate overnight (at least 4 hours).

  15. Garnish with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting, shaved chocolate, and raspberries.

  16. Store leftover cheesecake in fridge.

So this St. Patrick’s Day, whether you are Irish or not, you must make this.  And if you are reading this and it’s not even close to St. Patrick’s Day, you still need to make this.  Trust me, it’s amazing.

Here’s some things that will help you make the best cheesecake!


Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting

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I’m Irish!

No really I am.  Pretty much exclusively, from my minimal research, I’m about 90% Irish. Yet, most “Irish” foods I can’t stand.  Cabbage- blech. Corned beef – no thanks.  But put a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream in front of my face, and we can be best friends forever.

I was never a HUGE drinker, despite going to WVU, the #1 party school and attending and throwing my fair share of parties, you’d never find me drinking every single weekend or having to drink at tailgates, etc. But when my sister introduced me to Bailey’s, I knew I’d have a forever friend in the drinking game.  It’s just so delicious. It’s also my soon-to-be father-in-law’s favorite drink, so that was a nice way to bring us together.

I recently had an idea to start doing more with Bailey’s besides drink it straight and make martini’s with it. There’s such an amazingly rich taste to it, I knew it could heighten the flavor profile of any dessert too. For starters, frosting.

Buttercream frosting has always been one of my favorite things to make.  It was something that I’ve been told my maternal grandmother was amazing at making. I knew it would be easy to add Bailey’s to the buttercream frosting without worrying much about ruining or having to play around with the recipe much. And I was right.  It was so insanely easy to make.

I will likely start adding Bailey’s to all my favorite desserts and seeing how it comes out. With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I’m definitely going to be embracing my Irish heritage and seeing what deliciousness I can whip up.

As always, we hope you enjoy this recipe!  We’ve already added it to our Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake, but we have plans to add it to way more. Leave us a comment below and let me know where you plan to add it.  And don’t worry, I won’t judge if you say you just plan to spoon it out of a bowl into your mouth!  Cheers!

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Bailey’s Buttercream Frosting
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup Baileys
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, beat together the softened butter and half the powdered sugar.
  2. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat together.
  3. Add in the vanilla and Baileys and beat until combined.
  4. Lick off a spoon or put it on top of some cupcakes or whatever you desire!

Having Fun with Kids in the Kitchen + Chocolate Nutty Apple Fluff

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how-to-make-fluff

     The Seasoned Kids

Lesson 12: Having Fun with Kids in the Kitchen

Today’s lesson isn’t necessarily a lesson, but as we come to a close for the end of the year with our lessons (don’t worry, The Seasoned Kids will be back in 2017 – just without lessons) we realized we never talked about the number one tip when getting in the kitchen with your kids.

Have fun!!

That’s right. None of our previous lessons mean anything if you aren’t having fun while you are doing it. Now, full disclosure, because that’s who I am …every time you are in the kitchen isn’t going to be sunshines and rainbows. Some times you will get frustrated (hello, not paying attention kid and now I have half a cup of sugar all over my counter and floor instead of the bowl). Sometimes you might loose your cool or honestly just not feel like having help at that moment (please go sit down and get your head out from my butt, am I right!?). But you have to make time to have fun. Whether it’s giving them a simple task or trying to let them do a whole recipe with little guidance, you have to bring fun into it. Dance around, sing, be happy, and appreciate these little people that are gaining valuable life skills from you that they will use the rest of their lives.

Now, let’s go have some fun! Grab your little, get in the kitchen.

Recipe Time!

chocolate-nutty-apple-fluff-recipe

Make this awesome chocolate nutty apple fluff recipe! It’s semi-healthy, semi-dessert, but in the end 100% yummy and the perfect snack. It also makes for a great party recipe to take with you for the holidays, picnics, and whatever else! Watch the video, then grab the full recipe below!

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Chocolate Nutty Apple Fluff
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • 3.4 oz package chocolate Instant pudding
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/8 cup mini Chocolate chips
  • 1 heaping cup mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 4 apples sweet, chopped finely
  • 2 cups homemade whipped topping
  • Additional chopped nuts and mini chips if desired for topping
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, mix together instant pudding and milk until well combined.
  2. Add in mini chips, marshmallows, walnuts, apples, and whipped topping.
  3. Stir until combined.
  4. Let set up in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  5. Top with additional mini chips and nuts if desired.
  6. Serve.
  7. Keep leftovers in the fridge and eat within 72 hours.

This post is a part of our “The Seasoned Kids”, kid’s cooking series. Learn more about The Seasoned Kids here.

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Whipped Cream Marshmallows

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whipped-cream-marshmallows

“Winter is coming…”

You don’t know how many times I’ve heard that on Game of Thrones. Immediately, I shout at the TV, “You’ve been saying that for years now!”

Well, in the real world it’s actually here (temp wise at least, technically not until tomorrow). This is my favorite time of year. I love how festive and giving everyone becomes. I love the foods and treats that only get made this time of year. I love the snow. I don’t love the cold weather, but the weather has to be cold for snow so… I guess I like that too.

Overall, it’s just a great atmosphere no matter where you go.

When I was younger, at my mom’s house, there was a church right across the street. We were in a rough neighborhood where the roads and lots were not taken care of, but as a child that was a benefit. Parts of the church’s lot would freeze over and since we couldn’t afford to go skating, my friend and I would run full speed toward the ice patch and slide on our knees across to the other side. It was so much fun until someone busted the back of there head open…. me. Of course after my head healed I went back out there again. Now that I have my girls (and can afford a helmet), all I need is a church with a messed up lot and “like father like daughters!” (SHHHH….Don’t tell Larisha)

Whenever the girls and I come in after playing, they are freezing. They fight me when I say let’s go inside because they are having so much fun. I have to wait until they start to look like icicles before I  can get them to say mercy. So typically to warm them up, I make them hot chocolate. Add some whipped cream and marshmallows and they thaw out quickly.

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Skibs one day asked for snow in a cup. Guess she remembered 1 year when we scooped some up to make a icy. But since we have no snow in Jersey yet, I got an idea for something else. I couldn’t put snow in a cup but I could put a snowflake in a cup! From there the birth of the idea of this whipped cream marshmallow came to life.

You had to see there faces! You would of thought they opened a present on Christmas Day.

Take a crack at it for your little ones. Tell me what you think!

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Whipped Cream Marshmallows
Author: Andrew
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Make homemade whipped cream according to directions.
  2. Spread 1/2in thick layer on a baking sheet.
  3. Freeze until harden.
  4. Use cookie cutters to make shapes.
  5. Add to hot chocolate and watch melt!
  6. Store leftovers in freezer container.

Watch the video!

Measuring, Weighing, and Holiday Pudding Cups

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   The Seasoned Kids

Lesson 7: Measuring & Weighing

Teaching kids about measuring and weighing is one of the most educational lessons in the kitchen.  While everything that we’ve been doing is educational and has real life lessons attached, this lesson can easily translate into a ton of mathematical lessons as well. Teaching addition, multiplication, fractions, and so much more, will have your kids learning and not even realizing it. This is always a win, win for a parent.

How to Start

I’m not going to lie. This is definitely a lesson where messes are bound to happen. But it’s one of the most important lessons that you can teach your kids in the kitchen.  Learning to measure and swap measurements (tablespoons for cups) will continue to help them for the rest of their life.

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With smaller kids we recommend by starting to learn to measure by spooning ingredients into a measuring cup.  Once they learn how to do this and learn what it means to fill a measuring cup up to the top, then you can move onto actually using the measuring cups and spoons to grab the ingredients from directly. Alternatively, you can hold their hand while they learn as well.

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Weighing things is also a great lesson for kids, especially when teaching math.  Teaching them how many ounces equals a pound and converting that into metric units for kilograms are all fun tasks for kids to do in the kitchen. It’s always great to have a basic scale in the kitchen!

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Tips for teaching your kids to measure and weigh

  • Use a learning tower to get them stable at the counter
    • Standing on a stool or sitting on the counter, doesn’t stabilize kids as much as a tower will
  • Use large measuring cups (see in picture below) with measuring lines on them in the beginning.
    • If your child knows their numbers, this is even easier, because you can tell them to keep filling until they get the the number 2 line for 2 cups.
  • When ready to move onto regular measure cups, use cups that are ergonomically easier for kids to hold (we like these)
  • In the beginning, only do cold or room temperature foods, no hot liquids.
  • Also in the beginning, start with solids before allowing to do liquids.
    • Trust me, this will save your sanity for a bit longer

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Recipe Time!

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These Holiday Pudding Cups are uber cute for the holiday season and our girl loved making them! We have a Turkey Pudding Cup, as well as a Reindeer Pudding Cup! Watch her make it then grab the recipe below!

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Measuring, Weighing, and Holiday Pudding Cups
Author: Larisha Campbell
Ingredients
  • Box of no cook chocolate pudding
  • 2 cups milk
  • Large Marshmallows
  • Red Gum Drops
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Red Grapes
  • Green Grapes
  • Blueberries
  • Mini Candy Canes
  • Clear 9oz plastic cups
Instructions
  1. Make chocolate pudding with milk according to box directions.
  2. Tear one large marshmallow in half
  3. On each of the sticky sides, place a chocolate chip in the middle of the marshmallow
  4. Stick each marshmallow onto the side of the cup
  5. Cut tip off of red gum drops
  6. Stick sticky side of gum drop underneath the eyes on the cup.
  7. Spoon pudding into cups
  8. *Note: A small box of pudding will make 2 9oz cups. If you wish to make more at once, put marshmallows into cup to fill it up and spoon pudding around it.
  9. If making turkey cups - use wooden skewers or toothpicks to put grapes and blueberries on and then stick in the back for feathers.
  10. If making reindeer cups - use two mini candy canes facing opposite directions for antlers.

**Note about recipe: These should not be made ahead of time as the pudding will ruin the marshmallows and gum drops. 

This post is a part of our “The Seasoned Kids”, kid’s cooking series. Learn more about The Seasoned Kids here.

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