Home Baked: Potluck Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries are back in season. They are one of my very favorite foods, but I really consider them more of a treat. This dessert is a great one if you need to feed a crowd but don’t want to be standing in the kitchen prepping your dessert. It requires just a few ingredients, is quick to throw together and can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. It a no hassle version of strawberry shortcake for a crowd. Enjoy!
Potluck Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
1 white cake mix
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 8 oz container of whipped topping
1 16oz carton of strawberries
1 package Danish Dessert Strawberry Flavor
Directions:
1. Prepare and the cake mix and bake in a jellyroll pan according to the directions on the box. Let cool until at room temperature.
2. While cake is baking clean and slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl.
3. In another bowl beat together 1 cup powdered sugar and cream cheese. When these have come together well and look like frosting fold in the whipped topping.
4. Prepare Danish Dessert following the directions on the package. (Just add water & boil, don’t be intimidated if you’ve never used it before. Tip: You can find it by the jello products.)
5. Add Danish Dessert to strawberries and coat well.
6. Frost your cake with the cream cheese mixture and top with strawberries.
7. Cover your cake and place it in the fridge at least 4 hours before serving.
Fun For Kids: Creative Coin Critters
As winter still lingers on I find my little ones bouncing off walls and needing an outlet for their energy and creativity. No matter how busy we are in the day they always seem to have a backup reserve of energy and continue to look for something new to do. Their energy is a call to action for me and I’m always on the look out for activities we can do together. Something to keep their minds and hands busy.
I came across this little game while reading a magazine and thought it was brilliant! It’s the perfect anywhere, anytime activity. It works well when your out to dinner, sitting in a church pew or just in need an something to do at home. To get started all you need is a few coins, a writing utensil, some paper and a little creativity.
How To Play Coin Critters:
1. You will need paper and a writing utensil. Pencils and pens work just fine. But crayons, markers or colored pencils will help produce more colorful and creative results.
2. Gather together a variety of coins. Nickels, dimes, pennies, quarters, or half dollars. Anything you have will work.
3. Let the children pick out the coins they would like to use to create their “critter.”
4. Encourage them to place the coins on their paper in any fashion they would like.
5. Assemble the coins and then add to eyes, arms, legs, antenna or anything you can think of to create your one of a kind critter.
6. When they are finished creating their critter, help your child count the value of the coins they used. This gives them the number of points the critter is worth.
This activity provides opportunities to teach children coin values, simple math and encourage creativity.
Winters Comfort – Easy Bread Recipe
As I sit in the kitchen and the snow softly drifts from the sky, I notice that everything I can see is covered in a pillowy snow white blanket. The brightness of the white snow is both beautiful and maddening to me. It makes me wonder just how much longer I can survive the winter. This is the time of year I find myself craving the sunshine and wishing I could walk outside barefoot to get the mail. I’m longing to feel the warmth of the summer. But that being said in all reality summer is still several weeks away. So in the mean time I try to past the time with the everything else that makes me feel cozy, warm and helps me to endure the last of the chilling winter weather.
Baking is one of those activities I love. As a child I loved when my mother baked bread and I could hardly wait for it to come out of the oven. My brothers and I would sit and wait at the counter as the golden warm bread was sliced and offered to us with a smear of butter. I’m convinced that these childhood memories are part of the reason I love to bake. Most likely the reason I equate baking with love. Which isn’t always the best if your trying to watch your waistline.
As the aroma of baking bread fills my kitchen and drifts through my home, it entices my family to gather together and share in the love I pull from my oven. As I slice the bread and pass it around I share a little bit of love with my own children. This is my own way of coping with my winter blues. It comforts me and helps me endure the last of winter.
Bread Recipe
2 TBSP yeast
1 TBSP salt
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
3 c. warm water
Mix the above together and add 3 cups flour. Add 3 more cups flour until dough can be handled for kneading.
Knead dough for a couple of minutes and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled. (about 1 hour) Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Place in 3 greased loaf pans and let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pan.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
This recipe turns out well with white or wheat flour.
Conversation Starters – Novemdecillion
Conversation connects us together. It’s the spoken extension of a handshake inviting someone to interact with us, come closer and exchange ideas. But have you ever found yourself at a loss of words? A lack of something to say? Or too comfortable to have to say anything at all?
We’ve all experienced that awkward moment in the elevator that’s moving way to slow as we hug our corner and the stranger across from us tries to keep their distance. Sometimes I wish I was better at “breaking the ice.” One shared sentence could make those floors pass by much quicker than the stillness of dead silence.
Then there’s the conversations we have with those we know all to well. I have been married for thirteen years and in a couple months we will celebrate our fourteenth anniversary. In the beginning we always had something to talk about. Current events in the news, things happening on campus, interesting facts, jokes, room mates and the list went on and on.
Now we go out for dinner, just the two of us. Seeking a little time together with out our busy children. As we sit at the dinner table together, we couldn’t possibly offer much hope to those around us just starting out in their relationships. Sitting across from each other staring blankly into each others eyes with out blinking, not saying a word and yet we are completely comfortable. No reason to flinch or look away because we can finish each others sentences, read each others minds and we are perfectly comfortable with each other. No matter how abnormal our staring contest may appear to onlookers. But let’s be honest, that’s weird! Although the silence is welcomed when you leave a world of WWF wrestling at home, it is still important to exchange ideas and express opinions and remember who we once were.
So I thought it might me fun at the end of each week to share some small piece of interesting information that I picked up. A little date night conversation starter, ice breaker or fun info to share with the family.
Did You Know?
Have you ever heard of Novemdecillion? It’s the number 1 followed by 60 zero’s and is equal to 1 million billion billion billion billion billion billion! To help give you a mental picture some scientist think that is greater than the number of stars in our universe.
I thought this would be fun to share with the kids at the dinner table. Or maybe since Valentines Day is approaching I will use it to tell my husband just how much I love him.
Image courtesy of [image creator name] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Healthier Super Bowl Choices – Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip
Super Bowl Sunday is quickly approaching. I have to admit, I’m not a huge football fan but who doesn’t love a well planned get together. Good food, friends and the commercials are what it’s all about for me. Every year we attend a Super Bowl Party and consume an outrageous amount of calories. Pizza, taquitos, salsa, dips, chips, cheese balls, sloppy joes, cookies, brownies and the list goes on and on. My taste buds enjoy the endless buffet of choices, my hips – not so much. This year I am determined to find some lighter and healthier options to share at our Super Bowl Feast. Let me be clear, I love food and want to be healthy but I am in no way willing to sacrifice when it comes to taste. If it’s going in my mouth, I still want to enjoy it.
This quick and easy Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip is a great alternative to the traditional Sour Cream Ranch Dip. It is a lighter version with out sacrificing the taste.
Ingredients
1 16 oz Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 packet Ranch Dressing
Directions
Add ranch mix to cottage cheese, mix and serve.
If the texture of cottage cheese bothers you, give it a quick spin in the blender. Then add the ranch mix.
Serve with your favorite veggies, chips or crackers.
Tips For A Healthy Holiday Poinsettia
If you’ve been shopping lately you’ve noticed all the Christmas decorations gracing the isles of the store. ( It’s hard to miss them, they have been out since before Halloween?!) If your like me you’ve probably brought a few home. Most of them are rather durable and require little fussing over them to keep them looking their best. But the poinsettia is a different story. Each year I walk past the poinsettias and am sucked in by their beauty. The large red petals and the deep green foliage are just too pretty to pass up. After I take it home I immediately start worry how I will possibly keep this thing alive. Too little water, too much water, heat, cold, light and fertilizer, all effect the health of this holiday beauty. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth all the work.
If you find yourself like me wanting to bring a poinsettia home this year follow these helpful tips. With a little luck, these tips will help you keep your poinsettia looking it’s best this holiday season.
Light – Like all flowers poinsettias need their daily dose of sunlight. They require about 6 hours of indirect sun light daily. Keep them in an area where they are exposed to light and protected from drafts.
Water – Water is a sensitive subject when it comes to the poinsettia. They enjoy their water but don’t like to soak in it. Avoid over watering them. Water this plant when the soil in the container has become dry about 2 inches deep.
Temperature – These flowers are sensitive to hot and cold. Drastic changes in the weather will show on the leaves and petals of this plant. For best results try to keep the room between 65 and 70 degrees during the day and 55 to 65 degrees at night.
Fertilizer – A little all purpose fertilizer applied once a week will feed your poinsettia and keep it happy and healthy through out the holidays.
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Bright orange pumpkins seem like the perfect fall squash. As we end October a variety of pumpkins have make their appearances and whether they become a jack-o lantern or a pie they are equally delightful. With the baking trend to make almost anything from bread to cookies out of pumpkins, there is no limit to recipes you can try. My college room mate even used to make some sort of pumpkin and spaghetti dish! All of these fun and sometimes exotic pumpkin recipes are waiting to grace your pallet this fall if you will just give them a try.
In our garden each year we tend to grow more than our fair share of pumpkins. Just how to use all these pumpkins is something I think about. I hate to admit it but often they are used for decoration until they rot. My kids then enjoy having a pumpkin smashing fest in the garden. When each pumpkin has been completely demolished, we then till them back into the pumpkin patch and let nature go to work. By the next fall we usually have another large pumpkin patch.
This year I was determined to do something more with our pumpkins. So I decided to try to make my own pumpkin puree to use in all the goodies I plan on baking. It is simpler than it sounds to make pumpkin puree and eliminates the need to purchase the canned pumpkin full of preservatives. Which makes me feel like I am giving my family something a little more healthy to eat. I just try not to think about any of the sugar, chocolate chips or whip cream I may be adding to them. 😉
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Step 1. Start with a small pie pumpkin. You can find these in the produce section of your local grocery store.
Step 2. Clean the outside of the pumpkin by wiping it down with a damp cloth.
Step 3. Cut each pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.
Step 4. Place flesh side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil.
Step 5. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until the insides are soft.
Step 6. Let cool until you can easily handle the pumpkins.
Step 7. Scoop out the inside of the squash with a large spoon. It should separate easily from the outer skin.
Step 8. Take the insides and blend with a blender, or mash them by hand until smooth.
Step 9. Store in freezer bags or containers in pre-measured amounts that will easily transfer to your recipes. I store mine in one cup containers. Mark them with the date and freeze until you need them for cooking.
Vote – Election Day, Nov. 6, 2013
As you enter the polling booth tomorrow you will be doing more than casting your vote for the next President of the United States. As you go to vote, you will be actively participating in the democratic process. This process is what sets us apart from the rest of the world as a democratic society. As you vote, you are carrying on a tradition of those who have fought for freedom and sacrificed so much for the right to have a voice to shape our society.
If you look back at history you will find that the right to vote didn’t belong to everyone in the beginning. Suffrage (the right to vote) belonged to only a select few of our nations citizens. About 200 years ago in order to vote, you would have to of been white, male and wealthy. Great sacrifices have been made since then by those who believed each of us should be able to actively participate in shaping our nation.
Reasons To Vote
Vote – To let your voice be heard.
Taking the time to vote is how we express our opinions and support those who are willing to work and create laws that best represent our opinions and values.
Vote – To protect your family.
Our children our depending on use to protect their future. Elect representatives that will help us create a bright future for our children.
Vote – To shape your community.
Even if you think your vote doesn’t count when it comes to the national election, it really does help to shape your community. One vote can make a difference when electing local officials.
Vote- To honor our history.
Taking the time to vote honors those who sacrificed and fought for the ability to cast a vote. It may seem a thing of the past to fight for the right to vote but the act of voting honors those who fought for this very freedom. Voting ensures that we will continue to have a voice.
Tips For November Bulb Planting
As I left Wal Mart the other day I notice they have a variety of bulbs for sale still. They caught my eye because I have a weakness for all things that bloom. I have to admit I was tempted to make a purchase. But trying to be conscious of my budget and not wanting to regret my purchase, I decided to wait and do some research before I came home with a bag full of bulbs.
When I got home my curiosity had gotten the best of me and I had to find out if it was still possible to plant spring bulbs this late in the year. With a little bit of research I found out it is still possible to plant bulbs but only because we have had such a warm fall. As long as the frost hasn’t penetrated the ground too deep it’s safe to plant these spring beauties. Here are a few tips for planting bulbs before the cold settles in.
Bulb Planting Tips
1. Dig holes as deep as indicated on the package. This is usually between 3 to 7 inches deep.
2. Mix the soil with peat moss and compost when preparing to place the bulb.
3. Add a small amount of slow release fertilizer.
4. Place bulbs with the point facing upward.
5. For better display, plant the bulbs in clusters and not in a single line.
6. Plant bulbs in containers for a Spring surprise. Wood, plastic and fiberglass are great options.
Image courtesy of [Tom Curtis] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Leftover Halloween Candy Traditions : The Switch Witch
Although I love candy, I have never really thought about it being in my home as much as I have in the past year. Last December my oldest son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This has changed how we perceive food as a family. I was surprised to find out how healthy we ate after attending nutrition and wellness classes with my son. So my shopping routine has not changed so much but I have become very aware of the food I stock in my pantry.
On the day after Halloween I’m pondering how to rid my house of the goodies my children collected last night. I’m not opposed to candy and I don’t tell my diabetic son he can’t eat it. He’s a regular kid and likes his treats too. It just takes a lot more thought and timing when it comes to the food he puts into his mouth in order keep his blood sugars in a heathy range. (I’m sure all parents of diabetic children can relate.)
In keeping with the Halloween fun, I think I might start the tradition of the Switch Witch. After Halloween she comes to gather all of the uneaten candy. The kids can pick a few of their favorite candies and then pile the rest on the kitchen table. During the night the “ Switch Witch” will come and collect the candy. In exchange she will leave a non edible treat for them. I’m hoping this will help take the sting out of limiting the overall candy consumption in our home, especially for our younger children.
Please share your tips for handling leftover Halloween Candy in the comments below. 🙂
Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Top 10 Favorite Halloween Candies
As a child I remember bringing home a pillow case full of goodies that I gathered from the neighborhood on Halloween. After my parents sifted though my loot and gave their stamp of approval my work began. Beginning to sort through the candy, I placed my treats in categories, digging for my favorites first. Reese’s and Snickers were always on the top of my list. They must have been on my mother’s too because I vividly remember her digging through my candy for the same favorite candies. Now that I think about it I’m pretty sure she was establishing a tradition that I need to carry on as well. Tonight I will sift through my children’s candy and ask to share in the sweetness too!
My children love to trick or treat and are always excited about the treats they gather. When you send your kids out what do you hope they come home with? Halloween Candy polls that ask , “What’s your favorite Halloween Candy,” all come to the conclusion the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular Halloween candy among trick or treaters in 2012. Candy Corn hit the bottom of the list as the least favorite Halloween candy.
Here is a list of the top 10 Favorite Halloween Candy
1.Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
2.Hershey’s Chocolate Bars
3.Milky Ways
4.Kit Kat
5.Snickers
6.Twix
7.Skittles
8.M&M’s
9.Nerds
10.Twizzlers
Halloween – Play It Safe
It’s the day before Halloween. Parents everywhere are putting the last minute touches on Halloween costumes and stock piling the candy. Tomorrow promises fun and excitement to children everywhere. With all the excitement children can easily forget they still need to play it safe while trick or treating. Take a minute to review safety rules with your children before they head out. Make a plan for the night as a family. A safe Halloween is a Happy Halloween.
Safety Tips For Younger Children
1. Parents should accompany small children as they trick or treat. Especially when going to unfamiliar houses.
2. Place a paper with your name and phone number inside of your child’s costume in case you are accidentally separated.
3. Talk about stranger danger. Remind children it’s ok to scream and fight back should they feel threatened.
4. Choose to visit neighborhoods close to home.
Safety Tips for Older Children
1. There is safety in numbers. Staying with a group is a fun way to spend the night. Take advantage of the “buddy system” by hanging out with friends.
2. Plan a route. If older children are venturing out on their own, take the time to visit with them about the areas they will travel. Be an informed parent.
3. Have a curfew.
Costume Safety
1. Wear reflective clothing or carry a flash light or glow stick while trick or treating.
2. Avoid a mask if possible. If not make sure your child can see and breath easily while wearing one.
3. Limit the number of costume accessories your child carries with them. Avoid items that have sharply pointed ends. Wands, swords and knives can be dangerous in the dark.
Play it safe and have a Happy Halloween!