This is a great cookies recipe that kids can help out with. It’s super easy and fun to make. It also makes great gifts for people. I usually end up making a bunch of these for the kids teachers and or the entire class for the holiday , they always enjoy them!
Ingredients
1 stick of butter – room temperature
8 oz cream cheese – room temperature
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Have a dinner party coming up? Holiday party? Special dinner that needs some fabulous true and amazing cocktails? Well you’ve found your go to book right here. The Architecture of the Cocktail – Constructing the Perfect Cocktail from the Bottom Up by Amy Zavatto is a one of a kind must have for anyone who enjoys to entertain and or just wants to impress a guest with a perfect drink.
The book starts off with a list of specifications, or the index for all the symbols used throughout the book. This is what makes up the picture of each drink. It also shows you the mixing symbols, whether to shake or stir so be sure to read the beginning of the book before you begin.
Moving onto the drinks it’self there are 75 drinks in the book and each comes with directions, notes on how to assemble and even tips to avoid any mishaps say using a vegetable peeler to slice the skin of an orange and avoid the bitter part. Good tips, easy to follow directions, you really can’t make any mistakes in here. Along with each drink there are some little history tidbits, or a story behind the drink, it’s a nice addition.
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This is a very creamy thick soup and full of comfort. I’ve had a rough week and it’s been mainly soups around here. Soups just speak comfort and this is a favorite one of mine. You can do this in the slow cooker if you wanted, make the roux in a pan and add it into the slow cooker with all the other ingredients then just have it cook all day long. Add in any left over vegetables you have on hand , you can easily throw in mushrooms which is pictured above. Also asparagus works wonderfully!
Ingredients for Thick’n Creamy Chicken Soup
2 quarts chicken broth or chicken base
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I love making these buns each weekend. The kids like a late breakfast and since this has to rise it’s perfect for making while they are still pulling themselves out of bed in the morning. It’s not hard to make, and be sure to let the dough rise properly. Don’t put it in a cold area, or a hot place, draft free out of reach from little hands and you’ll be fine.
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
4 cups flour
Filling:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Raisins if you want
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt, along with oil and egg, if using. Let sit five minutes. Stir in first cup and a half cup of flour with a heavy spoon. Add more flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate. Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again. Roll out onto a floured surface into an approximately 15 x 8 rectangle.Brush with melted butter.Sprinkle the filling over it, get it right to the edges. Roll it up & seal the edges, cut about 1in (you’ll get about 15 rolls)
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I grew up in a large family, and we all know it’s not easy to shop or even cook for large families. We find ourselves eager and creative to put dinner together with what we have on hand. I have used this method after watching my mother do it when I was a child. One of my fondest memories was the soups she made, stews or gumbo. They were thick hearty and I really thought for the longest time she went out of her way to buy all this exotic food to create it all. Did she?
No. No my mother did what is shown in The Soupmaker’s Kitchen cookbook- a must for any family but I highly recommend it if you find yourself unsure of what you do with those left over scraps and items you don’t ‘have much of. So you have a little of this and that, don’t think you can use it up? Wrong, don’t toss them, don’t ignore them – Use them, all of them to make some wonderful soup! 
Green takes you through easy steps to stock up the pantry with items ( even small) to create an entire heart warming soup with ease. Techniques on preparing, when you can sub frozen verses fresh and even how to make some flavors bursts are given throughout the book. Time savings tips, best used pots and other basic tools that will get you through soup season.
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Children love music, there’s no doubt about it! It brings joy to kids at such an early age we as parents want them to explore and enjoy it throughout their lives. What better way to do that with Bob McGrath’s new Favorite Sing Along Songs? You may remember Bob McGrath as a child yourself who was on Sesame Street!
With his new CD and great children’s sing along songs he once again brings some joy into our households. 30 songs , including “If Your Happy and You Know It” gets the kids engaged right from the get go. Encouraging them to get up, dance clap and sing along throughout the entire CD. He takes the all-time favorite and classic children’s songs and turns them into upbeat vibrant loads of fun to brighten any day. Out of the 30 songs, 15 of these are instrumental giving the kids a chance to sing by themselves or just listen to all the instruments within each. I like that, the first song get’s them all pumped up and singing and they can carry it out through the repeat with just the instruments. My kids got a kick out of that.
I enjoyed the way my kids were able to sing along to every song. We know them already but sometimes you hear a song that’s too fast or honestly too slow which makes the kids not want to jump in with the words. Bob did a wonderful job taking these classic songs and keeping them to what they were made for- getting those kids to fall in love with the music. It’s so important to get the kids involved , have them burst into songs is just one way to do it. Play it during clean up, play it during snack time! Get those kids on the dance floor and have them bust out some moves.
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Cooking with your kids is a lot of fun, and it’s the best way to teach them some great healthy eating habits! The Piccolo Chef Cookbook by Tina Fanelli Moraccini and Lilian Palmieri is a healthy way to start getting the kids not only interested in helping you out in the kitchen but getting them to eat it too.
We’re all busy sure but meal time should be family time also. Why not get them in the kitchen and pitch in on making the meals as well? The idea being Piccolo Chef is encouraging the kids to be a part of that meal. It boosts confidence and even creativity. My own kids have so much fun helping me make a meal and they are more willing to eat it rather than when I simply just set food down before them. You engage them in the entire process they are much more likely to get something more out of it, and that’s worth all the time in the world. It’s quality time spent as a family and they will have so much fun you’ll want to do it everyday!
The cookbook is full of inviting pictures, wonderfully illustrated throughout . Each recipe is easy to read and clearly written directions. There’s tips throughout each as well, nutritional and even kitchen tips to help you and the kids create some wonderful meals. With Chapters on Breakfast through dinner and even snacks you have everything covered. There aren’t any hard recipes in here either, so they are truly kid friendly, and appeal to both adults as well as kids. I really enjoyed the breakfast section, with school in full gear we need healthy yet friendly morning meals and this book had wonderful ideas. The California Frittata was my favorite while the kids begged for the Buckwheat Pancakes.
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Who doesn’t like Pie? I mean come on, you have endless possibilities of what can make up a pie. You can have cookie crusts, pastry crust, heck you can even make a vegetable crust <- Yes I said that, and no I’m not making it up! You can even make a cookie dough crust! Are you drooling yet? Hungry are you? I haven’t even started in on the fillings, you’ve got fruit, vegetables, cheese, cream, meat the sweet the sour the in between and do not ever forget the toppings! The toppings, yum whipped topping , ice cream, warm homemade sweet fruit glazes.
How about now are you drooling? No?
Now are you drooling? This Crumble Top Berry Pie came from the book Pies and Tarts with Heart by Dynise Balcavage.
Inspired by vegan recipes for both the sweet and savory pies this book brings on pies in a whole new light . I know you all have heard the saying, “Easy as Pie” . While yes it may seem hard, Balcavage has made it that much easier with bright colorful photographs throughout the cookbook you have the beginning to a wonderful start in pie making.
Easy to follow directions, you are walking through making your first crusts which is of course the base of it all. Go for nutty, go for gluten free or use that vegetable oil you have on hand. You have several different crusts to pick from and each one comes with step by step illustrated pictures to guide you smoothly through it. Tips and tricks are throughout the book making it extremely reader friendly. Each recipe also has a quick code by pictures, need a Gluten Free recipe? Just look for the wheat symbol crossed out. Short on time? There’s plenty of quick recipes, and if you have a special diet that needs to be low in fat they are all listed with quick code icons at the top of each page. Kid friendly recipes are throughout as well making it highly family friendly. Don’t feel like baking? Not a problem there’s no bake crusts and pies in here too like my kids favorite S’more Pie!
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