Apple Party Recipes

If you're having a party themed around apples then you better be serving some tasty apple-y foods.  Here are three suggestions for easy, healthy, and fun apple recipes.

Mini Caramel Apples

You can get the recipe and instructions for these mini caramel apples on the Disney Family Fun website.  They're great because everyone loves caramel apples, but who wants to make 30 full sized apples?  Not to mention, how many people can eat a big caramel apple in one sitting when other yummy goodies are to be had?

I made these for a kindergarten party once and my only suggestion is to try and scoop your apple circles as closely as possible to get the most out of each one.

Hot Apple Cider

You can throw a quick pot of apple cider together with this recipe from Making This Home.  Get the right mix of zest and spice and warm it to perfection.  No one can resist a warm glass of apple cider.  In fact, I really want some RIGHT NOW.  With cinnamon and cloves in it.  mmmmmmmm.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

This recipe for whole wheat apple muffins from Dear Stella is a healthy alternative to cupcakes.  With big chunks of apple, these muffins are as mouth watering as they are beautiful.  Plus, I can smell them just from this picture.  (Does that make me weird?  Because I'm sniffing my monitor...)

Other great apple party foods could be:
• dried apple slices
• cinnamon applesauce
• apple pie
• apple fritters
• apple dumplings
• apple crumble
• applesauce cookies
and lots more, because apples are awesomely compatible when it comes to food.

Creepy Crawly Cookie Fail

Have you seen the cookies that some people have made that look like fossils?  They're super cute, and the concept seemed pretty easy, so I wanted to make some of our own.

Except that I was also feeling very lazy.

So I went to the grocery store and bought some premade, preformed sugar cookie dough.  And then I rounded up all of our creepy crawly plastic toys (bugs, frogs, dinosaurs, whatever) and washed them.

Then, seeing as I was feeling very VERY lazy, I put ALL the cookies on one cookie sheet.  Because baking two pans of cookies was just too much effort.  (quit judging, I spent my extra time letting my kids bury me in stuffed animals while I napped, so it was total quality time.)

Then I let my little monkey help me squish our plastic creepy crawly toys into the tops of the cookies.  And yes, he has a tattoo on his face.  And his arm.  We were feeling patriotic.

Things were looking SUPER FABULOUS.  Because I thought, "This is so easy!" and also "I'm tired, I think I'll take a nap".

So we baked the cookies.  Would you like to see our awesome end results?  Here you go:

TOTAL FAILURE!

So here are some tips so that you can get it right:
1- Don't be lazy.
2- Make your own dough, something that won't rise and expand so much.
3- Use really small toys to make the impressions (I thought ours were small enough, but it would have been better to get a whole spider impression then just a part, you know?)
4- Don't be lazy.

Miraculously I saved myself from cookie humiliation by making the most delicious cream cheese frosting I've ever made in my life, and we ate the cookies anyway.

Free Fourth of July Printables

Happy 4th of July to all of our fellow USA-ers! Here are a couple of last minute free red white and blue printables for just in case you're feeling a teensy bit more patriotic today.

Download this "Proud to be an American" 8x10 printable:

OR

This cute little treat box to fill with snacks while you watch a parade, or light fireworks, or eat at a bbq, or WHATEVER.

Just click on whichever you'd like to download and print (easy 4th of July peasy):

Things of Pinterest: Homemade Popsicles

This week Pinterest has been inspiring me to make popsicles.  Oh sweet popsicle love.  Here are my favorite homemade popsicle pins:

http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/samoa-popsicles-recipe/

Because Somoa's are EVERYONE'S favorite Girl Scout cookie (that's a proven fact, don't fight it, they're undeniably delicious).

http://blog.houseoffifty.com/2012/06/delicious-hot-weather-treat.html

Long name, super amazing taste.  Plus they just look pretty.

http://lostgardenblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/strawberry-banana-popsicles-with-a-twist/

Not just strawberry and banana, there are other healthy things mixed in.  Because what better way to trick your kids into eating spinach than freezing it and calling it banana flavored?

http://butterflyfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/06/outdoor-treats-and-eats-part-one_19.html

This kind is made out of different juices.  YUM-O.  Pick your flavors and combos.  Endless possibilities with this one really.


If those pictures didn't make you hungry for something frozen, I really don't know what will.  Check out our Pinterest pinboards to see more of our favorite things!

Minnie and Mickey Kid Snack

Cheese and bread - two absolutely guaranteed foods that my kids will eat.  (Even the picky ones.)  But sometimes it's fun to make the cheese and bread a little less boring, so one day I made Disney style Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  (Which received much applause and praise from my 3 and 4 year old.)

They're made entirely out of 2 pieces of bread and a few slices of cheese.  I have minnie and mickey head cookie cutters, so that part was super easy - although their heads are just one big circle with two little ear circles, so it's not like it's horrifically difficult to cut freehand, right?

The bread for the rest of their bodies was made out of the scraps after I cut the heads out.

You can cut and place the cheese however you'd like.  I decided on a skirt and shorts for them, but even if you just made the ear/head part out of cheese your kid is going to know what it is and be excited.

And have I mentioned that these are ONLY BREAD AND CHEESE?  Seriously, easiest fun lunch ever.

Superbowl Game Day Food

The Superbowl is this Sunday, (Go Patriots!) and, as we all know, besides halftime, the food is the best part.

Our Favorite Savory Picks:

1. Homemade Soft Pretzels
2. Salad on a Stick
3. Slow Cooker Spinach Dip
4. Swiss and Bacon Dip
5. Grilled BBQ Potato Skins
6. Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Our Favorite Sweet Picks:

1. Praline Ice Cream Sandwiches
2. No Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars
3. S’mores Pizza
4. Almost Famous Maple Butter Blondies
5. Chocolate Mint Brownies
6. Chocolate Mini Nutty Mini-Football Treats

And come back tomorrow to pick up some free game day printables!