April Fools Day

I like to Prank the kids on April Fools Day. Here are more prank ideas for this April, 2016!

Because my youngest child loves junk food, this is my fav idea... I've decided this is what I am adding to the top of my April Fools to-do list this year!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukebailey/lol-pranks

A great idea that is a must do this year! Serve it with the Ahem ...chicken McNuggets!

http://themetapicture.com/and-just-wait/

Two fun ideas like sandwich baggie with what appears to be molding sandwich and "Opps, how did your car get scratched?":

These days, you have to have techno plans too; this link has fun ideas on how to mess with those you care about, techno-style! 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/truly-excellent-ways-to-mess-with-someones-technology?utm_term=.phD3JO04Nm

And lastly, one for the office too!

http://themetapicture.com/im-hitting-every-copier-in-the-office-with-this/

My son and I made cookies: Oatmeal Coconut Raisin Cookies; Oatmeal Cranberry Nut Cookies, and Blue Cookies!

My youngest son and I decided to make cookies. He could put whatever he wanted in his, and I in mine. Boy, did we get some unusual cookies. ;-D

Here is his blue foodcoloring, oatmeal, raisin, coconut, mulitcolored sugar sprinked cookies:

My boring, much less exciting Adult cookies had two colors of raisins, coconut and nuts in the mix:

Here are our recipes:

Ingredients:

Of course, start off with Oatmeal; you will need 3 Cups of old fashioned uncooked Oats:

1/2 Cup and 6 Tbsp of butter, softened. [That is one whole stick and another 6 Tbsp's marker on a partial stick.] ;-)

3/4 Cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 Cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tea of vanilla

1 1/2 Cups flour (all-purpose)

1 tea baking soda

1 tea ground cinnamon

1/2 tea salt

Optional: 1 Cup of raisins, or 1/2 Cup of golden and 1/2 Cup of brown raisins,

Go ahead, grab one! Umm...

Optional continued: or 1 Cup of cranberries, or a mix of cranberries and raisins, totaling 1 Cup, 1/2 Cup Wallnuts or Pecans, 1/2 Cup Coconut, you can add 1/2 Cup of white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies:

Instructions:

1. Heat Oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla: beat well.

4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

5. Add oats and raisins; mix well:

6. Drop by rounded Tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets (I enjoy how easy using a small ice cream scoop is! The two spoon technique is fine too. Or, just use your hands and get dirty!):

7. Bake 8 minutes or until light golden brown.

(I set a timer and then watch them. Moist Chewy cookies cannot be overcooked, but you want a golden brown or they can look meally).

8. Move to wire rack:

Sometimes I just move them directly onto a plate. Usually, I am eager to get them off the cookie sheet to stop the cooking process a hot cookie sheet will continue to cook until they are off.

My Adult cookies, this baking time, had golden and brown raisins, pecans and coconut added to the oatmeal cookie mix:

Not as exciting as my son's blue cookies... Let the kids have fun with food coloring, colored sugar sprinkles and anything you can wrap your mind around! Just make sure your ratios are correct, you need some dough to hold the thing together! ;-)

Variations, so many choices, what do you put into your cookies at home?

Variations:

Everything, but the kitchen sink in Big Cookies. ;-) (Some even like M&M's or Peanutbutter thrown into their Oatmeal Cookies). Cranberry is my personal fav. An easy way to put more fruit and nuts into our diet is in cookies, lol. Well, in moderation at least. ;-)

White Chocolate icing drizzle (Great idea during the holidays.)

Sandwhich cookies, filled with icecream, creamcheese icing, or even Cool Whip! We have even used our cookies as the cracker for Smores!

Here is my son with his cookies that he made. It is a great way to spend time with your kids. Have FuN... Play and experiment with your kids and Eat YummY Cookies together. ;0)

Guess what we did last night? Take a look and try it yourself!

Want something fun and different for the entire family for dinner tonight?

I wanted to do something fun with the kids for dinner. We had a fire-pit night, instead of the old hot dogs on sticks and smores... here are some of the new ideas we tried:

Note: I tried to cook on skewers, using the fire-pit coals, but the stick was to short making it too hot to work with for the kids and I. So, we had to transfer our goodies onto long marshmallow roaster sticks, which worked fine. I also cooked some of the skewers on a grate laid over some coals, a barbeque grill would be a great place to grill the shorter skewers as well.  

Just lay grate, or your "grill's rack" over coals.

Note the red coals are what you want to cook on, not a flaming fire.

Stuffed Peppers, Caprese Bites, Sweet Breadsticks, Pineapple S'Mores, Turkey-Brie Baguettes, Ham and Cheese, Mini Salami Subs coming up!!!

Note: Before using wooden skewers. --Soak Wooden Skewers in water to avoid them catching fire.

Stuffed Peppers:

Ingredients:
Baby Bell Peppers
Salt and white pepper
Haloumi or Feta Cheese
Olive (optional)

 Garden peppers washed

Simple Instructions:
Slit open baby bell peppers (being careful to not disturb the rest of the pepper because you want it to shut again after you add the cheese). Season insides with salt and pepper and stuff with cubes of Haloumi or Feta cheese. Thread an olive and the stuffed pepper onto each long metal skewer or long marshmellow stick.
Toast over a flame until the peppers blister.

You want to see chared markings on peppers, cheese will be melted inside, YuM!!!

Caprese Bites or Basil Salad on a stick:

Ingredients:
Prosciutto
Mozzarella
Cherry Tomatoes

We had a bunch in our garden, but the small cherry tomatoes on a vine in the grocery store are delish too.

Out of garden, not washed yet.

Or
Basil
Mozzarella
Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella comes packed in water.

Instructions:
Scoop out mozzarella balls.

Wrap prosciutto around mini mozzarella balls. Thread a cherry tomato, a wrapped mozzarella ball, and another tomato onto each skewer; toast over a flame until the tomatoes blister.

Or     We get so much from our garden that I find creative ways to use it.

Wrap Basil leaves around mini mozzarella balls. Thread a cherry tomato, a wrapped mozzarella ball, and another tomato onto each skewer; toast over a flame until the tomatoes blister.  Yum, fresh basil...   

Pineapple S'Mores:

Assembled; ready to go.

Ingredients:
Pound Cake
Dulce De Leche or caramels
Pineapple
Marshmallow

Instructions:

    Cut pound cake into small squares;

spread with Dulce De Leche (store purchased as below or homemade as above) or use a sliced caramel candy.

 
Thread a square of cake, a chuck of pineapple, a marshmallow and another square of cake onto each skewer; toast over a flame until the marshmallow is browned.

Doughnut on a stick:

Ingredients:
Refrigerated Breadstick dough
Butter
Confectioners' sugar
Cinnamon

Fixings of melted butter with a brush, powdered sugar, and cinnamon are ready to go, awaiting the skewers to be baked over coals or on a grill.

Instructions:
Cut strips of refrigerated dough in half; thread a piece lengthwise onto each skewer by simple folding it around the stick. *Note: Don't open bread sticks to soon, or the baking powder will flatten and it will not rise. Meanwhile melt butter for 30 sec's in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Toast over coals until golden. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

Also Try: Mini Salmi Subs, Ham and Cheese and Turkey-Brie Baguettes.

Mini Salami Subs:

Split open Italian sub roll; drizzle the inside with olive oil and dill with sliced salami, provolone and basil. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Thread a pickled pepper and a sandwich piece onto each skewer; toast over coals until the cheese melts.

Ham and Cheese:

Spread mayonnaise on sliced bread. Sandwich with sliced ham, Swiss cheese and pickles. Trim the crusts and cut into quarters. Thread a quarter onto each skewer; toast over coals until the cheese melts.

Turkey-Brie Baguettes:

Split open a baguette; spread the inside with Dijon mustard and fill each sliced smoked turkey and brie. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Thread a cornichon whole small pickle and a sandwich piece onto each skewer; toast over coals until the cheese melts.

The basic smores are great, but try something different this year.

Backyard Summer FuN w the Kids

Okay, so I remember playing yard darts as a kid. The darts were huge flying daggers that were more than dangerous; what were we thinking? Today, you can make lawn darts out of fabric, or a plastic grocery bag in the shape of a dart  with a tassle at the end and fill with sand. Aim for a hula hoop. Same game, just less of a chance of stabbing our kids.

Today, have fun w your kids on the cheap.

Fun ideas:  

I ran across this video series and found it worth sharing. There are several clips to watch. My favorite ideas are on the clip showing backyard games:

"Backyard Game Faves."

Holly Robinson Peete is your narrator and a very cool lady too. ;-) Check it out and have fun with your kids!

http://glo.msn.com/living/backyard-movie-night-1222.video?from=en-us_msnhp&gt1=49006

(You have to click on the link, clicking on the picture will not work).

And remember Asteroids? The video game of our youth. Now video gaming is advanced, keeping our kids faces deep into the computer or television. Get them outside by going "old school."

Get the kids out of the video games and outside into the backyard.

 Asteroids

What You Need:

Four to six players

• 1 soccer ball (the planet)

• 1 foam ball (the asteroid)

Instructions:

1. Divide players into two teams.
2. The object of the game is for Team Asteroid to throw their foam ball and hit Team Planet's soccer ball. Team Planet controls their ball by kicking it around, trying to keep it from Team Asteroid. Team Asteroid players are not allowed to take any steps with their ball. Instead, they must pass it to teammates, trying to get it in the hands of a player close enough to the planet for a shot.
3. When the foam ball hits the soccer ball, the teams switch roles.

 http://familyfun.go.com/summer/summer-games/

More great ideas can be found at Disney's Family Fun. It is a site I hit regularly. ;-)
Have Some Summer Family Fun, Everyone!