Summer Boredom

        Schools out and summer camp doesn't start over here until July! What kinda craziness is that?! Shouldnt all summer camps start like, hours after school ends? Don't kids lose something like, 90% of what they learned in school during the summer because of summer camps not starting the learning immediately?? Ok, so maybe I need to check my facts, but, I've got 3 bored kids and I need to blame something!

 (This picture and about 15 just like it are what happens when you give your bored 5yr old the camera)

        Lately I've found my go-tos for bored kids are baking and cleaning. They hate the cleaning and can suddenly find a way to not be bored anymore, but the BAKING?! They LOVE it, and the excitement, (and sugar rush) from it lasts alllllllll day.

Source: Giverslog

         For on the spot boredom killing baking, you gotta go with whatcha got. Don't have butter on hand, try using oil or applesauce! Don't have sour cream? Use yogurt! Our house is big on fruit, I buy tons of bananas and some weeks the kids eat them all in two days, other times, they're all about apples and the bananas go black. I throw the unwanted bananas in the freezer (skin and all) and pull them out when its time get baking!

Source: Kayla K's

This time we used a simple recipe for Banana Cupcakes (didnt have butter, we used oil and they were just as tasty) and we added a twist! I get all the ingredients together beforehand and let each kid pour something in the bowl. Everyone gets to mix something and the baby is extra good at putting the paper cups in the muffins pans. Using an ice cream scoop to dish out the batter not only makes it easy for little hands, it ensures each muffin is the same size. (eliminating future complaining!)

       For the twist, I had about a 1/2cup of leftover Oreo cookie crumbs lying around so I added a little melted butter and we put about a Tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup. Smashed it down flat with the bottom of a spoon and scooped the batter on top. After they cooled, I iced them with an easy buttercream and Black Bottom Banana Cupcakes were ready for dessert!

And voila! Happy Kids! Well, at least until the cupcakes are gone. :)

Quick and Easy

           I don't know about you, but, with a Family of 5 (6 when my Mother-in-law comes to stay) dinner has to be quick, easy, cheap and filling!
          I'm a baker. My husband's a cook, so occasionally we have amazing gourmet meals, made from the freshest ingredients from our local markets and some even from our own garden (more on that another time)!

                                                  Source: picrossman
But I'd say 6.25 days a week its whatever I can manage to make mashing up the stuff in our freezer with the things in our pantry and a few fridge mix-ins. Oh, and it has to satisfy my 3 picky eaters.

          Last nights dinner was no exception. However, it came out so surprisingly fast and tasty I decided I MUST share the recipe.
         Almost daily, I scour the internets many food sites/blogs/apps to find recipes for things I know my kids will like but I have no idea how to make. Last night it was, lemon chicken! Now, I know I've made this before but I'm not a cook like my husband, I can't just know the basic ingredients and then wing it from there, throwing things into pan and making magic. I'm a baker. I need a recipe! I can tweak recipes, I'm great with substitutions, but I need some kind of guidelines to start with.
I even try to seem like I know what I'm doing sometimes by hiding the recipe when my husband comes in the kitchen. But the best feeling is when you've made something from scratch that you'd usually buy premade, and its good (occasionally BETTER!). It just makes you feel like you can do anything!

I found this one on DisneyFamily.com


Lemon Chicken

Double the recipe for a big family like mine (double the chicken, not the sauce)

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

• 2 large chicken breast fillets (approx. 3/4 pound total weight), cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2-3 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 thinly sliced scallions, to serve

For the Sauce

• 1 large lemon, zest and juice, (1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Put the chicken in a bowl and toss with the soy sauce. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. To make the sauce, whisk together the lemon zest and juice with the sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until thickened, then keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Whisk together the egg yolk and cornstarch in a small bowl to make a batter. Toss the chicken in the batter and fry for three to four minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
4. Transfer to a plate and spoon the warm lemon sauce over the chicken. Scatter the scallions over the dish before serving.

Notes:
- The lemon zest sauce should be cooked on low to avoid clumping and burning. Just be patient. Once it starts to boil count to 60 (whisking constantly) and turn it off. 
- The egg yold/cornstarch batter for the chicken will seem really goopy and weird but thats how its supposed to be.
- Since I doubled the recipe (could've tripled for yummy leftovers) I had to fry the chicken in batches, which I did while getting the salad ready. I DID NOT double the sauce recipe. It was enough for 4 chicken breasts.
- Keep the sauce recipe handy for when you have leftover baked chicken!
- I served it with fluffy Jasmine rice, and a big salad.
- The scallions are a MUST. I sprinkled them all over the chicken AFTER I served the kids plates. Enjoy!

Out-Crafted!

The school year is over. I'd say this year was a success. My 5yr old "graduated" from Preschool and my 7yr old is now going to 2nd grade. I volunteered most of my free time in my son's 1st grade class and in the end I got this!

 Plus 19 more (that mostly said something like, Thanks for showing up) Score!
But for my daughters Preschool class I couldn't volunteer IN the class (State rules or something). So I tried being the "best pairant in the hole wrold" by making my daughters in-class birthday party SO awesome, not only would my kid never forget it, but the other kids would tell their parents and they'd all be in awe. Humble, huh?
So here's what I did.

Yup. Monster High themed Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes, personalized water bottles, and Monster Snack Chow (popcorn with cocoa powder and M&Ms) Awesome, right!? Not to 5yr olds. Most just licked the icing off the cupcakes and threw the "NOT VANILLA!" cupcake part away. Everything else they liked and my daughter had fun so that's all that should matter, right? Yeah ok.
Well for Danny's preschool birthday party, (the kid whose Mom I'm in a secret crafty competition with, and by secret I mean the competition is in my head) his Mom brought Batman cupcakes (vanilla, vanilla), juice boxes, and the most awesome goodie bags EVER! Chocked full of candy, lollipops, toys, activities, and a gel pen! His bags had a similar Batman themed personalized label on them too. Yup, I know this competition was only in my head but I lost round 2.  (Round 1, she brought goodie bags for every kid at Halloween. I brought...nothing. I lost.)
Round 3 came in the form of the preschool graduation. It was a potluck! What better way for a baker to shine than a potluck!? I made these!

 Rice Krispie Treats!

The books are RKT's dipped in white chocolate and covered in Dark Modeling Chocolate (thank you, Hungry Happenings !!) Cool huh? But of course Danny's Mom brought each kid a Graduation Mug filled with Candy, and a T- SHIRT! She also made each kid a candy lei! Oh and she decorated the whole auditorium.

She wins! Hands down. I've lost the Crafty Mom Competition. I've been....outcrafted. But, next year, I'm comin back, with a vengeance!
Happy Summer everyone!

~A