Sesame Crunch Candy

Sesame Crunch Candy (I don't know if that is the official name) is one of my favorites. 

In times past, I have had to locate a good health foods store in order to enjoy this treat. Every once in a while, I have been delighted to discover it in a specialty candy shop. 

Then I stumbled on this recipe at Spoonful.com: 

• 1 cup sesame seeds (about 6 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• -----------------
• 
  
• 1. Generously coat two large sheets of waxed paper with cooking spray. In a medium skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they're fragrant and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.
     
     
  2. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and honey. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes (because melted sugar can get quite hot, this is a step best left to parents). Add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon.
  3. Place one sheet of the waxed paper on a work surface, greased-side up. Scrape the mixture onto the paper and top it with the remaining sheet of waxed paper, greased-side down. Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture into a square about 1/4 inch thick (a great job for kids).
  4. Remove the top sheet of paper and cut the candy into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife. Let the candy cool completely. Break apart the pieces and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until you're ready to package them. Makes about twenty-four 1-inch squares.

How easy, right? 

So I tried it. I snuck in one packet of Flax seed, too. 

It was as easy as it seemed it would be and as tasty too. It didn't last very long. 

Summer Art Camp

Painting on 'real' canvas with 'real' paint. 

Preprinted canvas featuring a fish, a frog, a princess and a castle and a butterfly... neon and glitter acrylics... we're doing serious art here. 

Ever since Rye got on her Bob Ross kick, she's been asking for a 'white fing' (canvas) to paint on... this was a start. 

(Now...where to hang these wonderful pieces of art....hmmm....)

SEED BOMBS

There are various ways to make seed bombs. We chose the method that used materials we already had on hand. It was one of the cleaner options as well. 

Start by choosing seeds that grow well in your area. A quick glance at 'native' plants may be helpful. 

Put scrunch tissue in a large bowl - this scrunchy filler can often be found in the gift wrap section of your local Dollar Tree (and possibly lingering in the bottom of any recently received gift bags) If you have a paper shredder, you could recycle the collected shreds or make your own shreds using colored paper.   

(gotta make time for BigSib Photo breaks)

Toddler helper optional but highly encouraged. 

Pour water into the scrunchy paper. You may wish to add layers of color separately to prevent dyes from blending. 

Mush the paper together until it will hold shape, then drain excess water: 

Mix in seeds: 

Roll paper to form jawbreaker sized bombs (or larger if desired) Paper can also be pressed into cookie cutters to form other shapes. 

This part is not unlike the process for home made paper. Once a shape is formed, squeeze any remaining water and place on a cookie sheet to dry. This may take a day or longer. 

As you might be able to see, by the time we returned to this project, the 'bombs' had already begun sprouting. 

All that remained was to toss them into abandoned lots or areas that needed a touch of life. To me, it was the trickiest step. For all the positives associated with planting flowers and sprucing up unsightly plots, tossing the bombs from my car window into scrubby areas,  without the benefit of explaining, "We are not littering!" felt deviant. 

We Made A Cat

We made a cat! 

No, not THAT cat~ another cat. 

A paper mache cat. 

Look, if you ever want to work on control issues- do paper mache with a toddler. Whether you need to work on not having to be in control or operating from a place of more self control, getting creative with a tot is sure to help...at least confirm the issues are present.

What follows is a pictorial journey from two balloons, some newspaper and flour paste to a new paper friend that follows us around everywhere... except the pool... I had to put my foot down on that :)

Pasting strips of newspaper around balloons. 

DRYING

No one has to teach them these things... she just knew how to paint herself... and she enjoyed it. We were killing time with creativity while waiting for the paste to dry...she was SUPPOSED to be painting paper. 

A cat begins to take shape... 

...and a mess.

It's always a pink cat she wants... 

Staying busy with the 'squirt paints' while Mom works on the smaller details. 

It was late when I left the cat to dry. Rye had already turned in...

Rye meets her new friend first thing the next morning... and wants it to go swimming with her. She's got a thing or two to learn about cats.

She put her shoes on all by herself... can you tell?

A hair bow and collar of ribbon for holding a jingly bell, our project is complete. She wants to know:

"CAN WE MAKE A DOG, TOO?!"

Frittering Time & Apples

For the most part, (words you don't normally associate with following a recipe)

 we followed the recipe found on Ree Drummond's site. She has much better photos- if you plan to make this, I highly advise checking her coverage out. 

What follows is really just a documentation of our attempt to re-create tasty apple fritters- not a "how-to".

We had to scrap our deep fryer as the inside coating was beginning to flake. I knew you could fill a pot with oil as a makeshift fryer but I had never been brave enough to try it until I saw Ree's photo coverage. It was less daunting to see that not only had someone else successfully made fritters in a pot of boiling oil, but that they had done so without burning down their kitchen. 

Heat the oil on Medium... a test drop of batter will let you know if the oil is too hot or not hot enough baed on shade and speed of browning. 

We halved the batter but not the fruit. So 3 apples went into half the batter. To the other half we added bananas. 

I used a small ice cream scoop- because the oil was not deep enough for the fritters to float and roll, I flipped them with a spatula. 

I removed the fritters when they were an appetizing golden brown. 

The fritters were then drained on paper towels before dunking in glaze. 

We opted for glaze over powdered sugar.   

All fritters made & glazed- waiting to be served for breakfast. 

Test Bite

The banana fritters reminded all of us of a crispier banana pancake.

Cut-A-Way of our deep fried healthy breakfast fritters (they DID have fruit in them!) 

REE's RECIPE

FRITTERS

• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 3/4 cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples, Peeled And Diced
• Powdered Sugar (optional, For Dusting)

GLAZE (optional)

• 1-1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/4 cup Milk

Preparation Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix.) Fold in apples. Add enough apples to make a very chunky batter. You want the apples to shine though!

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil over medium to medium-low heat. When it gets hot, drop a little drop of batter into the oil. If it sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready; if it burns quickly, turn down the heat.

Drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil, six or eight at a time. Sometimes they'll flip over by themselves; sometimes you have to flip them. Just watch them and make sure they don't get too brown, but cook them long enough to make sure the batter's cooked through, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes total.

Remove and drain on a paper towel. Dust very generously with powdered sugar, or dip fritters in a light doughnut glaze (mix all glaze ingredients together, then dunk warm fritters).

Serve warm!

**May be heated up the next day in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Rainbow Sprinkles

 Rye's art & snack session was set up like this. 

Look closely at those pencil leads, it will be important later. 

Sugar is brainfood...it was a perfectly nutritious snack...stop judgin' me :)

 Sprinkles make ya sweet...

...and Sprinkles are inspiring! 

Yes...just a shirt & training pants... it's what works for us... 

~Sugar Lips~

Okay, time for the story. 

I bought a container of sprinkles in hopes of convincing Riley to broaden her culinary horizons. Currently, she and Buddy the Elf share a similar palate. 

Yes, sprinkles are made of sugar too, but if you shake them over, say, Mashed Potatoes or Chicken Nuggets then sugar becomes a lesser ingredient. Especially when compared with most of her current preferred favorites, like "Big Chocolate Cupcake Cookies" (a.k.a. Reese Cups) and Pink Ice Cream. 

 It isn't an exact science, but it has met with some success. 

So, Riley had a little bowl of sprinkles during her art and snack session and needless to say, when she was finished I had a living room full of rainbow colored sprinkles and some artwork to add to Riley's portfolio.

BUT... I didn't clean the mess up.. I had to run to a baseball game for Chandler.  I left the chaos to be dealt with upon our return. 

The thing is, by the time we returned- it was dark. Riley had fallen asleep in the car. I tucked her in and went quietly to the living room to clean up her 'creative explosion' from earlier. I left the lights off and vacuuming til morning, opting for the quieter method of sweeping sprinkles from the coffee table into my hand. 

Who can resist sprinkles, I ask you?

Not me, that's for sure. 

Absentmindedly, I licked a few clingy sprinkles from my fingers  as I walked the lot of them to the wastebasket.

"These taste like PLASTIC!' I thought to myself.

and 

"That's what I get for buying sprinkles from the Dollar Tree."

I had brushed the remaining sprinkles into the bin and returned for the pencils when it dawned on me:

"OH! I bet I just ate colored pencil leads..."

I opened the little container of sprinkles to taste-test my hypothesis: 

If they tasted like plastic, I knew my menu expansion plan would need to be adjusted- a more expensive brand of sprinkles sought and bought before we could proceed with sprinkling the scrambled eggs in the morning. 

However, if they were sweet, as sprinkles should be, I would know I had just tasted the rainbow... quite literally. 

Well...

If they had been sprinkles, I wouldn't be telling you this story.

 I'd simply say "Don't buy dollar store sprinkles"

As it were, I say "Learn from my folly" 

Colored pencil leads or  rainbow sprinkles? It doesn't matter- toss 'em out!