Have S'more Peeps and Jelly Bean Bling

I'm not going to tell you to do something other than eat your Easter candy...because that's exactly what I'll be doing.  The reality is that in our family we eat our candy.  And we like it.  

I figure I'm making the world a better place one sugar coated confection at a time.  Instead of watching our landfills become piled with Peeps that will never decompose, I am repurposing them for a better cause...S'mores!

As kids we enjoyed watching marshmallows balloon in the microwave.  Their cousin Peeps respond the same way.  You could do it in the oven, but the microwave is faster.  And while you're at it, why buy more chocolate when you could just use a chocolate bunny you already have?

My Microwave Peep S'mores directions:

1.  Top 1 graham cracker square with crumbled chocolate bunny.

2.  Microwave a few seconds to soften the chocolate (microwaves vary)

3.  Add the Peep on top.

4.  Microwave for only a few seconds, and do not walk away.  It will take only seconds for an unattended Peep to plaster the walls of your microwave (this is the best part, why would you want to walk away? Your kids will love this). 

5.  When it balloons, take it out and put the top square on.

6.  Enjoy the snack that took only about 30 seconds to assemble.

And for your jelly beans...

Delay eating your jelly beans for just a moment by using this idea from last year's Easter ideas. I think we will make bracelets, and we'll be using some stretchy jewelry cord.  A fun activity for the kids during spring break!  But of course, I will still be eating my jelly beans.  It will just be off my wrist instead of out of my hand.

Peeps image via seriouseats.com

Levain Bakery

Levain bakery....oh my. My husband and I ended our date this past weekend with a trip to Levain. We had heard several Levain accolades and could wait no longer to try the "best chocolate chip cookies in Manhattan."

Yes, it is true. There are some really, really good chocolate chip cookies here in NYC (I also like Jacques Torres and City Bakery to be specific) but these take the cake (or cookie?).

It may have to do with the fact that the cookies are humongous. Yes, 6 ounces huge. Our cookie was about 5 inches wide and about 1.5 inches tall. If you live in Manhattan, or plan a trip here sometime soon, you will want to give these a try.

The bakery is on 74th and Amsterdam, and is teeny tiny (and not really all that stroller accessible). Make sure you ask for one right out of the oven, they are not quite as amazing when they cool down.

If you don't live in Manhattan, you can still have your Levain Cookies- at a price. You can get 4 cookies delivered to your door for $22 + shipping.

Even though it could be argued that the cookies are worth that much, there is another option. You can try to hack the recipe at home. There are several websites who have posted their attempt at cracking the Levain Bakery recipe. I haven't tried these out yet, but trying to make a cookie that closely resembles Levain's may become my new found hobby.

Conversations With A Cupcake

Picky Palate

Recipezaar

Lisa Michele

This video shows the Levain owners in action.

Top photo via

Bottom photo via

One Ingredient Panini Bread

My family loves hot sandwiches, and nothing makes or breaks a sandwich like the bread does. This recipe is similar in style to the One Ingredient Bread Bowls I shared with you not too long ago. And yes, it also only has one ingredient.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and assemble your necessities: refrigerated pizza crust dough (any brand), cooking spray and baking sheet.

Thin coat of cooking spray

Last time I felt silly admitting my irrational fear of popping open the can of refrigerated dough. It turns out my fears weren't completely unfounded. This is evidence of a can that literally exploded like a shotgun. I swear, it almost took my eye out.

Don't use a rolling pin, it just makes a mess. Use your hands to press the dough to the edges of the pan. Your dough should press out nicely. Mine had to be pieced back together and then pressed. I usually prefer a slightly thicker crust. Allow an inch all the way around the pan if you prefer the same. Just make sure it's pretty even in thickness everywhere.

10 minutes, or longer. Remove when lightly browned.

Let cool a couple of minutes, then carefully loosen bottom with a spatula.

Cut in 4 pieces. Yours will only have a big crack in the side if you had to poorly piece together the dough as I did.

Pair them together to make the bread for 2 large sandwiches.

Fill with the goodies and heat over a griddle or in a skillet to melt the cheeses inside and to give a nice brown toasting to the outside.

This recipe is the million dollar winner, Chicken Florentine Panini from pillsbury.com

However, that recipe takes way too long to make. Here's my quick and easy version:

1 can refrigerated pizza crust (the brand that's on sale)

fresh spinach

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1 t. minced garlic, divided (I use pre-minced garlic, a total time saver! Ask for "garlic in water" in the produce department) Like to mince it yourself? Use 2 garlic cloves instead

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 c. chopped red onion

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. sugar

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (Could make do with 2, though)

dried Italian Seasoning

4 (4 inch) slices provolone cheese

Earlier in the day: Chop the red onion and refrigerate. Prepare the mayonnaise spread by adding 1/2 tsp. of garlic (1 clove) to 1/4 c. mayonnaise. Wash and pat dry the amount of spinach you think you will use for the sandwiches. Refrigerate. Prepare the flatbread as described above.

Start 20 minutes before dinner:

1) Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Set aside (My kids call these candy onions).

2) Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat (300 degrees on my flat skillet). Add chicken. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp. garlic (1 clove). As it sits on the skillet cooking, butterfly the chicken breast. Cook 4 minutes each side (probably less) or until browned with juices running clear. While it's cooking, spread mayonnaise on one side of each of the flatbread. Remove chicken from skillet when done. Do not turn off heat.

3) Using a wad of dry paper towels, carefully wipe clear the hot skillet (I know, I know, it's hot). Place 2 of the pieces of your flatbread, mayonnaise side up, on the skillet. Cover with cheese, then chicken, followed by onion mixture and finally the spinach. Put the top slice of bread on and let it heat through until the cheese melts and the bottom browns. Flip, heat, cut and serve. Makes 4 decent sized sandwiches.

Edible play dough

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching some kids.  We were playing with play dough, a favorite pass time of my little ones.  When the neighbor kids watched in disgust as my 18 month old licked her play dough, the thought occurred to me that maybe I should try some of the edible play dough recipes.  I began my search.  There are lots out there, but none of them looked very appetizing...to me anyway.  I didn't really want to waste my ingredients on a not-so-good recipe. How would I know which one was worth the effort?  

Then last week the same neighbor kids came over.  They convinced me to try several of the recipes and figure out which ones were the best, with their help of course.   Here are our top two picks: the classic peanut butter play dough and the chocolate play dough.  We were looking for two things, ease of molding without sticking to your hands or tools and taste.  Both of these are yummy and fun to mold.

Peanut Butter Play Dough

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

2 cups powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, using your hands.  Dough should feel soft and pliable. 

The kids loved this one mostly because it tasted so good.  mmmm....s w e e t n e s s!  It was easy to shape and not sticky at all.  

Chocolate Play Dough

8 oz. semisweet chocolate

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (a double boiler).  Stir the chocolate with a spoon until smooth, then stir in the corn syrup.  The chocolate will stiffen almost immediately but stir until completely combined.  Transfer the chocolate to a sturdy plastic bag and refrigerate until firm; the consistency will be that of play dough.

Another use of this recipe which I love is shaping the dough into a rope or braid that can be used as the outside edge on top of a cake or around the base.

One mistake we made with this one is we didn't wait for it to cool long enough.  Even though the dough felt cool, it was still too soft.  It left a residue on our hands.  You really need to wait until it is firm yet pliable, maybe an hour or more.  The chocolate play dough was nice for molding because it kept its shape.  This was my personal favorite.  mmmm....c h o c o l a t e!

We added a few other edible items for decorating.  The kids had a great time and my 18 month old didn't get dirty looks for licking her play dough.  Who says you can't play with your food and eat your toys?!

Here is one more to try out for your Halloween Party coming up. 

Pumpkin Play Dough

5 1/2 cups flour

2 cups salt

8 tsp cream of tartar

3/4 cup oil

1 container (1 and 1/12 ounces) pumpkin pie spice **dry spice only**

orange food coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)

4 cups water

Mix all ingredients together.  Cook and stir over medium heat until lumps disappear.  Knead dough on floured surface until smooth (not sticky). 

Happy Halloween!

Beat The Heat Recipes

My husband’s first words when he comes home from work are not “Honey I am home!” but, “Wow, its hot in here!” And he is not talking about me with no make up, in my apron. He is referring to the pot boiling on the stove and the warm oven that are literally heating our home. So when it seems like summer can’t get any hotter or you start the day dreaming about snow- pull out some of these “No Heat” recipes.

Gazpacho
White Bean Dip
Turkey Lettuce Wrap
Banana Blueberry Smoothie
Your Grocery List

photo from Foodtv.ca

Summer Salads

I crave salads in the summer time. In winter time, the roast beef and potatoes calls my name, but in the summer time I just want some crunchy lettuce, tangy dressing and interesting mix-ins. Here is a sampler of some of my favorites. I don't expect anyone to make all of these so no shopping list for this week.

Crunchy Asian Salad
Pecan Cranberry Salad
Broccoli Salad
Three Bean Salad
Annalee's Bowtie Spinach Salad

Happy Fouth of July!!

Check out these photo galleries at MS if you need some last minute 4th of July inspiration. This one has patriotic crafts for you or the kids to try out, and this one has some delicious looking red, white and blue desserts. Have a wonderful Fourth!

Fourth of July Fruit Kabobs

This Monday night our "Family Night" was centered around the meaning of Independence Day.
There is a great little website called www.enchantedlearning.com that has a ton of worksheets/coloring sheets for your little ones. We used the Fourth of July activity book tonight. I also love the star table-top decorations, and the Fireworks craft. If we have time in the madness of this week we will try these out as well. You can definitely use this website without paying the $20 membership fee (I haven't paid yet), although I will say things are probably much easier to print out in the PDF format (for members only).
We had these Fourth of July Fruit-Kabobs for dessert to go along with tonight's theme. These are super easy to make, and your kids will get a kick out of making their very own. Another bonus: if my kids participate in the creation of any recipe they are 90% more likely to eat it- and that was definitely the case with these Kabobs.
Of course, the addition of marshmallows helped too :).

What you will need:

Bamboo Skewers (we used 6 inch, but you could definitely use the 12 inch size)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Large Marshmallows (cut horizontally into thirds with kitchen shears)

Skewer each ingredient and enjoy! Of course if you have a young child, you will need to watch them carefully with their skewer (or just give them the ingredients in a bowl).

You can turn this recipe into a learning activity by having your child create a pattern with the ingredients (like in the picture above). This would also be a great time to talk with your child about the importance and meaning of the colors/symbols of the flag. There is a website www.usflag.org that has just about anything you would like to know about the American flag- from history to appropriate flag etiquette. You can even learn about how the design our current 50 star flag came to be.

One Ingredient Bread Bowls

I have to confess I have been in the middle of a project and realized I was hungry, only to look at the clock and discover dinnertime was in 25 minutes (or less-ha ha!). The secret is that there's only one special ingredient in these bread bowls: a refrigerated tube of French bread dough! You can keep it in your fridge for about 2 months, at standby with a can of chili or stew, for when you need to make it look like you didn't forget about dinner. This one's for all you busy moms (and dads!) who need something delicious in a pinch. However, it's also for all you who want to make bread bowls from scratch, but don't have the time to do it. I figure if you cooked it, that means you made it, right?

This is it! Ok, so it's 2 ingredients (is a mist of oil an ingredient?).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the pan. So easy, your kids can help.

Ok, so this picture requires me to confess that I cannot open one of these tubes. The suspense of when it's going to pop is too much for me. You think I kid. Is there a name for this disorder? Come on, I can't be alone.

Open the tube and divide into 3 equal pieces.

Bend the dough in. There will be a "seam." Fold the dough in to conceal the seam and tuck the rough edges under the ball of dough.

Don't worry about making it a perfect ball. The less perfect it is, the more likely people will believe you made it yourself! ha ha!

Bake for about 20-25 minutes (definitely check it early). They should be pretty browned.

Cut just a little bit off the top. Cut too low and you've just made a bread plate.

Do not take the insides out of the breadbowl. That's the best part! Firmly push the bread down and to the sides with your thumbs.

See, plenty of room for soup! Now you can either grab the can opener or spoon in something home-made.

This recipe came from the Pillsbury Bake-off in 2002. Kudos to Maureen Gill for coming up with it! I really like the Bake-Off recipes at Pillsbury.com. Invented and reviewed by real people. If Pillsbury's willing to give someone a million dollars for making it, I'm willing to try it!

Viva Italiano!

I have weeks where I just crave one type of food. This week is Italian- in all its variety. From the "Americano- Italiano" Parmesan Chicken and Chopped Salad to something a bit more authentic- Toscana Soup. Buon Appetito!

Parmesan Chicken with Chopped Salad

Farfalle with Tomatoes and Basil

Colorful Pasta Salad

Toscana Soup

Penne with Spicy Carrot Sauce

Three Cheese Manicotti

{image via feralpundit.com}

May Day Flower Cupcakes

This week's posts have been a trip down memory lane. First, the homemade playdough, and now these flower cupcakes. My mom made these cute little marshmallow creations when I was young- and now that I have kids of my own, I have added my own little twist to the tradition. These are super easy, and a lot of fun to make (and eat:) with your children.

You will need:

• Baked Cupcakes (24 or so) cooled completely
  
• A bag of large marshmallows
  
• A bag of candy for the center of the flowers. I use Haribo (German Candy)Raspberries
  
• Sugar and Food Coloring (optional)
  
• Frosting
  

First, frost your cupcakes. You can use whatever frosting is your favorite. We made a few of these with cream cheese frosting (dyed green) and the rest we frosted with Nutella and Brunette spread. I LOVE to frost things with Nutella. It is slightly more healthy (hey, at least it has no trans fats, right?) and it tastes phenomenal. I also really like the Brunette spread from Le Pain Quotidien. It is like Nutella without the chocolate- essentially a sweetened organic hazelnut spread.

Second, add your flower centers to the middle of each cupcake. My mom uses gumdrops. You could really use any colorful round candy for this. I use Haribo Raspberries because I like their texture and taste. Other ideas- Dots, Sprees, Mentos, Peanut Butter M&M's....

Next, create your flower petals. Take a large marshmallow, and hold it length-wise. Next, grab your kitchen shears and snip the marshmallow into 4 or 5 (if you are really talented) equal sized petals. The kitchen shears will get goopy from the marshmallow insides. I have to wash mine off at least twice while petal creating.

Each "petal" will have at least one very sticky side that you can dip into colored sugar if you want. If you want colorful petals, I recommend making your own colored sugar instead of purchasing colored sugar at the store. The texture tends to be less gritty, and the colors more vibrant. You can make your own dipping sugar by adding a few drops of food color (of your choice) to a small amount of sugar in a mason jar. Then let your children take turns shaking it up. They will be amazed by this magic trick you have taught them, if they are 6 or under:).

I will say, I personally like these cupcakes better without the colored sugar addition. My husband and kids like the sugar topping. So, for your first batch I would make some with/without sugar so you can decide which way you like best.
If you have decided to color the petals, pour the sugar into an open dish and dip the marshmallow petals into it until each petal is coated. The marshmallow is very sticky, so this is an easy task- and one your children will LOVE helping out with. Once your petals are completed, place 4 or 5 of them around the center candy and you are done.

What's For Dinner This Week:

Congrats to Angie H.,the winner of the Goosie Card give-away!

How many times did your mom tell you to “Try it- you might like it!”. Well, you may look at the spinach salad and think- yuck all that green rabbit food? Just pair it with bacon and mandarin oranges and you will be thanking mom for making you try it. The theme for this week’s menu is “Try something new”.

I never thought I would eat an egg salad sandwich- let alone go through the effort of making one. It was when I was recovering from my first, non-elective, c-section that my mother mercifully went across the street from the hospital to a deli and brought back some goodies. Just a few of the items were a Chicken Caesar wrap, Crème Brulee and an Egg Salad Sandwich. After going through 24 hours of labor, ending up with major surgery, being starved for over 48 and finally “allowed” to eat hospital food I was desperate. I gobbled down all of it. And ever since then, I think egg salad is heavenly.

The recipe for this week’s egg salad sandwich (a very easy and filling meal for one of those nights when you need something simple) comes from Heidi Swanson, a woman who thought she would never eat the stuff either. Until, that is, she met her match with the recipe you will find on this week’s menu. So…Try it, you might like it!

Classic Spinach Salad (or Springtime Version)
French Onion Soup with Green Beans
Feta Spinach Crepes
Mini Egg and Ham Casseroles
Creamy Tortellini with Mushroom Sauce
Hawaiian Pizza
Egg Salad Sandwiches with Raw Carrots

Your Grocery List

What's For Dinner?

Readers: We have a new contributor to Citrus! Every Monday, Holly will be providing us with a week's worth of dinner ideas, and a grocery list to boot! I know our family is in desperate need of dinner inspiration, so I am eager to try these out. Holly will also be providing us with product reviews. Thanks for joining Citrus, Holly!

Also, the winner of the Sippigrip give-away was Doreen G.-Congrats!

I have a love/ hate relationship with the question "What's for dinner?". When my husband walks in the front door and those three words come out of his mouth I reply with either "Why, Tri Color Pepper Quiche of course!" or I roll my eyes at him and say nothing. The difference between my responses depends on how prepared I am.

That is to say, whether or not I have a meal plan for the week and what’s in the fridge. Certainly having a busy day doesn’t help but when you already have a meal in mind and the ingredients to make it, life is a lot easier!

I have been in search of a website or blog that would just lay down 7 dinners and the ingredients that are needed. That exists- the problem is that the meals are either complicated and they use ingredients that are just too expensive for my monthly budget or they are affordable and easy but include meals like Franks and Beans and canned soup.

So...I thought I would just do this myself and share it with whoever is like me and wants some help getting dinner on the table 7 days a week.

Every Monday I will post a menu of 7 meals, the recipe for each one and your shopping list. I will try to use ingredients that are similar so when you buy a bunch of Basil you don’t simply use two leaves and throw the rest away. Also, the recipes are listed in order according to which keep the longest. So a leafy green salad would be first and a Vegetarian Chili might be last.

So here it is, 7 meals, veggies present, budget in mind, and a list to take with you to the store. What more can you ask for?

I can't help you make time for cooking- your on your own there :)

This Week’s Menu
Crunchy Noodle Salad
Spring Risotto with Asparagus and Peas and Herb Baked Chicken
Curried Red Lentil Stew
Tri Color Pepper Quiche
Vegetarian Fajitas
Tomato Basil Soup with Cheesy Bread
Creamy Broccoli Soup with Popovers

-Holly

Bunny Bread

I came across this idea for "Bunny Bread" at a bakery in Chelsea Market. "Amy's Bread" had the rear-facing version of the bread bunny for sale for the Easter Season. I loved the little "cottontail" that they created with a sprinkling of flour. Our family decided to make a forward facing bunny as well- with whole cloves for eyes (you could use raisins) and two flour powdered rabbit cheeks. I could not come up with anything for the teeth. Any suggestions for next year's bunny teeth? I just used our regular whole-wheat bread dough for this. Parchment paper works well to keep the bunnies from sticking to the pan.