If your kid is anything like my kid, than your kid will eat anything as long as it's on a stick.
Cake pops are fantastic.
They're cute, they're tasty, but they're usually a total pain in the ass to make.
But Aubrey and Lindsay have come up with a 5-minute cake pops recipe that even the laziest momma will be excited to make!
Ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out!

inspiration: a charmed childhood

cupcakes for dummies!

So, I didn't come back and post again last night.  I didn't feel like it.  We got back from Mike momma's house a little late.  But here I am now!
And I am going to tell you about the 2nd thing I've ever made by myself that was really yummy (the 1st thing was barbecue chicken ranch sandwiches).

That is me.  In my kitchen.  With a cupcake.
This cupcake is a vanilla peppermint cupcake!
And it's a lot prettier when it isn't a photo captured by my webcam...
It's minty green and sparkly.

So I just added a teaspoon of peppermint extract to boxed cake mix.  Baked the cupcakes.  Added some green colouring to some vanilla icing.  Sprinkled crushed (via Mike's framing hammer) peppermint pieces on top.  And they are delicious.  We've eaten 10 in the last 2 days.
The greatest thing about my cupcakes is that you wouldn't think they came from a package.
Who knew what a little extra could do for a box of cake mix?

Just call me Betty.
mum jams:  bicycle race - queen

homemade fruit leather! VEGAN FRIENDLY!

This is awesome. Forget the fruit roll-ups, it's time to get a little crafty and make some fruit leather at home with our kids. Mine's too young, but I'm blogging about it to keep it in mind in the future.

I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy, and they found it on Instructables.

1. You will need fruit, pick your favorite. You can use anything from frozen, to fresh from the garden! For this I used two mangos, a half a bag of fresh cherries, and a lemon. As for tools/appliances, you will need a cutting bored, a knife, a blender, a pot and stove, something to mix with, a cooking sheet, and an oven.
2. Preheat your oven to 200ºF, if you have a convection oven I recommend using it, if not a regular bake will do. Next blend your fruit together. No need to add any sweetener. I do strongly recommend using lemon juice though, just as much as you can get out of a single lemon. Blend until smooth. Make sure you are not getting any pits or seeds from the lemon in it
3. Next, you want to pour it in a pot and bring it to a boil, I put it on medium high heat. Once it starts to simmer, make sure that you keep it in motion. It does not need to be in constant motion, but the bottom needs to keep from burning. It should get fairly thick. You want it to be boiling for a few minutes. The goal is, to get it thick enough to the point it will not spread too much when you pour it on a flat surface. You will notice that it is slower to fill the space when you move it, and will all fall in clumps.
4. Pour your fruit on a baking sheet (I used parchment paper, just because I use it with everything I put on a baking sheet, but it should not stick to much if you rather not use it) it does not need to still be boiling, but it shouldn't be too cold either. Smooth it out*, and pop it in the oven that has already been preheated to 200°F. Leave it for at least an hour. You will know it is done when you can touch it, without any coming off on your fingers.
5. My favorite way to serve these fruity snacks is to cut them into long strips, roll them up, and place a cute sticker on them. You could also use a cookie cutter to make them fun shapes though!