Fruit Wigglers

There are a lot of fun jello ideas out there. This one is by far my favorite. It looks like fruit but it is all Jello.

Hollow out a lemon, orange, melon or even strawberries!

Make your Jello as directed on the box.  I used the lemon flavor to correspond with the lemons. 

Pour your Jello into the hollowed out fruit.

Allow the Jello to set up in the refrigerator for several hours.

Once the Jello is set up use a serrated knife and slice your Fruit Wigglers.

Served with a smile!

Brownie Pizza

Brownies are just about the perfect food. Right there next to pizza which IS the perfect food. Am I right or am I right? Here is a great idea that combines both. Moreover this Brownie Pizza is almost healthy for you. You will be asking your kiddo if they want another slice before their done with the first one! Here`s my little secret...

What you Need:

Box o`Brownie Mix
Apple Sauce (amount will vary depending on oil needed)
1/2 cup Frozen Spinach, thawed and pureed
Whipped Cream (maybe use whipping cream and make the whipped cream yourself!)
Strawberries, sliced
Blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven as directed by the Box o`Brownie Mix.

In a large bowl stir together the brownie mix with all ingredients as listed on the Box o`Brownie Mix (substitute the apple sauce for the oil in the recipe) plus the pureed spinach. Seriously, they wont even know the spinach is there!

I then poured half the mix into a spring form pan to create a thin pizza and popped it into the oven. 

You might already be thinking ahead that you can make 2 of these Brownie Pizzas! 

That means an entire one for yourself!

 Once the 'pizza' is completely cooled spread a layer of whipped cream on top. 

Note: I took whipping cream and put it in the mixer to create the whipped cream. There is no added sugar this way which means it is just a little bit better for you. There is enough sweetness in the brownie and fruit to compensate. Just pour the cream in your mixer and mix for several minutes. Once it starts to fluff up keep a close eye on it so you do not over mix it as it will make the whipped cream "stiff."

 Add on the toppings of strawberries and blueberries. 

Even better have your kiddo do the toppings!

For added effect I took last night's pizza box and revamped it for this dessert. Clever, right? 

You might even do this but have your kiddo decorate the pizza box with paints, glitter, jewels, whatever. 

Cut yourself up a nice slice of pie and enjoy!

Little French Men

My life Before Kids (BK) included living in Europe for awhile. It was an exciting and inspiring time for me. It is a distant memory though (kids do that to you!)  But I am looking forward to bringing my girls to all the places in Europe that will excite and inspire them. We are a few years away from this but it hasn`t stopped me from teaching my girls about different countries.

Yesterday we were watching videos of singing gondoliers on the Venice canals. I loved watching Caroline`s eyes dazzle as she imagined a city with no streets or cars, just waterways and boats. She listened to the Italian songs and asked what the songs were about. It was a rare occasion where my Italian language skills came in useful (I knew those months of living and studying in Italy would come in handy one day!!)

And last week we were looking at pictures of the Eiffel Tower because Daddy was in Paris for `work.` Caroline loves the Fancy Nancy book series so she is familiar with Paris and the Eiffel Tower (if you don`t know FN she is a little girl that loves all things French.)  Now, she cannot wait to go to Paris like Daddy and take her picture in front of the Eiffel Tower too. I showed her what the French flag looked like and even got out my souvenir from a past Paris visit.

I decided to use this inspiration to make a new creation. So, to celebrate daddy`s return we made Little French Men.

WHAT YOU NEED:

GINGERBREAD MAN COOKIE CUTTER
BREAD
2 EGGS
2 TBS MILK
1/8 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
1/2 TSP CINNAMON SUGAR
2 TBS BUTTER
CANDY EYES 
RAISINS

DIRECTIONS:

Using a cookie cutter cut out your little men. I used regular wheat bread, nothing fancy. 

Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon sugar together in a bowl. Give your little men a yolky bath by letting them soak in the mixture for one or two minutes.

Add your butter to a skillet on medium heat. Once melted put your men into the hot pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.

Add on the eyes and cut a raisin to make a smile and voila! Très facile!