Monday, January 21, 2013

Popcorn Party

Hi friends! One of the items on our Winter List is a "popcorn party." We experimented by making a bunch of different flavors of popcorn, and took the winning batch over to share with some friends. The flavors we made were cinnamon, cookies + cream, spicy buffalo, and mint-chocolate. Cookies + cream won by a landslide. Bonus: It's the easiest to make, too!



I don't usually make up my own recipes, but this one just kind of fell together. Popcorn + chocolate + cookies...pretty foolproof.

INGREDIENTS:
2 bags un-buttered microwave popcorn
1 bag white chocolate chips
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 pkg double stuff oreos

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Pop the popcorn according to package directions; dump it in a huge bowl.
2. While the popcorn is popping, put all the Oreos in a ziploc bag, and crush with a rolling pin.
3. Mix the chocolate chips + vegetable oil, and melt in microwave; stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. (About 3 30-second go-rounds will do the trick).
4. Pour the melted chocolate chips and the crushed Oreos in with the popcorn and mix well.
5. Spread the popcorn on waxed paper until the chocolate sets up.

A couple notes:
Finding un-buttered popcorn can be kind of a challenge. There's usually some in the organic section; and I believe Orville Redenbacher makes a "Simply Salted" variety. That'll work just fine.

While I'm sure regular Oreos would be sufficient, the extra filling in the double-stuffs kind of mixes with the white chocolate creating a more authentic "cookies & cream" experience. As far as I'm concerned when it comes to Oreos, the more filling the better.

ENJOY!

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Friday, January 4, 2013

Winter List Progress

When a new activity checklist pops up on the fridge, my kids get right to work. Oddly enough, they don't have the same attitude concerning the chore checklist. Strange. They mean business with these activities, though. And we've made a decent dent in the list during its first week on the fridge.

Here are a few of our favorites so far:


Mini Volcanos: It's the same concept as the baking soda/vinegar volcano minus all the paper maché mess. Just use an eye dropper to drop colored vinegar onto a bed of baking soda and ta-da...instant science project, with minimal mess.



Bubble Painting: We'd been trying to freeze bubbles outside, but alas, it was too windy. So we tinted our bubbles with food coloring and marched downstairs for an art project instead. The kids really loved this one. And now we've got a super-sized masterpiece to hang on our bare playroom walls. Everybody wins.

P.S. Yep...my photos are grainy and horribly lit. That's the way we roll in the basement at night. Just keeping it real. You're welcome.
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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Winter List



This is the first winter we've lived somewhere with actual winter weather. Snow, ice, howling wind, sub-zero temperatures. We've got 'em all. And it's gonna be a loooong winter. So I'm fighting back with a Winter List...the cold-weather companion of the Summer List and the New Summer List

There are two items on the Winter List that appear on one of the summer versions: ice skating, and making snow globes. But they're both very seasonally appropriate activities, so I let it slide.

And if you're one of those lucky ducks who doesn't have harsh winter weather, then you'll just have to get a little inventive with the list. {Think: indoor snowball fight with rolled up socks, "snow" angels in the sand, etc.} Just get creative, and have some fun! And everyone keep your fingers crossed that I survive the winter. I'm not sure I've got it in me. ;)

Here's a link to the free printable version of the Winter List. Have fun!

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