Apr
12

Banana Boat Recipe

By | Recipes

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Hi everyone! I’m sure this is nothing new, but it is for us, and I just had to share! This week we made banana boats for the kiddos. No, we weren’t camping or anything like that, just looking for a little fun on a plain ole’ weekday!   The good news is that these tasty treats are so easy to make, your kiddos can do the honors! Ingredients: 1 banana/person 1 bag chocolate chips 1 bag caramel chips, or peanut butter chips 1 bag mini-marshmallows Aluminum Foil Directions: Slice open banana along one side, but not all the way to the ends. Stuff chocolate chips, caramels, and marshmallows all over inside the peel. The more the better! Wrap each stuffed banana in aluminum foil and grill for about 5-10 minutes or until bananas are nice and squishy. Alternate method: Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bananas are soft and ingredients are melted. Serve immediately and enjoy! Hope you enjoy this simple and tasty … [Read more...]

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Dec
08

Reese’s Fudge Recipe

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  I found a yummy recipe for Reese’s Fudge, and seriously, what could be better than a combination of Reese’s and Fudge? The original is here at Spell Out Loud, and thanks so much to Maureen’s sweet daughter for sharing this yummy goodness with us!   Ingredients: 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk 1 bag of Reese peanut butter chips 1 bag of Nestle chocolate chips Vanilla Extract 8 inch pan 1 small microwave safe bowl Wax paper Instructions: 1. Line 8” pan with wax paper and set aside. 2. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter chips, 2/3 cup of condensed milk and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min. Stir mixture until smooth and spread evenly over wax paper in pan. Put in refrigerator to set.   3. While peanut butter layer is setting, pour 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into bowl. Mix in 1/2 t vanilla and remaining sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir … [Read more...]

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Dec
06

Peppermint Bark Recipe

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    Did I mention that I am NOT a baker? Every year I try though, and this year shall be no different! My husband always makes fun of me because I come up with grand plans, and think they are going to be WAY more fun than they actually turn out to be. Today, “Christmas Baking Day”, was one of those days… (Wish I could take credit for this lovely photo, but it’s from Cathie Filian!)   We’ll start off with a great recipe for Peppermint Bark and end in a seriously messy kitchen. Read on if you dare…it’s not for the faint of heart, nor those on weight watchers…uhem, like myself. Ingredients: (Looks harmless enough right?) 24 ounces white chocolate chips 24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 1 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 package Bob’s Candy Canes Cookie Sheet lined with foil Cooking Spray Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with Pam. 2. Pour the semisweet … [Read more...]

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Dec
05

Edible Christmas Trees

By | Art, Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Recipes

11 Comments

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  Looking for an easy and yummy Christmas craft you can do with your kids this season? I guarantee they’ll love these edible Christmas trees!   Ingredients: Sugar cones Green frosting (Or white frosting with green food coloring added in) Various sprinkles for decorating such as: Red Hots, mini-m&ms;, sprinkles, edible glitter etc. Butter knife to spread frosting Plastic tray or cookie sheet to work on. (I love these trays from Lakeshorewe use them for everything including beads, moon-sand, play-doh, glitter projects, anything that can be potentially disastrous to my kitchen.) Instructions: Spread green frosting all over cone. Roll in sprinkles, glitter etc Push on red-hots or mini m&m; for ornaments Eat!     Decorate as desired: Then enjoy! It’s as simple as that, and these are so yummy and fun your kids will be asking to do them again!   … [Read more...]

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Jul
23

Homemade Ice Cream Recipe

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I’ve never made homemade ice cream before, but after the Ice Cream Science Kit we were on a mission to create our own yummy creamy goodness! Enter the Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker! Oh yeah, this thing seriously ROCKS! I made 2 recipes, one came with the ice cream maker and one I found online. It was very easy: Ingredients: 4 Cups half and half 1 –14oz can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 tablespoons vanilla extract Directions: Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Turn on ice cream maker and pour mixture into maker. Let mixer run 20 minutes. (Of course if you have a different ice cream maker, you’ll need to follow their instructions) This yields a soft serve ice cream similar to the one seen below. If you desire a more frozen consistency, freeze for a few hours. Keep left overs frozen. TIP: We were a little eager and didn’t wait for our Cuisinart canister to freeze all the … [Read more...]

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Jul
11

White Chocolate, Cranberry & Cashew Popcorn

By | Recipes

10 Comments

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Oh my sweet goodness, this recipe was the bomb! Is that still a cool word? I never know. I’m a homeschooler. I don’t get out much. ;o) Except to buy cashews for this recipe…yeah baby! Ingredients: 1 large bag microwaveable butter flavor popcorn (I use a reduced fat version. Because it makes me feel better about eating an entire bowl of popcorn, never mind the marshmallow and cashews. Oh yeah, and the white chocolate. But still.) 2 cups mini marshmallows 1/2 cup roasted salted cashew pieces 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 cup white chocolate chips…mmmm LARGE microwave safe bowl Step 1: Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and set aside. Or just lay it out on your counter, that’s what I did. Why dirty a pan when you don’t need to? Step 2: Pop the bag of popcorn and pour half of the hot popcorn into a large microwave-safe bowl. Top it with the marshmallows, cashews, and dried cranberries. Then top it with the rest of the hot popcorn and toss everything … [Read more...]

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Jun
22

Strawberry Cream Cake Recipe

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This Strawberry Cream Cake Recipe is so yummy, and is also super easy to make! We made it with just strawberries, but a few blueberries placed strategically in the upper left corner…and I’m thinking great July 4th cake! Ingredients: 1 box white cake mix 8 ounces cream cheese block 1 small tub Cool Whip 1- 1/2 cups powdered sugar 2 Containers of Fresh Strawberries (I only got one and ran out) Step 1: Prepare white cake as directed and let cool completely. Step2: Mix together cream cheese, cool whip and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy and smooth. Spread frosting onto cake top. Step 3: Wash strawberries and remove stems. Step 4: Slice strawberries, we used an egg slicer, works great for kids! Step 5: Add 1 tsp to strawberries and stir well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This allows sugar to dissolve strawberries and creates a yummy juice. This step can be skipped if you prefer a less juicy topping. Step 6: When ready to serve, top cake with sliced … [Read more...]

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May
27

Nigerian Banana Fritters Recipe

By | Geography, Recipes

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Hi, and welcome to the fried foods portion of this weeks Nigeria activities! Today we’ll be making Nigerian Banana Fritters. They’re fairly easy to make and went over fairly well with the folks here at Confessions of a Homeschooler. So first off we’ll gather our ingredients, you probably have most of this at home already. Ingredients: 2 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons milk 2 eggs 1 tablespoon margarine, melted 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 quart oil for frying 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting Directions: Step 1: In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Step 2: Mix in milk, eggs and margarine until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture. Step 3: Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy bottomed pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot … [Read more...]

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May
26

West African Benne Cakes

By | Geography, Recipes

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If you missed the Nigerian quicksand experiment, go back and read it first, then come back here for a yummy West African Benne Cake recipe! These cookies are really easy to make and surprisingly tasty! I even had everything on hand which makes it much easier. The only odd-ball ingredients are the sesame seeds and if you’ve done any kind of Asian cooking you probably have some in your cupboard. If you don’t, go get some, they’re sort of an integral part of this recipe. Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup softened butter 1 egg 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the sugar and butter until creamy then stir in other wet ingredients. Step 2: Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds. I know, I know, it seems like A LOT of sesame seeds…just do it. Don’t be afraid. Step 3: Drop teaspoonful 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie … [Read more...]

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May
05

South African Apple Crumble

By | Geography, Recipes

3 Comments

Ingredients: 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice 1 Cup Sugar 3/4 Cup Flour 4 Cups Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg dash salt 1/2 Cup Butter, softened 1 1/2 Cups grated cheddar cheese (I would skip this part if I make it again!) Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees. 2. Mound apples in a 9” buttered pie plate. 3. Sprinkle with lemon juice. 4. Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter. 5. Spread the mixture over the apples. 6. Top with cheese. (Quite frankly, I didn't like this part, so I'd skip it and just have the crumble!) 7. Bake at 375 Degrees for 45 minutes or until top crust is golden. 8. Serve warm, I think vanilla ice cream is a nice addition to this ;o) --> Click here to see the rest of our South Africa Activities <-- Click here to learn more about my Expedition Earth World Geography curriculum! … [Read more...]

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