Tie Dyed Butterflies and Disappearing Ink!

I'm finally getting around to posting some of the crafts I did previously with the kiddos. This one was a HUGE hit. All you need are some coffee filters (any size will do, although I used the white/bleached filters), markers, a little bit of water, and a paint brush. Pipe cleaners and scissors are optional.

This project is super easy. First flatten out the coffee filter a bit. This just makes it easier to write on. Next let the kids go wild with the markers on the filter. Next you take a small amount of water, dip the paint brush into it, "paint" the filter with the water, and voila! The ink starts to bleed through the filter and make really awesome designs. Once you've finished with the water, just place the filters on some paper towels to dry. The marker ink does bleed through a bit so best to put something underneath it when it's drying and also doing the project on a counter or something that can be wiped down.

I introduced this project as disappearing ink. Since one of the kids was learning how to write, she had a blast writing some random letters or names and then watching them disappear (well, spread out so the words went away) with the water.


Here are some examples of before and afters:

Once the filters are all dry, you have some more neat options. You can cut the filters up into shapes, like hearts or stars. We also made them into butterflies by pinching the entire filter down the middle and wrapping a pipe cleaner around it. We found that if you put them up on the window with a little tape, they made pretty sun catchers as well.

Another option is to turn the tie dyed filters into presents. For mother's day the kids made a bunch of these tied dyed filters on mini coffee filters. I then cut out rectangles from the filters and used a glue stick to attach them onto card stock to make blank cards. I added the date and the initials of the child as an added bonus. The mom loved them!! They did come out quite well, I must say!

 I hope you love this craft as much as we did!

DIY Moon Sand

When I started nannying, I researched a lot of activities. I mean a LOT of activities. There are few activities I barely go through. Others that were fun. But there were few that the kids requested over and over. And this was one of them. So to sum it up...

Moon sand is AWESOME!!

It is super easy too. You only need two ingredients: baby oil and flour.

The ratio is 8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil. You just put the whole kit and kaboodle together and mix it all up.

Then the fun begins. Moon sand is moldable if you smoosh it and will hold shape if you want it to. We brought out cups to make little castles.

 Seriously the kids LOVED this stuff. The was soft and smooshy and it smells awesome! They played with this stuff for hours. And the kids asked for it over and over.

The best part is that you can keep the moon dust in an airtight container forever (or so it seems). You just add some baby oil if the mixture gets too dry.

The only bad thing is it can be a little messy, but it cleans up pretty easy.

Trust me, if it's a rainy day or just a day when the kids are bored, bust out the flour and baby oil. You'll thank me later :)

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

This post is way overdue. In fact I made this cheesecake nearly a year ago for my dad's birthday. I kept meaning to post it, but that whole becoming a doctor thing kind of put a damper on posting things. ha.

Anyway, I thought this cheesecake would be perfect to make for my dad since he loved cheesecake and he loves caramel. Fantastic!

I found this recipe on The Modern Apron via Pinterst. It just looked so yummy and the rave reviews on the site made this one a no brainer. 

And I'm not going to lie. This cheesecake was awesome! And messy, but mainly awesome! The best part? You can freeze slices that you don't use and take them out whenever you want a sweet treat!! Yes, that was an awesome realization! Just make sure the container you put the cheesecake in is level or else the caramel will kind of slide off! You have been warned...

 Alright, here we go!

First you'll need to make the crust. First those graham crackers need to become crumbs. Put those puppies in the food processor and pulse away. Then add the sugar and salt, pulse some more, and finally drizzle the butter in to make it a bit mushy.

Once it's all nice and mixed together, it's time to press the mixture into the pan. I didn't have quite enough (I think I made some sections too thick) so it didn't go to the top of the pan, but it still worked! Once it's all packed in, bake it a bit and let 'er cool.

Now it's cheesecake time! Everything slowly gets added to the mixer (see the order below) until it's all nice and smooth. Then add the mixture to crust and pop it in the oven. After the cheesecake cooks, let it cool. Then refrigerate it.

Now the hard part begins. Now I say that it's the hard part only because I seriously thought I was doing something wrong at least three times. ha. Heat together the water and sugar, but only swirl it. This was super stressed in The Modern Apron and I trusted that process!

After the sugar mixture was ready, removed from the heat, and then the cream and butter. Now here is where it looks like it all went to hell in a hand basket. This is what I saw when I started to whisk and I FREAKED OUT.

The Modern Apron said to keep on going so I did. I'm so glad when blogs give those little bits of reassurance. If you keep whisking, it eventually (and seemingly miraculously) becomes smooth! The lovely caramel concoction gets poured onto the top of the cheesecake, put back into the fridge, and voila! An AMAZING cheesecake!!!

Seriously. Go make this. Now.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Source: The Modern Apron

Crust:

15-20 graham crackers (15 was too little for me, so I would up it)

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Cheesecake:
3 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 13-14 oz. can dulce de leche

2 tbsp flour

3 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Caramel topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp water

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Making the crust
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are crumbs.
3. Add the sugar and salt to the food processor and pulse again.
4. Drizzle the melted butter into the food processor while it is running and keep going until it is combined.
5.  Spray a 9" or 10" springform pan with cooking spray.
6. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides around 2".
7. Bake the crust until it is slightly brown, approximately 10-12 minutes.
8. Remove the crust from the oven and cool on a rack.
9. Reduce oven to 300F.

Making the cheesecake
1. Using a paddle attachment in a mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add dulce de leche and beat to combine.
3. Add flour and salt and beat to combine, scraping sides as necessary. Continue beating for approximately 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
4. Add sugar and beat to combine.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Turn the blender on low and add each egg one at a time allowing 30 seconds a per egg. Then turn off the blender.
7. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Smooth the top.
8. Bake the cheesecake for 55-65 minutes at 300F. According to The Modern Apron, the center should be only slightly set and should be a bit wobbly if you move it.
9. Cool completely on a rack.
10. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Making the caramel
1. Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Swirl the sugar and water mixture to combine. DO NOT STIR!!!
3. Cook mixture until the sugar turns golden brown while swirling occasionally (approximately 3-5 minutes).
4. Remove saucepan from heat.
5. Add butter. Whisk quickly and then add cream. Be forewarned the mixture will foam and seize, but it'll be fine!
6. Add vanilla extract and whisk.
7. Return to medium low heat and continue whisking until smooth.
8. Allow caramel to cool about 15 minutes.
9. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and remove spring form. Place on a plate or cake stand which is larger than the cheesecake.
10. Pour caramel on top of cheesecake. 
11. Return cheesecake to the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes until the caramel is set.

Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios

Pistachios are awesome. I'm just saying. They really are! I could eat them all day long if given the option. I don't care if I'm getting a years worth of sodium! Those green little nuggets of deliciousness are wonderful.


Despite my love of pistachios, I've never tried cooking with them. I figured this was as good a time as any! I saw this recipe on 101 Cookbooks via Pinterest.

So here's what you'll need.

First get your oven going. I left the peas out to thaw (read as lazy), but the initial recipe recommended putting them in a clay pot to thaw them out on the stove over low heat. Do whatever works for you!

Next add the rest of the ingredients except for 1/4 cup of pistachios into a food processor and let her go! It should become like a chunky paste.

Then mix the peas and the yogurt mixture together and put into a baking dish. Add the remaining pistachios on top of the pea loveliness and bake that puppy until the top browns a bit (around 15 minutes).

That that's it! Enjoy!

Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yogurt, and Pistachios
Source: The Breakaway Cook via 101 Cookbooks

1 pound frozen baby peas
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon leaves
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
salt, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 500F.
2. Thaw the peas and put into a baking dish.
3. Add tarragon, scallions, olive oil, yogurt, and 1/4 cup of the pistachios into a food processor.
4. Combine yogurt mixture with peas and mix gently into baking dish.
5. Top baking dish with remaining chopped pistachios.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until the top browns.

5 Ingredient Easy Chicken Crockpot Meal

I love myself an easy recipe. That's probably why I love my crockpot so much because what could be easier than throwing things into a pot, leaving it alone for hours, and coming back to deliciousness? Not a whole lot...

I saw this on Pinterest with the recipe coming from The Larson Lingo. The label on the pin was "Easiest Dinner Ever". Enough said. I was sold. Yeah for easy!! And man, was it easy.

Here's what you'll need:

The original recipe used chicken tenderloins, but I had chicken breasts in the freezer so I went with that. Now the most time consuming part was draining the corn and draining/rinsing the beans. Tough, I know!!

So in goes the chicken. The initial recipe said you could put it in frozen, but that always freaks me out so I thawed it first. Then comes the cream cheese. And then everything else! Set that puppy to low and leave it be for 6 to 8 hours.

Once all was said and done I made some rice to go along with it and pulled it apart with forks in the crockpot.

I have to say it was pretty good. A tad bland, but totally an easy, repeatable recipe. Might need to think about how to spice it up a bit, but it definitely would work in a pinch!

Easy Chicken Crockpot Meal
Adapted from The Larson Lingo 

1 1/2-2 pounds of chicken breast
8 oz package of regular cream cheese
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 15 oz. can of corn, drained
1 can of Rotel 

1. Put chicken breasts in the crockpot.
2. Add cream cheese to crockpot.
3. Add beans, corn, and Rotel to the crockpot.
4. Set crockpot to Low and cook for 6-8 hours.
5. Shred chicken in the crockpot.
6. Serve over rice.

Copycat Olive Garden Italian Dressing

I'm not going to lie. My favorite parts about going to Olive Garden are the unlimited salad and breadsticks. I would be content just having those for a meal! So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest for an imitation dressing, I had to give it a go.

The recipe I found came from Because Barenaked Chef Said So. I was a bit surprised by the recipe once I saw the ingredients since one of them was Italian dressing mix. To me that kind of seemed like cheating, but I was already committing to doing this so c'est la vie.

Here's what you'll need.

The next step is REALLY tough. Are you ready??

Throw it all into a blender or food processor.

Aaaaand that's it. I mean it's quite easy. In the end it wasn't really all it was cracked up to be. I mean it wasn't bad by any means, but it was just another dressing. We used it all, but I don't think I'll be going through the effort again any time soon. What do you think?

Copycat Olive Garden Italian Dressing
Source: Adapted from Because Barenaked Chef Said So



1/4 cup olive oil
1/ 2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp dried Italian spices
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup water
1 envelope of  Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix


1. Combine all the ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Mix for 30 seconds
3. Serve and store extra dressing in the fridge.