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.