Very Hungry Caterpillar Snack

How long has it been since we've done a
Book & a Snack? Too long!
Yesterday we munched and crunched,
Very Hungry Caterpillar style!

This snack is super simple! All you need is to print out the Caterpillar Straw Template I made, attach to straws, pick your favorite snacks from the book (or whatever you have on hand), and let the kids use their straws to "nibble" through their food. The kids also each got a cupcake to decorate at the end of our snacktime. Click image below to open and print the template. Fold on dotted line, cut out, and attach to drinking straws. Serve up a table of delicious snacks... and watch your little caterpillars nibble through them! We also read the book while we snacked. Enjoy!

Painted Butterfly Dinner

Does anyone else have a hard time getting info from your kids when you want to know how their day went? I've found that my kids talk when involved with a project, so came up with this one for tonight. We had a great chat, they LOVED doing it (what kid doesn't like to paint their dinner?!), and dinner was a snap. Perfect!

Painted Butterfly Hot Dogs
Ingredients:
Hot Dogs
Refrigerator biscuits (like Grands or any brand)
1 egg
water
food coloring
pretzel sticks
cheese, ketchup, or mustard (for the face)
small paintbrushes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet or cake pan. Give each child two biscuits and a hot dog.

Help them cut each biscuit in half, turn one half over, and place on pan as the "wings". Repeat with the other biscuit.

Lay the hot dog on top of the biscuits. Time to paint!

To make paints, put one egg and one tablespoon water in a small bowl and mix well. Pour a small amount of egg mixture in several bowls (however many colors you want) and add a drop or two of different food colorings. We went with blue, purple, and orange. One egg made plenty of paint, but if you have a big group of kids, you may want to use two.

Give each child a clean paintbrush and let them paint their "butterfly wings".

Have a great chat and enjoy some 'dinner-making family time'!

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown. Add two pretzel sticks for antannae and either ketchup/mustard/cheese/whatever you want for two eyes and mouth. Serve with a side of your favorite vegetable and dinner's ready!

Butterfly Biscuits

We enjoyed these for dinner tonight with bacon and scrambled eggs. Breakfast for dinner, YUM!
Butterfly Biscuits
1 can Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, any flavor
3-4 T. Strawberry Jam
Grated Orange peel from one orange
Colored Sugar (optional)
Whipped cream (I used the stuff in the spray can)
Strawberries, sprinkles, licorice strings for garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet w/ cooking spray. Open biscuits and carefully seperate them into two layers. Spread about 1/2 tsp. jam between layers then press back together, pinching the edges to seal. Cut biscuits in half and pinch edges to make sure they are sealed. Place two halves together on baking sheet, with rounded edges touching. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Spread a slight amount of jam on the top of each butterfly and sprinkle with orange peel and colored sugar. Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool slightly then transfer to a plate where you can garnish with whipped cream "bodies", licorice "antenne", and chocolate sprinkle (or mini-chocolate chip) "eyes". Enjoy!

Perfectly Pink Cupcakes

I've been inspired lately by a lot of things, good friends, good books, and life in general. These cupcakes are a tribute to two of the many wonderful things I've encountered lately: the people at "Hello, Cupcake!" and my Perky Purveyor of Everything Pink, Kristi.

I just got "Hello, Cupcake!" in the mail, I think this is a must have for anyone with kids. The cupcakes are easy and whimsical, perfect for entertaining the kids and they can all help! Karen is a magician in the kitchen and Alan's photos are just plain gorgeous. The butterflies on these cupcakes are inspired by their Monarch Butterfly cupcakes, which are amazing.

Kristi is a fabulous friend who recently sent me a whole box of ribbon in the mail! I made a bunch of hairbows to send with DH to Honduras (medical mission) and he said that they've been wonderful. I also love her blog and read it regularly.

So, here's to you fabulous people, and to everyone who has made my life bright lately! My girls had a fantastic time decorating these cupcakes and can't wait to have them after dinner!

Perfectly Pink Cupcakes
White cake mix (any kind)
Eggs (as directed on box)
Oil (as directed on box)
1 C. buttermilk
1/2 c. cherry pie filling
Buttercream icing (see recipe below)
Large Marshmallows
White chocolate chips
White candy melts
Pink candy melts (optional, you can tint the white with food coloring)
Pink edible glitter or sprinkles (optional)
Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupake pans with liners. In a medium mixing bowl, mix cake mix, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and cherry pie filling. (If you want more pink color, add a drop or two of red food coloring). Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 12-18 minutes or until done. Cool completely.

For the butterflies, melt white candy melts and put in plastic baggie. Snip the end. On a piece of wax paper, draw pairs of wings and candy cane shapes (for antennae). Melt the pink candy melts (or tint the white with a little red food coloring). Put in plastic baggie, snip the end, and fill in the wings. Sprinkle with edible glitter or sprinkles. Let dry completely.

Place frosting in a gallon ziploc baggie and seal. Snip off a corner of the bag to pipe the icing. Take a large marshmallow and attach to the top of cupake with a dallop of frosting. Then, make circles around the cupcake with icing, starting at the base and working your way to the top. Decorate with chocoalte chips (put them "point downward" into the icing so they look like polka dots). Press a pair of butterfly wings into the side of the cupcake (you can pipe on a body also with white icing if you want) and add a pair of antennae. Watch these sweet butterflies fly off the plate!

NOTES: I used the template from Hello, Cupcake for the wings, but for I don't think I should post it. I made another one from a coloring page that you can download here. Basic Buttercram Icing from Wilton can be found here. Happy Cooking!