Cute Salad Rings

The Tinkerbell House tutorial is coming, I promise! I'm just trying to type it all up.
In the meantime, need something fun and easy for the kids to do to help with Thanksgiving Dinner (or any nice dinner)? How about fancy salad rings? This is a super cute and fancy way to present individual salads on a plate. We made these for a dinner we had tonight.
After finishing them, I realized how "Christmas-y" they look--we'll be definitely be serving them at Holiday dinners!
Cute & Fancy Salad Rings
Ingredients:
Cherry Tomatoes (or grapes)
Dental Floss (unwaxed)
Large needle
Lettuce

Directions:
Make sure needle is clean by boiling it in water for a minute or two. Dry and thread a 12" piece of dental floss on it. I like to use large upholstery needles because they are easy for my children to handle and not especially sharp. Let your child thread 6 or 7 cherry tomatoes on a string.
Wrap around several pieces of lettuce and tie in a knot (see video tutorial). Trim any excess string. Viola! Fancy salad rings.

Funky Biscuit Flowers

I just saw that I'm the featured blogger of the day on The Secret is in the Sauce. I looooooove SITS, how cool is that??!!

We had a little Tinkerbell Movie Night yesterday and I needed a quick, girly snack, so here's what I came up with. These are easy, cheap, and sparkly...woo hoo!:)

How great would these look with red & green sugar garnishing a Holiday plate!? I'll definitely do them during Christmas.

Funky Biscuit Flowers
makes 10
Ingredients:
1 can refrigerator biscuits
colored sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Seperate biscuits and cut 5 triangular notches in each to resemble a flower (see quick video tutorial--excuse the messy kitchen, we were in full party mode!). Take two of the triangles you just cut out and roll into a ball.

Coat one side of the "flower" in colored sugar and place on greased baking sheet. Roll the ball in another color sugar and place on top of the flower. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Bake at 400 for 7-9 minutes and serve.

We also made edible Tinkerbell Houses, I'll post instructions tomorrow! Happy Friday!

What would you ask Wolfgang Puck?

I found out yesterday I get to be in on a conference call with the amazingly talented Wolfgang Puck on Nov. 20. He is seriously one of my favorite chefs....

THEN, I found out that I can only ask one question.

ONE QUESTION??! HOW ABOUT A MILLION?!!!!

So, I need your help. What one question would you ask Wolfgang Puck about Holiday entertaining and cooking? We have one shot to turn ourselves into chefs and entertainers extraordaire! Help me!

This is what I'm thinking so far, but I'm not really sure. I'd love to hear your input:
I love to entertain large groups of people, but I really like to serve elegant and well-presented food. It's often hard to make a special dish or garnish for a large group. What ideas do you have for elegant food for a crowd?

Chocolate Eggs & Bacon

I haven't made these in years and have forgotten how fun and easy they are. Yesterday, Tracy sent me an email with these adorable pretzel squares (yummy, cute, and easy...very cool!) and they reminded me of those eggs & bacon treats I really enjoyed making as a kid. So, of course we had to whip up a batch. My girls got all giggly when they put the M & M's on and realized they really do look like "eggs"! If you need a fun treat in under 5 minutes, this is a great go-to idea.

Bacon & Eggs
Ingredients:
Small pretzel sticks
White chocolate chips, candy melts, or white chocolate bark
Yellow M&M's
Wax Paper

Instructions:
Lay out a sheet of wax paper on countertop. Lay 2 pretzel sticks side by side on wax paper. Put a small blob (about a teaspoon) of melted white chocolate in center to hold pretzels together and form the "egg white". Place a yellow M&M in center of chocolate for yolk. Let harden at room temperature, then peel off and eat. You can store them in an airtight container for up to a week.

Tinkerbell's Minty Pea Pops

We used to be all about Pink, but now we're all about Tink and all things Green! So, I'm in the kitchen creating some Tinkerbell fun (I figured I could use her picture since I don't sell anything on here:)). You don't need any special tools, you can use any ice cube mold or a mini-muffin pan.
Don't be fooled by these little treats--they're made of peas! I was seriously skeptical, I must admit, but my kids ate them ALL in one sitting! They taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream! These Minty Pea Pops are from the Toddler Cafe, Jennifer is a genius at fun, tasty, and healthy food for kids. Who knew that peas could be so de-licious?!

I happen to have these fun star molds from Fred. (You can also grab star-shaped ice cube molds at the dollar store in the summertime). But, like I said above, you don't need a special ice cube tray, and regular one will do or you can use a mini-muffin tin.

Tinkerbell's Minty Pea Pops from The Toddler Cafe
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese (not nonfat), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup frozen petite green peas, defrosted (preferably unsalted)
• 1/4 cup sugar (scant)
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate mini morsels
• wooden craft sticks or flexible straws
• Ice Cube tray or Mini-Muffin pan
• Ziploc Baggie

Directions:
Have ready 6 to 8 popsicle or wooden craft sticks or straws (I used straws cut into 3 pieces eacy) and a clean ice cube tray or mini muffin pan.
Combine the cream cheese, peas and sugar in a food processor or blender. Pulse/puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed and add the peppermint extract; pulse or puree to mix well. Add the mini chocolate morsels by hand, stirring to combine. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic food storage bag; cut off 1/2 inch from a bottom corner of the bag and squeeze the mixture into the wells of the ice cube tray or muffin pan. Insert a popsicle/wooden stick into the center of each. Freeze the tray/pan for at least 3 hours or until firm (it actually works best if you let them freeze overnight).
When the pops are frozen, remove them from the molds and freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Perfectly Pink Pasta w/ Fried Polenta

You can enter our giveaway of the week here. Leave a comment and you've got a chance to win an adorable apron for one of your kitchen helpers!

I got a fun box in the mail from Prego, it contained some ingredients and a challenge to make a family meal for under $10. I received a jar of their yummy new 100% natural pasta sauce, a bag of dry penne noodles, a can of green beans, and a jar of parmesean cheese. Here's what I came up with. Not too bad for $10, definitely cheaper than going out to eat and a lot more nutritious! Their new sauce is surprisingly yummy! We are very picky about our pasta sauce and this one's a winner! What's your family's favorite pasta dish? Perfectly Pink Pasta w/ Fried Polenta & herbed cream cheese

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
16 oz. Penne Pasta
16 oz. ready-made polenta (I used Frieda's Sun-Dried Tomato & Garlic)
26 oz jar 100% natural Prego “Chunky Garden” Sauce

8 oz. (1 package) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. Water
1/2 c. corn starch
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Oregano
Basil
Parmesean (for garnish)

Pasta Directions:
Cook penne according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, chop chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and roll in cornstarch. This gives the chicken an AWESOME texture--a little crispy but not fried. This is my favorite way to cook chicken! Add a little garlic salt and any other spices you want (I used a little oregano and basil). Drizzle about 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken.

Cook until browned and completely cooked, stirring occasionally (about 7 minutes).

Add entire jar of pasta sauce and 1/2 c. water. Reduce heat to medium, Stir well.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat 5 ounces of the cream cheese for 45 seconds, until very soft. Add to pasta mixture and stir well. Turn heat to low or completely off.

After pasta is cooked, drain and add to chicken mixture. Serve garnished with parmesean.

Polenta Directions:

If you've never used ready-made polenta before, it's divine! You'll find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, often with the health foods.

Slice polenta into 1/2" round slices. Put about 4 Tbs. olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add polenta slices and fry until golden brown, flip and brown the other side. While the polenta is cooking, mix the remaining 3 oz. cream cheese (the other 5 oz. were for the pasta sauce) with a few italian herbs (I used oregano and basil). Put cream cheese mixture in a small ziploc baggie.

When polenta is done, remove from pan and let cool for a minute or two. Snip end off ziploc baggie and pipe a cream cheese swirl on each polenta piece. Serve with the pasta and enjoy!

Cornucopia Lunch

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only three weeks away?! Anytime is a great time to talk about being thankful, these are an easy lunch and a great conversation starter about how much we are blessed. Just fill it with whatever ingredients your kids like to much on for lunch! Below is also a history of the cornucopia and a few activity ideas. Have fun!

Cornucopia Lunch
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Tortillas
2 Spaghetti noodles, uncooked (or toothpicks)
Filling ingredients (We used ham slices, cheese, baby corn, and carrots)
Ranch dressing to dip, optional

Directions:
Cut tortillas in half. Roll one half up to form a horn shape (see video tutorial). Secure with a piece of raw spaghetti noodle or toothpick.

Fill with your favorite lunch ingredients. Add some ranch dressing for dipping, if desired. Serve and enjoy a lunch chat about being thankful!

Activity Ideas:
You can download a cornucopia coloring and cut out activity here.

After lunch, you can make a cornucopia from a piece of brown construction paper or a brown shopping bag. Let the kids cut out things from old magazines that they are thankful for and fill their "cornucopia"

Cornucopia Information (from You're History!):

Derived from the Latin Cornu = horn, Copia = abundance.
The cornucopia is a horn-shaped container overflowing with fruit, nuts, and vegetables. Its origin as a symbol of abundance comes from Greek mythology. Zeus was raised on goat’s milk by Amalthea. In gratitude, he gave her a goat’s horn that had the poser to grant the wishes of whoever possessed it. Zeus also set the image of a goat into the night sky, as the constellation Capricorn. Since the 5th century BCE, gods and goddesses, especially Fortuna, goddess of luck and fate, would be depicted carrying a cornucopia.
Today the “Horn of Plenty” is a symbol of the abundance of the harvest, most often associated in America with the Thanksgiving holiday. No longer is it a genuine goat’s horn, but rather a large, cone-shaped wicker basket. Though the material may have changed, the meaning of the cornucopia has persisted throughout the centuries, and many a horn of plenty graces the center of the Thanksgiving dinner table.

my notes: in some versions, Zeus broke off her horn by accident and he blessed and returned it because he felt bad.