4th of July Tie Dye

My youngest son and I tried to tie dye some 4th of July shirts for our family.

Materials:

  • Tie Dye
  • Paper Plates
  • Rubber Bands
  • Plastic Bags
  • Something White to Dye
  • Bucket of Water
  • Plastic Gloves
  • Paper Towels

Directions:

  1. Place the shirt in the water and squeeze out all of the water.
  2. Twist or tie the shirt with the rubber bands.
  3. Put on gloves and pour different colored dye onto the shirt.
  4. Place the shirt in the plastic bag and keep it there for 2 hours.
  5. Rinse it out in the sink before washing alone for the first time.

Independence Day Fruit Pizza

Ingredients :

  • Crescent Roll Dough
  • Cream Cheese 8 oz.
  • Marshmallow Cream 1 can
  • Banana’s, Strawberries, Blueberries

Directions:

  1. I spread the Crescent Roll dough on a rectangle baking pan.
  2. Then I baked it according to the directions on the can.
  3. Mix together the Cream Cheese and the Marshmallow Cream to spread on the Crescent Roll.
  4. Slice the fruit and place it on the pizza in the shape of the American flag.

Christmas Cakes & Crafts

I participated in a Christmas Craft & Bake sale this year at a local church. Here are some of the things that I made and sold…

Snowy Wonderland Trees

I baked a cake and some cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Then I made my own buttercream frosting; 1 cup butter, 1 cup Crisco, 4 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 tablespoon milk (if too thick). I frosted the cake and cupcakes and added coconut to look like snow. For the trees, I got thin dowel rods, candy melts, and sprinkles. I melted the candy melts and placed in piping bags; then I placed the dowel rods on wax paper and squeezed out the melted candy back and forth across the dowel rods to look like trees. I added the sprinkles before the melts hardened.

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

I baked Devils Food Cake box recipe into cupcakes. Once they cooled I topped them with my buttercream icing. Then I added mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. I placed a small candy cane on the side to look like a handle to a mug full of hot cocoa.

Peppermint Lollies

I placed the hard peppermint candies with a lollie stick on some wax paper on a cookie sheet. Melted them in the oven at 250 degrees, waited for them to cool and put them into bags with a cute red ribbon.

Candy Cane Forest Cake

I baked a white cake according to the box directions and placed a few drops of peppermint extract in the cake mix. I topped the cake with my buttercream icing and then added crushed peppermints, and candy canes.

Holiday Pretzels

I covered pretzels in white chocolate and milk chocolate. I used hot glue to attach buttons and a scarf to my Snowman Jar. And I attached eyes, red nose, and antlers to my Reindeer Jar.

Melted Snowman Ornament

I filled clear glass ornaments with fake white powder snow. Then I added buttons, a carrot nose, tiny twigs, and a red scarf in the ornaments. I used letter stickers to spell out, “Some People are Worth Melting For”, on the outside of the ornaments. These turned out soooo cute!

Poinsettia

I added gold stars and cute poems to these poinsettia’s and gave them as gifts to co-workers and neighbors!

Christmas Tree Cake

I made a chocolate cake with my Giant Cupcake pan. I dyed my buttercream icing green and used it to decorate the top of my Giant Cupcake. I used yellow and red candy melts to make a star and bows to decorate the Christmas Tree Cake.

Santa Hat Cupcakes

I decorated cupcakes with red buttercream icing. I added a mini marshmallow to the top and white icing around the base of the icing.

Long-Distance Family Easter Baskets

My nieces and nephews live so far away and I usually mail them each an Easter basket. But the baskets are so expensive to mail, so I tried something new this year. I looked for flatter Easter items to fill a large envelope for each of them.

They sent me pictures with some of the things from their basket envelopes for me.

Easter Baskets

I, of course, made Easter baskets for my kids as well…

Filled with all of their favorite things!

Dyeing Eggs

Egg Hunt

12 Days of Christmas Advent Books

I love reading to my boys before bed. I got 12 books and wrapped them to look like Santa coats. Each night I let the boys take turns choosing a book to open for us to read together!

First book was “Tiger Can’t Sleep“. My son’s night time stuffed animal has been a tiger since he was born.

Next book was a “Look and Find the Mighty Avengers” book. We all LOVE the Avengers!

We had a Christmas cookie book too… We enjoy making Christmas cookies for our neighbors. “Arthur’s Christmas Cookies

Here are some of the other books that we opened and read! “I Smell Christmas“, “Santa’s Stuck“, “T’was the Night Before Christmas“, Mortimer’s Christmas Manger“, “The First Rule of Little Brothers“, “The First Night“, “Magnet Max“, “Just Me and My Little Brother“.

Christmas Treats

The boys and I made Christmas Cookies to deliver to the neighbors. They love baking with me.

Mini Santa Hat Cupcakes

I decorated mini cupcakes with red buttercream icing. I added a mini marshmallow to the top and white icing around the base of the icing.

Andes Mint Cookies

Ingredients Cookies:

  • 1 Box Devil’s Food Cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C. butter melted
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Ingredients Mint Frosting:

  • 3/4 C. butter softened
  • 1 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
  • 2-3 C. powdered sugar
  • milk if needed
  • green food dye if desired

Ingredients Chocolate Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 C. chocolate chips 
  • 4 Tbsp. butter

Instructions:

  1. 1. Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
  2. 2. Combine cake mix, eggs, butter, vanilla and sugar. That batter will be stiff.
  3. 3. Make dough balls a little large than a Tablespoon and place on cookie sheets to bake. Pat each dough ball down a little bit.
  4. 4. Bake for 7-9 minutes and let cool.
  5. 5. Mint Frosting: Beat butter for 2 minutes. Add peppermint extract and slowly add it powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Add 1-2 Tablespoons milk if it gets too thick. Add green dye for color if desired.
  6. 6. Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolate chips and butter together in a microwave proof bowl. Zap for about 30 seconds, then stir, then microwave in 10 second increments and stir until smooth.
  7. 7. Assemble Cookies: Pipe on frosting, smooth over with a knife, spoon on your glaze in the middle, and top with roughly chopped chopped Andes Mints.

Christmas Lights Mini Cupcakes

I decorated mini cupcakes with white buttercream icing. I added a line of black icing around the buttercream, then I added Wilton Light Bulb Sprinkles.

Peppermint Fudge

Ingredients:

  • 24 oz white chocolate chips
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1 cup crushed peppermint candy

Instructions:

  1. Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with non-stick foil.
  2. Combine white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
  4. Stir in the peppermint extract.
  5. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
  6. Top with crushed peppermint candy canes.
  7. Refrigerate for 2 hours until set.
  8. Cut into 1 inch squares.

Andes Mint Fudge

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Nestle Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup chopped up Andes Mints
  • 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk

Instructions:

  • Line 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with foil, then spray foil with Pam.
  • In large microwave safe bowl, combine dark chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.
  • Microwave for 1 minute, then stir.
  • Microwave for an additional 45 seconds, and stir until melted.
  • Once melted, quickly transfer to foil lined baking dish and spread out evenly.
  • Sprinkle chopped Andes Mints on top of the fudge.
  • Chill for approx. 2 hours, or until set.
  • Cut into 1 inch squares.

Candy Cane Hearts

Ingredients:

  • Mini Candy Canes
  • semi sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

  1. Place wax paper on baking sheet.
  2. Place 2 mini candy canes next to each other in the shape of a heart.
  3. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave proof bowl. Zap for about 30 seconds, then stir, then microwave in 10 second increments and stir until smooth.
  4. Spoon chocolate into the hearts.
  5. Place a few candy canes in a ziplock bag and crush them with a spoon.
  6. Add crushed peppermint to the chocolate in the hearts.
  7. Let the hearts cool.

Sugar Cookie Drops

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Red, Green food coloring
  • Red, Green Sprinkles
  • Variety of Hersey’s Kisses

Directions:

  1. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
  2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms.
  3. Divide dough into 3 parts and color each part red, green, and white with food coloring. Place some sprinkles into the white dough. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  4. Roll spoonful balls of dough in the sprinkles.
  5. Grease a pan and place the balls of dough on the pan.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  7. Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.
  8. Place a Hersey Kiss into the center of each cookie.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I dipped pretzels into melted chocolate and then sprinkled crushed peppermint over them.

Christmas Candy Cookies

We placed various types of store bought cookie dough squares into our mini cupcake pan. We sliced the cookie dough and then cut them into fourths. Then we baked them for a few minutes and added the chocolate candies (Hershey’s Kisses and Mini Reece’s Cups). Let cool and removed from pan.

Rolo Pretzels

I placed wax paper on a cookie sheet and spread out square pretzels. Then I added a Rolo to each pretzel and melted in the oven for a couple minutes. Add another pretzel to the top of each Rolo and let them cool. Sweet and salty… my favoite!

Thanksgiving Treats

This is the first Thanksgiving dinner that I have ever made. My family came for a visit from the west coast, so I had a lot of help 🙂 I also tried to make some fun Thanksgiving Treats to snack on during the beginning part of the day!

Carmel Apple Turkey

My boys LOVE carmel and apples so I made this little guy to snack on.

Thanksgiving Cornucopia

I used Pillsbury Crescent Dough to shape and bake the Cornucopia, then added the fruit that my family likes.

Fruit Dip

I also made my fruit dip that the boys LOVE! Mix one package of cream cheese with one jar of marshmallow cream!

Vegi Dip

Mix one tub of sour cream with one Ranch packet for the vegetables.