Hadley and Blake, The Musical!

Hadley loves to sing, and we love to listen.  I'm sure it will get old at some point, but right now we can't get enough of it.  Blake is our dancer.  Usually he requires music to dance to, but the last few days he would randomly start busting out moves, even in complete silence.   Here are a couple of videos from the last few days.

Holy cake balls, Batman!

I know I'm about 2 years behind on this one, but have you seen/made/consumed cake balls?  They are easy (but messy and time consuming) to make, and they taste pretty good, too.  Other than my brief foray into cake balls during the great fruit cake experiment of 2010, this was the first time I really attempted them.

Most recipes call for a boxed cake mix and a can of frosting, but that's not how I roll.  It's not that I'm too good for boxed cakes, it's just that they aren't good enough for me.  They just taste funny.  Anyway... I made a chocolate cake in a 9x13 pan, crumbled it and combined with one batch of chocolate cream cheese frosting.  Mash it together, roll into balls, freeze briefly and then dip in chocolate.  Voila!  Cake balls.  We got about 75-80 cake balls out of one recipe, though it's hard to know the exact number, since several of them inexplicably disappeared during the process.

You can find the basic recipe here.

P.S.  Check out the finalists for the 2010 National Geographic Photography Contest- there are some amazing photos!  Bonus, one is a picture of Boise!  See them here. 

Mmm... marshmallows (and homemade finger paint)

Well, the marshmallows are all dipped in chocolate and ready to be devoured.  I let Blake taste a small piece, and he was signing "more" the second it hit his tongue- SUGAR...mmm!  I topped them with crushed candy canes right after they were poured into the pan.  I figured I'd do it while they were still sticky, however I think it was too soon.  The candy canes sort of melted into a red, peppermint goo.

 Looks aside, these marshmallows taste awesome.  I usually use the French Laundry marshmallow recipe, but I think I've found my new favorite.  This recipe is from Ina Garten.  Like the French Laundry version, Ina's does not call for raw egg whites.  I did take one tip from the French Laundry recipe and apply it to this recipe:  instead of using a candy thermometer, bring the sugar syrup mixture to a hard boil and continue to cook for 60-90 seconds, then remove from heat.  I think this is much easier than watching the temperature.  Here's the recipe, from foodnetwork.com

Homemade Marshmallows:

recipe courtesy Barefoot Contessa, foodnetwork.com

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Pour the marshmallows into a buttered 9x13 glass pan, pat flat with wet or greased hands.  Allow to dry overnight.  Invert onto cutting board, cut into 1-2 inch squares, and coat in powdered sugar.

Don't those look yummy?  Here's one more tip: use a greased pizza cutter to easily cut through the marshmallows.


From a messy project in the kitchen, to a messy project in the bathtub...

 Hadley used to get pretty upset when she had dirty/messy/sticky hands (hmm...could she be my daughter?).  Although she has mostly outgrown this, I still like to give her messy projects as a form of sensory play.  These homemade finger paints totally fit the bill.  The best part?  They were played with in the tub and easily rinsed off when we were done.  The "recipe" I used involved cooking sugar, corn starch and water on the stove top, then adding dish soap and food coloring once cooled.  While it may have made more of a true finger paint texture, there are many recipes online that look a lot more simple.  Here's the most common version I found:

You’ll Need

* 1/3 cup mild clear dishwashing soap
* 1 tbsp cornstarch
* Food coloring

Directions:

1. Mix cornstarch and liquid soap in bowl.

2. Pour into ice cube tray, filling about 1/2 full.

3. Put 4-8 drops of different food coloring colors into each section and mix till blended (toothpicks work great for mixing).

5. Give to the kids and let them at it!

6. This washes off your child, and will wash off the walls too!

Doesn't that look like fun?