Grapes For Ice Cubes

5e15de6a-302a-498c-867f-d17417fdba46How romantic! Freeze grapes to use as ice cubes – think green, red, purple or a mixture of colors of grapes.

Marshmallow Snowmen Christmas Cupcakes

1958531_10154826106915094_8576458493085774230_nThese are super easy to make and look and taste so good! Make chocolate cupcakes (or any flavor that is your favorite) and ice with frosting. The above shows two versions one is left alone at this point and the other is now topped with coconut. Shown is a snowman melting and a full snowman for ideas.

For melting snowman: Use a pretzel stick and insert into the bottom of a marshmallow and insert into cupcake. Add black icing for eyes, mouth and arms. Use green icing for buttons and orange for nose.

For full snowman: Use a pretzel to join two (one small and the other large) marshmallows together and insert another one in the bottom of the largest and insert into cupcake. Top with fondant icing hat (and make one with icing). Add pretzels for arms, red liquorice for scarf. Use black icing for eyes and mouth, Orange icing for nose and blue for buttons.

This is a lot of fun and the kids can help you make each one have its own individual personality.

St. Patrick’s Day “Lucky Charms” Cupcakes

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Lucky Charms Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
¾ cup milk
1/3 vegetable oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup finely crushed Lucky Charms
(cereal pieces only, no marshmallows)
25 drops green food coloring

Marshmallow Buttercream
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
1 (13 oz) container marshmallow fluff

Optional: Green sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners.
In a large bowl blend cake mix, eggs, sour cream, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

Mix in drops of green food coloring until desired color is achieved.
Mix in finely crushed Lucky Charms crumbs until combined.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter and bake 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
Take cupcakes out and let cool completely.

In a medium bowl beat room temperature butter with an electric mixer.

Add two cups of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the marshmallow fluff and mix until smooth. Continue to add the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, mixing between each addition.
Pipe onto each cooled cupcake. Top with green sprinkles and a Lucky Charms marshmallow
(do not top with Lucky Charm marshmallow until ready to eat).

Tip: Marshmallow buttercream may become difficult to mix.
If it becomes too stiff, stop adding powdered sugar and finish mixing by hand.
–The Lucky Charms will get mushy and loose their crispness if they remain on top of the frosting too long before eating.

Rotisserie Chicken Container Greenhouse or Terrarium

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Use a Rotisserie Chicken Container  to make a greenhouse.You can plant directly in the bottom of the container or do as they did in the picture – use a smaller planter inside. Use these to get a head start on seedlings or make a terrarium with your children on a rainy day.

Green Grinch Punch

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Fun for the Kids on Christmas Eve – Grinch Punch with Sprite and lime sherbet and green sprinkles or sugar rim. This could be used for Halloween also.