(Non-Edible) Sweet-Smelling Play dough

The weather is flat out dreary and gross here lately!! That, coupled with Raegan no longer napping makes for a long day, so I keep trying to come up with activities to occupy her that don't involve T.V. (Although don't be fooled, we watch enough of that around here too...UGH!).

Anyways, I found this recipe awhile back and it's simple and fun and totally reminds me of when I was a kid as my mom always made homemade play dough with us. Ours was not the "smelly" kind like this one but it had the same underlying doughy scent which brings back so many memories.


Give it a try and you might just find yourself sitting at the table playing with it long after your toddler's attention span has moved on to something else!




Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid mix. Any flavor/color you like (We chose Grape)
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 cup Salt
• 4 tsp. cream of tarter (a white powder found in the spice aisle)
  

Directions:

• Mix Water, Kool-Aid & Veg Oil together in separate bowl


• In a saucepan mix the Flour, Salt, and Cream of Tarter together.


• Slowly add the liquid to the pot, stirring together.


• Cook mixture over Medium heat stirring constantly until it looks like mashed potatoes.

Remove the dough from the pot to cool. Once it's cool (or warm enough to handle) knead it until it's smooth and have fun playing!
Keep in a tight fitting container and it should last a long time.

Seriously the best Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting you'll ever make

Okay, let's be honest...is there really anything that doesn't taste good slathered in homemade cream cheese frosting?! I might have embellished the title of these bars a bit but I doubt that if you make them you'll walk away saying that they were not some of the best you've had
Plus, they're easy to make. One of my top fave requirements for a recipe.

Bars:

• 1 cup oil (you could get healthy and sub 1/2 of the oil for applesauce..just a thought)
• 2 cups sugar (I'm a fan of cutting down on sugar in recipes but this time I did not...use your judgement)
• 2 cups pumpkin puree ( or 1- 15oz can)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

I so wanted to post a picture of the 'final product' but as soon as they were frosted I cut right into them (to make sure they were safe for everyone else to eat) and totally forgot that I wanted a picture. After I cut a huge hunk out of the pan it wasn't quite pretty enough for a blog pic so you'll just have to trust me that they looked as good as they tasted!

Frosting:

• 1- 8oz pkg. cream cheese-softened
• 1 stick room temp. butter (I prefer unsalted and the real thing ~not margarine)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups powdered ( or 10x for you PA folks) sugar

Mix all the bar ingredients and blend til smooth. Pour into greased sheet pan (15"x10"). I actually lined my pan with aluminum foil and then greased it and the clean up was so much easier!

Bake at 350 for approx 30 min or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
Cool bars and spread with the frosting. Good luck not consuming multiple bars in one sitting!

**Note: I like to keep these in the fridge. I think they're tastier when cold and obviously they last longer. Just make sure to keep them in a tight fitting container.

Creamy Spinach Ricotta Pasta

This post gives props to two of my good friends. First to Deb for having the recipe and making it for Brenda when Sam was born; then secondly to Brenda for making a double batch to pass on to another family and then bringing the other portion over to our house this week for an impromptu dinner visit! Thanks girls!

By the way, it's totally fat-free (HA!) and seriously delicious. It was a hit with (almost) my whole family (Crazy Syd does not like pasta).

1 lb rigatoni
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes with basil, onions and garlic
1 cup fresh chopped onions (Brenda used dried flakes but I think 1/2 of a chopped real onion would be great. 1 cup seems like a lot to me but if you like a strong onion taste~ go for it!)
1 box (10oz) frozen chopped spinach
2 1/2 cups jarred Alfredo sauce
1 1/2 c ricotta cheese
1 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. olive oil

1. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray (I would probably separate this into 2- 9x9's in order to have 2 meals; one to eat and one to pass on!)
2. Cook pasta following package directions in salted water and return to pan when cooked and drained. Stir in tomatoes and chopped onions
3. Thaw spinach completely and squeeze out moisture. Transfer to bowl. Add Alfredo sauce, ricotta, garlic salt and pepper, stir to combine.
4. Add all together and transfer to baking dish.
5. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil into crumbs. Sprinkle over pasta.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 or until golden and bubbly.

**NOTE: Brenda added finally chopped grilled chicken to this recipe and it was fabulous! I highly recommend the addition and I really don't think it matters how much you add - use your judgement.

Fall = Apple Crisp Love

Okay, everyone probably has a favorite Apple Crisp recipe but Brad (and I) happen to think that "my" recipe is the bomb and since I just made it Saturday and it was gone by Sunday I think that's a decent indication that it's pretty darn good.
So, if you DON'T have your own recipe give this one a try:

Mix Together:
6 Golden Delicious apples: peeled & chopped into chunks
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
5 Tbsp. Flour
Spread in 9x9 or 8x8 pan sprayed w/ PAM

Topping- mix together and sprinkle over apple mixture:
6 Tbsp. Melted Butter
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Oatmeal (not Quick Oats)


Bake @ 350 for approx 40-45 min

Serve with good quality Vanilla Bean ice cream (we prefer Breyers)
and heated caramel topping drizzled over all if you prefer!