Jack-O-Lantern

My kids love pancakes for breakfast.  I'm not very artistic like some people in my family, but I wanted to do something fun instead of the same ol' round pancakes. So in the spirit of Halloween coming up, I whipped up some Jack-O-Lantern pancakes using THIS cookie cutter set. My kids LOVED them!!! I think next time, I'll let them design their own Jack-O-Lantern. Something so simple, yet so fun and festive for the Holiday. 

* Quick tip:

If you like the quick and easy method of pancake mix but want it to taste more homemade, then I have a great tip to adding a little more zip to your mix... sour cream! It does wonders! My family's favorite mix for pancakes is Krusteaz. I follow the directions for the amount of pancakes I'm wanting to make, but instead of water, I use milk and add in a heaping spoonful of sour cream to the mix. The consistency of the pancake is more fluffy and helps the buttermilk flavor come out more.

*side note: sometimes the pancake batter is a little think so I add in about an extra Tbs of milk. You don't want your batter to be too thick or too thin.

** One more tip:
Use butter to coat your griddle before pouring on the pancake batter. It helps give the pancakes a nice golden color and add a yummy butter flavor to your pancakes.



Before you use the cookie cutter, make sure you spray the inside of it with cooking spray so the batter doesn't stick when you lift if off.  You want to make sure you push the batter to the edges of the cookie cutter, so you get a nice pumpkin shape. Make sure you don't put in too much batter or your pancake will be too thick.  Have fun with it and let your kids join in. They'll love it.

Favorite Word...

This boy is full of personality! I thought he had more of a timid personality, sometimes he does, but lately he has been full of toddlerness (I made that word up)!

About a couple of weeks ago, he thinks he discovered the meaning of "no" and has been using it ever since. You ask him any question, and without a doubt, he will say NO. Mainly I think he just enjoys using the word because he gets a response out of us, but he really does know what no means. It's really fun to watch them discover things and learn to communicate.

Here's a cute video of him and his favorite word...

*Isn't his voice so cute?!

Do It Yourself Play Dough!

If you want a really fun activity to do with your kiddo... who is bored and needs entertaining, well you're in luck! Make Play Dough! If your kid loves to help you in the kitchen like mine does, then this is perfect for bonding. 

You'll need basic products that you probably already have in your cupboards. What you'll need:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 Tbls vegetable oil

food coloring

**Put all of the above ingredients into a medium sauce pan and stir until smooth. Then put your sauce pan on medium heat on your stove and keep stirring until it forms a big ball. Dump it out onto wax paper and let it cool for about 10 minutes then have your kids help you knead it until you have a nice smooth ball of play dough! 

Step by step pictures of the process below. Courtesy of my adorable helper. ** stirring it on the stove top is for the adults only.

Now let them play and be creative. My little man is still pretty young, so I got him started with a little play dough head. He loved it and enjoyed his play dough after that. He even gave it a good taste and almost threw up. Yikes! He learned his lesson and hasn't tried any since. ;)

Leave it to my daughters imagination to come up with her own little Whoville. Cute!

Traditions

I love figuring out new traditions to make with my own little family. I definitely found one for General Conference on Sunday morning.

My sis-in-law (SIL) Dana was telling me about how often she goes to my friend Hannah's blog and tries out her recipes. She was telling me about all the yummy ones she has tried, including the sticky bun breakfast ring and told me I had to try it. So I decided this morning was the best time to make them while I had the LDS General Conference playing in the background.

Let me just say WOW! Delicious! The syrup and brown sugar caramelized while baking, making them so gooey and so so good!

My Aubri said while eating her sticky bun, "these are so yummy mom!"

If you haven't already, you need to check out my beautiful and talented friend Hannah's blog! I have her button on my side bar as well. Its called: All Things Delicious (you can snag a button for yourself from her blog as well). I also love to go to her blog to get ideas for planning dinners for the week.

**If you aren't on Pinterest yet, please let me know and I'll send you an invite. If you are on Pinterest, you can follow me HERE.

Here is the recipe with my results in pictures: (hopefully it tempts you to try it!)

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits 

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup (any brand you like, I used Mrs. Buttersworth)

1/3 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, optional

1/4 C. chopped almonds, optional

Instructions:

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired). Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

** I ended up using 1 1/2 tubes of the Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits (1 tube didn't seem like enough) and baked it for about 30 minutes. It needed a bit longer to bake since I used more.

**Stay tuned for an awesome post about play dough!