We Should Be Folding Laundry

25 Oct

I wish I could claim to be the crafty genius who came up with the idea for putting puffy stickers on toothpicks or plastic cocktail picks to create homemade bento picks but honestly, it’s been done so many times that I couldn’t even tell you where it originated from.

I can however show you my favorite way to make bento picks.

I really think you guys are going to love it.

First though, in case there are those of you who aren’t familiar with the puffy sticker/toothpick methods, I’m going to walk you through each one.

I’ll also explain why I don’t like either of them.

Seems like I’m always rebelling against something on this blog. Today it’s puffy stickers, tomorrow – who knows?

There are two ways to make food picks using puffy stickers.

Method 1 : The puffy sticker is hot-glued directly onto the toothpick or plastic cocktail pick. Once dry, it’s ready to use.

Method 2: Mirror images of stickers (like the set pictured below) are stuck together with the toothpick or plastic cocktail pick in between.

My first issue is with the glue. It can be messy and you have to wait for it to dry.

You also need to press the stickers for a minute or two to keep the bottoms together while the glue sets.

And if you don’t use glue, the bottoms of your stickers will come apart. You can see this happening in the picture at the very top of this post.

It’s not a big deal but as a perfectionist, this really bothers me.

Now let’s talk about my favorite way.

I love to use scrapbooking stickers.

They’re almost always 40%-50% off at my local craft store. I think I paid about $1.60 for those googly-eyed cuties up there.

The reason that I love using scrapbooking stickers for this project is because they all have a piece of sticky foam on the back so I can just run my toothpick right up into that foam and it’s not going anywhere.

See…

Quick and easy.

No waiting for glue guns to warm up or messy glue to dry and then peeling it off of your fingers later.

This takes two seconds and it’s done.

You can also just stick a toothpick onto the back, like I did with the pick on the left, and it will hold just fine.

Pretty cute, right?

I love them.

Camryn has a field trip on Halloween so I’ll be packing some of these cute picks in her lunch that day.

If they don’t make it home, it’s no biggie. They’re disposable anyway.

So if you’re looking for a cheap and easy way to spruce up your kiddos lunches for Halloween, or really any day, I hope you’ll give this method a try.

Remember, these work great as cupcake toppers too!

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Categories Gettin' Crafty, Parties & Holidays

13 Oct

I normally steer clear of packaged snack bars because they’re usually pricey and full of mystery ingredients, but Larabars contain simple wholesome ingredients like fruit, nuts, spices and chocolate.

I’m okay with all of those things.

In fact, when I read the ingredients listed on the back of a Larabar wrapper, my first thought was I could totally make these.

So I did and let me tell you, these are insanely easy to make. In fact, once you make your own Larabars, you’ll probably never buy them again.

All you need is a blender or food processor, some dates, nuts and whatever add-ins you like.

You just dump everything into your blender or food processor, pulse until the mixture comes together, press it into a pan, and toss it into the freezer to firm up for about half an hour so that you can cut it into bars.

Seriously, that’s it.

And if you don’t want to wait on your freezer, you can just roll the mixture into balls and eat it that way.

Take it a step further and dip the balls into dark chocolate. These would be a much healthier alternative to cake pops and you could decorate them just as easily.

Anytime I want to really test out a new recipe, I send it off to work with my husband so that he can share it with his coworkers. Then he reports back in the morning whether it was a hit or a miss.

These were a big hit.

If you think you won’t like these because you’re not a fan of dates, you’ll be happy to know that the dates aren’t a predominate flavor in these bars. They just add natural sweetness and act as the glue that holds everything together. They also bring a good bit of potassium, vitamin A, calcium, and magnesium to the party.

Larabars are usually made with cashews but I had two huge jars of peanuts in my pantry so that’s what I used. If you don’t like peanuts or can’t use them due to an allergy, just use the same amount of cashews instead.

Ingredients

15 Medjool dates

1 cup honey roasted peanuts

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp real maple syrup

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Add the peanuts to the blender and pulse a few times to chop them up a bit. You’re not making peanut butter, just getting them chopped up fairly well so a few pulses should do.

Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and pulse several times to combine. You may have to scrape the sides down a couple of times during the process.

Once everything is well blended you’ll need to consider the following options:

You could empty the mixture into an 8×8 inch pan lined with plastic wrap and press it out evenly. Then toss in the freezer for about half an hour. Once set, you can cut it into bars. This method will yield you 12 thin bars.

I prefer mine a little thicker so I use a loaf pan. Same method applies here.

Alternatively, you could roll the mixture into balls or press into a muffin tin that was lined with paper cups.

There’s no wrong way to do this.

I will say that these are much better right out of the fridge so I would store them there if you can. If not, they’ll be just fine at room temperature.

I like to wrap mine individually in plastic wrap so that I can just toss one into a lunch box or my purse.

If you’re making these for little ones, you can leave the espresso powder out. The finished bars will still taste just as good.

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Categories Uncategorized

Daily Bento

9 Oct

Today, Cam’s Laptop Lunchbox contains a chicken sandwich on Hawaiian bread, some cheese crackers, a few pieces of mozzarella cheese, and a small salad of romaine hearts and sweet pepper rings.

Tags: Laptop LunchBox, Lunchbox Love

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Categories Daily Bento

Daily Bento

7 Oct

Yesterday’s sandwich was a hit!

She ate all but the last two bites which were only bread.

I had one Hawaiian roll left so I filled it with thinly sliced roast beef for lunch today. Cam loves steak so I think she’ll like this one even better than the turkey sandwich she had yesterday.

I also filled her lunch box with cheese crackers, carrot sticks, a fruit and veggie strip, and a Babybel.

Tags: Sugarbooger Good Lunch Box

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Categories Daily Bento

Daily Bento

6 Oct

Cam has asked to give lunch meat sandwiches another try. Her one condition was that I must use Hawaiian bread.

So in her Lock&Lock today, she has turkey on a Hawaiian sub roll, veggie chips, and a Babybel.

I tucked a couple of pieces of panda baran from this set in her lunch to spruce it up a little.

Tags: Lock & Lock

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Categories Daily Bento

Daily Bento

30 Sep

Daddy made yesterday’s lunch which consisted of chocolate hazelnut spread on tortillas, carrot sticks, grapes, and cheese crackers.

Snack was a Whole Foods fruit and cereal bar cut in half and stacked, and a couple of dark chocolate covered almonds.

Tags: Sugarbooger Good Lunch Box

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Categories Daddy Made It!

29 Sep

Lunch packing can be a daunting task. Especially when you’re pressed for time or exhausted after a long day of work.

So today I thought I’d share my favorite method for prepping my son’s lunches for the week, as well as some tips and tricks that help me get it done quickly and easily.

Continue reading →

Tags: Easy Lunchboxes, time savers

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Categories How I Bento

27 Sep

Tuesday was my second blogiversary.

Can you believe it? Two years!

Since two years of blogging deserves a special treat, I thought long and hard about what I wanted. After all, who do you think does all the work around here?

I’ve seen far too many extravagant and not to mention time-consuming layer cakes and other fancy desserts styled, photographed, and posted on other food blogs on their blogiversaries to know that that’s not the direction I wanted to go.

I love thinking up new recipes, testing them, and then sharing them here with you when they turn out well. However, I always try to keep things as simple as possible.

Let’s face it, if I post a recipe that contains twenty ingredients, requires special equipment, and takes all day to make, the likelihood that anyone is ever going to try that recipe out in their own kitchen is well, zilch.

So I thought about how I could make something that was special but also simple at the same time. It also had to contain the flavors I love the most (salted caramel, coffee, and chocolate).

After much consideration, I finally settled on these:

The reason that it took me so long to get this post up for you guys is because it took me all week to figure out what to call these cookies.

On their own, the shortbread cookies taste just like a cappuccino. If you fill them with chocolate and/or add a chocolate drizzle on top, they taste just like a cafe mocha. However, if you take it a step further (and you totally should) and add the salted caramel, the finished cookies taste like a Salted Caramel Mocha from Starbucks, only not as cloyingly sweet. So that seemed like the logical choice.

I love this shortbread recipe because the finished cookies are so buttery and light that they melt in your mouth. If you’ve ever had a Pecan Sandie, you’re already familiar with the texture. You could actually leave the espresso out and add chopped, toasted pecans and you’d have the best homemade Pecan Sandies you’ve ever had in your life.

You can also tailor the filling to suit your taste. You can go heavy on the chocolate and light on the salted caramel or vice versa, or you can leave either one out all together. Honestly, they’ll be delicious either way. Just make sure you let both the chocolate and salted caramel cool and thicken a bit before you fill your cookies or your tops will just slide off and you’ll have a mess.

These cookies are made in three parts but I’m going to break everything down for you. Don’t worry it’s easy. If you like cappuccino, salted caramel, and chocolate, you will love these cookies!

Cappuccino Shortbread Cookies

2 sticks of unsalted butter – at room temp

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups AP flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp instant espresso

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

The secret to these cookies is all the beating you’re about to do but don’t skip it! I’m telling you, it’s worth it.

Beat the butter using your hand or stand mixer on medium speed until it’s very light and fluffy. Should be about five minutes.

Add the egg yolk and sugar and beat for another five minutes. I know, just do it.

Add the salt and flour in one heaping spoonful at a time, making sure your mixer is on low so you don’t fling it all over your kitchen. Once all the flour is incorporated, beat another couple of minutes on medium speed for good measure.

Now add the remaining ingredients and continue beating until well combined.

Cover and refrigerate the dough for about an hour until chilled and firm.

Scoop the dough using a teaspoon measure, roll into balls, and place about an inch apart on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.

Cover the dough balls lightly with plastic wrap and use the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each one a little. You want them all to be about the same size because you’ll be matching them up later. Don’t stress about it though.

Gently peel off the plastic wrap and bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

The cookies are done when they are firm on top but have only browned a little around the edges.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before you move them to a cooling rack or they will fall apart.

While the cookies cool, you can make the caramel.

Salted Caramel Sauce

adapted from Domino Sugar

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a deep microwaveable bowl or a measuring cup that holds at least 2 cups, melt the butter in the microwave completely.

Gently whisk in the heavy cream and sugar and microwave for two minutes, stirring gently after the first minute.

When the caramel sauce is amber-colored and there are no grainy bits of sugar left, add the remaining ingredients and set aside to cool.

Chocolate Filling

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

Heat the cream in the microwave until it is scalding hot but not boiling.

Add the chocolate chips to the cream and let sit for a couple of minutes so that the hot cream can begin melting the chocolate.

Stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted and combined with the cream.

Put in the refrigerator to cool and thicken for a few minutes.

Once your salted caramel and chocolate filling have cooled a bit and thickened, you can assemble the cookies!

Spread some salted caramel or chocolate filling (or both) on the bottom (flat side) of each cookie and set aside. Be sure to leave a little room around the edges so that when you put the tops on, your filling doesn’t squish out.

Now this part is totally optional but I heartily encourage you to add 1/4 tsp of instant espresso to about 1/4 cup of melted semi sweet chocolate and then drizzle that over your cookies. This really puts the flavor over the top!

You can either leave the cookies out at room temperature until the chocolate sets or if you’re impatient like me, you can set your cookies on a tray and put in the fridge for about five minutes and they’ll be perfect.

You could also just shove them right into your mouth. Your call.

Enjoy!

Tags: chocolate, cookies, espresso, salted caramel

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Categories Uncategorized

Daily Bento

26 Sep

Check that lunch bag out!

I found it in a clearance display yesterday when I was out and about grocery shopping. It was only $5 and it was the last one with owl print left!

Her school mascot is an owl and it goes perfectly with her CuteZCute owl bento box so there was no way it wasn’t coming home with me.

It’s on the smaller side so it’s perfect for her smaller bentos. Her little pink house bento box, her purple bento box from Paperchase, and her Lock&Lock all fit in this bag with just enough room left over for her drink bottle and an ice pack.

I actually used the owl bottle from this set today. I wish I had been with it enough this morning to get a picture of the whole set.

I made pizza for dinner last night so the kids took the leftovers to school for lunch today.

Along with her pizza, Cam has grapes, carrot coins, and a Whole Foods brand fruit and cereal bar that I had to cut in half to fit.

When this bento box is all stacked together, the half of the cereal bar that is on the lid goes on top of the grapes and carrots and is covered by the bowl.