Munch: Watermelon Cake

A month or so ago, the cover of a ladies magazine (not sure which one...) showcased a beautiful watermelon cake. I checked it out in each check out line that I stood in...'okay, it's on it's side...they must have flattened the bottom, looks like it's a two-layer...'But, I never read the article or the recipe. 

Then, I forgot about it. Until Merideth at http://www.lifeat7000feet.com/ made watermelon cookies with her kids. I was reminded of the beautiful cake, and inspired to make it with my own kiddo, but knew that it was no longer being featured in any check out line. However, I tend to not follow recipes or rules very well anyway (especially when they involve creative effort), so we just set out to make it based on what I could remember. 

We started with a Red Velvet cake mix. Landon added chocolate sprinkles to the batter (to look like seeds), and we then baked it in two 9-inch pans. When they had cooled, we iced and stacked (red icing), then cut in half, and iced and stacked again (again with red icing). Next, I cut off a little bit of the rounded side to make a flat bottom for it to rest on, and turned it to look like a slice of watermelon. Finally we added green icing to the sides.

It certainly didn't turn out as pretty as the one in the picture (there are definite benefits to following recipes...and rules), but we had FUN

 making it, 

decorating it, 

and squeezing leftover icing into our mouths!
Yum!
Any great kid-friendly summer recipes? Please share!

Munch: Love you Berry Much, Dad Pie

This is what we'll be having to celebrate Daddy today. He's gonna LOVE it!

You can find the recipe here.

Munch: Kid-Friendly Strawberry Jam

After having lots of fun berry picking we had to decide what to do with all our strawberries. We all agreed on JAM. We had a great time making it, and it was much easier than I thought. This recipe was very kid-friendly because you don't even have to cook it.

Ingredients:

4 cups crushed strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 jelly jars or other freezer proof containers

Instant Fruit Pectin (found at grocery store)

Directions:

1. Stir sugar and pectin in a bowl

2. Add crushed fruit and stir 3 minutes (we used a potato masher)

3. Ladle jam into clean containers and let stand 30 minutes

4. Enjoy!

*It keeps in the fridge for three weeks and in the freezer for up to a year.

Submitted by fellow FunMom, Reba.

Thanks for sharing! :)

Make: Scented Stickers

These are easy, cheap, and FUN!

MATERIALS:

Labels

Glue

Scissors

Kool-Aid (and water)

Container (egg crate)

Fruit images (link below)

Step 1: Click here to pull up the fruit coloring page pictured above. Print.

Step 2: Round up an assortment of fruity-flavored Kool-Aids (off brand is fine).

Step 3: Mix each packet of Kool-Aid flavor with a tiny bit of HOT water (maybe a tsp, or so). We mixed these in an egg carton. Helpful hint...label the sides of the egg carton so that you can distinguish each flavor (we did a "G" for grape, "S" for strawberry, etc.).

Step 4: Cut out your images, and glue them onto a sticky-backed label. I used large, leftover packing ones from our last move, but printer labels (like the Avery brand ones) would work well too. Allow time for the glue to dry, which will also stiffen the "sticker," giving it a more authentic texture and thickness.

Step 5: Let your little one paint their stickers with the corresponding fruity flavor. Once they are dry, you can simply peel the label backing off. Your kiddo can then proudly wear their homemade creations (and probably skip a bath too...they're gonna smell like a peach, anyway!). ;)

Munch/Make: Fruit Faces

Sometimes it's FUN to play with your food!

We thought so, anyway...

Munch: Fruit Salad on a Stick

Put a new twist on an old favorite!

My boys are fruit eaters, so they loved this vertical version of a fruit salad. Even more FUN, is that once the fruit has been cut, most of it is soft enough for little hands to assemble the kabobs (this is a great opportunity to play with patterns).

A yummy, and easy, summertime snack!

Ingredient Ideas:

Apples (good for bottom piece)

watermelon

kiwi

grapes

raspberries

blueberries

strawberries

oranges

pineapple (good for top piece)

Misc: Berry Good Reads

Jamberry*

Written by Bruce Degen. A childhood classic!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear*

This book, by Don and Audrey Wood, is wonderful! Great illustrations and a very sweet little story. LOVE it!

*Click on title for ordering information.

Move: Berry Picking Near You!

A

Sweet,

Juicy,

Yummy,

Special

Kind of

Fun

For All!

To find a place to pick berries near you, visit http://www.pickyourown.org.

Have fun!

Munch: Yummy Yogurt Pops

These are really yummy, easy to make with little ones, slow to melt, and good for all the snackers in your house (that includs you, Mom!).

Step 1:

Blend together:

2 small tubs of yogurt (we used Yoplait Mixed Berry)

1 Cup of Light Lemonade (though any juice would work)

6 strawberries

1 banana

Step 2:

Pour mixture into cups. Insert a stick of some sort. We used the attachments to my mixer. They worked well, and seemed to make the pops more durable. Put in safe spot in freezer.

Step 3:

After about an hour check your stick. Reposition if necessary. Let freeze for another couple of hours.

Step 4:

Enjoy! Yum Yum! :)