Kids Cooking Thursday: The Rainbow Connection

Another birthday round up, this time for Miss Five. I can't believe she is going to school next year already!

Rainbow Cake

Rainbow Clouds (just add food dye)

Rainbow Butterflies

Rainbow Jellies

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More Rainbow Cake!

This is the first of a few rainbow themed posts I had planned for the lead up to Miss Five's birthday. Instead, I'll be posting them in the next couple of weeks. After the enormous success of the rainbow cake I made for my brother-in-law's birthday party, Miss Then-Four wanted to have a rainbow party, so she could have one of those cakes.

Of course, since she had separate parties for kinder friends and family, that meant I had to make two of those cakes. Meaning 14 bowls to wash up. And way too much food dye consumption. But everyone was thrilled by the suprise colours inside again, even those who were expecting it. I decorated the "fluffy white cloud" icing with a sour strap rainbow to throw people off the scent. You can never have too many rainbows.

See, it's all deceptively plain and sneaky

Rainbows make me happy. And they do the same to Miss Five and Master Two as well. (Master Six is ambivalent). I didn't take photos of the process like I did back in January because I was racing the clock to get cake in the oven before Kinder pick up time, and before I needed the oven for dinner. But I used the same method as last time so I guess that will have to do.


This was an entry for Sugar High Friday, started in 2004 by Jennifer, the Domestic Goddess, and hosted this month by Soufflé Days with the theme “Desserts with a Hidden Surprise.”

Kids Cooking Thursday: Birthday Racing Muffins

Yogurt, Berry & White Chocolate Muffins (adapted from Best Recipes)
1½ cups wholemeal self-raising flour
½ cup caster sugar
40g butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup low-fat strawberry yogurt
1 cup frozen mixed berries
140g white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line muffin tray with paper cases.
Combine flour and sugar in large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and mix batter until just combined.

Evenly fill muffin holes. Bake about 30 minutes.
Muffins need to cool completely before icing.

Make cars by "gluing" Smarties or M&Ms on a fun size Milky Way bar with melted chocolate. Very gently carve a small hole in the top of the bar and insert a Tiny Teddy biscuit.

You could also use Hershey's Kissables inserted into the sides as wheels, but they have a tendency to cause more severe structural damage to the chocolate. These also make a great party treat just by themselves.

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Choo Choo Choo, Happy Birthday Master Two!

While technically he won't be two for another 4 hours, we had his birthday party this afternoon, and I'm really super proud of the cupcakes I made for birthday cake. I just couldn't wait any longer to share!

The cupcake base was Peanut Butter & Nutino Muffins from Mochachocolata-Rita. I used Nutino instead of Nutella, it's much the same, only a slightly richer flavour. I didn't fill them either, I figured the chocolates on top was enough extra flavour.

I iced them with vanilla icing tinted green, and drew train tracks in freehand with black writing icing.

The sweet vanilla went really well with the nutty cake.

In America, they make these trains using Tootsie Rolls for the engine and cabin, but I couldn't find those, so I used fun sized Bounty bars for the engine, and two Pineapple Lumps for the cabin.

A miniature Peanut Butter Cup cut in half made the cow catcher, and the smoke funnel was a Rolo turned upside down. The wheels were M&Ms, though Smarties would have worked just as well. Everything was "glued" together with melted chocolate, and left to set overnight before placing on the cupcakes.

Everyone commented on how cute they were - I may have been bragging a bit though! ;)

Kids Cooking Thursday: Pirate Party

Today for something a little different, I'm sharing Master Six's birthday party. We played 'pass the parcel', 'snatch' and 'Capt'ns coming!' with plans to also play 'Arrr' and 'Treasure'. I got some of the games here, with Pass the parcel much the same as Suprise Package, only with wrapping paper instead of boxes, and Arr would have been Ha Ha Ha saying Arr instead of Ha. Treasure is a game Miss Four plays at swimming lessons, where an adult stands with the treasure behind their back, facing away from the children, they try to sneak up and steal the treasure. The adult periodically turns around, and anyone spotted moving goes back to the start line.

Capt'ns Coming was something I use to play back when I was in Cubs. It's a bit like Simon Says, with nautical themed pre-set actions. The game leaders yells out a phrase, and the kids have to do that action. The last person to do the action is usually 'out' but we just played for fun - and it was very cute to see Master One doing all the actions with them!

Capt'ns coming - Stand up straight and salute
Port - run to the left side of the room
Starboard - run to the right side of the room
Bow - run to the front of the room
Stern - run to the back of the room (we didn't use those two, because we have computers and the tv on those walls)
Man Overboard - lay on the ground and pretend you are drowning
Climb the rigging - stand up and pretend to climb, like a ladder

Man Overboard!

As well as all the yummy goodies in the pictures below, we also had sausage rolls, and gold wrapped chocolate coins. The tree in the middle of the buried treasure muffins was the bottom half of a green capsicum, toothpicked onto a carrot, which in turn was wedged into a hollowed out potato. The hummus 'boat' was a bath toy boat, that had a big hollow, for a little tug boat to sit in. I made a little sail with some cardboard and a sharpie, and poked a bamboo skewer through it for the mast. The pointy end was stabbed into a carrot stick, which I buried under the hummus in the tub, so it could not be seen.

Master Six blows out the candle


The spread


Birthday Booty


Buried Treasure Muffins


Hummus and Crudites


TreasARRRR!


Master One getting his boogie on

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Happy Blogoversary to Me!

It's been two years to the day since I started Dragon Musings. In that time, I've learned a lot of new things, made new friends and had lots of friends. I've gotten my children accustomed to having their dinner photographed before they can eat it, in fact, it appears to be an honour to have their serve being chosen as the one for the internet. And my kids and I have done lots and lots of cooking.

Cooking with my kids is my favourite type of cooking to do, even though it invariably takes longer, and makes more mess, than if I did it alone, and quite often I get abandoned in the middle of something so they can answer the siren's call of a favoured tv show's theme song. But it's a good way to give them skills that will come in real handy in about 10 years, and stops them from asking for the bland prepackaged rubbish you find in supermarkets (most of the time).

To celebrate my blogoversary, I'm hosting a blog event, sharing my favourite activity with you all. Kids in the Kitchen is open for anyone making a dish with their children. If you don't have children, borrow someone else's or just bake a dish that is easy enough for children to make. The deadline is Thursday 11th of March, with the round up posted the following Saturday.

The best part of any party, from a child's point of view, is the goody bag. So one lucky guest will receive this gorgeous mini cupcake pan.

It's about the height of a coffee mug

To enter, just cook up a storm with your (or someone else's) children, blog about it, and then send me an email to silvermoon[AT]tmbg[DOT]org containing:

• Your name
• Blog name
• A permalink to your entry
and
• A picture of your creation.

Using the button or banner is optional, but welcomed, but please do include a link to this post on your entry.

Mars Bars Monkeys

Mars Bar Monkeys (modified from here)
120g butter
280g Mars Bars
1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
4 cups coco pops
white chocolate buttons (3 per monkey)
writing icings, black and red

Set out patty pan cases.

Place butter, Mars Bars and golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly, using the spoon to break up the Mars Bars and squish any bits of nougat that are slow to melt. I usually melt the butter first, that way the chocolate melts partly from indirect heat, and has less chance of scorching.
When everything is melted and only little bits of nougat remain, up the heat (but not too high, or the chocolate will burn!), stirring constantly. It'll do that curdling, monkey brains thing you get when adding eggs to creamed butter and sugar. Do not be alarmed. This is not zombie food. Stick with it and keep stirring until it thickens slightly. Take it off the heat when it looks like ganache.

Put coco pops in a large bowl. Pour in your Mars Bar mixture and stir to combine. Place spoonfuls into patty cases and allow to cool slightly.
Put two white buttons in each case to serve as ears. Using melted chocolate or icing, 'glue' two m&ms in place for eyes, and then glue in another white button for the muzzle. It's easiest if you predecorate the muzzles. (as seen in the picture - two dots and a smile)

Honeyjoy Lions

As we draw closer to BabyK's first birthday, I find myself slowly coming up with more time for blogging. There is a half hour window while Daddy reads the bedtime story that I can get daily website things done, and when I am prepared, I can sneak a quick blog post in then. Provided of course, that I have cooked real food lately worth blogging about.

I'm very proud of this creation, I came up with it all by myself. Not the recipe, the recipe is an old Australian kids party staple. The idea of making faces in the middle and having lions, that I take credit for. Perfect for a 5yo's Go Diego, Go party, or a 1yo's jungle party.

Honeyjoys
90g butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups Corn Flakes

Preheat oven to 150°C.
Line 24 hole patty pan with paper cases.
Melt butter, sugar and honey together in a saucepan until frothy.
Add Corn Flakes and mix well.
Working quickly spoon into paper patty cases.
Bake in a slow oven 150°C for 10 minutes.
Cool.

To make Lion Honeyjoys, take a white choc button, and draw a face with writing icing. Measure button against a teaspoon to find a similar sized teaspoon. After spooning cornflake mixture into patty cases, use the teaspoon to flatten a hollow in the centre of the mix. Bake as usual. Allow to cool slightly after baking, until slightly warm, then place chocolate in the centre of each honeyjoy. The chocolate will melt slightly to hold it in place. (So don't do it too early, or the chocolate will disintegrate.)

Honeyjoys will keep for a few weeks in an airtight container.

Stay tuned over this weekend for the Mars Bars Monkeys!