Fab Entertaining :: School Treats

Now that we have settled in to the business of back to school, I thought I'd share some treats for little ones. We're up to our nose in top secret holiday card orders, so we're blogging about food this week.

I am fortunate enough to have a child that is not a huge fan of sweets or sugar. So I am always on the hunt for treats that are yummy, but not packed with artificial sweeteners and a bunch of junk.

Does this not look so fab? Guess what?! It is made with garbanzo beans and applesauce!

Deep-Dish Cookie Pie

Next, an all time fav in my house.  They are perfect for a morning snack.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I have already gone through two batches of these this week...they must be a hit, not exactly sugar free, but better than candy!

Pumpkin Muffins

HB's Pumpkin Muffins
One 9 x 5-inch loaf or muffins tins of your choice
This loaf can be made with any cooked mashed squash, yams, or sweet potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or muffin tins.
Whisk together:
  1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground ginger
  1⁄2 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
  1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine in a small bowl:
  1⁄3 cup water or milk
  1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat in a large bowl until fluffy:
  6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) butter, softened, or 1⁄3 cup vegetable shortening
  1 1⁄3 cups sugar or 1 cup sugar plus 1⁄ 3 cup packed brown sugar
Beat in one at a time:
  2 large eggs
Add and beat on low speed just until blended:
  1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin puree
Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour for loaf and 20 minutes for muffins. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

What are your favorite healthy treats? Let us know and we'll feature them!

PHOTO CREDITS

Deep-Dish Cookie Pie :: Chocolate-Covered Katie

Peanut Butter Granola Bars :: two peas and their their pod

Pumpkin Muffins :: HBDesigns

Fab Entertaining :: Boo!

We are super excited to partner with the ever fab ladies of Anders Ruff today for an A-MAZING give-a-way...{Be sure to enter!}  They have the cutest printables for just about any party theme you can think of.  It got us thinking...Halloween is around the corner! So, I started to plan a party...{I can't help myself!}

First up, we'll need a HBDesigns fabritation (fabric + invitation)! Here's what we're thinking:

Next we have to have a Trick or Treat Table stocked full of perfectly spooky printables and yummy goodies!

It is probably a good idea to have some 'real' food too...How creepy does this look?

Bones & Blood

Pumpkin Veggie Tray

Mummie Dogs

Spooktacular Punch

Hope you can incorporate these ideas into your Fright Fest! Wishing you happy haunting!

Photo Credits

Halloween Fabritation: www.hbdesigns.com

Party Decor Photos: www.andersruff.com

Pumpkin Veggie Tray: www.livinglocurto.com

Bones and Blood: www.ourbestbites.com

Mummie Dogs: www.ourbestbites.com

Spooktacular Punch: www.myrecipes.com

Turkey Trot! Trot! Trot!

I love the month of November. There's a chill in the air and much to be thankful for! I get to celebrate my Birthday, my Wedding Anniversary and Thanksgiving!  After all that celebrating it will be time for a diet, but I won't bore with those details! Even though I am up to my ears in fabric and holiday orders, I wanted to share some projects with you that you can create yourself!  Maybe I will inspire you to get the paints, glue and flour out!
First, I love turkeys.  So that will be our theme. I have this fond memory of by little brother's kindergarten Thanksgiving performance...he stood on stage with a turkey mask and sang: 

Turkey trot, trot, trot. 

Across the lot, lot, lot. 

Feeling fine, fine, fine 

Until Thanksgiving time!

We still sing this every year and laugh about it.  Chris is now an Olympian and world class ski cross racer, so the fact that we still get such a good belly laugh out of that one silly song, warms my heart! 


I sent my little one off to school today for her Thanksgiving Feast and have been DYING to have her wear this dress. I have a lovely woman who is kind enough to make all the custom things I dream up. I got smart this time around and had her make this dress reversible. Halloween witch boots on one side and yes, you guessed it, a turkey on the other! I could have sold a dozen of these today, which got me thinking about needing to take sewing lessons!

My Little Miss in her Turkey Trot! Trot! Trot! Dress

Here is what I am whipping up using the turkey as my theme:
CRAFT

• Turkey Handprint Aprons
• Gather your girlfriends and their kiddos for a Pre-Turkey-Day Play Date.  Ask everyone to bring the following items:
• 1 bottle fabric paint
• 1 bottle puffy paint
• Aprons (light colored fabric works best>

(All the items can be purchased at your local craft store. I like to do an apron for me (the chef), one for Sophia (the sous chef) and our guests who will be joining us for Thanksgiving Dinner.  These also make fabulous hostess gifts if you heading out to give thanks.)

As you can see from the picture, you paint the hand and thumb brown and each finger a different color for the feathers and then place it on the apron. 
Next paint the legs, a beak and a wattle (aka the 'gobbler' in my house) onto the apron.  I am going one step further this year and hot-gluing a plastic eye on, but you can paint one on just as well. Be sure to paint names, the year and a fun saying.
Set everything aside to dry, let the kids play and enjoy the treats below!


TREATS
I have so many turkey treats to share, I had a hard time nailing down just two! 


Cookie Treats
These cookies are perfect to go along with your Turkey Apron Play Date. 

First, whip up your favorite sugar cookies (if you need a no fail, d-lish, A+ cookie recipe, send me a note and I will email you mine). Next, you will need chocolate icing for glue, candy corn (I have a ton leftover from Halloween), small candies for eyes and some tubes of colored icing. You can just follow the picture below and voila! Darling, yummy cookies!


Candy Treats
This idea came to me from one of my craftiest pals from college. Megsy, I love you and all your craftiness! These gobblers are super cute and you can eat them! I am using them as place cards this year since I have a table full of kiddos arriving for Thanksgiving dinner.


You will need:

• cherry cordials or truffles for bodies
• striped cookies for feathers
• oreos for stands
• candy corn for beaks
• chocolate chips for legs
• chocolate icing for glue

Just assemble them and giggle in delight like I did! So cute! So fun! So unexpected! 


TABLESCAPE
A friend came over last week and was floored that I had most of my table set for Thanksgiving. I find myself setting tables at odd hours when I have 10 minutes of silence and the whole house is still.  My entire dining room set has been passed down to me and belonged to my late grandparents. I like to spend time listening to my memories of great meals we shared together at that table.  I also like to imagine all the characters that have sat in those chairs.

Anyway, I think a lot of people are afraid to tackle a nice tablescape. Maybe your budget doesn't allow for extravagance.  Maybe you are pressed for time. Maybe you are not creative. I tried to come up with something using what I had instead of rushing out to buy more stuff. (insert happy husband here...he was thrilled to see this table knowing he didn't have to haul more boxes of new stuff (or crap) up to the attic come November 26)
I started with a vintage tablecloth from my grandmother.  I love her old things from Europe and try to use them all the time.  I added our HBDesigns Turkey Trot place mats.  I love these! One side mat (think charger for the toddler-aged), one side chalk board.  The kids can doodle while they wait for dinner to be served.  Heck, my husband will be doodling too! It's a win-win!

(shown fabric side up)

(shown chalk board side up)

You can see I tied a couple pieces of chalk up for each guest and I took time to write a little something on each mat to get the ideas flowing.
I added some pumpkins, candles and set everyone's place with china, silver, crystal and linen napkins. You're in a state of shock.  I know! I know! I am a little nuts! Yes, children will be sitting at this table! I use the 'good stuff' all the time.  Why should it sit in the china closet? Everything can be replaced and I feel like I am teaching my daughter how to respect and use nice things.  Finally, each guest gets a turkey gobbler which serves a tasty treat and a place card (with the addition of a Kit-Kat candy piece for the name). 

So there you have it.  I know we are all so busy, but some times you just have to take the time to sit and make things by hand.  If you can gather your friends and make things together, you'll be even more thankful you took the time.  I hope I inspired you to get creative!