Saint Patrick’s Day Rainbow Cupcakes

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Superstar and I enjoyed a frosty cold day indoors baking up these fun Saint Patrick’s Day rainbow cupcakes. My two little leprechauns were over the rainbow with excitement. I am happy to report that they did find their pot of gold—details coming soon.

Ingredients:

White cake mix (18.25 oz)

Food coloring (red, yellow, green, and blue)

Baking cups

Frosting

Directions:

Prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions. Divide the batter into 7 small bowls. I put ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons into each bowl. Add food coloring to each bowl and mix to create the colors of the rainbow. I have seen other recipes for this cupcake that only include purple and don’t include both indigo and violet. It is just my personal preference to use every opportunity to educate my kids. We made a true rainbow.

Red: 19 drops red
Orange: 12 drops yellow and 4 drops red
Yellow: 12 drops yellow
Green: 12 drops green
Blue: 12 drops blue
Indigo: 9 drops blue and 4 drops red
Violet: 9 drops red and 6 drops blue

Line a cupcake pan with baking cups. Evenly distribute the batter among the baking cups, starting with violet on the bottom and ending with red on the top. I used a rounded teaspoon per color, per cupcake. Savvy Tip: I sprayed the teaspoon with cooking spray so the batter spooned more easily into the baking cups, then I gently spread the batter with the back of the spoon until it covered the color underneath. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes. Cool and frost. The recipe was supposed to yield 16 cupcakes, but I only got 12.

Are we having turkey (insert my nephew's voice)?

The first week of January, after just moving to the same state as Jo 4 months earlier, I entered my sister's house and my then 6 year old nephew threw himself onto the floor hollering, "Oh no, are we having turkey?!?" We laughed until our sides ached, as we realized throughout November and December, every time we had gathered together, a turkey was the guest of honor, as we gave thanks and filled our bellies.  (Although, not little man's favorite food--can you tell?).

There is more than one way to skin a cat cook a turkey!

If your family is ANYTHING like ours and you have to attend multiple holiday gatherings, try to mix it up a little by preparing a turkey in a new way.  Scared to try a new recipe and afraid you will mess it up?  Here are some savvy tips learned from our mistakes...(DOH...I guess I should have changed names to protect the innocent).

I, Shelley, made my famous Spiced Turkey for Thanksgiving one year. Not only does this turkey recipe produce a very moist and delicious bird, but because of its secret ingredient, while deglazing the drippings, it produces a succulent gravy. What is this secret ingredient? Apple cider.

The year my first son was born, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for my family and 3 other families. As many of you have discovered (or will discover) as the hostess, you are usually last to sit down to eat. This was the first time these guests would taste this recipe. All I could talk about was the amazing gravy that is produced and how they would never forget this dinner. I soon discovered I was right, but not for the reason I boasted about.

All the guests sat down to enjoy the meal, slathered their plates with the famous gravy (turkey, potatoes, stuffing) and dug in. From the kitchen, I yelled, "How is it?" . . . "Great!" "Fantastic!" and "Delicious!"

I finished in the kitchen, sat down, made my plate, and poured the gravy. As I take my first bite, I couldn't help but spit it out. I take all the plates away, and ask, "How could you eat this?" What was the fatal mistake? (FYI, I blame mommy brain, as my son was not quite 2 months old yet.) I used apple cider vinegar and not apple cider. In a panic I call up my southern sister and this was her tip (and now our tip to you)...

TIP FOR YOU, the Savvy Mom:
As Jo explained to me, in the south "we fry our turkeys, so there are no drippin's" (hear her accent?). Jo (and now I) always has a packet of turkey gravy mix on hand (99¢ at Kroger). But don't just follow the directions on the back, use Jo's tip, and no one will know the difference!

The packet calls for 1 cup of water. Here is your substitute: cook 1/2 cup of white wine until it reduces to 1/4 cup. Combine the 1/4 cup of reduced wine with 3/4 cup of chicken broth (canned works perfect). Then follow the packet directions. So whether you fry your turkey, ruin your gravy, or have turkey takeout left over from the restaurant (don't laugh, our mom did this our entire life) you will have a succulent gravy, from an envelope.

Savvy Outdoor Entertaining tips!

I thought I would just give some quick tips...

If you are short on serving bowls try hollowing out half a watermelon.

Don't attempt to serve food that has to be prepared at the last minute. It's less stressful and more convenient to have most everything prepared beforehand.

Choose foods that won't spoil fast, especially if you are blessed with a warm day.  Foods with mayonnaise will spoil if not kept at a proper temperature.  If you have a potato salad or macaroni salad with mayonnaise, keep it in an ice bowl bath.

As much as possible have food that guests can serve themselves. Also, keep in mind, people do a lot of standing during BBQs (ample seating or not).  Try and limit the amount of foods that require a fork and knife.  Make everything small and manageable.

Have plates stacked at the start of the buffet area and then cutlery and napkins at the end.

Use citronella candles to keep insects away and have some insect lotion or spray available for guests to use.

Provide garbage cans/bags.  This will save yourself some cleanup work after your guests have gone home.

How do you celebrate the 4th?

I’m back from our summer vacation to Disney World. We had a great time and I want to go back. I returned to 200+ email messages, phone messages, bills, a mountain of laundry, swimming lessons, piano lessons, Cub Scout Day Camp, Vacation Bible School, the summer reading list and Accelerated Reader tests, and somewhere under the couch pillows is an unconscious teenage boy in his boxer shorts who only comes out to eat, usually at night, leaving me with empty cupboards in the morning, which means a trip to the grocery store. . . ahhhhhh. I’m ready for some fun.

Thankfully, it’s time to send out invitations for the 4th of July. I used Evite and sent mine out Sunday. Take a look at “A party is only as good as its guests” (4/11/10) for help making the guest list.

Before sending out the invites, you will need to decide on what kind of party to have. For July 4th I recommend a BBQ. The weather is great and summer has just started. The kids are still happy to be outdoors rolling in the grass, listening to the songs of the crickets, and catching fireflies. It will still be a few more weeks before the mosquitoes and sunburns chase them inside and you are listening to the latest hit songs: “I’m hot” and “What do we have to eat?” Make time to enjoy it now. This time of year life is at a slower pace and what could be better than food, friends, and fun. We make a whole day of it. We all meet downtown for the parade and then return to my house for a BBQ lunch. Then, we head off to watch the fireworks and return to our house for some of our own backyard fireworks (which are legal here). Some other ideas:

• Picnic in the park (where everyone brings their own food)*
• Pot Luck dinner inside where it’s cool. (unless you are a total germaphobe like me)* See post on pot luck tips
• A group trip to your local amusement park/laser show.*
• Make and enter a float in the local parade, followed by a trip for ice cream*
• Neighborhood Chili-Cook Off contest/ block party
• Pool Party
• Old fashioned 4th where families compete in potato sack relays and other games (make sure to include a pie baking contest)
• A homemade carnival with games and prizes
* These are great choices if you hate to cook.

If this is your first 4th of July party, don’t try to put together an entire day. It takes a lot of food and games to keep people busy for that long. Shoot for 2-3 hours. Early evening is a cooler time of day for an outside party and you can all end the evening by going to the fireworks.

When picking the time and day, don’t just assume that the 4th is celebrated on the 4th in your community. This year the 4th falls on a Sunday. In the south we spend this day at church. Our parades and fireworks shows will be on Saturday, so that is when I am having my party. On many military bases, the big fireworks shows are on Thursday so that soldiers may travel to see family over the four day weekend. If you live overseas your local American expat community is a great place to reach out to other Americans. If there isn’t already an event planned, plan your own-- everyone is looking for some piece of America on July 4th.

You don’t need to have everything worked out just yet, but you do need to know:

• Date
• Start Time
• End Time
• Location
• Attire: should they dress for inside, outside, pool, relay races, mud wrestling, etc.
• What to bring: just yourself, a pot luck dish, a picnic lunch, dessert, a board game to share, etc.
• RSVP information

Take it one step at a time. We will be here to walk you through it. Good Luck!

Lucky YOU...you're having a pot luck BBQ!

Now what?  Just follow these savvy rules:

1. First and seriously the most important...Plan your menu.   You can decide on what you will do and delegate what you feel is missing or ask for specific dishes.  I love, love, LOVE to cook, but am a seriously horrible baker (I know it's because of the need for precision).  I always ask my invited guests if they have a specific dish in mind or if they would like a suggestion. BUT in some cases, I ask (and beg if I have to) people to bring something specific.  I will always need deserts so, Maggie is asked to bring her "crack cookies" (seriously the BEST chocolate chip cookies you will ever taste...I might just call and see if I can post it here LOL) and Vanessa is asked to bring either the peanut butter brownies, or coconut cream pie.   This always is helpful to make sure you don't have all salads, and not enough desserts.   One way is to split the menu into sections so you can ensure you have enough (If a guest can't decide what they will bring, ask them to at least provide you with a category for planning purposes.):
   
   
   
   
   -main dishes (optional...for our BBQs, we provide the different meats for grilling)
   -salads
   -desserts
   -beverages
   
   
2. Give your guests who claim to be unable  to cook the opportunity to contribute drinks or equipment to the party so that they are still pitching in but don't feel that they have to cook. Tell them it's perfectly fine to bring store-bought food as well. While homemade is nice, it's better to make your guests feel welcomed despite their lack of culinary talent.
   
   
3. Savvy Tip:  Make labels with your guests' names on them.  This way, as they place their dish on the table you can label the bottom of each dish (if not already done).  This way if a dish is left behind after the party, you know who to return it to.
   
   
4. Ask guests to label food with allergenic ingredients in the case of dishes with nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten, etc. If you have any guests who are highly allergic to nuts or other food such as shellfish or eggs, ask all your guests to label their dish with the ingredients. We have kids with allergies, but my DH and I don't.  We want to be able to enjoy Jo's macaroni and cheese, even if the kids can't have it.  You can also use small place cards in front of each dish to identify the name of the dish and who made it so people can ask that person for a recipe or can pay their compliments.
   
   
5. This may sound like common sense but worth stating; keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold to minimize the risk of spoilage or food poisoning. Many potluck organizers will equip their party table with many large bowls of ice to place salads containing mayonnaise. A power outlet outdoors for the plugging in of buffet servers or crock pot slow cookers is a good idea as well to keep food safe and flavorful.
   
   
6. Put different types of dishes on different tables (or on different sides of the table) with plenty of serving spoons.  If at all possible, make sure the drinks are on a different table (or at least at the end of the table).   This way if people want to merely top up their drink, they don't have to wait in line with those serving themselves.   Another Savvy Tip:  avoid the temptation to have the table up against a wall/side of the house.  Pull the table out enough to have people on both sides.  This limits the size of the line.  This is where plenty of serving spoons is essential.  If you only have one spoon per dish, it won't matter that you have a line on both sides of the table; people will still have to wait for the spoon.  Recap:  Have a line on each side of the table and make sure each dish has 2 serving spoons. 
   
   Another Allergy Tip:  If you do have dishes with allergens in them, you may want to keep these separate from the other dishes.  Nothing irks me more than the cross contamination of serving spoons.  My kids can't have the Macaroni and Cheese, and that's fine.  BUT if you use the Mac-n-Cheese spoon to then serve the potato salad, they now can't have the potato salad either.
    
7. Clear clutter several times throughout the party to minimize the mess. Ask a friend or co-host to help you periodically with refilling needed items and clearing trash. Savvy Tip:  Place one or two (or more) garbage cans in the food area, many guests will help clean up during the party as well.
   

Cupcakes for your end of the year party

Mortar board cupcakes...

Ingredients:

• 1 box cake mix (Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box)
• 1 box Fruit by the Foot chewy fruit snack rolls (any flavor) or shoestring licorice 
• 1 container vanilla frosting
• Food coloring 
• 60 square shortbread cookies
• 60 candy-coated chocolate or fruit-flavored candies

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place miniature paper baking cups in 24 mini muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill cups 2/3 full of batter. Refrigerate remaining batter.
2. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool. Repeat with remaining batter. (Leave paper baking cups on cupcakes so mortarboards are quicker and easier to make and more portable to serve.)
3. To make tassels: Cut sixty 2 1/2-inch lengths from fruit snack rolls. Cut each into several strips up to 1/2 inch from 1 end. Roll uncut end between fingertips to make tassels. Or cut several pieces of shoestring licorice into 2 1/2-inch lengths.
4. Tint frosting with food color to match paper baking cups. Frost bottoms of cookies. Place 1 candy on center of each. For each mortarboard, place small dollop of frosting on bottom of cupcake; top with cookie. Press uncut end of fruit snack or 3 or 4 pieces of licorice into frosted cookie next to candy. Store loosely covered.

Savvy Tip:  Buy paper baking cups in your school colors, and dye the frosting with food coloring to match!

Party lameness...what to do?

Party lameness...
It's something we all fear, whether we're hosting or attending. Sometimes it can't be helped. Someone leaves the cake out in the rain; dancing on the ceiling goes horribly awry. You just go with it as best you can. But when the party is tanking because some guests are being antisocial or rude, we find it especially annoying.
The good thing is, it's usually fixable. Here are our best tricks for navigating choppy party waters.

The situation: AWWWkward or dull conversation.
The solution: Get out of it with a short-and-sweet "Excuse me. Nice talking to you." Making up an excuse could get you caught in a lie, and it leaves you open to a repeat bore-formance by the same person later. If you see them again, just smile and keep moving.

The situation: Making introductions.
The solution: If you know you're going to be introducing people, some pre-party prepwork will keep you from watching conversations spiral downhill. Before the party, come up with a few interesting facts about each person, as well as some topics they have in common with other guests. And be sure to know the names of spouses or dates so you're not left with the "Mike aaaaaand [awkward silence]" moment.

The situation: Rude questions or comments.
The solution: Give a funny response or a quick "No comment" and let it slide. Rudey McCreep was either clueless or trying to provoke you, and either way, an argument just isn't worth your time. And it's really not worth wrecking the party for the people around you. This one goes out to you, lady at a party who said to me, "Wow, your sweater is so ... green."

Is it the end of the year already?

It is officially the end of the school year. I know this because my children have started to count down by days (not weeks) and they are TOTALLY slacking-off on their homework. “You haven’t crossed the finish line yet. I need you to hold it together for three more weeks—that is only 3 more spelling tests. I need to see your A-game. Can you do that for mommy?” I think that we all know the answer is a big fat NO, but I wouldn’t be giving it my A-game if I didn’t try. One of my lesser favorite end-of-the-year activities (second only to field day) is the end-of-the-year classroom party. I have a few years experience in this area—O.K. more than a few. I have learned some things along the way and I am sure that Shelley will have something to say, too.

A special thank you to the Room Mom:
Thank you so much for taking the time to help your child’s teacher in such a special way. You are filling a truly valuable position and there are 25 other parents who are grateful that you said yes before their name came up on the phone tree.

Class only party vs. class and parent party:
This is a delicate subject and unfortunately I am very biased for one side. I respect everyone’s right to choose for themselves (does that sound politically correct enough?), but I am afraid I have made up my mind and I'm sticking to it. I guess since this is my blog, I'm allowed to speak. Maybe Shelley will disagree with me and we can have a fight to up our ratings. Do blogs have ratings?

I do not like parties where the parents attend:
• There is always a small minority of children who’s parents don’t come and it breaks their hearts. The purpose of the party is to let the children celebrate. These children will not feel celebratory.
• There are a crazy amount of end-of-the-year events to attend—recitals, award ceremonies, field day, etc. Working parents are challenged to fit every event into their schedule. And let’s face it, this little party is not nearly as important as the other events.
• Parents just end up watching their child eat or stand at the back of the room socializing with the other parents. It is not a good interactive event.

The teacher, room mom, and 1-2 helpers is enough. In an average class there are really only 3 parents who want to be there anyway. This way they get to feel extra special because they also helped.

Paying for the party:
We all know that these things cost money. The teacher should NEVER pay for the party. I have never thrown a party that cost more than $50 and it’s just easier to pay for it myself. It’s O.K. to ask for help, especially if you’re planning something a little extra. Sending out an email or flyer to the parents asking for a small donation is fine. I would avoid determining a fixed per-person amount. Some families are on a limited budget. They may have trouble coming up with $5. It’s not polite to force parents to pay for the party. Besides, I find that I make more money by not suggesting a dollar amount. People send what they can afford. There is often a working mom with unlimited resources who will gladly cough-up $100. If I end up with nothing, we find a way to party for FREE.

It’s also O.K. to ask the community for donations. I have a great relationship with our local grocery store. Every day their bakery throws-out or donates day-old baked goods. I pre-arrange to receive those items on the day of our party. There is often a cake and cookies. Local business will also contribute items for goodie bags. Realtors, insurance companies, dentist, banks, etc. have promotional pencils, key chains, stickers, mints, etc. Find out what the parents in your class do. If one of them owns a restaurant or party supply store, you have just hit a home-run.

Pre-planning:

• Contact the teacher and decide on a time and date for the party.
• Take extra precautions to make sure the teacher does not get caught in the middle. Don’t ask them to relay messages for you or collect money.
• Contact all the parents (not just your favorite helpers) and let them know the date well in advance of the party.
• Ask for volunteers to help. Make sure to be specific. You will get a better response if you ask for 1 person to just show up and be an extra pair of hands, 1 person to stuff goodie bags, 1 person to bring a cake, etc. If people don’t know what you are asking them to do, they are afraid to volunteer.
• It’s O.K. to do it all yourself. This is just a classroom party, not the annual charity ball. I find it’s easier to just do everything than coordinate volunteers.
• Don’t be a martyr. Don’t tell everyone that you did all the work and no one helped. If they offer you "thanks" or say "it must have taken a lot of work to put everything together" respond with, “It did and I enjoyed every minute."—even if it’s not true.
• Send out a reminder the week of the party.
• Come up with a plan and keep it simple.
• Get everything together and prepared ahead of time.

The plan:

• Start with a theme. It is always fun to do a luau, fiesta, etc. You can decorate and plan a fun menu and music. I like Class of 2018 (or whatever your class is). They feel so grown up once they know what class they are.
• If you are having the party in the classroom, plan to keep the kids seated at their desks. This is a very small space and once they get up it is more difficult to manage.
• Play music to set the mood. Make sure to pre-screen it.
• Let them help prepare the food. I like cookie decorating, ice cream sundae making, etc. It takes up some of the time and they have fun.
• Have an activity. It can be a craft project or a game. I like to have a mystery game. Someone stole the hall pass and we have to use the clues to figure out who did it. They really like it when it turns out to be the teacher—they never expect that outcome. My favorite craft is a class photo. I come to class the week before and take a group shot. I have them printed. I get acrylic frames at the dollar store. They decorate the frames and all sign the back of each other’s photos.
• Make sure to schedule time for cleanup.

Good Luck!

Calgon, take me away...

After my morning, afternoon, and anticipated evening, I just realized it is almost that time of the month.  Not for my monthly visitor ladies, geesh, for MOM'S NIGHT OUT.  Mom's Night Out can be just what any mom needs to recharge her batteries. It's easy to sacrifice your own fun during the week but it's important for moms to get away from the kids for the sake of sanity. Here are some tips for organizing a Mom's Night Out.

• Get a variety of women together. Whether it's your BFFs or a mom you only talk with during drop-off and pick-up, consider getting everyone together for a great night out.   You can also include women who are not moms if you prefer. The size of your guest list may determine the activity you plan. The main goal is the get a group of FUN ladies together, without the kids and husbands (sorry guys).
• Try to think of interesting ideas that go beyond the usual dinner and a movie.  You can host a Bunco Night, wine cheese party, game night, etc.  The sky is the limit.
• Decide which activity you want to do. You can consult some of the other moms that are invited, but if you ask too many people it may only make the decision more difficult.
  
• Send out invitations to the other moms. This can be as simple as an email.  Just make sure you keep the line of communication open, so you have an idea of the number of ladies who will be attending.  You can request official RSVPs, but what I have found is, if you request that someone RSVP by a certain date, some may not be able to commit.  How often do we know if we can truly get away until the day before?  Remember this is a fun night out, not an official function.
• Make any necessary reservations for the Mom's Night Out activity once you have an idea of the number of attendees.  I always make the reservation for +2 the confirmed moms.  Some ladies may realize at the last minute they can make it after all.  But also keep in mind, vomiting children can occur at any time, causing someone to cancel.
• Send out a reminder email a few days before the scheduled Mom's Night Out so the other moms can make any last minute arrangements.
• Have fun at your Mom's Night Out!

Always keep in mind the budgets of the other moms when planning the Mom's Night Out activity.  Don't be offended if some of the moms can't make it. Some moms have difficulty leaving their kids and all of us have busy schedules!  This is why my girlfriends and I like doing this monthly.  If you can't make this month's MNO, there is always next month.

Savvy Tip:  Did you know that May 6, 2010 is National Mom's Nite Out?  Maybe you want to mark it on your calendar.  This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship, or another reason to go out, you decide!

“Crayons are for coloring.”

I 'm a proud mom! My almost 2 year old learned how to put two crayons in his nose and leave them hanging like a walrus (I can’t seem to find the spot to record that in his baby book). It got such a great reaction from the other restaurant patrons and staff that he thinks he is the toddler version of Jay Leno (or Conan, or Letterman, or whoever’s side you stand by). At least he’s not sticking other things in his nose, yet. But it won’t be long before he’s demanding an audition with Etrade.

SAVVY TIP: Keep an emergency restaurant kit (toys, sippy cup, books, etc.) in the trunk of your car because spontaneity is no longer your friend.

Another Birthday Party tip - Be Prepared

Order extra food and prepare extra goody bags for unexpected guests. Keep extra costumes on hand for theme or costume parties, just in case Billy shows up without one. The host should also have phone numbers for all parents and a first aid kit.