Homemade Yum Yum Sauce

I have been searching for this recipe for awhile now and I finally have it! Thanks to the wonderful power of google! I never would have figured out how to put these ingredients into the flavor combo like this on my own. Every time we go to our favorite restaurant I take notes on how they fry up the rice, meat, veggies, etc. They keep the pan HOT, use only soy sauce to season, and cook everything quickly to sear the outside and keep the inside tender. Got it. But they don't divulge the ingredients for the Yum Yum sauce which really makes the meal.

Yum Yum Sauce

Click below to go directly to the recipe!

courtesy of Japanese Steakhouse White Sauce

I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to eat fried rice without it again. Next time I'll try a low fat mayo and see how that goes.

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Super Pops!

We decided to get a head start on our Valentines this year. Which was probably a good idea since I am organizing the kindergarten Valentine's Day party as well. These SUPER POPS were super easy to make, especially if you have a cricut, but if you don't, you can still make them too. See this inspiration via pinterest. Since I had the cricut paper doll cartridge I opted not to do the printable version and save time on cutting.

 

I cut out capes using the 4" settings (do NOT have it set to real dial size). And masks in the 4" setting as well. Then I hot glued the masks on and hole punched the capes so that the stick could easily slide through.

We kept the capes super simple and the boys just wrote From: Dallin/Aaron on each one.

They think they are pretty silly and I have to admit, they make me laugh too.

Pinewood Derby Ideas

Has your little scout had his Pinewood Derby yet? I think most packs do them in January.

I made this fun cake to bring and it was a hit! Just 3 stacked cakes with the top layer cut at an oval angle. I frosted it and added sprinkles for the "crowd". I did a google search for checkered paper and just printed it out online and taped it together for the base. The same with the little flags. I printed them off from online, laminated them, and taped then to tooth picks. I raided the boys' toys and found the little cars. Pretty simple!

Inspiration

Derrick is the cubmaster for our pack so I get to help him plan some of the pack meetings. It is fun working with him, we make a great team...10 years :)

Here are the trophies that we made for the boys this year. I think they turned out so fun! Derrick cut up a 2x4, painted and painted each block blue.

I added the vinyl, and then he added a little rubber duck to each one. To attach the rubber duck (from Oriental Trading) he attached a screw to each block and popped it into the bottom of the duck. We origionally tried hot glue, but it wouldn't stick to the rubber.

Simple and very inexpensive.

Derrick and the boys have been working on their cars together for the past week. I am so proud of the boys. They worked hard and really learned a lot. Aaron woke up early one morning and taped a little lego figure to the top of his car. It added the perfect touch :)
They both did great at the derby and had a fun time racing with their friends.

***More Ideas from Last Year***

Last year we made these fun cars to hand out as trophies.

For the Blue and Gold Banquet each boy brought a cake. I thought it would be fun to make one too. I loved how it turned out, but don't think that I will make one so detailed this year. I made that last year while being plagued heavily with MORNING SICKNESS. Ugg....that was a horrible night, but now we have sweet Ruby so it was all worth it!

Then the Elder's Quorum had their own Derby. Here is Derrick's car. I was sure it would win by default, but there was actually one that beat his (it had a fan!) even with the super long straw that we thought would mean victory across the finish line every time. Too funny!

Fun times!

Potato Flake Chicken

This recipe is easy, quick, and super kid friendly. It is one of our family favorites and a good one to whip up on nights that I teach piano or the boys have scouts. I found it on the back of a potato flake box years ago.

1 cup mashed potato flakes

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (sliced into 1" strips) or chicken tenders.

1/3 cup butter or margerine, melted

In a shallow bowl, combine the potato flakes, Parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, and garlic salt. Dip chicken in butter, then coat with potato flake mixture.

Place in a greased (cooking spray) baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes or until juices run clear. Broil on top rack for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serves 6.

Cardstock Candy Pouches

 These candy pouches are so easy and fun to make! They would be great for so many occasions and holidays.
 

 

To make one you'll need:

a 6x6" piece of paper
straight edge
ruler

hole punch

something to score the paper

ribbon

Score your paper at 2" and 4" on both sides. This will create a 9 square grid.

Then score the square in each corner (4 of them) diagonally starting at the outer corner and going towards the middle. Hole punch one hold on the center of each diagonal fold towards the tip.

Fold the diagonal scored lines toward the center, pulling the folds in and creating 4 little pouches.

Lace ribbon or twine through the holes to bring the corners together.

For more detailed instructions and to see my inspiration, click here {Alderberry Hill}.

Getting Crafty

 Derrick and the boys were working on pinewood derby cars a few weekends ago so Kaylee and I decided to get crafty. And it was mostly Kaylee. I just enabled her. I asked her what kind of purse she would like to make. She told me a butterfly one and she picked out her fabrics. This cute fairy print was used for her birthday blanket. We cut out the little fairies and zig zagged them onto the butterfly shaped polka dot fabric that we cut out.

 Then we put the purse together. But that's not what the post is about, it was just a quick little bag. What makes it a fabulous accessory are the details that Kaylee added herself to customize her new bag.

 I gave her a few bottles of puffy paint and let her go crazy. Little blogs of colored paint all over the front.

Pair this little bag, full of goodies, with her one-of-a-kind fashion sense and she is unstoppable!

Homemade Corn Dog Bites

Aaron loves corn dogs so we thought we'd try making them for lunch a few days ago. And I'm so glad we did! They really aren't hard to make and taste JUST like the real deal!

Aaron was right there helping me every step of the way.  Even when it came to dropping them into the oil, and he did a great job. I made sure the younger two were not in the kitchen at all during that process.

 I love sweet cornbread, but didn't think that would be the best for this recipe, so we used Betty Crocker's corn bread recipe. It's basic and perfect for these.

Corn Bread Batter

1 cup milk

1/4 melted butter or margarine

1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt.

Mix ingredients until just incorporated.

Cut 8 hot dogs into 3 pieces each and stick each piece with a toothpick. Pat the hot dogs dry with a paper towel if they are wet so that the batter sticks to them.

Dip each piece into the batter and drop into 1 quart hot vegetable or canola oil (see my motto about frying at the end of the post). If your batter is too thick add 2 T. of milk.

To keep it easy, we just left the tooth picks in the hot dogs while they fried, then pulled them out when they were finished frying and had cooled.

The oil should be anywhere between 350-360 degrees. Use a good thermometer to keep the the oil from getting too hot/cool. I heat my oil on med-high and then turn it down to medium when it hits the desired temp.

Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.

Place mini corn dogs onto a platter with a layer of paper towels to dry off the excess oil.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauces.

***
When it comes to frying, my motto should be "If at first you don't succeed (meaning, you burn the outsides and the insides are doughy), try try again." I can't even tell you how many times I've botched up a recipe that need to be deep fried and it ended in the TRASH. SO frustrating! All fryers work differently, not all thermometers are the same. So just be patient and if it doesn't work the first time, just adjust your temps and try again! It does get better and now I think it's fun to fry foods for a fun treat!

***

The boys went to a fun little cooking class last year and they made all sorts of baked carnival foods. One of the things they made were corn dog muffins. You could use the same ingredients above and make a baked version if you'd prefer that to fried. Of course, the fried taste better, but the baked ones weren't bad and are kid friendly. My kids liked them. 

You just dice up the hot dogs and mix them in with your batter. Bake @400 degrees for 15-18 minutes in a greased muffin tin.

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2 Minute Scarf

I love scarves! They are so much fun and add color and style to any outfit. My kids have always worn scarves. They are so easy to make and require hardly any fabric so it just made sense to make them vs. buy them. I can't for the life of me knit or crochet, nor do I have the desire, which is probably why I haven't learned how! I just don't have the patience for that, but I have friends who can do that and don't know how I have the patience for sewing. So it all works out!

But I can cut...and that is all you need to be able to know how to do to make this fun little scarf. I cut a strip of fleece 5"x48" and cut the bottoms up 4" to create fringe. That was it!

A 2 minute scarf for about .25. Can't beat that! Go ahead and make 20 of them :)

Cherry Turnovers the Old Fashioned Way

Cherry turnovers are easier to make than you might think. And not just cherry, but any variety. YUM! I love pies and pastries. I prefer them to rich desserts and cakes, hands down. I remember making homemade puff pastry years ago and having great results.

 So I decided to try my hand at it again but had the hardest time finding a cherry turnover recipe that was from SCRATCH. Not using store bought puff pastry, bread stick dough, or crescent rolls. Those are tasty substitutions too, but just aren't the same. I never did find one so I searched for a puff pastry recipe since I no longer have the recipe book that I used last time.

 Thanks to Emeril, I found a recipe very similar and it worked out perfectly!

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe.
The recipe called for cake flour and all-purpose flour. I just used the all-purpose flour since it is what I had and it worked out perfectly.

Puff pastry is easy to make, but not QUICK. It takes time since it needs to be refrigerated in between rolling it out and folding it.  I made this on a day that I was home and doing laundry etc. I'd take a couple of minutes to roll my dough out, fold it, wrap it up in plastic wrap and stick it back in the refrigerator for an hour or two and then do it again, and again. It really was easy. I promise.

When the dough was done, I rolled it out 1/4" thick and cut it (using a pizza cutter) into 6-7" squares. I put a tablespoon of filling in the center, then folded the square in half to form a triangle. I dipped my finger in water and ran it along the seam and pressed to close. Then I brushed the tops with an egg wash (1 egg white with 2 T. water) and sprinkled with sugar.

I baked them @ 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden.

You have to try making pastries like this from scratch at least once to taste the difference. And believe me, it's there!

One batch of puff pastry dough and 1 can of "No Sugar Added" Cherry pie filling made 20 turnovers.

***

Homemade Puff Pastry

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, about 12 ounces
• 2/3 cup cake flour, about 2 ounces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter (3 1/4 sticks)
• 1 cup ice water, plus more as needed

Directions

Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Dice 6 tablespoons of the chilled butter, returning the remaining butter to the refrigerator to keep cold. Place the diced butter into the mixing bowl and using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend until the mixture forms a coarse meal, similar to a piecrust. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the water. Use a rubber spatula to gradually blend the water with the flour mixture, mixing just until a rough, sticky dough is formed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the remaining butter on a work surface, (a marble surface is ideal). Using a rolling pin or the heal of your hand, smash the butter into the surface until pliable, taking care not to over work the butter as it should stay chilled. Work butter into a 5-inch square.
Remove the rested dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle, being careful not to pull or tear the dough. (The dough mixture may still be very rough and tacky.) Place the butter square into the center of the circle and fold the edges of the dough over the butter, pressing to seal the edges. You should now have a square of butter wrapped in dough.
Using a rolling pin, roll the square into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle. (The dough may need to be pounded with the rolling pin several times to allow the butter to become more pliable.) Be careful not to tear the dough. Fold the rectangle 3 times as you would fold a business letter. Place the rectangle in front of you lengthwise and roll into another 16 by 8-inch rectangle. Fold again 3 times as you would a business letter and make 2 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled twice. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Return the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and repeat the process of rolling the dough into a rectangle, making 3 business-letter folds, 2 times. Make 4 small indentations into the dough to remind yourself that it has been rolled a total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If desired, dough can rest refrigerated for up to 2 days at this point.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 16 by 8-inch rectangle and fold 3 times, similar to a business letter. Repeat process and make 6 small indentations into the dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Now the pastry is ready to be rolled and used in the desired puff pastry recipe.

Little Baby Legs

 I love little baby legs. Especially these little baby legs! I'm not a big fan of waistbands on babies. Mine usually stick with onesie type outfits and sleepers. When Kaylee was a baby I purchased some little leg warmers for her. They were super cute and just coming into style. Then I discovered this tutorial for homemade ones. They were so quick and easy to make!

Target sells knee-high socks in all different styles for $2.50 and they are super fun colors and patterns. The ones that are pictured above are actually made from 2 differnet pairs of socks. I made a larger band of black around the top.  Her legs are so tiny that the store bought baby leg warmers don't stay on that great anyways. I could probably get a pair of leg warmers for her from just one sock, but I like using the pre-hemmed cuffs from the socks. It saves me time.

These homemade ones fit the bill perfectly. And she has quite the variety of them!

 So now when she is doing her little tummy time workouts, she'll be stylin and showing off those super cute little curves.

This picture makes me smile. She has a runny eye right now and a little congestion, but such a sweet little face!

Frozen Hot Cocoa

It seems as though we are kind of on a hot cocoa kick lately, and it is FUN!

There's nothing better than a nice glass of frozen hot chocolate (an oxymoron for ya!) to warm you up on this nice January day ;)

It's as simple as 3 ingredients.

Frozen Hot Cocoa

Gluesticks

***

1 c. milk

1 1/2 cups ice

1 packet of your favorite hot cocoa mix

or

1/3 c. homemade cocoa mix (see our link below to our cocoa bar centerpiece for a recipe)

***

Place all ingredients in a blender, pour into a glass, and top with your favorite garnish.

We still have lots of crushed candy canes, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, etc. in our cocoa bar centerpiece. 

The kids loaded theirs to the rim with treats.

I opted to keep it simple. A dollop of cream and a dusting of baking cocoa powder.

Ruffled Toddler Poncho

My mom called me the other day and told me about a little project that she made for her friend's daughter. She thought Kaylee would like it too. I agreed. It was a little no-sew fleece poncho that she found online. I told Kaylee about it and told her it was a little blanket for her shoulders. She was thrilled to go to Joann's and pick out some fabric for her new "shoulder blanket".

3/4 of a yard of fleece will make 2 of these. I didn't need 2 so I used the scraps to make her a little scarf.

 I cut out a square 27"x27". If you'd like to keep this a no-sew project, you can stop right there, but I thought I'd add a little ruffle. I cut a strip of fleece twice as long as the square and stitched through the center, pulling the end strings to scrunch it. Then pinned it to the fabric, stretching and adjusting as I went.

There was extra on the ends so I just trimmed that part off.

Then I folded it in half diagonally and made the hole for her head. This little bowl is 4" in diameter and was perfect. I just used it as my guide. You'll just need a semi-circle shape on the fold.

 Fleece is stretchy. It's better to start small and make the hole bigger if you need to later. If you made the ruffle, you can just back stitch a few stitches to keep the ends from unraveling after cutting the hole for the head.

There are several ways to finish the bottom. You can just leave it or cut it with pinking shears, or create a fringe. I just trimmed 2" up across the bottom to create a fringe. I didn't tie the ends, just left them like fringe.

And that was it!

It was so easy to make and only cost around $3 that I decided to make her 2. The one pictured, and another little black with white polka dot one.

The perfect little blanket for her shoulders.

Thanks for the idea Mom!

***My little gal is 38" tall. 3/4 yard of fleece is about 27" and is perfect for a little girl her size (3-4 years). You can adjust accordingly to fit your child. A yard would make a 30"+ one for an older girl***

Here is a collection of some of our favorite projects on Gluesticks. Thanks for looking!

Hot Cocoa Bar Centerpiece

 This little cocoa bar has been so much fun! And with 3 kids using it....messy too :) My friend, Theresa, made one and I was inspired to do one too. It looks so festive on our table that I am going to leave it up all month. It is the PERFECT centerpiece for these winter months!

We use homemade cocoa mix.

 
5 1/2 c. powdered milk
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/4 c. baking cocoa
1 c. dry non dairy creamer
Mix and store in an airtight container.

To serve mix 1 c. boiling water with 1/3 c. dry mix.

 Toppings! Chocolate chips, broken candy canes and micro marshmallows. Not mini...micro. They are so tiny and fun! My friend got us a bag of these from a local Amish market. They are perfect for cocoa!

 Chocolate dipped spoons. These are super easy to make. I use the big bars of melting  Ghirardelli chocolate that you can get at Sam's Club. I dip the spoons so that both the front and back are covered, and then dip them again, scooping up the chocolate into the spoon so that the bowl of the spoon is full. Then I lay them on waxed paper, add sprinkles and let dry.

The kids crack me up when they put their cocoa together. They don't just use one topping, they usually feel the need to use a little of ALL of them. Peppermint, Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cocoa. Yum. We'll have to sell that idea to Starbucks ;)