DIY: Homemade Mini Pop Tarts! YUM!

Okay, these mini pop tarts look amazing! Since I am not the baker of the household, my hubby is going to give these a whirl tonight for "dessert". MMMM Very excited, since I'm a sweets fanatic!

You can fill yours with whatever filling you choose, switch it up, mix it up! All I know is they look sooo tasty!

Here's what you need:

Poptarts
1 cup of fresh fruit, sliced or diced
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of extract - vanilla or almond
1 package of prepared pie crusts

Wooden Popsicles

Glaze1 cup of powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
Sprinkles and Food Colouring (Optional)

Here's what you do: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract in a small saucepan and heat on the stove over medium heat until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. 

Unroll pie crusts and using a pizza cutter to slice them into 1 1/2″x 2″ rectangles. Use a butter knife to score your pie crust before cutting. 

Place a  popscicle stick on top of one of the cut rectangles and then carefully spoon a small amount (about 1 1/2 tsp.) of your cooled fruit filling into the center of the pie square. Place a second rectangle over the top of the cherry filling and press the edges of the rectangles closed together with a fork.  

Place your poptarts on a baking sheet and bake poptarts for 8-10 minutes, or just until the edges begin to brown. 

Now for the glaze! 

Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Place a few drops of food colouring if you like and spoon over cooled poptart pops, sprinkle with colored sugar and sprinkles and allow to the glaze to harden slightly before serving.

Hand them out to the kids and ENJOY!! These are perfect for a little ones birthday!! Or... if you are like me and just LOVE sweets!! 

xOx

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DIY: Microwave Potato Chips... Mmm Mmm MMM!!

Well, I honestly never thought chips made in a microwave could possibly be better than those from a store, but was I ever WRONG! I love getting kettle chips at The Worx when we go there for supper and was excited to learn that it was super easy and quick to make them at home!! If you know me well, you know that I LOVE chips and it's no problem for me to eat a whole BIG bag in one setting.

This quick and simple trick will have you making your own tasty chips all the time!

Wash your potato (or however many you choose to make) and slice it with a potato slicer. If you don't have a slicer, it's okay, you can use a knife. Just make sure to slice the pieces really thin. If they are thick they won't cook and crisp right. You pretty much want to see through them, very flimsy!

Lay the slices out on a paper towel and pat them dry with another paper towel. I just take the other paper towel and lay it flat over top and press lightly.

They say to spice them up after they come out of the microwave, but I find the spices and salt sticks better when they are still moist before going in the microwave. So grab your salt and/or spices of choice and sprinkle some seasoning on them! Place the slices on parchment paper or on a glass plate.

Throw the plate in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes, depending how good your microwave is. Check to make sure they are crispy and cooked and take them out to cool. Let them stand for 5 minutes, take them off the plate, throw them in a bowl and enjoy your HEALTHY snack!!

I know I am. Heck, I made 1 potato then went back 20 minutes later and made another one... And let me tell ya, these weren't the smallest potatoes. hehehe. Enjoy!

xOx

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Make your Dog Some Treats! The How To!

If you are as big as puppy lover than I am.. then ahem, this DIY is for you!! Just think, you love baking cookies for your loved ones right? Well, who do you love more than your puppy? .... lol

Anyways, these bad boys are really quite easy to make. If you are really in the loving mood, dress them right up and make them real fancy and full of love!! This seems to be the easiest recipe that I have come across.

What's in em':
2 Cups 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour/Rolled Oats/Wheat Germ - Or a Mixture of all previous ingred.
2 Jars of Pureed Baby Food (4oz Jars)

*You can use any flavour of baby food you want... or what you think your puppy will want... from chicken to apple, or beef, or potato.. even throw in some peanut butter!! Stay away from onion/onion powder and artificial flavours.

What you'll do:
Preheat your  oven to 350°F.

Mix all of your ingredients together to form a stiff dough. You might have to add extra flour or water. 
Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough until it's about a 1/4 inch thick. Once your dough is ready grab your cookie cutters and start cutting out some cookies! Use a variety of shapes or make a pan and cut them into squares or make them into balls! If you know your dog likes fruit and you have some in the fridge that you don't think you will eat, maybe include that in their treats!! 

Make them with LOVE!!

Line a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper or grease the pan. Place your treats on the tray about 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes allowing them to cool completely on the counter before storing them in a paper bag. The paper bag will increase the crispiness and harden the treats! If your treats end up soft, don't worry, they are still edible!!


xOx

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Fresh Fruit and Juice or Lemonade Popsicles! Perfect Summer Treat!

These Fresh Fruit and Juice Popsicles are perfect for a healthy summer treat - For you or the kids!

Making your own Popsicles is probably one of the easiest snacks to make... and one of the yummiest!


This will make 6 Scrumptious Popsicles:
2 cups fruit juice or lemonade
variety of fresh fruits (I like to use strawberry, kiwi, peaches & blueberries)
Popsicle molds

Place your variation of fresh fruit into each of your popsicle molds.  Pour juice or lemonade into each mold, making sure the fruit is covered, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top.  If your molds have lids, place on and freeze overnight... or for at least 5 hours.

Once ready to eat, run under warm water so the lid comes off nicely and ENJOY!! :)

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