Kid Friendly Archives - Crumbs and Chaos

Valentine’s Day Wafer Cookies

February 12, 2015 By Megan@CrumbsandChaos Leave a Comment

In a recent browse around pinterest I ran across these adorable Valentine’s Day themed cookies. Not only were they cute, they looked incredibly easy! Which is what I was looking for! I bought the strawberry wafers and used vanilla almond bark for dipping and Valentine’s themed sprinkles. They were a huge hit and to be honest, you could use the vanilla or chocolate wafers and go in any direction for a birthday party or class treat, any time of the year! These are sweet and sugary and full of all the love you need on Valentine’s Day. Few ingredients and little prep make these a great last minute treat that is sure to win their heart!…

Ravioli Lasagna

February 11, 2015 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos Leave a Comment

Looking for a delectable dinner? Ravioli Lasagna is easier to make that traditional lasagna and just as delicious!

Last summer I came upon a recipe for Ravioli Lasagna, seemingly so simple…it was definitely worth a try instead of the usual laborious task of lasagna assembly. It was indeed well loved by {most of} our family and continues to appear in the meal planning rotation around these parts.

What I love about this dish? It feeds a crowd, is total comfort food and the leftovers are great if you’re not actually feeding a crowd in one night. Win-win! You still need to bake this for almost an hour, but the good news is assembling it is actually a breeze and you can put it together ahead of time and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. And moms everywhere rejoiced because dinner was so easy and delicious!

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Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn {+ a Party Popcorn giveaway}

January 28, 2015 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos 16 Comments

Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn | Crumbs and Chaos

Sweet and sticky, Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn is ready to make an appearance for so many occasions…holidays, game day, movie night, girls night in…the list could go on and on.

With the exception of my youngest, we are a popcorn loving family. Our favorite way to enjoy air popped popcorn? With salt and equal parts melted butter and coconut oil…it’s amazing! There are times, however, that we need to think outside the bowl for a crunchy popcorn treat. Enter Party Popcorn, a book all about popcorn written by Ashton of Something Swanky.

You guys, this book is a complete resource. There is seriously something for everyone…nacho cheese doritos popcorn, german chocolate cake popcorn, basil garlic popcorn, peanut brittle popcorn. Gourmet varieties that you can make at home in your very own kitchen. The instructions for each recipe are easy to understand and follow. There’s also a chapter for the little ones…Strawberry Fizz Popcorn, anyone?

Today I’m sharing the recipe for Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn, which in the book is made with M&Ms, but I wanted to make it a little more seasonal so I switched those out for conversation hearts for a yummy twist. You can store this for up to a day, it may or may not have lasted that long at my house…I’m not telling

Join us!

4.5 from 2 reviews

Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn

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Ingredients

8 cups POPPED POPCORN
4 cups MINI MARSHMALLOWS
3 Tablespoons BUTTER
1 drop RED or PINK FOOD COLORING (optional)
½ - 1 cup VALENTINE CONVERSATION HEARTS*

Instructions

Place popcorn in a large bowl and make sure to take out all of the unpopped kernels.
In a large microwave safe bowl, heat marshmallows and butter for 1 minute on medium power. Stir to combine. Heat in additional 30 seconds increments until fully melted and smooth.
Add food coloring to marshmallow mixture and stir to combine. Pour over popcorn and add candies. Stir to coat as completely as possible. Serve right away.

Notes

*If fruity conversation hearts aren't your thing, use your favorite candies (such as M&Ms)

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Party Popcorn by Ashton Swank

Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn | Crumbs and Chaos

You can win your own copy of Party Popcorn, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to enjoy popcorn – are you a classic butter and salt popcorn eater or do you go for something more adventurous?

Giveaway will end Wednesday, February 4 at midnight EST. Winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email, if they haven’t responded within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Prize is provided and fulfilled by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I was not compensated for this post, all opinions are my very own.

Taco Popcorn

January 22, 2015 By Megan@CrumbsandChaos Leave a Comment

Continuing with our popcorn recipes, I knew that I needed to even it out with a savory flavor. Beyond the usual buttered popcorn, I hadn’t tried many savory flavors. Recently in my quest to find some family favorites I came across this Taco Popcorn. I also had a Buffalo Parmesan Ranch, who’s flavor I loved but the addition of the parmesan cheese at the end made for a soggy popcorn texture. But this Taco Popcorn had the same amount of punch as far as flavor is concerned but retained more of the crunchy texture I love. AND on top of that it is SO SO SO SO easy! Just melt the butter, stir in taco seasoning, pour over popcorn, and EAT! Did I mention how easy it is???

Taco Popcorn

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Ingredients

12 cups freshly popped POPCORN*
6 Tablespoons BUTTER
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought, I used Cheesy Taco by McCormick)

Instructions

Melt butter in a small pan. Stir in taco seasoning, mixing until combined. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. ENJOY!

*For instructions on popping popcorn on the stove, check out this post.

Recipe Source: Gimme Some Oven

Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars

January 14, 2015 By Megan@CrumbsandChaos 1 Comment

So a few weeks before Christmas, my oven broke! YES, I know it definitely stinks! Especially right before I had planned to do all of my annual Christmas baking. But we’ve made due with a stove top and a toaster oven for almost A MONTH! Of course there have been days when I mentally prepare for dinner, then realize that I can’t make it because I can’t bake it. And most obviously I miss baked goods! So since we still haven’t gotten our oven fixed, I went in search of NO BAKE SNACKS. One of the more popular items are granola bars. We’ve tried making them a few different times and have had mixed results. Sometimes they are super delicious and the perfect texture, but they are loaded with corn syrup and other junk. OR they have a bunch of healthy ingredients but don’t taste great or they fall apart the moment they’re touched.

I originally picked this recipe because it used cashews. I just happened to have a container of cashews on hand and I had never tried making granola bars with them. They were a great mix of nutty and fruity, just like the perfect trail mix. With the mix of peanut butter and honey they texture is thick and holds together nicely without being crumbly. I think a crucial part of achieving that was the fact that they have you melt the peanut butter. I had never done that when making these types of snacks but found that it mixed so much better. It does take a little longer for them to set-up but, to me, is well worth it.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Peanut Butter Trail Mix Bars

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Ingredients

⅔ cup whole ALMONDS
⅔ cup whole CASHEWS
1½ cup old fashioned OATS
½ cup MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS
⅓ cup DRIED CRANBERRIES or RAISINS
½ cup HONEY
1 cup creamy PEANUT BUTTER, melted

Instructions

Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Leave extra on the sides to use as handles for removing the bars when they are finished. Set aside.
In a food processor, chop the almonds and cashews into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and cranberries. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Melt peanut butter and honey in a small bowl and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix until each bit is fully coated, using your hands if necessary. Scoop the mixture into prepared baking dish and press firmly until the tops are completely even. Place bars into the refrigerator to set up for at least an hour.

Recipe Source: Sally’s Baking Addiction

OTHER GRANOLA SNACKS WE LOVE:

Basic Granola

Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars

Snickerdoodle Granola Bars

Peanut Butter Granola

Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

5 Cheese Stovetop Mac ‘n’ Cheese

December 3, 2014 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos

5 Cheese Stovetop Mac and Cheese | Crumbs and Chaos

I am a collector of a few different things – kitchen gadgets, mason jars and vintage Pyrex. I also have quite the collection of cookbooks (what food blogger doesn’t?!). But seriously, I read them like novels and love soaking up extra tidbits of info and drooling over gorgeous food photos.

I recently enjoyed the chance to peruse and cook from Back Around the Table: An “In the Kitchen with David” Cookbook from QVC’s Resident Foodie. You guys, it’s one gorgeous book. Full of approachable and family friendly recipes, this book by David Venable is packed with dishes I can’t wait to make. From appetizers to sweets and an entire chapters dedicated to pressure cooking and slow cooking, Back Around The Table has something for everyone….

Turtles & Tiaras — A Combination Birthday Celebration

December 1, 2014 By Megan@CrumbsandChaos 1 Comment

Last October, we were blessed with our baby girl! She was born 1 day before her older brother’s 3rd birthday. We knew their birthdays would be close, we just didn’t know how close. Of course it was exciting for all of us and fun knowing that they will forever have a birthday buddy. But it also meant that we would have to be a little more creative with birthday parties. Not only two ages, but also the gender difference. The first thing that came to mind was to do a Pirates & Princesses. But he wasn’t really that interested in pirates. So when he all but insisted on having a Ninja Turtles party, my brain got to work. The final result was TURLTES & TIARAS! Of course finding an invite that incorporated both of these things was near impossible. So I created my own with a turtle mask on one side (in orange, because Mikey is our FAVORITE!) and a tiara with jewels on the other side.

A couple things that both themes shared were the sugar cookies that were from a local bakery. Half of them were decorated with the Ninja Turtles and the other half had a pink tiara on them. I also bought a Ninja Turtle coloring book and a Princess coloring book at the dollar store. Set out with crayons, the kids LOVED coloring. But the other details we split between the two themes.

TURTLES

For dinner we went with a must have Ninja Turtle entree, PIZZA of course! It’s easy and quick and loved by all!
I made Ninja Turtle Jello Cups by pouring green jello 3/4 of the way full in 8 clear plastic cups. Once set, I made orange, purple, blue, and red jello and poured about 1/2″ on top of the green to represent their masks. Making 2 of each character.
I put together 4 candy bowls, filled with green candy. Then wrapped each with a piece of colored fabric to represent each turtle. It was kind of a difficult task to find green candy that is sold independently without other colors. Of course there are places you can order it from but that gets very pricey! I ended up using Mint M&M’s, Spearmint Leaves (which are kind of like gumdrops), Sour Punch Straw Bites, and Caramel Apple Twizzlers.

TIARAS

You can’t have a birthday party without some sort of cake (IN MY OPINION)! So, I made Neapolitan Cupcakes. I used a mini cupcake pan. Layered chocolate cake, vanilla cake, and topped it with THE BEST Strawberry Buttercream Frosting I’ve ever had. They were adorable and an absolutely perfect fit for the princess theme.
For all of our princess guests we had rings, necklaces, and bracelets. They were bought at the dollar store and perfect for picking out, trading, dressing up, and even gettting a little cake on.
My favorite thing was the tiaras! I knew I wanted a tiara for Addison, and looked around town and online without much luck. When it dawned on me that I could make it, I dove right in! With a few trial and errors, I finally came up with one that I loved. Then decided to make them for all the girls at the party. Each one was different and they loved them. I expected them to wear them but was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t take them off. They were a huge hit and much cuter (and more comfortable) then the hard plastic ones you can get at the store! *

*To get your own handmade tiara, visit my etsy shop, Circa86

Some of our other favorite birthday party ideas:

ELMO BIRTHDAY PARTY

TRAIN BIRTHDAY PARTY

RUBBER DUCKY BIRTHDAY PARTY

SPIDERMAN BIRTHDAY PARTY

SNOWFLAKE BIRTHDAY

DUPLO BIRTHDAY PARTY

White Chocolate Pumpkin Rice Krispies Treats

October 16, 2014 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos 1 Comment

Festive and delicious, today’s recipe is brought to you as part of an ongoing partnership with Kraft.

Ahhhh, fall is in the air! My absolute favorite season – I love everything about it…the weather, the leaves, the wardrobe, the food and the holidays. We love heading out each fall to the local pumpkin patch to enjoy the festivities there – the hay rack rides, kid’s play area and apple cider slushies. Every year we also host a pumpkin carving party complete with food and activities for the kids. My kids look forward to this party each year….

Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbread

October 13, 2014 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos 8 Comments

A quick and delicious appetizer or light dinner dish, Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbread is a total crowd pleaser!

You guys, we are in the middle of packing our house to move…that means I’m writing this post at my dining room table while sitting next to a juicer, other randomness that came off of the top of the fridge and 3 frothing pitchers, among other things. I’m doing my best to focus on the prize at the end of the challenge called moving – a new home sweet home for this sweet family of mine. We’ll get there, heck, I’m optimistic after yesterday – we actually already cleaned the fridge out completely {that’s never happened in all of our 10 moves – #notmyfavoritetask}.

So about this Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbread…it’s the right combination of all of the good stuff – bacon, cheddar cheese and dill pickles all on a thin flatbread crust. So many things that I love, putting them all together in small amounts on a flatbread is the way to go. All the goodness of that huge bacon cheeseburger in a smaller dose. Add a side salad and dinner is served

I’m joining Rachel and the Fabulous Flatbread challenge and so can you! You can get all of the challenge details on Rachel Cooks, get the deets on prizes and link up your own fabulous flatbread recipe!

Join us!

Bacon Cheeseburger Flatbread

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Serves: 4 flatbreads

Ingredients

1 lb. PIZZA DOUGH
OLIVE OIL
½ lb. GROUND BEEF
½ Tablespoon KETCHUP
½ Tablespoon YELLOW MUSTARD
½ teaspoon SEASONED SALT
¼ teaspoon PEPPER
¼ teaspoon GRANULATED GARLIC (or garlic powder)
4 pieces CRISP COOKED BACON, chopped
4 oz. SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE, shredded
DILL PICKLES, chopped
2 Tablespoons MAYONNAISE
2 Tablespoons SOUR CREAM
2 teaspoons HOT SAUCE (I used Frank's Red Hot)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Brown ground beef and drain any grease.
Add ketchup, mustard, seasoned salt, pepper and garlic. Stir to combine and set aside.
Divide pizza dough into 4 pieces. Roll out one piece into a oval/rectangle. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Drizzle dough with about a teaspoon of olive oil and brush to the edges. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven.
Divide meat mixture and distribute evenly over each flatbread. Top with chopped bacon and cheddar cheese. Return to the oven for 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Cut into pieces. Top with chopped pickles and drizzle with sauce.

To make sauce:

Combine mayo, sour cream and hot sauce.

10 Snack Time Favorites

September 29, 2014 By Becca@CrumbsandChaos 83 Comments

10 Snack Time Favorites on www.crumbsandchaos.net

Growing up, I remember my dad taking my sisters and me to Sam’s Club pretty much weekly. We rode on the flat bed cart and sampled to our heart’s content. One of the snacks my dad bought often was a warehouse club-sized box of Bagel Bites. We all loved popping them in the toaster oven for a quick afternoon snack.

Some things remain the same from generation to generation… the need to snack is definitely one of those things. Especially for my four homeschooled kids, who claim they are hungry every other hour throughout the day. Having a balanced snack arsenal is an important part of our day-to-day routine because it’s hard to learn and have a good attitude when you’re hungry.

10 Snack Time Favorites on www.crumbsandchaos.net

I like to keep a variety of snacks on hand. Fresh fruit or veggies are nice because they don’t take any prep at all. But on days when I have more time, it’s nice to change things up and make Bagel Bites in the oven or microwave. My kids enjoy their hot, cheesy pizza goodness. Having quality snacks in the pantry and fridge makes it easier to offer tasty, good for you snacks on a regular basis. I encourage you to keep a list like the one below to make life easy when you’re planning your weekly grocery run.

10 Snack Time Favorites on www.crumbsandchaos.net

Bagel Bites – a baked snack that’s easy to prepare and ready in just minutes! Made using real cheese, made-from-scratch tomato sauce, and bagel dough freshly prepared every day on site, Bagel Bites are a fun, convenient snack.

Fresh fruit – Apples, grapes, bananas, whatever is in season

Pretzels or crackers

Popcorn – we love to drizzle air popped popcorn with equal parts melted butter and coconut oil and then lightly salt it

Carrot chips/sliced bell peppers with hummus – store bought or make your own (try this spinach artichoke version from Shugary Sweets)

10 Snack Time Favorites on www.crumbsandchaos.net

Strawberry Lime Smoothies – delicious and refreshing

Muffins – we’re a little partial to Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, especially this time of year!

Basic Granola – so good on its own or with yogurt

Cookies – sometimes you need a little sweet treat and you can whip Caramel Blossoms up while you’re waiting for the bus

Granola Bars – are ideal for taking on the go, No Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars are kid pleasing!

Grab yourself a coupon for Bagel Bites here!

You can win your own copy of Party Popcorn, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite way to enjoy popcorn – are you a classic butter and salt popcorn eater or do you go for something more adventurous?

Leave a comment telling me your favorite snack to be entered to win a $100 Visa Gift Card provided by Bagel Bites!