Create-A-Cookie

Do you feel that baking cookie cutouts with your child is too much work?

Better Homes and Gardens and Parents magazine have the solution: The virtual cookie .

Just follow the steps and your child will decorate their very own cookie without the fuss or mess. I still prefer the old fashioned way of spending time with your child and sharing in your yummy efforts. If you just don't have the time or energy, this may satisfy your little baker. At least until the taste test!

Enjoy!

Happy Homemade Cookies Day

Happy Homemade Cookies Day!

Celebrate by baking up some traditions, straight from family recipe books:

Polish Cookie Cutouts (flakier and tangier)

Ingredients:
1 lb. butter ( I never promised low-fat)
3 cups Flour
3 Tablespoons vinegar (white)
5 Tablespoons water

Mix together butter and flour. Add the vinegar and water. Separate batter into 2 sections and refridgerate overnite for at least a few hours. Roll out each section to 1/8 inch. Cut into squares or cute cutout shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cookie stops bubbling and is light brown. Frost with smooth/cookie icing is best. Makes about 5 dozen.

New spin on cookie cutouts: stick on cookie tattoos to your finished product. Just cut around the edible picture, freeze, peel and stick onto any frosted cookie to create a one-of-kind cookie design.

Not enough time for cookie cutouts?

Try these easy Peanut Butter Squares

Ingredients:
1 - 28 oz jar crunchy peanut butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

12 ounces of chocolate morsels
1/2 cup of butter
1 1/2 teaspoon of water

Mix with hands (great for kids to help with). Press into a small cookie sheets (13x9). Melt the chocolate morsels and butter in a double broiler (sauce pan filled 1/4 of the way with water and glass bowl placed over top of water - place on stove on high, water will begin boiling under glass bowl). Add water and spread on top of peanut butter mixture. Chill in refrigerator and cut into squares.

The ABC's of baking cookies

Did you know that most children loose about 30% or more of what they learned during summer?

Only 3 more weeks of summer vacationing, then back to school. For young readers, a fun way to get back in the "swing" of things is to re-introduce sight words through fun and inventive techniques. Cookie cutters, shaped in the letters of the alphabet, are a great way to ignite interest. Sold individually(through Press Dough), kindergartners and 1st graders have fun using letter shaped cookie cutters to spell, decorate cookies, and work on projects (dip in fingerpaint for letter impression).

For an additional teaching opportunity, get the children measuring, mixing, and rolling out cookie dough for that arithmetic advantage. A connection between academics and real life begin to make more sense and will engage children in understanding why they need education. It is an effective way to get your child on the right path in realizing the importance of studying and school work.

Teachers:

Alphabet/lettered cookie cutters will keep the child engaged. Use for child assessments or as a visual for handwriting, particularly students who may need extra tools and/or techniques (i.e. special needs, autistic students). Handwriting without tears is a method used in many school districts to give students a breakdown of each letter. For some students a visual support is necessary. Letters made of cookie cutters can change things up a bit and may actually get the student(s) more focused on the task at "hand".

Kids involvement in tag sales = Profits (No Kidding!)

Our tag sale has come and gone.

The rain held out for most of the morning, kids had fun with their baked goods/lemonade stand, and my hubby was in his merchandising glory (he loves doing this...don't ask me why). In light of our experience, I've come up with some tag sale tips I hope you find useful.
Tip #1
Get your kids involved!
Set up a lemonade or baked goods stand for your kids. This will give them a little entrepreneurial spirit and the money they will make...OMG! It is amazing how someone will haggle over a $.50 item with you, but will so easily give that same $.50 to an adorable child selling lemonade/cookie.
Tip #2
Rise and Shine Early
Get the stuff out there early. Forget the "NO EARLY BIRDS!" posting in the paper. Do you want to sell your stuff or not? Most professional tag sale'rs come early. Deal with it. Grab a cup of joe and start selling.
Tip #3
Merchandise as best you can.
This area I left up to my husband because he genuinely loves it. He continues to move and re-position throughout the day. It matters where things are set up. A lot of times, there are just drive-bye's. Make sure the targeted items and/or great looking ones are easily visible.
Tip #4
What are great sellers you ask?
Don't take this to the bank, but we've found that people seek out: cd's, dvds, decent handbags, toys...children's sleds are NOT high ticket items:)
Tip #5
Price right!
I can't stress this enough. You will not get rich off of a tag sale. Your goal is to make a little cash from items that you would probably give to charity anyway. Most people will not pay more than $5, maybe $10 for something astronomically great. If you are selling furniture or antiques, don't call it a tag sale, call it an estate sale or moving sale.
Tip #6
Focus...
Try to stick to the point of purging out the old. We did this somewhat successfully until a lady bought some of our stuff and saw that she had some junk (of her own)that she was going to give to charity in her trunk. Guess who got the junk? She was very sweet though.
Tip #7
Price items
Price individually (labels or colored coded) or set up tables that are generic (i.e. One dollar table, 2 for $3 table etc.). People don't like to ask. I must admit that this tip, we did not follow. My husband was the price police and priced an item on the fly. I don't recommend this method.
Tip #8
Buy (or make) signs and place in populated areas
We don't recommend placing an ad in the paper. We posted on craigslist and strategically placed signs in high traffic stations/corners. Make sure that your sign is clear and concise. Arrows directing buyers to the sale is a plus. No need to spend extra money. People drive around just looking for the signs.

Happy Father's Day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!