One of the BEST Appetizers You'll Ever Make!

Alligator Eyes, Pickle Pinwheels, Pickle Things...whatever you choose to call them just know they are very delicious!

I dare you after making these to eat just one!

I've been making these yummy treats for over 15 years now. I've perfected the art of making them. This is the number one food I'm requested to take to family get-togethers and it's the first dish to be gone!

Here is the important part...after so many years of making these I've found the best brands that go well together to make these the best they can be. You can try making them using other brands but once you have them this way you'll never go back!

Ingredients:
* Budding Original pastrami (2 oz package). I usually buy these on sale for around 50-69 cents and freeze them. When I'm needing to make them I pop them out of the freezer and into the refrigerator the night before I make them.
* Claussen Kosher Dill Mini pickles (always chilled - you'll find it in the refrigerator in the pickle section).
* 2 (8 oz) packages of Cream Cheese. This one you can use any brand you want.

Directions:
1. Place pastrami flat on a plate, platter, or cutting board. NOTE: If you previously froze your pastrami you may want to use a paper towel and pat them dry as they get a little slippery while thawing. 
2. Spread cream cheese thinly over the pastrami. NOTE: Keep the cream cheese chilled until using...it "spreads" better when cold!.
3. Arrange a dill pickle on one end of the pastrami and roll it up.
4. Place a 2nd piece of pastrami flat on a plate, platter, or cutting board and repeat steps 2 and 3.
5. Refrigerate in a covered container for 30 minutes or more. NOTE: you can refrigerate these overnight...they will still taste the same! This is how I usually make them!
6. Cut "pickle things" into appetizer size pieces and place on a serving dish (see picture above). NOTE: I cut the ends off and leave them behind at home as a nice treat for myself and my husband as they will be eaten fast at the party....Sometimes I do not even get one at the party so it's nice to have a few when I come home later!
7. Enjoy the deliciousness and enjoy seeing how quickly these are devoured! 

At first it can seem time consuming to make these but once you've perfected making them it will go much faster! Remember they do not have to be perfect! 

A Good Reminder

This is a good reminder why I keep all non-washable and permanent markers up high or locked up in our house.

I stepped away with my infant son to change his diaper for only three minutes. My daughter said she had to go to the bathroom...she has been going to the bathroom for four months now alone so I didn't think anything of it. 

After I finished up with my son, I headed to the kitchen to jot down a quick item on our shopping list. My daughter walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen looking like this...

When I saw her I asked her what happened and her replay was "Nothing!"  but the evidence was written.... or should I say scribbled... all over her face! She then informed me that she "painted" the bathroom too!

This is what I discovered in the bathroom....a nice "painting" on the counter.....

...and the toilet seat... 

....and the toilet paper still on the roll and a towel! Thankfully it was just washable! 

After some baby wipes and a wet washcloth all was good again!

If she ever wants to audition for an upcoming smurf movie I know just the makeup she should use!

Easter 2014

We had a blast celebrating the fun side of Easter this past weekend with lots of Easter Bunnies, lots of family time, and lots of excitement!

I do not believe in paying to see the Easter Bunny when there are so many free places you can go to see the bunny. Two of our outings to spot the Easter bunny were planned....and two were not. Yes that is right we wound up seeing four Easter Bunnies all on Saturday and all for free!

Here is my youngest cuddling up with the first Easter Bunny. This was at Four Star Drug (north of 53rd & Old Cheney Road). An employee handed us a fortune cookie to break open and eat while in the store. Inside was a coupon good for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more. Since our son's birthday is less than one month away I found a cute Melissa and Doug train set (his party is train themed) for $19.99 plus tax....so a super deal with the $5 off! So I knocked out two birds with one stone by visiting the Easter Bunny and getting my son a birthday present at discount!

Here I am holding my three-year-old daughter for the picture. She decided she was scared of the Easter Bunny so would not sit on her lap. Our eleven-month-old son was having a great time! Look at the smile on his face! After we were done getting our pictures taken ..... for free with our own camera... another employee handed each child a small bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans!

Next we headed to SouthPointe Mall to see their Easter Bunny. There was only one other family in front of us. So we only had to wait 2-3 minutes. It was a beautiful 70 degree day so it made it even better. Again this bunny was free we just had to bring our own camera. When the kids were done another lady handed us a treat for each child which included: a plastic cup, a small bag of skittles, a coupon to the Children's Place store, a coupon for a free kids meal at Chili's with an adult entree purchase, and a coupon for a free ice cream at Cold Stone with an adult purchase. Pretty good for free! Next we headed into Barnes and Noble to purchase a book I'd placed on hold at the front desk for Tyler's grandmother's birthday. 

 

After Audrey played for about 15 minutes at the train table in the children's area at Barnes and Noble we headed to the Wilderness Park day camp area (1st & Calvert) for their "Easter Egg Hunt" as advertised online. This is where we saw our 3rd Easter Bunny. This event was a bit of a disappointment....it might get better but this was their first year doing it and they did not plan for such a large turnout.  

Below is Audrey with her new free plant she got at the Wilderness Park event.

As we were headed home I got on Facebook on my phone and discovered that the Penguin Pit Stop (one of our favorite places to visit with the kids) had the Easter Bunny there from 2-4pm and their yummy pineapple whip available. It was 2:20pm at this point so we decided to head there. After a hot past two hours at Wilderness Park (it was now in the 80's) pineapple whip and shaved ice sounded delicious! As we pulled into the parking lot to the Meadowlane Shopping Center we were greeted with a big wave by our 4th Easter Bunny for the day. He gave the kids each an Easter egg which contained a few small pieces of chocolate and a coupon for 75 cents off a shaved ice...Score!! 

Pictured below is my husband and son enjoying some pineapple whip!

Below is my daughter, Audrey, enjoying a large tutti fruitti shaved ice!

 Here is a picture of the kids with the Easter Bunny. 

 

Next it was time to head home and get some house work done. After our housework was semi-done we headed out front for a traditional Easter egg hunt.

That evening before bed was our traditional coloring of the Easter eggs. Using the cups I've saved up every year and the dye tablets I bought for 20 cents after Easter last year.

Here is Audrey putting stickers on her eggs.

Our beautifully colored Easter eggs!

The next morning the kids awoke to find the Easter Bunny had visited and left behind Easter baskets for the kids.

Audrey received four new shirts (I rolled them up) bought on the clearance rack at Target for around $2 each, a princess Pez dispenser (her 1st ever), playdough bought with a coupon making a four pack just around $1, and a purple princess headband tiara bought in the dollar bin at Target.

Hunter received the Croods BlueRay Movie purchased for $7 on Black Friday, playdough, water paint purchased for 7 cents on clearance and with a coupon at Target, Gerber infant/toddler snacks also purchased on sale, and his 1st Pez dispenser.

After the kids opened their Easter baskets we got dressed in our Sunday best and headed to Tyler's sister's home to celebrate with his side of the family. Following the morning and early afternoon celebrating with them we headed to my side of the family's celebration. Below are the cupcakes I made for the celebrations.

Ingredients for the Robin's Egg Cupcakes included:
* 1 box cake mix (use the ingredients labeled on the box and follow the directions on the box for making/baking)
* Cupcake liners (I pick these up all year long in dollar bins or on clearance after a holiday)
* Homemade frosting .... 1/3 cup soft butter, 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk. Blend/beat ingredients together until smooth.
* Chocolate ... using a knife or mandolin to shave into pieces
* Robins egg candy 

Ingredients for the M&M Carrot Cupcakes included:
* 1 box cake mix (use the ingredients labeled on the box and follow the directions on the box for making/baking)
* Cupcake liners
* Homemade frosting .... 1/3 cup soft butter, 3 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk. Blead/beat ingredients together until smooth.
* Orange and green M&M's

The cupcake were delicious! If I had more time next time I would pipe on the frosting instead of just spreading it on. But with so much going on I did not have much time.

DIY Quick and Easy Puzzle

My daughter loves puzzles and she loves to match objects to similar ones.

I made this quick and easy DIY puzzle for her. I took objects familiar to her....in this case her "Handy Manny" toolbox tools and traced around them with a marker on a piece of white printer paper. I then laminated it. It was that simple and easy. She loves it an plays with it often.

Even my eleven month old son places the tools on the paper....at this age he doesn't know to match up the pieces but after watching his sister place the tools on numerous times he's figured that part out!

If your child is older he or she can help find objects and even help you trace them!