Momma's little fool...

Oh boy, this momma had a little fun this April Fool's Day.  At the suggestion of a fun little activity calendar, I decided to make "cupcakes" for dinner.  My kids were so excited when they saw a single cupcake stand filled with yummy cupcakes for dinner.  They kept asking, "We get to eat these for dinner?"  Little did they know that they were actually meatloaf cupcakes topped with mashed potato icing and a cherry tomato on top.  They were absolutely disgusted with me when they took a first bite.  Needless to say, they weren't too happy but it was a fun little tease for April Fool's Day!

I used this recipe to make the meatloaf cupcakes.  They were actually quite tasty after everyone got over the fact that they weren't traditional cupcakes. 

Egg Nest Cookies

These are a fun and super simple little treat for Easter or any springtime occasion.  I made my batch with my 2-year-old and it was incredibly easy with good results.  We used Martha Stewart's Almond Coconut Macaroon recipe and then added M&M chocolate eggs to the center once the cookies were cool.

Almond Coconut Macaroons

via Martha Stewart

(we added M&M chocolate eggs to the center)

Makes 8 bird nests

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg white

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

(we used sweetened because our store didn't carry unsweetened)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of coarse salt

Whisk together the egg whites and sugar and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Make 8 mounds and be sure to press down a little bit in the center of each to form a nest for your eggs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Cool.  Add chocolate eggs or jellybeans.

ladylike

This morning I dressed her up for spring pictures at preschool which are exceptionally cute at this age.  Last fall, she refused to participate in picture day at preschool.  As she sat on the front step waiting for our carpool, I reminded her that she should always sit with her knees together when she has a dress on.  She took that advice very seriously and focused for about 10 minutes on sitting properly with her little knees tucked up tightly together. We will see how the spring pictures go this time around...