When I was little, my mom used to keep a big bag of playdough in one of the lower cupboards so that my siblings and I could play with it in the kitchen while she cooked dinner, did dishes, etc. We sat in the booth in the breakfast nook and squashed it out across most of the table, cutting it with cookie cutters, shaping it into animals, and just generally making a mess and having fun. I still remember fondly the time that a friend and I dared each other to try a piece. Awful, salty, disgusting. The playdough was homemade, completely 'edible', but no one would actually want to eat the stuff.
Read moreMaking Crayons.
Jonathan loves to color. He also keeps anything he can, from rocks and pinecones he finds outside to the crayons given to him at restaurants. When the majority of said crayons ended up broken and therefore untouched at his coloring desk, and we found some lovely (read: nearly unbreakable!) crayons at a bookstore a few weekends back, I was faced with the question of what to do with all those extra crayons. Thankfully, I have a wonderful mom who taught my siblings and I how to make "homemade" crayons with broken crayon bits, a cupcake liner, and the microwave. Remembering this, I sat down one morning and whipped these up for my son.
Normally, when making crayons, you simply toss your spare bits into the cupcake liner, microwave for short intervals, say 30 seconds, and stir with a toothpick every so often to make sure everything melts together. Because I wanted to be difficult, or rather, because I didn't want to make four brownish gray crayons, I chose to shred the old crayons finely and layer by color. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. The crayons turned out relatively cool, but the rainbow layering didn't hold completely as the cheap crayons I was working with were more wax than coloring and that extra wax floated to the top when they melted, mixing the rainbow layering as it went. I do think it would be fun to try this with mini cupcake liners and make really thick single or double color crayons.
I also chose to bake these, again, so I wouldn't have to stir and mess up the layering. However. If you choose only a few colors, and especially colors that go well together, that BLEND well together, swirling your crayon in the microwave can have really cool effects. I know, I became an expert at this as a kid. :)
As it is, next time I could go either way on baking vs. microwaving, but I will never shred the crayons again. Chop them to little bits, perhaps, but I never want to have to clean wax off my shredder again.
If you'll forgive the close-up of my fingers, here's a better shot of the rainbow layering that did survive the baking process.
A final word of advice: double line your cupcake liners. Some wax can seep through, especially if you bake, so it makes for easier clean-up. Enjoy!
Kitchen Helps. (Not a recipe.)
My mother has this list posted on the inside of one of her cabinets for emergency help, reminders, and simply good information to keep at hand. I highly recommend printing this and doing the same. Enjoy!
Read moreCalling all to help.
This is not a recipe post. This is asking for help from the foodie community to help this family back on their feet. The full story is posted at this address. http://friendsofivoryhut.blogspot.com/ If you are able, please consider aiding them in their recovery from this tragedy.
Read moreBudget Bytes.
Let me tell you about a blog I've recently discovered. Beth at Budget Bytes has a goal - she aims to show you how to save money by cooking for yourself, and how easy it is to do just that. Each post has four things in addition to the recipe:
1.Total cost of recipe
2.Number of servings
3.Cost per serving
4.Prep/Cook Time
Read moreThe Sweet Smells of Christmas.
You know the way your mom or your grandma's (or whoever does the baking in your family) kitchen used to smell after a long day of baking holiday goodies? Now inhale. Your place have that lovely aroma? Here's a great way to get it. (While you can probably eat this, I wouldn't advise it. It's for scent only!)
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