Spring is here!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Ours was filled with lots of activities and even more goodies :)
And for all of you who are curious my bunny rolls turned out pretty cute. I ran into a problem though! I could not find the refrigerated bread stick dough at my grocery store!!! AAahhhhh!!! So I improvised (never be afraid to do that). I used croissants. The kids didn't notice the difference. What do you think about the bunny rolls?

Here is a picture of some sugar snap peas that my son helped grow. I think this picture encompasses the freshness of spring, I just love it.

If you are looking for a great activity for kids to do- here it is. Making a recycled egg carton garden.

Recycled Egg Carton Garden

Gather up some egg cartons. Let your kids decorate the outside.

Then open up the egg carton and fill the egg indents with dirt. The kids can do this with a small spoon. Then have them place a couple seeds in each little dirt pile.

You can also have them glue little pictures of what seeds they planted on the inside of the lid. That way they will know what the plants are as they grow. It's also a great way to introduce little ones to recycling :)

Easter Preparations

My kids are very excited because Easter is almost here. Today I got around to hard boiling some eggs for us to dye....I know, I know I kinda waited till the last minute on that. Very unlike me...but this week I've been getting up at 4:45am to go workout. It's been a bit of an adjustment in my routine. But back to the point, I've heard so many different ways to boil eggs. I'm sure at least half of you out there have your own special way. Here's how I do it.

1. I place my eggs in the bottom of a large pot.

2. I fill the pot with cold water about an inch and a half above the eggs

3. I salt the water

4. I place on the stove and heat on high

5. When it comes to a boil I let it boil for 2-4 minutes. 

6. After boiling for just a few minutes I cover with a lid and remove from heat.

7. Let stand for 12 minutes and then shock them in cold water.

8. Store in the fridge and enjoy! :)

I'm thinking I'll have the kids color the eggs tomorrow and maybe we'll make the Easter cookie package I picked up at the store. On Easter morning I'm planning on making bunny rolls out of refrigerated bread stick dough. My mom made them when I was young and it's a family tradition now.... guess I need to go to the store to pick up the refrigerated bread stick dough! I take a stick and roll it into a cinnamon roll type bun. I then roll a smaller one for the head and take little pieces for the tail and ears. Super simple, cute and kids love them. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter! 

Family Traditions: Ebelskivers

Do you know what an Ebelskiver is?? It's a puffy Danish pancake. And it's a ball shape. It can be filled too! It can be a very yummy breakfast or a delicious desert. Our whole family loves them and I think yours will too!

My husband's grandmother made Ebelskivers when he was a young boy. He had wonderful memories of them and insisted I buy a pan when we got married. I eventually inherited his grandmother's Ebelskiver pan which we were both very happy about. There's something special about using his grandmother's pan to pass on a family tradition to our kids. Here's a picture of my kid's breakfast this morning:

yum....

To make Ebelskivers you need an Ebelskiver pan. They sell them at Williams-Sonoma. This is a picture of my cast iron pan. I haven't seen any of these on the market. The one I purchased from Williams-Sonoma was a non-stick pan and much lighter. It worked great though! The pan is what makes the shape and it looks like this:

And here's a scrumptious recipe from Williams-Sonoma:

CINNAMON-BUN FILLED PANCAKES:

INGREDIENTS:

For the cinnamon filling:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes,
  at room temperature
  

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 to 4 Tbs. milk
  

For the pancakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 cups milk
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking

DIRECTIONS:

To make the cinnamon filling, in a bowl, still together the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and, using the back of a spoon, mash the butter into the flour mixture until all of it is absorbed into the butter, forming a paste. Set the cinnamon filling aside.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, reduce the speed to low and beat until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 3 Tbs. of the milk and beat until combined, about 1 minute. The frosting should be thick but still pourable; add more milk if needed to thin it. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl; set aside.

To make the pancakes, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 Tbs. melted butter. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/8 tsp. melted butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well. Spoon 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon filling into the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Using 2 skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling.

Drizzle the pancakes with the frosting and serve immediately. Makes 35 to 40.

An Amazing Escape

We are back! And we had a blast :) I have to say that if you have young children at home and are considering a cruise, Disney is the way to go. It is by far the best cruise I've EVER been on for kids....and I've been on a lot. Disney is magical! And they have thought of literally everything when it comes to your kids. When we went to pick our kids up from the kid area, they didn't want to leave! 

For those of you who've never been on a cruise, the views from the ship are gorgeous....especially at sunset!

We encountered a very active group of humpback whales. At one point they were 30 feet from the ship. And they were breaching over and over! It was so amazing seeing it in person.

While the kids were playing with Mickey in the kid area, my husband and I got to spend some quality time together. That alone was worth it!

My kids would look forward to the towel animals left in the room every night....Mommy looked forward to the little chocolates!

Like I said, the views are breathtaking. This is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

And a cruise just isn't a  cruise without a game of shuffle board while on deck :)

Disney knew how to entertain! From Broadway worthy musicals to pirates falling from the sky we were always amazed! The fireworks are worth keeping the kids up for. It was special and memories we will cherish forever.

It was very difficult to pull my 5 year old son away from this...he LOVED the water slide!

If you think you have to wait in lines everytime to see characters, think again! You are bombarded by them! They're on stage, on deck....we even chased Captain Hook down a hallway! Within 5 minutes of being on board the ship my daughter bumped into Cinderella (who is her favorite Princess) and got to take pictures with her.

The view from the "Adult Only" pool....my hubby and I spent a lot of time there. Pure bliss!

I feel very blessed that we were able to take our kids on this vacation. Disney is a bit more pricey than other cruises but I feel like the memories we made were worth it. It was so special for everyone! My kids had as much fun as I did and I don't think it would have been that way on another cruise line.... I'll just have to go on another...ya know...just to compare ;) haha! This undoubtedly was the best family vacation we've had.

Bon Voyage!!!

I am officially packing! On Sunday we are sailing away on a Disney cruise to Mexico. We've been saving and planning for over a year now. They kids are beyond excited although I'm kinda thinking that my husband and I might be more excited. We are excited for the kids to be enjoying their activities while my husband and I are sipping margaritas by the pool....oh yes, I can imagine it now...

I will let you all know how it went when I get back. Bon Voyage to you all! I promise I will come back with more of a tan than I have now!

With Love,

Becca