Here Comes......Easter!

I realize the Easter is tomorrow, but due to our schedules our family had our Easter Dinner last night.  Yes, we had the traditional Easter Egg Hunt and crazy noisy conversations.  I made everything (with the exception of the Spiral Ham) from my pantry and freezer.  

I decided to add a sweet treat for dessert.  I also decided to use my new mini-cupcake pan that I recently found on sale.  

I made lots and lots of yellow cake cupcakes.  Aren't they cute?  I decided to dress them up for an Easter Treat.

I took some Coconut.  I decided to transform it!

I wanted to turn it into 'grass'.  I took my food coloring and added a few drops of green.

I put on a tight fitting lid.....and shook it to death!

Here is what it looked like afterwards.  Isn't it cute?

I made some butter cream frosting (so good....it was hard not to sneak in a few tastes as I went).  I didn't worry about making it 'pretty'....

Here is why, I turned over the cupcake and dipped the frosting side into the colored coconut.

Here is the cupcake after the coconut dredge and with a little "gummy bean" on top.  ("Gummy bean" is what my little Grandson called Jelly Beans).

How did they go over?  Pretty well....I just had a bazillion of them. So, I am possibly going to do some neighbor visiting today.

This is a simple thing to do, but a fun presentation.  This was an easy treat and certainly brightened our traditional Easter dinner.

Try it!!

Spaghetti Sauce in the Crockpot....yum!

Sometimes it is important to appreciate the basics. This is certainly true for things like Spaghetti Sauce.  It is a classic and had wide appeal.  You can use many of the staples in your Food storage and cook it in your crockpot while you hurry through your busy day.

Do you want to find out more?  See the guide below!

Check out How to Make Spaghetti Sauce in a Crockpot! by Carin Hadley on Snapguide.

General Conference Weekend April 2014

Twice a year, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet together in "General Conference".  This is an opportunity to hear from our Prophet, Apostles and General Church Leadership.  It is a time of year I often look forward to.

As a child, I didn't always have the 'attention span' to appreciate this spiritually rich experience.  So, I want to offer other parents out there some fun and meaningful activities that your children and grandchildren may enjoy.

I made this game that fits inside of a "Guess Who" game.  You can download it for free at this link!

Below is a list of other great ideas that are easily printed for use.  

• Sugar Doodle offers this package.
• About.com Latter-day Saints has these suggestions.
• "The Ultimate General Conference Packet"
• "Mormon Times Packet"

Now.....let's talk about Breakfast!  

Image courtesy of "Heavenly Homemakers.com"

Do you recognize it yet?  It is a version of homemade "Grape Nuts".  Here is HeavenlyHomemakers.com's recipe.  I love how it uses shelf stable foods (you could choose to use powdered milk with vinegar for the buttermilk) and makes a delicious and nutritious cereal.  This blogger calculates that it cost her $2.00 to make an amount that is twice the volume of the brand name box you can purchase at the store.  It's easy!  Try it!

Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
2/3 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth.  Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely.  Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes “crumb like.”
Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan.  Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.

To watch General Conference, check your local listing for your Television service.  You may also watch all sessions here.  

In a crazy world with crazy people doing crazy things in the name of love, religion, or politics.....take this time to be taught by the true Prophet and Apostles of the Lord.  The Lord and our Heavenly Father have their arms open and outstretched to all of us.  This is true no what matter our station in life is or our location.  Come and be "Spiritually Fed "this weekend!