Monday, January 30, 2017

2017 Super Bowl Commercial Bingo Cards

We have played Super Bowl Commercial Bingo for four years now. The kids love it! I use the website Ad Age to compile my list of commercials that are most likely to appear in the first half. (http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/super-bowl-li-complete-ad-chart/306339/)





I copy and paste the pictures around the scorecard to make different bingo cards for each kid. Here is a link you can make a copy of and transform any way you see fit:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EQumnyrP5MmJW0ZrHvRk6SbofNysEbbzDACw75iHRis/edit?usp=sharing

I didn't have any colored ink in my printer last year, so I saved the scorecard image and uploaded it as a 5x7 picture to Walmart One Hour Photo.


Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Boston Cream Cupcakes

The kids have been really interested in baking lately. David decided we would make gourmet cupcakes every weekend. This is the first recipe he wanted to try (http://www.gogogogourmet.com/boston-cream-cupcakes/). They were so delicious! 

Ingredients: 
1 box yellow cake mix, prepared
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
3 3/4 powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa
pinch of salt
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup cream

Prepare the cupcakes according the box. Let them cool after baking. 

Meanwhile, add the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a low boil. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, and sugar together. 
Temper the eggs by whisking in 1/4 of the hot milk mixture. Then pour the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk and vanilla. 


Bring the mixture up to a low boil, stirring constantly. Let it thicken. Then set aside to cool. (I put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.) 

When the cupcakes and cream are cooled, cut out the center of the cupcakes. Fill with the cream. I cut the top of the cut out piece and placed it on top of the cream. 

To make the frosting, add powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add the butter and cream. Whip it until it is fluffy. Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator. The cupcakes are best when they are cold from the refrigerator. 



Garlic Noodles

I found this recipe on Pinterest (https://www.budgetbytes.com/2009/12/garlic-noodles/?pp=1) and gave it a try yesterday. It was so good, I made them again today. 

Ingredients: 
8 oz angel hair pasta
4 cloves garlic
5-6 green onions
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp oyster sauce

Start by boiling water for the pasta. Meanwhile, chop the green onions and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and oyster sauce. 
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the minced garlic. Add most of the green onions (leave some for garnish at the end). Cook for 1-2 minutes and pull off the heat. 
When the noodles are done cooking, drain the water and add the noodles to the saucepan with the green onions. Put the sauce on top of that and mix together. Add the remaining green onions to the top for a garnish.