St. Patrick's Day - Pot ' O ' Gold at Rainbow's End

We see the Rainbows when we LOOK for them; And what else should we find at the end but a Pot ' O' Gold. As a child, my mother (along with my six siblings) used to make Butter Mints. As I recall, the recipe for this divine treat was a full glorious stick of old-world-style butter exalted with two heavenly, powdery pounds of confectionery sugar. We then were given permission to playfully add any combination of flavors (i.e.: cinnamon, almond, vanilla, mint, lemon) and colors. I was forced to consume at least two dozen mints just to get a proper sampling of the assortment. Alas, that was then.

Seeing as there has been a slight social swing and an awareness termed "health conscious", I have opted to give the cream cheese sugar mint recipe a try. It yielded a slightly stickier dough and didn't set quite as firmly as the original butter mint recipe. I had intended to roll out the dough and cut circles that resembled gold coins. Though we had to forgo this step, I think the end result was extremely tasty (I like the slight tartness of the cream cheese) and my little ones thoroughly enjoyed getting their hands involved in shaping the gold nuggets.

Here is our version of a St. Patrick's Day, Rainbow's End, Pot ' O ' Gold.

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz Cream Cheese
3 Cups Confectionery Sugar

1/4 tsp. Peppermint Extract

Yellow Food Coloring

Our young chef begins by adding her cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. We do recommend starting with an over-sized mixing bowl, as the dust, or powder I should say, will be flying shortly.

Our chef then adds 3 cups of confectionery sugar to the cream cheese. Using an old-fashion pastry blender, or potato masher, combine these two ingredients until a dough is formed. More powdered sugar may be added if your dough is feeling too sticky.

Our young chef then adds 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract.

She cautiously squeezes a few drops of yellow food coloring. The dough will then require refrigeration for 1 to 2 hours.

A sheet of wax paper is sprinkled with granulated sugar in preparation for our gold nuggets.

Our chef breaks marble sized portions from the dough and forms rounded nuggets.

After being placed on the wax paper, the nugget is sprinkled with granulated sugar.

Return the nuggets to the refrigerator, for at least 3 hours.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and your little chefs!

Kid's Recipe for Autumn Leaves, A Thanksgiving Treat

MARZIPAN SNAILS - a recipe for kids

Our young Chef is cooking, or rather crafting, a special Thanksgiving treat for all the children at our holiday table. The Chef is working with Marzipan, a confection consisting primarily of ground almonds and sugar. Though Marzipan is not as popular in the US as in other regions of the globe, it is readily available at most grocery stores in the baking isle. I am always pleasantly surprised at the reception this unfamiliar treat receives, especially when presented in such fun and festive colors and shapes.

Our Chef has chosen colorful autumn leaves as a motif for her Thanksgiving treat.  There is not a recipe to follow for this project, but for any child that enjoys a hands-on food activity, this is a sure winner.  You will need the following.  
Ingredients:
Marzipan
Food Coloring
Our Little Chef begins by cutting the Marzipan loaf into sections.  She presses her thumb into each of the sections to create a well, which will receive the food coloring.  Our Chef chooses appropriate fall colors and squeezes three drops of food coloring into each well. 
Our young Chef folds and mixes the food coloring into each Marzipan section using her fingers, she then rolls it into a ball.
Plastic wrap is used to cover the surface of a board, she places the colored Marzipan in the center, covers it with another sheet of plastic wrap and flattens the ball with the palm of her hand.  The Chef  then uses a roller to further stretch and flatten her Marzipan to about a 1/8th inch thickness.
Simple leaf shapes are cut out of the Marzipan and a vein is pressed into each leaf using the back of a knife.  A wet paper towel is used to wipe the blade between each cut, keeping the knife moving smoothly.  
Our Little Chef removes the excess Marzipan scraps and arranges her leaves on a sheet on wax paper, atop a small platter.   
When all the colors of Marzipan have been rolled and cut, the Chef combines the excess scraps and folds them together to create a playful rendition of the natural fall colors.  This Marzipan is again rolled and cut into leaf shapes.
After the Autumn Marzipan Leaves are artfully placed, simple Marzipan Snails are added as a whimsical completion of the display.  
Our Little Chef wishes your young chef a very happy Thanksgiving and is sure this project will delight the kids seated around your holiday table.  Thanks for cooking with us, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.