Sunday, December 25, 2011

Saturday, October 29, 2011

R2D2 Halloween Costume!


This year Tristan wanted to be R2D2 and we were unable to find any costumes in his size. Matt and I decided to take it upon ourselves and make his costume- It certainly wasn't perfect, but the smile on Tristan's face was all worth it!!!

To make the hat, we went to the thrift store and found a large tupperware bowl and a kid's size helmet. We spray painted both of them silver and then hot glued them together. We used a paper towl roll for the circular embellishments (also spray painted silver) and blue, silver, and red paint for the other embellishments.

To make the body, we also got things from the thrift store; a small, collapsible laundry hamper  (this particular one was in the shape of a frog) and a XXL men's white t-shirt. We cut out 2 holes in the hamper for the arms, and slipped the t-shirt over it. Then we folded the white into the hamper (sleeves also) and hot glued everything together. Then using blue and silver felt we cut out the shapes that go on R2D2. We used a sharpie to draw the correct lines on the sides, too.

To make the arms, we got a large cardboard box and cut out the correct shape and painted it accordingly. We used velcro to keep them on; he was attending a fall festival at school, and knowing there would be a jolly jumper I wanted to make sure he could take them off easily and not ruin them.

Then we used white karate pants (from his costume last year, ha!) and viola! You got R2D2: )









Thursday, October 6, 2011

Halloween Goodies!


Halloween is right around the corner!! These are two of my favorite fall-time treats. Pumpkin is one ingredient I can't get enough of this time of year.

Pumpkin Cheesecake:


Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter and press into bottom up sides of a greased 9" springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Filling:
3 packages cream cheese (8 oz each), softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoom ground allspice
whipped cream for garnish

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, pumpkin, and spices and beat until combined. Pour onto crust. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Cool one hour longer then refrigerate until completely cooled. Remove sides of pan before serving. Garnish with whipped cream. 



Pumpkin Doodles:



2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup regular, and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips because I ran out of regular)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, and cinnamon and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour mixture and canned pumpkin alternately, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfulls, 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 17 minutes. 


This little cutie agrees, these are YUMMY!