April 1, 2008

Edible Campfire

From FamilyFun.com

I remember doing something similar to this to pass off firebuilding for Girl's Camp. I'm sure you could do it for Cub Scouts too.

12-inch flour tortilla
Red licorice rope
Peanuts
Peanut butter
Fried Chinese noodles
Tootsie Rolls
Mini pretzel sticks
White grape juice
Hot cocoa powder
Candy corn


Step 1
To make an edible campfire, first clear a space on the table to build a safe fire. Lay down a tortilla fire base and wrap a licorice rope safety circle around the tortilla about an inch in from the edge. Build a peanut rock ring halfway between the safety circle and the center of the fire base. Spread a circle of peanut butter in the center of the fire base, then lay a small handful of fried Chinese noodles on top for kindling.

Step 2
Lay Tootsie Roll logs around the peanut butter circle. Use mini pretzel sticks as fuel wood to build a tepee inside the ring of logs and over the kindling, sticking the pretzels into the peanut butter at a 45-degree angle.

Step 3
Add another layer of logs, setting them across the corners of the first layer to form a box around the tepee. Lay a few more pieces of fuel wood across the logs.

Step 4
Make sure buckets of water (glasses of grape juice) and dirt (hot cocoa powder) are nearby to put out the fire if necessary, then light the fire by adding candy corn flames.

Step 5
After the camp director approves the fire, throw dirt on the fire to put it out. Now, the moment the fire builders have been waiting for: Eat your fires!

"Fake" Cupcakes

From FamilyFun.com

The first surprise here: there's not a grain of sugar in these cupcakes. The second surprise: your kids will love them anyway.
Meat Loaf
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Potato Frosting
3 cups mashed potatoes
Food coloring


Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups.

Step 2
In a large bowl, mix together all of the meat loaf ingredients until well combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the lined cups (the liners should be about three quarters full).

Step 3
Place the filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Step 4
Divide the mashed potatoes among three small bowls and stir a few drops of food coloring into each batch to create blue, yellow, and pink pastel frostings. Spread a generous dollop on each cupcake. Makes 12 cupcakes.

November 29, 2007

Monkey Bread


Prep Time: 25 min Start to Finish: 1 hr 5 min Makes: 12 servings

1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 C chopped walnuts, if desired
1/2 C raisins, if desired
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 C butter or margarine, melted

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan.
2. In large plastic food-storage bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces.
3. Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies


Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies
Keep little fingers busy decorating holiday refrigerated sugar cookies!
Prep Time: 20 min Start to Finish: 1 hr Makes: 16 to 20 cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create ' n Bake™ refrigerated sugar cookies or 1 package (18 oz) Pillsbury® Ready To Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll or package. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes