Encouragement Toast

As parents, we do everything we can to support our children and encourage them to do their best. Next time your kids have a big test, an important interview, or stressful tryouts or auditions, serve them up a delicious breakfast of Encouragement Toast.  

I dreamed up Encouragement Toast in the cereal aisle at the Safeway by my house. I noticed something I hadn't had since early childhood, Alphabits (affiliate link), and my mind was flooded with ideas for edible crafts. What fun! I tossed the box into the cart, excited to get started. 

As an aside, I absolutely love the design of this box. The notebook paper and fonts are perfect for this kid-oriented cereal. I adore the little bee, ice cream, turtle and space designs on the Bits letters. And using the cereal itself for their motto ("a story in every bowl!") is very clever. Good job, anonymous graphic designer!

I washed my hands, poured a cup of Alphabits onto a plate, and started sorting letters. About 10% of the letters were too misshapen or broken to use, so those went into a container for future breakfasts. As I sorted, I started spelling out my message. 

Then it was just a matter of toasting some bread, spreading peanut butter on top, and adding the letters. I surrounded the toast with orange segments and banana slices. Served with a glass of milk, this is the perfect way to fuel kids for that important test or presentation.  

Expect to see an Alphabits-inspired edible craft from me again. I've got a whole box of possibilities!

No-Melt Banana Split

I'm not a huge fan of bananas, but there's no question my favorite way to eat them is in a banana split. This one is unusual, because you can leave it out all day and it will never melt. 

The secret? That's not ice cream. Affiliate links below. 

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No-Melt Banana Split

To make your own no-melt banana split, put three jumbo marshmallows in an oval ramekin. Slice a banana in half lengthwise and put one half on either side of the marshmallows. Pour chocolate over the middle marshmallow, mashed strawberries over another, and pineapple over another (I actually used orange marmalade instead. It was delicious.) Sprinkle chopped peanuts over all three sauces, then add a maraschino cherry. 

Since it's not ice cream, you can't eat it effectively with a spoon. Instead, use a knife to slice the bananas, then use a fork or skewer to pick up banana pieces and dip them in sauce. Then you can enjoy the marshmallows with whatever sauce remains. Yum!

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Speaking of Banana Splits, does anyone else remember this? 

 

What was the plot? Was there one? I literally don't remember anything about it except that I used to watch it when I was really young. Wikipedia to the rescue! And then I found this, which doesn't answer my questions, but raised a whole lot more.

Thank you for joining me on this unplanned, nonsensical stroll down memory lane. Well, less like a stroll and more like a confusing, yet strangely groovy, dance. 

Matzo Lion Snack

On Thursday, our family had the honor of attending a virtual Passover Seder hosted by my friend and co-author, Adam. Over the years, I've been to a handful of Jewish weddings (including Adam's), a Jewish baby naming ceremony at a local synagogue, and a pre-Sukkot party in the sukkah in a coworker's backyard, but otherwise my knowledge of Judaism is limited to my years of Sunday School as a kid, a Judaism class I took in college, and reading the books that Adam has written. (Affiliate link because you should totally read his books.) Experiencing Passover with a real family (around 25-30 people) practicing their faith was awesome. 

Steve, Trevor, and I did our best to join in with the readings, rituals, and songs. We dipped our pinkies in our drinks, broke and hid the middle piece of matzo, and flogged each other with chives (it's supposed to be green onions, but close enough). I even made matzo ball soup for the first time. In every way, we had a wonderful time. 

Despite eating a good amount of matzo during the Seder, we had plenty left over. So naturally, Trevor and I made a Matzo Lion Snack. (And if you didn't think, "Of course that's what Cindy did with leftover matzo" then you aren't reading my blog often enough.)

Matzo Lion Snack

Materials:

• matzo
• vanilla frosting, tinted yellow
• Raisin Bran
• banana
• pretzels
• Popcorners (affiliate link, because you HAVE to try these if you haven't already. YUM!)

Steps:

Gently frost a piece of matzo. Sprinkle Raisin Bran flakes around the outer edge and use raisins for eyes. Cut a triangular banana piece for the nose. Use stick pretzels for whiskers and broken mini pretzels for the mouth. Add Popcorners for the ears. Eat and enjoy!