Mac ‘N Cheese Cupcakes Recipe That Kids Will LOVE!

Handy and delicious? What else can a mom ask for when feeding her kids…plus its fun for the kids to eat! Check out this Mac ‘n Cheese Cupcake recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound baked pasta (rotini, bowtie, or macaroni is perfect!)
• 1/2 cup hot water, saved from the water you boiled your pasta in
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 egg
• 1 (8 oz.) package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon onion salt
• Ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and hot pasta water until softened.
2. Whisk in the egg, then stir in the cheddar cheese, onion salt, and pepper.
3. Spoon into muffin tins prepared with cupcake wrappers.
4. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or just until the tops of each ‘cupcake’ have been lightly browned.
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

CHECK OUT LE TOP PLAYWEAR AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Fourth of July Nachos – Red, White & Blue!

Looking for a quick and patriotic appetizer for this upcoming Fourth of July? Check out my Patriotic Nacho Recipe! Cheap, easy, quick…my kinda way to get these done and still have some fun! Voila!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag blue corn tortilla chips
• Cooking spray
• Aluminum foil
• Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Salsa
• Sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place blue corn tortilla chips on a foil-covered baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle the chips with shredded Monterey Jack, then bake at 350° for 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Top the nachos with salsa and sour cream.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S PLAYWEAR AT
www.letop-usa.com  

Le Top Baby “By the Sea” Collection Striped Sailor Skirted Romper and Sleeveless Striped Sunsuit Romper & Shirt

 

 

Read Full Post »

Remote Control Cake for Father’s Day!

Make this hysterical cake for daddy this Father’s Day – a remote control cake! Of course, I am not a proponent of promoting television watching, but in my home growing up, my dad definitely had “control” over the TV’s remote control…or he would fall asleep with it in his hand where you couldn’t move it. Ha!  Bake this cake or even make a big brownie sheet and decorate it with your children for this Sunday’s Father’s Day!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 baked 13- by 9-inch cake or brownie
• Dad’s favorite frosting
• Gel icing
• Various candies

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.     Slightly trim the long sides of a baked 13- by 9-inch cake or brownie to resemble a remote control.

2.     Spread on a layer of Dad’s favorite frosting, then press on various candies (we used Skittles, M&M’s, and Spree candies) for control buttons.

3.     Finally, use gel icing to add numbers, arrows, or other symbols to some of the buttons.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S PLAYWEAR AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Hand Cookie Recipe for Kids! Fun!

To all of our loyal readers:

I am sorry I have been a little M.I.A. lately! I am getting ready for my wedding that is in 2 weeks (and counting), and working diligently on prepping and gearing up our Le Top and Rabbitmoon websites with our Fall 2012 collections for you shoppers and fans! I promise to be back with great daily blog posts soon, and appreciate your understanding for our minimized  blog posts the past few weeks. Keep busy with your little ones with this SUPER CUTE cookie recipe…could be a cute idea for mother’s day!! Or to even give to your grandmother’s (as long as they aren’t diabetic)!

 

THE RECIPE!
Yield: Makes 8-10 cookies

Cookies are a perfect-size snack for little hands. This recipe was designed with kids in mind!

Older children can use their hand to outline the cookies, drawing around it on the dough with a skewer and using a knife tip to cut along the line. If your child can’t cut with a knife, make a pattern from a manila folder or translucent parchment works well; it will allow you to see the shape of the cookie through it.

INGREDIENTS:

For Dough

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, for decorating

For Decorating

• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• Sanding sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.
4. Make cookie pattern and heart stencil while wrapped dough is chilling. For the pattern, have your child trace his or her hand on a manila file folder, and cut out the tracing. You will lay this on the dough and trace around it with the tip of a paring knife. For the heart stencil, cut a heart shape from a piece of parchment paper, discarding center.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a well-floured work surface, roll out cold dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out hand shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Dough scraps may be re-rolled twice.
6. To decorate the cookies with sanding sugar hearts, lay the heart stencil over a cookie. Combine the egg white with the water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash in the heart, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Lift stencil and repeat with remaining cookies. Bake until edges just begin to brown lightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on pans for 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S PLAYWEAR AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Birthday Cinnamon Rolls

When you’re looking to turn a classic recipe into something so irresistibly delicious, there’s only one thing to do … add a kick of cake mix. Dry cake mix lends a delicious cake batter flavor to the dough, filling, and icing of these totally incredible (and totally easy!) cinnamon rolls. Whether you’re serving them up for a big day or just adding a bit of oomph to your weekend breakfast table, these Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls are totally fab!

Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 cup very warm water
• 1 packet of yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker.)
• 2 cups flour

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup butter melted
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup yellow cake mix

For the icing:

• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cake mix
• 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 3-5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Pour the water into a very large bowl. Whisk in the yeast. Then the sugar. Allow the mixture to rest for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the salt, olive oil, and 2 1/4 cups of the flour. Sprinkle just enough flour over the dough until it becomes pliable enough to knead. Knead the dough until it becomes soft and elastic. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside, allowing the dough to rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it’s about 1/2″ thick. Drizzle butter across the dough, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and cake mix. Roll tightly into a roll, then slice into 2″ pieces with a sharp knife. Place rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow them to rise for 15 minutes more before putting them in the oven and baking for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

In a stand mixer, beat together all icing ingredients until a spreadable frosting is formed. Drizzle over hot rolls. Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles. Serve and enjoy!

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Easter Bunny Sugar Cookies

Easter is just around the corner, and why not make a sweet treat for your sweet children. Bring the Easter Bunny to the table with these rabbit-shaped treats! Enjoy this easy-peasy recipe.

This post has been moved to our website. To view the full post go to: http://blog.letop-usa.com/?p=24400

CHECK OUT LE TOP’S SPRING FASHIONS
FOR BABIES AND KIDS AT www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Funfetti Banana Bread

As much as I am a big fan of only homemade bread, cupcakes, dessert, well…anything that goes in your mouth or your child’s mouth, I am a BIG sucker for funfetti. I saw this recipe and it looks AHHHH-MAAA-ZZZING. It is ridiculously easy to make, and your kids will be all smiles this morning over having sprinkles baked right into their slices.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (18.25 oz) boxes Funfetti cake
• Mix 
6 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut or canola oil melted
• 12 very ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl blend together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and bananas in a stand mixer for 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter into three 5.25 x 9 x 2.75 loaf pans which have been sprayed with nonstick baking spray (the sort with flour added).
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.
6. Makes 3 large loaves.

CHECK OUT THE LE TOP HOME PAGE AT www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Windowpane Heart Valentine’s Day Cookies

Here is a very, very sweet recipe that we know your kids will love and think is fun looking! For this Valentne’s Day we decided to make “windowpane heart” valentine’s cookies! If you don’t have time to make the sugar cookie dough, just buy some store made cookie doe that you can roll out and Jolly Ranchers. You will have a whole lotta lovin’ cookies in no time!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• Hard candy for cookie center (try Jolly Ranchers)

To make the dough:

1.  Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, cream the butter, gradually adding the sugar. Beat in the egg until evenly mixed, then blend in the vanilla extract and salt.

2.  With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the creamed ingredients, about one third at a time, until evenly blended. The dough may seem soft, but it will firm up when refrigerated.

3.  Divide the dough in half. Flatten each portion into a disk and seal in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

To create the cookies:

1.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a sturdy baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Remove the top sheet.

2.  Cut out the cookies with a large cookie cutter. Use a spatula to transfer the shapes to the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between cookies. Remove the centers of the cookies with a smaller cookie cutter. (Save the centers to bake later.)

3.  Place a hard candy (we used Jolly Ranchers) in the center of each heart and bake until the cookies start to brown lightly around the edges and the candy is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. To prevent sticking, line your serving plate or tin with waxed paper and place additional waxed paper between layers. Makes 30.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Dessert Recipe for Kids with Diabetes

Tonight I am cooking for my fiance’s 90-year-old grandmother (Mama) and her boyfriend Marvin who is 95-years-old! Mama happens to be diabetic and said she couldn’t eat anything really with a lot of sugar. My father is also diabetic and tends to avoid desserts, but how could I not have dessert after dinner? It made me think about families with kids who have diabetes and how it might be hard to do “homemade” desserts without buying something that is tasty for a diabetic child. So, on my last-minute quest today, I found this fabulous recipe that I am sure any child or family member would love. Enjoy!

Most children with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Children with type 1 diabetes do not make enough insulin and must receive insulin injections to move sugar from the bloodstream into the cells to supply energy. To help manage blood sugar, children with diabetes should aim to eat the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal. Foods with carbohydrate include starch, fruit, milk and yogurt. Carbohydrate needs vary based on your child’s calorie needs and blood sugar goals.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 recipe Basic Pie Shell
• 4 apples
• 1 Tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoon (45 mL) granulated sugar replacement or granulated fructose
• 1/4 teaspoon (2 mL) cinnamon
• 4 teaspoon (20 mL) margarine
• 1 egg white (slightly beaten)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roll out pie dough and cut into 4 equal pieces.
2. Peel and core apples and sprinkle them with lemon.
3. Place 1 apple in center of each piece of dough.
4. Combine sugar replacement and cinnamon in a bowl, sprinkling evenly into cavity of apples.
5. Top each apple with 1 teaspoon (5 mL) margarine.
6. Bring opposite ends of dough up over apple.
7. Moisten slightly with water; seal securely.
8. Brush with beaten egg white and place in shallow baking pan.
9. Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serving Size: 1 dumpling
Yield: 4 dumplings
Exchanges: 2 bread, 1 fruit, 2 1/2 fat
Nutrition: 221 calories

 CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »

Finger Food for your Super Bowl Party!

Sunday is the Super Bowl and you are most likely going to someone’s house to watch the game or you are throwing the party! Here is a fun recipe adults and kids love, and can be a great hostess gift or your “go-to” finger food for your soirees.

Panko-Crusted Chicken Bites with Apricot-Mustard Sauce Recipe

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup apricot jam or preserves
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS: 

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fit with a wire rack. Spray with cooking spray; set aside.

2.    Place flour in a large bowl and season very generously with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs in another large bowl with 2 tablespoons water until well combined. Place the breadcrumbs in a third large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil; toss to coat. Stir in cheese and cayenne and mix well.

3.    Place chicken pieces in the seasoned flour and toss to coat. Working in 3 batches, shake off any excess flour from chicken pieces and transfer to egg mixture; stir to combine. Transfer coated chicken pieces with a slotted spoon to the breadcrumb mixture and toss until completely coated. Place the breaded chicken pieces on a rack-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Repeat process until all the chicken is breaded. Bake until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.

4.    In a small bowl, stir the apricot jam, mustard, and thyme together until combined. Allow chicken to cool 10 minutes before serving with apricot mustard mixture.

CHECK OUT LE TOP CHILDREN’S CLOTHING AT
www.letop-usa.com

Read Full Post »