Homemade Friday: Cheerios Flowers! (Maybe better than cupcakes!)

Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Wednesday. And as much as I love the snow, I'm happy about that news. I'm ready for Spring. Spring is the season that bursts forth with promise - from the first crocus that dares push through the ground to the inevitable weeds that take hold as I figure out what new growth is wanted and what should be pruned from my garden post haste!

A few days ago, after Connor and Helen had exhausted themselves sledding, I decided it was treat time. And, feeling bold, I decided to share with them a food combination I love - Cheerios and chocolate. Seriously. Try sprinkling a few chocolate chips on your Cheerios some morning. You won't be disappointed. I promise.

I wasn't quite ready to introduce chocolate chips as a breakfast food, so instead I went to the craft supply store and bought some pink chocolate and some little sticks like what you find on lollipops. I combined these items with Cheerios and made a springtime flower - just ready for the eating!

Here's the skinny on how to make this simple and delicious treat on your own. I am considering serving these as treats at our annual egg hunt this year.

Step 1. Acquire ingredients. You'll need Cheerios, chocolate, and serving sticks.

Use any kind of chocolate you like. I chose pink chocolate from the craft store because it made me think of spring. It comes in all sorts of colors - and you can also just get white chocolate chips from the store and add color or decorate with sprinkles.

Step 2. Place parchment paper or wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Step 3. Melt about 4 ounces of chocolate either in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave. If you use a microwave, put the chocolate in a bowl for about 30 seconds, stir, repeat until melted.

Step 4. Pour Cheerios into melted chocolate. Stir.

Step 5. Put a little bit of the melted chocolate / Cheerios mixture on a tray, add a stick, and then add more of the Cheerios mixture. My kids helped put the Cheerios mixture on the tray, added sticks, and also tasted the product!

Step 6. Put in freezer for a few minutes so the flowers can harden.

Step 7. Enjoy!

After the flowers came out of the freezer, the critics sampled the Cheerios flowers and pondered their ratings.

It didn't take long for the treats to earn applause and two thumbs up!

If I use these for treats at our annual egg hunt, I'm going to display them in a basket with a few eggs. I'm also going to use both small and tall sticks, so I get a little more height into the display. My thought is that each child can pluck a flower when it's time for treats. I think they'll be less messy than cupcakes, but just as yummy!

Elaine

Disclosure: As a member of the Cheerios blogger circle, I was given two boxes of Cheerios, some gardening tools, and some games and asked to create a breakfast or springtime experience with Cheerios. I wanted to make a treat the kids (and I) would love and that I could use at a future kids' party.

Cheerios Asked About Nourishing Mind and Body – Here’s an Idea from My Family, What About Yours?

Since I moved to the East Coast and had children, apple-picking has become a quintessential marker that fall has indeed arrived. I’m partial to the farms that have loads of apples, but not a lot of other activities. My children are still quite young (ages 3 and 5), so the act of discovering a tree, finding an apple on it, and then retrieving it for consumption later – or even right on the spot – can still make for a nice morning. Of course, if the orchard has a cider press, I’m also happy to indulge in a little fresh-pressed cider, something my son claims is “better than candy”!

I still recall four years ago when my sister-in-law started this tradition. At the time, my older child was just over one year old, and he had 2, maybe 3 teeth. Up until that point, I did not even know it was possible to eat an apple with that few teeth. But sheer determination goes a long way.

The combination of cooler nights and a birthday party about 45 minutes from our house set the stage for this year’s trip to the orchard. Somewhat willy-nilly, we happened upon Crooked Run Orchard. After the party and our somewhat circuitous route to the farm, we were a bit tired, so we decided to check out the nearest fields. You know, the fields that everyone else who just wants to make a quick trip checks out.

Given that it was afternoon, these trees had clearly seen their fair share of visitors. But hope springs eternal because way up there, on that branch just out of reach? We could see some beauties.

To recap our ritual:

Step 1. Toss some Cheerios and other snacks in the car and head to the nearest orchard.

Step 2. Walk to field and surmise that there sure are some tasty apples available.

Step 3. Discover your 5 year old is now tall enough to reach some of the lowest apples on the trees. My son was thrilled, although truth be told, the apple wasn’t that impressive. But with apples this size, if an apple a day does indeed keep the doctor away, we should be covered since we’re eating three or four of these snacks!

Step 4. Have the parents reach as high as they can, but still come up only retrieving mid-sized apples.

Step 5. Necessity is often known as the mother of invention. If you can’t reach the apples on your own, use your dad as a ladder and go for it!

And now that you have loads of apples, go turn them into all manner of tasty treats! So far, I’ve made an apple crisp, an apple pie, and I’m still searching for the perfect cider donut recipe. Have one you care to share? Or maybe you have some additional ideas on how to get those way-up-in-the-trees apples? Or something else we ought to be incorporating into our fall routine?

Disclosure: As part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle, I was asked to write about a way my family nourishes mind and body. I was happy to join this circle because my daughter still request Cheerios for her playgroup snack. But please don’t tell my kids my secret. I love to mix in a few chocolate chips when I eat them!