Mommy's Special Ice Cream....

I can honeslty say I don't drink much or often.  But when I do, I drink Dos Equis.  Just kidding. I like girly drinks.  Sangria, Coffee (or Hot Chocolate) with Bailey's, or some spiked cider. But when I went to a wedding, someone told me about pudding shots.

Really.

I know.

Sounds ridiculous.

Sounds like dessert to me.

So using her recipe, my adult, over the age of 21 friends, and I began an Adult Ice Cream Adventure.
We went to town, probably making about 12 batches over a 7 day vacation period.  Mind you, there were 10 adults....

Basically if you have ever tried the Weight Watchers Ice Cream Sandwich recipe with Cool Whip and the graham crackers, then you are half way there.

Kid Friendly Version....
Mix:
1 pkg favorite instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups of milk
Then fold in:
1 container of whipped topping (thawed)

Not-so-kid-friendly over 21 Version...
Mix:
1 pkg favorite instant pudding
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup desired liquor
Then fold in:
1 container of whipped topping (thawed)

Place mixture into the same whipped topping container.  But be forewarned, there may be just a little too much to fit it that you are just forced to eat it right away.  If you can manage to wait over night, you will reap wonderfully creamy benefits.  If not, it is still freakin' delicious.  And depending if you used skim milk, fat free and sugar free versions, it is a pretty low calorie/low fat dessert option (with or without the alcohol).

Some great combinations include:
Chocolate + Kahlua = Mudslide Flavor
Butterscotch + Kahlua = Werther's Original Flavor
Cookies and Cream + Cake Vodka = Cookies and Cream Flavor
Banana Cream + Cake Vodka = Banana Split Flavor
Coconut Cream Pie + Cake Vodka + Shaved Chocolate and Almonds = Almond (Oh) Joy Flavor
Chocolate + Ameretto = Chocolate covered cherry flavor
Pistacio + Cake Vodka + graham cracker crumbs = Old School Watergate Pie Flavor

If you come up with any good combinations, please feel free to let me know :)

Land of Ahs...

Over the summer, I got a call from a friend to meet her at this "cool playground" in Killingly, Connecticut.  Always looking for a new place to play, I agreed.

Well, let me tell you, this place is a great free find.  Land of Ahs is a comprehensive little playground with lots of extras.  As a Boundless Playground, it is pretty accessible for kids and adults using walkers and wheelchairs.  Located in Owen Bell Park, at 572 Hartford Pike, Killingly, CT., it is convenient right off 395.  

There is bike/skateboard park located adjacent to the parking.  There are bathrooms and covered picnic tables, which is something I don't often find but often need.  In the summer, there is also small splash zone.  So make sure to pack some extra clothes.

There is a decent partially paved path for bikes and walkers that lead the way around the field to a pond and ice cream shop.

Some of the other things I loved is the use of poured in-place rubber surfacing, which makes for smooth and safe play for kids of most abilities.  And though the Lions Club, Bryant College and Killingly townsfolk updated this playground, they also kept some of the older pieces in place too, so there is a large spread area of play available.

We reallllllly enjoyed our time there.  We brought bikes, water clothes, sunscreen and lunch.  We were set.  And had it not been for an appointment later in the day, we probably would have stayed longer.  So before the weather turns to wintery, take a hike down 395 to quiet Killingly and try out Land of Ahs.

Scrumptious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Looking for a great fall recipe to feed the munchkins something other than munchkins?

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together in large bowl:
3 1/3 cup of flour (AP or whole wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white sugar (I know, usually it's considered a wet ingredient)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh if you have it)
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In second bowl mix:
1 cup oil
2/3 cup orange juice
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
4 eggs

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing well.
Last, add 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (I like mini ones better, since they provide more even distribution of chocolate to muffin batter ratio)

USE MUFFIN LINERS!!!!!!!!!!!! They make cleaning the tin so much easier and quicker, and you don't have to worry about it between the batches.

Also, one of my favorite tools of baking is the 1 ounce cookie scoop.  This is a perfect application for even muffin management.

Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe makes approximately 80 mini muffins.  It sounds like a lot.  But by the time the second batch was in the oven baking, the first batch of 24 was amazingly down to 5, mostly between the two boys.

These muffins are rich, and pretty healthy I think (minus the oil).  They make a great on the go breakfast or snack for busy mornings.  So if you make them over the weekend, they might cover you a couple of days while you hit snooze one more time.