Pink Beignet Waffles with Sprinkles

Can you stand one more pink treat before the onslaught of green St. Patrick's Day foods?? I meant to get this one out before Valentines Day, but life got in the way yet again!  That said, I don't think you need Beignet Waffles just for the holidays.

On the hubby's last trip to New Orleans he brought me back lots and lots of beignet mix.  He knows me oh so well.  I've made beignets a couple times and if you haven't had them before, beignets are magical little puffs of fried dough with lots and lots of powdered sugar on top.  Since I'm always trying new mash-ups and recipes, I decided to waffle them up.  

I just followed the recipe on the box for 1 batch but also added 1/2 cup of strawberry Nesquick (powdered strawberry flavoring that you add to milk aka strawberry milk) for flavor and color. Then just make waffles from the batter.

Once cooled at melted candy wafers (candy melts) and your favorite sprinkles.  

Feel free to add a lot because the beignet mix is not very sweet on its own so it needs a little sugar to sweeten things up.

Or you can also just add powdered sugar too!

Did I mention adding lots of sprinkles??

So I'm pretty sure these will help to keep you warm during this super cold Winter we are having in the US! What else are you doing or making to keep warm??

Here are some other Waffle or Beignet Treats you might like!

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Hashbrown Waffles

   

Amsterdam Inspired Waffles

Watermelon and Apple Waffles

Triple Pumpkin Beignets

Chinese New Year - Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep Red Velvet Oreos

Chinese New Year is February 19th this year - and it's the Year of the Sheep (or depending on what you look at Year of the Goat or Ram or apparently it can be any horned mountain animal!)

Although I'm half Chinese, we really never celebrated Chinese New Year.  My mom's family came over to the US way back when China went communist and has never really looked back since.  I think it was just a little to painful to celebrate anything that reminded my grandparents of home. 

But as my kids are getting older, we have been trying to get them familiar with a lot of cultures and religions.  They are 25% Chinese although you'd probably never guess it by looking at them.  They are also 25% Italian and 50% a mix of European Ukranian and some German - they are real little melting pots.  

To celebrate the arrival of both Chinese New Year and these bad boys aka Red Velvet Oreos, I made some Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram decorated Oreos.

The "head" detail is made with black melting candy wafers and some yellow candy coated sunflower seeds.  And you get some very simple ram or goat shapes - although if you look at them like my hubby did, you may ask "Why did you make demon cookie?" Thanks husband.  

Do you know the story behind Chinese New Year?

According to Wikipedia, the myth is that Chinese New Year started with Nian, a mythical beast (think the Chinese New Year parade lion/dragon beast) that would come on the 1st day of New Year to eat all the villager's food and kids (yikes!).  To ward Nian off, the people put food in front of their doors at the beginning of the new year thinking that if Nian ate the food, he wouldn't attach any more people.  One villager had enough of Nian's shenanigans.  A god visited him and told him to put red paper in his house and to place firecrackers all around.  Turns out Nian was afraid of the color red so the villagers started hanging red lanterns and red spring scrolls on their windows and doors and used firecrackers to scare him away.  From then on Nian never came back to the village again.  

Sounds pretty plausible to me, and why not celebrate every year with a parade and firecrackers? 

Happy Chinese New Year to you! We are going to hunker down and keep warm from the brutal cold front in the Northeast. These little red velvet Oreos should help! 

Lego Themed Valentines Day Cards and Candies

You guys know my love and my kids' obsession love for anything Lego related right? I mean I've made so many treats that I have a Lego Themed Page!  We probably have hundreds of thousands of Lego pieces, who know probably millions, but the kids really do love them and create some amazing things with them.  With Valentine's Day coming up I couldn't resist doing a fun Valentines Day treat again.  

Minifigure Lego guys and bricks made from candy to go along with some cute v-day printables.  I loved adding the heart sprinkle to them!

Can you tell the candy Lego bricks from the real ones?

Find more here on how to make them including the free Valentines Day card printable at she knows. 

Since I had some leftover candies I also made some extra Lego minifigures for my kiddos.  What do you think??

Happy Almost Weekend to you All!

Penguin Valentines Day Candies

One of my kiddo's teachers loves penguins.  I mean LOVES penguins.  He's had so many penguin themed homework and projects that I couldn't not make her some penguin themed Valentines Day goodies this year. 

And I kinda have a thing for making cute animals from candy - and specifically York Peppermint Patties.  Making them into penguins was really simple too you just need the peppermint patties, some candy melt or melting chips, and assorted candies/sprinkles to add detail.  You can make 2 different sizes to make small and mini penguins since the patties come in miniature and mini sizes.   I didn't realize miniature and mini meant small and even smaller, but whatever, it works!

Attach other ingredients with some melted white chocolate chips or vanilla candy melt.  To make them for Valentines Day I added little heart sprinkles that their little wings hardly are holding.  

I think the tiny ones are my favs.

Which do you like better?

OR

You can make some penguins standing up too! The base is one of the peppermint patty minis and the penguin body is a mini chocolate Easter egg.  Candy melt is used to attach the body to the base (to look like snow) and more candy to attach the black round sprinkle eyes, and sunflower seeds (yellow beak, black wings, and orange feet).  These guys are holding a Valentines Day conversation heart.  Why? Well penguins can't talk - so they need a way to ask you to be their Valentine, right? 

OK, now which do you like better? The miniature penguins, the tiny mini penguins or the standing up penguins? That's a lot of penguins so his teacher better love this all penguin themed Valentines Day goodies!

Happy February everyone! Looks like there is snow in the forecast again for us in NJ.  Let's hope the weather peeps get this one right since last week was pretty much a bust for NY/NJ.  Seems like MA got all the snow which I think they are still digging out from! Have an AWESOME week!

You might like these other animal treats made from Peppermint Patties:

Candy Fox Faces

Candy Owls

To Make Candy Penguins:

Ingredients:

• Round York Peppermint Patty (in miniature and minis)
• Black candy melts/wafers - cut in half for wings on larger sized penguin
• Vanilla candy melt/wafers or chips
• Assorted color candy coated sunflower seeds (I use Sunny Seeds)
• Black round sprinkles (large and small size for eyes)
• Yellow sprinkles (for feet and beak for smallest penguin)
• Heart sprinkles

To Assemble:

1. Follow pictures above and using melted vanilla candy melt/chips "pipe" on white area of penguin.
2. While candy is still wet, attach penguin wings with half of the black candy wafer or black candy coated sunflower seed (for tiny one)
3. Attach eyes, beak, heart sprinkle, feet
4. Once candy is hardened you can enjoy or package up for Valentines Day