And the award for cutest winter cake goes to…Baskin-Robbins! The ice cream company’s latest confection celebrates the season with an adorable Brrr the Snowman Cake. It playfully conjures up a scene from Frosty and it’s delicious, too!
The cake sits on a bed of “melting snow” icing and has an icing carrot nose and scarf. Its branch arms, buttons and smile are all made out of fudge and it’s topped with a cake cone and “melted” ice cream. You can customize the playful snowman with your choice of cake and ice cream flavors, but you’ll have to act fast next month before it melts for good!
Want to get this festive creation for free? Baskin-Robbins is giving away 1,000 free snowman cakes starting at 1 p.m. ET on Black Friday. Order online using the code SNOWMAN to try your luck. You can also enjoy 20% off online cake orders through Cyber Monday with the code HOLIDAY.
Finally, make sure you try the newest seasonal ice cream flavor, Gingerbread House. The December Flavor of the Month features gingerbread ice cream full of gingerbread cookie bites and classic peppermint pieces. Don’t forget the confetti drizzle!
Goblins, ghosts and… garlic?! You read that right, and this new graphic novel about Garlic, a brave little veggie and delightfully unusual heroine, is one of our favorite new reads of the season—it’s the perfect Halloween treat (and won’t stick to your teeth!). If you’re looking to build confidence in your little ghoul’s reading skills (ages 6+) or just fill their fall with a cozy adventuresome read, Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen is the farm-fresh book you need on your shelf now.
Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it’s nice and safe. But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.
"In this down comforter of a graphic novel, Garlic discovers that she is braver and more capable than she ever believed when she is called upon to save her friends. The color palette is folkloric, drawing on lush earth tones to highlight this cozy little village where people and vegetables live harmoniously—this is cottagecore through and through."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
"Gorgeous artwork featuring anthropomorphized plants and colors reminiscent of those used in Kate Greenaway stories make this a joy to read... Perfect for chapter-book readers and up, this will delight anyone wanting a light adventure heavy on friendship and self-actualization."
Did you know the first-ever brownie recipe came from right here in Chicago? Yep, it did! This iconic dessert was created at the Palmer House in Chicago. In celebration of Palmer House’s 150th, we’re sharing the recipe so you can celebrate this milestone at home. As a bonus, we’re throwing in Hilton Chicago’s guest-favorite Signature Carrot Cake Pop recipe. Read on for the recipes and a little Chicago brownie history lesson to share with the kids.
photo: Palmer House Hilton
Palmer House Hilton Brownie
The first reference to the “brownie” in America appears in the Sears Roebuck Catalog published in Chicago in 1898. Specifically at the direction of Bertha Palmer to be served at the Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in 1893, the brownie was created in the Palmer House Kitchen in the late 19th century. The recipe below is well over a century old, and is the exact same one used for the brownie served in the Palmer House Hilton today! It remains one of the hotel’s most popular confections.
Ingredients:
14 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 lb butter
12 oz granulated sugar
4 oz flour
8 eggs
12 oz crushed walnuts
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Mix the sugar and flour together in a bowl. Combine chocolate and flour mixtures. Stir 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and continue mixing.
3. Pour mixture into a 9×12 baking sheet. Sprinkle walnuts on top, pressing down slightly into the mixture with your hand. Bake 30-40 minutes.
4. Brownies are done when the edges begin to crisp and has risen about 1/4 of an inch.
Note: When the brownie is properly baked, it will remain “gooey” with a toothpick in the middle due to the richness of the mixture.
Glaze: Mix together 1 c. water, 1 c. apricot preserves, and 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin in saucepan. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for two minutes. Brush hot glaze on brownies while still warm.
photo: Hilton Chicago
Hilton Chicago’s Signature Carrot Cake Pop Recipe
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
3.5 oz. coconut flakes
8 oz crushed pineapple
Directions:
Baking Process:
1. Spray and paper a 10” cake pan.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt).
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredient mixture and mix until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
5. Next add the carrot, pecans, coconut, and pineapple mixing gently with a spatula.
6. Pour into the previously prepared cake pan.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350*F degrees.
8. Let it cool down.
Assembly Process:
1. Combine the soft butter in the mixing bowl until well combined and add the powder sugar and vanilla, and mix until you reach a creamy consistency.
2. You will need to melt your favorite type of chocolate.
3. Place the chilled carrot cake in a mixing bowl and break into little pieces. Add some of the cream cheese filling until you reach a scoop-able consistency. (Note: do not add too much filling because your dough can become too soupy to scoop).
4. Scoop the size that you desire to make your cake pop. Add stick and freeze for at least an hour.
5. Melt some of your favorite chocolate. Add some food coloring to make some fun color cake pops, if desired.
6. Once the cake pops are of hard consistency, dip in the melted chocolate and let them set for a few minutes.
Easter is early this year, and if you’re looking for unique treats for their Easter baskets, Etsy is your first and only stop. From personalized mason jars to carrot crayons and even a bunny bottom hot chocolate bomb, we’ve rounded up our favorite Easter gifts on Etsy for kids. Scroll down to see them all.
Mason Jar Tumbler
Pick from four different colors and six bunny colors when you order these personalized plastic mason jar tumbler cups for kids.
Spring is in the air. Along with pastel-colored Easter eggs and bright blue skies, OREOs are getting a brand-new hue. Get ready for the pretty pink Strawberry Frosted Donut OREO!
Donuts don’t only come in boxes of dozens. Now you can nab a tasty donut-flavored treat in the cookie aisle. OREO’s newest limited-edition creation features everything you love about the ooey, gooey breakfast treats—in the perfect cookie package.
photo: Courtesy of OREO
Like other limited-edition OREO flavors, the newest one is sure to become a fan fave. Whether your family couldn’t get enough of Carrot Cake, Peppermint Bark, Gingerbread, Easter Egg, Tiramisu or any other special selection, you can add this donut-y OREO to your top 10 list.
The Strawberry Frosted Donut OREO starts with two Golden OREO cookies. You’ll find a double layer of a pink-colored strawberry flavored creme with rainbow sprinkles and a special donut flavored creme sandwiched in between the cookies. That’s right, these cookies come with two different creme layers! Instead of one flavor, your kiddo will get treated to two new faves—and one sparkles with (what the package calls) “pink colored creme with glitter.”
Nab a package (or a few!) of the sweet strawberry creme delish donut treats this March. Find the limited-edition OREO flavor in retailers nationwide. Don’t wait long to get your pack of Strawberry Frosted Donut OREOs. Like spring showers, this cookies won’t stick around for the rest of the year.
From pots and pans to must-have chocolate bars, Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings site is packed with abundant awesomeness—and you’re going to want it all.
As if we didn’t already love the supermodel/supermom enough already, Teigen’s newest online additions feature a drool-worthy collab with L.A.-based chocolate shop Compartés. The Cravings x Compartés chocolate collection is more than just a line of basic bars. These sweet sweets feature fab, fun flavors and pics of Teigen’s own family.
The flavor buffet includes one pick for each member of the Teigen-Legend clan—Chrissy’s Creamy Coconut Chocolate Bar, John’s Carrot Cake White Chocolate Bar, Miles’ Banana Bread Chocolate Bar and Luna’s Blueberry Pancakes and Syrup Chocolate Bar. Buy the bars from Teigen’s Cravings site ($12 each or $50 for a gift set of all four flavors) or from Compartés online store.
Along with Teigen’s family of chocolate bars, you can also pick up other crave-able treats on the Cravings site. The Poppin’ Off Popcorn Seasoning Kit ($36) comes with salt and vinegar, birthday cake, French onion and Gruyerè, extra-spicy cheddar and sweet and salty coconut flavorings. If you’re in the mood to make a meal, the Cravings Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner Spice Kit ($36) has the flavors you need to make balsamic roasted onion, honey lemon thyme, garlicky onion herb, tomato garlic basil and herby leek seasoned rice.
You’re used to dishing out snacks to feed those hungry bellies, but what if those snacks also fed and helped develop your kiddo’s mind at the same time? Cerebelly does just that. They are the first children’s food brand on the market that leverages developmental neuroscience to offer products with brain-supporting nutrients. We’re obsessed with their Smart Bars released last Ocotber and veggie-first pouches, and are eagerly awaiting their newest product: smoothie-inspired pouches. Read on to discover why savvy parents are excited about this new product.
Cerebelly is teaming up once again with Peppa Pig and this time they’re offering smoothie-inspired flavors for their newest product release. The brand tells us that like their original collection, this new product will also be veggie-first (versus fruit-first) to ensure kids are getting all superior ingredients in a delicious and naturally sweet way.
The veggie-first smoothie-inspired pouches will come in three new flavors: celery apple kiwi, purple carrot blueberry and sweet potato peach. Sip them straight from the pouch or serve on a spoon (we personally love mixing the original flavors with greek yogurt for breakfast).
As busy parents, we adore Cerebelly. While we’re not pediatric nutritionists, we’ve tried a lot of different kids snacks and found that Cerebelly’s pouches and smart bars have some of the lowest amounts of sugar we’ve seen. And, they’re delicious to boot (yes, we’ve tried them ourselves!).
We love that their pouches are veggie-first and that the ingredients are specifically tailored to your child’s development. When you sign onto the Cerebelly site, you’ll take a short quiz that asks what milestones your child has reached and then they’ll provide suggestions about what flavor combos are best for your kid at that moment in her brain development. They’re all about providing the right nutrients at the right time.
Find the new collection on cerebelly.com or at Whole Foods markets starting February 16, 2021. Cerebelly will donate 20% of each product run to Baby2Baby.
One of the easiest ways to support the Black community directly is by supporting Black-owned businesses. Many have already been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Here are 10 Miami-based businesses that offer products for both kids and families.
Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen for Kids is an everyday SPF 50 moisturizing sunscreen lotion for face and body. Especially created for people of color using natural ingredients including carrot seed oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, avocado and shea butter. Oxybenzone and Paraben free, it leaves no white residue.
Buena Vista Candle Co. is an aromatherapeutic scent studio based in the heart of Miami, Florida founded by Jeannine Escobar. As a trained aromatherapist, she explores the healing properties of essential oils and experiments with time-honored techniques for unique scent invention for modern times.
Cards by Carter is a home-based company down in Miami, Florida. Designer and owner Amelia Carter started Cards by Carter in 2008 on the success of an idea back in her mom’s shed house; it was just a hobby. In February of 2015 Cards by Carter became even more official.
KAZMALEJE creates lifestyle amplifying tools and accessories that empower women, men and kids to pamper and groom themselves with love, care and style.
Vintage 1804 by Roe Michel is a Miami-based shop that sells empowerment tees. Roe Michel is a Haitian American Photographer and Designer. He has a passion for empowering youth through education.
Tree Hugging Soap combines the natural practices of the old ways. They use only the basics; combining herbs and moisturizers naturally occurring in nature.
YayDay Paper Co.offers digital stationery, crafting projects and planners products that you can print at home. It is a membership site where members pay an affordable monthly fee for access to monthly curated collections of stationery, crafting projects, planner products and more delivered straight to their YayDay account.
COOL CREATIVE is a design studio that uses design to build brands that matter. The COOL Creative Capsule Collection is an elevated streetwear line that elevates culture by honoring tradition with their original artwork.
A post shared by SHOP COOL® (@shopcoolcreative) on
ETA Luxe by Erica Appleby
ETA Luxe by Erica Appleby is committed to inspiring inner beauty in every customer since its inception. Using innovation, texture and functionality to create timeless pieces, ETA Luxe inspires women to walk, create and live in their true power.
When it comes to saving the planet, there’s no such thing as food scraps. From using those mushy bananas to those gorgeous carrot tops, we’ve rounded up plenty of recipes that prove there’s a use for all those leftovers. Keep reading to see our favorite ways to repurpose food into interesting meals the whole family will love.
Turkey Noodle Soup
Don't toss that leftover turkey carcass or dark meat! Leftover turkey noodle soup is the perfect way to use all those leftovers without getting sick of the same thing every day. Fresh veggies and egg noodles come together in a simple recipe. We like this one from Dinner Then Dessert.
Easy Soup Bases & Purees
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Does your little one hate that baby food puree you made from scratch? Don't toss your hard work! Instead, you can freeze or use the baby food to mix into soups, muffins and casseroles. We love all the ideas over at Family Food on the Table.
Don’t throw out those veggie scraps! With a little simmering magic, they’re perfect for making this homemade stock from Blue Apron. You can use nearly any kind of leftover vegetable, there’s no fancy recipe to follow, and you can even freeze your stock for future in-a-pinch weekday meals. Learn more here.
Ah, those poor leafy carrot tops. They often get tossed out instead of fulfilling their true tasty potential. Take this carrot top pesto, from Don’t Waste the Crumbs. It’s simple, versatile, and turns an overlooked ingredient into a spreadable treat. Learn more here.
When brown bananas get you down, it’s banana bread to the rescue! Our Editorial Director swears by this recipe because it leaves you with a loaf that’s moist, flavorful, and simple. Learn more here.
How do you give leftover mashed potatoes a new lease on life? Take a cue from Little Broken and turn ‘em into golden, spinach-filled cakes. The prep is easy and you likely have all the ingredients you need on hand. Learn more here.
Have you introduced your leftover pizza to your waffle iron? Trust us, it’s a match made in cheesy heaven. Sheri Silver is the genius behind this particular pizza hack and it’s as easy (and delicious) as it seems. Learn more here.
Psst! When you save your potato peels instead of throwing them out, you have the makings for a snack that’s a close cousin to both potato chips and French fries. The Kitchn has the scoop (which involves roasting with a drizzle of olive oil and your preferred seasoning). Learn more here.
Whether you have a heap of leftover ham from Easter or a big family gathering, Jojo Cooks can help you out. This hearty soup revamps that ham with the help of beans, veggies, and spices—and it’s guaranteed to fill your house with good smells. Learn more here.
According to these candied citrus peels taste like spring. If that’s not a sunny enough reason to give them a try, just think about how you’ll be repurposing those peels instead of throwing them away. Nibble this candied delight, add to cookies or scones, or package some up to give as gifts. Learn more here.
Think of this fried rice from Damn Delicious as a clean-out-the-fridge kind of meal that’s also a great way to use leftover rice. With whatever veggies you have handy, sesame oil, and minimal cook time you’re all set for an easy weeknight dinner. Get the recipe here.
Your cutie connoisseur probably knows it as the “trunk” of the broccoli—and it’s often ignored and thrown away. But broccoli stems are just as edible and tasty as the rest of the green veggie, especially if you turn them into (baked) fries. It’s easy, thanks to What’s Cooking Good Looking and just a few ingredients. Learn more here.
Stratas are always “everything but the kitchen sink” meals and this idea from Food 52 is no exception. It’s a great solution for stale bread and you can customize to include other use-it-or-lose-it ingredients like wilted greens or cheese nubs. You can also assemble it the night before and then bake it on the quick. Learn more here.
It’s time to put away the peppermint and start noshing on some spring treats! For the third year in a row, Hostess Donettes are being released in a delightful Carrot Cake flavor––pass the coffee please!
Spotted at Walmart by Instagram user @snackbetch, the limited-edition donettes were alongside several other seasonal treats, like the Hostess Llama Cupcakes. While we personally haven’t tried the delightful dessert, we’re guessing it packs lots of delicious carrot, nutmeg and cloves––just like a homemade carrot cake would.
