Recipe ~ Apple Dump Cake

This is the only cake that I know how to make.  I do not remember where I got the recipe from, but I have been making this for at least 15 years.  This is a no fail, always perfect, cobbler like dessert that ANYbody can make.  It is especially fun to have the kids get involved.  Its called a "Dump" cake for a reason.  You are literally going to dump the ingredients into a pan and bake!

Apple Dump Cake

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
2 cans of your favorite pie filling (we use apple)
1 stick of margarine

Preheat the oven to 350
In an average size rectangle cake pan or any oven safe dish thats deep enough...

Dump in the 2 cans of pie filling.  (spread it evenly)
Dump the contents of the cake mix box on top of the pie filling (yes the dry cake mix)
Slice the margarine and place the slices on top of the cake mix.  Try to cover it as much as possible.
Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until its bubbling.

Cool or serve warm with scoops of ice cream for a wonderful summer treat!

Remember:  You can use ANY pie filling you want for this recipe OR crushed pineapples. Try using 1 can of crushed pineapples and 1 can of cherry pie filling.  Its yummy. Experiment and have fun!

Thanks for reading :-)

Simple Summers ~ Learning AND Fun

Kids love nothing more than being out of school and summer time.  Sometimes it can be a challenge finding things for them to do that will keep them both interested AND busy.  Today we kept it simple and just got out the hose.

We intend to continue to keep it simple for the rest of the summer.


We will work in our container garden.
We will play OUTSIDE

We will visit the local library.
We will visit museums
We will attend cultural festivals/expo
...and more

These are just a few of the things that are planned for my LittleChick this summer.  I must add that I will not be accomplishing all of these things with my daughter on my own.  I do have a job.  My village (My husband, mother, sister, and neighbor) will all help.

What do you have planned for your kids this summer?

Thanks for reading.

Peace :-)

Sistah SpotLight! Mahogany Babies

On behalf of Our Natural Kids, I am so excited to tell you all about Mahogany Babies!  Mahogany Babies is a California based program that helps to educate parents about healthy hair and scalp care as well as healthy self esteem.  They achieve this through educational "hands on" seminars developed by Trichologist, natural hair stylist and salon owner, Dr. Kari Williams.  I just love the mission of this program:
"...to inform and train parents on how to nurture their child's hair and self esteem by providing education that teaches how to recognize common scalp disorders and avoid unhealthy hair care practices that can lead to permanent hair loss in children."

Dr. Kari believes in encouraging healthy techniques for styling hair at home to ensure that children will actually have a head full of healthy hair as they grow.

If you are in the Los Angeles, CA area, you are in luck because the next seminar  is set for Saturday, May 19th, 2012.  This particular installment will teach parents how to detangle, braid, twist,  and cornrow! In addition to education there will also be entertainment in the form of music, art, spoken word, stories that inspire, AND MORE!!  (A buffet style lunch is included in the price of a ticket.)

Go to http://mahoganybabies.eventbrite.com/ for more information and as a special offer for our Cali readers enter coupon code MAHOGANY to save $10 on your ticket!

Sign Up on www.OurNaturalKids.Ning.com to learn about how you can win a FREE ticket to this event.

Education is key!  Check out Dr. Kari's other sites also:

http://www.drkariwilliams.com/

http://www.mahoganyrevolution.com/

Thanks for reading!

Container Garden 2012

My LittleChick and I are at again!  At the beginning of April we started our beloved container garden.  We had such success with last years venture that it this year was a no brainer.   One thing that we didn't know is that some of the things that we planted before actually come back from year to year.  We now know the difference between Perennials (Life cycle 3+ years), Annuals (1 year) and Biennials (2 years).
  

Romaine

On April 1st we planted:  Cucumbers, Spinach, Onions, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lettuce, Romaine, Carrots, Kale, and Collards.
On April 14th we planted: Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Cilantro
On May 5th we planted: Bell Peppers

Kale

Collards

We are having so much fun with this.  My daughter rushes home from school everyday and immediately goes out to check on her plants.  She really nurtures her crop.   Watering daily and notifying me of any differences that she sees.  

Spinach

Starting a container garden is easy.  Here is what we did to get started.  We logged on to one of the popular seed websites to find out what "zone" we are in.  This tells you what can be planted and when based on the climate that you live in.  Once that was determined we decided on what we would grow and we purchased the seeds, premium potting soil and pots.  We simply followed the planting instructions on the seed packets and stood back to watch it all grow.  Container gardens are EASY.  No bugs.  No muss.  No fuss.  There is NOTHING like stepping right outside your house and grabbing everything you need to make a fresh salad.  I cant wait  until we can do that.

Lettuce

Do you have a garden or container garden?  What are you growing?

Thanks for reading.

Peace