What's With the Name?

Some of you may be wondering why I named my blog "Muncho Mom."  Many of you other moms out there may be able to identify with me when I say I am always hearing constant munching!  The munching of my children, that is.  Whether it's munching going on at snacktime or munching their lunch leftovers on the way home from school, my kids LOVE to eat!  Really, who doesn't?  But I am so blessed to have two children who are truly wonderful, totally not picky eaters!  So, it's Muncho Mom for me.  Munch, munch, munch....


Remember those corn muffins I made for dinner last night?  They were great!  The Martha Stewart recipe was quick and easy, and they rose beautifully in the oven.  If you like cornbread that's not sweet, I wouldn't recommend these, as they do have some sugar in them.  And a whole stick of butter!  A little indulgence every once in a while is not a totally bad thing, right?  We all enjoyed them, so this recipe is a keeper!

Tomorrow is normally my baking day, but I just happen to have an appointment in the middle of the day (darn!), so I don't think I'll get much baking done.  So, I've been busy doing a couple of things today.  First, I made another batch of those granola bites!  They seem to disappear very fast at our house.  After making the bites, I had a little bit of the granola mixture leftover, so I put it in a bowl and poured milk over it just to see what it would taste like as a cereal.  It was scrumptious!  Here's the link for the granola bites once again:

http://www.anotherlunch.com/2010/05/recipe-chocolate-chip-granola-bites.html

Then, I whipped up a batch of buttercream icing for some mini cupcakes I've had in the freezer.  They'll be perfect for the kid's lunches, and I made them Halloween-y with some candy corn on top!

Cute, huh?  The recipe I use for frosting is from a dear friend of ours who used to bake our children's birthday cakes every year.  She gave me her recipe and I've had good results every time!

Decorator Icing

1 cup solid Crisco

(or 1/2 cup Crisco and 1/2 cup butter)

pinch of salt

1 t. vanilla

1 t. almond flavoring

2/3 cup cool water (or less, depending on the consistency you want)

2 lbs. powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients well.

I always sift the powdered sugar, and the amount of water can vary depending on the consistency you like. If you want smooth, creamy frosting that is easy to spread, I would recommend using half butter and half Crisco.  However, if you are going to use the frosting for decorating only, use less butter and more Crisco.

I'm currently having a dilemma over what to fix for dinner.  I came home from the grocery store this morning with pork chops and bone-in chicken breasts.  I could do Lady & Sons pork chops (a Paula Deen recipe!), sweet potatoes, cooked apples, and peas....or roast chicken, oven fries, corn on the cob, and broccoli.  Decisions, decisions.  I love the combination of pork with sweet potatoes and apples.  Then there's the quandry of only having one oven.  Do I roast the chicken first, then do the oven fries while the chicken cools?  It's a tough one.  I guess we'll see!

Until next time,

Muncho Mom