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WHEN WE TRAVEL? KID'S SURPRISE TRAVEL BOX

I can remember being bored as a kid when we traveled. And I want my kids to have fun without looking at a screen the whole time. Every time we leave to go on a trip, after getting in the car, I give each child a surprise box. It's packed full of different activities each time we go on a trip to keep it interesting.

I bought old Rubbermaid VHS storage boxes at the local thrift store among other items like old calculator paper rolls for coloring. Any box will do. I like these because they lock and have a handle.

Make sure to put many options tailored for each child. These are my recommendations:

Crayons & calculator paper roll or pad of paper
Bag of Legos
Card games
Cars
Action Figures
Books
Coloring Books
Magnets
Beads & string or pipe cleaners
Playdough or silly putty
Sheet of sandpaper & yarn
Calculator
Question Cards
Free Car Game printables
Felt shapes with a large piece of felt

There are TONS of ideas! Scour pinterest or the internet and you'll find tons of traveling activities to keep your kids attention.

WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST? BREAKFAST SANDWICH

We usually have pancakes for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast but for the past few Saturdays, the family has been requesting my breakfast sandwiches.
"I like your pancakes but I love your breakfast sandwiches!"

Please make your own biscuits! It's easy & fast and your family will love them tons more. Takes me less time to mix the dough & cut them out than it does for the oven to heat up.

HOMEMADE BISCUITS
makes approx 7 biscuits (2.5" diameter)

2 C flour
1T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 C butter
2/3 C milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives until pea size balls form. 


Add milk; mix just until it clings together.
Knead gently with a little extra flour, about 10-12 strokes.

Roll or pat out onto lightly floured surface, at least 1/2" thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter or the top of a glass or plastic cup. You'll have to knead and roll it out a couple of times to use up all the dough.


Arrange on greased baking sheet or seasoned stone.


Bake for 10 minutes or until tops start to brown.




To make the Breakfast Sandwich:
While biscuits are cooking, cook sausage or bacon in a skillet. Remove meat to a plate but not the grease. Drop eggs one at a time into hot grease over medium heat. Cook until eggs are fried over medium (the whites are cooked, the yolk is still runny). If you need to splash a little grease onto the tops of the eggs with a spatula to cook the egg whites, that's perfectly fine.  

Pull a biscuit apart in the middle, add meat then the fried egg. Top with the biscuit top and serve. 

WHAT WE'RE BAKING? ORANGE GLAZED POUND CAKE

Don't make this. That's right. Don't do it unless you're giving it away or having company over. Because you're going to want to sit and eat the whole thing. Ok maybe that's what I want to do.

Makes 2 loaves

Pound cake
2 stick unsalted, softened butter
2 C sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 C grated orange zest (from 3 large oranges)
3 C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt or 1/2 t sea salt
1/4 C freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 C milk or buttermilk, room temperature
1 t vanilla

Heat oven 350°. Grease 2 regular loaf pans then line bottoms with parchment paper. In an electric mixter fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar for about 5 minutes. Turn up to medium speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add orange zest.

In a bowl, mix, dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients.Add the dry and wet mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.

Divide batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Orange syrup
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C freshly squeezed orange juice

While the cakes are baking, cook the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

When the cakes are cooked. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Then remove them from the pans onto a wire rack. Place a pan underneath. Spoon the orange syrup over both cakes. Cool completely.

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 T + a few more drops freshly squeezed orange juice
orange zest

When cakes are cooled completely, combine the powdered sugar & orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Add a few more drops of juice, if necessary to make it pour easily. Pour over the tops of cakes, then sprinkle more orange zest over the tops, if desired and allow to dry. Wrap well and store in the refrigerator.

WHAT WE'RE COOKING? PULLED PORK ENCHILADAS

Preheat oven to 300°.

2 C packed pulled pork (use leftover Super Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork)
10oz can black beans, drained
15oz can corn kernels, drained
2 C Mexican shredded cheese, divided
12-14 corn tortillas
25oz can enchilada sauce (if you're GF, make sure the brand you get is GF. I used Las Palmas.)

In a bowl, mix pulled pork, beans, corn, 1/2 C cheese & 1/2 C enchilada sauce. Spread 1/2 C enchilada sauce on the bottom of ungreased baking dish. Place 1/3 C pulled pork mixture into a tortilla and roll up and place in the baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Bake for 15 minutes. Removed from oven and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake further for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

WHAT WE'RE COOKING? SUPER EASY SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK


1 large chopped onion

4 cloves minced garlic
1 C chicken broth
1 T packed brown sugar
1 T chili powder
1 T salt
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cinnamon
4-5 lb pork loin or shoulder
1 C BBQ sauce (optional)

Mix all ingredients in your crock pot. Cover and cook for 
8 hours on high or 10-12 on low. Using two forks, pull the 
pork apart into bite sized pieces. Stir and serve. We served 
these on King's Hawaiian  rolls with coleslaw. 

WHAT WE'RE MAKING? BLUE PUNCH for DISNEY FROZEN BIRTHDAY PARTY





1 lg container Hawaiian Punch
2 ltr 7up/Sprite
2 C pineapple juice
ice

Mix well and serve.

Optional: serve as a "coke" float with homemade vanilla ice cream.



WHAT WE'RE MAKING? GLITTER SNOW SILLY PUTTY for DISNEY FROZEN BIRTHDAY PARTY - fun play or party favors



1 bottle ELMER'S white glue
same amount of water
1/2 t Borax dissolved in 1/2 C hot water
iridescent glitter
small plastic containers with lids from Dollar Tree --->

Optional: Frozen labels

Pour the white Elmer’s glue into a bowl. Fill the empty bottles with warm water, place the lids back on and shake the bottles (this will help remove any remaining glue inside the bottle and make it easy to measure your water). Pour the watery glue into the bowl and mix with a spoon.

In a small bowl mix 1/2 C hot water with 1 t Borax until dissolved.

Mix the Borax water and glue together for a few minutes until the slime forms together.
Add in glitter.

You might have to work with the ratios a bit to get the right consistency.

Keep putty stored in airtight container or bag.

WHAT WE'RE BAKING? HOT CROSS BUNS with dōTERRA Essential Oil

Hot cross buns! 
Hot cross buns! 
One a penny, two a penny, 
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons;
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!

Traditionally, these are served in the UK on Good Friday, but my son's classical academy is doing the rhyme in Kindergarten so I made them to bring to all the Kindergarteners today. It's a good thing I'm gluten free, because I would have eaten a lot of them. Also traditionally these are made with currents but here in the States, currents aren't common. So just use Craisins or raisins.

Mix in a bowl and allow to proof for 5 minutes:
3/4 C warm water
3 T butter
1 T yeast
1 T instant powdered milk
1/4 C sugar
1/4 t sea salt

Add and mix well:
1 egg
1 egg white
3 C flour

Stir in:
1 t cinnamon
3/4 C dried currants, raisins or Craisins (after microwaving in bowl for 45 seconds to plump them up)

Knead for approx 8 minutes.

Cover and place in warm area, like by a stove/oven for 1 hour or until doubled.

Shape into 12 balls and place on season stone or greased baking dish. Cover and rise 45 minutes.

Mix 1 egg yolk & 2 T water. Brush on top of risen rolls.

Bake preheated oven 375° for 20 minutes or until starting to brown on top.

Cool on wire racks, completely.

For icing, mix:
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 t vanilla
2 t milk
1 drop dōTERRA Lemon essential oil

Pipe an X of icing onto the tops of each bun when the buns are completely cooled.

Kimber Scott
ID # 845317
An Independent Product Consultant

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