I’m an impulse shopper, especially when it comes to kitchen gadgets and products.  If you show me something pretty, shiny, or god forbid pink and it somehow relates to cooking than I absolutely have to possess it.  So when I got a new product email from Williams-Sonoma last week featuring animal crackers on parade and the promise of making them in my own home I went temporarily insane and made a beeline straight to the store to pick up the cookie cutters and a mix to try at home.

In some ways these purchases remind me of the way it used to feel when I was a kid and I would successfully talk my mom into buying me yet another She-Ra doll even though someone really should have put up a “no vacancy” sign at the Crystal Castle long ago.  The fictional inhabitants of the Whispering Woods were already experiencing some serious overflow into my Victorian dollhouse, and the dollhouse dwellers were unimpressed cohabiting with a group of buxom, pastel haired gladiators.  Or so I would imagine… but I had to have more!

Today I decided to test out the animal cracker kit so I mixed up the dough, chilled it, and cut out the cute little circus shapes.  I had a hard time at first.  The lions were being stubborn and I broke a lot of the giraffes’ necks, but somehow via some miracle I didn’t have a fit and I got everything cut out, chilled again, and properly baked.  The cookie mix was very good.  It almost tastes exactly like animal crackers from the store.  The clerk at Williams-Sonoma told me that he had tested the mix as well and he thought the baked cookies tasted like the animal crackers he ate as a kid, which apparently are not how animal crackers taste now.  While I can remember copious details about She-Ra, I’m at a loss when it comes to flavor memory so I’ll take his word for it.

I think that kids would love making these!  I don’t have any, but I have a CK and he happily munched a small plate with a glass of milk.  So now I own animal cracker cookie cutters forever and ever.  Who thinks I’ll ever use them again?

Note: Just so that you’re aware, if you purchase the cookie cutters the back of the circus car shaped box has a recipe on it so you don’t necessarily have to purchase a pre-made mix.

In some ways the above treats are reminiscent of a lot of gifts I’ve given my mother over the years on Mother’s Day.  I was always the kid in Sunday School who couldn’t get their Dixie cups packed with Marigold seeds to grow and I’d end up bringing home my mom a cup of dirt for Mother’s Day.

Teacher’s everywhere seem to think that plants are the way to go at this time of year, so in second grade, my teacher Mrs. Eastman, helped us take care of mini Spider Plants.  This time I thought I was home free.  My plant wasn’t growing from a seed, you simply placed your transplanted piece in the dirt, watered it, and kept your growing journal neat and tidy.  Well over the course of the lesson plan my plant got sicker and sicker until it resembled what I can only describe as burnt, limp, french fries.  To make matters worse, some punk in my class thought it would be cute to tie my sad little plant to another kid’s plant.  The next time my classmate went to collect his pot they both went tumbling to the ground.  I probably wanted to cry, or actually did cry.  I certainly hope the brat who committed “plant-icide” got his name on the board.  In a perfect world he would have been kept in for recess too which as I’m sure you’re all aware is the ultimate in childhood punishments.

These marshmallow treats complete with ragged edges and a slightly indecipherable shape are my virtual gift to my Mom today.  I hope that she appreciates the fact that I’m not actually going to make her eat them, and that she enjoys the real gifts that are currently hurtling their way to her in a big brown UPS truck.  I cross my heart and promise that the box does not contain a dead plant!

Happy Mother’s Day Wummy!  Thanks for always cleaning up after those crazy messes I made in the kitchen and for not yelling at me too much when I’d get into the spice cupboard and make “potions” with the oregano, mustard, and bouillon cubes.

Fruity Butterfly Treats (Based on the Fabulous Original Rice Krispie Treats recipe located at RiceKrispies.com)

3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 (10 oz.) package regular marshmallows
6 cups Fruity Cheerios

Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.  Add the Fruity Cheerios. Stir until coated.

Using a buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Note: It wont fill the whole pan. I spread mine out to about half the width of the pan. Allow the gooey mess to cool completely.

Using a cookie cutter (Butterfly or otherwise) cut the mixture into shapes. Feed the leftover edges to a dog, your husband, or other boy/man in your life. Butterfly treats are for “Girl’s Only!”

Once upon a time I lived in Portland, Maine where there was a really great radio station called WCLZ. One morning, while driving to my cubicle dwelling office job, I heard the DJ announce that Minnie Driver was going to be playing a live set in “Studio Z.” Since Minnie Driver is one of my favorite actresses and I’d revered her since she packed on the pounds and shamelessly made out with Chris O’Donnell in Circle of Friends, I knew I had to figure out a way to go. Unfortunately, it was one of those sign-up online and we’ll pick 10 random winners deals. So resourceful girl that I am, I used every email address I’d ever had in my life (and maybe created a few extras) to sign up for the session — and surprise, I won a spot. I ended up missing 5 hours of work that day. Who knew Minnie would be 3 hours late…but while I was there she sang a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Hungry Heart and I really loved it. You can find it on her CD Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket.

You may be wondering how I was able to miss 5 hours of work in the middle of the day without getting into trouble? Well I attribute it at least partially to these cookies. As I’ve mentioned before, straight out of college my cooking skills were limited to things that came out of a box and the occasional Betty Crocker cake mix based cupcakes, and since I lived alone, all of my baking experiments were brought into the office to share. During the two years that I worked there, I think I made these sugar cookies for every holiday and using every conceivable shape and icing color. Sugar Cookies — the best way to make friends and influence people. Give it a go!

Hungry Heart Cookies aka Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies (Originally published on the Food Network website)
Note: Thanks to Anna D for sharing this recipe and allowing me to adopt it as my own almost 5 years ago!

1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a second bowl, combine and mix well the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Stir flour into butter mixture 1 cup at a time.
Chill dough for 3 to 4 hours.
Roll out dough and cut into shapes with cookie cutters or a knife.
Bake on a sheet pan or a parchment lined sheet pan in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.
Remove cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Pretty Pretty Princess Icing

1/2 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Approximately 3 cups of confectioners sugar
Approximately 1/4 cup of milk
A few drops of red food coloring

Combine everything into a bowl and mix until uniform. If the icing is too thin add more confectioners sugar, if it’s too thick add a little more milk. Ta da!

I’ve had the Avon Jolly Express cookie cutter set since 1992. When I first used the kit (way back when I was 12 years old) it came with prepackaged gingerbread mix and icing. Pretty revolting stuff, but you better believe I made that train and then ate the whole thing while watching Home Alone on VHS. You can’t find these cookie cutters anywhere. Not even on eBay. Believe me I’ve tried. For the last three years the Jolly Express has been M.I.A — with my mother claiming that she had given the kit to me, and me proclaiming that she most certainly hadn’t. So guess what we found in my mother’s attic when I was home in Maine a few months ago? Need a hint? See below.

Practically an Antique	Complete With Old Icing Stains
Too Lazy to Make Proper Dough	Cut Out Cookies
Make Icing	Fill the Bag
So Many Choices	The Naked Train
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Chugga Chugga
Chugga Chugga	Choo Choo!

Obviously I had to enter my little creation into YumSugar’s Gingerbread House Contest. Hopefully they don’t mean “house” in the literal sense? We’ll see!