Valentine's Day Treats

      Hello Again Readers!! It’s been a while since I last posted on our blog, so let me rectify that.

      Today I will be sharing with you two easy recipes that can be used for any event. 

    

     If you follow our Facebook Page (Caramel Curlz & Swirls FB Page), then you may recall me making this sweet and fun filled treat for Ms. Bree’s 6^th Birthday Party.   I will be posting all the details of her Barbie Birthday Bash next. 

     Due to the fact that all her classmates and teachers enjoyed this treat so much, I decided to make it again.  This time the “Valentine’s Day Popcorn” was the main treat which was accompanied by “Sparkling Marshmallow Pops”.

    Both treats are extremely easy to prepare, very inexpensive and it’s guaranteed to make a hit. 

Let’s get started shall we!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 lb White Almond Bark (Vanilla Flavored);

4 Bags of Homestyle Pop Popcorn (4 bags were enough to make 20 Valentine’s Day Bags);

Red Food Coloring (Magenta/Pink);

Sprinkles (whichever kind your kid loves).

Now, the first time I made this treat I used a large plastic bowl, which was okay but made the “clean up” process a bit difficult.  The melted almond bark becomes hard relatively quickly.  With that bit of information in mind, the second time around I used a disposable roasting pan I got from the Dollar Store. 

This is something your kids can help with. They get to use their little hands to mix the melted almond bark, popcorn and sprinkles! Be prepared, sucking fingers will happen once the mixing part is done!  In another words, this is very messy.  

I tried using a spoon to mix everything but it didn't work as expected, the popcorn would actually get stuck to the spoon, therefore, using your hands was the best advice I was giving so I’m passing this amazing tip to you!

 STEP 1:

Pop the popcorn as instructed on the bags, (Pop 2 bags at a time).

STEP 2:

Melt half a pound of Almond Bark as recommended on the packaging.

STEP 3:

 Add a few drops of the food coloring until you achieve the color you are aiming for.  Mix it well.

STEP 4:

Spread all the popcorn on your disposable pan.

STEP 5:

Lightly drizzle the melted Almond Bark on your popcorn and begin to mix; 
Do this two to three times until you reach the desired results. 

STEP 6:

DROP the sprinkles! Again, you can add as many sprinkles as you (or you little one wants).

AND DONE! 

I used Valentine's Bags that I purchased from Party City.  They come in packs of 20s and they had many designs.  I picked two different designs for the kids. 

               

 

                      Little Man's class                        Ms Bree's class

Pretty easy right!  The teachers loved the popcorn so much the first time I made it, I'm sure there were very happy to get more!! 

This delicious treat can be prepared a day or two in advance.  It approximately took two hours to prepare and filled 40 bags.  

Marshmallow Pops

These pops are even easier to make!  

You will need Wilton Lollipop Wrapping Kit

A bag of Jumbo Size Marshmallows

Left over melted almond bark and left over sprinkles!  

Perfect, do you agree?  You can modify the colors to match your birthday party theme or any special event!

Go ahead, try it and ENJOY!   

~Elena~

A Santa for Everyone

Hello dear readers... I know all of you are used to reading my wife's post about hair and this is the first time I contribute to her precious baby and feel honored that she'd asked me to this.  

Christmas is very important to us, especially to my wife.  My wife never celebrated Christmas as a child.  Well, let me rephrase that, her mother did what she thought was right and celebrated Christmas the only way she could due to her lack of funds and stability. 

My wife was told at a very young age that Santa Claus was not real, just like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.   She was further told that her cousins were receiving gifts, but the person bringing gifts at night was in fact their father, (Elena's uncle).  I'm sure that her mother found it imperative to made this revelation to the children because she had no resources to buy Christmas gifts for them.  

Seeing my wife celebrate Christmas for the last seven years, it has made me realize she is trying her best to give our children the best childhood memories she can which is something she was unable to experience as a child.   

Like any married couple, we discuss everything that involves our children. We came to a decision and put it into to play.  What I admire most about her is her determination to keep my family's traditions alive as well as start our own so that our children may share them with their children one day.

Some have asked- Why do you have a Black Santa?  

The decision to write about this came before Megyn Kelly, a Fox News host stated during her show that "Santa is White".  You can read about it here: Fox News host Megyn Kelly "Santa is white’ comments, calls critics ‘humorless"

This is my memory of days before Christmas.  When I was a child I could not wait for Thanksgiving Dinner to be over with.  Mainly because I knew the very next day it was time to put up our Christmas decorations. 

Every year my father and I would hang a big picture of Santa Claus over our front door.  I am sure some of you will remember and relate to that very notion.  There was a particular year when my father placed a new picture covering the door, well, at least I thought it was new, I didn't say much at that time other than to state the obvious, "that's not Santa Claus!, Santa Claus is white".

As any inquisitive child, I looked closely to the picture and realized it was the very same cover we had used on past years, the difference was, someone had "colored" Santa's face a nice rich coffee brown. 

My father didn't give a long explanation, in fact, he didn't respond to my statement at all. He just granted me a quick glance and continue to decorate.  I was about six or seven years old at that time, and yes, my Wife will probably tell you that is the time when Moses parted the red sea, but don't let her fool you. I can assure you I'm not that old.

Either way, that was quiet some time ago but I can recall this conversation very well.  After my father, sisters and I finished decorating our Christmas tree, it was time for a well deserved cup of hot chocolate.  As we sat drinking our chocolate and watching TV, our parents decided to joined us.  After the TV show ended, my dad asked me, "Bill, tell me what do you think of the black Santa on the door?" I responded: "It's kind of funny because everyone knows Santa is white", my dad continued by asking "Oh, really, is that what you think?"

My father was not upset by any means. He continued to tell me that he had spoken and seen Santa and that he was in fact "black".  He then proceeded to ask, "Bill have you ever seen any white man bring presents over to our house, ever? The only persons you see here are black right?" 

I had to agree to that, during Easters, Birthdays or during any other holidays, the only people that brought us any type of goodies were black.  My father was never mean, that was never his style.  What he did explained to me was that Santa Claus takes on the color of the people he is delivering presents to. (i.e. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, etc.)  Well, that kind of made perfect sense to me.

For the next few years after we would put out our Santa Clauses that had been "painted" black.  But one year, my father came home with a new box, it had a new Santa in it, and when we opened the box, I could only smile!! The new Santa Claus was black!, not painted by my parents but one that was created to be black and sold at stores! My first thought was "how cool is that!!"  

Now, as a father it is important that my children know that although white Santa Claus is highly advertised. Santa Claus comes in every color, it just depends on who he is delivering presents to.

In our house, I am black, my wife is Hispanic and our children know they are the perfect mix.  They are perfect because they are a combination of mommy and daddy, and they have the best of our two worlds.  A combination of our hair down to every feature on their face. 

As my father instilled in me, just because a black Santa Claus is not highly advertised and not often seen, it doesn’t mean he does not exist.   Our children get to see that fat jolly guy who brings toys to all the good boys and girls as someone who looks like him.   Though my son may not know this now, but one day he will help the jolly fat black guy deliver toys to his very own children.

I believe that having something or someone good that the looks like the children makes it easier for them to relate to and bring a sense of pride and gives them a positive self image of themselves and people who look like them.  After all, different races make up this wonderful world that we live in. 

So, to all, have a Merry Christmas and to all a good night!