Your kids will delight in these snack and there are so tasty even the big kids (a.k.a. Mom or Dad) will like them.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups butter, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 cups grape or strawberry jelly
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup light roast peanut flour, divided
• 1 cup salted, chopped
• 1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoons salt

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350° . Line bottom and sides of a 13- x 9-inch pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.
• Cut 1 cup butter into small pieces. Pulse butter pieces, all-purpose flour, and powdered sugar in a food processor 5 to 6 times or until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
• Bake at 350° on an oven rack one-third up from bottom of oven 22 to 24 minutes or just until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, whisk together jelly, peanut butter, and 1/4 cup peanut flour in a small bowl until smooth.
• Microwave remaining 1/4 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 25 seconds or until melted. Stir in peanuts, next 4 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 cup peanut flour until well blended and crumbly.
• Spread jelly mixture over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle peanut mixture around edges of pan and over jelly mixture.
• Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or just until jelly mixture begins to puff. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour).
• Carefully and quickly lift baked bars from pan, using foil sides as handles. Place on a cutting board, and cut into 24 bars.

It’s happened to many of us.  Dinnertime, and you’re itching to try some fancy, exotic new recipe to bring out the foodie in you and your spouse.  But your kids are refusing to put anything in their mouths that’s not macaroni and cheese.  So who wins?  Break out the Kraft; this battle was over before it began.

It happens to me, too.  Contrary to popular belief, cookbook authors do not make fabulous, home-cooked, gourmet meals every single night.  I try to prepare a “proper” dinner for my family several nights a week, but being the parent of a toddler can make it difficult to move away from boring staples: store-bought chicken sausages, simple roasted chicken, pasta with pesto (possibly my son’s favorite food).  Kids are picky eaters by definition, so cooking for them while still maintaining your personal culinary standards can be tough.

What I love to do is to find dishes that are familiar enough that my son is willing to try them, but interesting enough to provide him- and us- with varied taste experiences.  That’s why I would recommend this recipe to anyone in a similar situation.  It has familiar textures and flavors that appeal to kids (pasta! tomatoes!) but has the sophistication and healthiness that appeal to adults.

Roasting the cauliflower with red onions and garlic brings out the sweet, earthy flavors, and the buttery toasted breadcrumbs add a welcome crunch. Prep is a breeze—you can prepare the rest of the dish while the vegetables are in the oven. Breadcrumbs can be toasted ahead and stored, in an airtight container, in the fridge or freezer. When ready to use, let sit out on the counter until warmed to room temperature.  Also, feel free to use another pasta shape- rotelle, orechiette, or small shells would work well- if your supermarket doesn’t carry gemelli.

Photo by Andres Ramirez.  Reproductions of this photograph must be accompanied by attribution.

Gemelli with Roasted Cauliflower, Tomatoes and Crispy Breadcrumbs
From www.twolazygourmets.com and The Lazy Gourmet: Magnificent Meals Made Easy by Robin Donovan and Juliana Gallin (Viva Editions, 2011)

1 head cauliflower (about 11/2 pounds florets), cut into small pieces

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2–1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound gemelli or other pasta

cups (about ounces) sourdough bread cubes

tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (reserve juice)

1/4 cup capers, drained

1/4–1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

Preheat oven to 450°f.

In a baking dish, toss cauliflower, onion, and garlic with olive oil, coating vegetables thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, and roast in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring once about halfway through, until cauliflower is tender and beginning to brown.

While the vegetables are in the oven, heat a large pot of salted water (large enough to hold all ingredients) over high heat and cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.

Whirl bread in a food processor to make crumbs, pulsing, until the largest pieces are roughly the size of peas. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add butter. When butter is melted and bubbling, add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

When pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot on the stove. Add roasted vegetables, tomatoes, capers, and crushed red pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, until just heated through. If the mixture looks too dry, add a bit of the reserved tomato juice. Stir until well combined. Serve in pasta bowls topped with breadcrumbs and generously garnished with cheese.

Serves 6 to 8.

Robin Donovan is the coauthor with Juliana Gallin of The Lazy Gourmet: Magnificent Meals Made Easy, and is also the author if Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors. She is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist, book author, blogger, and editor specializing in food, cooking, travel, and other lifestyle topics. Her food writing has appeared in Fitness, San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, and many other publications. For more receipts from Robin and Julianna visit twolazygourmets.com and follow Robin on Twitter.

Today is my son’s birthday.  This year has been a little fun and different because I’m using One Charming Party to do EVERYTHING for the party!  It’s been so fabulous!  All I have to do is show up (house clean, of course).  Easy!  I did make the invitations, however (below), which I thought turned out really cute.  This is Tate’s first party with games and we’ve invited all his little boy friends that are close to his age.  He’s SOOOO excited!

Because of birthday madness around here today, I’m just doing a helter-skelter post with lots of randomness… you ready?  I found this adorable dinosaur a little too late to order for Tate’s big day (click on pic to be redirected to RobotDinosaur’s site).  Isn’t it sweet?

Also in my “dinosaur vintage” google search I found this picture.  I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal style and if it really reflects what I like.  This picture (minus the alcohol) really appealed to me.  I know it’s kinda crazy, but I love this chick’s look (she’s wearing a dinosaur shirt, btw, which is why she showed up in my search).  I think it’s her pencil skirt, the funky tee and over-sized bag that caught my eye.  While I do love this look, I’m not sure I could pull it off now.  I’m nearing my late twenties and have had three babies… does this style work when hauling kids around?  I just don’t know.  Maybe Sarah Ward could help me navigate this fashion quandry, too.

Since it’s National Adoption Month this month and since my family is in the process of getting licensed to provide foster/adoptive care, I thought it would be fun to feature some of my favorite adoption-inspired items created by creative chick, Lindsey, of The R House.  I’m an avid fan of Lindsey’s blog.  I love how she embraces and normalizes adoption.  Her profile caught my heart:

Mrs. R is a mom to two adorable kids brought into her life through the miracle and HOPE of adoption. She is also an avid adoption writer and advocate at www.therhouse.blogspot.com where she strives to educate the world on the HOPE that adoption brings to all members of the adoption triad.

I especially love that last line: “…HOPE that adoption brings to all members of the adoption triad (emphasis added).”  All members of the adoption triad means birth parents, adoptive parents and – especially – the child.  Whenever I need a pick-me-up regarding our efforts to foster/adopt, I love to read Lindsey’s blog, The R House, as it always leaves me refreshed and inspired to continue the journey.  Take a peek at some of my favorite R House Creations (click on pics to be redirected to item in their store):

Eventually Necklace with Pearl – $32.00

eventually. i love and hate this word. i hate it because it implies waiting …and i have a serious wait problem. i love it because hope is at the root of eventually. “When we have hope, we trust in the promises our Father in Heaven made to us. We have a quiet assurance that if we do what is right, we will have peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.” ~lds.org

Hope, Strength, Courage Charm Bracelet with Amazonite and Butterscotch Amber – $39.00

perhaps strength doesn’t reside in having never been broken, but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places.

Everything Happens for a Reason Necklace with Freshwater Pearl and Vintage Pink Glass – $40.00

Good Looks Chocolate Brown Toddler Tee – $18.00

I love all these pieces for the fact that they highlight the joy and celebration of adoption and I love that they are created by a creative chick who holds adoption near and dear to her heart.  Thank you for your creativity, Lindsey!  You’re a shining example of the love of family and the blessings of adoption.

p.s. Lindsey is hosting an Adoption Month dinner at the Blue Lemon next Monday night and I’ll be doing my darndest to be there!  Will be so fun to get together in an adoption-loving, yummy food atmostphere.  See you there!

Since it’s Friday, I’m feeling ready to escape real life and run away, thus the inspiration for today’s post on creative bikes.

So you’ve got a little one and they are having a hard time with pedal bikes and trikes and you really want them to learn to ride a two-wheel bike.  Maybe their older siblings ride one or maybe your child has seen the other kids in the neighborhood on theirs.  Regardless, you think there are only a few options for your child: training wheels, trikes, etc.

When today’s feature creative chick, Katie, was in Germany she was shocked to see little tiny kids zipping by her on two-wheel bikes.  Upon closer examination, she found that the bikes had no pedals and that kids there learn balance first and then move into a two-wheel pedal bike much faster and more easily.  When Katie came back to the United States, she searched for a bike like that here for her son and was disappointed in the options.  While there were a few two-wheel balance bikes for kids, she felt that none were a true to a real bike as what she had seen.  So, she got to work, designed some bikes and sent that to a manufacturer, creating Boot Scoot Bikes.

I love these bikes so much.  I talk about them all the time.  I now have two children (ages almost 4 and 2.5) riding Boot Scoot Balance bikes and they LOVE them.

Check out some of the fun Boot Scoot Bikes designs (click on pic to be redirected):

Grass Green Zoomer – $75.00

Sky Blue Cruiser – $85.00

Sunrise Pink Zoomer – $75.00

And, of course, you’ve gotta have pink, right?  When Katie originally ordered, she didn’t even think to order pink (she only has sons).  However, once the shipment arrived, parents were insisting that their girls needed a pink bike.  Sooo funny.  Well, they got their wish and now everyone’s happy.  Aren’t these the cutest bikes you’ve ever seen?!

Thanks for your creativity and ingenuity, Katie!  You are definitely a “creative chick.”

See Katie’s site at BootScootBikes.com and/or find her fabulous bikes at CreatedByMom.com.