Easy Dyed Rice

Dyed rice for sensory bins has never been easier! This 3 ingredient method dries super fast and provides vibrant results!

I love to make sensory bins, almost as much as the kids love to play in them! They still love the sushi sensory bin we made ages ago and it inspired me to try dying rice for more sensory fun. 

To make this dyed rice you will need:

• Rice
• Food Coloring
• Hand Sanitizer

 Place the uncooked white rice in a zipper seal baggie. I used 3/4 cup per color.
Add a tablespoon of hand sanitizer.

Add 3-5 drops of food coloring (I used the cheap stuff from dollar tree FYI).

Release the air from the baggie to avoid popping it. The shake it, squish it, wiggle the rice around until it is coated completely. The pour the rice on a paper plate and let it dry for about 45 minutes.

Repeat with additional colors as desired.

Naturally, we did all of the colors of the rainbow!

You can find all of our sensory play ideas here

Veggie Pizza

Summer is here! I am perfecting my recipes for cold meals that will satisfy the family. I don't want to turn on the oven for any longer than necessary, and that makes this the perfect recipe for the hottest days!

My tip is to prepare the crust early in the morning. This gives it plenty of time to cool and you won't need to swelter with the added heat of the oven in the afternoon.

To make Veggie Pizza you will need

One can of crescent rolls
Ranch Dip
Raw veggies (We used carrots, broccoli and sugar snap peas)
Shredded Cheese 

Unroll the crescent rolls. Make some sort of odd shaped crust with them on a cookie sheet. 

Poke lots of holes in the dough with a fork. 

Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes until the crust is flaky and golden.

Allow to cool completely.

Spread about 3 tablespoons of ranch dip onto the crust.

Top with veggies of your choice.

Sprinkle on cheese to taste.

Cut into squares and serve cold.


This recipe is a great side, main dish, or appetizer at a party. You can use any veggies you like, which makes it a great recipe for varying taste buds!

Find all of my recipes here

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Homemade Strawberry Peach Soda Pop

Homemade Strawberry Peach Soda is perfect for a summer day. It is refreshing, easy to make, and has no preservatives, caffeine, or additives.

Strawberries and peaches come together to make a soda that captures the essence of summer and can be made anytime you want it!

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We have a Drink Mate in the kitchen and I have made it my mission to put it to use for summer entertaining. I love to mix cocktails for friends and I hate to exclude anyone from my kitchen adventures. So I started custom making soda syrup.  This has been one of my most requested homemade sodas all summer! If you don't have a drink mate or soda stream, no sweat. You can still make this at home with club soda!

Homemade Strawberry Peach Soda Pop Syrup
Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh peaches, sliced

1 pound of fresh strawberries, sliced

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

Mesh Strainer

Directions for Strawberry Peach Soda Syrup:

Combine sliced fruit, sugar and water in a saucepan.

Over medium heat bring to a boil

Reduced heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour the fruit syrup through a mesh strainer to remove the fruit.

Allow the syrup to cool.

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Directions for Homemade Strawberry Peach Soda
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add 6 ounces of club soda or carbonated water.
Add 2 ounces of of the homemade soda syrup and gently stir with a eco friendly straw.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry if desired.

This drink is refreshing and perfectly fizzy without being incredibly sweet.

It is perfect for summer and is so easy to make. Even a beginner in the kitchen can handle making the syrup.

While I have only made this with fresh fruit, if you are craving this in the off season, I am sure frozen fruits would work out just fine!

You can find all of my favorite drink recipes here.
Bomb Pop Cocktails

Strawberry Cheesecake Floats 

DIY Barbie Serving Tray

My daughter is really into all things Barbie. So I made her this cute little rustic serving tray for her Dreamhouse play sessions. It took me less than 5 minutes and is pretty cute and you can personalize it if you wish!

We have all but given up on Barbie accessories. My kids lose them, the dog chews them and it seems like a big waste of money. I won't buy any more, but I will DIY some!

 I made this Rustic Barbie Serving Tray happen in moments with 3 supplies. It is pretty cute and it cost me $0 to make.

Supplies

6 small craft sticks 

Scissors

Glue Gun

Directions

Glue 3 craft sticks together

Trim the rounded edges off of 3 craft sticks then glue 2 of them to the longest sides of the base.

Cut the remaining craft stick in half

Glue this to the other ends

 Now you have a rustic serving tray for Barbie and her friends. Can you believe how easy that was?

We are already planning to make a version of this with taller sides to flip over as a coffee table for Barbie. You can paint the serving tray, or cover it with washi tape for a unique look if your daughter isn't into Farmhouse style decor yet.

Find all of my craft stick projects here

Handprint Fish Puppets

Monster Handprint Puppets

Wild Blueberry Gin Fizzers

Blueberry Gin Fizzers are perfect for summer entertaining.  They are so easy to make, and they have the ideal blend of sweet and tart flavors. 

 I was gifted 8 pounds of beautiful blueberries. My husband will eat them sometimes, the kids don't like them in any capacity. That left me with about 7.5 pounds of berries to use and enjoy. Naturally I had them on my cereal. I added them to oatmeal. I ate them on cake. I baked a small pie.  I froze half of them... I still had blueberries left! What is a girl to do? Why not drink them!?

This cocktail recipe is so easy to make. It is refreshing and tasty, making it perfect for summer entertaining. The flavor of gin is wonderful mixed with blueberries!

Ingredients:

2 ounces of fresh blueberries

Lime wedges

Sprite

Gin; I like Beefeater

Ice

Directions:

With a spoon,  or a muddler, smash the blueberries.

Add ice to the glass.

Add Sprite.

Top with 1 ounce of Beefeater Gin.

Squeeze the juice of a lime wedge into the glass.

Garnish with a lime if desired.

You can find more of my favorite blueberry recipes here.
Find more cocktail recipes here.