I used to volunteer in my friend's public school classroom during the holidays to make Marshmallow Menorahs with the students! So I was so happy to see the same project going on at the Community Shuk in Oakland, with Oakland Ruach Hadassah leading this activity! Tiny loved sticking and stacking the sweet treats together. And I loved the gumdrop and lollipop innovation!  Chef Faith Kramer, of Blog Appetit, has kindly shared her instructions. One for each night, let's share this delight! ~ What sweet and crafty holiday treats do you create with your kids? ~

With cupcakes that look this good, you know a couple of them will disappear before "Happy Birthday" is sung. And that is just what happened at my niece's Halloween Birthday Party! Even her friend, a two-year-old lion, could not resist these tempting frosted cupcakes by Black Jet Baking Co. in San Francisco. As the friendly feline reached for his second mini cake, it was decided that some singing needed to start soon! Luckily my kids wanted one of each, so I got to try them all! There was a dried coconut topping and pink and chocolate frostings, but the almond-filled German chocolate topping was my favorite. Thankfully we have two of those in our fridge this morning! They are the kind of cupcakes you could make at home if you had three recipes for cake and four for frosting, lots of sugared toppers and sprinkles, time, patience and no one pulling on your apron springs, or skinny jeans. They are homemade cupcakes, perfected. ~ Where do you find your special birthday sweets? ~

We don't like to miss a good birthday party, and we really try to get to them all. But once in a while a vacation or a prior commitment gets in the way. Or a sick kid. One Sunday morning it was a sick Tiny that kept us from a good friend's birthday party. And while we couldn't take part in the music and games, we were so impressed that favors and cupcakes were saved especially for us. I mean our kids! How lucky that we got to try these Minnie Mouse topped cupcakes from the Bay Area's Wooden Spoon. Moist cake and creamy frosting really were the sugar that helped the medicine go down that day. ~ What treats have been known to cheer up your little ones? ~ 

I co-hosted a baby shower for two mom-to-be friends. Both are expecting their first babies this fall, and they are both having boys. I wanted a fun little personalized treat to go with all of the other gourmet sweets we would be serving: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Serendipity truffles and cookies to be dipped in a chocolate fountain. These back-to-basics Hershey's Kisses, personalized with labels from Pretty Pretty Products, were just the trick. They were cute and sweet, and fun for my daughter to pass around to the guests. Her idea. Of course she may have saved a few for herself too! ~ What personalized party treats are your favorites? ~

Traditionally before Passover, you search the house for bread crumbs to discard. Meaning you hide big bread crumbs around the house for your kids to find and feel helpful! I thought a more tasty treat to find would make this exercise more fun, and eating the treats would be a fun way to get rid of them too! I recently received a recipe from my friend Esther for her family's favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Tiny and I made them together, and then I hid eight of them in the living room for her. She found six of them right away, and the last two were more of a challenge. All of them were delicious. I am sharing the recipe below. ~ How do you play with your food? ~

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas mashed, mixed with 1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together in order listed.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

I used to volunteer in a friend's third grade classroom during the holidays, teaching kids who may never have heard about Chanukah, a little more about it. By using marshmallows. And graham crackers. And pretzels. I have learned that saying that you're going to be making "marshmallow" anything is a pretty good way to get a kid's attention! Yesterday Tiny and I created one of these edible masterpieces! Directions: spread a whole graham cracker sheet with frosting, cream cheese, peanut butter or any other tasty adhesive. Stick eight marshmallows on the graham cracker and push a pretzel stick through each one. Find a spot next to or on the menorah to stick one or two more marshmallows and a pretzel stick to create the higher "shamash" or helper candle. We decided that the right prayer to say over these "candles" was the Hamotzi, the prayer over bread or a meal!  ~ Parents: What edible educational projects have you tried? ~

I asked Michele Wimborough, owner of Cakewalk Baking, if she prefers to serve cake or cupcakes at toddler birthday parties. She had a strong opinion on the subject! She said, "I prefer cupcakes for toddler (and older kids too) birthdays.  I think they are SO much easier to deal with - no cutlery or plates - no screaming kids saying 'I want the blue balloon!'  It's also easy to customize cupcakes to match the colors or theme of a party - little flags or pinwheels can be added, they can be adorned with sprinkles or other little candies. They're cute, yummy, easy and most of all little kids seem to love them!"  ~ Parents: Do you prefer serving cake or cupcakes at parties? ~