Super Easy Ice Cream and Cookies

I love to cook with my kids. However I do get scared that they will burn themselves on the stove.

To prevent this I try to stick to recipes that are not too complicated and that do not require a lot of fussing with hand appliances. Try the following if you want to please your youngsters.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie

Butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut better
4 to 5 cups corn flakes
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
Coconut flakes
Melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter together in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Then stir in 4 to 5 cups of corn flakes and 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts and a handful of shredded coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on wax paper. Store in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.

Homemade Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker

Did you also know you can make ice cream in quart size bags without an ice cream maker?

Here are the basic ingredients you will need –

/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups crushed ice
4 tablespoons salt
2 quart size Zip-loc bags
1 gallon size Zip-loc freezer bag
a hand towel or gloves to keep fingers from freezing as well!

Mix the milk, vanilla and sugar together in one of the quart size bags. Seal tightly, allowing as little air to remain in the bag as possible. Too much air left inside may force the bag open during shaking. Place this bag inside the other quart size bag, again leaving as little air inside as possible and sealing well. By double-bagging, the risk of salt and ice leaking into the ice cream is minimized. Put the two bags inside the gallon size bag and fill the bag with ice, then sprinkle salt on top. Again let all the air escape and seal the bag.

Wrap the bag in the towel or put your gloves on, and shake and massage the bag, making sure the ice surrounds the cream mixture. Five to eight minutes is adequate time for the mixture to freeze into ice cream.
Freezer bags work best because they are thicker and less likely to develop small holes, allowing the bags to leak. You can get away with using regular Zip-loc bags for the smaller quart sizes, because you are double-bagging. Especially if you plan to do this indoors, I strongly recommend using gallon size freezer bags.

Parenting Tips
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A Primer In Baby Rashes

Whether it's tiny pink pimples on a newborn's cheeks or big red welts on a feverish toddler, a child's first rash can alarm even the most calm and competent of parents. Bumps and blotches are not necessarily that alarming. Basically they are simply our skin's way of reacting to irritants, infections or hormonal changes. The reason babies get such awful looking rashes is that they have less developed immune systems than we do.
Are rashes life threatening? If a rash is accompanied by tightening of the throat, trouble breathing, or a fever (over 100.4 for an infant or over 101.3 for an older child), be sure to see a doctor right away. Otherwise the rash is probably just an irritation of some kind. The most irritating thing for the mother is always the crying that come with the constant itching and pain of rashes.
Here is what that rash might be –
Blisters: Could be contact dermatitis, diaper rash, impetigo, poison ivy
Dry patches: Could be cradle cap, eczema
Fever: Could be coxsackie, fifth disease, roseola, scarlet fever
Flaky skin: Might be cradle cap
Itchiness: Could be contact dermatitis, eczema, impetigo, poison ivy, scarlet fever
Lesions: Could be psoriasis
Red bumps or spots: Might be diaper rash, eczema, a case of poison ivy or scarlet fever
Red welts: Could be hives
Infants are more likely to develop Cradle Cap, petachaia (which is caused by pressure on the face) and contact dermatitis between the ages of zero and six months.
The prime time for diaper rash is between six and twelve months after a child has started eating a variety of new solid foods.
An estimated 90 percent of children with eczema will have had symptoms before the age of five. After age 3 an infection from strep bacteria can cause stronger severe throat pain.
From the age of six to twelve years most kids who get eczema usually see a dramatic improvement. Ear piercing is the main cause of nickel allergies and contact dermatitis.
Almost any child can develop irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) after prolonged exposure to a naturally irritating substance, like a scratchy clothing tag, drool, or a wet diaper; or from exposure to solvents and acids that can remove the protective oils and moisture in the skin, such as those found in powerful household cleansers.
The good news is that the risk of getting any of these rashes drops significantly after the age of fifteen.
Ask your doctor how to treat rashes. Ones that are infected might need an antibiotic cream. For diaper rash there are many over the counter remedies that work well.

Parenting Tips
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