The Egg Trick

Katie came home today all excited to show me this cool trick she learned at school. Apparently, today, Wednesday, March 20, is the first day of Spring or otherwise called the Spring Equinox. It's hard for me to think of spring here since it is was only 14 degrees this morning. 

Technically, the Spring Equinox is where the sun crosses directly over the Earth's equator during a moment known as the vernal equinox when both day and night are about equal. Because both day and night are equal, there is a theory that you should be able to balance a raw egg upright without it falling over. They tested this theory in school today and it worked. 

As I mentioned, Katie wanted to demonstrate her new trick but she couldn't find any eggs in the refrigerator. She turned to me and asked me why we did not have any eggs in our house. My reply was, "Because you are allergic to them!" We both looked at each other and laughed. We did the next best thing and watched other demos on YouTube. Here's one we liked best Equinox egg balance.

Just as a side note, we usually do have a couple eggs in the house just in case we need one but we hardly ever use them. So if you do have eggs in the house, go ahead and try this cool trick! Just do it before midnight tonight!

Shamrock’n Fun

This is a very easy, fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your family. My kids want to make these every year. We originally saw the recipe in one of the Family Fun magazines but I’m not even sure what month or year it was from since the recipe is all battered, torn, and barely recognizable at this point. If you are really interested in finding it, I’m sure it is on their website.

This treat is great because all you need are Pillsbury breadsticks, dairy-free margarine, cinnamon and green colored sugar. I love that it’s only 4 ingredients and all I have to do is head to the store to grab some breadsticks.  Pillsbury also makes dairy and egg-free corn bread, pizza dough and crescent rolls. Not all their products are dairy and egg-free so make sure you read the labels first.

You just roll out the breadsticks and grab 4 sections for each shamrock. Twist them to make the shape of the leaves and stem and then squish them together. This is always our kid’s favorite part! Then brush melted, dairy-free margarine on top, sprinkle with cinnamon then sprinkle again with the green colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes.

Swirlz Are In

When we need a Vegan (no dairy or eggs) cupcake for a birthday party or some other special event and I do not have time to make my own, I head over to Whole Foods. These Vegan cupcakes are from this cool bakery in Chicago, called Swirlz. Not only are the cupcakes delicious but they are adorable too. You can see a full list of the cupcake varieties at http://www.swirlzcupcakes.com/.

For those on the hunt for these wonderful treats at Whole Foods, they are in the refrigerator section where the Gluten-free baked goods are. 

For those who want to take a field trip, head on over to their shop on Belden Street in Lincoln Park north of downtown Chicago. I thought this would make a good mother/daughter field trip for us so recently when we had a day off, we set out with some friends to visit the Swirlz shop. I called ahead and ordered four vegan cupcakes for Katie so that she would have her "fav" Mint Chocolate Chip cupcake waiting for her.

Just take a look.....YUMMMM!!!!!!

Actually, I think she is trying to tell me to back away from her cupcake!

I love this picture because our salesperson was posing for us!

Just look at the rows and rows of cupcakes on display as you walk into the store. When I talked to them on the phone they wanted to assure me that they make their gluten-free and vegan cupcake first thing in the morning so that they will not cross-contaminate them with gluten, dairy and egg products. They also display them on a separate shelf. Even though it seems like most of their customers take them with them, they do have 3-4 small tables for instant indulgence. We couldn't wait to dig in and devour our cupcakes before we headed out to lunch around the corner. A girl must keep her priorities straight!