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Dunkaroo Inspired Cookie Balls

Am I the only one with lots of nervous energy?  It's not anxiety, but more of need to do something mindless to zen me out.  Cooking is my therapy.  I guess baking and creating are too.  It is all related.  Cooking / baking is my time to be creative and focus my energy on creating something new while temporarily being able to put a pause button on life.  And then I have something, in this case beautiful and fun, to eat to comfort my feelings after I press the pause button back to play.  We are still in a global pandemic people!  It's stressful and I stress eat.

Dunkaroo Inspired Cookie Balls

Printable recipe

Yep, you read that right.  I was craving cake balls, but didn't have the energy to make cake.   I did, however, have a bag of Stauffer's Iced Animal Cookies that my husband bought for me at the start of the pandemic.  This giant size bag is under $3!  It's a steal.

For those who have never had these cookies, they are animal crackers with a light, sweet glaze.  Appropriately addicting for both children and adults alike.  As I sat in my kitchen eating these iced animal cookies dipped in rainbow chip frosting (hello DIY Dunakaroos) I decided to see if these two amazing ingredients could combine to create a perfect union.  FYI, they  do.

To make these cookie balls I crushed 2 cups worth of iced animal cookies in my Vitamix, but a food prossecor would work just fine as well.  You could also go old school and smash them in a zip lock bag with a meat pounder or wooden mallet, etc.  Get creative if you have to. 

Next I mixed the animal cookies with approximately 2/3 of a container of prepared rainbow chip frosting until combined.  The mixture will look like wet sand and hold its form.

I rolled the filling into equal balls, approximately 1.5 inch in diameter and then put then put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. 

You could alternatively place the cookie balls in the fridge, but I find that they keep better form after a few minutes in the freezer when dipped in chocolate.  While the cookie balls are firming I melted 1 cup of white chocolate chips and mixed in a little food coloring for fun (my son wanted "PURRRPLE".  The glaze should be thin enough to easily coat the balls.  If the chocolate is too thick, and sometimes that happens if you melt it at too hot of a temperature, thin it  out with 1/2-1 tablespoon of milk or cream to achieve the right consistency.

I topped off each glazed cake ball with a generous pinch of colorful sprinkles and allowed to firm up on parchment paper.

So pretty!  And the taste reminds me of Dunkaroos, a childhood favorite treat.  They are sweet, slightly crunchy, and I bet you can't eat just one.

These can be made in one shot or assembled in stages.  You can always leave the formed cookie balls in the freezer until ready to glaze.  If you do this, allow the frozen cake balls to begin to thaw in the fridge a few hours before you glaze them.  Once glazed, store the cookie balls in an airtight container on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for a week.

Enjoy!

Dunkaroo Inspired Cookie Balls

Printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups iced animal crackers, crushed

• 1 container rainbow chip frosting

• 1 cup white chocolate chips or melting chocolate

• Any color food coloring

• Milk as needed

• Sprinkles of your choosing

Directions:

1. Combine crushed animal crackers with 2/3 container of icing to form dough.  The dough should feel like wet  sand and hold its form

2. Role cookie mixture into equal balls, aroximately 1.5 inches in diameter.  Set on freezer safe baking sheet and allow to set for 15 minutes

3. Meanwhile melt 1 cup chocolate and add in a few drops of your favorite color of food coloring. Add milk if needed to thin out glaze

4. Dip each ball in melted chocolate. Top with sprinkles, and allow to sit on parchment paper until chocolate sets

Mothering in the time of COVID-19

If there was a book on mothering in the time of COVID-19 I probably wouldn't have read it because I’m tired as a mother.  I cannot remember the last time I read for fun, especially now during a global f*cking pandemic.  For the last few months much of my job has been to closely track the evolution of the novel Coronavirus.  For those of you also following along, it is exhausting right?  Information, recommendations, and guidance change by what feels like the day.  There are only so many hours to read what’s published and process what information is worth retaining from the loads of misinformation not grounded in any scientific base.  For those of you not following Coronavirus, ignorance is bliss.  Where do I sign up?

March 16, 2020 was the day my sons’ daycare closed due to Coronavirus.  That date is cemented in my mind.  Their daycare wouldn’t open again for three months, with limited hours and availability once it did reopen.  But you know what?  I am so grateful they are open again and willing to implement the safety measures necessary to protect staff and children alike and allow us parents to get a much needed break from 24/7 parenting and focus solely on work.  I no longer have to pick the priority of the day: caring for my kids or meeting productivity standards to keep my job.  Because after all, if I don’t have a job, I don’t have income, and I can’t afford North Jersey daycare costs, which allow me to work and provide a comfortable life for my children.  

For the first month of the pandemic I split my days half in the office and half at home working remotely.  I was able to switch my five day a week schedule to working four longer days with a day off to watch my sons so my husband could have a break from watching them and focus on keeping his job.  It wasn’t until a month into the pandemic that I think my work felt sorry for me and let me work three days remotely and one day in the office.  I visibly looked exhausted and overwhelmed and I stopped trying because I didn’t have any more energy to spare.  For a month my husband and I didn’t have any help.  All we had was each other and we tried to balance keeping our jobs while also taking care of our two little boys.  And each day I felt more and more pressure to perform at work because reopening post  COVID-19 is essential to maintaining employment. 

I spent the first two months of the pandemic juggling being a mom and a worker bee and I’m ashamed to admit that I often put work first as I didn’t feel I had a choice.  During another Zoom meeting my eldest was calling for me and instead of going to him, I felt I had to stay present in the meeting to prove I was working diligently despite being remote.  My son was calling for me because he needed to go to the bathroom and needed my help.  I ignored him.  By not coming to his aid he had no choice, but to relieve his bowels in his diaper because young children, even those potty trained, are still learning bowel and bladder control.  I know shit happens, but that was unfair to him.  A lot of my choices were.  That was the catalyst to change my mind and attitude.  

This experience has been one of the hardest experiences of my life.  I learned about myself and can now look back and appreciate the journey.  Work is necessary to survive, but my children are more important than anything.  Their happiness and well being should never come second, even to work, and especially during a pandemic.  I view the time as a blessing as I had the privilege of being able to spend time that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to with them for three long months.  Within days of daycare closing I was able to witness my baby successfully crawl and later cheer on his clumsy attempts at steps.  I was able to see my toddler transform into a baby saying a few short phrases to a “big little boy” who engages in full blown conversations.  Pre-Covid I was anti TV.  Post-Covid I’m pro TV and by any means necessary (that obviously doesn’t harm them).  Despite Paw Patrol and Fireman Sam on repeat, my toddler is still developing.  He is smart and tech savvy.  Just yesterday, he turned on the iPad, unlocked it, and opened YouTube Kids to watch trucks.  Not only did I get to spend time with the boys, but I also got to spend more time with my husband and watch him take on more of a primary caregiver role.  Despite all the pressure he felt juggling his work and parenthood, he never complained.  He suited up, stepped on home plate, and hit a grand slam every time.  I’m glad he’s my person and my copilot on this adventure.  

Lastly, I learned to be more kind to myself.  I’m not a failure if I can’t get everything I set to accomplish done.  There will be many more times for me to outperform, but a pandemic isn’t the time.  Sometimes you have to ask for help and actually be ok relinquishing control.  Other times you have to advocate for yourself and reset expectations placed on you.  Self care is vital and I started making time for myself and the things that make me happy.  I went on long walks with my kids strapped in the stroller and slow strolls holding my eldest son’s hand on a search for trucks in all shapes and sizes.  I rode the Peloton most days of the week.   And I went to my zen place and baked everything and anything filled with sugar.  I started a garden and ate a ton of vegetables.   I also indulged in carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies because dessert makes me happy.   I started putting less pressure on myself and in turn experienced less guilt when I couldn’t meet my own expectations.  I’m doing the best I can and it’s enough.  All work and no play is not the way to successfully mother during a pandemic.  

This pandemic isn’t over for many.  Luckily for us in New Jersey cases are at a low and hopefully they stay that way.  There is still no book on mothering in the time of COVID-19 and I definitely wouldn’t read it if it was available.  I’m still tired as a mother and imagine I will be for the next 17 years.  But I am grateful that my family and I have made it through the initial storm and came out stronger together.  I appreciate the lessons in the hardship and will keep striving to be the best mother I can be before all other responsibilities.  

Lemon Ricotta and Butternut Squash Crostini

Fun fact: I don't like the smell of raw butternut squash.  Ripe or not, when I smell raw butternut squash I notice a sour aroma.  But don't fear, the sour smells resolves with cooking. And the taste, oh the taste, when seasoned and sweetened, is warm and comforting.  One of my favoritebutternut squash dishes is the Autumn Squash Soup from Panera Bread.  I have yet to find or make a recipe that compares to Panera Bread's soup so I leave this soup to the Panera professionals.  If you have a great copycat recipe please send it my way.

Fun fact 2: My husband doesn't like butternut squash, but, and this is a big but (and I cannot lie), he loves this appetizer.

He specifically asked me to make it for our Quarantine Easter.  But a global f@cking pandemic prevented us from making this appetizer.  Our family is taking this physical distancing thing seriously.  I've only physically gone into a grocery store once since March 16 and that was because tons of items on my grocery pickup were unavailable, including butternut squash, lemon, and sage, and I wanted to see if the items were really "unavailable" or if the shoppers were just too overwhelmed / lazy / burnout / all of the above(?).  The short version of that story is many items I wanted were available when I went in to the store, but the items I needed to complete this dish were not.  So fast forward to last week when I was finally able to get my hands on lemon, sage, and a beautiful seeded baguette from my local health food store and we were in business.



I first had a variation of this appetizer served at a holiday hosted by my husband's aunt, a phenomenal cook.  We haven't shared Easter or Thanksgiving with that part of his family in a few years now, but this appetizer is still one of my absolute favorites (and clearly my husband's as well).  It is sweet and savory and when assembled is a gorgeous few bites of food.

It is also a great dish to let guests DIY.

Another reason I love this appetizer is the ricotta, butternut squash, and sage may be cooked the day before.  Just make sure you let the elements come to room temperature before serving.

Lemon Ricotta and Butternut Squash Crostini 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 sourdough baguette, sliced 3/4 inch thick
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Zest of one lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss butternut squash with 2 tablespoons EVOO, brown sugar, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Roast squash until soft, approximately 30 minutes, tossing butternut squash halfway through.  Once roasted, set squash aside *(see notes below).
2. Meanwhile combine ricotta and lemon zest in small dish.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
3. Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted add sage and cook until sage turns dark green and edges start to curl, approximately 2 minutes.  Transfer sage to plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.  Reserve butter in skillet for next step.
4. Once butternut squash has roasted, reduce heat to 350 degrees **.  Dip one side of bread in sage butter.  Transfer bread to baking sheet butter side up.  Toast bread until browned, approximately 10 mins.
5. Layer toasted baguettes with lemon ricotta, butternut squash, and a piece of sage.  

      Or transfer the elements to pretty dishes and let your guests get their DIY on.

Notes:
* Taste before serving and season with additional salt and pepper to taste if needed.  I tend to like things salty, my husband not so much, so I tend to be conservative with the salt (IMHO).
** If you are bougie and have two ovens, use your second oven to toast buttered bread slices while the squash finishes roasting. 

Ibotta - The Best App For Free Cash In Store and Online

How are people still not using Ibotta?  I'm going to assume it's because you have never heard of it. Ibotta is an awesome app that gives me cash back for my in store and online purchases.  I used it as much as I can and have racked up a nice little chunk of cash.

Now what to spend it on... Shoes, shoes, shoes.  My mind is telling me no, but my boday, my boday...

When I first blogged about Ibotta in 2017 I had earned $67.95 in rebates.  The last time I blogged about Ibotta in 2019 I was up to $155.50.  Now as of writing this post, $274.33.  That's a lot of money for little effort.  My past posts have detailed instructions on how to claim in store cash back.  Feel free to check out my past posts on Ibotta by clicking here and here.  But for those of you who are new to my blog (welcome BTW) or need a refresher on how the Ibotta app works, I'll briefly show you how easy it is to get cash back on the purchases you already make.  I still recommend you check out my past posts for more detailed instruction on using the Ibotta app.

So one new thing Ibotta has been doing over the last few months is offering "free after rebate" offers on select items.   How on Earth can you say no to that?  The answer is you don't and I have all the (free) Cup Noodles aka "cup of noodles" to prove it.

On a recent trip to Walmart I saw that the Mystery Oreo was "free after offer."

Free Oreos?  And a mystery flavor?  There is nothing like frozen Oreos (you're welcome) so this purchase was a no brainer.

And it just so happened that Walmart had two packages left.  Probably since they were going to expire in March 2020, but that's besides the point.  So I bought them, followed the instructions for claiming a rebate on Ibotta, and got reimbursed more than what I purchased the Oreos for.

It's that easy.

And the flavor was graham cracker.  It was aight.

When I first started using Ibotta you had to scan a physical copy of your receipt to upload for rebate redemption and that is still true for many stores.  My main grocery store, however, no longer provides physical receipts and instead emails you a copy of your store receipt.  For these stores you can still claim cash rebates, but you must link your loyalty card in your Ibotta app.

After you have linked your loyalty card number with the easy to follow instructions, you need to  select all the rebates you are interested in.  I do it before shopping, but I imagine you could do it while you are shopping.  That's just not an option with a 2.5 year old.  Honestly I select almost everything I think I might purchase so if I end up purchasing an item on rebate I qualify for the cash back.  And make sure to include "free after offer items":

Didn't we already establish I have enough Cup Noodles to last a lifetime?  And the cash back on any item purchase, which varies from $0.10 to as much as $1.

Within 24 hours I'll receive a notification on my phone and through email letting me know that I've "got cash" and also alerting me to which items I purchased were eligible for cash back. 

While I encourage you to select items for cash back in the Ibotta app prior to shopping in stores with linked loyalty cards, I have been able to claim rebate on items if I select the rebates in the app immediately after shopping, but this is not a guarantee.  

And for stores where you have to scan a copy of your receipt, I would highly recommend following the steps to claim rebates within a day or two so you don't forget.  Receipts are not eligible for rebate if they are more than 7 days past the date of purchase.

If you're interested in Ibotta sign up with my referral code j6igsw or link here.  I'll receive a referral bonus (thank you!) and you will earn $20 just for using the app.  And then you can invite your friends who invite their friends and receive small dividend as your team grows.  Let's get that cash money!