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Celebrate America’s favorite pastime
Sweet "hotdogs" made with pound cake, caramel, frosting, gum drops and coconut shavings colored green. In the background is homemade Cracker Jack made from popcorn, almonds, brown sugar, molasses and butter. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: October 9, 2012 2:57PM
Hot dogs for dessert
Your kids will “relish” these sweet hot dog treats.
You need:
Pound cake
Caramel squares
Yellow icing
Coconut (tinted green with food coloring)
Cut up green gumdrops
Directions:
Make “bun” with two slices of pound cake.
To make ‘‘hot dog,’’ soften caramel in your hand and then roll into hot dog shape.
Place hot dog in bun and squirt on a squiggly line of yellow icing.
Garnish with green gumdrop pieces or coconut “relish.”
Homemade Cracker Jack
Who needs to buy Cracker Jack when you can make your own with just a few pantry staples?
You need:
Popcorn
Spanish peanuts (or almonds work well, too)
1 stick unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
Candy thermometer
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°.
In a large bowl, toss together popcorn and nuts.
Melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar, corn syrup and molasses.
Slowly bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reads 250°F on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat, stir and quickly pour hot caramel over the popcorn, gently tossing until the pieces are evenly coated.
Place popcorn mixture on a greased cookie sheet and bake in oven for 50 minutes. Be sure to stir every 10-15 minutes.
Allow to cool and serve.
Baseball pencil topper and scorecards
Baseball scorecards
Turn baseball games into “stealth learning time” with baseball scorecards that teach your kids the basics of statistics. Simply visit www.baseballscorecard.com to download and print cards. Then have your kids fill out the cards next time they watch a game. (Hint: It’s also a great way to keep siblings busy while watching their brother’s or sister’s games).
Baseball pencil topper
You need:
Styrofoam ball
Pencil
Newspaper (cut into small pieces)
White paint
Mod Podge
Red paint pen or Sharpie
Directions:
Cover styrofoam ball with pieces of newspaper and Mod Podge. Allow time to dry.
Paint ball white and allow time to dry.
Use sharpened end of pencil to poke hole through the ball (make sure it’s large enough to fit on the pencil’s eraser).
Use a red paint pen or Sharpie to draw the baseball’s stitching.
Baseball bracelet
This summer’s must-have accessory for any baseball fan.
You need:
White pleather (available at fabric stores)
Hole-punch
Red cord or string
Velcro tape
Directions:
Cut pleather strips into two 7 ¼” x ¾” strips.
Punch holes (about ½ inch apart) along the edge of each strip.
Use red cord to lace the two strips together.
Wrap pleather strip around wrist and secure with a small piece of Velcro tape on each end.
Thank you to Disney Family Fun (Familyfun.com) for inspiring this craft!
Go CUBS and SOX!
