niece – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

It’s a sad, sad day when you’ve had your cell phone for three years and out of the blue your 5-year-old niece picks it up and shows you an easier way to turn your cell phone on and off that you never realized existed.

Well, not technically on and off—but you know how the screen on the phone goes into sleep mode and turns black to save the battery? Well, that’s what I’m talking about. She showed me how to bring the screen back up and make it go out a much easier way than I’ve been doing the last three years.

I don’t think I’m going to talk anymore about the subject because I’m embarrassed enough as it is.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, hand your high technology devices over to anyone 5-years-old or younger and just sit back and observe.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Save yourself from a difficult life by consulting a group of toddlers on day ONE of acquiring any technical devices—NOT three years after you’ve been using them.

Made with Pillsbury Big Deluxe Chocolate Chip cookie dough and Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie dough; with sprinkles on top.

I had a beautiful and fun day today with my 5-year-old niece who spent the entire day with me baking her little heart out. I must say, this is all her handiwork. And we’re talking almost 50 cookies!

Though all she had to do was tear the pre-cut cookie dough from the package—she DID put the sprinkles on all by herself! This is a talent in and of itself. You’re either born with it or you’re not. After all, sprinkling is an art form.

She also had a tub of cookie dough which required using the mini-scoop, squeezing the scoop—which took all the strength she could muster from both of her tiny hands, and then dropping the balls onto the baking sheet.

Made with Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix, eggs, canola oil, and water; with sprinkles on top.

Here is more of her handiwork in these bite-sized mini-cupcakes. She whirled the cake beater till the batter was good and smooth, put the liners in the cupcake tin, poured the batter from a measuring cup into each individual paper liner, then strategically placed each individual sprinkle by hand one-by-one exactly where she wanted them to go.

And that’s three batches of 24—THREE! For a minimum of 72 mini-cupcakes that needed sprinkles.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, do some baking with your little nieces, nephews, or some random kids.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Allow a minimum of 13 hours for strategically placing sprinkles one-by-one for each round of cupcakes and cookies.