Friday, April 23, 2010

Go Eat Some Dirt

Yesterday was Earth Day and my little idealist decided to get her friends together and clean up trash at a local park to help save the earth. I don't recall ever doing anything like that when I was a kid.  Anyways, since I have never even thought about saving the earth on earth day I felt compelled to at least make an earth day treat for the girls who want to change the world to eat at their event.  I found this idea on the pioneer woman website a while back and thought it was perfect for a garden party, earth day, or any time.  I mean really, can dessert get any more adorable than this? I think not.

I made some modifications of the recipe that I found online based on:
1.The fact that Target didn't have all the things it called for
2.  I started this project about 90 minutes before our earth day extravaganza ( I always like to plan ahead like that) and there was just no time to go to two stores.

So here it is:
First, gather your supplies.  You need flower pots (I found these in the dollar bins at target), straws, OREO or other chocolate sandwich cookies, icecream, and some fresh cut flowers. (excuse the foil, I was going to use it but didn't)

Wash out the pots before you start.  Let your ice cream soften a little.  Not too much, we don't want soup.  Just let it become slightly easier to work with.
While the ice cream is softening get out your straws and cut them to the height of your pots. Just hold it up next to the container and snip.

Then put your cookies in a large ziploc bag and crush them (or you can use a food processor to crush them)

OK, now hold your straw up in the container and scoop some icecream around it until it is standing up on it's own. Try not to get any any ice cream inside the straw. (note:  online the put cake in the bottom and you could just poke the straw into it.  Probably a good idea but I had no cake and this worked fine)
Once it is in place you can fill up the rest of the container almost to the top.
Then, just sprinkle the crushed OREOS over the top generously to look like some nice dark soil.

Look at that.  You want to plant something in that don't you?
Now, put them back in the freezer and let the icecream firm back up.
I packed the pots in a cooler and when we got to the park we pulled them out.  The girls actually thought they were pots of dirt...I love stuff like that.  I gave them each a flower to plant in the dirt and when they got their pots they smelled the dirt and said "is this OREO cookies?!"  They planted their flowers by sliding the stem into the straw and then they dug in.
And after all that yummy dirt was gone they all wore the flowers in their hair...except the little brother who threw his in the dirt.
So easy, no recipe, no cooking, adorable, and lots of smiling children (with black OREOS stuck in their teeth!)  Try it out, your kids, and you (you know you want to eat that too) will love it.

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