Pinterest Challenge #40 - Copycat Melting Pot Spinach Fondue

The Melting Pot's Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue is by far one of my favorite dishes.  One night, my husband and I wanted a date night without the cost (babysitter or price of the Melting Pot), so I ventured out to make a copycat recipe of the fondue with a little help from Pinterest and Favorite Family Recipes.

Here's what you need:
3-4 oz vegetable broth
a handful of spinach
1 Tbs. Garlic
3 oz of Butterkase Cheese
3 oz. Colby Jack Cheese
1 Tbs. Parmesan Cheese
dash of Tabasco (we used the chipolte kind)
small amount of flour

Instructions:
Heat the broth in a fondue pot until hot, and then add the spinach and garlic.  Shred Butterkase and Colby Jack cheeses and lightly dust with flour.  Add slowly to broth mixture stirring constantly.  Once cheese has melted, add in Parmesan cheese and Tabasco.
We dipped homemade croutons, apples, and carrots into the fondue.

Recipe was pretty simple (I did modify it slightly because I was unable to find Fontina cheese (so I subbed Colby Jack).  I was AMAZED at how good this was.  It tasted exactly like it did at the Melting Pot!  It was a fun and cheaper alternative to a date night out (although some of the cheeses can run high).  We had a great time and will be making this again soon!

Pinterest Challenge #39 - Hidden Words

When you purchase a big box of crayons, what is the least used one in the box?  The white one!  Well here's something fun to do with those white crayons.  Pinterest linked blogger No Time for Flash Cards did alphabet ones for her toddler.  We decided to do a more preschool friendly version and make these 'Hidden Words'.  Here's what you do:

1.  On a white piece of paper, write a word in white crayon.  I went over the lines several times so the words would stand out more.
2.  Mix washable paint with water (I used a 25% paint, 75% water ratio).

3.  Get a paint brush, and let your child paint.

She had a great time exposing each word with the paint.  We let them dry and used them the next few days for reading practice.

Exciting News!

We are excited to announce that we will be adding to our family yet again this upcoming October!

Nerf Gun Date Night

Looking for a cheap date night?  We put Elie to bed, and I found two guns for $3.96 each at the Navy Exchange.  Chris was extremely surprised, and we had a blast.  Check out the interesting places where some of the darts ended up.