Our family. Our stories. Our opinions.
So…
Here I am.
Writing on this site again.
I just can’t quit you Budge Bunch.
Here’s the deal. I love this site. My family loves this site. We have had this site since 2009 and although my family has outgrown the original purpose, we have decided to revive it as a fun family review and giveaway site. Jake and Chloe are looking forward to doing more of their own reviews and I like having a place that is separate from my personal or local blogs.
Stay tuned! We have a lot of fun stuff coming up!
Happy Monday! I have some fun news to share with you today! I have officially launched my new site Middlesex County Parent. You may have been wondering where the heck I was, and now ya know! I am so excited to be moving in a more streamlined direction to offer you guys more informative content. Don’t get me wrong, I will still post nonsense and my family will totally be a big part of Middlesex County Parent. One of the big differences will be more local content. Now don’t think that means you have to live in Connecticut to think Middlesex County Parent rocks! We will have plenty of great stuff for you too!
Thank you so much for supporting me for the last four years here at The Budge Bunch. It has been an adventure I could have never even imagined and I have loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what the future holds at Middlesex County Parent.
Bring it 2013.
Please go over and check out the new site and make sure you like my new Facebook page!
Are you going to be hanging out on Twitter tonight? If so, you have to join me at the YesVideo Holiday Memories Twitter Party tonight at 8pm CST. Here is some info about the party. Make sure you fill out the door prize form to be eligible for the door prize!
During the Twitter Party we will discuss our favorite holiday memories, how to preserve those old Christmas home movies and the best way to capture this year’s special moments. We hope you come join the party fun and tweet with us. Good luck in winning some of the awesome prizes!
Must be in attendance of the Twitter Party using hashtag #YesMemory to be eligible to win prizes.
Prizes include:
DOOR PRIZE – Blu-ray Player {must fill out door prize form to be eligible}
Movie Prize Pack
The Heart of Christmas DVD
Madagascar 3 Bluray
$50 gift certificate for YesVideo home video and photos transfer serviceMotion Technology Package from TracerPix (valued at over $100)
iPhone 4/4S or 5 Motion Case
Motion Stainless Steel 8 Gig Memory Stick
$50 gift certificate for YesVideo home video and photos transfer serviceCharlie Brown Prize Pack
A Charlie Brown Christmas (DVD)
Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales (DVD)
Hot Cocoa set
Peppermint Marshmallows
Movie Popcorn
$50 gift certificate for YesVideo home video and photo transfer servicesThe Original Christmas Classics Blu-ray Prize Pack
Frosty the Snowman DVD
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVD
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town! DVD
Frosty Returns DVD
Hot Cocoa set
Peppermint Marshmallows
Movie Popcorn
$50 gift certificate for YesVideo home video and photo transfer servicesDr. Seuss Holiday Collection Prize Pack
How the Grinch Stole Christmas DVD
Horton Hears a Who! DVD
The Lorax DVD
Hot Cocoa Set
Peppermint Marshmallows
Movie Popcorn
$50 gift certificate for YesVideo home video and photo transfer service
For all of the information about this YesVideo Holiday Memories Twitter Party click HERE. Look forward to chatting with you tonight!
Last week I wrote about the one-day only holiday cookie truck in collaboration with American Express. Were you one of the lucky people to find the truck with Christina Tosi handing out famous Momofuku cookies? If you did I want to hear all about it! Looks like it was a blast! I followed along on Twitter at #AmexMakeMyDay. I hope they do this again and maybe go to some different locations. They should totally come to CT!
Cornflake-Chocolate Chip-Candy Cane Cookies
makes 15 to 20 cookies
16 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
(2 sticks)
1 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
2⁄3 cup Light Brown Sugar, tightly packed
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt
recipe below Cornflake Crunch
2/3 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1 ¼ cup Mini Marshmallows
18 ea Candy Canes, broken into small pieces
(zip-top plastic bag and rolling pin works wonders)
1. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the
sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes. (
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and
salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk
away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape
down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. Still on low speed, paddle in the cornflake crunch and mini chocolate chips just until
they’re incorporated, no more than 30 to 45 seconds. Paddle in the mini marshmallows
and candy cane bits just until incorporated.
4. Using a 2.-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1⁄3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto
a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the
sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do
not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not hold their shape.
5. Heat the oven to 375°F.
6. Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined
sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. At the 18-
minute mark, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown
toward the center. Leave them in the oven for an additional minute or so if they aren’t
and they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.
7. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an
airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5
days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
Everyone I know knows I love being a Thirty-One Gifts consultant. If you are thinking of becoming a consultant or just have questions about the opportunity, let’s chat!
If you are interested in having a party or just ordering some products, email me at cherylbudge@gmail.com. I can send you the new Spring catalog to check out! Let’s work together!
For all my New York City readers or anyone who may be visiting NYC this Saturday, you want to try to catch this! Seriously, this sounds so fun. Who wouldn’t want free holiday cookies? Everyone loves cookies. Christina and her Mom are going to be handing out thousands of FREE Momofuku cookies at different locations around NYC and Brooklyn. Oh! How I wish I could be there!
Pastry chef Christina Tosi, owner and founder of Milk Bar, the bakery
associated with David Chang’s Momofuku restaurant empire, will launch a one-
day only holiday cookie truck in collaboration with American Express. Because
the holidays are all about cookies and family, Christina and her mom will hand
out thousands of Momofuku’s much-loved cookies to make people’s day
throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn! American Express will also tweet the
trucks locations for fans to follow along using #AmexMakeMyDay.This event is part of a new program brought to you by American Express
and its commitment to celebrating Cardmembers and their sources of
inspiration. Inspired by her Mom’s do-it-yourself ethos, Christina started her
own cookie empire just two years ago with the help of her Amex Card. Today,
Momofuku Milk Bar has grown to five bakeries and a commissary. From the
first bucket of paint and stack of drywall to the latest apron and oven, Christina
has realized her most inspiring (and delicious) dreams with the help of her
Amex.
Saturday, December 15th, 2012
11:00AM – 5:00PM
Cookie Truck Schedule
11:00am to 11:45am – Stop 1: Central Park South – Columbus Circle Area
12:10pm to 12:55pm – Stop 2: Madison Square Park Area
1:20pm to 2:05pm – Stop 3: Union Square- 16th St & Union Sq West
2:30pm to 3:15pm – Stop 4: SoHo- Houston St & Greene St
3:40pm to 4:25pm – Stop 5: Williamsburg- Bedford Ave & North 7th St
4:50pm to 5:35pm – Stop 6: Fort Greene Park- Cumberland St & Dekalb Ave
Here is a great recipe for Cookie Cutter Cookies. These are Chloe’s favorite kind of cookies. It would not be the holidays in this house with out them.
makes: 2 dozen cookies
1 cup Butter, unsalted
1⁄2 cup Light brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
2 1⁄4 cups flour or oats ground down into a flour
1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt for 2-3 minutes on high until light and fluffy. On a low speed, paddle in flour until just combined (approx 30 seconds).
2. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into two equal “patties”. Wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
3. Heat oven to 350°F.
4. Place each ball between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to 1⁄4-inch in thickness. (you can also take additional flour and dust your work surface to roll out dough**
5. Cut out shapes, transfer shapes to a lined baking sheet and and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges.
6. Cool cookies completely on the baking tray or a cooling rack completely. Frost with icing, sprinkles, whatever you got!
7. Leave cookies out for frosting to set before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.
** alternative technique: roll into a log, refrigerate, slice circles, decorate/use decorative cutter that size for easy roll out/ rotating log with each slice
If you happen to see Christina out handing out cookies, let me know! I want to hear all about it!
If you were thinking about seeing Parental Guidance when it came out in theaters, check out this code for FREE passes to the advance screening in Plainville CT. Looks like a funny movie!
Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 10:00 AM
AMC Plainville, CT
For your chance to receive screening passes, log on to WWW.GOFOBO.COM/RSVP and enter
RSVP Code: Q74C8AU6
**THIS FILM IS RATED PG. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SUPPLY LIMITED AND AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVED BASIS, SO ARRIVE EARLY! SEATING IS NOT GUARANTEED. THEATER IS OVERBOOKED TO ENSURE CAPACITY. TWO (ADMIT-ONE) PASS PER PERSON*
This weekend went by WAY too fast. Oh yeah, they ALL go by way too fast. My legs are killing me from all the walking we did in NYC on Saturday. Jake and Chloe had never been to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. They were so excited to be on this NYC adventure.
Our first stop was The Big Toy Book Holiday Party. It was fabulous and I will be posting more about it this week. Kevin has never seen a food cart he didn’t want to try, so I had to have him try my favorite food cart in NYC. He got the lamb and rice and loved it. I think he was even surprised how much he liked my chicken and rice with no sauce. Awesome dinner!
After we finished stuffing our faces at the cart, we headed to Rockefeller Center to try to catch a glimpse of the tree. The crowds were obscene! The kids just loved being there. Chloe was a little bummed that she couldn’t skate, but the line was so long we would have been standing there all night. She got over her disappointment when we surprised her with a stop at the American Girl Place. It was her first time there and she was freaking out. It was so great to see her having so much fun in there. She picked out an outfit, an accessory set and a puppy named Meatloaf for her doll Belle. Seriously, I can’t get over how happy she was. Jake was thrilled to check out Nintendo World, and he picked out a Zelda hat and T-Shirt. He couldn’t pick out any games because he has no idea what he might be getting for Christmas. He was just so happy to be in there and talking with the guys who worked there. Cutest thing ever!
We ended the night at Bryant Park. By this time at night Chloe was too tired to skate even though there was no line. We all enjoyed walking around the shops, listening to the music and watching the skaters. It was a wonderful way to end the night.
We spent the train ride home planning another trip into the city when the crowds will hopefully be lighter. Best ever.
Hope you had a good weekend! Lets hope it’s a great week!
Happy Monday! Did that fake excitement fool you? NO? That’s right, you guys know me too well. This weekend was a weekend of catching up. I needed to finish my Christmas decorating around the house, and catch up on work and of course the laundry. Jake camped out this weekend with Boy Scouts and Chloe spent the night at her friends house. The house was way too quiet. I was thrilled our friends Tom and Beth stopped by on Saturday night for a last minute get together. Nachos and beer! They are the best and we had so much fun.
Friday night we went to Holiday Lights at Lake Compounce. We froze our butts off! So thankful for the bonfires and heat lamps they had out. Nothing beats hearing holiday music while sipping eggnog by the bonfire. Getting to see some of my local blog friends was an added bonus!
How was your weekend? Did you find some time for fun?
Need a new Holiday tradition? I’ve got one for you! Holiday Lights at Lake Compounce.
My family and I were treated to a fabulous opening night event at Lake Compounce in Bristol, CT last night. We bundled up (not as much as we should have) and enjoyed listening to Christmas carols while riding on the carousel, eggnog by a bonfire, and Chloe was able to see Santa. The lights were everywhere! This place will put you in the holiday spirit. Make sure you dress warm and wear comfy shoes. There are rides open for the kids and I loved just walking around looking at all the lights. There is a lighted train ride and you can even decorate cookies and gingerbread houses.
Looks like we have a new Holiday tradition! Chloe and Jake said it was super fun and I think it was a great family night out. We even ended the night with one of our family’s favorite snacks. Churros!
If you want more information about Holiday Lights click HERE. You can also click HERE to keep up with Lake Compounce on Facebook.
Hi! Thanks for stopping by and checking us out! Hope you enjoy our stories about our family, travel, food and of course all the random things that happen in our daily life. 
