{"id":15269,"date":"2014-01-14T11:32:22","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T16:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=15269"},"modified":"2019-02-04T02:12:21","modified_gmt":"2019-02-04T07:12:21","slug":"vanilla-raspberry-mini-meringue-kisses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/14\/vanilla-raspberry-mini-meringue-kisses\/","title":{"rendered":"Vanilla Raspberry Mini Meringue Kisses"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recipe for crisp little vanilla raspberry meringues made into mini star-shaped kisses.<\/em>
\n\"Vanilla<\/a>
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Life is messy, made exponentially more so by children. Today one child stepped on a wayward grain of rice from packing lunch boxes, grinding it beneath his small heel straight into my relatively new area rug as he ran to brush his teeth. Toothpaste dribbles down the side of the sink bowl crusting over white. They drop their clothes on the floor and then kick them haphazardly under the bed, forgotten for weeks until you are accused of never doing the laundry as they search frantically for them in the hamper.
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Socks are discarded beneath the dining room table as we eat; clearly mealtime is a no-socks affair. After dinner they skip through the living room on the way to wash their hands while running soiled fingers along the wall, palming as many surfaces as they can before they reach the water.
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The day’s clothes are kicked under the bed, joining the pajamas from morning. Another round of toothpaste dribbles as arguments are raised over who gets to use the bathroom first. Their small bodies wrapped in flannel are then curled on the couch, one sprawled on his stomach, another tucked into a chair. The only sound is the crisp brushing as pages turn and my voice reading picture books to the youngest, his head tucked under my arm, eyes heavy. “I’m sleepy, Mom.”
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I pull blankets tight around them, gathering the day’s discarded clothes as I exit the room. Down the chute to the basement hamper they fall while I wipe the toothpaste from the sink and Ole extracts rice particles from the rug. As I attempt to restore some semblance of order, I pick up a note on my desk written by the third. In neat letters across the paper it says, “I have an awesome mom. I love you.” I wouldn’t trade the four of them for anything.
\n\"Vanilla
\nMore people are having babies that aren’t me. Jamie from My Baking Addiction<\/a> is getting ready to welcome her first little bundle of life’s mess into her home, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. She’s headed for a life of cleaning up spills that are outdone greatly by the number of kisses and snuggles making it all worth it. Congratulations, Jamie!
\n\"Vanilla
\nThese sweet little bites are flavored with a bit of raspberry liqueur and then calmed slightly with just a hint of vanilla. You could just as easily use raspberry extract (far less) or a different liquor to suite your tastes. The glossy little clouds give a satisfying crackle as you bite down on into the crisp cookie. With their extra small size, they’re easily piled into bowls or tucked into jars as party favors, or scooped up into your hand and popped one by one.
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