April Fool's Day Fun

On this April 1st, break out the crafting supplies and customize your own pair of goofy glasses.

Make it: Cut out two adjoining egg-carton pieces for your child, and poke two holes in the bottom with a pencil. Use a hole punch on both sides, about ? inch from the edge. Have your child paint the cardboard with various colors of tempera or acrylic paint. Let dry. Add decorations with markers. Twist one end of a chenille stem through each punched hold on the side, then curl the ends to fit around ears. Trim to fit.

This treat may look like your average chicken nuggets and side of ketchup, but we tricked you! Fool your kids with this tasty dessert-like treat of bananas and strawberry preserves.

Make it: Cut and shape banana slices into nuggets. Cover with creamy peanut butter and then coat with crushed honey grahams. Serve with strawberry preserves.

Get your kids giggling with this egg-cellent mealtime prank. You've heard of breakfast for dinner, well how about breakfast for dessert? Faux eggs and toast are a sweet surprise!

Make it: Slice a piece of all-butter loaf or pound cake for each person, and toast until it's light brown. Cut "toast" in half diagonally. Stack two marshmallows one on top of the other on a plate: microwave on high for 5 seconds. Using the back of spoon, spread marshmallows into a circle so they look like egg whites. Let cool. Grease an extra-small ice-cream scoop. Use it to put a mound of yellow frosting in center of marshmallows. Arrange toast on the plate with the egg.

For a healthier option, substitute a serving of yogurt for the marshmallows and a canned-peach halve for the yellow frosting.

This April Fool's we give you permission to play with your food. With just a few simple ingredients, these phony salt-shakers are a tasty, healthy hoax.

Make it: Peel hard-boiled eggs; slice a piece from the bottom so they'll stand. Top with half of a cherry tomato (remove the seeds first) and then with feta cheese.

Celebrate the day of silliness with this simple snack of imitation corn on the cob. Once their tummies are full, we guarantee they'll be all ears for your Fool's Day jokes.

Make it: In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 cups of mini marshmallows over low heat, stirring frequently. When the mixture is fully melted, stir in 6 cups Kix cereal until completely coated. Scoop out large handfuls of the coated cereal and shape into corncobs. Tie a piece of ribbon or raffia around the end of the Popsicle stick, and insert the opposite end into the treat. Let cool and harden before serving.

Something's fishy about this sushi roll -- there's no fish in it! Our recipe for April Fool's turns this Japanese staple into a fruity sensation.

Make it: In a medium bowl, melt 1 cup mini marshmallows and 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave on High for about 45 seconds. Stir in 2 cups crispy rice cereal. With buttered hands, spread mixture on wax paper to a 12"x5?" rectangle. Place 8 pieces each dried pineapple, papaya, and apricot lengthwise along the middle of the sheet of cereal. Roll sheet lengthwise to enclose dried fruit; press to seal. Wrap grape-flavored fruit leather around the roll; three 0.7-oz packages should be enough. Cut the sushi into 12 pieces and serve with chopsticks and a healthy drink.

In preparation for April 1, freeze your child's milk overnight on March 31. Then in the morning, top off his glass. The look on his face when he can't drink anymore will start the day off with laughter!

Turn to the king of silly stories and read Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat together. Then make a delicious pizza inspired by the headpiece of the master of mischief.

Make it: Unroll store-bought pizza dough (we used the thin variety of Pillsbury Pizza Crust) on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper so it's about 14" long and 12" wide. Roll up bottom of dough about an inch to create the brim of the hate. Use a pizza slicer to cut curves in dough that match the hat. Bake crust at 425°F for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Alternately make 2?" stripes with tomato sauce and shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese, starting with the sauce. Bake for another 6 to 10 minutes, until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

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