Month: February 2020

Lunch with Aunt Angel

Dear Sis,

This morning my sous chef and I had an early start, so we could me Shepherd Pie and Cookie Pudding for Aunt Angels lunch visit.

While I chopped the onion, Sous Chef William chopped the potatoes. Daddy is in the background sitting on the floor while baby sister spins counter-clockwise in the doorway bouncer:) She always uses her feet to spin counter-clockwise (shoulder shrug).

Josh browned the beef for me, while I put Charlotte down for her morning nap. Making lunch was a family affair:) When I came back, we put William’s potatoes on the stovetop to boil. 

While I made gravy and mixed veggies into the beef, my sous chef got busy crushing the chocolate sandwich cookies. He has a few refined techniques:

This first technique is a broad spectrum approach to cookie smashing.

The second technique is more precise and can be used to target cookies that escaped smashing during the application of the first technique.

I have a homemade shepherds pie recipe on the blog, but I have made some changes to accommodate life with a baby and toddler. When I’m in a real pinch, I use Bob Evans pre-made mashed potatoes from the grocery store. I thought I’d share my new mom hacks. Also, though I have not tried it yet, I’m pretty sure this could be a freezer meal. 

Busy Mama Shepherds Pie
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound lean ground beef
  2. 1 onion, chopped
  3. 2 cups beef gravy
  4. 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  5. mashed potatoes
  6. shredded cheese (opt)
Instructions
  1. Brown beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat.
  2. Stir together beef, gravy, and vegetables in a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  3. Top generously with mashed potatoes.
  4. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
  5. Add shredded cheese during last 10 minutes of baking time, if using.
Adapted from b
Adapted from b
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
I used GFS beef gravy mix: 2 c water and 1/2 c mix, whisked and microwaved in 30 second intervals until thick.

We had a wonderful afternoon with Aunt Angel! Our monthly lunches are such a treat:)

Love,

b

Feet Located

Dear Sis,

Charlotte found her feet this morning while she was smiling and cooing at mirror baby. 

Love,

b

Cheesy Instant Pot Chicken Veggies and Rice

Dear Sis,

I made this dish during our visit, but this time I didn’t burn it. The sauté function heats very quickly. I learned the hard way that it is best to have all your food prep complete before go time, and to stay close by to stir frequently.

Cheesy Instand Pot Chicken Veggie Rice
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Ingredients
  1. 2 chicken breasts, cubed
  2. 1 onion, diced
  3. 1 T minced garlic
  4. 2 T avocado oil
  5. 1 t ground pepper
  6. 1 t salt
  7. 2 c uncooked rice
  8. 3 1/2 c chicken stock
  9. 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup
  10. 2 c shaded colby cheese
  11. 1 (12 oz) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
Instructions
  1. Using the sauté function, panfry chicken, onion, and garlic in oil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. When cooked through, cancel sauté function and stir in salt, pepper, and rice.
  2. Add chicken stock and place lid on Instant Pot. Set to manual cook and put 8 minutes on the timer.
  3. Quick release pressure. Stir in soup, cheese, and vegetables until cheese is melted and vegetables are warmed.
Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff
Adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

Five Months Old

Dear Sis,

I can’t believe it has been a month since our visit! That means Grant is one month old!!!

My kids are getting so BIG so FAST!

Love,

b

P.S. We wore Great Grandma Cooper’s crochet booties, but they got cut off in the five month pictures. By the time we came downstairs, one had already fallen off:)

 

Newport Aquarium 2020

Dear Sis,

Josh has made a trip to the Aquarium an annual event! Its fun to see how much William has grown: 2019 and 2018. Charlotte and I went to an appointment and had a shopping spree at Once Upon a Child. 

The boys also saw the Cincinnati from its tallest point and stopped for lunch at 5 Guys. William really enjoys shelling and eating nuts:)

Love, 

b

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Dear Sis,

Here is another great freezer meal. I think Nate would like it too:)

Chicken Cordon Bleu
Yields 12
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Ingredients
  1. 6 chicken breast, sliced horizontally
  2. 1/2 c unbleached flour
  3. 5 eggs, beaten
  4. 2 c Italian breadcrumbs
  5. 12 slices Swiss cheese
  6. 12 slices turkey ham
On Cooking Day
  1. 2 t melted butter, per roll
Instructions
  1. Lay out three shallow dishes. Place flour in first, egg in the second, and 1/2 c of breadcrumbs at a time in the third. Set aside.
  2. Roll out each piece of chicken on a cutting board until thin, approximately 1/2 inch.
  3. Bread each piece of chicken by dipping it in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Set aside.
  4. Fold each slice of cheese into quarters. Wrap each folded cheese slice into a slice of turkey ham. Set aside.
  5. Place a turkey ham wrap at the narrow end of a slice of chicken and roll up. Secure chicken rolls with toothpicks, if cooking now, or with plastic wrap, if freezing for later use in freezer bags.
Thawing Instructions
  1. Unwrap frozen chicken rolls and arrange in greased baking dish. Refrigerate until thawed.
Cooking Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Brush each roll with melted butter. Bake 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Adapted from Fix Freeze Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Ahrens
Adapted from Fix Freeze Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Ahrens
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Our simple sides are frozen green beans, sautéed and Rice-a-Roni pilaf. I hope this meal works well for your family too!

Love,

b

Valentine’s Day Preschool Activities

Dear Sis,

William picked some preschool activities from my stash of Valentine’s Day manipulatives and activities. I wish I would have taken more photos:) Too busy living!

Candy Heart Alphabet Tracing Cards by Tot Schooling

We printed these on card stock and lamented them. Also needed: candy conversation hearts. This was a basket activity for the week. When the interest arose, William would do 2 – 5 letters. While he worked we discussed that letter’s sound, and thought of words that began with that letter.

Candy Heart Counting Clip Cards by Modern Preschool

We printed these on card stock and lamented them. We worked on this during snack time. (William has more patients for school work when he is eating.) We worked on one card at a time, in no particular order. First, we counted the number of hearts in the pictured jar. William is still learning to recognize numerals, and only has a few mastered. He used his snack to cover answers he knew were not correct, and asked for assistance, until his numeral and counted number matched.

Candy Heart Sorting Activities by Rock-A-Bye Parenting

We printed these and placed them in sheet protectors. Also needed: candy conversation hearts.

Heart Bead Patterns by Stay At Home Educator

We printed these on card stock and lamented them. Also needed: pink, red, and white heart pony beads and red pipe cleaners cut into quarters. This was a basket activity for the week. When the interest arose, William did a few patterns. When he was tired of patterning, he resorted to filling the pipe cleaners with random bead combinations.

Mini Heart Pizzas

During one of our play dates, we helped the kids cut ready made pizza dough into large hearts with a cookie cutter. We rolled the edges slightly to make crust that would help hold the toppings in place. We added toppings and baked them according package instructions.

Name Caterpillar

Materials:

craft foam sheet, 2 colors

permanent marker

craft glue or hot glue, for those with less patience

2 wiggly eyes

1/2 pipe cleaner

4 small foam glitter hearts (optional)

Parent Preparation:

I pressed a small heart shaped cookie cutter onto the craft foam to create my cutting lines, but template tracing is an alternative. You will need one more heart than the number of letters in your child’s name.

With the permanent marker, add your child’s name to the hearts.

Cut pipe cleaner in half. 

Assemble remaining materials.

Child Assembly:

Glue wiggly eyes to remaining un-lettered heart. Draw mouth. Glue pipe cleaner antennas in place. Add glitter hearts to antenna if using.

Have student arrange hearts to spell their name. If your student still require a visual reference, provide one. Glue name hearts together.

Glue assembled head to assembled name hearts.

Strawberry Rice Crispy Treat Hearts

After the rice crispy treats set, we used a large heart shaped cookie cutter to make heart shaped treats.

Valentine Color Matching Clip Cards on Teachers Pay Teachers

We printed these on card stock and lamented them. William has mastered colors, but he really enjoyed this activity anyway.

Visual Discrimination Heart Cards by Pre-K Pages

We printed these on card stock and lamented them. We worked on this during snack time, when William is at his most patient. These cards are tricky! William covered the hearts he thought were incorrect with his snack food until he had the matching pair remaining. He was correct on the first try only half of the time. Some patterns were harder for him to discern than others. I need to look for more activities like this one!!! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

b

Apple Crumb Cake

Dear Sis,

I tried this recipe for the first time during Sukkoth, but forgot to add it to the bog until now. This cake is good for breakfast, snacking, dessert, or even a potluck, since it will make a 9×13 cake.

Apple Crumb Cake
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Crumb Topping
  1. 1 c unbleached flour
  2. 1/2 c dark brown sugar
  3. 1/2 c cold butter, diced
  4. 1/4 t salt
Apple Filling
  1. 6 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  2. 3 T dark brown sugar
  3. 2 t lemon juice
  4. 1 t cinnamon
Cake
  1. 1 box yellow cake mix
  2. 1 1/3 c water
  3. 1/3 c oil
  4. 3 eggs
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  2. Combine dry topping ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside.
  3. Toss together apple filling ingredients. Set aside.
  4. Stir cake ingredients until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
  5. Spread apple filling over cake batter. Sprinkle topping over apples evenly.
  6. Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes before serving.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b