tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95577142024-03-14T01:00:42.552-07:00Paved with Good IntentionsThe little trivialities that make up my lifeThat Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.comBlogger2425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-87110201882016630752020-09-16T01:00:00.012-07:002020-09-16T01:00:01.193-07:00Yassou Greece!: Greek Salad<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608433_56b0b6133c_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608433_56b0b6133c_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Since they discovered Hadestown last year, my kids have been very into mythology. So it only made sense to travel to Ancient Greece. We began with a toga party made from random sheets we had lying around the house. Notice Thatkid's "warrior" face in contrast with Thatbaby's "Fashion model" look.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461537_ebfbfa0fc6_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461537_ebfbfa0fc6_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Once again, we were able to find some Greek cuisine in our refrigerator. Have I mentioned that my kids eat a lot of yogurt? We go through it.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608533_3188bbe581_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608533_3188bbe581_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We played a rousing game of Greek pictionary. In retrospect, this would have been a better end of the day activity, after the kids were refreshed as to who characters like Poseidon and Hercules were.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608303_cf9f550706_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608303_cf9f550706_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thatkid made us a very easy lunch - Greek salad bites.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608153_ec76ec0233_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608153_ec76ec0233_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Disney provided a recipe for "Creten pies" which were pastries filled with cinnamon, sugar, and myzithra cheese, so after lunch the kids got busy making snack.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346305346_b231d5aca2_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346305346_b231d5aca2_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461797_84eedf6f45_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461797_84eedf6f45_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also read some of my favorite Greek myths. I actually had a version of this book when I was a kid. I thought I had kept it, but last year when the kids started being interested in Greek mythology, I went looking for it and couldn't find it, so I got Thatkid his very own new and shiny copy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461942_b59ec9ca3b_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461942_b59ec9ca3b_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After reading some myths, we used them as inspiration to create our own mythological monsters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461462_a895c50002_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346461462_a895c50002_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thatbaby was in charge of dinner that night. And despite our lunch, he wanted to make a Greek Salad for dinner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608013_7b27d414b0_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50345608013_7b27d414b0_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My rule on the kids making dinner is that I don't say no to whatever they want to make, so Greek salad it was. Plus this gave him a chance to work on his knife skills since it required so much slicing and chopping of vegetables, cheese, and olives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Playlist: Hadestown, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2WgmNLEG2fHE4sMqDOCm5Q">Raddish Kids Greek Feasts</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Watch: Hercules, Mamma Mia, Jim Henson's The Storyteller Greek Myths</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346462062_9bbb21bace_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50346462062_9bbb21bace_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Greek Salad</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3 Tbsp red wine vinegar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 Tbsp olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 tsp confectioner sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/4 tsp oregano</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">8 oz Persian cucumbers, sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 small red onion, sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4 oz feta, cubed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><ol><li style="text-align: left;">Whisk the vinegar, oil, and sugar in a bowl. </li><li style="text-align: left;">Add salt and pepper to taste.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Stir in oregano.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Arrange tomatoes and cucumbers on a platter.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Scatter the onion and olives on top. </li><li style="text-align: left;">Spoon the dressing over the salad.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Arrange feta over the dressed salad.</li></ol></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-7218776129822094442020-09-09T01:00:00.001-07:002020-09-09T01:00:00.420-07:00Góðan daginn Iceland!: Rúgbrauð <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320837311_39f35d5085_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320837311_39f35d5085_z.jpg" /></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next stop on our world tour was a quick popover to Iceland, a place I am much less familiar with than France.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Although there are some traditional Icelandic foods that already make their way into our refrigerator...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836166_97c7414326_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836166_97c7414326_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The first thing we did was watch a virtual tour, that took us to waterfalls, geysers, and glaciers. The boys thought it was neat that Iceland has both volcanos and glaciers. They were VERY impressed with the geysers. Disney also provided a recipe for <span style="background-color: white; color: #253b56; font-family: "Avenir LT W01 55 Roman", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">rúgbrauð</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #253b56; font-family: "Avenir LT W01 55 Roman", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"> </span>- bread that would be traditionally cooked by burying the dough by a geothermal spring, which would cook it. Since we're a little far from geothermal springs, the recipe called for us to cook the bread at a low heat for 7 hours. So our first hands on activity was getting that bread in the oven.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Disney provided a game they call "15 guesses." Rather than keep track of guesses, we just turned it into a game of headbandz - which I do with lots of things lately. Print out a ton of different bugs and you have "bug headbandz." Print out some Star Wars characters and you have "Star Wars headbandz." This one used things that Iceland is known for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320163388_cda62354d1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320163388_cda62354d1_z.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320835841_d3bd75e135_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320835841_d3bd75e135_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Everything I know about Iceland is from travel shows, and one of my favorite Travelman episodes is where he ventures to Iceland and eats terrible food, goes fully covered into the Blue Lagoon, and visits Elf School. Elves are a very big deal in Iceland, so we made some of our own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321014827_771ed1a058_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321014827_771ed1a058_z.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836816_d07c2d04e5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836816_d07c2d04e5_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />Before lunch, we watched "<a href="https://twiceasgoodshow.com/">Twice as Good</a>" which has 2 girls traveling to different places and cooking local dishes. In Iceland we watched them make lamb burgers. And then the boys made lamb burgers!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321014267_71f5720f2c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321014267_71f5720f2c_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>After lunch we painted our own Northern Lights using watercolor with two fun techniques - wax resist and salt painting.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320835931_4bfbf933d7_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320835931_4bfbf933d7_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321015587_c5dec46c63_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321015587_c5dec46c63_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>While we waited for our art to dry, we took a dip in our own "Blue Lagoon." Blue water courtesy of a bath bomb. And we indulged in our own spa treatments - mud masks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321015377_751260a468_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321015377_751260a468_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As dinnertime approached, our geyser bread was removed from the oven and had it with a lobster salad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836611_2311854b2f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320836611_2311854b2f_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Our playlist for the day consisted mostly of Bjork. We also watched the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which really showcases the beauty of Iceland.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meanwhile that geyser bread? It was good. Really good. Better than any of us were expecting. Which is why I thought it would be a good one to share with you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320557433_ce1b1658e0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50320557433_ce1b1658e0_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #253b56; font-family: "Avenir LT W01 55 Roman", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Rúgbrauð</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #253b56; font-family: "Avenir LT W01 55 Roman", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> </span></i></b><i><b> (</b>From Adventures By Disney)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 cup rye flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/3 cup whole wheat flour</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 tsp baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 tsp baking soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 1/4 cup buttermilk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">5 Tbsp golden syrup</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 1lb loaf pan with baking spray. Mix all the ingredients with a spoon until combined.</li><li>Pour the mix into the loaf pan and cover loosely with foil. Place in the oven and lower the heat to 225. Bake for 7 hours.</li><li>Remove from oven and cool.</li></ol></div></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-68259529546353015062020-09-02T00:00:00.001-07:002020-09-02T00:00:08.803-07:00Bonjour la France: Ham and Gruyere Quiche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295902456_b61ced10bf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295902456_b61ced10bf_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I still haven't had time to sit down and come up with more brilliant weekend ideas, but I've discovered that, as usual, Disney has my back. Earlier in the pandemic they began posting ideas for "<a href="https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2020/07/disneymagicmoments-adventures-at-home-rhone-river-cruise/">Adventures at Home</a>" which is pretty much what our weekends are about anyway. Some of them, like their South Africa adventure, were really similar to weekends we'd already done, but others were brand new and exciting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So we started off on our tour around the world with something very familiar to me - a trip to France!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At some point during the summer, I made crepes and Thatkid was completely enthralled with the idea. He stood beside me and took notes with the ingredients and technique. So I put him in charge of making crepes for all of us for breakfast. We wrapped them around fresh berries, because we always have berries in the house in the summer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295901371_c906d968e3_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295901371_c906d968e3_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>One of the activities Disney suggested was a game called "Qui est le Personnage" which is where you guess the French name for Disney characters. Some were pretty easy.<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296064287_58a4a1631d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296064287_58a4a1631d_z.jpg" width="307" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295902846_010d6bfaaa_z.jpg" width="307" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And some were....not so easy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296064802_4861102c6b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296064802_4861102c6b_z.jpg" width="307" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295228368_36d5214907_z.jpg" width="307" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And one the kids knew from their "Summer of Opera"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295227943_185d65ce9a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295227943_185d65ce9a_z.jpg" width="307" /><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295226598_c87ebc0585_z.jpg" width="307" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Since Thatkid made breakfast, I put Thatbaby in charge of lunch. We made individual quiches, filled with ham and gruyere.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295497743_a879343b86_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295497743_a879343b86_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After lunch, we went for a tour of the Musee D'Orsay.</div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295227328_2a0e1883b1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="640" height="356" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295227328_2a0e1883b1_z.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295903611_a77b69f5ff_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295903611_a77b69f5ff_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="197" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295903611_a77b69f5ff_z.jpg" width="262" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" height="218" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295903946_4bca8162e9_z.jpg" width="328" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Disney also provided us with a recipe for macarons. So of course we had to make them. Their recipe didn't have any flavor associated with it, so we added some vanilla.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295226293_f7a0a71daf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295226293_f7a0a71daf_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295229048_072915a174_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295229048_072915a174_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Macarons are a long process. While we waited for them to dry, bake, and cool, we did a little bit of French art. The boys discovered <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5XMF3Inoi8R9nSI8ChOsdQ">Art for Kids Hub</a> through <a href="https://campkinda.org/weekly-adventures">Camp Kinda</a> and it's become a staple in our house. He's so good at breaking things down to their speed and making it accessible to them. So obviously we had to draw along with his Eiffel Tower video.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296063317_3ce3f67937_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="197" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296063317_3ce3f67937_z.jpg" width="262" /><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="197" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296062177_7e0a78d93b_z.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Both boys threw in for dinner, making chicken en papillote.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296063597_349b5b546e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50296063597_349b5b546e_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also listened to French music (the soundtrack from one of my favorite movies - Les Parapluies de Cherbourg and a healthy dose of Edith Piaf) and watched some French inspired movies (Ratatouille, Can Can, and some Asterix). It was a very mellow day but with a lasting effect - Thatkid is asking for an Eiffel Tower lego set for his upcoming birthday, and Thatbaby may be addicted to Orangina.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295902456_b61ced10bf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="512" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50295902456_b61ced10bf_z.jpg" width="384" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ham and Gruyere Quiche</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">1 <a href="http://katorade.blogspot.com/2007/10/like-phoenix-from-ashes.html">pie dough</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div>1/4 cup ham, chopped</div><div>1/4 cup baby spinach, chopped</div><div>1/2 cup gruyere, grated</div></div><div style="text-align: center;">6 eggs</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 cup cream</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 375. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle and place in a pie dish. Press the dough into the pie dish and crimp the edges.</li><li> Sprinkle the ham, spinach, and gruyere evenly over the pie dough.</li><li>Whisk the eggs, cream, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour over the filling.</li><li>Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the center is set.</li></ol></div></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-79993223155143616422020-08-26T01:00:00.001-07:002020-08-26T16:55:15.324-07:00Weird Science: Color Changing Lemonade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044638_73c29cab2f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044638_73c29cab2f_z.jpg" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Thatbaby has turned into quite the little science kid during this pandemic. I think because I started including "science class" into Mom-school back in the beginning, but there's nothing he loves more than making "potions" and doing experiments. So much so, that he asked for science experiment kits for his birthday and received several.</p><p>He always wants to pull them out and try out different experiments - or create his own (basically baking soda, vinegar, and then other ingredients) - so it wasn't too surprising that he would want a full science day.</p><p>His idea was to just do all the experiments he had in his kits, but I supplemented with some fun ones I thought they would like.</p><p>We started out doing some ectothermic and endothermic reactions with one of his kits.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271047358_fb51efc20b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271047358_fb51efc20b_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And using the kit's uric acid to learn about evaporation and growing our own crystals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044923_c878bf3546_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044923_c878bf3546_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Every young scientist should make take a run with bubbles. We made our own "unpoppable" variety.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271047123_eaa7e4d1c1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271047123_eaa7e4d1c1_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271046573_6396067830_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271046573_6396067830_z.jpg" width="308" /><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271888132_6fcfac79d6_z.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>We used red cabbage to create our own "litmus noodles" for lunch - which changed color when we added an acid (lemon juice)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271887852_6902ff738b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271887852_6902ff738b_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>After lunch we made some elephant toothpaste</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271887017_efbcc0637f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271887017_efbcc0637f_z.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271046268_f26b5c6c1c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271046268_f26b5c6c1c_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And aquatic sand was a big hit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271045693_425576cc3f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271045693_425576cc3f_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also did an osmosis experiment with gummy bears </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271043528_1560f098bf_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271043528_1560f098bf_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And create our own bacteria growing petri dishes. Although this one took a few days to see the results.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271045378_ce33a07da2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271045378_ce33a07da2_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For all my friends who don't wash their feet in the shower? That really gnarly black one? That's just a qtip that was swabbed between each child's toes. Your feet are gross. Wash them. This experiment also showed us that antibiotics really stop bacterial growth, soap cuts down on bacterial growth, yogurt contains bacteria, and toothpaste doesn't do much to the inside of your mouth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271943732_d2ae2e5f94_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271943732_d2ae2e5f94_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our final experiment came with dinner where we did some color changing lemonade I found on <a href="https://leftbraincraftbrain.com/ada-twist-color-changing-lemonade-lab/">Left Brain Craft Brain</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Butterfly pea flowers work as a pH indicator, just like cabbage does. So adding this magic blue liquid to an acidic drink like lemonade...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271043963_549462d361_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271043963_549462d361_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gives the lemonade a vibrant purple color!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044363_e5ca06e2a9_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271044363_e5ca06e2a9_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a really fun "experiment" for just about any time because it makes for such a pretty drink. The butterfly pea flowers on their own make for a fairly vibrant tea, or beautiful tea latte. I've even heard that it's what's used to create the blue colored drinks at Disney.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271886132_b7e11f946d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50271886132_b7e11f946d_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b>Color Changing Lemonade </b>(adapted from Left Brain Craft Brain)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Juice of 6 1/2 lemons</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">1 1/3 cup sugar</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">5 cups water, divided</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">1 tsp dried butterfly pea flowers</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><ol><li style="text-align: left;">Boil 1 cup water. </li><li style="text-align: left;">Place dried flowers in a tea strainer and place in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove strainer. Chill while making lemonade.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Combine lemons, sugar, and remaining 4 cups water. Stir until sugar dissolves. </li><li style="text-align: left;">Divide lemonade between 4 glasses filled with ice.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Add 1/4 cup of the flower water to each glass of lemonade and watch it change color right before your eyes.</li></ol></div></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-53256772706413677432020-08-19T01:00:00.001-07:002020-08-19T01:00:03.651-07:00Medieval Time of our Lives: Orange Pineapple Ham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242093327_8b9248b00a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242093327_8b9248b00a_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I first came up with these "pandemic adventures" I made a nice long list and one of my friends laughed when I told her about it - "You won't need all of those!" I agreed with her. Obviously we'd have this Covid stuff well underhand by June, but it wouldn't hurt to have a long list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The original plan for the shut-down was for us to get testing and tracing procedures set up and implemented. Who would have ever guessed that something so simple, and something this country has done before to prevent other pandemics, would turn into a political nightmare with politicians fighting healthcare workers, scientists, and healthcare systems to prevent us from getting that system set up. And so the months passed, June came and went, and that list that wasn't supposed to be necessary? Well it sure came in handy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But I hadn't planned for it to last past the summer. SURELY we'd have things under control by the fall, when kids would be returning to school and I wouldn't need to entertain my children to make up for the fact I couldn't interact with them at all during the week. But those same problems we faced in April and May dragged on, got worse, and instead of focusing on that testing and tracing or even keeping the community spread down, we opened bars, restaurants, golf courses, and hair salons. We were not going back to school.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I honestly haven't had the time to sit down and make another huge list with work ramping up (But I guess I know what my plans are for Labor Day!), so I asked each child to pick a theme for a weekend day and help come up with some ideas. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thatkid came up with a Medieval Day. Basically he wanted to play knight, with sword fights and dragons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So we started the day by turning ourselves into knights. I know enough about my kids to know that sword fights would be a terrible idea. But jousting? That sounded like a safer bet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So we made lances out of pool noodles, and shields out of cardboard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884291_796d93b768_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884291_796d93b768_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I ordered the biggest, craziest, ball-hoppers I could find and the kids mounted their steeds. They started on opposite sides of the yard, and had to "ride" toward each other. They had a single pass to strike the other with their lance in the chest. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242094392_293be5ea4b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242094392_293be5ea4b_z.jpg" /></a></div><p>As an aside, these balls have gotten a lot of use since that day. They are very popular as pool toys for some reason. And the kids also use them to run into each other and fall backwards. Somehow this is called "playing KC Undercover" although I have never seen anything like that on the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we talked about food, Thatkid had come up with the idea of meat and bread. I expounded on that a bit and made us a giant charcuterie plate with fruit, meats, cheese, and a loaf of bread divided between all of us. This, my friends, was Thatkid's favorite part of the day and he has declared it his favorite meal ever and asked if we can have it more often. </p><p>We ate on the floor, drank cider from copper mugs, and used our hands - since there were no forks in Medieval Times.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242093767_815ce7be7b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242093767_815ce7be7b_z.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241880911_1dec6c69df_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="410" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241880911_1dec6c69df_z.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the things Thatkid REALLY wanted to do was "dragon yoga." So after lunch, our knights met up with a dragon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884681_49d9a3869a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884681_49d9a3869a_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>And then made their own version.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241241723_a8651a05f2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241241723_a8651a05f2_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last knightly skill they needed was music, and so we made lutes and had a concert.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884011_bf51919e8d_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241884011_bf51919e8d_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After all that hard work, jousting, fighting dragons, making lutes, it was time for a promotion. We made crowns and had a coronation, complete with coronation feast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241242053_5e91859bc5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50241242053_5e91859bc5_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The kings were back on the floor, with more meat, more bread, and some of Thatkid's favorite vegetable - brussels sprouts.</p><p>While a roast beef or chicken might have been more historically accurate, I wanted something that wouldn't be too messy when eaten with your hands. And ham seemed like a very plausible meal that would have been eaten, since pigs and boar were both animals eaten back in those days.</p><p>It also makes for great leftovers, on it's own, as sandwiches, or thrown on top of pizza. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242202062_b10bb79e02_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50242202062_b10bb79e02_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Orange Pineapple Ham</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 orange, sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 red onion, sliced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 pineapple - halved at the equator</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 cooked boneless ham</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">12 oz ginger beer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 cup brown sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 tsp soy sauce</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Preheat oven to 375. Take half the pineapple and cut into slices.</li><li>Place slices of pineapple, orange, and red onion at the bottom of a roasting pan.</li><li>Place a rack ontop the sliced fruits/onion and place ham, cut side down, on top of the rack.</li><li>Score ham with a diamond pattern and pour 4 oz of ginger beer over the ham. Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.</li><li>Place the remaining half of pineapple and 8 oz of ginger beer in a blender and blend until smooth.</li><li>Transfer the pineapple-beer to a saucepan and stir in the brown sugar and soy sauce. Simmer until reduced to one cup (about 40 minutes).</li><li>After the ham has cooked for 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil and brush 1/3 of the glaze over the ham. Cook for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.</li><li>Rotate the ham, brush 1/2 of the remaining glaze over top and cook for another 15 minutes.</li><li>Brush remaining glaze over ham and bake for 15 more minutes. Slice and serve.</li></ol></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-67083503074480900352020-08-12T01:00:00.001-07:002020-08-12T01:00:09.547-07:00Charlie and the At-Home Chocolate Factory: Chocolate Tomato Soup<p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215984576_3e436407fb_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="513" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215984576_3e436407fb_z.jpg" width="384" /></a><br /><br /></p><p>When I broke out the cotton candy machine for our <a href="http://katorade.blogspot.com/2020/06/fair-play-oven-broiled-grilled-cheese.html">Backyard Fair</a>, I thought about other fun toys we've accumulated over the years of birthday parties. Which is how I decided to plan a day centered around our chocolate fondue fountain. Because I don't think we've used that thing since <a href="http://katorade.blogspot.com/2017/07/mommy-mondays-hey-there-hi-there-ho.html">Thatbaby's second birthday</a>. </p><p>But what could I plan that centered around a chocolate fountain? Why a Willy Wonka Day of course. It may not be a chocolate waterfall, but it's pretty close. It definitely helped that I had bookmarked <a href="https://www.economycandy.com/">Economy Candy</a>'s "Candy Care Package" as a fun idea way back in April and this would be the perfect excuse to order one. As an aside, Thatboy has declared this the absolute best mail to ever receive and it has become our go-to "happy mail" to send. </p><p>We made gummy legos during "Lego Mom Camp" (maybe one of these days I'll get around to writing up all those camp lessons. You know, in case anyone wants them for the next pandemic) which also inspired the idea of making our own candy. Especially since Thatbaby has been so into science kits and growing his own rock candy. So I picked up a Candy-Science kit and we made sour blue raspberry gummies (which were completely sour - not sweet - to the point where they were probably just vitamin c gummies), watermelon sucking candies, and grape marshmallows.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216215607_05bcf946a2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216215607_05bcf946a2_z.jpg" /></a></div><p>Did I mention that Thatkid wanted to dress up like Willy Wonka for the day?</p><p><br /></p><p>Another one of our pandemic purchases with a bubble machine which filled our entire yard with bubbles. The kids love it so much. And I thought it would be even cooler if we could fill it with edible bubbles, like in the Fizzy Lifting Drink room. So when I found "Lick-A-Bubbles" which are literally edible bubbles you can flavor with any non-dairy drink, I knew we were set for the day. I poured them into our bubble machine and the kids went crazy running around trying to catch the bubbles in their mouth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215331503_e2b5daa094_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215331503_e2b5daa094_z.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215983201_96237fcd13_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="328" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215983201_96237fcd13_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And while I was on the site purchasing the bubbles one of those "you may also be interested in" things popped up and I was interested!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215330038_26e1f64704_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215330038_26e1f64704_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Edible stickers! So we could make our own lickable wallpaper.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One thing we already owned, that needed no modification was the Candy Land board game. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215986326_9311ed059c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="513" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215986326_9311ed059c_z.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now, it was definitely a dangerous idea to throw in this game. It never goes well. We have retired it from weekly game nights because inevitably one of the kids ends up near the finish and having to go back to the start and there are tears and anger and flipping of tables.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So we moved quickly from game to lunch. In trying to find ideas for a "chocolate factory lunch" I came across white chocolate macaroni and cheese. Which doesn't sound super-appetizing, but had rave reviews from other skeptical persons. So I thought, maybe the white chocolate just adds some thickness and creaminess. Especially since the rest of the white cheeses mixed in sounded so delicious.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Y'all, this was not delicious. Too sweet. It was like eating a dessert. Even my chocolate loving, macaroni and cheese loving kids did not enjoy it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216212187_b448e5bb68_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216212187_b448e5bb68_z.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>After nap I set up some chocolate we did enjoy - our very own chocolate waterfall (fountain). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216214877_30266ace59_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216214877_30266ace59_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then we relaxed for the rest of the evening by watching the original film. With a special drink I found in the grocery store.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216212587_ae2756b8b6_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50216212587_ae2756b8b6_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thatkid had requested a dinner inspired by Willy Wonka's amazing gum - the one containing a three course meal that had poor Violet Beauregard blow up like a giant blueberry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We began with a tomato soup.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215328568_ea81dfa272_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215328568_ea81dfa272_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Followed by roast beef and a buttery baked potato.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215327808_abe76045a0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215327808_abe76045a0_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And of course, the famous blueberry pie with cream.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215986691_3e79ff8b17_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215986691_3e79ff8b17_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wanted to dress up the tomato soup a bit, but I was a little wary after the macaroni and cheese incident. But I've put chocolate in chili, and what is tomato soup except chili without the rice and beans? Plus this recipe uses bittersweet chocolate, which REALLY doesn't add sweetness, just a depth of flavor. The result? Well Thatbaby hates tomato soup, but he loved this one so much he asked for it for lunch the next day too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215330428_c0a0cb90aa_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50215330428_c0a0cb90aa_z.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Chocolate Tomato Soup</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 Tbsp olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 Tbsp butter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 onion, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3 cloves garlic</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 carrots, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 celery stalks, diced</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 cup sundried tomatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 tsp paprika</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 tsp cumin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 tsp ground coriander</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 cup white wine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">28-oz can of diced tomatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4 cups chicken broth</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">4oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">2 Tbsp honey</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><ol><li style="text-align: left;">Melt butter and oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes, until translucent.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Add garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, paprika, cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. </li><li style="text-align: left;">Add wine and continue cooking until all the liquid has evaporated.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 45 minutes.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Let cool slightly and then puree in a blender. Return to pot and heat until warmed through.</li><li style="text-align: left;">Add chocolate and honey. Stir until chocolate is melted and serve.</li></ol></div>That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-702553462973182002020-08-05T01:00:00.000-07:002020-08-05T01:00:05.650-07:00Yo Ho Yo Ho A Pirate's Life At Home: Grilled Jerk Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're at the point of the pandemic where I honestly don't know what inspired the idea of a pirate adventure. I planned these all out so long ago!</div>
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But for whatever reason, earlier this month we traded in our regular legs for sealegs, took a quiz to get our "pirate names" and made some pirate masks so we could look the part.</div>
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Of course, every pirate needs a parrot.</div>
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And a boat. We started off with cork boats,</div>
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But then some ice boats joined our armada.</div>
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Once we had the look, the parrot, and the ship, it was time to go on our treasure hunt.</div>
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The treasure chest was filled with jewels, coins, and a fun new pirate game.</div>
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After uncovering the booty, we had a Caribbean pirate lunch- grilled jerk chicken and coconut water.<br />
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After nap, we got a chance to try out our new pirate game. It's basically battleship, but with pirate ships instead of military ones. </div>
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And enjoyed a really authentic pirate snack.</div>
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Now, I'm not sure if you know anything about pirates, but the problem with finding pirate treasure is that some other pirate inevitable wants it. Which leads to water battles. So we had our very own water battle. Instead of cannons on the sea, we had water cannons and water balloons.</div>
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Water balloon fights have become a very fun addition to our weekend adventures as the temps pick up. The boys are already trying to figure out how to work them in every weekend. </div>
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For dinner, Thatkid requested a meal "from the sea" and so we had shells with lobster. Which I'm sure is what most pirates ate when out at sea. </div>
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I was very concerned about the kids and jerk chicken, because the grownups have a much higher spice tolerance than the young ones in this house. I make my own jerk seasoning - which comes from an old coworker of mine who was Jamaican and he'd kill me if he knew I tweaked it to make it less spicy for the kids, so I'm posting it in its entirety here. But if you leave the cayenne out, it becomes a very family friendly chicken seasoning. </div>
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<b><i>Grilled Jerk Chicken</i></b></div>
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1.5 Tbsp onion powder</div>
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1.5 Tbsp garlic powder</div>
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1 Tbsp ground ginger</div>
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1 Tbsp thyme</div>
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1 tsp white pepper</div>
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1/2 tsp cinnamon</div>
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1 Tbsp ground allspice</div>
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1 Tbsp paprika</div>
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1/2 Tbsp nutmeg</div>
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2 Tbsp brown sugar</div>
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1 Tbsp bouillon</div>
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1 Tbsp cayenne pepper</div>
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1 Tbsp olive oil</div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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4 chicken breasts</div>
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">Make the jerk seasoning. Combine onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, thyme, white pepper, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, nutmeg, brown sugar, bouillon, and cayenne in a small bowl.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Take 1 Tbsp of the seasoning and combine with olive oil and salt to form a paste (reserve remaining seasoning for other uses).</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Place chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound to flatten.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Rub chicken with paste on both sides. Grill for 3 minutes per side. </li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-21440807994912825072020-07-29T01:00:00.000-07:002020-07-29T01:00:14.122-07:00Backyard Olympians: Olympic Torch Chicken Wraps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thatboy is REALLY not a sports person, except for some reason the Olympics. He looooooves the Olympics and when they're on he basically doesn't sleep - just watches them for hours.</div>
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As you may or may not have heard, the Summer Olympics which would be happening right now, are not happening right now.</div>
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So we decided to have our very own Olympics, right here in our home. </div>
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We divided the house into two "countries" and competitors from each country designed their flags which were hung on the Olympic grounds.</div>
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Since the weather was supposed to be exceptionally warm that day, we started with our Track and Field events. Our first event was the 1k.</div>
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Each country picked an "anthem" and we held a medal ceremony after each event, playing the winning country's anthem. Thatkid won the 1k, so he was awarded the gold medal. As a nice way to start the day, Thatbaby had earned a medal of his own. By completing the 1k, he also completed the Trolls Virtual Kids race. </div>
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Next up was the discus throw. Which was easy enough to replicate with a frisbee.</div>
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And then came the javelin, a pool noodle subbed in for something pointier and more dangerous.</div>
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Since we didn't want a million running events, we subbed in some of those with more traditional races, like the 3 legged race.</div>
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And the egg/spoon relay</div>
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Next came the long jump</div>
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And we created our own hurdles by saving our weekly produce delivery boxes.</div>
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Our final event of the morning sounded good in theory, but didn't actually work out with a 5 year old. We tried for "water balloon volleyball" which was tossing a water balloon back and forth between two towels, with each country holding one of the towels. Unfortunately, both the tossing and catching proved to be a little much for Thatkid and we never got past the serve.</div>
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Since I didn't want to deal with an actual Olympic torch, I made a bunch for us to eat! </div>
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After nap we were back at it with balloon tennis. Each competitor got a tennis racket and a balloon and the one who kept their balloon in the air the longest won.</div>
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We had originally planned on using their bows and arrows for archery, but turns out Thatboy had thrown out all our targets, so I quickly improvised with water gun archery. The boys had to shoot ping pong balls of golf tees with their water guns. Thatbaby stole the show with this one.</div>
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Next up came the gymnastic events. We began with rhythmic gymnastics where competitors from each country created and performed their own 30 second routine.</div>
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And then the balance beam - which was surprisingly one of the most challenging events.</div>
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We finished up with Olympic Ring tossing.</div>
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After the final medal ceremony, we headed inside for another Olympic torch snack.</div>
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We had a rather original closing ceremony. Since it was so hot, we decided to end the day with a water fight between the two countries.</div>
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We retreated back to the Olympic village for some pulled pork sandwiches and Olympic onion rings.</div>
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I'll admit it was a hard to think up themed "Olympic" food when the Olympics are in your backyard. It's not like I could just make food from the country where the Olympics were being held, although I did in the way with the pulled pork - totally a backyard food. </div>
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Doing an internet search wasn't really all that helpful. . .until I happened across an article which mentioned that this "<a href="https://tasty.co/recipe/blooming-quesadilla-ring">Blooming Quesadilla</a>" looked like an Olympic Torch. Bingo Ringo. The idea is very simple - chicken, cheese, and taco sauce wrapped in a tortilla. What makes it fun is that they're stacked and baked in a circular ring.</div>
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<i><b>Olympic Torch Chicken Wraps </b>(adapted from Tasty.co)</i></div>
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2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded</div>
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1/2 onion, chopped</div>
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1/2 red bell pepper, chopped</div>
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1/2 cup taco sauce</div>
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10 flour tortillas</div>
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1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded</div>
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1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded</div>
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<li>Preheat oven to 375. Combine chicken, onion, bell pepper, and taco sauce in a bowl. </li>
<li>Cut each tortilla in half.</li>
<li>Add 2 Tbsp each of cheddar, monterey jack, and chicken to each half. Roll the tortilla into cones, starting at the cut edge. Create a ring with half of the tortilla cones, with the points in the center. </li>
<li>Sprinkle half of the remaining cheddar and monterey jack over the layer. </li>
<li>Repeat with the second half of the cones to create a top layer, finishing with the rest of the cheese.</li>
<li>Bake 20 minutes, until the cheese has melted.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-50514982893340894432020-07-15T01:00:00.000-07:002020-07-15T01:00:06.072-07:00Backyard Beach: Italian Deli Pasta SaladBefore Thatkid was born, Thatboy and I had a Fourth of July tradition to spend the entire day at the beach. We'd pack food, get their early for a good spot, stay for fireworks, and then I'd fall asleep in the car as we sat in packed parking lots waiting to get on crowded freeways to get home.<br />
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It just didn't seem sustainable with a small child, so once Thatbaby was born, we started a new tradition of spending the Fourth of July in the backyard with a blow up pool, lots of margaritas, and going to the neighbors to watch fireworks from their front yard.<br />
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Last year we went away for the Fourth of July. Beach, no traffic, and it was so nice we thought we would make that our new annual tradition. But obviously this year that wasn't going to happen. So we went back to old traditions and turned our backyard into a beach.<br />
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The nice thing about your backyard being a beach, is that unlike the real beach, you don't have to be in the water with the kids.</div>
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And there's still plenty of lying and soaking up the sun.</div>
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We made watermelon coolers with watermelon, lime, cucumber, and ice. And then drank them all day. Because fruity drinks feel like a vacation all on their own.</div>
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We also turned our water table into a sand table with kinetic sand and lots of sand toys to build castles or sand creatures.</div>
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Just like any other beach day, we packed a picnic lunch that would be easy to eat - chicken wraps, watermelon, and pasta salad.</div>
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And in the afternoon we broke out the chips and guac.</div>
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We spent the whole afternoon reading (grown ups) or playing in the pool (kids) until it was dinner.</div>
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Hot dogs, potato salad, grilled corn, and more watermelon.</div>
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After we made a "beach bonfire" and made smores, which is a pretty good way to end the the day.</div>
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The sleeper hit of the day was the pasta salad I made to have with lunch. And Thatboy and I had it again the next day for lunch. And probably would have had it the day after, except we ate had already eaten it all.</div>
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I think the secret is the giardiniera, which I would never have thought to put in pasta salad, but there was just something about that salty, briney flavor that had both of us going back for more. And then Thatboy asked that I bookmark this recipe so I could make it over and over and over again. So it sounds like we came out of this with a new tradition after all.</div>
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<i><b>Italian Deli Pasta Salad </b>(From Food Network)</i></div>
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1lb penne, cooked</div>
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1/3 cup mayo</div>
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3 Tbsp olive oil</div>
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3 Tbsp red wine vinegar</div>
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16-oz jar giardiniera, drained and chopped</div>
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1 cup diced provolone</div>
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1 cup diced salami</div>
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1/4 cup chopped parsley</div>
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1/4 cup chopped basil</div>
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<li>Mix the mayo, olive oil, and red wine vinegar in a large bowl.</li>
<li>Add the pasta and toss.</li>
<li>Add the giardiniera, provolone, salami, parley, and basil. Toss.</li>
<li>Season with salt and pepper to taste.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-21090026761287676122020-07-08T01:00:00.000-07:002020-07-08T01:00:08.782-07:00NYC at home: Black and White Egg Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not going to lie, New York City is probably my least favorite summer destinations. I have been through too many sticky, muggy, hot and humid New York trips, pressed up against other wet and sticky bodies for one lifetime. <br />
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But when I saw that <a href="https://www.broadwayhd.com/">Broadway HD</a> was doing a free 7-day trial back in the beginning days of the quarantine, I thought it would be a great "pandemic adventure." Everything we love about New York, without the humidity or the subway! <br />
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I jumped on <a href="https://www.goldbelly.com/">Goldbelly</a> and ordered some of our favorite New York foods to keep the day authentic. Like bagels. Because no one makes bagels like they do in NYC. Trust me, I've tried to find similar in other states AND other countries and there's no comparison.<br />
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After breakfast we headed out to create our own souvenirs.</div>
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One of our favorite things about New York is the museums, and Thatkid's favorite museum is the Museum of Natural History (the Nat is his favorite museum in San Diego also). We did a virtual tour of the museum, visiting some of his favorite exhibits.</div>
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Thatkid's ideal New York trip would be to see every Broadway show there is - he'd do a matinee and evening performance each day if he could. So we tried.</div>
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We started with Jekyll and Hyde. One of my favorites, and which I saw with the Original Broadway Cast back when it first came out.</div>
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Then it was a quick trip to Nathan's for a hot dog with fries. </div>
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Then a couple more virtual museum tours.</div>
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Our post-nap Broadway show was Kinky Boots.</div>
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And then we had dinner. Know what New York food we were missing? PIZZA!</div>
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My boys have been VERY into opera this pandemic. Entirely due to The <a href="https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/">Met Opera's free streaming program</a> and <a href="https://www.metopera.org/discover/education/global-summer-camp/home/">Met Opera Camp</a>. So when I saw that the nightly streaming opera was Cendrillon (or Cinderella) I thought it would be a great way to round out our day in New York.<br />
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And one last treat - black and white cookies!</div>
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I've tried to make my own black and white cookies and they just don't turn out the same. Thatmom and I speculate that there's something about the New York water that just makes the chocolate taste better.</div>
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Instead, when I want a little shot of a New York black and white I go to a much easier recipe - the Black and White egg cream. The egg cream is a New York staple - as much a part of their legacy as the bagel and the pizza. It dates back to the Jews of Brooklyn to the late 1800s or early 1900s depending on which origin story you care to believe. The original is just chocolate syrup (U-BET!), seltzer, and milk. The black and white version also has a scoop of vanilla ice cream.</div>
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<b><i>Black and White Egg Cream</i></b></div>
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1/2 cup whole milk</div>
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4 Tbsp U-Bet chocolate syrup</div>
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seltzer</div>
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vanilla ice cream</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"> Divide milk between 2 glasses.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Place 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup into each glass and stir with a fork.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Continue vigorously stirring as you slowly pour in the seltzer until the glass is almost full.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-79857683575291646702020-07-01T01:00:00.000-07:002020-07-01T01:00:01.325-07:00Camp Our House: Black Bean and Chicken Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We decided last year we would go camping for Father's Day weekend. Thatboy loves camping, and the weather is perfect for it in early June. And then the Coronavirus became a thing and we weren't going anywhere.</div>
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When they mentioned that campgrounds would be opening, we had a serious discussion about going. Seems safe enough, right? Except I have some friends in Canada, where they're kicking the pandemic's butt, and I remember when their campgrounds opened and all the restrictions that were put in place. One of my friends got an RV because one of the restrictions was that they weren't opening the bathrooms at campgrounds. No such restrictions were being put in place in California campgrounds. They were open for business as if there was never a shut-down. So we decided no on the camping. (As a side note- we were totally right because less than 2 weeks after opening, we'd already had an outbreak at a San Diego campground.)</div>
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So instead, on Father's Day weekend, we found a campground much closer to home - our backyard!</div>
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We found that scavenger hunts are a must when we go on hikes when we camp, and earlier this year I had found these "Seek and find" sheets in the Target Dollar Spot and bought them. Lucky for me, they work equally well on hikes around the neighborhood.</div>
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Hiking around, you can work up and appetite, so when we got back, we made a little snack - butterfly trail mix bags.</div>
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I also pulled out some of our crafts from our camping supplies. The kids had just as much fun making bubble snakes in the backyard as they do at the campsite.</div>
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We did some family tournaments, like cornhole and bocce ball.</div>
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And a little bit of archery</div>
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Another Target dollar spot find were these Backyard Bingo games. (We have roadtrip versions too)</div>
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For lunch, I had "packed" us a lunch we would have had a campground - a leaf-less salad that travels well, watermelon, and some sangria for the grownups.</div>
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Our neighbors happened to be out of town during the week and we were in charge of feeding their cat and making sure their pool got used, so we spent the afternoon pretending it was a lake. When we got back, Thatboy lit a fire and we all sat around reading by the campfire.</div>
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And doing that resting thing you do at campgrounds.</div>
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We grilled hot dogs for dinner, and ate them with more watermelon and lots of chips.</div>
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And after we had hot chocolate (which is my kids' favorite part of camping I think)</div>
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And smores (their other favorite part?)</div>
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And then we let them stay up late telling "spooky" stories, which turned into silly stories. We also let them stay awake in the tent whispering and giggling for a while.</div>
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Eventually the boys fell asleep, and Thatboy and I stayed awake listening to every little sound - we were both a lot jumpier in our own backyard than in the middle of the wilderness! Our only problem is that the kids have been asking to sleep in the backyard every night since then.</div>
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One of the things that kept the whole thing feeling "real" (especially since we had indoor plumbing) was the fact that I did my best with authentic camping food. We learned a couple years ago that the best way to keep our kids happy was to bring mostly prepared food. Either foods that could be eaten cold, or foods that were already cooked and just needed to be heated. The boys lack the patience for true camp cooking. This salad is perfect to make ahead and bring with you, but that also makes it great for picnics - and when this is all over, summer barbecues. Because there's no lettuce, there's nothing to wilt. Rather than dressing, which can get gloopy even without lettuce (and yes, gloopy is the scientific term) there's just some lime juice which keeps everything fresh and bright tasting. </div>
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<b><i>Black Bean and Chicken Salad</i></b></div>
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1 can black beans</div>
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1 1/2 cups frozen corn</div>
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1 shallot, minced</div>
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1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered</div>
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2 cups cooked chicken, chopped</div>
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juice of 1 lime</div>
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1 Tbsp cumin</div>
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1 avocado, diced</div>
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<li>Combine beans, corn, shallot, tomatoes, and chicken in a large bowl.</li>
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<li>Gently fold in avocado.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-51658490319780163442020-06-24T01:00:00.000-07:002020-06-24T01:00:07.900-07:00Fair Play: Oven Broiled "Grilled" Cheese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of our favorite summer activities is going to the fair. The kids love the games and rides, the whole family loves the exhibits and the food.</div>
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Since our county fair is cancelled this year, we held our own fair in the backyard.</div>
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We made sure there were games.</div>
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And prizes to go with the games<br />
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And we even got them some new backyard toys which subbed in for rides.</div>
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This saucer swing has turned out to be a great pandemic purchase. They've used it every day since our backyard fair.</div>
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I ordered a kit so we could make our own funnel cakes. Because what kind of fair doesn't have funnel cakes?<br />
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Each of the boys set up their own exhibit for us to visit. Thatkid chose "Rocks and Minerals" which is their favorite exhibit at the fair. Thatbaby decided he would do the animal exhibit. It was a far cry from the cows and goats we usually see.</div>
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The little guys usually get corn dogs at the fair, and since that's an easy enough thing to replicate at home, we all had corn dogs for lunch!<br />
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While Thatbaby napped, Thatkid got his face painted. It's MUCH cheaper at the backyard fair than at the actual fair.</div>
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When Thatbaby woke up, we broke out our cotton candy machine and whipped up an afternoon snack.</div>
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And then I taught myself how to make balloon animals! Or at least balloon parrots which is what the boys wanted.<br />
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We headed back outside for a little hula hoop competition.</div>
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And some spin art.</div>
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Thatboy and I like to try the new and unusual foods at the fair. That's a little harder to replicate at home, but I thought we could work it out by doing twists on regular ole food. So we had a "choose your own adventure" grilled cheese. I've had some fun grilled cheeses at the fair - like buffalo chicken, or macaroni and pulled pork. </div>
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Thatbaby stayed pretty traditional with just cheese, but he did use 3 different kind of cheeses. Thatkid went for some adventure and picked several meats, cheeses, and avocado for his grilled cheese. Thatboy went with truffle butter, harissa, bacon, and cheese, while I went with tomato basil sauce, caramelized onions, and cheese.</div>
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For the past few years, the fair has been having some pretty fun doughnut desserts, like doughnut cotton candy sandwiches. We went for an easier fair dessert - doughnut ice cream sandwiches!</div>
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It wasn't exactly the same as going to the fair, but it was a pretty good replacement for these times.</div>
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I'm not going to lie - one of the reasons I picked choose your own adventure grilled cheese was because I could make everyone's dinner at one time that way. Even with everyone picking their own toppings. That way everyone could pick what they wanted, I could pop it all in the oven, and then we could all eat at the same time. Really, a mother's best friend.</div>
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<b><i>Oven Broiled Grilled Cheese</i></b></div>
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8 slices of bread</div>
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4 Tbsp butter, room temperature</div>
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Cheese - cheddar, gruyere, muenster, monterey jack, mozzarella, swiss, feta......</div>
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Other ideas - salami, bacon, ham, turkey, chicken, pepperoni, mushrooms, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, sriracha, pesto. tomato sauce, harissa, tahini, alfredo, barbecue sauce, wing sauce, tapenade, pickles, ranch, Italian dressing.....</div>
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<li>Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Butter each piece of bread with 1/2 Tbsp of the butter.</li>
<li>Place 4 of the bread slices buttered side down in on the baking sheet. </li>
<li>Top each of these bread slices with cheese.</li>
<li>Top the cheese with whatever toppings you want.</li>
<li>Add another slice of cheese on top of the toppings and then the remaining slices of bread, buttered side up.</li>
<li>Broiled the sandwiches about 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Flip them and broil for another 3 minutes.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-47555136789045198912020-06-17T01:00:00.000-07:002020-06-17T01:00:02.119-07:00A Pandemic Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We interrupt our regular weekend adventures to document an important and momentous occasion - Thatbaby turned 5! </div>
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I, of course, turned another year older too, but as usual, that's less of an occasion than his birthday.</div>
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Turning 5 during a pandemic is definitely a different kind of birthday. And since there's no Disney trip, and no party, we decided to just make him in charge of the day, getting to do whatever he wanted. We also went a little overboard with presents.</div>
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<br />The thing he wanted most of all was an Elsa costume, complete with wig, crown, and shoes. He was so happy to open it up the morning of his birthday - and immediately had to put it on. </div>
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He said he was going to wear it every day for the rest of his life.<br />
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The other thing he loves as much as Frozen is King Trollex from the new Trolls movie. Oh you don't know who King Trollex is? Probably because he's really only featured in the first 5 minutes of the movie and there's almost no merchandise related to him. There is a DJ set, since King Trollex is a DJ.<br />
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I managed to find a sheet set and we put in on his be while he slept. HE LOVED IT. He brought it out the living room so he could cuddle in it all day, and that night he took all the stuffed animals off his bed so he could see all of it, all the time.<br />
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We let him pick all the meals for the day, and so he got pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles for breakfast.</div>
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And the rest of the morning was really just playing with all his new stuff.</div>
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For lunch he wanted a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and hard boiled eggs.</div>
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In terms of a party, I had thought about doing a Zoom party run by Storybook Entertainment - the company that had been keeping my kids entertained for months with their Princess led crafts and Superhero led activities. We had talked about Wonder Woman hosting the party and doing crafts and activities with Thatbaby and his friend. But a couple weeks before the his birthday I talked to Thatbaby about who he would want to invite....and he only wanted to invite 2 people. Wonderwoman and 2 kids seemed a bit overkill. </div>
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I had read about a company out of New York, <a href="http://camp.com/">Camp.com</a>, that was running free virtual birthday parties every day. You signed up in advance, sent them information about your child, and they sent you a link to share with your friends and family. They promised singing, dancing, puppets, magic, and personalize it for each birthday kid. We sent the link out to the 2 friends and our family and logged in at the appropriate time.</div>
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They separated the "guests" from the birthday kids (we had one other boy there besides us). The guests were in a non-interactive Zoom room where they could see and hear us, but we couldn't see or hear them. We had a "host" who came out with a puppet and started out by trying to the kids pumped up. He addressed each birthday boy, had them introduce their families and how old they were going to be. </div>
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A screen was made for each boy with their picture and their favorite things, while one of their favorite songs played.</div>
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Then they brought out a different "counselor" who led the kids in a dance party and then a Disney trivia game. Around this point I don't know if it was because they had a poor connection (they'd been coming in and out thus far) or whether the other boy really wasn't into it (he didn't seem like he was loving it), the other boy dropped off the Zoom and it became a private party for Thatbaby. </div>
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After trivia they brought in the other room with our friends and family and they all got to say hi and give birthday wishes. The host and puppet led a scavenger hunt for all the participants, and then had everyone grab their cakes and cupcakes so we could all sing Happy Birthday. (We sent cupcakes and goody bags to all the participants before the party so they could join in for this part)</div>
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And that cake? Oy that cake. Thatbaby had originally asked for a <a href="https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/167158/watermelon-cake">watermelon that looked like a cake </a>as well as a <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/grilling/summer-parties/articles/lobster-tail-cake">cake that looked like a lobster tail and corn</a>. 2 days before his birthday he reminded me he wanted chocolate chips in his watermelon cake and seemed astounded when I told him I can't get chocolate chips into the middle of an actual watermelon. Right then and there he decided he didn't want either of those cakes. He wanted a cake that looked like a watermelon - so he could have chocolate chips in it that look like seeds.</div>
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So that's what he got.</div>
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After Thatbaby blew out his candles, the host did a fun little skit with the puppet and then hosted a dance party for all the friends and family.</div>
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In fitting with the theme of "do whatever you want" day for Thatbaby, Thatboy blew up the pool and let them play in it - a big deal since we don't usually let them play in the pool during the week.</div>
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He took a little break for some cake.</div>
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After he was pooled out, we headed back inside to watch Frozen 2 and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.<br />
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But before bed, we did a quick happy birthday for me too.</div>
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Where I gave him a little frosting "kiss"</div>
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And he gave one right back to me.</div>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-48071025366086457792020-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:002020-06-10T01:00:05.303-07:00Disneyland, Home Edition: Walt's Chili<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday Thatbaby turned 5. 5!!!!! He'll always be my baby, but he certainly isn't one anymore. </div>
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All he wanted for his birthday was to go to Disneyland. He's been talking about it since November. When we figured out that couldn't happen we decided to bring Disneyland to him the weekend before his birthday. </div>
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We started the morning off with Mickey waffles.</div>
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And then we headed to California Adventure. One of the things we've never done at California Adventure, but I knew the kids would enjoy, was the Animation Academy, where you learn to draw Disney characters. We worked on a couple different versions of Mickey Mouse.</div>
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Thatkid LOVED this, and he spent all of Thatbaby's nap drawing more characters, then got up the next morning and did some more. <br />
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Then we virtually rode some of the California Adventure rides. Including some Thatbaby would never ride in real life, like Guardians of the Galaxy.<br />
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After we rode all our favorite rides, we crossed over to Disneyland park and went on a cruise. A jungle cruise.</div>
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We took a break to watch some parades and eat lunch - Monte Cristo sandwiches!</div>
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Next we headed to the Tiki Room (this one was really for me, I love the Tiki Room!). And you can't go to the Tiki Room without stopping for Dole whip. I used the "official" recipe posted by Disney, but after several friends passed along their experience I'll give you my super secret tip. Everyone I know who made it claimed it was more of a smoothie than anything else, so after making it, I threw it in the ice cream maker to process for a couple minutes which gave it that awesome soft serve consistency.</div>
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This is the point where Thatbaby went down for his nap and Thatkid spent more time in the Animation academy. After that, it was all rides for the rest of the afternoon.</div>
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We did take a little churro break while we rode the Mark Twain.</div>
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And the great thing about virtual rides is that you don't get sick if you eat right before going on them!</div>
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For dinner we headed over to the Carnation Cafe for a little chili in a bread bowl while we watched the Disney Family Sing A Longs.</div>
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And we watched a little World of Color while having our dessert.</div>
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About that chili. My initial thought was gumbo in a bread bowl. I love gumbo in a bread bowl at Disney. But the kids are not gumbo fans. The sausage is too spicy for them. Bah. But chili is something we can all do. And <a href="https://family.disney.com/recipe/chili-and-beans-walt-disneys-personal-recipe/">Disney published the recipe for Walt's Chili served at the Carnation Cafe</a>.</div>
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When I actually went to make it, I ran into small problem. The recipe was a mess. The ingredients didn't match the instructions. There were ingredients listed that were never used in the instructions, and the instructions told you to use ingredients that weren't listed. Not to mention the fact that the ingredients called for canned beans when the first step involved rinsing, sorting, and soaking the beans overnight. So I don't know how authentic this is, but if you're looking to make Walt's chili, at least know this is going to get you closer than Disney's recipe!</div>
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<b><i>Walt's Chili</i></b></div>
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1/4 cup olive oil</div>
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1 small onion, diced</div>
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4 cloves garlic, minced</div>
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1 green pepper, diced</div>
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3/4 lb beef stew meat</div>
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3 Tbsp tomato paste</div>
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1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder</div>
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1 Tbsp cumin</div>
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1 Tbsp chili powder</div>
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1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes</div>
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2 Tbsp beef broth</div>
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1 1/2 cups water</div>
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2 plum tomatoes, diced</div>
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1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained</div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: AvenirNext, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent (about 5 minutes).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: AvenirNext, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Add beef and green pepper and cook until beef is browned.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: AvenirNext, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Add tomato paste, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder and cook for 3 minutes.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: AvenirNext, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Add tomatoes, beef broth, and water. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-family: AvenirNext, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Stir in fresh tomatoes and beans. Continue cooking until they are heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.</span></span></li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-15789217576758794532020-06-03T01:00:00.000-07:002020-06-03T01:00:07.192-07:00Couchella: Shrimp and Zoodles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now a lot of our weekend adventures are to make up for things we were going to do, but couldn't because of the pandemic. This is a little bit of a stretch. Yes, Thatboy and I had a bunch of concerts we were supposed to be attending that were cancelled, but going to a music festival wasn't really in the cards. And hasn't been since we've had kids. Nonetheless, we thought that hosting our own music festival in the backyard would be a fun way to make the weekend special. </div>
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So last weekend, I put together a playlist and we turned our backyard into a music oasis. </div>
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The loungers were a big hit, but the unexpected favorite was the canopy tent. Which was stocked with various types of sparkling water and coconut water.<br />
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First things first, we got into the festival mood by putting on metallic temporary tattoos and going a bit radical with our hair.</div>
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The playlist consisted of almost 10 hours of music - combinations of the boys' favorites along with bands we were supposed to see this summer. Each band got a 10 song set and while we listened, we pulled out some of our lawn games.</div>
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And making some lawn art.<br />
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But for a lot of it, we ended up just chilling under the canopy.</div>
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For our food, I tried to go "uber Californian" and did some twists on the typical. So for lunch, we had mushroom and green bean tacos. "We" being the adults. Because I knew my kids wouldn't go anywhere near mushrooms, they got cheese quesadillas, and jicama.</div>
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I also laid out a snack table with grapes, strawberry cereal squares, truffle potato chips, kettle corn, and five-cheese potato chips.</div>
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After nap we had some tie-dye popsicles that Thatbaby and I had made the day before. </div>
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And then we made dream catchers.</div>
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After dinner I passed out the glowsticks and jewelry even though it wasn't dark, because kids don't care, and we had a dance party as Lady Gaga's set started.<br />
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Our dinner followed a similar trend to lunch, something typical with a twist. Growing up our quintessential summer meal with shrimp with saffron rice. My mom would make it in a pyrex (because this was before the days of sheet pan meals), drizzling the shrimp with garlic, wine, and olive oil and then pouring the whole thing over the rice. So this comes from that, except subbing in zucchini noodles for saffron rice, because zucchini noodles seems like it's so much more the festival scene, no? And because you don't REALLY need to cook the noodles ahead of time, you can throw them all together on the same pan.</div>
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<b><i>Shrimp and Zoodles</i></b></div>
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1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined</div>
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4 cloves garlic, sliced</div>
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2 Tbsp chardonnay</div>
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1 Tbsp lemon juice</div>
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24 oz zucchini noodles (I use the prepackaged/frozen - defrosted, drained, and then squeezed in a paper towel to remove excess moisture)</div>
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2 Tbsp olive oil, divided</div>
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4 oz feta cheese, crumbled</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Heat oven to 475. Toss shrimp with garlic, chardonnay and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Toss the zucchini with 1 Tbsp olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a large baking sheet and cook for 6 minutes.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"> Scatter the shrimp over the zucchini noodles and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sprinkle with feta and cook for another 6 minutes. </li>
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<br />That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-44879508702841539302020-05-27T01:00:00.000-07:002020-05-27T01:00:05.900-07:00Welcome to the jungle: squash and couscous salad<br />
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California is opening up against expert recommendations, so while others venture out, we adventure in! It'll be a looooong time before we go to the zoo or Safari park, so this past weekend we turned the house into our very own jungle so we could go on a safari here.</div>
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Now, realistically we blended the African Savannah with the Asian jungles, in terms of what animals we incorporated, but this is a fake adventure, so lions and tigers and monkeys and giraffes all mingled together.</div>
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We started the morning by turning ourselves into animals with masks.</div>
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Then gave ourselves some jungle animal tatoos.</div>
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Next we made Safari animal pendants.</div>
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After that it was time to make our own quicksand.</div>
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We took a break for lunch and had chicken and mango skewers with plantain chips.</div>
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After nap I hid stuffed animals all around the house and wrote up a scavenger hunt for the kids.</div>
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The boys went on safari to try to find the animals. Thatkid, being older and needing a handicap, had to figure out what animal the clues were referring to.</div>
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We finished up our activities by coloring our own animals.</div>
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To go along with our theme, we rented Jumanji for the evening and ate our Safari-dinners. Roast squash and couscous salad. Sure it's not authentic, but neither is the rest of our day and this seemed like a nice cool way to end a hot day in the jungle. I even made the kids strawberry banana coconut smoothies to drink out of our non-authentic coconuts.</div>
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This salad really does make for a great summer dinner. I roasted the squash early in the day, because really - no one likes a hot oven heating up their house. You can prep the couscous ahead of time also. After that, all the ingredients are cool and easy to throw together. The dressing is really simple, but simple and salads are all I really want as the days get warmer. </div>
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<b><i>Squash and Couscous Salad</i></b></div>
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1 butternut squash </div>
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2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided</div>
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1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous</div>
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2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar</div>
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2 tsp honey</div>
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1/2 red onion, sliced</div>
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4 cups baby arugula</div>
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1/2 cup toasted almonds</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"> Preheat oven to 450. Peel the butternut squash and cut into bite sized pieces. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Toss the squash with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, until browned. Let cool.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Cook the couscous according to the package directions. Let cool.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">In a large bowl, whisk together remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add sliced onion to the dressing and let sit while putting together the rest of the salad.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Toss couscous, arugula, squash, and almonds together.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fold in the onions/dressing mix and serve.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-88774452461500391032020-05-20T01:00:00.000-07:002020-05-20T01:00:04.839-07:0080s Flashback: Fluffernutter mug cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend we got into our DeLoreans and headed back to the 80s. Mostly it was just Thatboy and I reliving our childhood memories and dragging the kids along with us, but they seemed to enjoy the ride. Like when Thatkid asked if I could help him dress the part.</div>
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We started the morning out with a little Mousercise, which Thatbrother and I used to do all the time when we were little.</div>
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We followed this with some intense koosh-ball game play.</div>
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We took a break for some lunch, fluffernutters, bugles, and capri suns. The fluffernutters were a nod to my dad who used to make them for us when my mom was out of town.</div>
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The cornerstone of the day was saved for after nap. We've been watching the new season of Double Dare as a family so the kids are familiar, but obviously it's something Thatboy and I grew up with in the 80s too. You think your kids like slime? OUR GENERATION INVENTED SLIME!</div>
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I set up our very own Double Dare obstacle course in the backyard. And the kids loved it. I set it up so they would each have 3 obstacles to get through.</div>
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Thatbaby started it off with the first obstacle - The Tank.</div>
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My goal was to fill our pool up with ball-pit balls, but once I dumped them all in, I realized - our new pool is REALLY big. So I added water. Thatbaby had to wade in and across and search for the flag, before passing it off to his brother.</div>
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Thatkid took off running to the second obstacle "Inside Out." </div>
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Thatkid had to pop balloons to find the one which held the flag inside. </div>
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He passed the flag off to Thatbaby who took it to Obstacle 3 - The Pie Shop.</div>
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Hidden in one of these pies was - you guessed it - a flag!<br />
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Once he found the flag, Thatkid went running over to The Swamp.<br />
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He had to dig through the jello to get to the flag buried below.</div>
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Thatbaby's next obstacle was sewer chute.</div>
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Inside two of these buckets were slime, and one held water and he had to dump them out to find the one that also held the flag.</div>
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They weren't dumping as well as we would have liked, so Thatboy helped them along.</div>
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The final obstacle was Mount St. Doubledare.<br />
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Thatkid had a really hard time getting to the top, he eventually resorted to using the climbing wall beside the slide.</div>
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We let them play in the obstacles for a bit more, then sent them inside to bathe and clean up before dinner and a little Back to the Future. </div>
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And then we dimmed the lights, turned on a disco ball, threw glow bracelets and necklaces on the kids, gave them air guitars, and pumped up the 80s jams.</div>
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Neither of the kids wanted to go to bed, they wanted to dance all night. Thatkid even said the dance party was his favorite part of the day.</div>
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In honor of our 80s day, I didn't want to share with you the recipe for fluffernutters. That would be like giving you the recipe for peanut butter and jelly. Almost exactly. Instead a recipe inspired by the fluffernutter - a fluffernutter mug cake. I made these for the boys last week as kind of a preview of what they'd be getting on the weekend. They're great because they're so easy to make and this one makes two portions - perfect for 2 kids!</div>
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<b><i>Fluffernutter Mug Cakes</i></b></div>
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2 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted</div>
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2 Tbsp milk</div>
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2 Tbsp oil</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract</div>
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1/8 tsp white vinegar</div>
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1 egg </div>
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1/2 cup sugar</div>
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2 Tbsp brown sugar</div>
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1/2 cup flour</div>
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1/4 tsp salt</div>
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1/4 tsp baking powder</div>
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1/8 tsp baking soda</div>
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1/4 cup peanut butter chips</div>
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1/4 cup mini marshmallows</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"> In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, milk, oil, vanilla, vinegar, and egg.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Whisk in flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Fold in peanut butter chip and mini marshmallows.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Divide the batter between two mugs. Microwave 60-90 second until the cakes rise and puff out of the mugs.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-35497154495926798992020-05-13T01:00:00.000-07:002020-05-13T01:00:04.573-07:00Let it go into the unknown: Frozen Hot Chocolate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in March Thatbaby and I had a mommy/kid date set up with his friend Princess Anna. We were all supposed to go see the musical Frozen. Princess Anna and Thatbaby had been talking about it for months. Practically every time I saw her, Princess Anna asked me when we were going. <br />
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Of course, like everything else, the musical was cancelled. Or postponed? I still have hope it will happen in the future. Until then. we decided to have our own Frozen day at home last weekend. And yes, there was lots of singing.<br />
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I also set up lots of Frozen activities - especially novel for kids in Southern California, but also fun for kids everywhere who want to play in the snow, but not get cold and wet.<br />
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We started out with a "Snow"ball fight.<br />
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I got a bunch of soft fake snow balls and divided them up to start so we all began with the same amount. But after that it was a free-for-all.</div>
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The kids had such a blast with this. The balls got filthy, but I tossed them in the wash, and after nap they were clean and dry. I scattered them around our living room and we were having impromptu snowball fights until it was bedtime.</div>
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After that it was time for a snack break with some "Frozen" hot cocoa."</div>
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And then we put on the first Frozen movie for them to watch. During which we served "We finish each other's" sandwiches.</div>
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After nap, we headed back outside for a little snowplay. I picked up some "instant snow" (the kind you just have to add water) and put it in our pool. Which kept it contained, but also gave us a fun place to play. The "snow" was even cool to the touch - but not that bitter cold that makes real snow not so fun after 10 minutes. The kids played here for hours.</div>
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Our last big activity was building snowmen. I found a "build an Olaf" sticker kit where they could create their own snowman. </div>
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We wrapped up with some Ri-snow-tto for dinner while we watched Frozen II. It was a really fun day, even for Thatkid who wasn't really looking forward to it, as he isn't as much of a Frozen fan as his little brother. </div>
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As soon as I started planning the day, I knew I wanted to make "Frozen" hot chocolate. It just seemed fun, since the weather was warming up. And then I started seeing all these Dalgona coffee posts on every social media site. I'm not much of a coffee person, but as soon as I saw that it required instant coffee, I figured this would be something that could easily be translated to cocoa. </div>
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Instead of coffee, I threw some hot cocoa mix into the kitchenaid.</div>
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And a few moments later, I had a whipped cocoa!</div>
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Which I used to top milk. Word to the wise - This makes a lovely picture, but the milk is too high, making it hard to stir into without making a mess. So, less milk in your glass!!!</div>
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<b><i> Frozen Hot Chocolate</i></b></div>
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1/4 cup hot chocolate mix (or Nesquick. Just don't use cocoa powder which is unsweetened)</div>
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1 cup heavy cream</div>
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<li>Combine hot chocolate mix and heavy cream in an electric stand mixer. Mix on high for about 90 seconds, until you've got soft peaks to the cream.</li>
<li>Fill 4 glasses with ice.</li>
<li>Pour milk into glasses until it's about 1/2 full (or half empty ha!)</li>
<li>Top with the whipped cocoa.</li>
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<br />That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-69998809468339515112020-05-06T01:00:00.000-07:002020-05-06T01:00:14.964-07:00May the Force Be With You: Blue MilkAs you may or may not know, Monday was "Star Wars Day." Unfortunately, Monday was also a work day for Thatboy and I, so I knew we wouldn't be able to partake in fun Star Wars activities. So last weekend's adventure was a Star Wars Day, where we could take part in all the frivolities the rest of the world could get into on Monday.<br />
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We started the day with a fun looking craft I had seen on <a href="https://lol.disney.com/star-wars">Star Wars Kids</a> - Nesting Dolls. The site features a tutorial on how to make Porg nesting dolls, but I opened it up to the kids that they could do any Stars Wars character they wanted. (In my head I thought it would be really cute to have the big doll be Chewie with all the porgs inside.)<br />
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Thatkid decided to do Chewbacca, Jabba the Hutt, an Ewok and a Porg.</div>
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Thatbaby (who had a little more adult help) went with Boba Fett, a Storm Trooper, Darth Vader, and a porg. He's much more affiliated with the Dark Side.</div>
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Santa left the boys light saber chop sticks in their stocking this year, so I wanted to serve a lunch that would capitalize on that. I decided to go with Yobshrimp Noodles, a cold noodle salad dish served at Disney's Galaxy's Edge. I did a hot version of that - really terriyaki shrimp and noodles, along with a little cucumber yoda.</div>
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After Thatkid woke up from nap, we headed back outside for some Star Wars playdoh. I found this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Play-Doh-Millennium-Falcon-Featuring-Can-Heads/dp/B00TPMDLO6">Millennium Falcon set</a> which came with "Can Heads" or containers featuring our favorite Star Wars characters which we used to act out scenes. We made all sorts of fun Star Wars weaponry for them, as well as X-Wings and Tie Fighters.</div>
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But Thatkid really loved the satellite launcher which he used to send almost every creation into our yard.</div>
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When they were done with that, everyone grabbed a light saber for some Jedi training.</div>
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If you've been to Disneyland or Disney World, you may be familiar with their Jedi Training academy. Before Galaxy's Edge, they used to run this for kids. They would take a group of them through "training" and then Darth Vader (and later Kylo Ren) would show up and each child would have to face the Dark Side using the routine. </div>
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We used a video of that to learn the routine, and then our very own Dark Side showed up that we each had to battle.</div>
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We continued to have numerous light saber wars for a long time, until finally the kids had enough. Then we went inside to the Droid Factory to build our own droids.</div>
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I had seen <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-wars-daniel-wallace/1122089731">this book</a> last year and thought it looked neat, but had no real need for it. When I started planning Star Wars Day I went on a hunt for it, because of course between the fact that months had gone by and there was a pandemic, meant it was not as easy to find. </div>
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I finally hunted down a copy which meant droid building for us! (And by us I mean mostly Thatboy and I). The book comes with punch-outs to create BB-8, R2-D2, and C3PO. Each boy picked out which droid they wanted and we got to work bending and inserting tabs for what felt like forever.</div>
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The neat part is that they also came with little engines/wheels so the finished droids can be wound up and go rolling around the floor or the table.</div>
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By the time we finished those, it was time for dinner. The boys had already seen episodes 4-8, so we decided to rewind all the way back to Episode 1 for them. And for dinner? Their own little light saber battles - the light side versus the dark side.</div>
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And of course, what Star Wars day would be complete without blue milk?</div>
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There are approximately 1 million recipes for blue milk out there, but all of them seem to predate the version currently found at Galaxy's Edge. Or are filled with a bunch of hard to find ingredients in the best of times, let alone a pandemic. I knew I wanted something that was blue, fruity, and slushy like the ones we'd had at Disneyland. My first thought was some sort of blue juice powder - like Kool Aid, that I could add to milk. Problem was, most of the blue powders were blue raspberry flavored, which wasn't exactly the fruit I was looking for. And then I found Hawaiian Punch's Polar Blast, which was supposed to have flavors of passion fruit, pineapple, orange, papaya, and guava. Which was perfect! I added some frozen pineapple to help give it that cold slushy texture without messing with the color or flavor, and voila - easy to make blue milk in your very own home!</div>
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<b><i>Blue Milk</i></b></div>
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8 oz milk</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hawaiian-Punch-Singles-Powder-Servings/dp/B005LURCVE">1 Hawaiian Punch Singles to Go Powder Stick in Polar Blast</a></div>
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4 ice cubes</div>
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1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Combine milk and polar blast powder stick and mix well.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Combine blue milk, ice cubes, and frozen pineapple in blender and blend well.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-75722083072780451422020-04-29T01:00:00.000-07:002020-04-29T01:00:03.459-07:00Hogwarts at Home: Butterbeer Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we first planned out our "Universal at Home" day, Thatkid requested that we do an entire separate day for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In fact, he requested we basically just do a Harry Potter themed day. He's just finished the series, and would have been in San Francisco seeing Cursed Child if not for the pandemic. These seemed like a very easy compromise. Especially since we have so much leftover from his birthday party last year.</div>
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So Saturday morning we headed to Hogwarts. First we made a quick stop at Diagon Alley to pick up some wands. The fact that they already have 11 wands between the two of them notwithstanding. Thatkid really wanted to make another wand, and I still have a whole mess of the extra long chopsticks.</div>
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So they got to design their own wands, which I created with some mom-magic (and hot glue) and then they got to paint them.</div>
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We did make use of the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to help explore. Like taking the Hogwarts express from Diagon Alley to Hogsmede, and visiting Gringotts, Hagrid, and taking a Forbidden Journey with Harry Potter.<br />
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I also set up some classes for them. Like potions. We did a lot of "magical" chemistry and the "Exploding Elixer" was a HUGE success.</div>
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I ordered some <a href="https://www.thetoyinsider.com/harry-potter-wizard-training-wands-review/">Harry Potter training wands</a> for Charms class. The wands come with a spell book and electronically test you on spells - letting you know with lights and sounds if you get the spell right. Both boys spent some time learning their spells.</div>
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There is also a setting for playing "wizard tag" which works a little like laser tag, with the wands interacting with each other. We're hoping that this cuts down on the boys actually hitting each other with wands on their frequent wizard duels. </div>
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I set up a much smaller Quidditch field than I did for the party. Which was much easier to deal with, and a lot of fun.<br />
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For lunch I made Mrs. Weasley's famous corned beef sandwiches, with a little something off the trolley to go with it - chocolate frogs, jelly slugs, Bertie Bott's every flavor beans, and butterbeer.</div>
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After lunch and nap, we took in some shows from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.</div>
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And had a dance party to the music of Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees.</div>
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I made some simple pub fare a la the 3 Broomsticks for dinner - some vegetable barley soup and some pumpkin juice.</div>
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Followed with some amazingly delicious butterbeer ice cream.</div>
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We ended the evening with watching the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts show.</div>
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The butterbeer ice cream isn't exactly canon, but it's something we were going to try for the first time on our trip to Universal Studios, so I thought it would be a good time to try a copy-cat recipe. But there really isn't one. Instead there are a lot of no churn recipes. But I have an ice cream maker, so I wanted a churn one. I found this recipe from <a href="http://www.feastofstarlight.com/recipe/harry-potter-butterbeer-ice-cream/">Feast of Starlight</a> which used the ice cream maker, a cream soda reduction in the base, and layered the butterscotch to make a swirl. Which sounded like a great jumping off point. But I'm lucky enough to have butterbeer soda easily available at several local stores/markets so I wanted to use that instead. If you don't, or prefer a milder flavor, head over to her blog. This recipe also calls for homemade butterscotch, which is my favorite ice cream topping, so I was happy to make it. However, if you want to cut corners or save time, commercially made/purchased butterscotch syrup would work just fine. I played with the recipe a little, adding more butterbeer/butterscotch flavor than she had initially done to give it a REALLY rich, butterscotch taste. It was a fantastic way to end our day. </div>
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<b><i>Butterbeer Ice Cream</i></b></div>
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1 bottle butterbeer soda (or any <a href="https://sodapopstop.com/soda-flavors/butterscotch/">butterscotch soda</a>)</div>
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3.5 cups heavy cream (divided)</div>
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1 cup milk</div>
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1/2 cup sugar</div>
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1/2 tsp salt (divided)</div>
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5 egg yolks</div>
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2 tsp vanilla extract (divided)</div>
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2 Tbsp butter</div>
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1/2 cup brown sugar</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Bring soda to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the soda is reduced to 1/2 a cup. Let cool.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">In a larger saucepan over medium heat combine 3 cups of the cream, milk, and cooled soda reduction. Bring to a simmer.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Whisk the yolks in an electric mixer until pale yellow. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Slowly add the sugar. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla and continue mixing until just combined.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Temper the eggs by stirring in 1/4 cup of the simmering cream mixture.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and continue to stir until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Strain the mixture into a bowl and let cool overnight in the fridge.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">When you're ready to process the ice cream, make the butterscotch. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Slowly sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of the brown sugar over the melted butter and let cook without stirring until it melts.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Begin stirring as you sprinkle in the remaining brown sugar until all the sugar is melted. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Slowly add the remaining cream and continue stirring for 5-6 minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stir in the remaining vanilla and salt, then let cool until it's room temperature.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stir 3 Tbsp of the butterscotch into your ice cream base and process according to your ice cream maker's instructions.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">When transferring ice cream into the container, layer the butterscotch between layers of ice cream and swirl with a knife. Freeze until it's your desired consistency. </li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-91101477696643536052020-04-22T16:16:00.000-07:002020-04-22T16:16:12.806-07:00Universal Studios, Home Edition: Krusty Burgers and Lard Lad Doughnuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This weekend we were supposed to be heading up to Universal Studios for their Running Universal Trolls race. Thatkid and I were signed up for the 5k, while Thatbaby was going to do the kids' race. Of course, like usual, we were going to make a whole weekend out of it.</div>
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But since the race was cancelled, and Universal Studios is closed for the foreseeable future, I decided that we'd do our Universal Studios weekend at home. This worked especially well given that Universal just released their Trolls World Tour Movie for streaming instead of a theatrical release.</div>
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When the boys woke up, I had Trolls shirts and hats ready for them, since they wouldn't get them from the race. I also had printed out park maps for the two of them to decide what ride or show they wanted to go on/see.</div>
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We set up the loveseat facing the television and the kids' chairs in front of it and pulled up some virtual ride-thrus on youtube.</div>
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The kids took turns being the "line manager" and asking how many were in our party and directing us to our seats.</div>
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And then we rode a bunch of rides.</div>
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We took a quick break at lunch to head over to "Springfield USA" which is where we usually eat lunch at the park, since there's something for everyone. This day, however, everyone was stuck with one option - Krusty Burgers. However, they were served with fries and Squishees.</div>
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I even managed to grab some Duffs for the adults. (Although in this case it was an energy drink instead of a beer)</div>
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And after lunch, there was doughnut. Just one. But as big as the kids' heads. Because that's how they serve them at Universal Studios and because that is Thatbaby's FAVORITE thing to eat there. Just like at the park, we divided the doughnut into four pieces and split it.</div>
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After lunch and nap, there were more rides.</div>
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And even a show or two!</div>
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And of course, we rounded out the evening with a showing of Trolls World Tour.</div>
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It actually ended up being a really fun way to spend the day. Of course, riding rides virtually doesn't really compare with riding them in real life, but as Thatboy pointed out, there were also no wait times.</div>
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And we did a pretty good job of creating theme-park worthy food. Our doughnuts might have even been better than the ones you get in the park!</div>
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<b><i>Krusty Burgers</i></b></div>
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1 lb ground beef</div>
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2 Tbsp butter</div>
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1 Tbsp flour</div>
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1/2 cup milk</div>
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1/4 cup shredded cheddar</div>
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lettuce, tomato, red onion</div>
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Thousand Island dressing</div>
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4 burger buns</div>
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4 cornichon</div>
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: left;">Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Divide the meat into 4 portions and shape into patties. Season with salt and pepper and cook 4-5 minutes per side until desired doneness.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">In a small saucepan, melt butter. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stir the flour into the butter and cook until a paste forms.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stir in the milk and continue cooking and stirring until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Stir the cheddar into the white sauce.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Place each burger patty on a bun and top with some of the cheese sauce.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add lettuce, tomato, onion, and a squirt of thousand island before topping with the other half of the bun.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Garnish each with a cornichon and serve.</li>
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<b><i>Lard Lad Doughnut</i></b></div>
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1 1/4 cup milk</div>
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1/4 cup + 1 tsp sugar, divided</div>
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1 packet active dry yeast</div>
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4 1/2 cups flour</div>
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1/2 tsp salt</div>
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6 Tbsp butter, melted</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 tsp vanilla extract, divided</div>
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canola oil</div>
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2 cups powdered sugar</div>
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pink food coloring</div>
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sprinkles</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"> Microwave 1 cup of milk for 40 seconds.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir to dissolve.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Sprinkle over yeast and let sit for 8-10 minutes, until frothy and bubbly.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"> In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">In a large bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, melted butter, eggs, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Pour in the yeast mixture and mix to combine.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Add in the dry ingredients, stirring until a shaggy dough forms.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until elastic, about 5 minutes (add more flour if necessary during this process)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"> Form the dough into a tight ball and place in an oiled bowl, covered with a clean dish towel. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 hour).</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"> Line 2 baking sheets with silpat or parchment. Punch down the dough and divided in half.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Roll out one half on a lightly floured work surface until it is about a 1/2 inch thick round. Use a doughnut cutter or biscuit cutter to cut the center out of your "doughnut." Repeat with second half of dough. You can use the leftover scraps to craft more regular sized doughnuts or even doughnut holes.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Place doughnuts on baking sheets and cover with a dish towel. Let rise again, about another hour.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Make the glaze. In a shallow pie pan, whisk together remaining milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Whisk in as much pink food coloring to the glaze to get your desired color. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"> Heat 2 inches of Canola oil in a large, shallow, saucepan - large enough for your doughnut to fit inside - to 350 degrees. Cook doughnuts, one at a time, until deeply golden on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">While doughnuts are cooking, line the baking sheets they were on with paper towels. Remove doughnuts from oil and transfer to these baking sheets to drain and cool slightly.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Spoon glaze over top of doughnut and place on cooling rack. Add sprinkles to your heart's content.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-16193718576801243752020-04-15T01:00:00.000-07:002020-04-22T16:16:23.461-07:00Pajama Party!: Hot Cocoa Popcorn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Things are certainly not easy in Thathouse right now. Due to the nature of my profession, work hasn't slowed down at all - it's increased as we are daily faced with new rules/regulations/health crises that need to be dealt with immediately, on top of my regular workload which hasn't slowed or adapted to the additional work, with the warning that when it does slow we'll be moved into hospitals and other clinical settings.<br />
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On top of that, like most every other kid in the country, mine are home. But mine have no guidance or direction from the schools on what to do with them. Which means on top of working 8+ hours a day, I also am in charge of keeping them occupied in a way that allows me to address the needs of millions of people, state regulatory boards, health care providers and agencies without the flexibility of doing it after the kids are asleep or before they wake up.<br />
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I admit to being resentful when friends have viral posts about taking this time to spend with your children who need you more than ever now, or who complain about having to work 4 hours a day and then post pictures of hikes and bike rides with their children, or write that they deserve an award for answering emails while helping their child with schoolwork. My kids get no hikes, no bikes, no help with work, no parent time at all during the day. Time off has been canceled, we had no spring break. My entire week is me telling my kids "no" or "I can't." Which is really hard for them to understand when I'm right there. I was commiserating with a friend when we realized we spend less time with our kids now than before they were home 24/7. <br />
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I'm trying to make it up to them on the weekend. Going device free during their waking hours so I can actually spend time with them and give them the attention they crave so much. When I heard Disney was releasing Onward on Disney+ I decided we would make a whole event of it - turning the living room into a giant pillow pit and having a slumber party while we watched it.<br />
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We went with a slumber party theme, which is their favorite. They love wearing their pajamas all day. And the movie was incredible. Maybe moreso as I watched my two boys watching it together, since it's all about brothers. If Frozen was about the love between two sisters, this is definitely the brothers' response.<br />
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As much as I'd have loved to turn the day into a movie marathon, my kids aren't great with sitting in front of a television, and having cushions all over the floor is basically just an invitation for them to wrestle until someone gets hurt. So instead of movies all day, we threw in some other pajama party classics. Like playing card games.</div>
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And eating pizza RIGHT ON THE FLOOR!</div>
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And most importantly, popcorn. It doesn't hurt that popcorn is my all time favorite food, but it fits in well with a movie too, right? I did a choose your own adventure with the popcorn, throwing together a couple different flavors so they could pick what they wanted.<br />
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The winner? This Hot Cocoa popcorn. I can't even remember why I bought the container of mallow-bits, but I always find a use for them. And while regular marshmallows would add a gooey-ness to the popcorn, these little bits have the marshmallow flavor and a crunch that goes great with the snack.<br />
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<b><i>Hot Cocoa Popcorn</i></b></div>
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1/4 cup popcorn kernels (if you use microwave popcorn, skip the first and second step)</div>
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1 Tbsp butter (melted)</div>
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1 Tbsp cocoa powder</div>
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1 Tbsp powdered sugar</div>
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1/4 cup Jet Puffed Mallow Bits</div>
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<li> Pop popcorn kernels in airpopper, or paper bag, or however you like to pop your popcorn.</li>
<li>Pour the melted butter over and toss.</li>
<li>Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar over the popcorn.</li>
<li>Add Mallow Bits and toss.</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-8869530464850298502020-04-08T01:00:00.000-07:002020-04-08T01:00:00.315-07:00Passover Prep: Stuffed Matzah Balls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Most of us have had to make changes to our upcoming holiday plans and we're no different. So instead of heading up to our big family seder tonight, we're doing it virtually. So a lot less travel, but also - that means I need to make dinner! You win some, you lose some.<br />
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In addition to those kind of changes, I think a lot of us are rethinking and simplifying our menus. Because I'm still working full time, with no reprieve from momm-ing since there's no school, so the idea of making the typical multi-course seder just doesn't seem doable.<br />
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Instead I've decided to focus on the seder food my family loves - matzah ball soup. It's my kids' favorite, and usually they don't eat much else. So why not just make it the star of the show? I found a recipe for "South African- Lithuanian Stuffed Kneydlakh" in my Joan Nathan Holiday cookbook and it seemed like the most perfect idea - matzah balls stuffed with meat. It takes the dish from an appetizer to a main course.<br />
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And then I tried to make them.<br />
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I knew they didn't look right as soon as I added the matzah meal. It was supposed to look like "a soft mass" but there was absolutely no massing. Just a lot of water with some matzah meal floating around. I forged ahead. Maybe it REALLY firms up in the refrigerator.<br />
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They didn't.<br />
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"No problem," I thought, pressing on, maybe the magic is in the boiling. And I gamely tried to shape the mush around the filling.<br />
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Friends, the magic was not in the boiling. I ended up with little meatballs floating in water with matzah meal just...everywhere.<br />
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But I had the basic idea, so I decided to toss the recipe and just do it myself. And THAT is where the magic happened. With one hand in the mixture, I added the ingredients in my own order - with the water last, adding just enough to create a dough that was slightly wet, but still held together.<br />
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With a dough already holding its shape, I didn't need to refrigerate it as long - just until my water boiled. And then it was so easy to shape the balls around the filling. They held their shape while they boiled, and turned a beautiful brown when roasted in the oven.<br />
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And how did they taste you ask? Well let me just say my family is not going to be missing a main course brisket this year!<br />
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<b><i>Stuffed Matzah Balls</i></b></div>
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1/4 lb ground meat (beef/chicken/turkey)</div>
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1 Tbsp canola oil</div>
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2 eggs yolks</div>
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4 1/2 Tbsp margarine</div>
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1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp matzah meal</div>
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1/4 tsp cinnamon</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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<ol>
<li>Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add ground meat and cook until browned. Drain and cool.</li>
<li>Add egg yolks, 2 Tbsp margarine, 2 Tbsp matzah meal, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon. Refrigerate an hour.</li>
<li>Combine eggs, 1 1/2 Tbsp margarine, matzah meal, and a tsp of salt in a large bowl.</li>
<li>Slowly add water until the mix turns into a dough that's wet, but still sticks together (this was just scant of a cup for me). Place in refrigerator.</li>
<li>Bring 3 quarts salted water to a boil. When water is boiling, divide the matzah meal into 8-10 balls.</li>
<li>Place 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each ball, and enclose in the ball by pinching the edges over the filling. </li>
<li>Place the filled matzah balls in the boiling water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 while the matzah balls cook.</li>
<li>Drain the matzah balls and place on a pan. Divide the remaining margarine between the tops of the balls and bake for about 15 minutes. </li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-21044775181753142942020-04-01T01:00:00.000-07:002020-04-01T01:00:08.380-07:00Passover Friendly Easter Brunch: Tira-matz-su<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is it. This is the going to be the centerpiece of your Easter Brunch. Or Passover Seder. Or just your Passover in general. <br />
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Tiramisu is my all time favorite dessert. And I make it the classic way so it's very labor intensive and rarely gets made at all. So when I read about a matzah tiramisu last year, I was ALL IN.<br />
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The idea is simple enough - I mean, I make matzah lasagna, and what is tiramisu but a dessert lasagna?<br />
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I did need to make a slight alternation to make it work though, a simple cocoa dusting on top wasn't going to work with matzah. It needed something a little more wet. A ganache works pretty well for that though.<br />
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My favorite taste tester thought it was amazing and wanted me to make enough for before, during, and after Passover. I'm sure the rum didn't hurt.<br />
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<b><i>Tira-matz-su</i></b></div>
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1 1/2 cups strong coffee, cooled</div>
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1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp dark rum</div>
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1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar</div>
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1 1/2 cups heavy cream</div>
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1/2 cup mascarpone</div>
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3 large egg yolks</div>
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4 sheets of matzah</div>
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cocoa powder</div>
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2 oz bittersweet chocolate</div>
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<li>Whisk coffee, 1 Tbsp rum, a pinch of salt and 1 Tbsp sugar in a shallow dish large enough to hold a sheet of matzah. Chill in fridge until ready to use.</li>
<li>Whisk 1 cup cream and mascarpone in a medium bowl until smooth.</li>
<li>Combine egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp water in the top of a double boiler or a heat proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat mixture on medium high with an electric mixer until eggs triple in volume and pale yellow (about 6-7 minutes). Remove bowl from heat.</li>
<li>Wash beaters and then beat the mascarpone mixture until medium peaks form.</li>
<li>Fold the egg yolk mixture into the mascarpone until no streaks remain.</li>
<li>Dip the first matzah into the chilled coffee mixture and let soak about 1 minute per side, until it's almost falling apart. Place an an 8x8 baking dish.</li>
<li>Spread 1/3 of the filling over.</li>
<li>Sprinkle cocoa powder over the filling.</li>
<li>Soak another sheet of matzah and layer on top.</li>
<li>Spread half of remaining filling over and sprinkle with cocoa powder.</li>
<li>Repeat layers one more time.</li>
<li>Make ganache - place bittersweet chocolate in a bowl.</li>
<li>Heat remaining cream until boiling, then pour over chocolate. Let sit for a minute and then stir until chocolate has melted.</li>
<li>Stir in remaining rum. Let cool slightly before spreading on top of to.p sheet of matzah. Chill until form at least 6 but up to 12 hours (the longer the better!)</li>
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That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9557714.post-65233543120803659022020-03-25T01:00:00.000-07:002020-03-25T01:00:06.693-07:00Passover Friendly Easter Brunch: Broccoli and Leek Frittata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This may be a problems that only we face, but my inlaws find it absolutely impossible to find any Passover friendly foods for Easter. On the off chance that there are others out there facing the same conundrum, I thought I would share some amazing Easter brunch foods, that also work for Passover.<br />
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In truth, it seems like the easiest thing - I mean, Easter is all about the eggs, right? And eggs for breakfast is a very Passover thing. <br />
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Let's be honest, eggs for everything is a very Passover thing. We make good use of those hardboiled eggs we dye for Easter!<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">The best part about this frittata? It doesn't really matter if you celebrate Easter or Passover. Filled with green veggies that seem to just bridge the gap between winter and spring, this is really the perfect breakfast for any group gathering. Or - since we're not supposed to be gathering in groups right now....this works really well to give you breakfasts (or lunches) for a couple days. The vegetables inside are hearty and withstand a day or two in the fridge.</span></div>
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<b><i>Broccoli and Leek Frittata</i></b></div>
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3 Tbsp olive oil</div>
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2 leeks, sliced thinly (white and light green parts only)</div>
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2 cloves garlic, crushed</div>
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1 head broccoli, chopped</div>
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2 Tbsp water</div>
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10 eggs</div>
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1/2 cup milk</div>
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1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated</div>
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<li>Preheat oven to 350. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. </li>
<li>Add the leeks and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the broccoli and cook for an additional 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the water, cover the pan, and cook for another 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Add remaining Tbsp of oil.</li>
<li>Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl.</li>
<li>Add the egg mixture to the cooked veggies and cook for 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Sprinkle the cheese on top and place the pan in the oven for about 17 minutes, or until set. Serve warm.</li>
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<br />That Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08004439474693190019noreply@blogger.com1