Mini Cherry Pie: Becuase Mini Is Always Better, Right?

So I love cherry pie.  However, I just recently made one myself for the first time.  Holy shit, why didn't somebody tell me it would be so easy?  You can buy the cherry pie filling and some frozen crusts and ta-da you've got a cherry pie!

Well, feeling a sweet craving assault coming on, I decided to make another cherry pie.  After searching all over the kitchen, I couldn't find my pie pan.  NOW WHAT!  Now, I must have cherry pie because I'd already decided I was making one so I had to have one.

By now my crust had sat out and thawed and I was all pouty, but managed to still be creative (ha!).  I grabbed my cupcake pan and started tearing my pie crusts to pieces.  I smooshed the crust into the cupcake pans and spooned in cherry pie filling.  Then I tore apart more crust and smooshed it into the already-there crust and made these teensy little cherry pies.  Needless to say, I was very proud of myself.

I cooked them for the same amount of time as was listed on the pie crust box (which I think was around 12 minutes?) and they turned out to be this beautiful, delicious, masterpiece.  Even my husband was impressed!  They popped out easily and always kept their shape.

I can't say I'd advise eating them simply with your hands, even though my husband and brother didn't use a plate between them.  They may crumble/fall apart or whatever while holding them and taking bites, like you would a cupcake.  So, a plate might be worthwhile.  If you're careful though, you should be fine.

I'd say, this was a majorly delicious success!

IAEYC Favorite Quotes & Key Notes

Soften yours eyes.  When your eyes soften, your pupils dilate.  In the animal kingdom, this means:  I'm not going to eat you!

So last Friday I attended the IAEYC Early Childhood Conference (2013).  It's the first ever early childhood conference I have attended.  Other than trainings hosted by my work and CPR/First Aid training, this is my first ever workshop/training session.  I live a little over 3 hours away from Indianapolis.  My husband and I had intended to drive down Friday morning and stay the weekend as a late celebration for our 3 year wedding anniversary that was on the 31st of March.

Well, with his new gigs doing DJ and karaoke, we ended up cancelling our hotel reservations for the weekend.  Me, the hubby, and my little brother were up at 3AM on Friday...out of the house by 4:30AM.  I rode backseat all the way there with a comforter and pillow.  Well, except for when we stopped at McDonald's and I stuffed my face full of a bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle.

Speaking of McGriddles, why don't they have more syrup?  Just a touch.  Not, like, drowning in it.  I feel like it's just a little too little.  Can you make McGriddles at home?  If so, somebody please share a recipe with me.  I will be eating breakfast 24/7.

Then I think I woke up about three times when we had to pull over on I-69 across who knows how many lanes because we were just doing 80MPH (and getting passed) and my hood latch decided to f*ck up and my hood kept popping up.  Each time I sat straight up, terrified that we were being pulled over for who knows what, because I was sleeping so I had no idea.

Poopyface is not an intentional teacher. Poopyface is the keeper of the keys to the cupboard.

Anyway, I'm glad I slept all but the last thirty minutes of the drive because the drive home made me realize how nervous the hub's mad driving skills and road rage make me.  His confidence is scary.  Where I'd be all careful and end up trapped in the wrong lane and have to turn around umpteen billion times, he just manages to find a crack big enough in a line of traffic and zooms right in.

The conference was amazing!  I rolled in just shy of 8:30AM and found myself smack in front of Lisa Murphy (aka the Ooey Gooey Lady)'s workshop, who happened to have been recommended to me by a coworker.  So, of course, I stood lounging in the doorway until some seat Nazis come and ordered us to find a seat, which I did, because Lisa was cracking me up and I wanted to stick around.  I ended up going to her afternoon session Let's Go Outside, too, and was extremely inspired by my experiences!

Also, I saw keynote speaker Dr. Becky Bailey, did a workshop on the MindUP curriculum, and sweat my butt off with Don Monopoli.  So, I want to share with you (finally) what I have scribbled in my little note pad and what I found moving and most important about my experiences at my first ever early childhood conference.

Lisa Murphy: Child Centered Classrooms

The secret to good teaching is controlling the environment.

• Tell children what you want them to do, not what not to do.
• One rule: People are not for hurting.
• Routinely ask: Who needs something?
• Engage all senses.

When it comes to learning, ask yourself: Can we bring it to them or them to it?

• Needs to be there.
• No abstract.
• Literalness.
• Ask why. Why do we do it? What is this for? Who is this really for?
• Don't do it/buy it just because it's cute.

Play = Learning. Make a binder with proof for the nay-sayers. Must read articles first!

Dr. Becky Bailey

A 1300% higher expulsion rate in preschools than primary schools.

• Preschool can and often does hinder social-emotional development.
• Preschool increases language and cognitive development.
• Accept how it is and solve the problem.

My job is to keep you safe!

• Empathy is impossible without safety and composure.
• STAR: Smile, Take a deep breath, And Relax.
• Know that the child is calling for help and not trying to make you miserable.
• Downloading = Mirror Neurons = Children learning from us.

Switch from seeking control to making connections.

• Connect outside = Connect inside.
• Must have: eye contact, touch, playfulness, and both people present.
• More face to face.
• Give them empathy when they're upset.

Lisa Murphy: Let's Go Outside

35% of our country's elementary schools have eliminated recess.

• Ball + paint + slide
• Blocks outside.
• Chalk + blocks outside.
• Straw bales - books outside
• Spools
• Tires (drill holes in top & side and paint inside with white, acrylic, waterproof paint to keep nay-sayers at bay)

Outside time is NOT wasted time.

• Dress up outside.
• Do not lift to equipment. False sense of mastery.

Ask: What's your plan? DO NOT SHUT IT DOWN!

• Is it life threatening?
• Weaving on a chain link fence
• Use chain link fence as drying rack
• Paper on/taped to walls or fence
• Squirt painting
• Fly swatter painting
• Foot print painting
• Swing/upside down painting

Not everybody needs to do. We need watchers, too.

• Spaghetti paint/throwing
• Bike painting
• Sand in balloons. Same color and one for each hand.
• Hand washing bucket (for more 'neat' or picky children).
• All you really need is water, dirt, and a couple good books.
• Water painting.
• Sensory walk... Walk right through it.
• Ramps and pathways
• Sheets and tarps
• Watercolor on snow

Fast Mini Pizzas

 

When creating my Letter P Lesson Plan, I really wanted to make pizza with the kids.  However, I wanted something a little simpler, personal, and relatively quick.  I discovered similar recipes online whole searching for personal pizzas.  We created a class sign up sheet and put it on the door to the classroom.  The response was amazing and I think most of our 13 kids brought in something; whether it was pizza sauce or cheese or toppings.

Each child was allowed to make their own personalized pizza, which was later cooked and served to them.  All the kids were very excited to eat the pizza they made.  The response was so good at school, and I liked the pizzas myself, so I decided to try it at home too.

I do think the pizzas are a little sweet, but I'm not sure if its the sauce I'm buying or the sandwich thins.  The pizzas were a hit at home too.  Gabriel was only interested in helping with one or two and then he left the rest for Talon and I. To be honest, Talon did all the work on the second batch.  Now he's asks me almost every day if there's something he can do to help with supper.  It's too cute!
 

Ingredients

• 8oz Shredded Cheese
• 1 package Pepperoni
• 1 package Sandwich Thins
• 1 jar Pizza Sauce

Instructions 

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
2. Use 1/2 a sandwich thin and add pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni and any other desired toppings.
3. Repeat step 2 for all sandwich thin halves.
4. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until desire crispiness.

Notes

Each bag makes 16 mini pizzas. You may choose not to use 1/2, but use the whole sandwich thin for a thicker crust. This makes 8 per bag, and serves approximately 2 people.

Find this recipe and more on my ZipList.

Cheese Rolls: An Even Faster Alternative to Grilled Cheese

So in a pinch the other night, I had planned to make grilled cheese. I could have very well made grilled cheese sandwiches. It doesn't take very long and I had all the stuff. Do you know what's even faster? Cheese rolls. With only three ingredients, my microwave, and about five minutes... Gabe and I had supper.

Cheese rolls can be made in the oven or you could even grill them, but I just put one slice of cheese on a corn tortilla and popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. When done, I rolled them and enjoyed with the tomato soup I made while the cheese rolls were in and out of the microwave. Flour tortillas work just as well, for those who don't want corn torts. Also, for extra cheesy goodness use two slices of cheese and melt for 45 seconds.

Ingredients:

• Cheese slices
• Corn or flour tortillas
• Can of tomato soup

Recipe:

1. Take 1 tort and 1 slice of cheese. Place on plate and pop into microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.
2. While cooking cheese rolls, pour tomato soup into pot and bring to boil.
3. Enjoy!

First Fort

Oh, fort building.  All good childhoods are filled with epic forts made of sheets and pillows and whatever else you can get your hands on.  In the boys' playroom one day I found a makeshift fort.  I'm sure it was made by Talon and made his best friend (our across-the-street-neighbor) or his cousins (whose house is also within sight of ours).  Talon was visiting with his mother and there was no way I was fitting into his fort with Gabriel.

I'm not even sure that Gabe really wanted to play in the fort.  However, remembering how much fun I'd had building forts, I was thrilled to build a fort with him.  Gabriel watched in awe as I whizzed around his room and up and down the stairs with various fort building materials (blankets, chairs, pillows, etc). I think I might have been even more excited than he was!

After it was done, it was pretty epic, if I must say so myself. I crawled in and there was plenty of room for both of us. We called Daddy up and "hid" from him. Gabe was tickled pink. It was a lot of fun. What are your fondest childhood memories? What silly, inexpensive/free games and activities do you share with your children from your childhood?

Biscuit Pizza

Please excuse the poor quality.  Taken with my iPad.

Today I made what I have dubbed as the Biscuit Pizza.  I saw the recipe over at Mom Spotted, and knew I had to try it!  I wanted to try and combine her recipe and this Spooky Ghost Pizza I found.  However, I didn't have any fresh, sliced Mozzarella for the ghosts.  So, no spooky pizza for us.

I turned down dining out tonight because I was really looking forward to trying the recipe (don't worry, my hubby and I just rescheduled our dinner out for tomorrow evening).  I have tried, in the past, to make homemade pizza, and even homemade pizza rolls.  Neither were very good.  They took so much time and then there was little to no payoff.  Needless to say, my experience making homemade pizza-anything has been a disaster and not very encouraging for future endeavors.

I am so glad I decided to go for it and try this recipe!  My only regret was that I should have used the second can of pizza sauce I purchased.  I like my pizza extra saucy, but I honestly wasn't expecting the biscuit crust to be so successful.  I really hope that this pizza can help to save many more pizza-deficient cooks, like myself!

 Estimated Prep & Cook Time: ~1 hour

Ingredients & Supplies

• Baking pan of choice
• Skillet
• 1 to 2 Cans Pizza Sauce
• 1lb Hamburger
• Refrigerated biscuits (not the flaky kind!)
• 8oz shredded cheese, any kind
• Pepperonis
• Fresh Mushrooms
• Other pizza toppings of choice

How To

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brown hamburger in skillet
3. While hamburger is browning, open biscuits and place into baking pan
4. When hamburger has finished browning, mix with pizza sauce
5. You can mix in your pepperonis now or add them later.  It doesn't matter.
6. Spread mixture over biscuits.
7. Add cheese on top of that and pop into the oven.
8. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes.  I set my time for 28 minutes.  You don't want to pull early and have soggy, biscuit crust.  Leave in for this long to ensure your biscuits don't become soggy.
9. Take out, cut, eat.  Enjoy!

Rainbow Chicken Alfredo

So today I thought I'd try out a "recipe" that popped up on my Facebook newsfeed a few days ago (see here). That recipe looked like it'd be a ton of fun. That and I really wanted to listen to my husband moan (like he usually does) about the effect food coloring has on his and the little one's poop. Unfortunately for me, my husband decided not to complain this time around. However, I did get some pretty fun-looking chicken Alfredo for dinner.

Estimated Prep & Cook Time: ~1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1lb. Egg or Fettuccine Noodles
• Food Coloring
• Plastic Bags
• 3 to 6 Frozen Chicken Breasts
• 1 Jar Alfredo Sauce
• Mushrooms (Optional)
• Seasonings of Choice

(Technically this could be done with any pasta, including spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, etc.)

 How to Make Rainbow Chicken Alfredo

1. Put choice amount of chicken breasts into microwave on defrost setting. I use the bags of frozen chicken breasts from Wal Mart, but use whatever kind you like. We're not trying to thaw them entirely, because meat is easier to cut when it is still partially frozen. Therefore, it doesn't really matter how long you put them in there.
2. Put water on the stove on high until it boils. Add pasta. Cook pasta to desired consistency. The original recipe says al dente which means squat to me. I even googled it, but whatever.
3. Remove chicken breasts from the microwave when they have softened a bit. Cut however you like. I just slice/square them randomly. I'm not picky. Then add to pan and season to liking. I cook 'til browned a little on each side.
4. While chicken and noodles are cooking, put about 20 to 25 drops of food coloring into each bag. I had my six and two year-old help me with this part. Also, I used 8 colors, so you may need more food coloring with less colors. Set bags aside until noodles are cooked to your liking.
5. When your noodles are done, put them in the strainer and run cold water over them to cool them down. Portion however you like into the plastic baggies. Zip them up and shake/mix well. My six year-old enjoyed this part most. If you let your little one help you, you may want to help them spread the coloring a little more than they do themselves.
6. When finished, rinse each color individually in the strainer and add to the pot as you go. I heated my Alfredo sauce in the pan with the chicken once it was finished and also mixed in a can of mushroom pieces. Mix together and presto!

Plants VS Zombies Pinatas

A pinata? Piece of cake! At least, that's what I thought. With Etsy giving me prices between $20 and $60, or more, I was determined to make my own pinata. How hard could it really be? I promise you, if you Google homemade pinatas and, later, paper mache, it'll sound like such a simple task. Flour, water, newspaper, and a balloon? I can do that. You can do that. Why isn't everybody making their own pinatas? Well, let me tell you, it's not as easy (or fun) as it sounds. Other than saving money, I convinced myself (and anyone who'd listen) that my six year-old would love it too. Wrong! First off, Talon was not happy about getting his hands covered in gooey paste. The uncomfortable look on his face and the pleading look in his eyes when he asked, "Can I go wash my hands now?" after three pieces of paper mache... Well, let's just say, I knew I was on my own. Thankfully, my sister was a lot of help. With pinata #1 (a Pea Shooter from Plants VS Zombies) nearly finished, we thought it'd be okay to pop the balloon inside before we added the final layer of paper mache. As I began paper macheing the second pinata (a Wall-nut), the Pea Shooter crumpled before me. It was a very sad moment, indeed. We did, eventually, get two relatively successful pinatas. It only took one crumpling and one exploding Pea Shooter to get a half-way decent one. The Wall-nut, thankfully, never crumpled or popped. He turned out to be my favorite, too. So, here's my recipe for making a homemade pinata...based on my own not-as-terrific-as-expected experience.  

Paper Mache & How to Make It 

Paper Mache can be bought for ridiculously more than it costs to make it. At my local art store, I originally bought (before later returning) two bags for roughly $8.00 each. At home, I made paper mache for the cost of a bag of flour. Paper Mache is not just the flour and water--you have to dip the strips of newspaper in it too.

Materials Needed

• Water
• Old Newspaper
• Flour

If you have trouble rounding up enough newspaper, try asking your local stores, such as Dollar Tree. My local Dollar Tree puts all of their old newspapers in a bin to be picked up and recycled. It was mighty full when I was there buying other stuff and I asked if I could have some to make pinatas with.

Paper Mache Recipe

1. Pour desired amount of flour into container.
2. Mix cold water with flour to desired consistency. Electric mixer preferred, but not necessary. I prefer it to be really thick for the first layer and runny for the others. However, it's more of a personal preference.
3. Shred newspaper. All other sources say that cutting it is not as effective? I have not personally tested the difference.
4. Dip shredded newspaper into paste mix & apply coated paper to balloon (or whatever you're paper mache-ing).

Tip: You can add salt to your mix to prevent mold from growing. Mold is unlikely to grow, anyway, unless you make a large, single batch and let it sit for a long period of time. You could add some salt, just to be on the safe side, anyway.

I'm definitely not an expert in this area, but I am proud of what I did accomplish! I mean, look how cute the Wall-nut is! If you're trying to make a pinata, you might want to use google to find better resources (like Martha Stewart).