12. Apple Pie in the Apple

So, yesterday was my weekly preschool and I was still doing apples. I saw this and HAD to try it. And it WORKED! I was actually surprised. It wasn't that hard to scoop out the insides with a melon baller, either.

But in Reality:

Would I do this again with small children?
Yes! if you make the filling, make the pie crust and scoop out the apples ahead of time (which I did), they get to scoop in the filling and can cut and put on pie crust (did it look like that adorable lattice in the picture? Absolutely not - but PROCESS NOT PRODUCT and she had so much fun doing it).
Definitely more fun for them to make than eat, but still awesome.

Would I do it with a large group of children?
No ----- it took about 3-5 minutes to scoop out each apple. So scooping out much more than the 4 that I did could get very old very quickly.

Was it worth it?
YES! Just to see the look on her face while she cut the pie crust was more than enough to justify doing it again (and seeing if I can incorporate using a pizza cutter into every activity)

11. Perfect Pie Crust

Today, I needed a pie crust (and you will see exactly why in tomorrow's post).

I don't even know why I pinned this (pinned 19 weeks ago, by the way), because I typically don't have a problem making pie crust. And the directions for this crust are just about how I normally do it. Today's only variation was that I just used butter (and halved the recipe)
Yes, I do typically mash the dough with my hands until I reach a pebble like consistency. At that point, I switch to a fork when incorporating the water. And so did this recipe.

Here is the recipe. The blog post has excellent photo-illustrated directions

Perfect Pie Crust

Yield: 2 9\\\" pie crusts

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C butter
• 1/2 C shortening
• pinch of salt
• ice cold water, add teaspoon by teaspoon until right consistency has formed

Instructions

• Place flour, salt, butter and shortening in bowl.
• Use your hands to combine ingredients until small pebbles form
• Add cold water a teaspoon at a time until the dough begins to hold together and form a ball.
• Do not over handle the dough. Dough should be soft, moist but not wet.
• Divide dough in half.
• Place ball of dough onto wax paper and flatten. Place another piece of wax paper over the top and roll out the pastry into a circle. If your pie pan is 9 inch make sure your circle is bigger than 9 inches so you have enough for the edging..
• Remove the top layer of wax paper and place pastry into pie tin. Remove other piece of wax paper and press pastry into pan. Use your fingers to crimp the edge of the crust.
• Freeze for 30 minutes to firm up the pastry. This helps prevent pastry from shrinking during baking.
• Prick the bottom of crust to prevent bubbling during baking.
• If pie calls for a baked crust bake at 400 degrees. For the first 10-12 minutes keep the edges of pie covered with foil and then remove for the last 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown.

Hopefully I will get my phone back from Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4 and will be able to post a pic

10. Broccoli and bacon salad

I loved this salad! It was fabulous. However, slightly more tangy than I expected.

9. Meatloaf (with crackers)

So, last time I made meatloaf, I could barely choke it down. It was made tolerable with copious amounts of ketchup (Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4's favorite part and why he calls it "ketchup meat" - whatever works to make them eat). So this time I thought I might actually follow a recipe - again, if you recall I'm a "shake it 'til it feels right and don't bother measuring" kind of cook. I never follow a recipe for meatloaf.

So, what better place to go to than pinterest to find meatloaf recipes. I pinned 4 recipes and will try the others soon and compare. This time the recipe called for crackers. And this also called for copious amounts of ketchup. 8 ounces per batch, in fact. (Pinned 16 hours ago)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1-8 ounce can tomato sauce or ketchup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 sleeve of saltines
• 1/4 cup of diced onions
• 1/4 cup of diced green pepper
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Seasoning salt
• 1 tsp. pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Make sure to crush saltines in small pieces. Place mixture in small loaf pan or shape into a loaf form and put into a baking dish. If you put in a baking dish, place a small amount of water to keep from sticking. If you use a loaf pan, spray with non stick cooking spray before putting meatloaf into pan.
2. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven covered for approx. 45 minutes. Remove from oven and add a small amount of tomato sauce or ketchup to top of meatloaf. Return to the oven uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let set a few minutes before serving. (if you cut and serve it to soon, it will break apart). Enjoy!
   

So the consensus from the fam: It is too mushy. Well, I figured, with that much ketchup.

 Major Changes: I did double the recipe. I just didn't have two cups of ketchup. I did discover while making this that I have no ketchup in my pantry. I coupon and ketchup happens to be one of those items that I often have loads of because deals and coupons abound for ketchup. However, not recently apparently and I had to improvise. So I used one cup of ketchup, 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce and (don't you dare tell my family) a 4 ounce (1/2 cup) jar of sweet potato baby food. Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #5 is TWO and I STILL have a few jars of baby food floating around. I try to sneak them into recipes whenever I remember.
The recipe was a bit vague on how many crackers to add. I did use an entire sleeve. But then found it was too mushy to even put in the pan. So I added (again mum's the word!) 1/4 cup of baby rice cereal (I use this often to replace bread crumbs).

My husband asked what was in it - because of the mushiness and I went over exactly (with measurements) what I added. But I intentionally made no mention of sweet potatoes or rice cereal (with Captain Picard booming in my head "A lie of omission is still a lie" ---- but I don't care - I am NOT TELLING!)

Despite being mushy, I adored it and thought it tasted wonderful. Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4 did not like it as well as he normally does. I am convinced it was the added onions and peppers I typically don't add. I am also convinced that is what made it so delicious for me.

Next time (and I do believe there will be a next time) I will reduce (maybe even halve) the ketchup (or whatever it may be that I add - shhhhhhh)

8. Environmental Print pictures for every letter of the alphabet

So VERY early this morning I was looking for today's pin to unpin.

Over the weekend, Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4 came home and in his weekly folder, the teacher talked about environmental print and learning to "read"(yes, they put it in quotation marks - I however am of the opinion that even reading print that you see every day {as in coke - some people may say a child can read it because of the wave/symbol, but as a very wise woman pointed out to me - what do you think reading is? [SYMBOLS!!!]} so they would just be reading to me).

So over the past view days, I have packed empty bottles and boxes to facilitate this environmental print reading process.

This morning I found THIS pin and I was SOOOOO EXCITED!(Pinned 49 weeks ago)

However, it was quite apparent that the author is from Northwest Arkansas. So for the R page (this week's letter) I revised her page slightly.

Above is hers and mine


And below is the finished product

7. Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

{source} 

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve. (Pinned 6 days ago)

Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #1 doubted and when she put one spoon in her mouth she said "I'm sorry I doubted"

Major changes: Regular can of tomatoes rather than rotel and I didn't have a can of corn, so I shaved 4 ears of frozen corn and added about 3/4 cup water. I was doubting the addition of water until I shredded up the chicken. It was so soft I used a wooden spoon to do so.

  

6. Weather Calendar

For the weekly preschool, I found this SUPER CUTE weather chart on pinterest. Apparently, on the original pin, the link was broken and this wonderful genius woman took it upon herself to make her own (so that I and the many pinners after her don't have to!!!!!!)

{source}

I noticed in the comments that one pinner questioned: what would I glue it all to? Well, seeing as how canning season is wrapping up for me:   This.........

Plus this.........

 

Equals this!: 

I did cover the edges of the backer board (the bottom of my quart sized jar box bottom) with scrapbook paper (but just the edges: there is no need to use all that paper just to be covered) and then I covered the entire thing in contact paper. but I just used one sheet of contact paper slightly bigger than the weather chart itself and just folded the edges over (kind of like a book cover). I contact papered the arrows then glued them to clothes pins (clothes pins: the ultimate for fine motor control!!! you can almost see the synapses forming when they look at that clothes pin and try to figure out how to make it work) (pinned 7 days ago)

Even Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4 thinks it is cool. He wanted to know why there wasn't a foggy picture though.

Motherhood is so worth it.

5. Homemade Febreeze

Well, I thought I had some febreeze, but I didn't. So hey! Perfect opportunity to unpin!!!! I knew I had this sitting around but I have never tried it.
I didn't even check the site - when I pinned it, all the directions were in the description (pinned 48 weeks ago)

4. No Flour, No salt playdough

Because I am preschool crazy, I invite people I know with young children over to my house once a week for a preschool lesson. I am SO preschool crazy that in the past I have driven to other people's houses to hold preschool (dragging all my stuff with me - more than once I forgot at least one thing). I did this two years ago when Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #4 was the perfect pre-pre-K age and now that Magnificent Blessing from Heaven #5 is getting closer to that point (even though she's actually pre-pre-pre-K i. e. 2 and 1/2) I have started again.

Many, many of my posts will probably be posted with this in mind. Several upcoming posts will be derived from today's pre-pre-K session alone)

Today was our first lesson and we focused on Apples. I found this cool play dough recipe and decided I would apple-fy it with cinnamon and red food coloring. (Pinned 45 weeks ago)
from Messy Kids . This is the softest, squishiest playdough I have ever encountered. I do think that either you need to be exact with measurements or definitely put in more corn starch. I am one of those "let's pour it over it the bowl and if more falls in, it will be okay" and "well, it's not quite a cup, but it will do just fine" kind of cooks. Consequently, more baking soda than corn starch got mixed in and the ratio was not quite right. More corn starch was needed
Another note: mixing took longer than I thought it would. Which is normally not a problem, but when you have four 2-4 year olds looking over your pot waiting for playdough and it taking longer (by about 5 minutes) than salt dough, you kind of wish you would have known to give fair warning to the small tykes "We stir and stir for a long time, but will be able to play soon" would have been good to say. But I think I kept on commenting about how much longer it seemed to be taking. 
Sorry, don't have any personal pics yet, but maybe I will update after dinner

3. I Can Do It Chart

Now, I am trying not to post pins that I have done in the past. But I do hope that no one thinks I am cheating by posting pins that I have just pinned. (oh wait, this is my blog - I make the rules - this counts!!!!).

Often we create new boards because we find things that might need a new category - like my crock pot recipes needed their own board (I still have to transfer over a few crock pot recipes from deliciousness).

But sometimes we create the board and then start searching for pins to fill it - like my personal progress board when Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 1 decided to start working on her chart and found that Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 5 had used the chart in the back of the book as a coloring page.

Well, today - I got the email. Yeah, you know the one.
Where your kindergartener is not quite doing things in the way they should be done.
Like refusing to do tasks and raising a hand in a way that signifies that he wants to hit you.
Yep, that would be my boy.
Thus my "behavior management" board was born.
Maybe I should start a "parenting skills" board as well

Found so many cute charts and other ideas, but here is the one we started with (pinned today)

{source}

Now, this is a jpg. I just put it into a word doc and started adding text boxes. I had to print up one real quick before I picked him up at his friend's house.
Email me at 365daysofunpinningpinterest@gmail.com if you would like a copy of mine with the text boxes.
And here it is in action

2. Chicken Cacciatore

I'm not completely sure how this will pan out since Magnificent Blessing from Heaven (not numbered this time to retain anonymity) cracked my crock!
But hopefully it will go well.
it is Wednesday, so a crock pot recipe is necessary

From 8 meals in hour pin from Six Sisters' Stuff I am cooking (for the first time even) Chicken Cacciatore.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

1 (26 oz) jar of chunky vegetable-style spaghetti sauce

1 zucchini, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.

Garnish: chopped black olives, shredded Parm cheese

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. 

Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles and garnish with olives and cheese. (Pinned 25 weeks ago)


Well, I know the point of the pin was to make all these meals and then freeze and then use, but I rarely actually do that - I often just make the day of. perhaps I will get better one day
Perhaps
But here it is (in my new crockpot from Target - $20)

And no use in sugar coating it now - yes, that IS how I set the table --- food in the same pot that it was cooked in on the stove.

One major change to the recipe: I didn't have a zucchini lying around but I DID have an eggplant cut up into slices in the freezer so I used that. I thought it tasted great.

Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 2 wasn't thrilled and I had to MAKE him eat it *didn't tell him what it was until after he ate it, either* (he had all the "vegetables" as I called them, pushed to the side of his plate) but other than the two littles, he was the only one that had an issue with the eggplant.

Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 5 didn't eat at all (as always) and Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 4 ate what I spoon fed him (as always) But Magnificent Blessing from Heaven # 3 (my pickiest of the olders) didn't have a problem at all {and kind of made fun of #2 for not eating it all ha!!}

1. Child Scripture reminders

Well wouldn't you know, the first one I decide to do has a link that "looks fishy" to pinterest, but you can get the gist from the pic and description which is:

The mom picked a scripture for each child that she prayed over them for an entire year. She traced their hand, wrote the scripture on it, laminated it, and placed it in her Bible.
(pinned 45 weeks ago - about time, don't you think - but probably most of these will be that old) And here are mine (not laminated yet, of course!)

Here is Magnificent blessing from Heaven # 1 demonstrating the process

And all five mostly finished (you know, still have to do that whole laminating thing) - I probably picked one a bit too long for Magnificent blessing from Heaven #5's cute smallness, but I thought that the "quiver full" scripture was most apt for the last one.

Are you curious - do you want to know which ones I picked? Well, gonna tell you anyway

Magnificent blessing from Heaven #  1: Psalms 144:12 ... that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace (I did look up "daughters" specifically for her) - I especially liked the "polished" reference

Magnificent blessing from Heaven # 2: Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall ^ahumble himself as this little ^bchild, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Because he is so very humble

Magnificent blessing from Heaven # 3: 3 Nephi 17:24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and ^aencircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. - This one has specific significance relating to him: this scripture (the whole chapter really) has always made me cry and years ago when we were reading this - he was 6 - and as I choked up the other two were wondering why I was starting to cry and he in his youthful knowledge said "She was touched" - I'll never forget it.

Magnificent blessing from Heaven # 4: Proverbs 22:6 ^aTrain up a ^bchild in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Who can leave this one out when talking about scriptures and children in the same sentence and it has the word "train" in it. Can't get more applicable than that.

Magnificent blessing from Heaven # 5:

 3 Lo, ^achildren are an ^bheritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his ^creward.

 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

 5 ^aHappy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, ... - See above explanation (and I really like "they shall not be ashamed", but sometimes I wonder if I am reading it in the correct context)

Let's see if I can keep this going without too many cheats (i.e. posting things that I have already done that I have found on pinterest)