Home School Home Economics - Day 1

Monday started my kids being home from school because of the Corona Virus social distancing. I let them have electronics or basically whatever they wanted that day.  That got old real fast, and I decided I had to get my butt in gear to keep my kids off the couch, off the phone, Xbox, and TV. Yesterday, among other things, we did Home Ec.  I had some granola that my sister made me from a little while ago, and thought it would be easy to show them how to make their own granola bars (and to finish off the granola).

You can find my recipe HERE, as well as a recipe for my home made granola.  Super easy, add whatever you have on hand, and enjoy!

Pizza Pull Apart Bread

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and read the reviews and figured I needed to try it.  I think store bought pizza dough tastes like play dough sometimes, so I decided to make my own dough. 

This was a super easy recipe and a great recipe your kids can help with.  In fact they cut all the pepperoni and rolled all the dough while my hair was getting checked for LICE!  (LICE!!!)  They love helping make dinner and this is something your kids can very easily do. 

My kids loved helping and my kids loved eating it!  Super easy, and yummy!

Pull Apart Pizza Bread Recipe

Adapted from THIS RECIPE

• 2 Cans of Pizza Dough or Biscuits (I used my recipe for Pizza Factory Bread sticks - below)
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese (or an Italian blend)
• 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
• 1 – 8 oz package of pepperoni
• 1 cup Parmesean cheese
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder 
•  ⅓ cup olive oil

• Your favorite Pizza Sauce (I used some marinara spaghetti sauce)

Pizza Factory Bread sticks Recipe (see HERE to make the bread sticks)

1 T. yeast

2 T. sugar

1 1/2 C. warm water

1 T. oil

1 tsp. salt

3 1/2 C. flour

 

Instructions

 

1.  Mix the yeast, sugar and water and let sit for a couple of minutes to dissolve the yeast. Add the oil, salt and flour and knead by hand or with your mixer with a dough hook for about 5 minutes.

2.  Cover and let rise until double.

 

3.  Meanwhile - Mix the seasonings and cheese together in a bowl.  

4.  Cut pepperoni into smaller pieces and add to the bowl and mix. 

5.  Lightly flour your hands and roll the dough into small balls.  Place them in the bowl with the pepperoni and cheeses, mix around every so often so the dough just doesn't stick to each other.  

6.  Add olive oil and pour in bowl and mix all together.  (Honestly, I didn't measure here, I just poured and mixed, and poured and mixed as needed, until I thought things were evenly coated.)

7.  Place mixture into greased tubed cake pan. 

 

8.  Let them rise until doubled.

 

9.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes.  Make sure to check the middle before you remove from oven.  If middle is still not cooked be sure to leave it in until it's done.  

10.  Flip over onto a plate while it's hot.

11. Serve with your favorite pizza sauce or marinara and enjoy!

Flour hands, Roll dough, Toss in bowl with mixture

Copy Cat Spaghettios

When I had the thought to make this, I didn't start out thinking, "I'm going to make my own spaghettios."  I made my tortellini soup for dinner and my kids would not eat it.  I had even made it this time and pureed all the vegetables so they would eat it!  For some reason, they wouldn't eat it with just the sausage in it!  They love sausage, but they wouldn't eat it.  So, the next day, I had the thought to drain out the sausage and add some mini star pasta that I had on hand, and this recipe was born. 

I buy Spaghettios a few times a year, so not very much, but Mallary will eat them which makes no sense to me because I think they even smell horrible.  Not anymore!  The kids LOVED this.  I had packed it in their lunch, and Trevan came home and said, "When did you buy those Spaghettios??!" Ha!  He told me it was so good!!  The SAME soup they wouldn't eat the day before, but you add star noodles and life is all good again.  It's a win win - they are eating a TON of vegetables and don't even know it!

Copy Cat Spaghettios Recipe 

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth (3 -14oz. cans)

1 cup water

1 1/2 cup sliced carrots

3 cups crushed tomatoes (28 oz. can)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/2 cups diced zucchini

1 1/2 cups diced yellow squash

8 oz. pasta of your choice (stars, shapes, abc's)

1.  Cook your pasta according to package instructions - set aside. 

2.  While pasta is cooking, saute onion, celery and garlic in a little bit of olive oil in a large pot and cook until tender. (Honestly, I will probably cook sausage, remove it from pan then saute the onion, etc. in that sausage grease to add that flavor to the soup.  Then I'd just use the sausage in another recipe.)  Add broth, water, carrots, tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley.  Bring to a boil for 15 minutes.   

3.  Add squash and zucchini.  Cover and cook until squash and zucchini are tender.  

4.  Puree vegetables.  Then add cooked pasta.

5.  Serve up the yummy goodness to your kids (and you)!

I mean, look at all those veggies!  Your kids don't even know it!! Yum!

Copy Cat Snow Globe - Tutorial

I've seen the snow globes that you can make out of a mason jar, but I had never seen them like this until I saw it on a friend's Instagram widget on her blog that she took at some festival or something.  Immediately I knew we would be making these for family night, and we did!  (Trust me, our family home evening nights are NEVER this involved!)

I knew my kids would enjoy shopping for and picking out their little figures.  I had to reign in my nine year old son because he wanted to put everything and the kitchen sink in his.  He had to have birds in his trees even though they weren't going to be "to scale."  They really enjoyed it, and fought over the snow in the store, of course!

This is a cheap project if you have bowls/containers already lying around your house!

I love that each globe represents each of my kids so well...

We had something else picked out for my three year old, but when I saw this train I knew I had to do it!  He LOVES it.  He was a bit sad for a second when he realized he wasn't going to be able to pull the train around anymore after being put inside the snow globe.. 

I realized this morning that this is so appropriate for my six year old daughter - always picking on her brothers (everyone)!

This represents my nine year old, happy go lucky!

Snow Globe Tutorial

Fish bowl (or any clear container - could be plastic for the little ones)
Snow
Foam board
Hot glue gun (and glue sticks!)
Little figurines and trees (Now is a good time to get them - they are 60%, but slim pickings!)
Puffy Paint (I wasn't sure they even made this anymore, but they do!)

1.  Trace the opening of your container - then cut it out inside the line a bit. You kind of have to play with this.

2.  Glue your figures to the foam board.

3.  Put a pile of snow in the middle of your foam board, kind of piled up in the center.

4.  Put hot glue around the rim of your container.

5.  This picture is kind of misleading because first I actually put the bowl on top of the foam board while the foam board is on the counter and press to make a seal, then if I have to adjust any I pick it up and do so.  That's what the picture shows below. I use hot glue to seal up any cracks in between the foam board and the container.

6.  Then, I put the puffy paint (snow) around the bottom and any foam board still visible.

7.  Leave upside down to dry.

8.  Three drying snow globes!

9.  After dried, shake and enjoy! 

**  I wasn't sure I was going to like this snow once I opened it, but I like how some sticks to the container making it look like it is always flurrying inside!!  Love!

Camp Summer Fun

This summer I really wanted to do activities with my kids and I thought if I paired up with another mom then I would be more likely to do it...  :) 

 

So, my friend and I took turns with our kids once a week to do "Camp Summer Fun."  I wish we could have done it more, but due to traveling and stuff we only did it a handful of times. 

 

I totally used ideas from Pinterest!  I have a 'Must keep kids busy' board on Pinterest (you can see it HERE), and I used it! 

 

I took this idea from this site, but changed it by dying butter with food coloring and letting the kids paint bread, then I made grilled cheese sandwhiches with it.  The kids loved it.  

 

I thought it would be fun for the kids to make their own t-shirts when I saw this idea on Pinterest.  You do it by using sandpaper!!!!  So cool. 

 

 

I also did these things from Pinterest too, but didn't take any pictures:

 

Bubble Painting

Milk Jug games

Made these bracelets with melty beads

 

I love that Pinterest helped me entertain the kids this summer! 

 



Wooden Spoon Puppets

My sister gave me some wooden spoons with faces drawn on them over a year ago, and I have been wanting to make some really cute puppets with them for my kids. I also took two old, yucky looking wooden spoons out of my kitchen drawers for them to use too. Yesterday, I decided to just let them make their own, and they loved it!! Like, loved it so much it was the first thing my daughter asked for this morning when she came downstairs this morning, "Where's my puppet?" Last night, they loved playing with them!

My husband is actually pretty artsy when it comes to drawing, but he didn't do a very good job on his puppet above. I even gave my puppet some moles.

This is what my daughter, Mallary actually drew for her face, but I used the other side to put her bangs on - she told me she had to have bangs on hers. It was really cute, Mallary likes playing with my puppet, she was playing with my puppet holding Jonah's puppet. I walked in the living room earlier this morning, and her puppet and my puppet were dancing together. I try to dance with Mallary in the living room all the time, but she always tells me to stop! Trevan also had to draw arms on his and Jonah's. "They need arms to hold their light sabers!" He kept saying to John, while he would make his puppet hit John's, "Ha ha, you can't hit me back because you don't have any arms!"

The whole family! I had envisioned making such cute puppets, but the kids definitely enjoyed this more!

I think The Dollar Tree sells a pack of wooden spoons - for one dollar! Or just pull the old one's out of your kitchen drawers! Cheap and fun activity for your kids!!!

Thanksgiving Place Card Idea

I thought of this idea based off of what my friend did with her kids in their class room at school. This is a fun way to let your kids be involved on Thanksgiving.

Cut out and tape the body and face of a large turkey on the wall. You could even just have it cut out and let any kids that are at your house for Thanksgiving be coloring it while you finish dinner preparations.

Cut out feathers in different colors of construction paper or card stock. Use them as place cards at your thanksgiving table. Write your guests name on one side and leave the other side blank.

After everyone sits down, have them write on the other side something they are thankful for.

The kids are usually done eating first, and now you have an activity to keep them occupied while you finish your dinner.

Have them collect the feathers and tape them around the previously taped up turkey. They'll enjoy doing that, and it will be fun to see what everyone is thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Auntie Anne's Pretzels Copy Cat Recipe

I'm kicking off Copy Cat week with one of my favorite treats to get at the mall; Auntie Anne's Pretzels! I think what makes this recipe taste like Auntie Anne's pretzels is the baking soda bath you dip the pretzel in before baking. The recipe is super easy, doesn't take very long to make, and very delicious!!

(For some reason, I added one extra twist to my pretzel when I made them this time. It made it look like more of a peace sign than a pretzel...)

I adapted this recipe from a recipe online found HERE.

Auntie Anne's Pretzels Copy Cat Recipe:

1 1/2 c. water
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 pkg.)
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour (if you use bread flour it makes your pretzels much fluffier!)
1 c. water
1 T. baking soda
coarse salt
2 T. melted butter

1. Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve.
2. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic.
3. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.
4. Prepare the baking soda bath by dissolving 1 T. baking soda in 1 c. of water in shallow/wide bowl, stirring often.
5. After dough has risen; pinch off bits of dough and roll into long rope to desired thickness. (The recipe says the thinner the pretzel the more it tastes like Auntie Anne's, but I've done both, and I really like them thick too.) Another way I like to do it is to roll out the dough, and use a pizza slicer to get my strips and then it's easier to roll into ropes, or make pretzel sticks.

6. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. (MY TIP: Line your cookie sheets (you'll need two large cookie sheets) with aluminum foil wrapped over the edges. The baking soda on the pretzels stains our cookie sheets. It eventually comes off, but stays stained for a while. Still grease the aluminum foil.)
7. Allow pretzels to rise again. (I actually haven't ever done this step, but my pretzels are rising while I am rolling them out, etc. The only one's that don't get to rise as much are the last pretzels I make.)
8. Bake in oven at 450 degrees for about 6-8 minutes until golden colored, depending on how thick your dough is.
9. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.

For the Cinnamon Sugar pretzels:

Mix together 1/2 c. sugar and 1 1/2 T. cinnamon in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Melt about 4 T. butter. Dip pretzels in butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar. We dipped ours in the same icing I use to put on our turnovers. For the icing: Whisk together 1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1 1/2 T. milk, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla.

Enjoy!!

(TIP: This is also a great activity for your kids! I let mine shape their own dough. It keeps them busy while I shape the rest of the pretzels!)