Dirt Cups

There are days that dessert does not have to be one of those gazillion step creations. Granted, they look and taste great. But can they be made by a first grader?

Today, Sam and I will demonstrate how to make Dirt Cups. As you can imagine, I forced Sam volunteered to make the dessert for his meal later that night.

Most of the ingredients

First thing we did was gather all of the ingredients. We only needed four things to make this tasty dessert. The milk was in the fridge in an effort to remain icy cold.

The dessert cups

Next, we gathered all of the dessert cups. These pretty things came from a family member as a wedding present.

Still with us? I know. There are a lot of steps here.

Making the Crumbs

So the next part is crushing the chocolate cookies for the topping. Sam and I sacrificed ourselves in the removal of the cream centers. The rest of the bag of cookies disappeared  when the oldest took them into a room of hungry Yu-Gi-Oh players.

Whisking the Pudding

With that done, we got out a big bowl and started work on the instant chocolate pudding. Sam used a whisk to get the air worked in the pudding.

The steps to set up: worms, pudding, topping.

Now it is time for set up. First, each cup gets two gummy worms. Then we put in some pudding. Finally, the chocolate crumbs are sprinkled on top to give the cup that ‘dirt’ look.

Chilling in the fridge.

We chilled them and served at dinner time. I forgot to take that picture. However, the cups were emptied so fast there was no time to take a picture.

Do you have a super easy dessert that even a first-grader can make?

Would You like a Box of Cookies?

Image from SavingAdvice.com

Did you know that this is the 100th year of Girl Scouts?

I am highly aware since my daughter is currently in Girl Scouts. She loves it as the troop is always doing something fun. Derby cars, scarecrow making, pie making, crafts and what not.

However, now is the time for cookie sales in our area. My daughter has till Sunday to sell 150 boxes that she put down for her goal. We are no where near half way but we have not hit all possible places to get sales.

You could consider this a call to arms to help my daughter. But what I really want  you t do is buy from whomever is closest geographically. Help make the local troop have the best sales ever. There is an app that can tell you where sales are taking place in your area.

Image by Click

When I was in college, I volunteered at a local brownie troop. The sales I made sent the girls to camp that summer. Now that was cool. Wouldn’t you like to help send a girl to summer camp where they do fun things?

Well then, you know what you have to do. There is no point in debating which is the best cookie flavor because we all know Thin Mints are the bomb. All of the others are good too but everyone knows which is the best. Buy a box of Thin Mints and another cookie that is your second favorite. That is an $8.00 investment of pure joy.

What a great way to celebrate the 100th year of Girl Scouts.

On the Book Pile

Do you have a book pile by the bed?

I do along with a magazine pile and a catalog pile. There is no end to these things. And yet, I love it all. One magazine has a picture of how I want my hair highlighted the next time I get it done. A few catalogs show outfits I would like to own.

I also have books I am currently reading or have read and would like to read again. Then there is the pile of books I need to take over to the paperback book store to add credit to my account and buy more books.

Some of the books by my bedside are the books we read at bedtime. Dr. Seuss and other favorites gather around. My seven-year-old has been getting books about the planets and weather events from the library which is always fun. These two books are ones we have read recently. One is almost 20 years old (and still a lot of fun). The other is a newer book.

Image from AuthorHouse

I was recently sent a review copy of The Year the Snow Didn’t Melt by Dr. William Kirmes by AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana to review. It is a small book, about 27 pages long. The pictures are worked in solid bold colors and fun in their depictions of snow falling all year-long.

The story is about a town that gets an early snowfall in October. The snow lasts through the winter and does not go away when the spring months arrive. Nor does the snow go away when summer comes around as well.

My children liked the story, found images of people playing baseball in the snow funny, and enjoyed the idea of ice cream cones lasting longer.

When I was cleaning up around the house I found The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. We received it through the RIF program at our school but it was published around 1993. There have been several re-tellings of old fairy tales and this one is just as clever and insightful as many of those.

Image from Barnes and Noble.com

Here we find that the three little wolves are being put in the world by their mother. They build wonderfully strong homes but the Big, Bad Pig destroys each and every one. Then one day they decide to try a different tack with the Pig.

Does it work? Well, you are going to have to read the book to find out. I find that this book tells a good story and makes the wolves likeable. Their creativity along with a real love for each other is something that the classic story does not always give to the readers. In any case, if you happen upon this book expect to have a good time.

Now a note for adults. Chick Lit Plus ran a challenge this year to encourage her readers to read twelve books in the Chick Lit genre, including two by debut authors. She enjoyed it so much that she is doing it again this year. I have already signed up and she is asking those who did sign up to tell others.

So if you are interested in taking a reading challenge, here is your chance.

What have you been reading lately?

No Punch Bug Back!

Last week, WordPress decided to freshly press a post with a picture of a Volkswagen. It was a good-looking teeny-tiny picture and I wanted to see it bigger. Too bad my computer would not let me. The other thing that came to my head was “Dang it! Now I cannot do the post I was planning on doing about VW Bugs.”

But you know me. Why let someone else’s good fortune stop me from doing what I really want. I mean, in no way is this a “hey, look at me. I am doing the same thing as them and they were freshly pressed last week” kind of post. I am actually telling a story of sorts and they have more pictures than I do. Go back to compare and contrast. Explain in the comment area. (Just kidding, I really do not want essay answers.)

Now, do you remember that game of punching your companion in the arm whenever you see a Volkswagen Beetle? You yell “No Punch Bug Back” so they cannot hit you in the arm. Don’t say it and your arm is open season.

2006 Volkswagen Beetle; Image from Carmax

Who can forget, especially if you have a 14-year-old in the crowd who knows how to punch the part of your arm that has the least amount of fat.

Owww, that hurts.

In our town there are two beetles of the newer variety. One is dark blue and the other is a cream color. In an effort to stop fighting in the car one day, I saw one coming and yelled out “Punch Bug, No Punch Bug Back” as I tapped the closest kid on the leg.

This was great! Kids went ‘what?’ and hands went flying. Kids started keeping an eye out for the rounded car and hitting each other.

Sometimes, we yell out the color so there is no confusion. The seven-year-old ran with this game. He was on the watch at all times. Chances are he will see one before the rest of us.  The ten-year-old, however, got tired of being on the receiving end of her older brother’s punches.

They really do hurt.

Picture by Alvimann

She took herself out of the game then had to yell that she wasn’t in the game anymore every time they tried to hit her. I got her back in by playing with me when it was only us in the car. Later I had to set the rule that the punches had to be gentle and not bone-jarring.

Call me the no-fun mom, if you will. But once I did that, the game became fun again.

Without the threat of punches hard enough to make your bones wish you still weighed more than you should for that extra protective layer of fat, the game became a pleasurable distraction from what was another boring trip to run endless errands.

 And it is one of those games you can play in the car while traveling. Which would you rather have – kids fighting because they are bored and miserable OR kids hitting each other because they spotted a VW Bug. Alex, I will take VW Bug for $500, please.

The funny thing is I see these bugs all over the place these days. I see them with convertible tops and without. I see red and silver and black. Sometimes, I even see old ones that remind my husband how his first car was a bug. I think about how in the winter they took forever to warm up. Brrrr.

2002 Beetle, Image from Carmax

Now that they are popular again, it is easier to play this game. And the ten-year-old says she wants her first car to be a VW. I told her to start saving her money now. The thing is, I think by the time she is ready to drive, she will have that money because she likes saving up for stuff. And you have to admit, it is a cool-looking car.

Punch Bug Red! No Punch Bug Back!

Jackpot Drop Cookies

Ah, summer time.

Sure, there is nothing like playing and doing whatever you want to do. That is if you are not in 4H.

My kids are having fun and playing with friends. But they also have to get ready for the County Fair at the beginning of August. Or sooner if you took on a cooking project which my daughter did. So on July 5th she has to present three cookies she made herself from a recipe in the Cooking 101 manual.

So the family is going to be forced to sample the cookies she makes. By herself with no help from me.

I am there in the kitchen giving helpful hints as we go through each step.

Be quick with the non-stick spray and do not over load the pan with that stuff.

Turn on the mixer on after the beaters are firmly on the bottom of the bowl.

Keep the dog out of the kitchen at all costs during this cooking adventure.

It is ok to sample a few chocolate chips.

After sifting flour and mixing it with the baking soda and baking powder, we move on to the next step.

Cream together some other ingredients.

Egg, softened butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla

 

Next comes the mixer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at her technique! No splattering!

 

Time for the dry ingredients to be added.

So now is when the mixer can still be used but it gets a little harder. Once the nuts and chips are added, she has to use a spoon to stir the rest of the ingredients in the dough.

 

This is the part where we do not talk about the taste testing. One must make sure the dough is ready for baking. Using two teaspoons, dough is placed on the pans. Pans are placed in the oven for ten minutes and then taken out.

 

 

 The book says to put them on wire racks. I prefer using newspaper but I guess this way is better. By the time the second pan came out, we were able to sample the first batch. This was when I taught the fine art of picking the ugliest cookies for sampling.

 

We plan to make another batch on Thursday before our Friday Fun night and again on Sunday. On the fifth, she will have to have a plate of three cookies, a copy of the recipe and a day’s menu with the cookies as a component of one meal. This year I think she is getting a blue ribbon for her efforts.

 

Are your kids doing any special projects this summer?

 

 

Quiet On the Set

Getting REady to be the Ghost Girl

This past weekend I had the pleasure of watching my daughter take part in a movie. It is a thriller and she is the ghost girl.

Granted, this is no Hollywood production with big names and potential for superstardom. It is as about as indie as you can get. Once it is done the movie will only be about 10-15 minutes long.

This is how people get started if you cannot leave your hometown and go to Hollywood. Want to know something even cooler? The producer/director has a listing on IMDb.com.

Let me start at the beginning.

We have known Shannon Feaster for several years as our boys have been in school together since kindergarten. They share this interest of movies. When Johnny Depp came to our town to shoot a scene for Public Enemies, Dakota and David were first and second in line for hand shakes.

Dakota has been making small videos and made his first horror short last winter. It was really good, scary, unsettling.

So Shannon and Michelle (wife/producer/makeup artist/actress/whatever is needed) belong to a collective of people making horror movie shorts. They are given a prompt and put together their own scripts. The one my daughter is making an appearance in is called The Keepsake. It is spooky and scary with a bit a realism.

A director with his actor

Shannon is filming it in a friend’s house and on a local street. If you have never been on a film set, it is a fascinating process. I have been on the set of Prison Break which was really interesting with multiple cameras.

One scene that lasts a minute can take several hours as cameras get various angles. Perhaps the actors figure out a different way to do a scene that works better. Someone does a look in one scene they don’t do in another. Or after several scenes of doing the scene the actors get a case of the giggles.

I was fascinated. While the genre is not one of my favorites, I loved seeing the creative process play out. The need to get several takes of the same shot. The need for the rest of us not to move or make a sound as the mike catches everything. I felt the same way with the TV show I watched.

It was a great experience. I only hope my daughter appreciates it later.

Forget the cake, bring on the summer fruit tart!

Some days, you just know what you are going to write for that day’s post. And it is going to be brilliant. Then your daughter, who is having her birthday says she wants you to do something.

Sara with her birthday fruit tart.

When it is her birthday, you cave just a little. Because it is her tenth birthday and she is your only daughter. Someone suggested to me that I should have another baby since I enjoy playing with a friend’s newborn.

The problem with that is I am 47 and my friend is 32. fifteen years of energy that I no longer have. Those late nights of crying and fussing. Those days of complete exhaustion. I prefer playing with Emma now and again.

But back to my daughter whose birthday is today. Ten years ago, I went to the hospital for an inducement. (Ladies, don’t do it if you do not have to.) A couple of days later I took home a girl. Later this week she will get her ears pierced. She has been begging me to do it for the last two years and I promised when she hit ten we would do it. Today, she hits ten.

As you may remember, each Sunday a different family member at our house chooses the menu and makes the meal. So this Sunday’s supper was her choice which she traded in order to have it. It was the perfect meal for a cold spring day. Roast beef that had been in the crock pot all afternoon along with potatoes and carrots. Biscuits were on the side. But dessert, dessert was the kicker.

It was a tart made in my smallest springform pan. We did not have the cute fluted sided pan but the springform allowed for easier removal. But once the pastry was ready, we put down a layer of melted chocolate chips, a layer of sugared neufchatel cheese and topped with fresh halved strawberries.

Written by Liz Franklin; Image from Borders.com

The recipe came from Cooking Italian with Kids by Liz Franklin. Ever since I have had this book, it has been nothing but a godsend of recipe ideas. Rosemary potatoes, tomato and bread soup, and sugared ricotta with fresh fruit are just a few of the recipes we have made and enjoyed.

This time around it was the Summer Fruit Tart and here is the exact recipe.

For the Pastry

12 Tablespoons of butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra to sprinkle

Chocolate Base

2 1/2 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate

Filling

8 oz Marscarpone cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/4 lbs mixed summer fruit

a 9-inch loose-bottomed tart pan

a pastry brush

I have to admit we changed a few things around. Without marscapone, we went for the neufchatel cheese. We may have spread more chocolate than needed on the tart. Just strawberries were requested because the b-day girl did not want blueberries.

The recipe was fairly easy for my daughter to make on her own for the most part. I showed her how to cut the strawberries and corrected her form a few times. Then I had to stop watching because I kept imagining the worst.

When it came time for eating the tart, we were ready. None of that tart lasted beyond a half an hour. Which means it is on the list of desserts to make again.

I can’t imagine what it will taste like when we get berries from the berry farm. The crust makes enough for two tarts.

We might have to make several.

Books From the Shelf.

I haven’t talked about books lately so I wanted to throw out what is being read at our house right now.

Our school does a RIF (reading is fundamental) program which means the youngest kids get new books every now and again.

Book by Doreen Cronin, Illustrated by Betsy Lewin; Picture from BarnesandNoble.com

One of the books that has shown up from that program in our house lately is Click Clack Moo by Doreen Cronin and we really love it.

The cows have discovered an old typewriter in the barn and write a note to the farmer. The barn gets cold and they want electric blankets.  They will even go on strike to get their demands met.

We laugh, we cry, we watch the duck be the go-between.

It is a great book.

Another great book I have been reading lately is Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I picked this book up at a garage sale. Then it hung around for a while. I picked it up last month and really enjoyed it.

Book by Shannon Hale; Image from BarnesandNoble.com

The story is about Miri who is the smallest girl in her mountain village. Life is hard and tough. The people are stone cutters and have a special language that Miri wants to learn. One day a messenger from the king announces that the new princess will be picked from their village and therefore all girls will need to attend the new princess academy.

There is the challenge of the lessons, discovery about life beyond their village, the possibility of romance and action as the girls have never imagined will take place during the 18 months of the academy. I loved every moment, especially when Miri figures out how to speak to others without speaking.

This next selection I have not read. That is not the important part here.

"Stormrider" by Anthony Horowitz; Picture from Amazon.com

The reader of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz is my fourteen-year-old who is not a big reader.

Every week, he has to read 100 minutes for his language class. The books he wants to read lately is Alex Rider. At this point in time he is on the fourth book of the series . Then he expressed sadness that when he graduates from 8th grade he will no longer be able to get these books from the library.

When you are a big reader yourself is there no sweeter sound than to hear your child state he wants a specific book series?

What is your family reading?

Laughing with Children’s Literature

Recently the kids and I were discussing favorite books.

It happened over Strawberry Shortcake because one book we remember lovingly was named Cook-a-doodle-doo! by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel.

Picture from Barnes&Noble.com

The story is about a red rooster who is sick of chicken feed. So he decides to make something out of the cook book from his great granny, L.R. Hen. But the dog, cat and goose refuse to help. New helpers arrive in the form of the turtle, the iguana and the pig.

From there on the comedy ensues as the turtle reads the recipe , the iguana tries to help but has no clue about cooking terms and the pig waits for the moment of taste testing none too patiently.

Every time one of the kids gets this book, we laugh ourselves silly. And we make the shortcake recipe at the end of the book and have a great time eating it. It is fun comedy with a bit of a lesson tied into it. (Love the part where the iguana looks for a bat to beat the eggs)

Picture from BarnesandNoble.com

Another book that make us laugh is Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus.  Mo Willems really understand how to write for pre-schoolers and kindergartners about frustrations. Plus, we get to yell “no” at almost every page when the pigeon asks to drive the bus. But we are under strict orders from the driver, who is taking a quick break, to not let the pigeon get near the steering wheel.

It is great fun, even when the pigeon has a total meltdown at being thwarted so many times. He even resorts to saying that “your mom would let me do it.”  That pigeon does not know me and is grasping at straws. And my kids know it which is why we laugh at that line. Still, the pigeon makes for a great read at bedtime when the kids are trying to avoid going to sleep.

Picture from BarnesandNoble.com

One book that gets us laughing every time is Tom by Tomie dePaola. Now many of dePaola’s book make us laugh, many make us smile. But there is something about this book that has me chuckling when I am not reading it.

This little book tells about a grandfather and grandson who have a special relationship. They fix various things at the grandfather’s house and hang out at the store where Grandpa is a butcher. One day Grandpa tells the boy to bury a chicken head to get a chicken bush. Another time he shows the boy how to pull the tendon on a chicken foot, once it has been removed from the chicken, to make the toes move.

At this point you are thinking “That’s Gross!,” or “That’s Inhuman! Who would suggest such a book?,” or ”That’s really funny!”

I went for really funny because I grew up as a farm girl and understand that your food has legs and breathes. Sooner or later that creature will become supper.  It is not as neat and pretty as chicken wrapped in plastic at the supermarket but that was life at that time. Maybe this is an opportunity, a teachable moment if you will, to talk about daily life 75 or more years ago.

Or maybe it is just a good opportunity to laugh at a little boy playing a trick that maybe he should not. Which is something we all do at some point and we count our blessings for being lucky at nothing going too wrong.

What books belonging to your children or grandchildren make you laugh?

Reading with our youngest

My six-year-old who is in kindergarten surprised me this past week.

Picture by Kahanaboy

He has been studying sight words at school and so we have been reading the little booklets they make every week.

Lately, I have asked him to pick out these word in whatever book we are reading. I want to encourage him without frustrating him.

This week we have been working on a collection of Biscuit stories. My mother likes to buy the kids ‘collection’ books and this one seemed perfect for him. We also have Scooby Doo and Curious George and Dr. Seuss books in collection form that get the “go around” until we get though each book.

So he is going along, pointing out sight words when he decides he is going to try for each word on the page. Some words he knows and are easy. Some, like those pesky “w” or “wh” words don’t want to sound out so I whisper the word to him and he tries it on for size.

Picture from Barnesandnoble.com

Soon, he knows “biscuit” and “woof” as soon as he sees them. Other words come easily while those “w” and “wh” continue their troubling way. But he hears my little whisper and sounds them out on his own. Before you know it, he is reading the whole sentence on the page.

The next night we work on a different Biscuit story. That puppy wants to make friends with the kittens but they want to follow the butterfly. After the word gets broken down into simpler pieces, he gets it. He gets that this jumble of letters means “butterfly. “

Suddenly, I have a new reader on my hands. I am very excited. But I must be patient. He is not quite ready for that first Harry Potter book.