Month: February 2015

Snow Books For A Snow Day

/ The Plot Twisted / Leave a comment

Winter has decided to show up and it seems to be making up for lost time.  Snow always makes me want to put some comfort food on the stove and curl up with a good book.  I’ve decided to share some of my favorite children’s books about snow/winter.  Some of these jewels will warm your heart while others will give you a chuckle.  In no particular order, (except for the first one) here are my selections for you:

photo 4 (2)

1.  A Little Bit Of Winter – by Paul Stewart.  Hedgehog and Rabbit have been friends for quite a while.  Winter is coming and Hedgehog is about to hibernate.  Rabbit is pretty torn up about not seeing his friend for months on end.  Hedgehog doesn’t understand what the big deal is about winter so he asks Rabbit to save him some.  Hedgehog wants to know how winter “feels”.  After Hedgehog goes into hibernation, the sorry continues and shows how dull Rabbit’s life is without Hedgehog.  Rabbit figures out a way to save some winter for Hedgehog and the results are rather comical.  If you like this book, make sure to pick up, The Birthday Presents.  It is super cute too:)

photo 2 (15)

2.  Snowmen At Night – by Caralyn Buehner.  Have you ever thought about what your snowman does while you are snug in your beds at night?  Why, they have ice cold cocoa, play baseball and go sledding, of course.  The rhyming text in the story just flows and before you know it, the night is over and so is the story.

photo 3 (10)

3.  Waiting For Winter – by Sebastian Meschenmoser.  Deer tells Squirrel about winter which makes Squirrel determined to see what winter is really like.  He has to think of creative ways to keep himself awake and doing so, he wakes up Hedgehog and Bear.  Well, then they all have to start looking for snow and Hedgehog is the first to find a “snowflake”…it’s actually a toothbrush…  Totally funny!  Cracked me up!

photo (11)

4.  Winter Is the Warmest Season – By Lauren Stringer.  This book tells all about how Winter is warm.  From drinking hot cocoa and wearing fuzzy boots to being read to in front of a warm cozy fire.  AAaaaahhhh makes me need a nap:)

photo 1 (12)

5.  The Lamb Who Came For Dinner – By Steve Smallman – Wolf was mad because he had to eat vegetable soup AGAIN!  Then, what does he hear?  A knock at the door and opening it, he finds a little lamb.  Of course, he lets the poor lamb inside but he can’t eat a frozen lamb so he has to warm her up.  After warming her up, feeding her and rocking her to sleep…we are only on like page 6.  Get the book.  Read it.  You’ll love it.  The end:)

Now go and get some fuzzy socks on and some co-razy tights, snuggle down and let the snow fly:)

photo (12)

Advertisement

Do Not Eat This

/ The Plot Twisted / 6 Comments

I’m pretty sure that I only have like 4 people that follow my blog, at this point. That being said, it is 4 more people that I will be able to warn about this horrible box meal.

This week we’ve only gotten to go to school one day. I’ve made “comfort food” for us until we are just about comfort fooded out. I decided it would be a good idea to try this Banquet Morning Bake. Apparently, I was on drugs at the time of purchase because this was a horrible idea.

Do not eat this! I repeat, DO NOT EAT THIS!!!

The. End.

2015/02/img_2527.jpg

All Thumbs…Well Mostly

/ The Plot Twisted / Leave a comment

Drawing comes natural for some folks but for me…not so much.  I think that’s why I latched on to the book, Ed Emberley’s Fingerprint Drawing Book, by Ed Emberley.  I actually discovered this book about 15 years ago, before I even had kiddos.  I took it home, broke out my ink pads and went to town.  I COULD DRAW!  IT WAS MAGICAL!!  I feel like if I can gain confidence by adding some stick arms to a thumbprint, imagine what kind of boost it would give to a child.  The book is stuffed full of simple examples of what you could do with a fingerprint.

WARNING!  You can’t just make one:)

Also, if you enjoy the fingerprint book, Mr. Emberley has several other books that have simple drawings that you can recreate. Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book Of Weirdos and Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book Of Trucks And Trains

photo 1 (10)

Now get to drawing!

Supplies:

  • Ed Emberley’s Fingerprint Drawing Book by Ed Emberley
  • Ink Pads
  • Sharpie Marker

photo 1 (11) photo 2 (14)

photo 2 (12)

Cornflake Chicken

/ The Plot Twisted / Leave a comment

This recipe comes to you straight out of my childhood home. It was one of my favorite things that my mom used to make for us and one of the very first things I cooked on my own. My mom taught me to cut up a whole chicken when I was about 11. My parents had a house full, so I’m sure any help we could give was much appreciated. Little did I know that years later I’d be using the very same recipe and skills to cook for my own family. If you haven’t tried this before, I hope you enjoy it and if you’ve had it and it brings back some memories…then you’re welcome:)

Cornflake Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (cut up)
5 cups cornflakes
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

2015/02/img_2373.jpg

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut up your chicken. I didn’t attempt to show you how to do this because I tried to teach someone once and it didn’t really turn out so great… If you don’t know how, you could always buy one already cut up.

2. Crush the cornflakes. This is where my kiddos come in handy. You could always take out some aggression this way too:)

2015/02/img_2374.jpg

3. Crack your eggs (I use a pie plate) scramble them and add the milk. Whip the two ingredients together.

4. Put the crushed cornflakes into another pie plate.

2015/02/img_2376.jpg

5. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and roll in the cornflakes. Place chicken into a 9 x 13 pan.

2015/02/img_2377-0.jpg

6. Cook for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes.

2015/02/img_2378.jpg

Mmmmmmmmmmmm! Yummy:)

This Totally Counts As Reading

/ The Plot Twisted / 1 Comment

Since the baby has been born, I’ve been starving for a book.   I know I could listen to an audio but I just can’t stay focused on one unless I’m driving my Mom van.  It is super hard to find time to read nowadays so I’ve devised a plan.  I’ve found, what I’d call, “bathroom readers”.  That’s right!  I’m taking bathroom books to the living room and even into the bedroom:)   Okay, it’s mostly pictures but they fulfill, for the moment, my need for books.  I’ve come up with a short list that will leave you breathless from laughter and also some that will keep you intrigued…if only for a short time:)

  1. I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets – Smith, Larry
  2. There I Fixed It: (No You Didn’t) – Cheezburger
  3. Postsecret Extraordinary Confessions From Ordinary Lives
  4. People Of Walmart:  Shop And Awe – Wherry, Luke
  5. F In exams – Benson, Richard
  6. Awkward Family Pet Photos – Bender, Mike
  7. I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats – Marciuliano, Francesco
  8. Passive Aggressive Notes – Miller, Kerry
  9. I Can Has Cheezburger? – Professor Happycat
  10. P.S. I Hate It Here:  Kids Letters From Camp – Falanga, Diane

photo (10)

Lunch Lady Land

/ The Plot Twisted / 3 Comments

lunchLunch Ladies!  This series just confirms my theory that the lunch ladies always had something up their sleeves.  I always thought this, back in the day.  The series follows two tech savvy cafeteria workers as they fight crime in their school.  They have a spork phone for cryin’ out loud!  Anyway, whenever they see something suspicious they hit their secret hide out and hatch a plan.  Using the newest gadgets, they solve crimes and protect Thompson Brook school.  Super funny…and mysterious:)

P.S. You’ll want to start with #1 Lunch Lady And The Cyborg Substitute by: Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Breakfast Pizza MMmmmmm

/ The Plot Twisted / 2 Comments

I’ve been perusing Pinterest lately and came across a few recipes for breakfast pizza.  It got me thinking about the breakfast pizza in our cafeteria when I was in grade school.  It probably isn’t served anymore…don’t get me started… Anyway, I found a few recipes and decided to give it a go.  I gave it my own twist to pay homage to the cafeteria ladies of yore.   And here we go!

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

  • Crescent Rolls (2 tubes)
  • 6-8 Pieces of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
  • 1 C Cheddar shredded
  • 6 Eggs
  • 1 Can Country Gravy

photo 1 (8)

1.  Start by preheating the oven to 400°.  Take the crescent rolls out and put them on a non stick jellyroll pan. Lay them close together and press the seams so they make one continuous piece of dough.  You could probably use one can but we do like our bread so I used two.  Also, I used a store brand and the quality wasn’t so great.  I’d probably use the more expensive brand next time.  It sounds like Pills-Berry.  Anyway, bake the crust about 5-7 minutes,

2.  Fry your bacon.  I used really cheap bacon because I knew it was sliced thin.  I wanted to crumble my bacon all over the top, so using the cheaper stuff was the way to go.  Once you are done frying, create a shout out to your Mom and then crumble your bacon into tiny little bits.

photo 2 (10)

photo 3 (9)_edited-1

3.  When the crust comes out, spread the gravy over the top, leaving about an inch edge around the perimeter.  Top with cheese, bacon and eggs.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.

photo 5I ended up baking ours longer trying to get the middles done…because someone, who shall remain nameless, in our house doesn’t like runny middles!  What?!  I know…  Next time I think I’ll scramble the eggs and see how that turns out.  I hope the lunch ladies would be proud:)

photo 1 (9)

photo 2 (11)

And there you have it!  Ta Da!  *Twirls and throws glitter*