APRIL FOOLS

Dylan is big into jokes. He loves telling knock knock jokes, he enjoys riddles, and he encourages his sister to tell the same silly, ridiculous non-joke joke over and over again.

 

"Knock knock?"

"Who's there?"

"Who is this Hans!*"

 

So of course, he wanted to pull a (nice) April Fools prank. So he took his class brownies this morning.

 

 

 

Brown E's that is.

 

Happy April Fools! Brought to you by funny, sweet pranks that don't hurt anyone.

 

*We love Frozen, (of course).

CELEBRATING...TEACHERS

I love my son's teacher*. She truly is all I could ask for as a kindergarten teacher: she's passionate about her students learning, she truly cares about their well-being, she's firm but loving to each and every one of them. I would love for her to be my son's teacher for the rest of his life.

Next week is teacher appreciation week. While I appreciate Mrs. C everyday, I wanted to do something special for her next week. But what? Pinterest was crawling with ideas, but so many of them seem exceptionally labor intensive for the parent/student, and not so fun for the teacher themselves. I mean that teacher initial made from crayons? Every time I see it I think that the teacher would probably had preferred the parent donate the actual crayons to the classroom.

 

Then I found this from Chickabug. Posted by an actual teacher friend, so I know it's the good stuff.

 

 

 

So, so, so perfect. So easy! But even more, so great for your special teacher! Because don't teachers deserve to spend a little something on themselves after spending so much on our children? They do indeed.

 

You can visit Chickabug and download your own printables for free!

 

*His student teacher is also amazing. We lucked out in the biggest, best way possible this year. Gift cards for all!

CELEBRATING...THE WEEKDAY DINNER

Sitting down at the table every night as a family and eating together is important at our house. It's the time for a nutritious, balanced meal, but it's also more than just food. Dinner time is learning table manners, talking about our day, and enjoying a moment to sit with each other between the grind of the day and the rush of the bedtime routine.

But who am I kidding. Getting dinner on the table and everyone there during the week is hard work. I'm at home during the day and it's still a challenge. And for those of you who work outside of the home, good for you for every night you don't order pizza and call it a night.

This is a meal that can help you avoid that. Browned smoked turkey sausage and chickpeas, with diced tomatoes and kale. Throw in an onion if you have one. It's healthy, one pot, quick, and delicious. Everyone at my house eats all of this, and the best part of it is how versatile it is. Switch out the kale for spinach. Trade chickpeas for white beans. Use broth instead of tomatoes. Add ground beef and black beans and top with grated cheese. The formula is simple: meat, beans, liquid, greens. Eat. Enjoy. You might even have time to practice those table manners.

Chop, drain. These are simple things.

Brown the sausage, onion, and chickpeas. Toasting the chickpeas makes them slightly crispy and super tasty.

Add the tomatoes, juices and all. Bring them to a boil.

Add the kale. It looks like too much. Don't worry! It will cook down.

See! Stir it, serve it. Weekday dinner.

 

Smoked Turkey Sauage with Kale and Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 onion, diced (optional)
2 cans chickpeas (also know as garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped (if the steams are thick, discard them)


In a large pan, brown the sausage and onion over medium high heat until sausage is slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the chickpeas. Stir and cook about 10 minutes, until chickpeas are toasted and some of  the skins are bursting. Add the can of tomatoes and their juices. Stir and allow to come to a boil. Add the kale and a generous amount of salt and pepper on top of the kale. Do not stir. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove lid, stir, and serve.

SETTING THE TABLE FOR AFTERNOON TEA

I recently hosted a grown-up afternoon tea party. The ladies wore dresses, we used good china, fresh flowers filled the table, and hot tea and sparkling water in our cups. Finger sandwiches, cakes and cookies, and fresh fruit on our plates. Add a dose of good conversation and lots of laughter.  A lovely afternoon.

 

 

CELEBRATING...100 DAYS OF SCHOOL

It was the 100th day of school yesterday, evidently a BIG DEAL on the kindergarten circuit. I found this shirt idea from Really Quite Lucky on Pinterest, and thought it would be perfect. It was easy, although cutting out each tally mark individually with scissors was a bit of madness. But what's a little madness when you get a smile like that?


What you need:
White shirt
Colored fabric (two to five colors works)
Scissors
A tally mark silhouette
Heat'n Bond or some other iron-on adhesive

1. Trace your tally mark onto the smooth side of the iron-on adhesive paper.
2. Iron the adhesive onto your colored fabric, marking sure to divide the number of tallys per color that you desire.
3. Cut those tallys out like crazy.
4. Arrange in the pattern of your choice on the shirt. Iron.
5. Let your kid be the rock star of the 100th day of kindergarten.

CELEBRATING...FANTASTIC MR. FOX

 

We just finished reading Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox to our son, and decided to have a little celebration because we loved the book so much*. And what does one serve at a party for Fantastic Mr. Fox? Chicken and vegetable pie fit for a Feast**, bien sur.

Chicken, of course. And carrots for the rabbits.**

 

I had these Woodland Animal Cookie Cutters, which just happens to have a fox. So we used that to cut the vents in the top of the pie.

 

 

And of course, apple cider. Though not hard, as it is in the book. We wouldn't want any disgruntled rats showing up, now would we?**

 

 

 

Good book, good food. What else do you need for a cause to celebrate?

*It was also a great way to convince my son to eat chicken and vegetable pie, which is not a favorite of his.
**If these Feast/animal references sound crazy, please read Fantastic Mr. Fox for clarity. :)


Chicken and Vegetable Pie
adapted from Real Simple

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
3 heaping tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 10oz bag frozen peas
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (optional)
salt and pepper
1 9inch store bought pie crust, thawed if frozen

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the oil and butter is a large, heavy bottomed pan ( I use my cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, but not brown (about 5 minutes). Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and cook until incorporated into the flour/vegetable mix, about 5-7 minutes. Using a whisk, add the milk and simmer until the sauce has thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and peas, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2-2 quart baking dish (I use a pie dish).
Lay the crust on top, pressing to seal. Cut several vents in the crust. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until bubbling and the crust is golden, about 45 minutes.

 

Poor Mr Fox. His tail was the first to go.