High Ho, High Ho, It's off to work we go!

Our family's fancy chore chart!

Don't you love chores!  Come on!  I am not feeling the love.  What is better than doing all those household chores.  I will tell you.  Trying to get your kids to do them.  For many years, way too many years (in fact, I would be embarrassed to admit how many) I just did not make my kids do regular chores.  It was always so much work to get them motivated or keep myself motivated to make them do it. 

Last fall, I finally made a list of all the chores that I found myself doing each week in an effort to get organized.  Nothing like making a list to get organized.  First, I realized there were way too many things on the list for one person to accomplish in a week.  Second, I realized that "picking up" was one of the most time consuming chores on the list.  The very next week, I made a quick trip into Hobby Lobby and saw this cute "chore chart" for 50% off.  You gotta love Hobby Lobby.  The main reason I bought it was because "pick up" was included on the list of chores!!  Plus, I love the "whistle while you work" theme.  Happy hearts and singing voices help with the chores.  We put on some loud music and jam our way through the list!

Hallelujah, I had found a way to share the "love" with the rest of the family!  I made little hanging tags with the kids names to assign the jobs. (Of course, I had to use cute color-coordinated ribbon.)  I rationalized that the time I spent making the chore chart would pay off when the kids helped me with all the housework.

It paid off!  There is something psychological about pointing to an inanimate object when everyone is complaining and asking, "What do I have to do?"  It actually take the focus off of "mean old mom" and moves it, however ridiculous this may sound, to the "mean old chore chart.'  I was telling a teacher friend about this yesterday and she said they learned this technique in a workshop...moving the focus away from yourself.  There was some fancy teacher word explaining this, which I don't remember, but I felt good that I had hit upon some recognized method of controlling behavior!

Our chore chart is "set in stone" or rather, "wood" so the chores can't be changed, but they work for us.  We have three kids in our family and there were six chores listed.  I divided the chores in half and color-coordinated the cards so that three of chores get rotated separately.  In other words, three of the chores (pick up, dishes and garbage) are more "every day" chores and three of them (vacuum, sweep and helping mom with laundry) are more "once a week" chores.  It seemed a better divide this way.  Each child (or mini-adult) has two chores for the week.  Now, I would be lying if I said we are getting 100% commitment from Mom and kids on this system.  But, I am telling you, 75% is really great!!!!  (There are not enough exclamation points for this...and you know I love exclamation points).  So, break out the chore chart and share the "love" of cleaning with those sweet kids.  Or else make them watch an episode of "Messiest House" and tell them how lucky they are to have a mom who makes them clean!  It works in our house.

Honey Lime Fruit Salad with Poundcake Croutons

CORRECTION:  Just fixed the mistakes to the recipe.  The translation was lost when I copied it from my curriculum!  So sorry, let's try again!

Honey Lime Fruit Salad with Pound Cake Croutons

Honey Lime Fruit Salad


How to make the Fruit Salad:
1 tablespoon orange zest 1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 apple
1 cup grapes
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup melon (such as honeydew or cantaloupe)
1 cup pineapple chunks 3/4 cup seedless red or green grapes, cut in half
1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered 1/3 cup blueberries or pitted cherries

To make the Fruit Salad, place the orange zest, orange juice, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Cut the apple, pineapple, strawberries and melon into cubes, adding the fruits to the bowl as you cut them to prevent them from browning. Add the remaining fruits. Stir, coating the fruits with the juices, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


How to make Honey-lime Dressing:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 1 lime)

To make the Honey-lime dressing whisk together the honey and lime juice in a bowl until smooth.

How to make the Pound Cake Croutons:
8 oz pound cake, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced mint leaves

To make the Pound Cake Croutons heat the oven to 350°. With a knife, slice the pound cake into cubes. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, turning twice, until golden. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mint, then add the toasted pound cake. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.


Spoon the salad into serving bowls, drizzle it with the Honey-lime Dressing, and then top with Pound Cake Croutons. Makes about 6 cups.

Kid's Fruit Kebabs

I have served fruit kebabs for breakfast with an egg casserole.

This week is "eat your fruit" week.  OK, I made it up, but doesn't it sound good.  Most of the time it is easier to get the kids to eat their fruit than to eat their veggies, but unfortunately with all the prepackaged sweets offered at the grocery store a fresh peach may not sound as tantalizing as a chocolate sandwich cookie.

Below, I included a recipe for strawberry cream cheese dip to serve alongside the kid kebabs.  I have found that kids are a lot more likely to eat something if one, they helped make it and two, the food is separated into small piles and they get to dip their food.  You would think I was talking just about toddlers, but I have found it to be true of older kids, too.  Kids love dip...I could do a whole week on dips.  I know some parents are hesitant to offer the extra calories, but the point is to get children to try new things and acquire a taste for healthy foods.  Hummus with carrot and celery sticks (OK we throw in pita chips, too) is one of my kids' favorite snacks.

I love this recipe because it is fun for the kids to make and to eat.  You can add protein for a delicious lunch or after-school snack by including chunks of cheese and lunch meat.

Kid's Fruit Kebabs

watermelon, strawberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew
deli turkey & ham, cubed
cheddar cheese, cubed
bendable drinking straws
wooden skewer

Cut fruit into bite-size pieces. Use a wooden skewer to make a hole through the center of each piece of food before layering them onto the straw.  Turn a drinking straw upside down and fold the bendable part of the straw around, creating a handle. Slide a piece of food onto the straw, pushing it to the bottom and onto the hooked part of the straw to secure the handle. Continue layering the meat, cheese and fruit until the straw is full. Serve chilled alongside strawberry cream cheese dip.

This dip is so good you can serve it at a party!

Strawberry Fruit Dip

1 cup yogurt (vanilla)
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 cup strawberry jam

Put all ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth. Makes a pretty pink fruit dip. Very kid friendly.

Fun with Fruit

Fruit Smiles!

Fruit can be fun!  There are lots of ways to get kids to eat their fruit and veggies.  Try a few of these fun recipes for fruit.  Some are good for school lunches, afternoon snacks and some are fun for the kids to make themselves.  I will post a few fun recipes to try over the next few days.  First try these yummy fruit smiles.

Cantaloupe fruit smiles with strawberry jello.

Fruit Smiles



1 melon (cantaloupe or honeydew)
1 package Jell-O brand gelatin
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup mixed fruit

CUT 1 melon (about 3-1/2 lb.) in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Scoop out melon, leaving each half with a 1-inch-thick shell. Chop removed melon; drain well. Cut thin slice off bottom of each melon shell to allow it to stand upright.


STIR 3/4 cup boiling water into 1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Brand Gelatin in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved chopped melon and 1/2 cup fruit to each melon shell.


POUR gelatin evenly into melon shells. Pour any remaining gelatin into small bowl to enjoy later. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Cut each half melon into four wedges to serve.

 

FRUIT CRITTERS

Ladybugs
For each one, push half of a red grape onto a trimmed wooden skewer for the head. Next, push on a hulled strawberry body and score the back to create wings. For spots, use a toothpick to gently press mini chocolate chips, tips down, into the fruit. Arrange the skewers on a honeydew melon half.

Caterpillars
Carefully thread grapes onto a pretzel stick to make a caterpillar. Stick 2 sunflower seeds into one of the end grapes to make eyes. You can also use 2 kinds of grapes to make a multi colored caterpillar.


Bumble Bees
Cut off the last 2 inches of a banana, so you have a piece with a slight curve and a tapered end. This will be the body. Carefully stick a pretzel stick into the cut surface so half is in the banana and half is sticking out. Core a strawberry and carefully stick in onto the other half of the pretzel stick to attach the "head". Cut a raisin in 1/2 and stick the cut side onto either side of the strawberry to make eyes. Cut 2 slices of apple and carefully stick into the banana to make wings.

Have fun making your own critters using different fruits! 

Texas State Fair Corn dogs

Big Tex, an icon at the State Fair of Texas

Food is the prominent feature at the State Fair of Texas, aside from Big Tex, and one of the main reasons to visit Fair Park in Dallas every year.  Fried food is the real star with the Big Tex Choice Awards, an annual contest judging the best-tasting and most creative fried foods this side of the Mississippi.  Past winners include chicken fried bacon, fried banana split, and deep fried peaches and cream.  Everyone in Texas remembers last year's Most Creative winner, deep fried butter.  Yes, I said "deep fried butter."  It is hard to wrap my mind around the fat and calorie count of deep fried butter, but it may be best not to think about it.  Fried foods are special-occasion foods after all, and though we can look down our "nutrition-focused" noses at deep fried butter, even  the healthiest among us has a hard time resisting funnel cake.  I mean, c'mon, have you ever tasted that stuff.  Add Belgian waffles, strawberry lemonade and corn dogs and more than the kids are going home with full bellies.

These boots were not made for walking...

Every summer we have a day of cooking class honoring the fair and we fry up everything we can get our grubby little hands on.  This year we even tried deep fried Oreos...not our best concoction, but eaten none the less.  We make Belgian waffles, drink our strawberry lemonade, then sit back with full tummies and look forward to the next few healthy classes focused on summer fruit and veggies.  But oh what a day it is!
 

The stars at night are big and bright!

So, I thought I would honor the great State Fair by sharing our corn dog recipe with you.  The Texas State Fair is still a month away but who has time to fry up corn dogs after school is back in session.  You have a week and a half left to try these out.  Put out some celery and carrot sticks and enjoy your fried creation guilt free. 

CORN DOG BATTER


3 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 1/4 c. water
1 eggs

In large mixing bowl mix all dry ingredients. Add buttermilk and water. Beat in eggs and mix well. If batter gets stiff add small amount of water.

To prepare corn dog, use hot dogs right out of the package; insert stick in one end of the hot dog and coat it by rolling it in the batter. Hold on to stick and gently lower into deep, hot oil. Turn the corn dogs until browned on both sides. Leftover batter may be kept a few days in the refrigerator.

Summer Bread Salad

Summer Bread Salad

There are several recipes out there for bread salad.  Essentially you make your own croutons and toss quite a few of them with everything you can get from your summer garden.  Make your own dressing or use your favorite...we like Paul Newman's Low-Calorie Balsamic Vinaigrette.  This time I made a variation of Rebecca Rather's Rustic Bread Salad with fresh basil from the garden.  We really enjoyed this Saturday night with roasted chicken.  (See earlier post for recipe.)  I halved the recipe and we still had a huge bowl of salad, enough for leftovers the next day.  My version of the recipe is listed below, so if you have a big crowd you can easily double the salad.

Remember the salad is called "Summer Bread Salad" so the bread makes up more of the salad than the traditional croutons.  Pile them on!  The salad is very hearty and could be a meal in itself.  All the fresh summer corn and heirloom tomatoes are at their best in the summer, of course.  It's not too late to try your own version!  I know little kids can be picky about mixing everything together in one big bowl.  Why not separate a small portion of each ingredient on their plate.  Add some ranch on the side and before too long, maybe they won't notice when you mix it all together.  It's worth a try! :)

Summer Bread Salad with Roasted Chicken & Shaved Parmesan

Summer Bread Salad

1 whole round loaf of sourdough bread
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used "Mediterranean Garlic" flavored oil for extra taste)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ears sweet corn, shucked and boiled for 3-5 minutes
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsley chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsley chopped
1 medium zucchini, cut in 1/8-inch slices and quartered
1 medium yellow squash, cut in 1/8-inch slices and quartered
3/4 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 pint of sweet, yellow tomatoes, halved
1 heirloom tomato (favorite variety) cored, sliced and cut into bite size pieces
8-10 large basil leaves, cut into ribbons
1 bag of baby arugula (I used romaine and it was delicious- you could use 1/2 bag of each)
Parmesan curls, for garnish

TO MAKE THE BREAD:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes.  Combine the melted butter, flavored olive oil and salt in a small bowl. 
 

 

Spread the cubes on baking sheet in a single layer (may take two small baking sheets) and toss with the butter mixture to coat evenly.  Bake, turning occasionally, until the cubes are browned and crisp, about 30 minutes.  Cool the bread thoroughly on the baking sheet.

 
TO MAKE THE SALAD:  Cut the corn kernels off the cob and place in a large serving bowl along with the bell peppers, zuchinni, squash, cherry tomatoes, basil, arugula and heirloom tomato.  Toss to mix evenly.  I kept the salad and bread separate until serving.  In fact, I combined individual servings so that leftover bread could be stored separately from the salad and still be good the next day.  For a gathering, just toss the bread into the salad right before serving.  Top with Parmesan shavings and dressing and serve immediately.

S'mores Cupcakes

YUMMY!  I have been reading the Pastry Queen's party cookbook and loving all the recipes and family stories that center around Texas cooking.  We have an abundance of influences here in the Lone Star state, which was my inspiration for the "Six Flags over Texas" cooking class.  I just found this cookbook and I actually read through it like a novel.  So many of the recipes are on my list to try, but yesterday I finally made the S'more Cupcakes for our church small group.  They tasted great (almost like chocolate pie) with the graham cracker base, chocolate-chocolate chip cake and homemade marshmallow frosting that you toast on top.  We enjoyed them with homemade vanilla ice cream!  This is a must-try for chocolate lovers.

S,mores Cupcakes

Graham Cracker Base
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 cup high-quality unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup brewed coffee
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flower
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) bag of Ghiradelli large milk chocolate chips

Marshmallow Topping
8 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar

TO MAKE THE GRAHAM CRACKER BASE:  In a bowl, stir together the crumbs, the 1 cup melted butter and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Set Aside  **I had to make another half batch of this to make enough for all the cupcake batter.

TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line Texas or standard-size cupcake tins with paper cupcake liners.  For the crust, press the graham crackers base into the bottow of each well: about 3 teaspoons for a Texas-size cupcake; about 2 tablespoon for a standard size cup.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth.  Add the coffee and whisk until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Pour into mixing bowl.  Add the 2 cups sgar, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Add the flour, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt and whisk until incorporated/  Stir in chocolate chips.

Evenly divide the batter to fill each cup to the top of the muffin papers.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cupcakes feel firm when lightly pressed in their center, 20- 25 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes before icing.

TO MAKE THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING:  Set a large, perfectly clean metal or pyrex bowl over a pot filled with 2 inches of lightly simmering water.  Add the egg whites and 1 1/2 cups sugar and heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar melts and there are no visible sugar grains in the meringue.  (Rub a little bit between your fingers to make sure all the sugar has melted).  It doesn't take long.  Remove the meringue form the heat and beat it with an electic mixer on high speed until the meringue is stiff and shiny, about 5 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CUPCAKES:  Spoon the marshmallow topping into a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.  Pipe the topping onto each cupcake in a circular motion, starting at the outside and working toward the center piling in high in the center.  Or pile the topping on the top of the cupcake, swirling the center into a peak with your fingers. 

Using a kitchen torch, brown the marshmallow by moving the flame slowly around the cupcake.  You can brown the cupcakes under a broiler just be VERY careful.  Watch the cupcakes closely, as they can go from browned to burnt in seconds.