Last month Josh and I had Fort February. This month, we are moving on to "Make It March." We're going to spend some time in the kitchen, making some easy, yummy recipes and decorating/setting the table.
Today we made place mats which we will use at dinner tonight. Josh and I colored on blank white paper with crayons - nothing fancy, no oil paints or anything like that. Just some delightful scribbles from my budding little Picasso. I'm sure Daddy will at least get a kick out of them when he comes home for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, our place mat-making session had to be cut short early when Josh started coloring with crayon all over the cute little kid-sized chair that Grandma & Grandpa got him for Christmas. Not good! We're hoping to develop the skill of knowing where to keep crayons (ahem, on the paper!).
Here are some kid-friendly (well toddler friendly, I hope) recipes we may be trying out in the next few weeks:
Rice Roll Ups
Stir 2 tablespoons shredded carrot, 1 tablespoon sweet-and-sour sauce, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into 3/4 cup cooked brown rice. Spoon 2 tablespoons of rice mixture onto a thin slice of deli roast beef. Top with a slice each of red pepper and avocado; then roll up. Cut rolls in half diagonally. Repeat steps to make 12 pieces.
Cheesy Bruschetta
Slice a 1/2-pound whole-grain baguette into 16 pieces and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until just toasted, turning once. In a small bowl, stir together 2 seeded and chopped Roma tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture onto each bread slice. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
(both recipes taken from Parents.com)
Clover Cookies (in honor of St. Patty's Day!)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Green food coloring
Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Stir well
and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about
1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, mixing well after
each addition. The dough should be stiff.
Add several drops of green food coloring. Knead the dough until the color is
evenly distributed. (Make sure children wash their hands immediately after
kneading--food coloring can be messy.)
Gather the dough into two balls, flatten into disks beginning at the edge of
the dough and working toward the center. Cover with plastic and chill for at
least 2 hours or overnight.
After the dough has chilled, place one half on a large piece of plastic wrap,
cover with another piece of plastic wrap and then roll until it is 1/4-inch
thick. Lift off the top sheet of plastic wrap and cut out shamrocks, beginning
at the edge of the dough and working toward the center.
Place each shamrock on an ungreased baking sheet. Heat the oven to 350
degrees. Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove to
a rack to cool. For particularly festive shamrocks, decorate them with green
candies or frosting.Makes about 34.
(recipe taken from FamilyFun.com).
