Mar 24

Fun Kid Food: Squidghetti

Activities, Health No Comments »

Kids love meals that are not just delicious but a little entertaining. After all you only get to be a kid once, so why not live it up a little every now and then. Now I usually hate cooking meals that specifically target the kids because I believe that they should learn to eat what everyone else is eating and love the adult foods, or at least a broader palette of adult foods. But this recipe is just so much fun so why not make it at least once in a while for some fun with your kids. They are only young once and as my mother is constantly reminding me I need to enjoy them at each and every stage of their development and not take them for granted. So here we have a fun recipe that will let kids be kids, allows adults to experience a little bit of their lost childhood, and can still be a pretty healthy and delicious meal.

Once of the ways I assure myself this is a good idea is to make my sauce from scratch with lots of little bits of veggies in it. I also substitute wheat pasta for the squid. Now in my house we only eat Hebrew National hotdogs because they are preservative free but feel free to substitute turkey dogs or anything else your family may like.

What you need:

Sauce:

  • 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes
  • 3/4 cups chopped garlic (about two heads)
  • 4 cups diced onions (3-4 medium)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (we use sea salt)
  • 1/4 cups tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
  • 1/2 cups red wine (you can use red wine vinegar if you choose not to use wine, but as long as it boils and reduces it will not hurt you or your kids)
  • 1/2 cups fresh basil
  • Ground Pepper to taste

 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Using a sharp paring knife, core the tomatoes and score a small X into the flesh on the bottom.
  2. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water, in batches, until the skins are slightly loosened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and let sit in the water for 1 minute before removing.
  4. Place a sieve over a bowl; working over it, peel the tomatoes using a paring knife, and let the skins fall into the sieve.
  5. Halve the tomatoes crosswise and scoop out the seeds with a hooked finger, letting the sieve catch the seeds. Press the seeds and skins to extract any extra juice. Coarsely chop and set aside.
  6. Heat oil in a Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and just beginning to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions and salt, stir to coat, cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning, until soft and turning golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and oregano and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste is beginning to brown on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 4 minutes.
  7. Pour in wine (or vinegar); bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a spoon. Cook until reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and any juice; return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are mostly broken down, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in basil and pepper. Transfer the sauce, in batches, to a blender or food processor. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Process until desired consistency. For a smooth sauce, puree it all; for a chunky sauce, puree just half and mix it back into the rest of the sauce.

For Noodles and Hotdogs:

  • Spaghetti Noodles
  • Package of hotdogs

  1. While sauce is cooking begin boiling a large pot of water for noodles and hotdogs.
  2. Slice hotdogs into pieces about 1 1/2 to two inches long. Take noodles and poke them into one end of the hotdog. Place in large pot of boiling water and allow it to simmer until noodles are soft.
  3. Combine sauce and hotdogs and noodles. Now you have squidghetti. Enjoy a fun and unusual meal with your kids!

 

 

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Mar 18

10 Rules of Mothers with Sons: Insight for Mom

Activities, Health, Learning 1 Comment »

We all know how hard it can be to raise a good young man. We are all plagued with daily doubts about whether we are helping our boys become great young men and ensuring they will become great men of the world. But how do we truly know that we are helping our little men become great men? What do we really teach them on a daily basis? How much of what we do with them at this young of an age actually makes a difference in their future behavior. Well the answer is a lot. We all know firsthand through our experiences with grown men that much of their lives were shaped as children. It is the way with all of us. The relationships and influences we had as children shape our lives as adults. We rationalize that we know what is best for our kids, we read books, talk with family, friends, and spiritual advisors, and consult experts, all in the hopes of helping our children become better people. So today let’s do that a little bit more. We are not the experts; there may not even be any experts. But we do have ideas; we do have opinions, and today let’s try sharing them.

We recently found a blog with some great ideas on 25 rules of mothers with sons StuderTeam has some incredible and insightful ideas. Today we will share a few with you, and we hope that will prompt you to share a few with us as well. We have power in numbers. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps the only way to ensure your son grows into a great man is to work with the people in your life, near and far, and band together to help your little man in his journey. Let’s take that first step with a few ideas.

1. Teach him to experience his feelings. Give him words to put to them, let him cry and let him understand it is important to experience his emotions and feelings. Getting them out is the only way to cope with them.

2. Be his cheerleader. Support him in his goals, dreams, and even in his failures. If he loses the big game, be there to help him understand the importance of losing. Losing is the only way we learn from our mistakes and our successes.

3. Teach him to take care of himself. Give him the tools to clean up after himself, do the laundry, cook, and love. These are all things he will need to know to exist in the world and be a successful man, husband, and father one day.

4. Read with him often and early. Readers are created at a young age and reading is vital in the world. No matter what he does in this world even if he is an auto mechanic or a cop he will need to be a strong reader.

5. Teach him to dance, and help him to enjoy it. Dancing is about rhythm and communication. It is a universal language; it brings out a world of fun and freedom. Teach him to be free.

6. Make sure he has strong male role models of every type, the brain, the jock, the explorer, the optimist. Give him strong examples of women as well. Women are just as strong and powerful as men. Give him examples of women in the world that have done amazing and courageous things. Surround him with strong examples of men and women outside of the celebrity spotlight.

7. Give him something to believe in. Let him understand that believing in something means accepting it with flaws and all. Show him how to pioneer for a cause, accept a person with faults and perfection. Make him understand that everyone and everything has some common ground and that in order to truly understand someone is to find that common ground, give it a chance to flourish, and believe that good things can come from it.

8. Allow him to ask questions, help him to find answers. Do not brush of his incessant “why?” questioning the world is how we learn from it. Learn with him.

9. Give him the opportunity to help others. Show him that by helping others we help ourselves. Get him to volunteer, volunteer with him and meet people from different worlds, cultures, and backgrounds.

10. Love him. No matter who is he, why he is that why, what he has done. He is your son, your gift from the world. Stand by him even when he is wrong. This does not mean enable him. Do not try to rescue him from his own mistakes. Help him to understand what he has done wrong and let him understand that no matter what he has done you still love him and will always be there for him. This is the best you can ever do for him. Love is unconditional.

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Mar 13

Dangerous Desserts: Strawberry Shortcake Snake

Activities, Health No Comments »

Boys love snakes, Moms not always as much. So here is a snake that everyone can live with, and love. This Strawberry Shortcake Snake is a fun treat for everyone in the house, it tastes great and is incredibly fun and easy to make. Boys will love that they have their very own dangerous dessert and Moms will love that it is still a sweet treat that will be loved by the whole family. Plus, strawberries have some amazing vitamin C, which of course is just the frosting on the cake! This treat is fun for a party or gathering. It would make a great treat for a sleepover but would also be a hit at a family gathering. So have no fear and roll up those sleeves and prepare to create a sweet treat that will be sure to slither its way to the top of your dessert list.

What you need:

  • SHORTCAKE BISCUITS:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
  • 1 cup milk
  • STRAWBERRY FILLING:
  • 1 quart strawberries
  • 4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING:
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • GARNISHES:
  • 4 whole strawberries
  • Green fruit leather
  • Mini chocolate chips or M&M’s

 

What to do:

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine with a pastry cutter. Or use a vegetable grater to grate the stick into the mixing bowl and let your kids take turns blending the margarine into the dry ingredients with their fingertips. Once the dough is crumbly, slowly stir in the milk.
  2. Turn out the dough onto a floured working surface and gently roll or pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (it should measure about 6 x 8 inches). For the best results, handle the dough as little as possible.
  3. Slice the rectangle into four 1-1/2- x 8-inch strips. Place the strips on an ungreased baking sheet, then let your child mold and curve them into S shapes that resemble snakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the baked shortcakes to a wire rack (a parent’s job) and let cool. Carefully slice the cooled shortcakes in half lengthwise or split them with a fork and then set aside.
  4. Wash the strawberries and let your kids select four to use for the snakes’ heads. Slice the rest of the berries lengthwise into a mixing bowl. Toss with the confectioners’ sugar and let stand while you prepare the whipped cream.
  5. Combine the whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar in a chilled bowl and beat with an electric or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
  6. Just before serving, arrange berries on the bottom half of each shortcake, then cover with the shortcake top. Spread on whipped cream and add a layer of sliced strawberry “scales.”
  7. For the snakes’ heads, cut mouth openings in the tips of the whole berries and place one at the end of each shortcake. Press a pair of mini chocolate chip or M&M’s eyes into the sides of each head and add a forked tongue cut from green fruit leather. Serves 4.

 

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