Here comes a big change!
This past week my family has been through quite an ordeal. We went from discovering our Little Chef H, Haley, was having seizures to discovering just a few days later that she has a very large brain tumor and surgery is within 7-10 days. She is a very unique case because she is 2, the tumor is large and the type of tumor is difficult to remove.
My focus at this moment needs to be primarily on her needs. If we need a distraction we might post something here and there. (We were really looking ...
Pirate Games – Matching and Reasoning
Today we are sharing Pirate Games - one printable with two variations. This week we created a Pirate Menu which consisted of Walk the Plank Salmon, Sun Roasted Broccoli and Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread. We also learned how to Select, Store and Freeze Broccoli. What fun is "Talk Like A Pirate Day" next Thursday if you can't play a game! This pirate matching game can be played in two different ways.
How to Play Pirate Games:
Print the free printable twice so that you can play the ...
Walk The Plank Salmon
Next Thursday is "Talk Like A Pirate Day." My Little Chefs and I thought it would be fun to make a piratey menu for the day and have a piratey activity. Walk the Plank Salmon is an easy recipe. I would say it is a quick recipe except for it has 30 minutes of marinade time. If you call a recipe that can be made in 1 hour quick then this is one of those.
Submerge your cedar planks in water for 30 minutes. You will need to start with a defrosted salmon or salmon fillets. Whether you buy it ...
Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread
To continue on with our Pirate theme, yesterday we had Sun Roasted Broccoli and today we are sharing our Cheesy Pull Apart Sourdough Bread. I'm sure the bread the pirates had was not freshly made but that isn't stopping us from making something delicious today. What I love about this recipe is you are not making the bread, you get to buy a round loaf of sourdough. That saves a lot of time!
The cutting of the bread is a little tricky, your Little Chefs might need some assistance. When ...
Sun Roasted Broccoli
Next Thursday is "Talk Like A Pirate Day." We thought it would be fun to have a pirate menu and craft/activity to make it a fun filled pirate day. That is why we are sharing "Sun Roasted Broccoli" today. Those pirates are on the ship all day being roasted by the sun.
First, wash your broccoli and then chop it into bite sized pieces. Some of ours were bite sized and some were larger, it depends on the chef and how particular they are. I prefer bite sized pieces because then I do not need to ...
How To Select, Store and Freeze Broccoli
How To Select Broccoli
The florets should be tightly closed.
Broccoli should have a deep green color all over.
Stalks should be firm and slender.
Do NOT select those with yellow spots or yellow flowers.
How To Store Broccoli
Do not wash the broccoli.
Raw broccoli needs air circulation. Place broccoli in an open plastic bag.
Place in the fridge in crisper drawer.
It is best to use in 3-5 days but may last a week.
Wash only before use.
How To Freeze Broccoli
Use ...
Grandparents Bingo {Free Printable}
All week we have been sharing our "Brunch with Grandparents" Menu for Grandparents Day which is this upcoming Sunday. My Little Chefs love to talk and play games with their Grandparents when we get together (or over Skype!). Today we are sharing a Grandparents Bingo you can play together. Ok, it isn't Bingo in the traditional sense, but it is fun. Some items are older and some items are newer. That is what is so fun! My Little Chefs learn best through stories. There are some items my Little ...
Orange Cream Delight
We love to make smoothies because they are hard to go wrong. The Little Chefs are able to make their own recipes, or they are able to alter others like this one. All the ingredients are added to the blender in any order, except the ice which always goes last.
For the Orange Cream Delight Little Chef D added the yogurt.
Next the peaches and banana.
Then comes the milk.
Little Chef D and A worked together to get out the orange juice concentrate. That was a hard task because it was ...
Raspberry Honey Butter
Sometimes toast needs a little something extra, a little something different then honey or jam or jelly. Cinnamon sugar is a good option. It is quick and easy to make but so is Raspberry Honey Butter.
Soften one stick of butter, add 3 ingredients, combine in a food processor and you are good to go! It is a great beginner recipe for your Little Chefs to practice measuring liquid ingredients. It only takes a few minutes so even those with shorter attention spans will be able to make it ...
Breakfast Hash
Are you ever looking for a breakfast or brunch recipe to impress? Since next Sunday is Grandparents Day we are sharing a "Brunch with Grandparents" menu this week!
While searching through a Taste of Home book I found this breakfast hash recipe that I knew would be amazing and was not let down. This is a great recipe for Little Chefs because after the prep work it is made in one skillet which means only one thing to focus on. There is some waiting time to let the hash browns lightly brown, ...
How To Chop An Onion – From My Little Chefs To Yours
Little Chefs A, C and D made a video showing your Little Chefs 3 different ways to chop an onion. Little Chef A shows you how to use a knife, Little Chef C shows you how to use the Vidalia Chop Wizard and Little Chef D shows you how to use a Food Chopper. Why are we showing you three different ways? My Little Chefs are different ages with different abilities therefore requiring different tools to make chopping safe.
Click image to watch!
Come back this week to see where we used this ...
Cupcake Liner Utensil Holder
I have never been to a BBQ where they do not serve on paper plates with plastic utensils. Our craft today is to give some color to the utensil holder. To give it some personality and texture. We are using mini cupcake liners. Instead of just gluing them as they come out of the package our first step is to flip them inside out. This way the color is on the inside, not the outside which allows us to see the color more easily in the final product.
We used 18 mini cupcake liners for each ...
Grilled Sweet Potatoes in Foil
To continue with our Labor Day BBQ Meal today we are sharing Grilled Sweet Potatoes in Foil. We love this recipe because it is easy. You get to prep it and then leave it alone and focus on your main dish. As a recap, Monday we showed you how to store winter and summer squash, Tuesday we shared Fire Wire Beef Kabobs and Wednesday we shared Grilled Zucchini Halves.
Anything cooked on the grill in a packet is fun for my Little Chefs. Not only does it look like a present but they can ...
Grilled Zucchini Halves
This week we are sharing with you a Labor Day BBQ Meal. On Monday we showed you how to store winter and summer squash. On Tuesday we shared with you Fire Wire Beef Kabobs. Today we are sharing with you Grilled Zucchini Halves. Zucchini seems to be one of the easiest things to grow around me and everyone has more then they can eat! I love zucchini when they are about 8" long and thin. Grilled Zucchini Halves are so simple to prepare with only 4 ingredients!
Cut the ends off your zucchini ...
Fire Wire Beef Kabobs
Labor Day is just a few days away and that means more grilling! While I do not let my Little Chefs grill I still believe they can participate in the preparation of the meal. This week we are offering you a Labor Day BBQ Meal.
My thoughtful sister got me a product I hadn't seen before wondering if it would be easy for the Little Chefs to use as a new way to make kabobs. Fire Wire Stainless Steel Flexible Grilling Skewer, Set of 4 is sold at Amazon as well as other online locations. With ...
How To Select and Store Summer Squash
We are doing something a little different around here. Instead of random recipes we are going to give you one meal a week. Monday will be a teaching tool or tip relating to some part of the menu. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be three different components to the menu. Thursday will still be our Fantastic Thursday Linky party. Friday will be a craft or activity relating to the theme of the menu.
What is summer squash? Zucchini, yellow crook neck squash and yellow straight neck are the ...
How To Measure Liquid Ingredients – From My Little Chefs To Yours
Earlier this week Little Chef A showed you how to measure dry ingredients with a short video. Since that was so much fun today Little Chef A is back to show you how to measure liquid ingredients.
This time she had an even better time making the video. She is so proud of her improvement and becoming more confident. I am also so proud of her!
Click to watch!
Now that you know how to measure dry and liquid ingredients you are ready to start cooking...if you haven't already! Let your ...
Sponsored Post: Green Giant Veggie Snacks
Not only has school already started for us, but so has soccer season! Practices are keeping us busy each night. This Saturday is the first of the games. Spending so much time outside waiting and watching I have to be creative to keep my Little Chefs happy. One way is to make sure they are fed. I have found if they are hungry they are not happy anywhere, especially at the soccer field where they need to stay for a predetermined time. We are not able to leave whenever we want which makes it ...
How To Measure Dry Ingredients
We thought it would be fun to create a few how to videos from the viewpoint of my Little Chefs. We did a few last year and wanted to try it again. Some of our friends thought it was a lot of fun watching my Little Chefs crack an egg and shape a roll. My kids do love to cook and they really do love to create.
This is the first video, How To Measure Dry Ingredients. It will be a great chance to see them in action and to get to know them a little more. Some of these videos may not be the ...
Sponsored Post: Arby’s Grand Turkey Club Sandwich
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Now doesn't that picture make you hungry?! Does it make you want to reach out and take a bite? It looks like a sandwich I want to order when I know I will have 30 minutes on my own without Little Chef interruptions. It is a sandwich I want to slowly savor and enjoy without rushing to be somewhere or to stop in the middle to clean up a spill. It is a sandwich worthy of "me" ...
Strawberry Puffed Pastry Sandwich
We love quick desserts because they are great for kids to practice cooking from start to finish. A lot of times recipes are too lengthy in time so they don't make it all the way through without a lot of encouragement from me. Quick recipes are much simpler which usually means done in 15-30 minutes. The Little Chefs can see their progress and see they are close to the end when their attention starts to diminish which helps them continue on for just a few more minutes.
I first ...
Library Card Holder
We have been frequenting the library quite a bit while my Little Chefs were out of school. They absolutely love the library. When we go during the school year they have too many books to read and the library ones go unread, or are only partially read. Before moving our library had a fun summer reading program with incentives each week. They would set their own reading goal and if they accomplished it each week they could go back into the library for their reward. They were usually BOGO or ...
Basil can stay green for a few hours!
I have always used the chopped basil immediately because it turns brown quickly and then doesn't look appealing. Basil leaves are delicate and bruise easily. When you cut basil you are creating surfaces to be exposed to air. The basil turns black because it is oxidizing, just like an apple. You cannot stop this process, but you can slow it down.
Using a chiffonade cut is one way to slow it down. A chiffonade cut makes the basil into ribbons. How do you create the ribbons? Choose sprigs ...
Fla-Vor-Ice Freezer Pops
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jel Sert for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
When I was young I spent a lot of my summer outside riding my bike to the school to ride in safety on the playground, to the park for tennis or to the pool for fun. There is only one summertime treat I know of you can eat while riding a bike...Fla-Vor-Ice! Cut the top off and let it hang out of your mouth while you ride. No hands are needed!
My Little Chefs play outside just as much ...
