Celebration Play Doh

Sorry, I've been MIA lately. We traveled over the holiday and dealt with a series of sicknesses like bronchitis and stomach flu and unfortunately passed the sickness along to all of our family throughout Illinois (sorry!). But, we are all healthy now and have been enjoying the break. The kids are getting a little bored with their new toys so we decided to make Celebration play doh today for a little New Years Eve fun.

 Here's what you need to make the play dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp of oil, I used vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt 
• 2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar
• 1 1/2 cup boiling water

 First, pour the 2 cups of flour into the bowl. 

Add 1/2 cup salt.

 Mix in 2 Tbsp Cream of Tartar

Add 2 Tbsp of oil. 

 Then, pour in the boiling water. This makes the dough very hot so be careful!

 Then, mix it all together until the it forms a dough. 

 : )

 Now is a good time to put on gloves if you don't want to stain your hands. (We didn't have any but it came off by the end of the day). Roll the dough into a couple balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet so that you don't stain your counter and put a thumbprint in the middle where the food coloring will go. 

 Add about 10-15 drops of food coloring to each ball and knead the dough until the die is mixed thoroughly mixed into the dough. 

 The dough is all finished! Now, the fun part- let them go crazy with glitter and sequins and anything else you can find that sparkles!

 They loved mixing the glitter into the dough and the baking pans contained the mess.

  Here are a few of their masterpieces. ; )

Coconut Curry Noodles

1 (13.5 oz.) can Coconut Milk
1 (14.5 oz.) can Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Fresh Ginger, minced
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
(1) Fresh Lime
1 Tbsp. Curry Powder
1 Tbsp. Siracha
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

(1) Red Pepper, thinly sliced
3 cups Snap Peas

1 pound Shrimp, uncooked (I used 26-30 size, you can also sub in chicken or whatever you may like)

Salt & Pepper
Sliced Green Onions
Roasted Peanuts
Cilantro
Siracha
(1) Fresh Lime

1 Box (14 oz.) Rice Noodles (or any other kind you may like)

Combine the coconut milk, tomatoes, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, curry powder, Siracha, and garlic over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer stirring occasionally. 

Add in the thinly sliced red pepper & snap peas.  (Feel free to get creative and add other ingredients you may like! carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc!)  Cook on medium/low heat for 5-10 minutes and then add in the peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp and cook for an additional 15 minutes (or until shrimp is completely cooked.

While this is cooking, cook your noodles according to the instructions on the box. (For rice noodles bring water to a boil, remove from heat and soak noodles for approximately 10 minutes)

After everything is cooked combine the noodles into the rest of your ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

After you have adjusted the seasoning plate/platter and sprinkle with sliced green onions, chopped roasted peanuts, and cilantro.  I usually add wedges of lime on each plate so everyone can add fresh lime juice to their plate right before eating.  I also usually put Siracha (my hubby and I's fav!) out for those who like extra spice!

Homemade Teacher Gift Idea

 I wanted to make something very special for B's Kindergarden teacher and the helper in his class this year because they are just so amazing. Almost every day he comes home and tells me how much he loves his teacher and he has made huge progress already. I know teachers like anything homemade and from the heart. But I've also heard they love gift cards. I found a way to combine both into a pretty little package. So here is how I did it:

 I started by taping a tea towel to the kitchen table.

B drew a picture on it and wrote a special message on it.

This is how it turned out. I threw it in the dryer for 30 minutes so that the colors won't run when it gets wet.

 Next, we made glittery wooden spoons. These were an idea from Heather because she created these for her Recipe Party as prizes and we loved how they turned out so much, I wanted to make them as Christmas gifts. This was more of a nap time project because the glitter can be messy with the kids. So, below is what I used to make them. I just bought fine glitter, Martha Stewart Decoupage glue and Sealer, a set of wooden spoons and a foam brush. 

 First, tape off the area that you want the glitter to be on the spoon. 

Then, brush the area with the decoupage glue and sealer.

 Sprinkle the glitter all over the decoupaged area making sure to use plenty so that you only need one coat of glitter.

 Then, I hung them over the counter to dry for about 3 hours. 

 After they were dry, I applied one more layer of decoupage glue with the foam brush (so that I didn't get glitter in the glue). 

Then I let them dry overnight. The best thing about these spoons is that no glitter comes off even when used or washed! 

Next, I used a hole punch for the hole in the gift card and slid the ribbon through, and tied a bow.

Here is how they turned out. I think it's a useful, yet homemade gift from the heart that his teachers are really going to love. Let me know what you think! 

Easy Cheese Ravioli with Peas, Spinach and Bacon

This is one of my go-to meals in the meal planner. We have it at least once a month because it is so easy, cheap and absolutely delicious. I didn't take pictures step-by-step but it is so easy, you really don't need them. So here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (I used kitchen scissors to cut which made it very easy)

1 package (20 oz fresh ravioli)

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups of fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup shaved parmesan

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy non-stick skillet, crisp the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve bacon fat.

2. In a pot of boiling water, cook the ravioli until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Heat the reserved bacon fat in the skillet over

high heat, add the ravioli and cook, tossing until golden brown in spots, for about 2 to 3 minutes.

3. In a saucepan, bring the peas, cream and garlic to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. Pour into the pan with the ravioli. Toss in the spinach to wilt. Mix in half the bacon and the cheese. Add 1 tbsp reserved pasta water at a time to thin the sauce as desired. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese. This recipe makes 4 huge servings. Enjoy!

Kid's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

 Last night was the kids' Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. We had a few friends and their families over for a very fun and festive night. The main attraction was definitely the Hot Chocolate Bar. All the kids were so excited to make their own hot chocolate with tons of candy and sugar…and then they ran ragged around our house chasing each other and wearing themselves out for the next two hours.

It was so much fun! :)

Here is how I put together the Hot Chocolate Bar:

First, I made a crockpot of hot chocolate. Here is the recipe I used and it made plenty for 14 people:

What You’ll Need:

• 10 cups Milk

• 1 cup Hershey’s Cocoa

• 1 1/2 cup White Sugar

• 2 cup Hot Water

What You’ll Do:

• Combine Cocoa, Sugar, and Hot Water in large pan.  Stir, and bring to gentle boil.

• Transfer mixture to crockpot, and add milk.

• Stir, then cook on high for 2 hours {or low for 4 hours}, or until hot.

 Then, I put out all kinds of toppings like sprinkles, whipped cream, white chocolate chips, caramel bits, crushed peppermint, chocolate shavings, marshmallows, and peppermint marshmallows. I got the adorable glass jars in the front from Dollar Tree. I was so excited to find these because now I am going to re-use them to keep art supplies in for the kids.

 Then I made these Peppermint Stir sticks. I made them 2 hours before the party and put them in the refrigerator with plastic wrap. Here is the quick and easy recipe for these:

What You’ll Need:

• Peppermint sticks (pack of 10 found at the Dollar Tree)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 5 crushed candy canes
• Bag of Marshmallows

What You’ll Do:

• Melt white chocolate in 30 second intervals in microwave. (It took about 2 minutes).
• Dip the peppermint stick into the white chocolate and stick into the marshmallow.
• Dip the other end of the marshmallow into white chocolate and roll it in crushed peppermint. 
• Let dry for 15 minutes on wax paper.
• Enjoy!

I put out some cookies that I'd made throughout the week. Here is a link to the Oatmeal M&M Cookies and here is a link to the Candy Cane Kiss Cookies. 

 I printed this adorable chalkboard sign here for free.

After the kids were done wearing off the hot chocolate, we did a simple Christmas Tree craft. I just got foam Christmas tree, tacky glue, and all kinds of decorations like foam stickers, pom pons, glitter, and confetti. Then we put magnets on the back to make them magnets!

Here is how the boys' ugly sweaters turned out. Aren't they adorable?! We gave out awards for the ugliest sweaters. All in all, it was such a fun night and this will definitely be a yearly tradition!