Tapioca Pudding Recipe – A Fruity Treat

April 7, 2013

A cold pudding that everyone will love.  Add any type of fruit that is in season or your favorites – so many possibilities!

Tapioca Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 quarts milk
  • 1 cup small pearl tapioca
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 cup grapes, cut in half
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
  • 1 cup whipped cream

Directions:

  1. whisk the milk, tapioca and sugar together in crock pot
  2. cover and cook on high for 3 hours
  3. in a bowl, beat the eggs and add vanilla
  4. add a little hot milk from the crock pot to the egg mixture and stir well
  5. add egg mixture to crock pot
  6. cover and cook on high for 20 more minutes
  7. chill the tapioca completely
  8. when cooled completely, add grapes, pineapple and whipped cream
  9. stir and serve

Tapioca is gluten-free.

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Chicken Wraps – Kid Will Love This Hot Lunch

February 28, 2013

Kids just love pigs in a blanket – is it because they like hot dogs, or maybe they think the name is silly or perhaps because it is so different than your ordinary sandwich for lunch.  What ever reason, it is always wonderful for parents when their kids eat a good lunch without complaining or picking it apart.  Here is a twist on the Pig in a Blanket recipe that I am sure your kids will eat up and enjoy every bite.

Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

  • Dipping Sauce

                   1/2 cup sour cream

                   1/2 cup mayonnaise

  • Wraps

                     1 oz. envelop ranch salad dressing dry mix

                     2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

                     1 can refrigerated flaky biscuits

                     grilled chicken strips (either freshly grilled or pre-cooked )

                     2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350
  2. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray
  3. add 1 Tsp. ranch mix and oil to a bowl and mix well
  4. separate the biscuit and put on the cookie sheet
  5. using your fingers, shape each of them into a 6″ oval
  6. spread ranch mix on the top of each
  7. place about 3 chicken strips crosswise on each biscuit
  8. bring the ends of the biscuit over the chicken so that they overlap
  9. pinch them together to seal
  10. melt the butter and brush the top of the biscuits with it
  11. measure 3 tsp. of the dry ranch mix and sprinkle over the biscuit tops
  12. bake the wraps for 18 to 22 minutes or until light golden brown
  13. while they are baking, make the dipping sauce – put sour cream, mayo and the rest of the dry ranch mix into a bowl and mix well
  14. serve the chicken wraps  with the dipping sauce

You can experiment with the seasoning – perhaps your kids like a Mexican flair and you can use taco seasoning instead of ranch.  Mix it up – it is always fun to try something new.  As they used to say in an old commercial – “Let’s get Mikey to try it!”.

Green Toys Divided Plate
Green Toys Divided Plate

Try serving the Chicken Wrap on this divided plate by Green Toys.  You can use one of the sections for the dip, one for the wrap and the other for a piece of fruit.  The Green Eats children’s dinnerware is made of 100% recycled milk jugs right here in the USA.  They are free of BPA, phthalates, PVC, melamine, and external coatings.  They are dishwasher safe and come in a choice of 4 colors – orange, yellow, green and blue.  Check out the entire line of children’s dinnerware by Green Toys at http://www.cowandlizard.com/category/children-s-dinnerware

 

 

 

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Leaf Art Journal

February 2, 2013

Encourage the love and respect of nature with your kids and start a Leaf Art Journal.  Kids can collect leaves throughout the summer and record their collections in an art journal.

Items Needed:

  • blank notebook
  • colored pencils
  • tree identification guide (try your local library)
  • scotch tape

Suggestions:

  1. Gather your materials together
  2. Collect leaves throughout the year.
  3. Press the leaves between clean pages in the journal and tape the leaf stem onto the page to help keep it in place
  4. On the page, you can record such things as where and when you found the leaf, a description of it’s characteristics (size, shape, color, etc.) and anything else that you want to record.
  5. Use the tree guide to identify the leaf so you can record it in your journal along with any other interesting facts.
  6. Draw your own pictures of the leaf and/or the tree it
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The Cats Meow

January 22, 2013

NEW Little Cat Puppet by Folkmanis

Little Cat Puppet
Little Cat Puppet

FACTS OF INTEREST:

 
  • domestic cats belong to the species felis catus and were first tamed by humans as early as 4000 years ago
  • cats are skilled rodent catchers – large rodent populations in human settlements may have been what first kindled the relationship between people and cats
  • ancient Egyptians worshipped a cat goddess called Bastet – many ancient Egyptians mummified their pet felines after they died
  • almost a third of households in the US are home to at least one cat – some estimate that over 100 million cats exist worldwide
  • born hunters, cats have excellent hearing and can see very well at night
  • they are quick, agile and are outstanding climbers’their long tails and whiskers help them keep their balance
  • when cats fall from a reasonable height, they are usually able to land on their feet – this talent is called the cat righting reflex and is possible because of their extremely flexible backbone
  • cats make a wide range of sounds, from gentle purring to loud meows to violent hissing and growls
  • cats exhibit complex and sometimes unmistakable body language – an arched back usually means they feel threatened, while a tail pointed is a sign of happiness or greeting
  • cats also communicate by scratching and leaving their scent to demarcate the boundaries of their territory
  • scientists only recently discovered that cats have a very unique way of drinking -  in order to get liquids into their mouths they tap the surface with the smooth tip of their tongue to create a column of liquid, which they then trap in their mouths
  • a cat laps 4 times a seconds so it is impossible to see this action with the naked eye
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NEW Baby Sea Otter Hand Puppet by Folkmanis

January 17, 2013
Baby Sea Otter Puppet

Baby Sea Otter Puppet

FACTS OF INTEREST
 
  • baby Sea Otters are called pups
  • Sea otters are the only kind of otter that give birth in the water
  • female sea otters usually give birth to just one pup at a time
  • mother sea otters nurse their pups while floating on their back but promptly teach them to swim
  • unlike other otters that have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, sea otters depend on two layers of fur to keep body heat in and cold out – the outer fur shield their dense inner layer of fur, which is full of millions of tiny air pockets – this is why otters are such fastidious groomers
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Media & Tools – What can I draw with? – Part 2

September 28, 2012
Art Journal Kits

Art Journal Kits

 

PENCILS – Regular old No. 2 pencils are great to start with, chances are you have plenty around your house.  A wide variety of artist pencils are available in different harnesses ranging fro 68 (softest and darkest) to 6H (hardest and lightest).

 

COLORED PENCILS – Use the side of the lead to color in larger areas, use the tip for sharper details.  The more pressure you use, the darker the color.  Slowly build up layers of color and try blending different colors together.  Water color pencils are fun too, you can wet the tips or use a paint brush with a water wash after drawing with them for a painted effect.

 

PENS – Try different colors and thicknesses.  Regular ball point pens are great for doodling.  Gel pens, paint pens or opaque ink pens can be fun too.

 

MARKERS – These are great for adding vivid color quickly.  Long straight strokes are good for filling in areas of color.  Experiment with different marker thicknesses.

 

CHARCOAL – Charcoal comes in several harnesses and forms:  sticks, vines, and pencils.  Use for dramatic shading effects, especially when rubbed into the paper.  Use an eraser for highlights.  Careful, it can be messy!

 

COLLAGE SUPPLIES – Go on a treasure hunt around your house!  find photos, paper, newspaper and magazine clippings.  Use the decorative papers in the Art Journal kit.   Don’t forget the scissors, double stick tape and glue!

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Mom’s Egg McMuffin Recipe

September 10, 2012

Do your kids like McDonald’s EggMcMuffins?  Mine do!  So, I started making my own version at home and I wanted to share my recipe with our readers.  Try it – it is easy to make, nutricious and yummy!

Ingredients:

  • egg
  • english muffin or bagel- whatever type of bread you like
  • butter
  • slice of ham – we use sandwich meat slices (you can use other meats if you prefer)
  • slice of cheese (we use processed cheese slices – but other cheeses are also delicious)

 

Directions:

  •   –heat a small omelet pan
  •  – melt a small amount of butter in pan
  • –  beat egg well and pour into frying pan
  •  – slice bagel or english muffin in half and toast in toaster
  •  – you can butter the toasted breads slightly if you prefer, but too much as then the breakfast sandwich gets drippy
  •   –place ham slice in one half of the bread
  •   –finish frying the egg – I  flip it over when it is almost cooked just to fry the other side in case there is any raw egg left – will look like an omelet
  •   –cut egg in quarters and place on top of ham slice
  •   –place cheese slice on top of egg
  •   –put on a microwave safe plate
  •  – heat in microwave until the cheese is melted
  •   –remove and place the other half of the bread on top
Mom's Egg McMuffin Recipe

Mom's Egg McMuffin Recipe

 

Enjoy!

the folks at Cow & Lizard

 

 

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NEW Little Polar Bear Stage Puppet by Folkmanis

March 21, 2012
Little Polar Bear Stage Puppet by Folkmanis

Little Polar Bear Stage Puppet by Folkmanis

 

FACTS OF INTEREST:

  • polar bears can be found in the Arctic, Alaska, Russia, Canada, norway and Denmark and live on coasts and ice floats
  • polar bears are solitary animals and do not hibernate
  • polar bears are the largest land carnivores with some adult males weighing in at up to 2000 pounds
  • they can grow 10 feet tall
  • due to their webbed paws, polar bears are excellent swimmers and have been sighted 200 miles from the coast
  • polar bear fur is coated with oils and repels water
  • the number one threat to polar bears today is the decreasing amount of arctic ice due to global warming
  • humans are the polar bear’s only predator
  • because they live in the world’s coldest climates, polar bears have two layers of insulating fur and beneath that a layer of blubber that can be up to 4 inches thick
  • polar bear fur appears white because each strand is hollow and reflects light – each hair traps solar heat to keep the bear warm
  • a polar bear’s diet consists mainly of seals – they are fierce hunters and the most carnivourous member of the bear family
  • while a mother polar bear is off hunting, her cubs are taught to remain completely still to avoid predators
  • polar bear cubs are able to leave the den at about 3 months old – but they will stay with their mother and nurse for up to two and a half years.
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Happy New Year to all!!

January 2, 2012
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Activity Clock by Plan Toys

November 23, 2011

activity clock by Plan Toys
Activity Clock by Plan Toys
  • physical
  • mathematical
  • logical thinking
  • language
  • a fun wooden activity clock
  • a simple method for children to learn how to tell time
  • includes activity cards, which are place on the top of the clock so that children can match the time with the activity
  • encourages children to develop their language skills, social relationships and their environment
  • features 9 basic activity cards and 3 blank cards for parents to create based on different family activities
  • children can explain the activity cars or practice telling the time, which will encourage developing their language skills
  • children can place the activity card on the clock matching the related activity to a specific time
  • parents can specify a time and encourage the child to move the clock hands and match the activity card accordingly
  • the activity clock teaches children about the time, daily activities and discipline
  • parents should praise children when they can do it and advice if they are not able to do so
  • available at http://www.cowandlizard.com/product/activity-clock-wooden-toy
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