my fancy bejeweler

I took my sewing machine to work today to hem some curtains (easier than bringing curtains home with me). I was sitting at the kitchen table sewing when the school kids came in off the bus. One of the girls stopped and asked me if that was one of those machines that puts diamonds on things....LOL! I laughed then told her no it was my sewing machine. I guess no one she knows sews but they must bejewel things ;-)

I think she's trying to give me a heart attack

My friend/boss called tonight to tell me she had a call for someone wanting daycare. It was a woman with three kids ages 2 months, 22 months, and 3 years old...O*M*G!!! We are totally slammed right now. There are days that only certain kids can come because we have so many. It's a fine line that we walk to make everything work. There is no way we could handle that many more little ones. They were put on the waiting list that is about 5ft long now. There is such a need for good childcare in our area. We get so many calls each week especially since we also do a preschool/pre-K program.
Besides all that I can't imagine having 3 little ones that close in age. I have family that have several that close and it just boggles my mind.

Great kids recipe

At the daycare I work at I make the menus and cook the food. Pizza dippers were on the menu but I didn't feel like making the same old thing I always make--biscuits rolled out with olive oil, garlic, and cheese on top. They are sliced in strips and dipped in pizza sauce. I saw this idea on another blog but cannot remember where it was. After some research I found some other variations.

PIZZA CUPS

1 can refrigerator biscuits (not flaky)
pizza sauce (spaghetti sauce)
cheese
any additional toppings you would like

Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Press a biscuit in each cup so that it goes up the sides and leaves a depression in the middle. Put about a tablespoon of sauce in each cup and sprinkle with cheese--you could add your additional topping before the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until biscuits are done.

The kids loved them! I also read that you could use the filling for tacos, sloppy joes, or even BBQ. This would an easy thing for the kids to make and help with. They could press the biscuits in place and even add the filling. Make sure they wash their hands and have an adult put them in and out of the oven.

D is for Doughnuts

This week in pre-school we learned about the letter D. On Wednesdays I try to make a special snack that starts with or has something to do with the letter of the week. We've had Apple oatmeal cookies, Banana muffins, and pumpkin Cupcakes. I asked the kids what snack they wanted that started with D and they came up with doughnuts. Usually when we make doughnuts, we use can biscuits and just fry them up. Today I decided to use a recipe I saw in the recent issue of Family Circle. They were very easy and the kids loved them. Instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg, I used Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend . I used regular sugar and the spice blend for the coating.

SUGAR DOUGHNUTS

3½ cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup milk
6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

coating
½ cup superfine sugar blended with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. In medium-size bowl, whisk together the 3½ cups flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, lightly beat yolks on medium speed. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Mix in butter. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, stirring with wooden spoon until combined.
3. On well-floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough into ½-inch thickness. Let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat oil to 365º (a cube of bread will be browned and crisp after 1 minute) in a heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat.
5. Cut into doughnuts with 2¾-inch round cutter along with ¾-inch round cutter for the centers. Gather scraps and re-roll if needed.
6. Coating: Place cinnamon-sugar in a small bowl. Carefully slip the doughnuts and doughnut holes, 3 or 4 at a time, into the hot oil. Fry until golden, turning once, about 2 to 3 minutes total per batch. Drain doughnuts on paper towel, then transfer still-warm doughnuts to cinnamon-sugar coating and roll to cover completely. Serve warm.

Cooking for kids

Cooking for the kids at the daycare can be fun but sometimes challenging. You have to have a well balanced meal following state guidelines while taking into account that certain people won't like certain things. It blows my mind when some kids won't eat the most basic "kid foods". I try to make things that I know they will like and eat so they don't go home starving. Dippable things are a HUGE hit. The kids love anything in a tortilla. One of their favorites is what they call "tortilla sandwich". Take a tortilla and put a slice of ham or turkey and a slice of cheese and fold in half. Put that in a sandwich maker and cook until the light comes back on (about 1 minutes) and the cheese is melted. I slice these into triangles and serve with carrots and apples. They love to dip all this in Ranch dressing. We have carrots 2-3 times a week because they love them so much. I try to have as much fresh fruit as possible too. Apples, oranges, cantaloupe, watermelon, and grapes are all favorites. Bananas only go over good with a few.
Today I made bean and cheese quesadillas. I take a tortilla and spread it with refried beans then sprinkle with grated cheddar jack cheese topping it with another tortilla. I put this on a comal or round griddle and cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are golden. Slice it into wedges and serve with corn and pears.
Our menu has more of a Tex-Mex flair to it because that's what our kids are use to. We do make a few Italian dishes including Pizza sticks and spaghetti. The rest of our menu consists of sandwiches and chicken or fish.