Christmas Casserole
Posted by: manilapta on: December 21, 2009
every one of my family traditions revolve around food! so i figured i would share some of them with you, so you can start your own ‘edible’ traditions! 
the following recipe works for breakfast or dinner, but it’s a perfect dish for christmas morning because you do most the work the night before and let it sit in the fridge.
i know there are a lot of breakfast casserole recipes out there. some have hash browns, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, etc. i’ve tried a ton and this one is my favorite so i hope your family enjoys it as well. it’s easy to toss together and doesn’t have lots of stuff that kids don’t like. (and what kids don’t love tearing bread into pieces without getting into trouble?) or maybe it’s my favorite because it has a fancy schmancy name?
sausage souffle
8 slices of bread (no crust), tear into pieces
2 cups grated cheddar cheese ( i usually use a bit more because we love cheese)
1 tube jimmy dean regular sausage, cooked and drained (while cooking i smash it down to avoid big chunks. when layering it i crumble it with my hand to keep meat in small portions and not clumps)
mix together:
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 tsp dry mustard
spray a 9×13 pan then layer the following: 1)all the torn bread, 2)sprinkle cheese, 3)cooked sausage, 4)egg mixture
cover and refrigerate overnight. (if making for dinner, make this in the morning and let it sit in the fridge all day)
when ready to cook mix the following together really well and pour over the souffle:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
cover and bake at 300 for 1 1/2 hours. i usually take the foil off and let it cook for an additional 15min. if you bake two at a time i increase the oven to 325
yes it takes a while to cook but it’s soooo worth it!
i will post my favorite breakfast christmas sweet rolls soon. when i make them i will take photos so you can see exactly how to whip them out. merry eating!
That’s CLASSIC!
Posted by: manilapta on: December 20, 2009
movies, tv shows, books……..let’s face it……..there’s nothing like the classics!
for my book suggestion this week i’m going old school! if you don’t own the classics, i suggest you find an adorable used bookstore and start a new ‘chapter’ in your life. there’s something fun about walking into a used book store and picking up a worn and tattered title you read when you were a kid. sure you can go out and buy the classics in a set, but where’s the journey in that?
books take us on adventures and so will ‘looking’ for books! i’m just going to list off a ton of classic titles that i think every child should read. i’m sure i will miss a ton of your favorites, but this should get you started. feel free to email me your favorites and i will add them to the list!
happy hunting!
PICTURE BOOKS:
the little house
caps for sale
little engine that could
curious george
corduroy
poky little puppy, saggy baggy elephant, tawyny scrawny lion
very hungry catepillar
alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day
goodnight moon
the story about ping
CHAPTER BOOKS:
a cricket in times square
the wind in the willows
the adventures of tom sawyer and huckleberry finn
charlotte’s web
swiss family robinson
gullivers travels
chronicles of narnia
the hobbit
little house series
to kill a mockingbird
treasure island
the yearling
where the red fern grows
secret garden
anne of green gables
a little princess
arabian knights
peter pan
heidi
charlie and the chocolate factory
indian in the cupboard
the borrowers
how to eat fried worms
stuart little
grimm brothers-now here’s the author’s of the true fairytales!
hans christian anderson, charles dickesn and jane austen-need i say more?
EGG-straordinary Lasagna
Posted by: manilapta on: December 15, 2009
i hate making real lasagna. my long noodles always stick together or tear apart but never go into the dish all pretty like they should. this recipe is kid friendly in the making and the eating! it uses EGG noodles so there’s no stressing about laying them perfectly in the pan. just toss them in! it also uses a white sauce so you can use ground beef or shredded chicken. both go well with the white sauce. it’s an easy white sauce dish that goes well with the white snow outside. i guarantee it will warm you up!
White Sauce Lasagna
2lbs. lean ground beef 8oz. cream cheese
1 TBSP minced green pepper ½ c sour cream
½ cup grated swiss cheese 8oz. egg noodles
1 pound cottage cheese 1/3 c green onion
2 cups tomato sauce
Cook noodles, drain and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream. Add onion and peppers. Set aside.
Brown meat and drain fat. Add tomato sauce to beef. Spray pam in 9×13 pan then start the layers. i don’t really ’spread’ the stuff out you kinda drop it by spoonfuls, then it all bakes together. i do lots of small spoonfuls all over the noodles, but i dont’ stress about open pockets.
Noodles
Cheese mixture
Meat mixture
Then repeat everything.
Top with swiss cheese bake at 375 for 30min or until heated through and bubbly on top.
On My Christmas List
Posted by: manilapta on: December 15, 2009
once again i apologize for not getting this list out last week. i was dealing with a ‘pain in the neck’ (literally) and couldn’t move. trying to play catch up on pain meds isn’t as fun as i thought it would be. 
i’ve made a list and checked it twice, you’re gonna find out these books are soooo nice! (as gifts)
the following are book SETS. i’m mentioning book sets for christmas because it’s an easy gift to buy but will last a long time. besides, don’t you love when you have all the books in the set that are the same size and match perfectly sitting on the shelf next to each other? ohhhh, i just love how pretty they look.
i know i’ve mentioned some of these before in the ‘have you read’ posting but they are so good you must own them, so i’m mentioning them again.
if you order them by tomorrow on amazon, i think they have free shipping and they will make it here by christmas! happy shopping!
the sisters grimm by michael buckley-boys and girls will like these books. two sisters are pulled into a fairytale detective story and it’s a magical read. i think there are six books in the series? they are great for 3rd grade and up. my family loved these books and couldn’t put them down. even if you buy the first three in a set, it’s a great gift.
diary of a wimpy kid by jeff kinney-mentioned these before but they are the most popular books at the school the past couple years. i think there are 5 total and the kids love them all!
gregor the overlander series by suzanne collins-great for 3rd and up! i cant’ say enough good about these books so just buy them already! if you have older kids the hunger games and catching fire are great reads as well, but are intense.
ranger’s apprentice by john flanagan-girls will like the relationships and guys will like the fighting. i think there are 5 available in the u.s. right now but 8 books total in the series. america is slowly getting them one at a time from australia. i will say i ordered them all from australia and paid a fortune to ship them over here and they were worth every penny!
percy jackson series by rick riordan-humorous, fighting, growing up, relationships, greek mythology….these books have it all. great for boys, girls and parents. they are easy reads and the whole family will love them. 4th grade up and up could read these easily. they tie a lot of greek mythology into the storyline which might be hard for younger kids to follow and connect the pieces.
uglies, pretties and specials by scott westerfield-6th grade and up. these books explore popularity, the inn crowd and the future. hover boards, plastic surgery and ‘the system’ are shared in this series. it’s really a girl that goes against the system and tries to make things better for everyone who’s fallen under the governments control. i bought these for my daughter for christmas one year and she had them all read in a few days. james bond type books for girls?
gallagher girls series by ally carter- i’d tell you i love you , but then i’d have to kill you, cross your heart and hope to spy and dont’ judge a girl by her cover are the 3 adorable books in this series. gallagher school for girls is really a spy academy. these are more the sweet version of spying. yes they have secret missions and save the city on several occasions but it’s all sweet and happy. 4th grade and up could read these books!
any title by mercer mayer! they have tons of these in sets. i love them all! my favorites that we’ve read over and over and over again are: i was so mad, the new baby, i just forgot and me too! me too is hands down one of my kids favorite books ever!
parts and more parts by tedd arnold-actually anything by tedd arnold is the tops! parts is sick and wrong in all the right ways. your kids will love these two books about their body. the only way to improve these books would have them be ‘pop up’ if you are in the tedd arnold section you may as well pick up green wilma too. it’s the book my kids beg me to read them. adorable story of a girl who is green and how she goes through her day, but in the end she’s really a little green frog dreaming she’s a little green girl. so clever! also rhyming books and who doesn’t love those!
artemis fowl by eoin colfer-if you like fantasy you’ll love this series. it takes place in two different realms, so you need to pay attention when reading but once you start, just hold on tight because it’s a great ride! i think good 4th grade readers could start this series and enjoy it to it’s fullest.
boxcar children by gertrude chandler warren has so many books i can’t count! i read these when i was little and it’s fun to read them with my kids now. they are a very easy read, safe to say obnoxious to read if your child is a really good reader. they repeat the same words several times so the child can understand them and comprehend who is saying what. they are a great read aloud to first and second graders, third will be able to read them by themselves and enjoy every adventure these orphans experience!
a series of unfortunate events by lemony snicket-yeah, you’ve all seen the movie, but it goes without saying the books are better than the movie. the movie tied 3 of the books into the movie but there are 13 books?in the series. this is one series i’m happy to have on my shelf! love them!
warriors by errin hunter-this series is for 10 and up. it teaches about a clan of cats and how they have a secret life. they have personalities, politics and prophesies. you will never look at your little house cat the same way again!
magic treehouse by mary pope osborne-there are so many books in this series i can’t count. two kids discover a secret in their treehouse that can take them on adventures around the world. they are wonderful for little readers and an easy read for ages 5 and up. some big words are used, here and there but a lot of the same words are used in the series so they can learn to read those over and over again. you don’t have to read them numbered one through however many there are. each one is it’s own story so grab whatever and just enjoy the journey!
i think that will work for THIS christmas. ho ho hopefully you found some good reads for your family! happy holidays!
Season’s EATings!
Posted by: manilapta on: December 7, 2009
*before i start the real posting, i just want to remind everyone about the PTA APPRECIATION BRUNCH! if you have voluntEARed for pta at all from sept-dec of this year, you are invited to join us for an appreciation brunch this thursday, dec 10th at 11am. it’s a potluck, so bring whatever YOUR favorite dish is. i’ll be making a big pot of taco soup with all the fixins, so hopefully you can come enjoy that! kids are welcome as usual
we’ve had so many people voluntEAR but i need to know how many people will be attending the brunch. please email me at melanie@browerfamily.org so i can get a count and send you the address of the brunch location. i’d love to see you all and thank you in person for all your help. if you’ve helped for 20min or 20hrs, you are invited. this is a great opportunity to meet other parents from the school. hope to see you there!
season’s EATings!
tis’ the season for food, fun and festivities! i’m sure your calendars are jam packed with parties, concerts, family get togethers and more parties. from plated hors d’oeuvres to cookie swaps it’s truly the time of year for season’s greetings eatings! instead of a main dish, i’m going to share some of my favorite holiday treats. if we are invited to a party i usually take one of the following dishes. (sometimes, i think i’m only INVITED to parties because they’ll KNOW i’m bringing one of the following dishes. he he he)
happy holidays to you all! happy eating!
Spicy Asian Meatballs
½ c chopped water chestnuts ½ tsp ginger
1/3 c green onion 1 ¼ lb hamburger
1 ½ c bread crumbs 3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
Mix together and roll into small meatballs. Bake at 400 for 15min. empty out grease from pan and pour sauce over meatballs.
Sauce: ¾ c plum preserves ¼ c ginger
¼ c Chinese garlic chili sauce
Bake an additional 15min. i make these with a small ice cream scoop so they are bite sized. easy to eat grab with a toothpick. so yum!
Hot Bean Dip
Mix together:
16 oz. can Refried Beans
1-8 oz. softened cream cheese
½ cup chopped green onions
1 ½ teaspoon taco seasoning
Dash Tabasco Sauce
1 cup sour cream
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
Put into casserole dish. Sprinkle ¼ lb. shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ lb. shredded monteray jack cheese on top.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. you can really spice this up by using roasted diced green chiles and pepper jack cheese!
You don’t know BEANS about Salsa! -if you had grilled chicken to this with hot tortillas it makes a main dish.
3 avocadoes, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 peppers, diced (buy the bag of 3 and use a little of each red, orange, yellow)
1 red onion, diced
1 can black eye peas drained and rinsed
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can white shoe peg corn drain and rinsed
Newmans balsamic vinagrette dressing to coat (you want it to cover everything nicely but not be soupy)
Sprinkle with salt, enjoy with tortilla chips!
Hot Beef Dip
1 pkg chipped beef 8 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup chopped onions dash garlic salt
1 cup sour cream
Mix together and put in an 8×8 pan.
If you’d like you can sprinkle chopped nuts on top
Bake at 350 for 20min. then enjoy with crackers
Sweet Rice Chex
Cook until bubbles:
1 ½ cup karo syrup 1 ½ cup sugar
2 cubes butter
Add 1 tsp vanilla, then pour over
1 big box rice chex-you can use the name brand or western family. both work great.
Spread out and sprinkle with a bag of coconut and a bag of m&m’s. when cooled stir together and curl up in front of a great movie. Mmmmmmmmm. i always buy the m& m’s that match the current holiday to ‘festive’ things up. seeing as the M&M company has been kind enough to provide color coordinated m&m’s for every holiday on the planet, we make chex mix a lot!
Caramel Corn
1 cube butter 1 cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook 1 to 2 min.
Add 2 2/3 cup brown sugar, and bring to a boil again (about 2-3min.) add a pinch of baking soda to raise caramel. Pour over three batches of popped corn. 3 (1/2 cup each) unpopped kernels. this makes a huge bowl and is deadly if you are by yourself. there is no self control and you will eat the entire bowl without help, so only make this popcorn surrounded by a group of people. same goes for the chex mix! i think it’s the ooey-gooey sticky stuff that keeps you coming back for more!
Pistachio Thumbprints
1 cup soft butter or marg. 1/3cup pwdrd sugar
1 egg 1 tsp vanilla
¾ tsp almond extract 2 cups flour
1 (3.4) pkg. instant pistachio pudding mix
½ cup mini semi-sweet choc. Chips
2 cups finely chopped pecans
Cream butter and sugar, then add egg and extracts. Add flour and dry pudding mix. Stir in chips and shape into 1inch balls to roll in nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each cookie. Bake 350 for 10-12 min. cool
Filling: 2Tbsp soft butter or marg. 1tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar 2-3 Tbsp milk
Mix and spoon into center of cooled cookies.
Glaze: ½ cup semi-sweet choc. Chips, 2 tsp shortening. Melt together over low heat and drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.
Serve and let the compliments roll in!
Butter Pecan Bars
1 butter pecan cake mix-sometimes really hard to find, so if you find it, buy several. you can use a yellow cake mix as well. just won’t add that extra pecan flavor.
3 ¾ c. powdered sugar
1 cup (2cubes) melted butter, divided
3 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
In 9 x 13 pan mix 1 stick butter, cake mix and 1 egg. Press down. Mix sugar, 1 cube butter, 2 eggs and cream cheese. Pour over/spread on crust. Top with chopped pecan, if desired.
Bake 1 hour at 300. let cool then refrigerate for 24 hours. Set out ½ hour before serving.
after eating healthy for months with little or no sugar, this was the first treat i decided to try. they were so good, i ended up eating over half the pan and getting a splitting migraine! i do not advise this method of eating. sampling ……good. devouring…….bad! they are like a blond brownie and are pure bliss!
that’s it for today’s post. i hope you enjoy the recipes and happily eat your way through the holidays.
Twelve Days of Christmas……BOOKS!
Posted by: manilapta on: December 3, 2009
for those of you who follow main dish monday’s, i apologize for not getting up my favorite christmas ones yet. i promise i will post them soon so you can try them at your OWN christmas get togethers. for now, let me focus on my favorite christmas picture books. some of these are my “must reads” each year. hopefully some of them will be new to your home and your family can enjoy them as well.
before you go down the list, please understand these are my families favorites. they may not make the times best seller list for most amazing and moving of all christmas stories but our families enjoys them over and over again so THAT’S why i’m sharing them. starting with #12 and working our way to my favorite christmas book of all time- drum roll pleeeeeease………………………..
12. a pirate’s night before christmas by phillip yates-it’s pirates, it’s rhyming, it’s swashbuckling fun! so, i don’t actually own this book yet. it’s the one i’m buying to read to the family on christmas eve, so it had to make the list.
11. merry christmas amelia bedilia-who doesn’t love these books? once again that crazy maid finds herself taking things to literally and messes everything up. sounds like a holiday get together to me!
10. fancy nancy splendiferous christmas by jane o’ connor-love the miss fancy nancy especially around the holidays! everything is as dolled up as she is. besides, how often do you really get to use the word……splendiferous?!
9. bear stays up for christmas by karma wilson-bears usually hibernate right through christmas so his little adorable friends decide to help him stay awake this year and not sleep through the festivities. love the story, love the words, love everything about it! sometimes i WISH i could sleep through all the hustle and bustle in a nice warm cave.
8. the polar express by Chris Van Allsburg-i think it’s a law that you HAVE to read this book or santa won’t visit your home…..or something like that? the pictures alone are just beautiful and fun to absorb. especially since we don’t have any white snow to look out on, just open this book and the polar express will take you to a winter wonderland!
7. mr. willowby’s christmas tree by robert barry- this book is like eating a gingerbread house. completely enjoyable, but only if you are surrounded by friends and family! i remember this book from when i was a little girl!!! it wasn’t christmas without mr. willowby! sweet mr. willowby’s tree is too big for his home, so he has the butler chop off the top of the tree. instead of trashing the tree, it’s given to a neighboring animal who uses part of it, who then passes it along to someone else and so on until you end up with a tiny little piece of the treetop that is perfect for a family of mice. if you can find the older version that has the entire green cover, i’d buy that one over the cheesy mulitcolored one.
6. the best christmas pageant ever by barbara robinson-not a picture book but definitely an easy read for the holidays. oh the herman’s!!! this book is just delightful! ornery neighbor kids, a church run pageant, welfare workers and the spirit of christmas are all bundled up in this joyful little book. it’s a great read a loud for a family. if you have really young kids they might enjoy watching the movie before reading the book so they can listen for the characters certain lines. “hey! hey! unto you a child is born. he’s laying in the stable now. c’mon, c’mon!” every time i eat watermelon i think of this book!
4. & 5. snowmen at christmas and snowmen at night by caralyn and mark buehner- local couple wrote the two snowmen books and i thank them completely. i love rhyming books and the snowmen series are slick as can be. both are adorable but my favorite of the two is snowmen at night. when the couple finds their snowmen moved a few feet in the morning it sparked the question, “what DO snowmen do at night?” after reading this book i know they drink cocoa, race sleds and play games! for an added bonus the books have hidden pictures on every page. there is a t-rex, santa face, cat, etc. you have to find them in the gorgeous artwork. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve read these books and i still forget where the items are hiding so we have to find them again and again. these books are awesome!
3. small one by alex walsh-this book is sweet,yummy goodness at this time of year. growing up i had the movie and watched it over and over again. “clink, clank, clink, clank, give the money to the bank!” several years ago my mom found a hard cover story book of small one on amazon! gotta love me some amazon! small one is the donkey that is too small and frail to help on the farm so his little boy master has to sell him. the little boy and small one go around the town trying to find a happy home for small one and meet some pretty crazy characters along the way. at the end of the book just as small one feels he’s only good for the glue shop a man with the voice of an angel walks up and kindly asks if he’s for sale. the man is joseph and small one end up being the sweet donkey that carries mary into bethlehem. are you crying yet? it’s just a sweet story with cute cartoon type pictures and it’s the feel good book of the season!
2. my penguin osbert by elizabeth cody kimmel- i can’t even tell you how much i talked about this book when i first found it. a little boy has been getting the wrong gifts from santa because his letters weren’t “specific” enough. so this year he’s doing it right. he writes a very descriptive letter to santa about wanting a real live penguin that he can name osbert. he gets what he wished for…..he thinks. but when he eats sardine pancakes for breakfast instead of chocolate chip one s because that’s what osbert eats and has to take ice baths instead of warm water ones to keep osbert happy, he starts to re-think his decision. this book is so beautiful i could lay it on a coffee table year round. the pictures have a soft glow to them and you will enjoy the storyline just as much! osbert really should be tied with the number one choice because i love them both so much!
and my number one christmas book that everyone should own in their home is…………………………………..
1. how murray saved christmas by mike reiss-this book rocks! the rhyming is up on the house top perfect! the pictures are bowl full of jelly silly! and the storyline is gingery sweet with a bit too much of spiked egg nog! i can’t do it justice, you just have to read it yourself. but for those of you who need a bit more. i will try my best to explain the story.
murray kleiner owns a holiday diner, there really just isn’t another diner that’s finer santa claus gets knocked out cold by edison elf and murray is the only one who can step into santa’s shoes (and pants) to deliver all the gifts and save christmas! i think adults enjoy this more than kids because it has so many humorous things that kids miss. if i could buy a book for everyone at christmas……it would be this one! when murray makes up names for santa’s reindeer you will laugh out loud!
so that’s it! my 12 days of favorite christmas reads. merry christmas to all and to all a good night!
Thanksgiving Ideas You’ll Just GOBBLE Up!
Posted by: manilapta on: November 25, 2009
just a fun collection of thanksgiving ideas to do over the holiday weekend. sorry i didn’t get them out sooner, but i’ve been running around like a chicken turkey with my head cut off this week. you could always make them over the weekend and use them for christmas?
Scattergories-two ways to play. Write the alphabet down the side of the paper and they write items they are thankful for starting with each letter OR write several categories down the side of a paper and then pick a letter. They have to write items in each category that start with that letter. (thanksgiving food, sport on tv, item you see in a parade, etc)
I am thankful……..placemats or tablecloth. Placemats are fun to add pictures too. Let each child find their favorite family picts, put them on a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock, they can even write things they are thankful for. Then laminate the entire thing. These are fun to use at more than just the thanksgiving dinner!
Hard laminate costs a bit more but makes the placemats more sturdy. You can even put wordsearches, crossword puzzles and holiday trivia on the placemats. Then use dry erase markers to fill them out, wipe them off and play again!
Thankful Tablecloth-buy a new light colored tablecloth and permanent felt pens or fabric markers. Put cardboard under the cloth and let everyone write something they are thankful for. You can use this over and over again each year and just keep adding items you are thankful for. It’s way more fun to look at than a boring plaid tablecloth
make a poster that reads: WE ARE THANKFUL FOR: every time someone comes to your home throughout November, have them write what they are thankful for and who they are. I know a girl that has her poster laminated. She uses erasable markers so she can just wipe off the stuff at the end of the season and use the poster again next year. (before erasing everything she jots all the items down in her journal first.)
Have family out of town? feel closer to your whole family by being of one feather! At the beginning of November, cut out paper turkey feathers and mail them to your family. Have them each write something they are thankful for on the feather and mail it back. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, you should have a turkey FULL of grateful feathers from your whole family! this can also work for a paper christmas tree with paper ornaments.
Our family’s favorite traditions on thanksgiving are doing a puzzle together and going to a movie. Before the meal, while the food is being prepared we have a table set up for a big puzzle. Half the fun is finding the perfect puzzle! You don’t want it too hard you can’t finish and the kids can’t help but you also don’t want a 25 piece one that can be finished before the rolls are even cooked! Target has a set of Disney puzzles for 13.00 that are awesome. I think there are 8 puzzles in one box! Eric Dowdle puzzles are also great. Especially the gingerbread house one! (can you find the elvis or marilyn Monroe gingerbread people?) From kids to grandparents we love putting together puzzles as a family.
“Thankerchief”
Arrange the children/players in a circle. Pass a ”thankerchief” (handkerchief) around the circle, as everyone recites this poem:
Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go —
Where you’ll stop, nobody knows.
But when you do, someone must say,
What they are thankful for on this day.
The player holding the “thankerchief” when the poem ends, must
say aloud, one thing for which they are thankful. This continues until
everyone has had their turn.
Turkey Hunt !
Hunt quietly, you don’t want to scare the turkeys…
Prepare for the game by drawing or pasting turkey pictures on a dozen
or so index cards – stickers will work as well.
To play, everyone leaves the room except the leader. The leader hides
the cards around the room. Hunters return and begin the hunt.
As each turkey is found, it is brought back to the leader who corrals
them in a separate pile for each hunter. When all the turkeys have been found, the hunter with the most turkeys is the winner and becomes the leader for the next round.
Tip:
Let your children make the cards before the Holiday. They’ll find lots of magazine pictures and can color some as well!
Where is Mr. Turkey?
Instead of saying “warmer…cooler” you gobble?
One player is the farmer and the others are helpers. The farmer leaves
the room. The helpers hide a small toy turkey. The farmer returns with a mission to find the turkey. Helpers give clues by “gobbling” like turkeys.
If the farmer is far away from the turkey, the helpers gobble very quietly. As the hunter gets closer to the turkey, the helpers gobble will increase in volume until Mr. Turkey is found! Don’t forget the video camera!
Bird, Beast, or Fish
You have to think fast for this game.
Everyone sits facing the leader. The leader points to one of the players and says either “BIRD,” “BEAST,” or “FISH.” The chosen player must come up with the name of an animal that fits the category before the leader counts to ten. No repeating! If the player does not respond in time,
she is out. The game continues until only one player remains.
As you can guess, after a few rounds it can be hard to think of
an animal that has not already been mentioned!
my favorite turkey craft ever! Copytec has these little guys in a set, so i just go buy them all from there. they are a little plastic cup turkey with a string that hangs down with a piece of sponge. you wet the sponge and slide it down the string to make your turkey gobble! they are a great craft and you will LOVE a whole family of turkeys gobbling around your home.
i am grateful for each and every one of you that make a difference at manila and support the pta. here’s wishing you and yours a super turkey day!
The Time Of Giving
Posted by: manilapta on: November 25, 2009
the following books are must reads during the week of thanksgiving. i’m sure i’ve mentioned them before but they are worthy of several mentions on the book review posts!
the giving tree by shel silverstein as a child i always thought this book was just plain sad. my heart ached for the tree and how it gave and gave and gave and gave and the boy took and took and took and took. as an adult i can see the many lessons learned in this sweet story of give and take. this world would be a beautiful place if everyone just focused on giving instead of receiving.
the quiltmaker’s gift by jeff brumbeau i think i shared this book already, but it’s really one of my favorites. it shares the story of a quiltmaker who refuses to sell her quilts but insists on giving them to the poor and needy. one of the main characters is a greedy king who offers to do anything to get one of these famous quilts and a beautiful story of charity, love and selflessness are shared as the story progresses. when i give blankets as gifts, i like to include this storybook because the message needs to be shared with the world!
the little red hen makes a pizza by philomen sturges and amy walrod this is a upbeat version of the classic tale. as a parent i enjoyed it much more than the original. it teaches the same moral about helping one another and sharing, but it does it in a humorous way. i saw a bit of myself in the little red hen when she goes to the store for certain items and comes home with lots of extra things that weren’t on her list. sound familiar? it’s a fun story to read more than once, so cuddle up and plan on a second helping!
amelia bedelia talks turkey by lynn sweat amelia bedilia books are so funny! they tell of a ditzy housekeeper who mixes everything up all the time. she takes things so literally that she makes a mess of every situation. when asked to ‘draw the drapes’ she pulls out a piece of paper and draws a gorgeous picture of the dining room drapes! you can imagine what happens, when she’s asked to ‘dress the turkey’! there are several in the series, but in amelia bedilia talks turkey, amelia directs the school play. she misinterprets every homonym, slips on every pun and creates a masterpiece of mistakes. it has nothing to do about giving, receiving or sharing…..but i figured you’d just ‘gobble’ up the silliness!
happy thanksgiving and don’t forget to read over the weekend!
teee-riffic turkey!
Posted by: manilapta on: November 23, 2009
with thanksgiving this week, i figured i’d share the way my family eats turkey. this is the only way we make turkey at our home and the only way i remember ever eating turkey growing up. it’s never dry, always juicy and makes the best gravy ever! as a matter of fact, i think it’s one of the main reasons my husband asked me to marry him……but once you taste it yourself, you’ll understand why he fell in love (with me and the turkey!)
here’s to everyone having a GREAT THANKSGIVING and spending time with your loved ones. from the bottom of my heart and in my most sincere voice……i hope you all GO STUFF YOURSELVES!
Mom’s Teeeerific Turkey!
*First time turkey cookers read everything and thank me later. Experienced bird ladies can just thank me for giving them the best turkey recipe ever-and I’m not kidding!!!!!
Thaw 18-22 lb turkey in cold water for time suggested on bird. I’ll turn the bird occasionally and change the water also.
Cut wire to open legs or be smart and buy the turkey without the wire, just the plastic hook.
Rinse w/ warm water to get out giblets and neck part. This part isn’t so fun, but make sure you have everything out. Rinse well inside and out.
Place in roasting pan breast side up. Pour 4 cups sprite, 2 cups soy sauce and 1/3 cup oil over bird.
That’s it! No salt, pepper or tying the legs. Easy, eh?!
Put lid on pan and bake at 350 for suggested time. (usually 20min. per lb)
One hour before you are ready to serve the bird take it out of the oven. Remove the lid and let it cool for 20min. so you can actually touch it. Take bird out of pan and pour juice into a strainer to collect ‘extra stuff’.
Discard extra stuff in strainer and pour juice back into roasting pan. Now remove all meat from the bones and toss into the roasting pan with the juice. Tear big pieces into smaller ones so they’ll soak up the juice too. Cover and return to oven for addtnl 30 min. you can serve the turkey two different ways. For a potluck I just put the roasting pan on the table and let people take the meat out of the juice.
For thanksgiving I strain the meat out of the juice and put the roaster right on two stovetop burners. Whisk ½ cup cornstarch in 1 cup water and pour into gravy. Whisk gravy over med-high heat until thickened then serve over turkey and mashed potatoes.
It’s really great when you dip homemade cresent rolls into it. Hungry yet?
You’ll never make a boring old turkey again after having this one.
a turkey for me and a turkey for you……….
HOPPIN SALES….
Posted by: manilapta on: November 23, 2009
thanks to everyone who bought tickets to the princess and the frog last week. we have less than 10 tickets left and then the theater is sold out! if you are interested in those tickets, shoot me an email before they are gone.
mark your calendars for dec. 12th it’s going to be a great day at the movies!
mom’s bring your BIG purses because you will need somewhere to put all the little prizes we’ll be handing out.
thanks again for supporting our pta family fun events!
