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I think it’s pretty well documented that around here, we love a good worksheet.  Debates, Super Bowl Bingo, Lunch Log – we’re not picky.  Give us a crisp worksheet, a clipboard, and a sharp #2 Dixon Ticonderoga, and we’re happy.  At least 66% of our household is happy.

So, tomorrow night, Sophie and I will be sitting in front of the laptop with clipboards in hand while Martin moans with the unfairness of it all, as we watch the State of the Union.

To keep everybody’s attention, we’ve created the Unofficial State of the Union Worksheet.  Using this sheet, we’re going to track the usage of the terms we think are likely to be included in the speech.  We’re going to keep it very simple, leaving tally marks each time we hear a phrase used.  We’re not going to worry about total accuracy and there’s no way to win.  Unless of course, you count a night with clipboards and your children as a win.  WHICH I DO.

Want to join us?  Print your own!

Print it: State of the Union Worksheet

Tags: chart, family, kids, politics, state of the union, tracking, worksheet

• Comments 1 Comment
• Categories Kid Games

Back by super popular demand (hey Adria!  what’s up Dawn?), it’s SUPER BOWL BINGO.  Practically guaranteed* to hold the interest of almost any non-game watching game watcher.  Playing is simple – keep a sharp eye on the ads and have your card handy.  When an ad plays, check your card to see if the product or company logo is represented on your grid.  If it is, mark it off.  You can use a pen, chips, coins, or official bingo dauber.  The game is up to you, but I like to play straight-up bingo, no four corners, no postage stamp, no blackout.  First person to get bingo is the WINNER (prize is up to you).

Want to play along?  Open the attachment below and print as many sheets as you need.  There are six different game boards from which to choose (2 boards per page).  Good luck!

Print it: super bowl bingo_2013

*not guaranteed at all

Tags: ads, bingo, commercials, family game, game, kid game, super bowl, superbowl

• Comments 3 Comments
• Categories Kid Games

Over the years I have purchased a wide assortment of dried beans.  Each time I’ve used whatever I needed for a specific recipe, closed up the bag, and stacked it in the cupboard.  Now, after several years, I don’t just have “some beans” in the cupboard, I have a BEAN CUPBOARD.

Some people collect Precious Moments, and I collect dried beans.  And still, I win.

Dried beans are a great thing to have on hand, but using them requires a bit of planning.  My favorite way to prep beans is to brine them.  It just couldn’t be easier and consistently produces a tender and well-seasoned bean.  Brining beans works basically like this: mix water and salt, add beans, let sit for good while, rinse, then cook.  Done.  And that’s exactly what I did when making this soup.  In the morning I brined the beans and by the time I was ready to make the soup for dinner they were ready to go.

This soup is very hearty, flavorful, and tasty.  It is stick-to-your-ribs thick, so feel free to add more stock or water to bring it to the consistency that you like.  If you save it and reheat it, you’ll definitely want to add more water.  Between the brining and the bacon, this is a fairly salty soup so be sure to give it a check before adding any more at the end.  And although it doesn’t fit my official criteria for a low-calorie item, it comes in awfully close at 309 calories/serving.  Plus, there’s bacon in it.

Make some; it’s delicious.

Bean and Bacon Soup
Serves: 5

4 c. water
1/4 c. Kosher salt
1 c. dried pinto beans
1 c. dried cannellini beans
2 strips pepper bacon
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 c. chicken stock
1 c. carrots, sliced

In a large bowl, stir together water and salt until salt is dissolved.  Add dried beans, and let sit at least 4 hours up to overnight.  After soaking, remove beans from brine and rinse.  Set aside.

In a dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy.  Remove and set aside.  Add onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 5 minutes or until it is golden in color.  Slowly add stock, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.  Increase heat, add beans, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 60 minutes or until the beans are tender.

Using a potato masher, mash some beans to help thicken the soup.  Crumble the bacon and add to the soup, add carrots,  and cook covered for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Estimated Calories:  309 cal/serving

Print it: Bean and Bacon Soup

Tags: bacon, bean, cannellini, dried beans, healthy, hearty soup, high fiber, high iron, pinto, recipe, soup

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• Categories Recipes

As part of my end of the season bounty, I have a big pile of slowly ripening cherry tomatoes.  At the peak of the cherry tomato season, we’d easily polish off a bowl in an afternoon just as a wander-by snack.  They were delicious eaten that way, but now that it’s the end of the season, they are a little more sour and less popular.  And at this stage, the time between “almost ripe” and “super ripe” is pretty short.  So, to boost the sweetness and encourage consumption, I decided to roast the tomatoes with a few of our favorite things and serve it up as a side.  And. It. Was. Awesome.

Unless you are my son, who says that the smell of rosemary can ruin a life.  And of course, he is wrong.

This dish could not be easier.  Cut up a bunch of stuff, throw it in a covered casserole, put it in the oven, stir and serve.  It would be excellent served with pork, chicken, turkey, or wild game.  It is very versatile and packed with flavor.  If you were cooking for a crowd, it would be easy to double – just increase the cooking time until the potatoes are tender.  So easy, so delicious.  You should make some.

Roasted Potatoes and Tomatoes with Kalamata and Rosemary
Serves: 6

1 lb. red potatoes, cut into big chunks
½ lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 t. rosemary, minced
Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
½ c. kalamata olives, halved

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a casserole dish combine potatoes through rosemary and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove from oven, stir in kalamata olives and set aside for 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

Estimated Calories:  123 cal/serving

Print it:  Roasted Potatoes and Tomatoes with Kalamata and Rosemary

Tags: easy, healthy, kalamata, low-calorie, non-dairy, potato, recipe, roasted, rosemary, side dish, tomato

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• Categories Recipes

Give me a few ingredients Lynne Rossetto Kasper-style and I can make something that lands somewhere between edible and tasty, as long as we’re not talking sweets.  Baking does not come easily to me, and it took me a long time before the successes outweighed the failures.  I’ve looked to others for advice and have found the following greatly increase my chance of success:

1. Buy store-bought pie crust (Betty and Connie)
2. When making apple pie, use half white sugar and half brown sugar (Grandma Muder)
3. Put some bourbon in it (my mom, obviously)

Putting all three into play resulted in my go-to pie recipe, Caramel Apple Pie, which I loved so much I renamed it LOVE POTION NO. 9.  If you have an abundance of apples or want to make someone fall in love with you*, I’d highly recommend it.  Last year, thanks to the prolific apple tree in my parents yard, I DID have an abundance of apples.  This year was not an apple producing year, however, so I thought that LOVE POTION TESTING would be out until my mom handed me a big bag of green tomatoes and mentioned Green Tomato Pie.  Two seconds with Google told me that this Southern specialty might be the answer I was looking for to use up the green tomatoes and continue my scientific study.

Although technically, green tomatoes can count as any unripened tomato, this is the best time of year to use them in this way.  Earlier in the year, while the days and nights are still warm, tomatoes will do their best to ripen while on the vine.  Once a frost hits though, the chances that they will sweetly ripen on the vine are pretty slim.  It’s at this point that you can try to force them to ripen (best bet here is to leave them in a paper bag and check on them once in awhile to see if any are ready) or to embrace the green.  The tomatoes force ripened are still better than the tomatoes you’ll find in a mid-winter Midwestern grocery store, but they lack the flavor and sweetness of a summer-ripened counterpart.  My suggestion is to do a little bit of both, and with 2 lbs. of the green tomatoes, make yourself this pie.

I was apprehensive about what a tomato would taste like when used in place of apples in a pie, but once I got over the thought of it, the flavor and texture proved to be awesome.  I read that a few people said “you’ll never know it’s not apple!”, and I think that might be a bit optimistic.  While the color and taste are not easily identifiable, I would not say that they are an apple dead-ringer.  However, they were much sweeter and tastier than I’d expected, and all my other tasters agreed, helping to polish off this pie in two days flat.

Bourbon Caramel Green Tomato Pie
Serves: 12

Green Tomato Mixture
2 lb. green tomatoes
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. Kosher salt
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. white sugar

Caramel Sauce
3 T. water
1 T. whiskey or bourbon
3/4 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. water
4 T. non-dairy butter

Pie Stuff
2 prepared pie crusts (non-dairy)
1 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 400° F. Remove prepared pie crusts from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Drop in the tomatoes and boil for about 3-5 minutes or until the skins split.  Remove from water and cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove as much skin from the tomatoes as possible.  Cut off the stem end, quarter the tomatoes, and slice thinly.  Place sliced tomatoes on paper towels and pat to remove excess liquid.  Place tomatoes in a large bowl and add lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, flour and sugar. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the first three ingredients for the caramel sauce and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup water. Set over medium-high heat and cook for about five minutes. Remove from pan and whisk in the butter.  Add the whiskey mixture and stir until everything is well mixed and smooth.  Pour over tomato mixture and stir to combine.

Transfer 1 dough round to a deep pie pan. Unfold and ease into pan, patting it into the pan. Pour tomato mixture into the pie shell. Unfold the second dough round and place over the top. Press the sides together to make a tight seal around the outside edges, and then cut 6-8 slits on the top of the pie. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake until the crust is golden, for about an hour. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 1-1/2 hours before serving.

Estimated Calories:  267 cal/serving

Print it: Bourbon Caramel Green Tomato Pie

Notes:
- This is a saucy pie and while baking it can easily bubble over.  I’d highly recommend placing a baking sheet underneath the pie while baking to catch any saucy drips.
- Even with the store-bought crust, I still had trouble when rolling it out.  So, Sophie and I made a few decorative patches for the crust in the form of flowers and vines to seal up the holes left behind by my poor rolling skills.  I liked the look so much, I think I’ll do it again.  It took very little time and made the pie look extra FANCY.
- The first time I made the pie I used whiskey and the second time I used bourbon. My taste buds are not finely tuned enough to catch the difference when used in this recipe.  I think either one is just fine.
- Not all store-bought pie crust is non-dairy, so be sure to check the ingredients if non-dairy is important to your family.

*never actual proven, but  I love data and look forward to your research.

Tags: bourbon, dessert, fall, green tomato, low-calorie, non-dairy, pie, recipe

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• Categories Recipes

It doesn’t happen very often that I declare absolute control over what we watch on TV, usually opting not to watch at all while the kids get their fill of all things DISNEY/NICK/CARTOON NETWORK.  But every once in awhile, there are events that I want to watch, requiring that I take temporary charge of the remote control.  When this happens, I’ve found that there are two things that make this abrupt change in behavior much more acceptable:

1. Snack trays.
2. Worksheets.

Tonight’s Presidential Debate is one of those TV watching occasions that I really don’t want to miss.  Taking a page from my experience with the Oscars and the Super Bowl, I’ve created a worksheet for the kids to use during the debate.  Armed with a pencil and clipboard, the worksheet will help to keep the kids engaged and listening as the debate happens.

Depending on their age and how much they understand, this may only last for a few minutes, but it gives me the chance to hear the candidates and the kids to start to understand the basics of civic responsibility.  As second and fourth graders, I don’t expect that they will fully grasp the content of the debate or the positions of the candidates, but by watching the process they can start to understand that it is the responsibility of every voter to LISTEN, LEARN and DECIDE.

In each of the worksheet fields, I’ll ask the kids to write a few words or sentences to capture their thoughts – what they heard, what they liked about it, and what they’d like to learn more about.  Lastly, I’ll ask them to make a decision based on what they know.  I’d like the kids to understand that it is equally important to be INFORMED and TO TAKE ACTION.

Want to join us?  Sharpen your pencil, grab a clipboard, and print your own chart below.

Print it: Debate Chart_2012

Tags: citizen, debate, election, kids, presidential, voting, worksheet

• Comments 1 Comment
• Categories Kid Projects

Cooler days and school back in session means that the crockpot has returned to it’s semi-permanent position on my kitchen countertop.  Hungry for some flavorful, slow-cooked food and eager to have food ready with little effort, I started searching around for some new recipes to try in the crockpot.  I spotted a Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup on Pinterest that looked mighty tasty, the only problem of course, all that dairy.  Looking through the ingredients, I figured that it wouldn’t be very hard to substitute the dairy for non-dairy counterparts, and while I was at it I decided to reduce the calories from the original version.  With all new recipes, it feels like a real crapshoot whether anyone will eat it, let alone enjoy it.

This recipe?  Jackpot.  Jackpot in the Crockpot.

Creamy and slightly cheesy, the base of this soup tastes a tiny bit like the sauce in Chef Boyardee’s canned pasta, which normally would not make it a ringing endorsement in my book.  HOWEVER, the kids totally loved it.  And the more I had, the more I loved it too.  Slightly rich, hearty, and low in calories, this soup might be one of our new favorite things.

After replacing the dairy ingredients in the original recipe (butter, parmesan, half and half) with non-dairy counter parts (non-dairy butter, Daiya mozzarella, soy cream), I was worried that the resulting soup would not be thick and creamy enough.  To make sure that the soup was not too thin, I added ingredients in two batches, pureeing the first half to create a thicker base.  The resulting flavor and texture was terrific, helped to thicken up the soup, and allowed me to reduce some of the fat and calorie-laden ingredients (this recipe is about 35% lower in calories than the original).  This recipe makes a pretty big batch of soup, which worked out great here because it has been requested for dinner and lunch several times.  I’m not sure if it will freeze well, and this time, I won’t even have the chance to try.

Creamy Italian Crockpot Soup
Serving size: 1 c.
Serves: 11

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, divided
1-1/2 c. carrots, cut into bite-sized bits, divided
1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
1/4 c. onion, cut into big chunks
1 clove garlic
1/4 c. fresh herbs (mix of basil and oregano)
4 c. chicken broth
2 T. non-dairy margarine
1/4 c. flour
1 c. soy cream
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 c. Daiya mozzerella
Salt and pepper to taste

Add one can tomatoes, half the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, and chicken broth to a crockpot.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  After 5 hours, use a hand blender to puree the soup until no chunks remain.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add flour and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add cream and stir until the flour mixture breaks up into the liquid and becomes a thick sauce.  Add 1 c. of soup from the crockpot, stirring until well-combined.  Add another cup of soup from the crockpot if any doughy chunks remain.  When everything has been combined and the sauce has thickened, add to the crockpot and stir.  Add remaining tomatoes, carrots, cannellini beans, and mozzerella, then stir to combine.  Cover and cook for an additional hour.

Serve.

Estimated calories:  143 cal/serving

Print it: Creamy Italian Crockpot Soup

Notes:
- If you would like to replace my non-dairy replacements with dairy versions, I’d recommend using butter, shredded part-skim mozzerella, and half and half in the same amounts noted here.

Tags: beans, creamy, crockpot, daiya, healthy, hearty, Italian, kid-friendly, low-calorie, non-dairy, recipe, slow cooked, soup, vegetarian