Fun holiday recipes

If you're hosting any parties, putting together a goody tray or packaging up some treat bags for the neighbours, I have a few easy/impressive ideas for you.

First up, Spicy Crab Dip in Wonton Shells:

Have you ever made these wonton shells? They're super-easy and make a great little cup for any kind of dip. To make them, you'll need some wonton wrappers (my grocery store has them in the produce department, about $2.59/package of 48), a mini muffin tin and some cooking spray.

Spray the muffin tin and push the wonton wrapper into the cups. Bake at 400* for 3-4 minutes (watch them, they start to get brown quickly). Remove them from the oven, let sit for a minute, then just pop them out of the muffin tin. Voila - fancy wonton shells.

For the crab dip, mix together:
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tins of crabmeat, drained
1 cup mayo
3 green onions (white & green parts), finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (it has quite a kick with 1 tsp, so use a little less if you're not into spicy)

Put the mixture into a large ziploc bag and cut one corner. Squeeze the dip into the shells. Garnish with chopped green onion. Makes 48.


Next up, Chocolate Covered Toffee:

I used this recipe from Zoe Bakes, except I didn't have instant coffee granules, so I just brewed some really strong coffee and used that for the water. Don't be afraid of the candy thermometer - I bought one specifically to make this recipe ($3.99) and now I'm anxious to try other candy recipes. Seriously, nothing to fear.

Anyway, this recipe is delicious. It's a little time consuming with the stirring of the toffee and the dipping of each piece, but it's not at all difficult.

And finally, Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Sticks:

There was some chocolate left over after making the above recipe, so I made these super-simple dipped pretzels. Just dip them in melted chocolate, then roll them in your sprinkle of choice. The one at the back of the picture has crushed peppermint candies. They're quite good with the bitterness of the chocolate, the salt of the pretzel and the sweetness of the sprinkles. And heck, they'll look great on a goody tray!

Quick Halloween pics

Everyone had a great time. Despite being in an "Outbreak School", all my guys were healthy and ready to beg for candy. The idea for the costumes was all theirs; the execution, of course, was all me!

Super Girl

Super Mario

Cupcake

Homer finds the whole thing painful

Halloween challenges

I really love making Halloween costumes. I like thinking of what to make, then thinking about how to make it happen with as little expense as possible. Lisa has never wanted to be a princess or a fairy or even an animal. She always likes to give me a little challenge.

2004 - she was c-r-a-z-y for Thomas the Train - we already had the Thomas hat and she is wearing Thomas shoes.

2006 - Of course we all love The Simpsons and she wanted to be Marge.

2007 - Little Miss Muffet. Note that Bart is wearing the same dragon costume from 3 years earlier!

2008 - A butterfly

Which brings us to Halloween 2009. "Mom, how about if I be cotton candy?" Sure! I say. I got a pink hooded sweatshirt from the thrift store and covered it in 2 lbs of pillow stuffing. Then, I painted it pink.

Pretty cute, right? She loved it.

HOWEVER...

I thought I would try it on for size. That thing was hot. I mean, steamy, sweaty HOT. Maybe great for trick-or-treating, but there's no way she could have worn it to school or to the costume party we're going to attend. But that wasn't the only problem. Homer had the responsible idea of testing its flamability. The pillow stuffing on its own was not bad - it was slow to ignite and then just burned slowly and the flame eventually extinguished on its own. But, after I added the spray glue and the spray paint... WHOOOF! It erupted into giant flames. So, cotton candy is now in the garbage and we had to go with a new idea. I'll post pictures after Halloween.

What are some of your favourite Halloween costumes from past years?

Proud parenting moments

Maggie pitched a giant fit when I picked her up from the babysitter’s yesterday. After I wrestled her into her carseat, then forced her out of her carseat at home, she proceeded to hit me, kick me and even tried to bite me. I laughed, which made her angrier. I carried her up to her room and closed her door. After she had calmed down a bit I held her and talked to her about her tantrum. We both felt there should be a punishment for the hitting and screaming. We agreed that the punishment would be… pants. Today she wasn’t allowed to wear a skirt or a dress to school; she had to wear pants. The horror.

Lisa has one kid in her class (“Joe”) that is wicked smart. Lisa does really well too, but just accepts that Joe will do better. She got a test back where she got 88% - the second best mark in the class. Joe got 94%. I told Lisa about how, when I was a kid, there was a boy in my class (“RJ”) who was just like Joe. I made it my mission to do as well as or better than RJ; that competitive spirit made me work harder and get better grades. Lisa’s response? “Not everything’s a competition, mom”. “Sure it is,” I replied. As I kissed her goodbye this morning, I whispered in her ear, “Beat Joe!”

The kids are always asking to help me bake, but when I do let them help they’re often dissatisfied with the tasks I assign to them. So, for the past three weeks I’ve been giving them baking lessons. During the lesson, they put on their aprons and make a simple recipe themselves from start to finish. Along the way, I’ve been teaching them about measuring tools, the science of leavening agents and some basics of food safety. I’m having so much fun coming up with new lessons and the kids are loving their Thursday night sessions.

Bart is picking up some great language at school. He’s always been fond of saying words like ‘fart’ and ‘crap’, but now has put ‘shut-up’ and ‘stupid’ into regular rotation. I am constantly asking him to not to use those words and have shortened my plea to “LANGUAGE!” Maggie has decided to help me reform the boy and shouts “ENGLISH!” when he utters one of his choice words. I have to say, it’s adorable coming from her wee mouth.

Am I alone here?

*I roll my eyes when I hear someone say their kid is so smart that he’s bored at school (usually an excuse for bad behaviour). Smart kids can entertain themselves in such a way that it doesn’t disturb others. Poorly behaved children need more discipline.

*My kids watch The Simpsons. We buy the seasons on DVD. Most of the inappropriate stuff goes over their heads. The stuff that doesn’t becomes a ‘teachable moment’.

*We have a portable DVD player, but it has never been used in the car. Long car trips are a great opportunity for kids to learn how to entertain themselves with colouring, reading, trivia games and small toys. I may reconsider for a trip longer than 5 or 6 hours.

*I don’t think a kindergarten teacher needs to change her voice to something that is slow, high-pitched and squeaky to speak to her pupils.

*I don’t really appreciate Canada being presented as a third world-ish country in the American debate over healthcare reform. Trust me, we have it pretty good here. We ALL have it pretty good here. Do we pay higher taxes for the privilege and peace of mind? Yes we do. Do I care? No I do not.

*Most competition-based reality shows bug me. I may give American Idol another chance now that Ellen will be one of the judges. I predict that whoever Ellen favours will win.

*Fall shows I am watching or will give a shot: Glee, Flash Forward, The Good Wife, Bored to Death and (maybe) Cougar Town.

Things accomplished this weekend:

Saturday:

• Did some meal planning for the upcoming week
• Went grocery shopping
• Registered the girls for dance
• Registered Bart for basketball
• Soccer tournament for Bart
• Went to a street festival
• Grouted the tile in the shower (we’re renovating our bathroom ourselves)
• Date night with Homer (Inglorious Basterds – good!)

Sunday:

• Made Ginger Snap cookies
• Made Cinnamon loaf
• Soccer tournament for Lisa (she scored the winning goal in her last game)
• Laid out the floor tile in the bathroom – there were approximately 8 tiles that DID NOT need to be cut.
• Cured and cleaned the shower wall tile
• Installed the shower curtain rod
• Did three loads of laundry (because I didn’t do any on Friday or Saturday – I hate it when I get behind)
• Made a roast beef dinner
• Gave the kids their baths in the brand new bathtub (our only tub/shower – we’ve been washing up in the laundry tub for 2 weeks)
• Put the kids to bed
• Had a 15-minute hot shower
• Slumped into a very deep sleep

I hope YOU had a relaxing weekend!

Disconnected

I’m not much of a people person. I’m okay with that. I could spend days upon days alone, not speaking to or seeing anyone and be perfectly content. I live inside my head a lot. I think more than I speak. I don’t do small talk. I would rather phone than visit. I would rather email than phone. I would rather stay home than go out. I would rather sit in my backyard than go on vacation. It’s a wonder I have a husband and friends. But, I have a blog, so I can’t be a total social dud.

There are just so many ways to be connected. The students around here are in constant contact with each other and, for many, with their parents. I had to make a “no cell phones” rule to keep them from chatting on the phone/texting while I was paying them to work. MSN messenger is not allowed on the office computers. I think it’s crazy that I have to explain to them why this is inappropriate. Why do they need to be so connected?

I’m sure I’m just showing my age, but here are some things I could definitely live without:

Cell phone: I now have one because my husband insisted. Two people have my number: my husband and my assistant at work. I don’t even know the number (I have to look it up on the phone, if I can remember how). Right now, it’s sitting on the kitchen counter. I am sitting at my desk at work. When I get home, there will no doubt be a message from Homer saying, “WHY DO YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE IF YOU NEVER HAVE IT WITH YOU?” Why, indeed.

Facebook: Even though I swore I would never have an account, I do. I mostly signed up because I was missing invitations to events, etc. because everyone (including MY PARENTS) is on Facebook. I used my maiden name and set my privacy settings so no one at work (i.e. students) would find me, but hadn’t counted on gooby guy that I rarely talked to in high school wanting me to be his friend. Many of my cousins are friends, which is fine, but I find I don’t really care that they “had a great time at Sherry’s party”. So, now I rarely look at it and I’m still missing the invitations.

Twitter: I guess it’s the “I don’t do small talk” thing, but I still don’t get Twitter. I’m on it, but don’t post anything, rarely respond to anyone who has posted and… yeah, I just don’t get it.


What about you? Do you like to be super-connected to the world, or are you content to unplug and miss some of the chatter?