Preschool Penguin Crafts!

So, I have been working in the preschool room this school year....this is a HUGE change for me seeing as I have spent the rest of my teaching career with students who are almost taller than me...it is the complete other end of the spectrum...now I have knee pain from having to bend down so much...

Anyway, I have thrown myself into looking for crafts that can be completed in this age group. I want to have that feeling of being a "real" teacher again...so if this is the place I am now...I am going to make the most of it!

January the students learn about winter and winter "things." This includes PENGUINS! Scouring Pinterest, I found these little crafts and I just HAD to share their completed penguins! They are so darn cute!

This one was a two person job when painting their little feet and toes...and if you plan to do this make sure you are prepared for some wiggling! One person painted, one was ready with the baby wipe to clean....then the next day, they kids glued the other parts to their penguins....

(they sponge painted the big penguin...we covered the white part with newspaper so they didn't get the black paint in the wrong spots)

And then, this one was a high prep project because we cut out all of the parts to the penguin beforehand. The students painted the toilet paper tube. The next day, they decorated it. (it was a one-on-one project) FYI....we taped the hair to the tube. If I ever do this project again, I WILL make SURE there are feet for the penguins. These little 3-year-olds were VERY concerned that their penguins couldn't move because they didn't have feet. So, next time, I will add feet!

Thank you to all of those creative people on Pinterest! 

These are FANTASTIC!

Tilapia Pasta

This recipe is my husband's FAVORITE! I am sure I have said this before, but this truly is one of his favorites...he especially likes it because I make enough so he has leftovers for lunch. (and it is one of those recipes that the next day, the dish is EVEN better)

It isn't a favorite of mine, because there is a lot of chopping...however, that aside it is a flavorful and HEALTHY fish dish! So, if you don't mind chopping....and you like fish, this dish is for you!

Tilapia Pasta
Ingredients
*1 zucchini
*1 yellow squash
*1 small yellow onion, diced
*1 pint of cherry tomatoes
*2 T. cilantro or Italian parsley
*4-5 minced garlic cloves
*whole wheat pasta (enough for the amount of people you are cooking for)
*tilapia filets (I used 2)
*1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
*salt and pepper
*tomato and garlic seasoning (if you don't have this...use garlic salt and chili powder)
*1 c. mozzarella, shredded
(if you have spinach or other vegetables you can substitute those. I have used peppers, vidalia onion or asparagus...use what you like!)

Step By Step Directions
1. Over medium-low heat, heat olive oil, onion, garlic and cilantro. Bring to a low simmer.

(see my mangled spatula...nice, right?)

2. Add in zucchini and squash. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Add tomatoes. Meanwhile, heat water for pasta.

3. Once zucchini and squash begin to soften, remove mixture from heat. Pour into another bowl. Use same pan to cook the tilapia. The drippings will soak into the tilapia. Season the fish with the salt, pepper and tomato/garlic seasoning.

4. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Flake the fish as it cooks.

5. Add the vegetables back in with the fish. Mix the fish in with the vegetables. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

6. Drain the pasta. Pour back into the large pot. Pour veggies and fish over the pasta. Mix together.
Top with cheese.

Cheesy Cilantro Chicken Roll-Ups

This recipe turned out better than I thought it would. I guess I should back up and say why...well, when I made this recipe I was sick. Sick as in...I couldn't smell anything and I couldn't taste any flavors...so I wasn't sure what it was going to turn out to be. That being said, when all was said and done, it was spicy enough that even I (as sick as I was) could taste it and thought it was delicious. Only thing I had trouble with was figuring out how long to bake this chicken...it was a lot of pulling out of the oven and checking...I think I have it down, but it was a concern for me while trying this one out....

Cheesey Cilantro Chicken Roll-Ups
Ingredients
*2 fresh chicken breasts
*1 c. cilantro leaves
*1/2 c. - 3/4 c. mexican cheese blend
*1/4 c. flour
*1 T. chili powder
*1 t. coriander powder
*salt and pepper
*salsa and/or sour cream (for topping)

Step by Step Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Flatten the chicken breasts out until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

2. Coat the chicken in flour, chili powder and coriander. (I shook the chicken in a bag)

3. Lay the chicken out on a plate and cover with cilantro and cheese. Top with salt and pepper.

4. Roll the chicken and secure with each with a toothpick. (I had metal "sticks" my Mom gave me to use with turkey)

5. Place in a greased pan. Do not cover. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Top with salsa and/or sour cream to serve.

In case you want more heat, you could always add in some hot sauce or red pepper flakes....just saying!

Our Big Bang Theory theme party!

I LOVE throwing theme parties! And, I LOVE Big Bang Theory! So, how did I arrive at having this party as a 31 year old? Well....

My husband and I decided we wanted to invite some people over during the holidays....of course, everyone was already busy (we must be lame because we weren't busy).  But, that is neither here nor there...so we decided to have people over in January.  As we were watching another rerun of our favorite show, we got the idea of throwing this theme party. We decided to use Sheldon Cooper's "Newtonmas" explaination as our tie into Christmas...and yes, we kept our Christmas decorations up...tree and all!

Fast forward to the middle of January...and everyone is SICK! So, what was meant to be a bigger affair turned into  a few of our friends braving the conditions and coming over...that doesn't mean I wasn't prepared. This post doesn't have any recipes, but it does show the few things we did to our house to make it more "BBT" friendly.


Our Floor Mat

Our front door
It was made to look like the broken elevator. (this caused some confusion because then they had to go around to the back door to get in)

Around the house
I hung different quotes from the show that tied into the various things around the house. For example, the song Sheldon sings when he pees...that was hung behind the toliet.

Decorations

I forgot to take pictures of this, but I hung up cutouts of superheroes  around the house. I was going to hang them on the tree, but the tree was literally falling apart from being up for so long, so instead the cutouts were on the wall. Also, I found The Avengers tablecloth and napkins at Walmart.

Here are some other ones:

Hint...Fun with Flags!

And of course, I had to "highlight" Sheldon's spot

Food Ideas

We ordered pizza and I put the sign out for Giacomo's because that is where the guys get their pizza. (again, didn't take a picture...my bad!)

I made sugar cookies in the shape of a "soft kitty"

I made mini cheesecake cupcakes...an ode to the Cheesecake Factory (where Penny works) and I titled them as Leonard's Enemy...(you can find the recipe for this on this blog!)

Drinks

(with or without alcohol)
I also had Shirley Temples available...

And finally...


Dress Appropriately
Our friends were encouraged to dress like their favorite Big Bang Theory character or their favorite superhero...

 Ryan and I

aka Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette

Ryan and his brother 

Showing off their favorite TBS poses...

My sister in law and my other brother in law

Gotta love my family and what I torture them with!

Super Easy Mini Cheesecakes

Soon I will be posting my pictures from our Big Bang Theory theme party. If you know me, you know I love throwing theme parties! I haven't been able to in awhile because, well, the apartment in Florida didn't have enough space for more than maybe 5 people over at a time. That doesn't make for a very exciting theme anything. So, now that we have a house...it's on!

Anyway, since I am somewhat of a control freak and my attention to detail can be a bit insane, I have (of course) gone the extra mile for making sure pretty much everything fits into the theme...if I could have had the actual Sheldon at my party I totally would have done that. Not to mention, if I could have set up my living room the way their living room is set up...I would have. (yes, I DID think about how to do it)

Back to this recipe, I wanted to incorporate Penny into the theme somehow...and I thought since she works at the Cheesecake Factory, I should have cheesecake. I looked for recipes and found some interesting ones...but I wanted something with very little fuss involved. Came across a Paula Deen recipe (FoodNetwork.com)...definitely not expecting to use anything from Paula Deen ever this was a pleasant surprise. I, of course, made some tweeks here and there, but overall, VERY painless and SUPER easy! I would do these again for another occasion!

(Next time, though, I will put the chips IN the batter....not just on top)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Crust
*1 1/4 low fat honey graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole graham crackers)
*3 Tablespoons sugar
*1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
pinch salt
(I also threw in some ground flax seed, just for fun)

Filling
*2 packages of low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
*1 cup sugar
*1/4 all purpose flour
*1 teaspoon vanilla
*2 large eggs, at room temperature

Step by Step Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. PAM spray the muffin tin or use cupcake liners. (I did not use liners)
2. Pulverize the graham crackers in a sturdy bag. Using a fork, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, (flax seed) and melted butter. Make sure the crumbs look wet ("moist"...I hate that word)

3. Press the crumbs into each spot. Use a shot glass to press the crumbs down. (I read that tip somewhere)

4. Next, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla using an electric mixer. I used a hand mixer and it worked. Mix in 1 egg at a time. (add in chocolate chips/peanut butter chips if desired)

5. Spoon about 1/4 c. of filling into each spot.

6. Bake for approximately 18 minutes. Top with chips and return to the oven for an additional minute.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. To remove the cakes if you didn't use liners, gently run a knife around each cake and they should pop right out.

Refrigerate until ready to serve! YUM!!! 

Warm or Cold, you decide with this Pasta Dish!

At Wegman's, they sell a delicious pasta salad in their deli section. I love it, but it took me a few times to actually wonder why I was buying it when I was a pretty good cook and could make it myself. So, I did my best guessing as to what was in it (for the most part it was pretty easy, but I also had to think of how I would make it better)...of course, I used red pepper flakes to make it even better (in my mind)

"Pughman's" Pasta Salad

Ingredients

*5 garlic cloves, minced
*1/2 Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
*1 ball of mozzarella cheese, cubed
*1 c. fresh basil leaves
*1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
*1/2 (and a pinch or two more) red pepper flakes
*sea salt and pepper
*pasta (about a pound)...I used the "leftover" pasta I had in the cabinet

Step by Step

1. Combine garlic, tomatoes, sea salt, red pepper flakes and a few leaves of basil in with the EVOO in a pan. Heat over very low heat. Bring to a simmer. Make sure the garlic doesn't burn. You may want to wait a bit before adding the garlic to ensure it doesn't burn.

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions. (I had to do a bit of creative cooking due to the different noodles I used)

3. Drain the pasta. Put into a large bowl. Pour the contents of the pan over the pasta. Add cheese and rest of the basil. Season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Stir.

This recipe is EVEN BETTER the next day. So, refrigerate. Serve cold or warm. (Side effect of warming....the cheese will clump with the noodles)

Another possibility...add some chicken or shrimp to add in the protein component!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Fingers

For whatever reason my photos are not uploading at the moment...but here is the newest recipe posting....pictures to come!

Found this recipe on Pinterest...of course looking for easy and healthy recipes and came across this one! And, it's a winner!

I used more seasonings than the recipe featured on Allrecipes.com because we enjoy a bit more spice in our life! Not to mention, in this recipe, the chicken is baked not fried...so I am passing along this recipe for all our new "health" nuts out there!

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Ingredients
*2 large boneless chicken breasts....sliced into smaller pieces
*1/4 whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons garlic salt
*1/2 c. bread crumbs
*2 teaspoons chili powder (next time I will also add some red pepper flakes)
*1/2 teaspoon sea salt
*2 egg whites, beaten
*1 Tablespoon water
**Ziploc bag**

Step by Step Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with PAM spray.
2. If your chicken pieces are plump, pound the pieces down. I put the chicken in between paper towels. This also helps with getting the extra water from rinsing the chicken off of the chicken.

3. In a bag, mix together flour, 1 t. garlic salt, 1t. chili powder, 1/2 t. salt. On a plate, mix the bread crumbs with the rest of the garlic salt, chili powder, and red pepper flakes (if desired).

4. Shake the chicken pieces in the bag with flour mixture. Then, dip the chicken in the egg white/water mixture. Then, cover with bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 8 minutes then flip and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes.