Father's Day Dinner

For Father's Day this year, I took a lot of ideas I found online and combined them with some of my own.

The main dish was a pizza in the shape of a ribbon that said #1 Dad in pepperoni. I had to shape out the ribbon on two pans and place them together when they came out of the oven.

 The drink was dad's choice between a "root beer float" or a "beer". I found the glass mugs at the Dollar Tree. For the beer, we filled it with butterscotch candies and marshmallows on top. The root beer float is filled with root beer candies with marshmallows on top.

The third component was dessert. For the ideas and printables, I found this website: http://www.tipjunkie.com/holiday-crafts/fathers-day/father-day-cards-printable/fast-food-fathers-day-treats-printable-fathers-day/

I printed one of the tray templates from this website. To save my color ink cartridge, I traced the template on solid color cardstock. I then put on some grilling stickers to spice up the trays a little bit.

I printed the fry containers from this website and taped them together. I got some "ketchup" holders from a local fast food restaurant.

 

For the fries, I made sugar cookie dough and rolled it out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. (To help roll this out, I also covered it with parchment paper while rolling.) Sprinkle the dough with sugar before placing it in the oven. (This will resemble the salt that is on French fries.)  I baked the dough until just slightly browning. Let it sit on the pan for a minute when out of the oven. I used a pizza cutter to slice the dough. I then transported the "fries" to a cooling rack.

For the hamburgers, I first baked a pan of brownies. Then I baked yellow cupcakes. When the cupcakes were cooled, I cut the top off with a serrated knife. I cut out a brownie from the pan and molded it into the shape of a circle. I placed the brownie on the bottom half of a cupcake. I then put red, yellow, and green frosting on top of the brownie. The top half of the cupcake went on top of the frosting. The finishing touch was the red frosting in the ketchup container for the sugar cookie fries. Each dad at our cookout received a tray and a float or beer.

Simple Mostaccioli

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

3/4 cup mushrooms (optional)

1 lb penne pasta

2 cups mozzarella cheese

 

This recipe is very similar to my lasagna. I really like recipes that require a few ingredients and can be put together quickly.

 

Start by browning the hamburger. Drain the grease and add the spaghetti sauce.

 

Meanwhile boil water in a pot. Add the penne pasta (or rotini). Continue cooking pasta for about a minute under the recommended cook time.

If you want to add mushrooms, now is the time to add them to the sauce. Let them simmer with the sauce until the noodles are done.

Drain the pasta and place in a large baking pan. Add the sauce and mix together.

Top with the mozzarella cheese. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

 

Crockpot Turkey Breast

It is about this time of the year when I get a craving for turkey dinner. However, I don't want to spend the day inside preparing one. This crockpot turkey breast is a perfect fix for both.

Simply take a frozen or thawed turkey breast and put in in the crockpot. (Just make sure you take the gravy packet out first if there is one.)

Add about 3/4 cup of chicken broth and sprinkle the top with thyme and rosemary. Turn the crockpot on low for 6-7 hours if it is thawed--8-9 hours if it is frozen.

Dipped Strawberries

 

When we made the Memorial Day red, white, and blue strawberries, we found out that the extra crunch from the sugar bottom added a lot of taste and texture.

 

So, as an appetizer for a gathering, I dipped some strawberries in white chocolate and then added different color sugar to the tips. I used blue, red, purple, and pink. It made for a very pretty plate and was a snack the kids and adults enjoyed.

Baseball Cupcakes

It was our turn to take a snack to the t-ball games this weekend. Because we like to make cupcakes in our house, it seemed fitting to make some baseball cupcakes. These are a very quick and cute treat for your own little ball players.

I used Wilton red sparkle gel (found at Walmart) to put the lines on the cupcake. (I have a hard time getting a true red color with food coloring, so the gel makes a great alternative.)

Flubber

One of our Father's Day Wall activities was to make Flubber. This activity brought so many laughs, giggles, and memories for all of us.

3 Tablespoons Borax
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups white glue
2 cups warm water
liquid watercolor

The flubber recipe calls for liquid watercolor. I did not have liquid watercolor, so we made our own.

I boiled one cup of water, added one tablespoon of vinegar, and stirred it.
Pour the water into a container.
Add about 20 drops of food coloring and let it cool. We divided it in half and made a couple of colors, although we only ended up using the blue.

For the actual flubber, measure out 3 tablespoons of borax into a bowl. Add 1/3 cup of warm water. Stir until the borax is dissolved.

 In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix the 2 cups of glue with the 2 cups of water. Add liquid watercolor until it reaches the desired color. (We added about 1/2 cup of color.)

 We then put the glue and water mixture into a larger bowl. Slowly add the borax mixture while stirring with your hands. (This is the best part for the kids! It was so neat to feel this mixture forming. Great experiment for the kids!)

Continue to pull and stretch and mix together until most or all of the water is incorporated. (If it isn't coming together, add a little more borax mixture.)

Store in an airtight container when done playing. (The kids also really enjoyed making noises with the flubber by pushing it into a plastic container. This method works better than a whoopee cushion!)

Lasagna

Lasagna has become a family favorite dinner. It is also something that I can put together quickly on a busy school night.

 

1 lb hamburger or turkey burger

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 box Lasagna noodles

16 oz mozzarella cheese

about 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

 

 

Start by browning up about one pound of hamburger or turkey burger. Drain the grease.

 

Meanwhile, while the hamburger is browning, get a large pot of water boiling on the stove.

 

When the hamburger is brown, add the jar of spaghetti sauce. Sometimes I add Italian seasoning to the mixture, but that is optional. Let the sauce simmer.

 

When the water boils, cook the noodles for about 2 minutes under the suggested cook time.

 

 

In a 9 X 13 inch pan, spread a thin layer of sauce along the bottom. Sprinkle the sauce with a little bit of parmesan cheese. Then add the first layer of noodles. Top the noodles with more sauce and parmesan cheese. 

Add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers (noodles, sauce, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese) until ingredients are gone. Sometimes I have extra noodles. If you like your lasagna a little saucier, add more sauce.

In a 400 degree oven, cook lasagna for 30-40 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned to your liking.

Thank You Cake for Daycare Provider/Teacher

I wanted to do something special for our amazing daycare provider's birthday, so I searched for some ideas for a thank you cake. When I saw the picture of a notebook paper cake, I knew we could come up with something that would fit her perfectly.

 

I piped on the blue frosting to resemble the notebook paper. I made an outline around the cake with a  star tip, and wrote the words with black food gel.

 

The pictures are just filled in with food gel. It was a huge hit!

 

Star Craft

Our 4th tie of the Father's Day Activity Wall led us to this star craft. This craft worked out great because we had baseball games tonight. It only took about 10 minutes to complete.

We started out by cutting out a star shape from their choice of colored construction paper. We glued on legs and arms and little stars to represent the "hands" and "feet".

To give this a little more jazz, we used glitter glue pens to add some sparkle to the stars. We finished by putting on some eyes and drawing a mouth.

Lobster Hand/Foot Craft

The third tie of the month got us in the mood for summer:  A hand and foot lobster! (Too bad the weather isn't cooperating!) Yes, this craft is a little messy, but the giggles from my 1-year-old made it so worthwhile. :)

We started by moving everything to the bathroom right before bath time. I put red paint on a paper plate and gave each kid a piece of white paper. The ten-year-old had to tape two pieces of paper together in order to fit his foot and hands on it. They took turns dipping their hands and feet into the paint. As soon as they were done, they used a towel to wipe the paint off of their feet.

When the paint was dry we glued on eyes.

Father's Day Activity Wall Crafts

 

For the Father's Day Activity Wall (http://workingmomwonders.blogspot.com/2013/05/fathers-day-activity-wall.html), I decided to have the boys help me decide what activities to put on the ties. I went on Pinterest and pinned a bunch of ideas under a summer craft board. They each took turns picking a craft that looked like fun. I wrote their ideas on the back of each tie and hung the ties back on the wall.

 

Day 1 of our activity wall was actually playing a board game. The boys played Junior Monopoly. This is a great game for both of them. It isn't too hard for the four-year-old, and it isn't too easy for the ten-year-old. They both really enjoyed playing together.

 

Day 2 of the activity wall was to build paper bag houses. We started with a brown paper bag and filled it with wadded up scrap paper. I folded and stapled the top over. The boys then picked out scrapbook paper to be used as a roof. We glued the paper to the house. They cut out windows and doors and glued those to the house. We made trees out of construction paper. We had to use a couple of pieces of brown construction paper to get the trees to stand up. Finally, we cut a road and sidewalk out of construction paper. We drew in a handprint and their name and year on the "cement" of the sidewalk.

 

I just so happened to have a sport pack of scrapbook paper. (That is where we found the grass scrapbook paper.) Green construction paper would work fine too, though.

 

 

Perfect Cupcake Frosting

My mom perfected this frosting recipe and passed it on to me. I am not a huge frosting fan, but this combination is absolutely divine. I won't make another frosting again. It works great for getting the perfect cupcake swirl as well. I made a wedding dress cupcake cake last weekend and Memorial Day cupcakes this weekend with the frosting.

The recipe:

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1 stick of butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

8oz cool whip

 

Whip cream cheese and butter together with a mixer.

Add vanilla and powdered sugar (one cup at a time) Whip together.

 

Add cool whip and mix on low-medium speed until light and fluffy.

 

Using a large star tip, pipe frosting on cupcakes. (I just used a ziplock bag with the tip pushed through one corner of the bag.) These cupcakes are great for Memorial Day or 4th of July. I dipped half of a strawberry in melted white chocolate and dipped the tip into blue decorating sugar and placed the berry on top of the cupcakes.

This frosting made a great wedding dress cupcake cake. The frosting maintained its shape and texture all afternoon.

Father's Day Activity Wall

 Our next activity wall for the year is centered around Father's Day. To start, I taped down some white paper on the floor. (Originally I was just going to trace the top half of my husband, but when my son saw how much fun it looked, he wanted a sheet of paper to lay on as well. So we improvised the wall a little bit.) The two lay side by side with their hands together. I traced them and cut out their shapes.

We taped the images on the "Activity Wall" and colored some clothing on them. I tried to draw on some faces, but they looked a little scary, so I just taped on a picture of my husband and son where the faces would go.

For the activity part of it, we cut out ties from different construction paper. There is an activity listed behind each tie. Every day the kids will pick one tie out of the "closet" (located on the other side of the hallway) to put on dad. The tie they choose will tell them the activity for the day.

Finger Painting Trays

All three of my kids will tell you that they love finger painting. They love to use their hands to create masterpieces. We have been doing this almost every night.

When we painted in the past, I put the paint on small paper plates. We seemed to be going through a lot of paper plates, so I tried to come up with a more resourceful way to go about this process.

We got some cheap tins from the dollar store and turned them into the kids' individual paint trays. I now have room to place many colors in this tin and the kids can do what they want with the colors. If they want to mix colors, they can. If they want to use them separately, there is plenty of room to avoid mixing.

I don't even bother washing out the tray when the kids are done. (The tin is becoming a masterpiece now too :) )

Banana Chocolate Muffins

My kids love banana bread.  I love baking, but I hate doing all of the dishes. This recipe takes care of all of those things. I found this recipe on Pinterest (http://myfriendsbakery.ca/blog/banana-muffins/)and altered it a little to fit my family's tastes.

You only need to use one bowl for this entire recipe.

Start by mashing three bananas in a bowl.

Add:
5 1/2 Tablespoons of melted butter
1 slightly beaten egg
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Scoop into 12 cupcake liners and bake at 375 for 18 minutes.

Place pan on a rack for about 5 minutes when done baking. Remove cupcakes from pan and enjoy.