Fancy Flip Flops

As many of you know my daughter is a total frilly girl.  The more sparkle, the better.  She adores Fancy Nancy and she loves to call everyone "darling."  She was my inspiration for these fancy flip flops.  They look impressive but they were cheap to make and they took me 3o minutes to do (not counting time for the glue to dry when you are finished). Total cost was less than $10!  You can make yours like mine or you can use your imagination to make any version.

You will need:

• 1 pair plain flip flops (I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.59)
• Gorilla Glue
• Pre-made bows ($2.99 at Hobby Lobby in the kids section)- If you are more talented you can make your own with gross grain ribbon.  These were on hair clips for kids so I just pulled the alligator clip off and kept the bow.
• Some sparkle for embellishment.  Pick anything you like.  I found  these tiny crystals that come in pre-cut strips especially for flip flops at Hobby Lobby for $3.99.  They are called "Flip-Flop Bling" and they had a sticky backing so I didn't need any glue for them. Any adhesive rhinestone strips will do the trick and make the job quick and easy.  

The rest is sort of self explanatory once you look at the picture.  The secret here is more in the supplies.  Use your imagination and when you finish the decorating I used gorilla glue to stick the big bow to the center.  Clamp it with a clothes pin and wait 1-2 hours.

Letting The Little Things Slide

Let me start this one by admitting that I am a total perfectionist.  I do things 100% and I have great difficulty delegating to anyone else.  I like things done a certain way and that is most often "my way."  Sometimes this trait is an asset, but when it comes to parenting I am being forced to learn to roll with things a bit more.

That being said, this morning I began my routine after breakfast of getting all the kids dressed.  Now that Mary Catherine is 3 she has a very strong opinion of what she wants to wear.  Her requirements are simple... It must be fancy, it must be pink, and it must be sparkly.  It is near impossible to get the girl into anything that is not a dress or skirt.  While I was busy dressing the boys she went into her closet and selected her own outfit.  It was a pink t-shirt with a pink tutu skirt finished off with purple and blue crocs.  In retrospect it really wasn't that bad, but of course I had something quite different in mind.  I tried my usual tactics to bargain with her, hoping that maybe she would change the top or the bottom to keep it from being SO much pink.  Of course all efforts failed.  She was determined and she was quite proud that the managed to match the pinks.

After much ado I caved and let her wear the all-pink ensemble.  (Really, did you see that cute face?  I didn't stand a chance).  I am almost guilty telling this story now because it was really so minor.  The only reason I bothered to write about it was because I realized that in the end we both won this battle.  She left the house with a little extra pep in her step because she had won the power struggle and because she was truly excited about her little outfit.  I, on the other hand, learned that no one on this earth even noticed other than me.  Mary Catherine and all our children are put here to teach us about ourselves.  Reluctantly I am letting go of the little things and learning how freeing it can be to be a great mom without being a perfect mom.

Best Lasagna Bolognese with Bechamel

This lasagna is truly over the top!  I will admit that it takes a while to make, but I always double the recipe and make two.  I freeze one and then I have an extra weeknight dinner on hand any time.  Also, it is a great way to sneak in tons of veggies for your kids.  My advice is to get the meat sauce (bolognese) going in the early morning after breakfast.  That way it can simmer all afternoon and you can assemble the lasagna at the kids naptime.  Trust me it is well worth the time!

Bolognese Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 lb pancetta (I couldn't find it so I substituted smoked bacon) diced
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• salt 
• pepper
• 1 cup good white wine 
• 2- 28oz cans good imported whole tomatoes with their juices (I like San Marzano)
• 1 tsp red pepper flake

Bechamel Ingredients:

• 3 cups 2% milk
• 6 tbsp flour
• 6 tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper 
• a good pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

Noodles:
3- 9oz boxes no boil lasagna noodles (I use Barilla)
grated parmesan cheese for topping

Bolognese Preparation:
1. Turn heat to medium and put oil, butter, and chopped onion in a big pot.  Cook for 2 min.
2. Add pancetta.  Stir and cook until pancetta has rendered and onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add celery and carrot.  Cook 3 more minutes or until veggies are coated. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add ground beef and season again with salt and pepper.  Break up meat well and cook until it has lost any raw red color.
5. Add wine, red pepper flake, and tomatoes with their juices (put your hand into the can and squeeze tomatoes over pot until they are well broken up).  Stir well.
6. Turn heat to lowest setting and barely simmer for 3-5 hours uncovered.
7. When sauce is finished, taste and adjust seasoning for salt and pepper.  Fat will separate from sauce and you may drain some off the top.  I can usually skim at least 1/2 to 1 cup of fat off.  Discard.
8. Use an immersion blender and pulse 6-12 times.  You want to leave sauce chunky so go easy.  If you don't have immersion blender, you can do this in a regular blender by spooning sauce into blender in small batches.

Bechamel Preparation:
1. Over medium heat melt the butter.  Whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir to avoid burning flour.
2. Pour in milk and continue to whisk until it begins to boil.
3. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Then remove from heat.  Do not prepare bechamel until you are ready to layer lasagna.

Assembly:
The secret is lots of layers so go thin on the meat and just drizzle the bechamel.  Spray baking dish well and put a tiny bit of meat sauce in bottom to keep noodles from drying out while cooking.  Put an even layer of noodles then bolognese, and then drizzle with bechamel.  Repeat until you have used it all up.  Sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese over the top and final layer of bolognese/bechamel.  Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes covered with foil.  uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. 

Easy-Breezy Banana Bread

My kids love banana bread and for some reason I always feel good about giving it to them.  Whenever the bananas start going bad I mash them up and make a few loaves.  This recipe is super easy because it only uses one mixing bowl and all the ingredients are things I always have in the pantry.  Make extra and keep it in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup bananas mashed with a fork
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs (beaten lightly)
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream together the bananas, butter and sugar.  I use a hand held electric mixer on medium.  Add the eggs and mix.  Then add the remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips and mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips by hand.  Pour into a greased loaf pan (9x5x3 inch).  Bake 50-55 minutes and until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*I always keep my banana bread in the freezer because I can slice it thinly that way.  To make it extra special for snack I slice two thin slices and make a sandwich with strawberry cream cheese in the middle.  It is always a hit!

Giving A Boost To Kid's Artwork

I don't know about other moms, but I have a fridge covered with all sorts of art that my children have made.  I hate to throw any of it away, but let's be honest, most of it is just chicken scratch.  At age two and three my oldest kids love to watercolor and so that seems to be what I have the most of.  Here is a way to reuse some of their art and to give a thoughtful "thank-you" to a friend...


You will need:

• Craft knife and mat to cut on
• Blank card and envelopes (I found a pack of 8 for $3.00 at my craft store)
• Double-sided tape
• Some extra kids artwork

Step 1 Go on your computer and type the message or find a design you want to appear on the card cover.  You can do your kid's monogram, the word "thanks" or a simple design of a fish, etc.  The possibilities are endless. Print the words in bold and make sure they are big enough to fit nicely on the card you selected.
Step 2 Tape the card over the printed words/image on a window so you can use the natural light to help you trace the image.  If you have a light box- even better! Trace the image in pencil.
Step 3 Put your card on a cutting mat and cut around pencil outline.  Take time to cut carefully and cut outside pencil lines.
Step 4 Cut out the portion of your kids art that you want to show through on the front of card.  Use double-sided tape and sick it to front of card so that the art shows through the stencil you have just cut.  Viola, you are done.

Your friends will LOVE to get these cards and I write on the backside, "Cover art by: (Insert your child's name)."

Freezer Paper Shirts

Okay, so I certainly cannot take credit for this idea. It has been around for some time, but recently my cousin inspired me to take a crack at it. She made the most adorable shirts for her boys and her skills far surpass mine.

To learn the details there are tons of online tutorials available. Here's the basic idea...
Step 1 Find an image you want to use. I searched online using google, but make sure to keep the image simple.
Step 2 Trace image onto freezer paper using a pencil.
Step 3 Cut out image with craft knife. Toss the positive and use the negative as your stencil.
Step 4 Iron stencil onto shirt (must use a dry iron.
Step 5 Use brush and paint over stencil with fabric paint.
Step 6 Remove stencil and voila!

These shirts are super simple to make, quick, inexpensive and look adorable. I certainly messed up my share while learning. Here are my tips so that you may avoid some of my mistakes:

• Do not use too many coats of paint. Two to three is max!
• Make sure not to use any steam on the iron.
• Peel away stencil slowly as soon as you finish painting.

Chocolate Buttermilk Babysitter Cake

Today was our wonderful babysitter's birthday.  I thought it was the perfect excuse to make buttermilk chocolate cake with the kids.  If you are a chocolate lover, this recipe is a necessity to have in your recipe box.  I found it online and I have tweaked the recipe and experimented over time.  I love it because it is quick to make and uses one mixing bowl.  Hopefully it will keep our babysitter around a little longer.

You will need:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup good unsweetened cocoa powder (I like Dutch process)
• 1 1/3 cups canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups strong coffee or espresso- hot ( I use decaf so the kids can eat it too)
• 1 tsp good vanilla extract
• 24 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 2 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment.
2. Place flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.  Using mixer stir on low to combine.  Keeping the mixer on low add oil, buttermilk, then eggs one at a time.  Add hot coffee slowly in a stream.  Add vanilla and mix until batter is smooth.  Divide into 2 pans and bake 30-35 minutes.  Let cool.
3. Melt chocolate chips and cream in a double boiler.  Allow mixture to melt then stir with a whisk.  Allow to cool to room temp.
4. Remove cakes from pans and trim to make each level.  put one layer chocolate ganache mixture between layers and then spread over top and sides to cover.