Parenting Sites 411

You know, I’m sure you are all sitting around wondering what in the heck I think I’m doing talking to you about cooking.  But, what I’m thinking is this….maybe I should learn how to cook sooner than later.

No, really, we eat out of boxes for the most part and neither of us really have a clue when it comes to cooking how to put together a balanced meal.  I don’t want kids to grow up with these horrible eating habits and thus far, we haven’t given them a very good start.

So, if you want to learn a little about A Flash in the Pan you can go read the Press Release.  Just don’t forget to come back so you can qualify for the contests.

Ok, are you back?

Now, let me tell you a little bit about A Flash in the Pan ok?

Max and Nancy are two chefs from Napa Valley and founders of aflashinthepan.com.  They both graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and have over 35 years of professional culinary experience between them. 

I have a year membership to the site, A Flash in the Pan for one of my lucky readers.

And, there’s more, just keep reading…at the bottom *hint hint*

So, here’s how this works ok.

1.  Comment here on my blog before April 21 at noon Eastern Time.

2.  On April 21st I will do a random draw and one person from this site will win a free one year membership to A Flash in the Pan

3.  Also on April 21st I will take all the comments regarding A Flash in the Pan from this site, Mom~E~Centric and from Mom is Teaching and I will use Random.org to choose one semi-finalist. 

4.  I will send the name of the person that I get from number 3 to the coordinator of a the #FIPan twitter party which will take place on April 22. 

5.  The pre-party for #FIPan twitter party starts at 7 PM Eastern time and will go until we are all twittered out.  (Some of you may now the last hashtag party I hosted lasted 5.5 hours).

6.  Then, at the #FIPan party, another 25 winners will be given a year’s membership to A Flash in the Pan.

7.  And, then finally, the Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from the semi-finalist submitted by all 25 bloggers who participated. 

One lucky winner will win both of them for one evening and an incredible 6-course dinner for 6 people.  Both chefs will come to the winner’s house, prepare the feast AND clean up after!  So, decide who your five best friends are and enter to win!

8. You can enter once on all 3 of my sites if you want but you can only win once.  I will choose the semi-finalist from all the entries on all 3 blogs, then I will choose one winner on each blog from the remaining entries to receive the 1 year membership to A Flash in the Pan.

9.  If you have won a membership on any of the blogs that are promoting this party or if you are chosen as a semi-finalist, you will be not be eligible to win at the # party.  However, you should most definitely plan to participate in the party because….surprises do happen every now again….

Finally, that brings me to my general disclaimer for contests, it reads like this:

Disclaimer: Mom~E~Centric’s reviews and its author assume no liability for damages associated with any prizes awarded here or contents contained therein. Prizes lost in the mail or those not delivered by sponsors are not the responsibility of Mom~E~Centric or its author. Prizes not claimed within two weeks of notification to the winner will have to be forfeited.

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older to enter, and entrants must follow state and local laws concerning sweepstakes.

You know, I’m on the computer alot.  And one of the positives of that is that I actually get to see a lot of products that other people either may never know about or may never find in their store.  And, one such product is a set of Crock-Pot Tools.  See, we aren’t really good parents in this house and our kids eat a lot of restaurant and take-out.  So, when I found out I was getting this set of Crock-Pot Tools, I was totally stocked. 

First let me tell you that I even made my husband go by the store and get the ingredients to cook something with the new utensils instead of having him swing through Taco Bell or something.  Wow! Yea, major deal for us. 

And, before I show the photos and get you some information on where to find these beauties, let me remind you that you can win some too on #twittercruise on Thursday night at 8 PM Eastern Time. You have to RSVP so go the this link and do that right now.  Then jump on Twitter on Thursday night and party with us…virtually.

Now, more about these tools…but first let me tell you, my children’s eyes were big as saucers when they saw these.  The first thing out of my youngest child’s mouth was, “can we play with this in our kitchen” to which in unison my husband and I replied, “NO!”

So, check out the specs on this dudes…and pictures too…

After nearly four decades of having to “make do” with standard kitchen tools, slow cooking aficionados will rejoice in the introduction of Crock-Pot tools, which are precisely designed to perform the specialized techniques of slow cooking.  Introduced in select test markets last fall, and now officially unveiled at this year’s International Home & Housewares Show in March, value-priced Crock™ Tools also offer unique functionality beyond the slow-cooker, making them exceptionally welcome in a challenging economy that has consumers turning to the comfort of their own kitchens for dinner.

Designed by Robinson Home Products, the six Crock™ tools- two spoons, two “shovel turners,” a ladle and tongs- are designed to make slow cooking easier and more efficient, from transferring ingredients from skillet to slow cooker to gripping a whole roast.

The tools are currently sold at Target.com and Amazon.com and will soon be sold at Crock-Pot.com

And, honestly ya’ll, the prices are good, check this out…

Current tools in the Crock-Pot^® Collection include:

Crock™ Spoon/ Crock™ Slotted Spoon (retail price $4.99)- The steep angled handle of the spoons makes it easier to maneuver inside the slow cooker. The Crock™ Spoon has a flat edged bowl and front corners that are particularly useful for scooping along the bottom and getting into the tight edges of the pot. The Crock™ Slotted Spoon’s wide bowl is helpful while stirring and the slots allow for the separation of meats and vegetables from juices before serving.

Crock™ Turner/ Crock™ Slotted Turner (retail price $4.99)- A completely unique tool, both “shovel turners” have a wide head and walled back and sides to ease the transfer of ingredients from a skillet to a slow cooker. The Crock™ Slotted Turner has slots to allow draining of liquid.

Crock™ Ladle (retail price $4.99)- The angled arm is ideal for maneuvering inside the slow cooker. The deep head allots a generous serving size with one lip slotted for straining liquid.

Crock™ Tongs (retail price $9.99)- Exceptionally generous-sized tong heads are ideal for gripping a whole roast with ease. The stainless steel arms have a pull tab locking mechanism. The head has a round profile to cradle roasts and teeth on the inside help grip meats. The tongs bottom edge can be used to pinch smaller items such as vegetables or potatoes.

All of the tools and tongs are made with nylon that is heat resistant to 400°F.

Listen, that’s the sound of my day, every day, what in the heck did I do to deserve a kid that is so difficult.  I know, I know, you reap what you sow.  But, I’m telling you, this kid is a major pain when he wants to be.  He likes to argue, will change teams in an argument just so he can continue to argue and will have nothing of the normal stuff unless it is his idea.

You know, he wants the red cup because his brother has the red one, he doesn’t want the blue one.  So, instead of taking his brothers, I go get him a different red one.  No, no, no, he wants a blue cup.  Whatever!

As of late he refuses to change his pull-up and wont tell us when he is poopy.  If we don’t smell him, then he wears it until he has blisters on his butt.  He then throws the mother of all fits when it is time to get in the bathtub which is the only way to clean him up after these episodes. 

So, what about food.  The kid eats enough in one day to last him 3 days then he doesn’t eat again for ages.  So, here’s a few links for you to check out if you have a fussy eater.  Picky Eating 101, Raise a Veggie Lover (and it can be done, my 6 year old will take broccoli over fries any day), 5 Slow-Cooker Favorites and 15 Healthy Eating Tips.

Go ahead and check them out, let me know what you think.

You know, there’s so many arts and crafts out there that I could go on forever and never tell you about them all.  And, now at this time, I’ve run up on what’s called Spring Bling for Straws which, most of you are all going, uh? about right now, so let me explain. 

Here’s a photo of the finished product…

I’m not going to give you all the information here, but I will give you some bits and pieces…..like the supplies….

Supplies for Straw Decorations:

• paper
• double stick tape
• scissors
• straw
• ladybug (wooden or sticker)

And, if you think these are great, you need to check out Chrissie from Flip Flops & Applesauce and just see what all else she has going on that you might be interested.

And, with that, I’m going to throw in some food too.  Kraft Food & Family is a free magazine and if you check it out, you can find foods like the Mini Meatloaf Recipe

And, naturally, you at least need the ingredients, right?

Mini Meatloaf Recipe:

• Favorite Meatloaf recipe
• bbq sauce
• salt & pepper
• cheese - cheddar, or something stronger would be yum

So, now, go ye out there and find these great websites and make surprises for the family!

I have a big day ahead of me. I have to whip this house into shape in order to feel like a proper hostess for a playdate tomorrow. Since staying at home, we have been to a few playdates and now it is time to reciprocate one. As a bonus, I am kicking my butt to get the house cleaned. (Here is a tip: invite someone that you aren’t as familiar with. I thought I would clean my house for a playdate with my bestfriend and I guess I am too comfortable with her because my house was wrecked when she came over.)

This past Sunday our church had a pancake dinner and dying eggs was part of the program for the little ones. Fuller got to dye his first egg and he seemed to have a pretty good time, so why not do it again? I called a mom from our church and asked her and her daughter to come over for egg dying, lunch, and a possible playground trip. So, in addition to cleaning the house, I am needing to prepare for two two and half year olds to dye hardboiled eggs.
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Welcome to March, where we are currently living out the “In like a Lion” part of the adage about this month. We have rain! We have seen lightening! The wind howls outside our windows, and my dog, who is scared of her own shadow, is glued to my leg. The words “spring storm” are going through my mind right now.

This storm works in my favor because I hate going out of the house with a toddler in yucky weather. Sometimes it is necessary, but today we are cabin bound. I get to finish the laundry, go through and file some papers, and focus on keeping Fuller happy.

I have two activities planned for today’s fun- finger painting and waffle making. Finger painting is currently on of Fuller’s favorite things and waffle making is necessary for easy breakfasts. I like to use the Master Mix recipe from the More with Less cookbook, make about 30 waffles, and then freeze them. Then when it is time for Fuller to eat one, I pop it in the toaster and in a few minutes he has breakfast!

Cooking with kids is a great educational experience from any age:
Mommy needs coffee, how many scoops of coffee beans? Let’s count! 1! 2! 3! 4! 5!
We need to mix the egg with the milk. Let’s stir (motor skills) clockwise (directions) and count to 10.
Can you pour the water? (motor skills)
The oven is… hot! (hot and cold awareness)

When kids get older there are math conversions and the science of cooking all available as learning opportunities. And creativity abounds when you decorate or even plate a meal.

One fun web resource is Spattulatta (warning, music). Have you seen this before? The website is focused on cooking for kids. It features Liv (age eight) and Belle (age ten), and a few guest chefs, in their own online cooking show. They have webisodes that each have a theme and five recipes.

All videos require Quicktime, and each recipe is written out on the right side of the page. The site offers more than recipes. They also have basic skills videos, like chopping an onion. The girls were able to interview a celebrity chef, and have been guests on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And it isn’t all about cooking- there are crafts to keep kids busy as well.

There is a Spatulatta cookbook coming out soon (Fall of 2007), which I think might make a great gift for my nieces and nephew. I’m sure their parents will love having them cook dinner so they don’t have to.

So I am off today to stay dry and make waffles. What do you do to keep from going nuts indoors all day?