Apparently, December 16th is Chocolate-Covered Anything Day! (Again, this is according to Holiday Insights.) Being a chocoholic, this is just the holiday for me, and this holiday falls at the perfect time for me. Every year, during the Christmas season, I make what I call "Faux Thin Mint Cookies." They are quite a hit with some of my friends and family members. There are many names for these, and there are many recipes for them on the Internet. A basic recipe can be found at All Recipes. To sum it up, they are, basically, just Ritz crackers dipped in mint-flavored chocolate. Don't be fooled--they are DELICIOUS, and they taste JUST like the Girl Scout's Thin Mint Cookies.
With tomorrow being Chocolate-Covered Anything Day, this might be just the day for me to make my "Faux Thin Mint Cookies." If you're not up to them, there are plenty of other options. An interesting article from Woman's Day lists "8 Curious Chocolate-Covered Creations," including ants (although insects have their own chocolate-covered holiday in October), bacon, onions, Fritos, crickets, beef jerky, squid, and carrots. Another site lists, 25 equally as curious chocolate-covered creatons, including some from the Woman's Day list. But, if you're not up for any of these (Not only would I not blame you), you might try something a little less...curious...such as pretzels, Oreos, strawberries, or marshmellows.
Enjoy!
-Sus.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Holidays - December 8th
According to Holiday Insights, December 8th is National Brownie Day. There are a variety of activities that you can do with children to celebrate this "holiday." You may want to make a batch of brownies--you can do it the easy way and buy a box of mix; or, if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, there are plenty of recipes to choose from to make brownies from scratch.
According to the same site, it is also Take It in the Ear Day. This is one of those lesser-known holidays. Mention of it is mostly on sites where people are asking what the holiday is (And none seem to have been given a precise, definite answer.)... Few reputable sources give answer to exactly what the holiday is. Perhaps, though, this is a good day to practice being good listeners--and to teach our children to do the same (That, or to take our daughters and have them "take it in the ear" by getting their ears pierced...perhaps that is too literal for some though...)... Perhaps, read them a story or play a game that exercises their listening skills.
Helpful Links for National Brownie Day:
This recipe, from ifood, has chocolate pudding in it and has been well-reviewed:
http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chocolate-pudding-brownies
This recipe, from food.com, is for Nestle Toll House Double Chocolate Brownies ad has also been well-reviewed:
http://www.food.com/recipe/nestle-toll-house-double-chocolate-brownies-19441
This recipe, from allrecipes.com, is for Nestle Toll House Blonde Brownies and is ideal if you are looking for something a bit different from the traditional chocolate brownie:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/toll-house-blonde-brownies/Detail.aspx
Helpful Links for Take It in the Ear Day:
A list of sites and listening activities from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association:
http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/part88.html
A list of sites and listening activities, for children of all age groups, from iVillage:
http://www.ivillage.com/activities-build-listening-skills-skill-builder/6-a-129313
A list of fun listening activities from Baby Center:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_fun-activities-to-promote-listening-skills_68099.bc
Enjoy!
-Sus.
According to the same site, it is also Take It in the Ear Day. This is one of those lesser-known holidays. Mention of it is mostly on sites where people are asking what the holiday is (And none seem to have been given a precise, definite answer.)... Few reputable sources give answer to exactly what the holiday is. Perhaps, though, this is a good day to practice being good listeners--and to teach our children to do the same (That, or to take our daughters and have them "take it in the ear" by getting their ears pierced...perhaps that is too literal for some though...)... Perhaps, read them a story or play a game that exercises their listening skills.
Helpful Links for National Brownie Day:
This recipe, from ifood, has chocolate pudding in it and has been well-reviewed:
http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/chocolate-pudding-brownies
This recipe, from food.com, is for Nestle Toll House Double Chocolate Brownies ad has also been well-reviewed:
http://www.food.com/recipe/nestle-toll-house-double-chocolate-brownies-19441
This recipe, from allrecipes.com, is for Nestle Toll House Blonde Brownies and is ideal if you are looking for something a bit different from the traditional chocolate brownie:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/toll-house-blonde-brownies/Detail.aspx
Helpful Links for Take It in the Ear Day:
A list of sites and listening activities from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association:
http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster4/part88.html
A list of sites and listening activities, for children of all age groups, from iVillage:
http://www.ivillage.com/activities-build-listening-skills-skill-builder/6-a-129313
A list of fun listening activities from Baby Center:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_fun-activities-to-promote-listening-skills_68099.bc
Enjoy!
-Sus.
Saving in South Jersey
Hello Friends!
I went out today to pick up some bread and found some great deals, including a new place to shop--and SAVE!
I buy my bread, hamburger rolls, and hotdog rolls at the local Wonder/Hostess Outlet. You can't beat their prices, especially when you're only paying $.89 for a family-size loaf of white bread! I walked out with two loaves of whole grain white bread, a 16ct pack of hamburger rolls, and a 16ct pack of hotdog rolls, and spent less than $5.00!
If you want to see if there is a Wonder/Hostess Outlet near you, I recommend using the IBC Store Locator. If you're in South Jersey, there is one in Egg Harbor Township, on Tilton Road. There are also Wonder/Hostess outlets in Westville, Philadelphia, and Trenton.
Aside from hitting the Wonder/Hostess Outlet, I also hit the local Entenmann's Outlet, which also sells other Bimbo products, including Boboli. This was my first time there, and their shelves were well-picked; however, I learned from the associate that the best day to hit the Northfield location was between Wednesday and Saturday (when they've received shipments).
Despite the above, I was still able to find what I was hoping to find... Boboli products! They not only sell the crusts but the sauce as well. Due to their high inventory, they were actually selling the Boboli sauce (at this location) for only $.66, while they normally sell for $1.09--which I believe was also the same price as the crusts.
If you want to see if there is an Entenmann's Outlet near you, I recommend using the Entenmann's Store Locator. If you're in South Jersey, there is one in Northfield, also on Tilton Road. There is also one in Clemeton.
Enjoy!
-Sus.
I went out today to pick up some bread and found some great deals, including a new place to shop--and SAVE!
I buy my bread, hamburger rolls, and hotdog rolls at the local Wonder/Hostess Outlet. You can't beat their prices, especially when you're only paying $.89 for a family-size loaf of white bread! I walked out with two loaves of whole grain white bread, a 16ct pack of hamburger rolls, and a 16ct pack of hotdog rolls, and spent less than $5.00!
If you want to see if there is a Wonder/Hostess Outlet near you, I recommend using the IBC Store Locator. If you're in South Jersey, there is one in Egg Harbor Township, on Tilton Road. There are also Wonder/Hostess outlets in Westville, Philadelphia, and Trenton.
Aside from hitting the Wonder/Hostess Outlet, I also hit the local Entenmann's Outlet, which also sells other Bimbo products, including Boboli. This was my first time there, and their shelves were well-picked; however, I learned from the associate that the best day to hit the Northfield location was between Wednesday and Saturday (when they've received shipments).
Despite the above, I was still able to find what I was hoping to find... Boboli products! They not only sell the crusts but the sauce as well. Due to their high inventory, they were actually selling the Boboli sauce (at this location) for only $.66, while they normally sell for $1.09--which I believe was also the same price as the crusts.
If you want to see if there is an Entenmann's Outlet near you, I recommend using the Entenmann's Store Locator. If you're in South Jersey, there is one in Northfield, also on Tilton Road. There is also one in Clemeton.
Enjoy!
-Sus.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Holidays - December 7th
December 7th is Cotton Candy Day, Letter Writing Day, Civil Aviation Day, and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. There are a variety of activities that you can do with children to celebrate any of these "holidays." You may want to make home-made cotton candy (which does not require a machine), write a letter to a solider or loved one, or do an activity to teach about civil aircrafts or Pearl Harbor.
Helpful Links for Cotton Candy Day:
A great recipe, which is a bit confusing, so I would recommend watching the video below to better understand these instructions:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jacques-torres/jacques-homemade-cotton-candy-recipe/index.html
A helpful video that shows the process and mentions some helpful tips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-bG59cITaY
If you'd rather, you can find various cotton candy machines on the market. Kmart sells a countertop electronic cotton candy machine, which is listed for $29.99 (not including tax and shipping); however, right now, you can get 4% cash back for Kmart through ebates. You may also be able to find relevant coupon codes at one of the coupon code sites in my list of links.
Helpful Links for Civil Aviation Day:
The ICAO page is very technical, especially for children; however, this page is easier to understand and gives a good overview of Civil Aviation Day:
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-civil-aviation-day
Some easy aircraft-related activities from TLC:
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/aviation-activities-for-kids.htm
A site, if you want to show kids some pics of civil and military aircraft, so they can see the differences:
http://www.aircraftguru.com/aircraft/
A page with lots of coloring pages; however, not all of the planes shown are originally civilian: http://coloringbookfun.com/planes/
Helpful Links for Pearl Harbor Day:
A few activities relating to Pearl Harbor (Again, some younger children might not understand this event or might be frightened by it.): http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/SpecialDays/PearlHarbor/Activities.html
A comprehensive site from Scholastic, which is great but not geared towards most younger children:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/pearl/index.htm
This site has a variety of activities on Hawaii, not directly pertaining to Pearl Harbor, and you could probably find something for any age-group:
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/hawaii.html
Helpful Links for Letter-Writing:
A great idea for making a letter-writing kit for kids:
http://www.parents-choice.org/article.cfm?art_id=258&the_page=editorials
A page where younger kids can learn more about letter writing and even write to their favorite Arthur character:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/letterwriter/
A page with a variety of resourcs and ideas for writing letters:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/letters-and-journals/resource/26369.html
For letter-writing, I really like the idea of having a child write a letter to their favorite author or musician/music group, a President, a soldier (There are a variety of sites and organizations that provide this service.), Santa, or even a fictional character (if you just want the child to practice writing a letter). If you want to locate the address for a real-life person, such as an author, musician/music group, President, you can usually locate their addresses online, with a simple Google search: (mail OR contact OR address) AND name. For example: (mail OR contact OR address) AND George W Bush
Enjoy!
-Sus.
Helpful Links for Cotton Candy Day:
A great recipe, which is a bit confusing, so I would recommend watching the video below to better understand these instructions:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jacques-torres/jacques-homemade-cotton-candy-recipe/index.html
A helpful video that shows the process and mentions some helpful tips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-bG59cITaY
If you'd rather, you can find various cotton candy machines on the market. Kmart sells a countertop electronic cotton candy machine, which is listed for $29.99 (not including tax and shipping); however, right now, you can get 4% cash back for Kmart through ebates. You may also be able to find relevant coupon codes at one of the coupon code sites in my list of links.
Helpful Links for Civil Aviation Day:
The ICAO page is very technical, especially for children; however, this page is easier to understand and gives a good overview of Civil Aviation Day:
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-civil-aviation-day
Some easy aircraft-related activities from TLC:
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/aviation-activities-for-kids.htm
A site, if you want to show kids some pics of civil and military aircraft, so they can see the differences:
http://www.aircraftguru.com/aircraft/
A page with lots of coloring pages; however, not all of the planes shown are originally civilian: http://coloringbookfun.com/planes/
Helpful Links for Pearl Harbor Day:
A few activities relating to Pearl Harbor (Again, some younger children might not understand this event or might be frightened by it.): http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/SpecialDays/PearlHarbor/Activities.html
A comprehensive site from Scholastic, which is great but not geared towards most younger children:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/pearl/index.htm
This site has a variety of activities on Hawaii, not directly pertaining to Pearl Harbor, and you could probably find something for any age-group:
http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/hawaii.html
Helpful Links for Letter-Writing:
A great idea for making a letter-writing kit for kids:
http://www.parents-choice.org/article.cfm?art_id=258&the_page=editorials
A page where younger kids can learn more about letter writing and even write to their favorite Arthur character:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/games/letterwriter/
A page with a variety of resourcs and ideas for writing letters:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/letters-and-journals/resource/26369.html
For letter-writing, I really like the idea of having a child write a letter to their favorite author or musician/music group, a President, a soldier (There are a variety of sites and organizations that provide this service.), Santa, or even a fictional character (if you just want the child to practice writing a letter). If you want to locate the address for a real-life person, such as an author, musician/music group, President, you can usually locate their addresses online, with a simple Google search: (mail OR contact OR address) AND name. For example: (mail OR contact OR address) AND George W Bush
Enjoy!
-Sus.
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