Snow

We have been diving into SNOW! Not here in Texas.....but in my classroom. Lucky for me it snowed on Christmas day here in the DFW so my little southern students were ready for me to teach them with a snow theme.

They have been working hard on their writing these past few weeks. I've been blog and pinterest searching for some pretty awesome ideas to include in my lesson plans.

from The First Grade Parade

Here are some of the maps and anchor charts we worked on in the beginning of January. We read the Hat and The Mitten by Jan Brett. I LOVE these two books! The Mitten is perfect for introducing pairs or counting by twos. The Hat was really cute and the kids loved how all of the animals wanted to follow along with the main character. Jan Brett's books are pretty amazing.

BIG shout out to The First Grade Parade for these wonderful charts.

The next couple of weeks were all about Penguins so look our for those posts coming soon.
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Lobster Quiche

This sounds pretty weird but trust me it is really good. Lobster is not something that I just keep in the house just to have around like toilet paper and eggs.........I actually got it on a really good sale at the local grocery story.

Here's how it went down- My mother-in-law always tells me to check the circular.....you know the papers that come in the mail weekly that highlight the adds at the local grocery stores. Well I just so happened to actually look at it and low and behold there was a sale for lobsters. Buy one get two free. Say What?!? So I made my happy little way over to the grocery store to find out that everyone and their momma heard about the sale and there were no more left. Lucky for me I got a rain check. I put them in the freezer until I could figure out how I wanted to cook them. The first was this amazing quiche.

I'm not big on measuring when I am creating things so I am just going to make some approximations for this recipe.

2 lobster tails and claw meat (discard shells)
3 artichoke hearts in oil (jar)
8 oz. spinach (excess water drained)
2 eggs
3 egg whites
1/2 c. swiss cheese
1/4 c. feta cheese
1-9 in. pie crust (I used deep dish)
1/4 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

Turn oven to 350. Place pie crust in oven for 5 minutes to slightly brown. Remove and let cool. Chop up lobster meat, artichokes, and spinach into fine pieces. Place 1/4 stick of butter into large skillet to melt. Saute meat, artichokes, and spinach until coated and butter seems absorbed. Turn off heat and let cool. Wisk eggs together and add cheeses. Pour egg and cheese over mixture in skillet to combine. Stir together and pour into pie crust. Bake for 25 min. or until eggs set. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

The quiche will be puffy but will fall down and cave in as it cools.  

ENJOY!!

Saturday Fun!

After we went to the Stock Show last Saturday, we went to Creative Hands and Brusters Ice Cream. These are two of my favorite places to go in Arlington. Here are some pics from both places.

Creative Hands

Ryan at Creative Hands

At Creative Hands you pick out the ceramic that you like, Ryan liked the 4-wheeler. The prices are written on the bottom of each ceramic. The staff sit you at a table and provide each painter with a paint shirt, paints, paintbrushes, glaze, and/or glitter. 

Brusters Ice Cream

      Silly Ryan 

Silly Kylie

Fort Worth Stock Show Saturday

Last weekend my mother, nephew, and niece went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. We weren't originally planning on going to it....we actually wanted to go to the parade but we are really glad we made the directional mistake. This was our first time to go to the Stock Show in Texas. We have been to many in Harrisburg, Pa, where my mother is originally from. It was fun to take the kids and show them the animals up close and personal. It is really crazy how close you can get to the animals.
It was really informative and very kid friendly. I definitely recommend anyone in the DFW metroplex to check it out. I've seen some coupons on Groupon as well.

Ryan showing how cows chew. Isn't he adorable with his cowboy boots!

RAILHEAD

This food is from one of my favorite BBQ restaurants in Fort Worth. It is right down the street from the Stock Show and the line was wrapped around the building. Railhead is named one of the best BBQ spots in Fort Worth.

The prices were really good and they give a generous discount, 25%, to military, police, and fire.

This picture is the plate that I got for $9.30. It is the sliced beef dinner plate. They give you sooooo much food. Even my hungry butt couldn't finish this plate. Yes the fries were amazing! 

Birchbox: January 2013

Birchbox is a great luxury that I receive every month. Anyone who knows me knows that I love free samples and while these samples are not free.....$10 per month, I feel like the products that they put in the box are worth it. If you want to sign up click here: Birchbox. Be patient! There is a 2-3 month waiting list. They email you when it's your turn to sign up.

I signed up for Birchbox about 4 months ago. I was on the waiting list for about 2 months. I received my Birchbox on Thursday, January 10. They charge me on the first of the month and I usually receive it by the 2nd week.

The box

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This month was pretty nice. It was called The Best Year Ever. They wanted to include some things to bring in the new year and "maximize your individual happiness"

They care....they really care

Here are all of the wonderful goodies for the month. The really try to pack it in there.

GOODIES!!! 

Oscar Blandi pronto

Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray

Eyeko 

Skinny Mini Liquid Liner 

black 

Oscar Blandi 

Hair Lift

Embryolisse 

Lait-Creme Concentre

Viva La Juicy 

Perfume

There was also a poster to highlight 25 ways to be fabulous. I already am so that was my least favorite....JK.....not really though.

The complete package 

I really enjoy getting this in the mail each month. Along with the magazines I receive and the bills, I feel a little more like a grown-up.

BG Time: Cooking Class

Sunday is the day that I attend the Williams-Sonoma cooking classes. I really enjoy them and you get to try new food for free. Why not!

This Sunday it was all about eating raw foods. I know it sounds kind of gross different, but it was really great! We had a fennel and blood orange salad over mixed greens, a zucchini and tomato dish that was delish, a banana and walnut dessert, and a melon drink from a juicer. Here are the pics. 

Associate prepping the fennel and blood orange salad

Zucchini and tomato dish

The fennel salad was gone quickly, but there was a lot of the zucchini and banana left.....It all depends on who is serving the plates.

BG Time: Cooking

Whenever my mother-in-law (GG) and I get together we cook. It is something that we both have a passion for. We will sit up until 2:00 a.m. watching cooking shows, picking through how food is prepped, cooked, and presented. This weekend we decided to cook three things; chicken and vegetable soup, carrot cake, and granola bars.

I have been watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. I have come to realize that while I would never live on a farm......I would definitely live in her kitchen! Her food is gooooood and she definitely knows how to season her foods right. She cooks for her family and really enjoys doing it...my kind of woman. She recently had a show called "Horsing Around" where she showcased her carrot cake and granola bars. I could not wait to make them.

Carrot Cake
from The Pioneer Woman

Cake:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 whole eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups grated carrots
• Butter, for greasing

Icing:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans, chopped finely

Directions

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the granulated sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and combine. Then add the carrots and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan and bake until done, about 50 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the icing: In a larger bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and blend. Then mix in the pecans. Spread the icing on the cooled carrot cake.
Eat. Faint. Repeat as needed. 

This cake is so moist and delicious. The icing is what makes it. I made it on Saturday and today, Sunday, it is gone!