Kids in Kitchen – Green Eggs and Ham
September 20, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
By Kate Sonders
Sept. 20, 2009
Scrambled eggs with pesto and prosciutto, topped with cheese, become a Tuscan favorite. Lizzie Marie Likness has created a Tuscan spin on a storybook favorite using prosciutto from Parma, Italy, and pesto for beautiful color and amazing flavor.
2 all-natural eggs
1 tablespoon all-natural pesto
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 paper-thin slices proscuitto, torn into bite-size pieces
To taste Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
*Note: if prosciutto is not available, use 1/4 cup chopped ham, turkey, or other healthy deli meat.
Heat pan on medium, add oil to coat pan. Crack eggs into mixing bowl, add pesto and ham, loosely scramble with a fork. Pour egg mixture into pan and slowly move eggs with a spatula (in a push-and-pull motion) until cooked. Top with cheese.
Source: Grand Parents
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Kids in Kitchen: Citrus Crocked Ham
September 20, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Kids in the Kitchen
By Sheila Kay Christensen
Sept. 19, 2009
Description
A succulent ham cooked in the crock pot with ginger ale, brown sugar and citrus slices.
Ingredients
1 3-4 pound boneless, precooked ham
1 orange
1 lemon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 12-oz can ginger ale
3 or 4 cloves
Directions
Place ham in bottom of crock pot. Thinly slice orange and lemon, and then layer alternately over the ham. Spread the brown sugar over the citrus slices on top of the ham. Lightly sprinkle ginger ale over the brown sugar until barely moist, and then pour the rest of the ginger ale around the ham on the bottom of the crock pot so that the ham can simmer in the ginger ale. Put 3 or 4 cloves in the ginger ale. Simmer in crock pot for 6 to 8 hours. Let ham sit on platter 15 minutes before slicing to serve.
Servings: 12
Source: Eversave
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Project: Backyard Tepee With Your Kids
September 20, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Arts and Crafts
By Family Fun
Sept. 20, 2009
Just like the traditional Native American tepee that inspired it, this backyard shelter can be assembled and dismantled in a jiffy.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
9- x 12-foot canvas tarp or drop cloth
Measuring tape
Colored marker
Scissors
White cotton rope
Ten 8-foot-long white PVC pipes, 3/4 inch in diameter
Hacksaw (optional)
2 chopsticks or similar strips of wood
Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1.Fold the tarp in half so that it forms a 9- x 6-foot rectangle.
2. Measure in 1 foot along the fold and mark the spot.
3. Cut a 6-foot length of rope. Have your child hold one end of the rope at the marked spot while you tie the opposite end around the colored marker.
4. Step away from your child until the line is taut and move the rope in an arc, marking a line on the canvas as you go.
5. Cut the tarp along the line and then cut out a 12- x 6-inch rectangle to the left of the marked spot at the top of the tepee.
6. Loosely tie together three of the PVC pipes two feet down from the tops with a piece of rope, then stand them up like a tripod.
7. Lean the remaining poles against the tripod so that they are evenly spaced.
8. Drape the cut canvas around the tepee frame, overlapping the top a bit. Make 2 sets of holes through both layers of the overlapped portion and thread the chopsticks through them to hold the canvas in place.
9. To secure the lower edge of the canvas to the frame, first snip a small hole about 1 inch from one of the tarp’s bottom corners.
10. Loop a short length of rope through the hole, as shown, and tie the ends around the base of one pole (this pole will become part of the doorway).
11. Gently stretch the canvas around the PVC frame so that the canvas extends past the first pole to create a door flap.
12. Snip a small hole near the lower edge of the canvas where it falls on the remaining poles and tie it in place using the same method as before.
Source: Family Fun
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Tip of the Week: Water Safety
September 20, 2009 by Dan
Filed under Safety Tips
By Sparky
Sept. 20, 2009
Childhood drowning and near-drowning can happen in a matter of seconds. They typically occur when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse of supervision. Eight hundred ten children ages 14 and under drowned in 2005. An estimated 2,780 children were treated in emergency rooms after near-drowning in 2007. Severe and permanent brain damage affects as many as 20 percent of near-drowning victims.
Make sure pools and spas are enclosed on four sides with a fence at least 5 feet high with a self-closing and latching gates.
Drains in pools and spas should have anti-entrapment drain covers.
Learn infant and child CPR and always have a phone near the pool for emergency use.
Children should always swim under the supervision of a grown-up. Every child over the age of three should have swimming lessons.
Children using air-filled swimming aids should always be supervised by an adult within arm’s reach.
A U.S. Coast guard approved lifejacket should be worn for water sports such as tubing, skiing or jet skiing. Air-filled aids such as inner tubes, water wings and inflatable rafts are not substitutes for approved lifejackets
It is important for children to learn and practice water safety rules. Here are some helpful water safety rules for children:
- Children should swim only if a lifeguard or a grown-up gives you permission.
- Teach children to obey the posted rules.
Encourage children to:
Check with the lifeguard to find out how deep the water is.
Always swim with a buddy.
Never jump or dive unless the lifeguard or a grown-up says it is okay to do so.
Don’t eat candy or chew gum when swimming.
Never swim at night.
Get out of the water right away if you hear thunder or see lightning.
When on a boat, everyone needs a seat and his or her own U.S. Coastguard approved lifejacket.
Editor’s Note: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) (12/17/08).
We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Movie Reviews: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
September 19, 2009 by Kim
Filed under Movie Reviews
by Kerry Bennett
September 18, 2009
It has long been the ambition of Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) to leave his mark on the world by inventing something that will improve life for mankind. When his experiments result in food falling from the sky, he also catches the attention of Sam Sparks (voice of Anna Faris), an aspiring television news reporter who has flown in to cover the event..
In-Depth Review
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is rated PG: for brief mild language.
You’ll never look at lunch or the weather forecast the same way after watching Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Personally, the idea of meals just blowing in and raining down appears to be a good one. No stewing over what to make for dinner and no more lengthy trips to the grocery store. However, the best laid plans don’t always pan out.
Flint Lockwood’s (voice by Bill Hader) intentions are good. He’s always been the nerd, the weirdo, the freak with a head full of big ideas. But nothing has ever turned out to be as successful in reality as it looked on paper. Now the small town where Flint lives with his father Tim (voice by James Caan) is in serious trouble. The sardine factory has closed and the citizens on the tiny island are the only ones left to eat the salty seafood. Unfortunately a steady diet of sardines is becoming pretty unappetizing.
Squirreled away in his lab, Flint comes up with a tasty solution to their dilemma. He creates a food-making machine that will turn simple water molecules into yummy entrees. Unfortunately a power surge sends the machine hurtling into the stratosphere. Instead of serving dinner from the safety of his lab, the scrumptious meals begin falling from the sky.
The enterprising mayor (voice by Bruce Campbell) of Swallow Falls sees this new weather phenomenon as a way to rejuvenate business in the faltering town. He, without any input from the rest of the citizens, creates a food-based amusement park and begins promoting it to tourists around the world. But as the demands increase on the food processor, the gentle mealtime showers develop into severe storm patterns. With reporter Sam Sparks (voice by Anna Faris) broadcasting on location, the world watches as the town of Swallow Falls is caught up in the center of some nasty squalls.
This film’s delectable script, a cast of delicious characters and a hearty dash of topical jokes for the adults in the audience make this film entertaining for almost everyone. Very young viewers, however, may be frightened by some moments of peril, especially when a grown-up ‘Baby’ Brent (voice by Andy Samberg) is chased and eaten by a headless roasted turkey. Another man is electrocuted after sneaking into a power sub station. He also has to deal with constant bullying from his peers.
Still these characters discover that everyone has something to offer, particularly when they stay true to who they are. And while too much of any good thing can be bad, the forecast for this family film is sunny with a chance of laughs.
Studio: 2009 Columbia Pictures. Visit the official movie site.
Content Details: Beyond the Movie Ratings…
From the time he is a child, Flint is bullied and teased by his peers in school and even adults on the street. He also deals with his father’s disappointment. After one science experiment goes wrong, Flint is seen hitting his feet, trying to cut something off of them and banging them against the floor. One character is electrocuted in a power substation. An accident causes the total destruction of an amusement park. A man runs with scissors in his hand. An animal appears to be eating excrement. A character throws snowballs at others. A father and son have a disagreement. Characters experience severe weather including tornados. A dam threatens to break and flood the people who live below it. Characters are chased by a flock of headless, roasted turkeys. One man is eaten by one of the turkeys. A girl suffers from the effects of anaphylactic shock after being exposed to peanuts. Characters lie to one another. They also experience moments of peril, including being attacked by giant gummy bears. The script contains some name-calling and brief mild language.
Discussion Ideas: Talk About the Movie…
While scientists still haven’t discovered how to make food from water molecules, they are working at creating more genetically modified foods. How can this improve food production? How do you feel about this type of intervention?
Flint and his father are on opposing ends of the technology scale. How does that impact their relationship? What technology gaps do you experience with your parents or children?
One of the characters pretends to be less intelligent than she is in order to have people like her. Why do people, especially women, often feel like they have to play dumb to be socially accepted?
Video alternatives
Food also plays a starring role in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where a young boy finds a golden ticket that allows him access into a magical candy-making plant. In The Absent-minded Professor, a teacher at a small town university discovers a new substance known as flubber. Another young inventor with great ambitions is introduced in Meet The Robinsons.
Source: Parent Previews
Editor’s Note: Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for nearly 10 years. She serves as Vice President of the Alberta Association for Media Awareness. She and her husband Garry have four sons.
We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Teddy Bear Jigsaw Puzzle
Source: Jig Zone