Tuesday, November 18, 2008
 We made homemade playdough yesterday, the twins, Caleb and I. I used to do all this fun stuff with the big boys when they were little. Then I guess, because I thought I was done having babies I forgot all about it. But recently it's sort of DeJa Vu--only instead of Hunter, Noah and Denver begging to be entertained and dazzled, it's Caleb, Jericho and Justus. So bit by bit it's coming back to me, all the things I used to do to pass the days with the big boys when they were small and I've started doing them all over again with the next batch of babies. Anyway, they loved it. I think I got a whole whoppin' three hours out of that stuff. And that's the great thing about homemade playdough--it's soft and warm and easy to mash and smash and mold and mash and cut and shape and form into all sorts of fun things. I just gave them some kid scissors and butter knives and cups and bowls and cookie cutters and wa-lah, fun! When Denver saw what we'd been up to he wanted to make his own batch, so we did, cause you know. . . it's so totally easy. And he played with it for quite some time too. Just in case you don't already have the recipe here it is:
In a saucepan combine:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 TBSP cooking oil
2 TBSP cream of tartar
1 cup water
Stir over medium heat until it clumps together in one big gooey ball of dough. Then knead on the table until you have a nice, smooth ball of playdough. If you are cool like my mom was you can add food coloring and scented oil (like peppermint oil--not extract--you'd use in cooking). We made peppermint, spearmint and orange scented playdough yesterday. Of course when you make it smell good, the kids just want to eat it, so be careful.
 Speaking of great ideas for entertaining your little kids, way back when we lived in Utah one of my best friends let her kid(s) paint in the bathtub. She'd hang paper around the entire tub, give them paint and brushes and let them have at it. It's really just painting like you'd have them do at the kitchen table BUT, clean up is a snap. Just pull down the paper and hose down the walls and your kids. I know I've mentioned this idea before but I did have a new idea this last time we did it. It's called "put some paint in a spray bottle, water it down and spray paint the walls and your baby brothers." It was pretty sweet. And as soon as we have some snow on the ground, we'll be doing the same thing outside. Can hardly wait. Did I mention we had snow flurries here this morning?
Tonight we had French Toast for dinner. Nothing special. But Sunday we had Cheesy Ravioli Bake, a new recipe I discovered at our local grocery store. Anyway, it was pretty fabulous and I highly recommend it for any of you that are looking for something new to cook for dinner. And yes, even the kids ate it and yes, it even had veggies in it.
Baked Ravioli
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp coarsley chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt
2 (8-ounce) packages fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease shallow 2-quart baking dish with 1 Tbsp butter.
Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook until thickened and almost dry, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil and cream and simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Add 1 Tbsp salt and ravioli to boiling water and cook until al dente. Add spinach to pot with pasta and stir until wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain past and spinach, return to pot, and stir in tomato sauce. Transfer mixture to baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until top is golden, about 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
 And speaking of food, today we had a tea party/picnic lunch. It was way too cold to play outside with little people. Their fingers freeze a lot faster than regular people's fingers. But tea parties are another great way to entertain the babies and get them to eat too. For some reason they'll eat food when it's tiny but not when it's just regular size. Go figure. Anyway we had little sandwiches and little apples and little cups and little pitchers of chocolate milk and little bowls of raisins and we sat in front of the TV and watched Caillou. All three of them loved to practice filling their own cups and by the end the twins had learned that you stop pouring when the cup is full, NOT when the pitcher is empty. When we'd finished the healthy food I brought in dessert, some fudge I made last night when I had a hankering for chocolate. I cut them into tiny pieces and placed them on a tiny plate and presented them to the kids. Jericho picked one up and said, "Poop?" Will they ever learn--I just sneak veggies into food, not poop! And plus, "poop" is not a polite word to use at Tea Parties.
And speaking of homemade fudge, it's that time of year again for cooking and baking and sharing all sorts of yummy goodies and treats. So here is the recipe for this year's first treat of Christmas 2008 from the Henrichsen household to yours. You're gonna love how easy it is to make. But be careful--once you start eating this fudge you won't be able to stop. Melanie was down today and between her kids and mine, we ate the entire pan of fudge in less than an hour. Guess I'll have to make it again, only next time I'll double it.
The World's Easiest Fudge
Melt one bag of Milk Chocolate Ghiradelli chocolate chips in a heavy saucepan with one can of sweetened condensed milk. Add 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla and chopped nuts (optional) and pour into a greased 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours, cut and serve.
So, there you have it. Some of my easiest, best ideas for entertaining small children when you can't go outside and play. But alas, tomorrow we have to go grocery shopping and I have yet to find a way to make that fun and dazzling, especially with three toddlers in tow. Any suggestions are of course, always welcome.
posted by Shana # 9:54 PM 
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