Rainbow Cookie cheat

I received a few queries about the rainbow cookies in last week's post. Don't tell anyone, but they were a total cheat!

My car was in the shop, and the oven wasn't working for half the afternoon. Instead of trying to bake a cake on the grill, I just covered store-bought semi-circular cookies with an icing made of confection sugar, water, and a few drops of food coloring.

I'm going to spare you the wordy instructions, and just post pictures of the process. The cookies were a big hit. I may need to cheat like this more often!

A wooden coffee stirrer makes the perfect applicator. It was a much easier and more accurate method of adding a very thin coat of frosting to the cookie than the spoon or butter knife.

It was important to use only a very thin layer of frosting, because the store-bought cookies were sweet enough to serve plain. (After all, the manufacturer expected them to be served as-is.)

Of course, these can be made with home-made cookies, or round cookies cut in half. But that wouldn't be cheating very much, would it?

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

Speedcurling: A quick and easy method to wrap gifts in bulk

I often have cause to make a decorative closure for a large number of gift packages. This is the method I've developed for doing it quickly, using a minimum of curling ribbon and a minimum of frustration.

I like doing it this way because I can prepare the ribbons in advance, allowing the packages to be assembled at the last minute, or opened and closed again without untying tiny knots.

This is particularly useful for birthday party goodie bags, where the kids might make a project during the party. The project can be placed in the bag and the bag sealed in a decorative fashion at the end of the party.

I also like this for packaging lollipops. A piece of plastic wrap secured by some curled ribbon around the stick makes a nice presentation, but it is aggravating to tie the ribbons around the stick, because the stick is so light.

When we make chocolate lollipops, all the ribbons can be made while the chocolate cools.

I like to use curling ribbon because it is easy to work with, inexpensive, and portable.. It is easy to keep many colors in stock since a large roll costs about $2.

Instructions:

1. Choose a few colors of curling ribbon to use. Keeping the ribbons on the rolls (i.e. do not cut) pull a few feet of ribbon loose. Working with all the stands together make a slip knot about a foot from the ends of curling ribbon.
   
   


2. Take a twist-tie or bit of pipe cleaner and bend it in half.
   
   Slip through the loop of the ribbon slipknot and twist the ends of the twist tie to secure it to the ribbon.
   
   Pull the slip knot tight around the bend in the twisted twist-tie.


3. Pull another two feet or so of the combined ribbon, and repeat the above steps with another twist-tie. Continue this way until all of the needed twist-ties are secured to the ribbon.


4. Cut the ribbons between the twist-ties to separate. There will be about one foot of ribbon on either side of each twist-tie.


5. Using one blade of a scissors, curl the ribbon by pulling the scissors (away from your body along the ribbon's surface.
   
   If the ribbon is not curly enough the first time, run the sisters blade on the same side (i.e. top or bottom) of the curling ribbon again. If you run the blade first on the top and then on the bottom, the curling results will cancel each other. If you run them on the same side, the curliness will add/double.


6. Attach the completed ribbons to the gifts, when the gifts are ready.
   
   

For years, we gave the teachers at our children's school a honey dish at the beginning of the school year as token gift for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah).

Since it is traditional to eat apples dipped in honey for the new year, I was delighted to find these small apple-shaped dishes at our local fancy-china-store-outlet, about 10 years ago. I bought a few cases of them, and used them for many years. (There are a couple of teachers out there (perhaps reading this blog) who have four of these - a matching set - from teaching four of my kids!)

It wasn't until the outlet store went out of business that I realized that while I was looking at them as an apple dish for apples and honey, the teachers were probably very tired of receiving apple-themed gifts. (As in, "an apple for the teacher", which never occurred to me!)

It was around then that I switched to giving honey bears, which have the advantage of being consumable so they don't add clutter to the teacher's lives.

Had I not purchased our honey (in bulk cases from the restaurant supply store) earlier this summer, I'd strongly consider ordering some of these adorable Rosh Hashanah themed soaps, made by the even more adorable daughters of my friend, CruncyGranolaMom.

Here's wishing all the readers of this blog, a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and sweet new (academic and/or Jewish) year.

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

Pantry in a stairwell - some storage ideas

The stairway to our basement is also our pantry. I try to maximize the bits of storage space that don't encroach on the free use of the stairs.

On the walls that have a few inches of clearance, there are wire shelf baskets. These reach up to the ceiling of the stairwell.

When we have bags of chips (or any bulky bag of very light weight), we clip them to the higher shelves (so they are out of the way and above our heads) using clothes-pins. This way, they don't use valuable shelf space.

On the one wall there is about 3" of space, which isn't wide enough for a set of shelves. On this wall, we stack boxes of breakfast cereal face-out.

Emily in 2004 with the Wall o'Cereal after a big Kellogg's sale. She was as old then as Gretta is now.
{Cue the violins with "Fiddler on the Roof"....}

Above head level on that wall, I've hammered a few nails into a (painted) plank of wood that is attached to the drywall.

These nails are perfect for hanging the net bags that hold heavy produce, such as onions and potatoes.

This is also where we keep the plastic coffee-cup lids, and bulk-purchased plastic bread bags, suspended by plastic bags, hung on mug hooks.

What are your Pantry storage solutions?

Please share them in the comments!

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

Butterflies are (almost) free...

• 
  
  This morning we kept 6 kids, aged 3-15, happily occupied for hours, with minimal clean-up, snack included, for about $3.
  
  
  To make a butterfly:
  
  
  
  1. Place two pretzels on a wax-coated paper plate, touching at the single round part, with the double parts facing outward to make the wings.
  
  
  
  2. Dip raisins and nuts in melted chocolate chips and place them in a symmetrical pattern on the wings.
  
  
  
  3. With a spoon, drizzle a bit of chocolate across the middle to make the body and head, forming antennae (not too thin) on the plate.
  
  
  
  4. Allow the chocolate to harden at room temperature for half an hour (or refrigerate if in a hurry) and gently remove the completed butterflies from the plates.
  
  
  For our crowd this morning we spent:
  
  
  
  
  

  25 cents' worth of pretzels (bought in bulk for the school lunches) + $1.69 for a bag of chocolate chips, $1 for a disposable tablecloth (cheaper than therapy and strongly recommended), a dozen wax-coated paper plates, and handfuls of edibles from the back of the pantry.

  
  
  
  

  Tips for doing this with a crowd:

  
  
  
  • For the edibles, we used the remainders of jars of sprinkles, raisins, blueberries, peanut butter, the bottom of the bag of sliced almonds, etc. Small amounts, like a quarter cup, are fine. Butterflies are detailed work, so the don't use very much of anything.
  
  
  
  • Melt the chips in a glass container in the microwave, heating at half power for 1-2 minutes. Stir and let it cool a bit to prevent burns.
  
  
  
  • Give each child a wax coated paper plate, and write the child's name on it.
  
  
  
  • Stand back and let them go nuts. This will keep all ages entertained and occupied for hours. (Periodic reheating of the chocolate may be necessary.)
  
  
  
  • The chocolate will harden at room temperature. Make them wait a couple of hours to eat their creations as an afternoon snack, as it builds excitement. There will, of course, be some grazing at the table. Gently admonish the noshers and make them wash their hands if they eat the ingredients. This keeps the supplies available, prevents stomache aches and spoiled nutrition, and lets the result become the afternoon snack.
  
  
  • Guard the cooling butterflies well. Don't forget that three year olds know how to move chairs to reach the counters!
    
  
  

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  Related posts:
  Adventures in melted chocolate
  Index of Recipes on this site
  

  (This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
  Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

This quick fix for a chipped dish is 7 years old

Seven summers ago, I chipped one of my favorite small serving dishes. Looking for a quick fix, I grabbed the blue nail polish I keep in the kitchen cabinet for marking pots, and filled in the chipped china edge.

I figured, if it has been deemed safe enough to affix to ones body, then it's likely okay for use with food. After all, the nail polish manufacturers must be aware that some nervous people nibble their nails.

Today, I realized this 'quick fix' is seven years old. Despite frequent use, it's still holding up nicely!

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

Identifying sandals

We finally got around to getting sandals for the girls yesterday. By the time we hit the shoe store, there was only one style left (that didn't light up, have high heels, looked like it might make it out of the store without falling apart, etc.)

In order to tell the shoes apart, I took markers and colored the stitching on the center of the flower decorations. Hannah's stitches are green, Abigail's are left unchanged, and Emily's are blue.

These markings are subtle enough not to change the look of the sandals, but allow the shoes to be matched and identified from across the room.

Ah, sanity!

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)
Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

Spell checking blog comments and posts

I like to use spell check before posting comments on other blogs.

My quick way to do this, is to copy the text into an e-mail, sending it to myself. Since I have a domain name for this blog (http://www.jugglingfrogs.com/), I send it to an e-mail address called "spelling" at that domain name. I created an e-mail filter to whisk away the result to an email folder called "spelling".

Before I had the domain, I would send the e-mail to myself, with the word "spell:" in the subject line, and set my filters up to catch those messages.

I could just delete the e-mail without sending, but too often my fingers hit the send key out of habit. Having something in the "to:" field prevents me from sending it to other people by accident. It also saves me time, because without a valid address in the "to:" field, I'd have to click "cancel" a couple of times to close the windows and discard the changes.

I like this method because it gives me a bit of a record of what I said, when. I've added the habit of putting the link to the website in the subject line, in order to find the post in the future.

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)

Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

How to get the kids to set the table correctly: Place Setting Mnemonic

We use the following two-part mnemonic to help our children remember how to set the table correctly:

Part 1: Number of letters in FORK, KNIFE, and SPOON
The number of letters in each of the utensil names matches the side of the plate to which it belongs.
FORK has four letters in it, which corresponds to the four letters in LEFT.
KNIFE and SPOON each have five letters, and they go on the RIGHT side, which has five letters as well.

(GLASS also has five letters, and it also goes on the RIGHT.)

Part 2: Alphabetical (for English, at least) order
The Fork, Knife, and Spoon are placed on the table in alphabetical order. Note that this works, even when the child forgets the leading/silent K in knife and misspells it Nife.

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)

Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

How we handle our kids' allowance

A few years ago, our "allowance" system was broken and it was all my fault.

The system design was great. The flaw was that I was often too busy/distracted to implement it. Recently, I've resolved this defect (i.e. me) by opening a separate savings account for each child at my bank and using an automatic bank transfer from my checking account to ensure that the payments are delivered weekly. Transfers within the same bank (at my bank, at least) are free.

Removing myself from the loop is such a productivity gain! Nothing is forgotten. The bank is a disinterested party. The savings accounts earn interest. I no longer have to keep track of what I owe everyone. Everyone wins.

When a child wants to buy something, I pay for the item at the store. When we get home, I transfer the cash from the child's account to my checking account. When a child wants cash, I give cash, and make a transfer from the child's account to mine. We can forget about allowance for weeks (or months) at a time, with everything remaining up-to-date. It's wonderful.

Here's what we do:

Our family Allowance System:

• As soon as someone is able to add and subtract (reliably), that person qualifies to receive an allowance. This is usually at the beginning of first grade. Until then, I feel the child isn't ready to understand prices. This is a great incentive and reward for acquiring these arithmetic skills.
  
  
• Allowance starts at $1 per week. It doesn't sound like much, but they have few outlets for spending.
  
  
• All requests for renegotiations and raises will be considered at Rosh Hashanah time (which corresponds to the beginning of the academic year.) Deferring the requests to an "annual review period" protects me from a faulty memory, and from unnecessary pestering. A convincing argument is required for a raise.
  
  
• From this (and all monetary gifts):




• 10% goes to charity (tzedaka)


• 10% goes to save for college


• 10% goes to 'long term savings'. (Rough translation: not soda.)


• 70% remains for spending. Although we set things up this way, all of the kids are "savers", so these last two categories are merged in practice.





• No advances without both a compelling reason and a short-term history of responsible spending. If you just chose to spend all your savings on a soda from
  the machine each day for a week, then don't ask.
  
  
• Everything bought must comply with our household rules. The allowance may not be used to circumvent our family's rules. Buying a music CD that we don't like is one thing; buying something inappropriate or forbidden is another. Any purchase that violates this will be confiscated without a refund.
  
  This rule is most often invoked when one of the kids notices a black and white television on sale for $25 at the drugstore. (We don't have a television and would like to keep it that way.)
  

We don't pay for chores done around the house, including babysitting. We do for one another because we are a family. Taking out the garbage, babysitting for an evening, raking the yard, etc. are all things that must be done in order for our family to run. Nobody pays me to make dinner or provide laundry service.

I tell them (often to groans and rolling eyes..) they should be grateful to us for providing ways that they can be of service to us. We do more for them than we can list, and we do it cheerfully and with a sense of privilege for doing so. Taking out the trash (for example) is their way of doing the same.

I think I've perfected this lecture to a point where, in order to avoid hearing it, they'd rather just do the darn chore.

If only I could get the trash taking system fully automated....

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)

Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.

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Related posts:

• Adventures of SuperMom
• Simcha Blisters
• Gretta's strudel crusts speak to me
• A Good Mess (A repsonse to the Motzei Shabbat Blues)
• Approaching Shabbat
• Butterflies are (almost) free

Label the handles to identify knives in the block

This knife block received unexpected attention earlier this week, when it was accidentally featured in the car console post. Since it showed up in the spotlight, it seemed an appropriate time to share my knife block trick.

I used a paint markerpen to label the tips of the handles with the type of knife in the block. This way, I don't have to pull each knife from its slot to find the knife I want to use.

(These labels are a bit chipped, because they were painted in 2000.)

(This post is part of the Works for Me Wednesday group writing project.)

Here are the rest of my contributions to the WFMW project.