Baking Day: Nana's Bread Recipe

So my boy requested that we have a baking day.  As my eyebrows raised in shock, he clarified by saying he wanted to "get it over with".  *grins*  Hey - whatever gets him baking!  He requested that we make my Mother's bread recipe.  It makes fabulous toast and the kids have gone through dozens of loaves during the school year when they head to her house for breakfast.  So, in the spirit of 'teaching them to bake vs. giving them slice of bread', we made 4 loaves today and stocked our freezer.  Hopefully this spares my Mom's supply a bit, and time will tell if the lesson serves to feed them for a lifetime!

Nana's Best-Toast-Ever Bread Recipe:
2 packages yeast
2 cups water
Dissolve in large mixing bowl
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
Add to yeast mixture.
9-10 cups flour
Mix in - I use a dough hook on my mixer, but you can build muscles using a wooden spoon.
Let raise 30-45 minutes, punch down.  Let raise again, knead, shape into 4 loaves and let raise 1-2 hours until doubled.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Cool, slice and toast or eat warm and fresh.  Yum!!!  Makes 4 loaves.

Entertaining: Our Backyard Cafe

My son made this "5 star"sign for his sister's cafe.

Well, another summer is here and another Emma Cafe is over.  I think it took about 10 - 12 hours of cooking with my daughter.  There were another few hours spent in shopping and set-up.  Hopefully this all gives my kids a look at what goes into hosting an event.  They may not be able to plan it and pull it off on their own, but they do know that it is possible and that it does require a bit of advance planning and preparation.  We served 27 people and ended up with a hamper full of food to donate to the food bank.  We call that a success! As for the leftover food - the freezer is full and my daughter doesn't have to cook for the rest of the month! Hopefully a few lessons were learned  not only about hard work, but also about serving others.  I always take them with me to drop the donations off at the food bank and we talk a lot about gratitude and sharing our blessings with others.  Whether or not it all sinks in, I don't know, but regardless, it's my job to teach these lessons to my kiddos.

Menus and order forms for the wait staff

The kids do most of the production

Wait staff and chef ready to serve

Generally no table cloths, but at least fresh flowers arranged by the kids

The chef getting ready to plate up the orders

I have the chef help layout the food including garnishes so we have a smooth food service flow

"May I take your order?"

Payment received by the cafe was a hamper full of donations for the food bank.  I have the kids come with me to drop off the donations.  Any tips are split amongst the wait staff.

Entertaining: Using Kid Parties to Teach Event Plannin

Most people that are intimidated by entertaining or hosting dinner parties simply haven't had the pre-event planning practice. That is one reason I throw a variety of kid parties in the summer. (Yes, it is also so the kids can have fun memories, but being a type A personality, I'm all about teaching some practical skills simultaneously.) We are tackling one of our most labor-intensive summer parties early on this summer. 
Our 'Kid-Cafe' involves serving lunch one afternoon to the neighbors in our backyard with the price being food donations for the local food bank. We usually end up serving 20-30 people and since it is styled after a restaurant, we've got to have lots of food on-hand. I think it is important for my kids to learn how to plan an event, how to cook for one, and also, what it is like working in a food service situation. By the end, they are pooped and have tasted a bit of the stress of that kind of job. So I also talk to them about the importance of higher education so they don't have to be fry-cooks the rest of their lives. (A bit of irony there since part of my RD degree qualifies me to work in food service. *hee hee*)
Teaching a 8 or 9 year old how to plan for and cook for 25 people is no small task. So the key is to start early. Here is how I'm trying to teach my kids the art of event planning:

•   3-4 weeks prior: Set the date. I try to talk my kids through the family schedule so they can see what days/weeks are more open for preparing and throwing a party. 
•   7 days prior: Plan out menu and print invitations. In this case we also printed our menus and order forms for our wait-staff.  
• 3-5 days prior: Start any early cooking prep (cookie dough, lasagnes that can be made and frozen, frozen desserts, beverage syrups etc.) 
• 1 day prior: Prep hardware (dishes, utensils, tables, decorations). Prep any other make-ahead food and wash and refrigerate garnishes. 
• 2-3 hours before: Heat food, last minute decorations (flowers on tables etc), set-up food serving area. 

I have my kids actually write down the schedule and plan so they can really see how to plan it out and carry it through.  And after all is said and done - the leftovers are frozen and they can use them for their weekly dinners for the next little while, giving them a little break.  Hopefully that also teaches a bit about batch cooking and freezer meals as well.   The kids really enjoy all the compliments they receive and it bolsters their confidence as they see that these skills are truly valuable.

Sewing Project: Love is a Minky Frog or Monkey

This year I chose their sewing project as I had found a 99¢ pattern in the middle of winter and knew they'd love it. Here is the pattern:

So today we headed off to Hancock Fabrics to let them choose their fabrics. I'm slightly worried since they both chose minky fabric to make the body – but since the applique parts are fleece, I'm sure we'll manage. If they turn out presentable, I might post some pics. However, before we get into any heavy duty sewing mode, we've got to de-junk the basement sewing area. *ugh* In years previous, we've made other pillows, pajama pants, and turned worn-out pants into shorts. At some point, I'm sure my boy will be dropping out of our summer sewing program and daughter will move on to making dresses etc. . . But until that day – we keep at it! What kind of sewing projects do you do with your kiddos?