“SUPER” Super Goop

So, if your from the Midwest you know that Spring has  decided to make a VERY fashionably late entrance this year.  And by fashionably late I mean obnoxiously cold and drizzly, there SHOULD NOT be snow coming down in late April!

I’ve tried to minimize my vocalization of discontent because it just leads to further frustration.  BUT when you do home daycare with more kids then you can take on outings the days get LONG when outdoor time is minimal!

This past week we decided to make Super Goop to help pass the time.  I tried the recipe from The Preschool Busy Book which I’d borrowed from the library.  The other “recipes” I’d tried had been successful but this recipe – which had me add pure cornstarch direct to boiling water – did not work.  Our goop was clumpy and gross – although goop by its very name is sort of on the gross side of the spectrum, huh?

My husband pointed out the obvious error – which I should have caught from my cooking experience…so, the next day we made it again blending the cornstarch with some cold water first.

Here’s the recipe…quantities are the same as from The Preschool Busy Book.  I just changed the process:

While you can of course play with this “as is” I opted to put it in Ziploc bags.  Something about the 5 daycare bigs – not known for their tidiness – screamed “you don’t want this goop all over the place”!

The kids traced letters into it, squished it, and used our Play-doh cookie cutters to make shapes.  All-in-all – a success.  Plus it was easy to send home with the daycare kids.

So, stuck inside and need an activity?  Try this “SUPER” Super Goop.  Miss Silly said numerous times “I just LOVE this stuff!!!”  I’m sure your kids will too.

Thanks for taking a look!

Blue Skies & Blessings, Lindsey

This project will be linked up to some (or all:) of these LINK PARTIES:

I {heart} Nap Time,  Impatiently Crafty,  Under the Table & Dreaming,  I should be mopping the floor,  Making the World Cuter,  The Trendy Treehouse,  Sewing Barefoot,  Reasons to Skip the Housework,  Sun Scholars, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Krafty Kat, Ginger Snap Crafts, Sugar & Dots, The Thrifty Home, Lil’ Luna, Th 36th Avenue, My Repurposed Life, A Creative Princess, Beyond the Picket Fence,  Be Different, Act Normal,  Classy Clutter, Flamingo Toes, Tater Tots & Jello,  Too Much Time on My Hands, Craft Envy, Blissful & Domestic, Cheerios & Lattes, Fine Craft Guild, The Dedicated House, C.R.A.F.T, Today’s Creative Blog, WTFab, Brassy Apple, DIY Home Sweet Home, Pin It Wednesday, Navy Wivey Peters, Fall into the Holidays (Horrific Knits), The Gingerbread Blog, One Creative Mommy, A Lived in Home, Sugar Bee Crafts, Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk, Gingerly Made, Diane Rambles, Western Warmth, Serenity You, Homemade Ginger, Project Inspire, Skip to My Lou, Keeping it Simple, Sew Much Ado, Easy Living Mom, Fluster Buster

Creamy Ground Beef Stroganoff {One-Pot Meal}

Confession time…my kids aren’t the best eaters.  I’d like to say they eat without a fuss but that’s just not true.  Since we completely stopped catering to their finickiness its gotten a lot better -i.e. they eat what they are given or they don’t eat.  The choice is theirs but our dinner is our dinner.  I usually have sides that are pretty “kid-friendly” (fruit, simple veggies, etc.) but the main dish (unless its WAY TOO SPICY) is whatever I decide to make.

Sometimes though its nice to make something I know everyone will eat without complaining.  Thus, we eat a ton of pasta over here.  Its one of the few things that all three kids eat without ANY fuss:)

This recipe is one of the pastas that the kids absolutely tear up.

Some things I like about this recipe:

• One-pot cooking – I’ve mentioned my dislike of dishes before:)
• It makes alot of pasta with only 1 lb. of meat – saves money, resources, AND provides delicious left-overs.
• Uses ingredients that I usually have on hand.  Although beef stock is hit or miss the substitution option means I pretty much always can whip this up.

I used Kate’s recipe over at Cooking During Stolen as a starting point and tweaked to our preferences (no mushrooms because of D, stretch ingredients because of my frugal-ness, etc.)

Is it fancy?  Of course not – it reminds me of a Hamburger Helper sort-of thing.

Is it yummy?  Yep!!  In fact I’m getting really hungry typing this (although, unfortunately, this isn’t what is on the menu for tonight).

Loodle likes this recipe so much that every time we have it she asks:

“Can you make this pasta EVERY time?”

I’d say that’s a rave review coming from a 3-year-old, wouldn’t you?

Thanks for taking a look!  As always, let me know if you give it a try.

Blue Skies & Blessings, Lindsey

This project will be linked up to some (or all:) of these LINK PARTIES:

I {heart} Nap Time,  Impatiently Crafty,  Under the Table & Dreaming,  I should be mopping the floor,  Making the World Cuter,  The Trendy Treehouse,  Sewing Barefoot,  Reasons to Skip the Housework,  Sun Scholars, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Krafty Kat, Ginger Snap Crafts, Sugar & Dots, The Thrifty Home, Lil’ Luna, Th 36th Avenue, My Repurposed Life, A Creative Princess, Beyond the Picket Fence,  Be Different, Act Normal,  Classy Clutter, Flamingo Toes, Tater Tots & Jello,  Too Much Time on My Hands, Craft Envy, Blissful & Domestic, Cheerios & Lattes, Fine Craft Guild, The Dedicated House, C.R.A.F.T, Today’s Creative Blog, WTFab, Brassy Apple, DIY Home Sweet Home, Pin It Wednesday, Navy Wivey Peters, Fall into the Holidays (Horrific Knits), The Gingerbread Blog, One Creative Mommy, A Lived in Home, Sugar Bee Crafts, Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk, Gingerly Made, Diane Rambles, Western Warmth, Serenity You, Homemade Ginger, Project Inspire, Skip to My Lou, Keeping it Simple, Sew Much Ado, Easy Living Mom, Fluster Buster