Christmas Wish List Activity For Kids

My daughter is not yet old enough able to write her wish list to 'Santa'. However, she has great scissor skills for her age and I found a free toy ad at Walmart. So here is this years Christmas list. 

The only thing needed for this activity are a child excited for Christmas, scissors, construction paper, a toy ad, and glue. I also had my daughter practice her writing tracing out "Dear Santa" on top and printing her name on the bottom.

Now all we have left to do is mail the letter to The North Pole.

🎅

Great smelling' house!

Ever have your house smell funny....

 but you don't want to walk around with a can of air freshener....

(fearing you may suffocate your child with the chemical cloud it would require to rid the house of the smell...)

Here is an all natural, low cost, and very easy way to make your house smell like fall.

Grab a few cinnamon sticks*, a tablespoon of cloves*,  2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and an apple.

 *both available in bulk food area of grocery store for a reasonable price

Slice the apple into a few pieces and place them in a 2 quart sauce pan with the cinnamon sticks, lemon juice, and cloves. Add 3 cups of water and set to simmer.

Wait for a bit and soon you will notice warm scent of cinnamon filling your kitchen and seeping into the rest of your home.  Check every 20 minutes or so. As the water evaporates you can add water and let it continue to freshen your home.

SAFTY NOTE: Never leave anything on the stove unattended. 

In other words: Watch carefully so that the water doesn't boil off and create a burnt applesauce.

Gluten Free Olliebollen (a real Dutch treat)

Oliebollen is a traditional Dutch treat and one of my personal favorites! 

You will also see it spelled 'Olie-bollen'. This is a dutch pastry similar to a doughnut. It typically is a deep fried pastry filled with raisins or apples and dusted with sugar. 

However, being gluten free I have missed out on eating this treat over the years, so I decided it was time to make a GF version.

First start by mixing up a gluten free flour base. Here is my favorite standby: 

Take 4 cups of the gluten free flour mixture.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 

        4 tsp baking powder, 

        1 tsp salt. 

Mix together.

Add 2 eggs

        1 1/2 cups milk

         1/4 cup canola oil.

Mix together by hand. 

The dough should be sticky and thick. (This gluten free version will feel different than regular batter.)

Chop up 2 apples (the smaller you chop them the better) and add 1cup of raisins.

Fold the apples and raisins into the batter.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large pan.

Drop a small spoonful into oil. Make sure the balls of dough are small. (Golf ball size) if they are too big the centers will not cook. 

When the Olliebollen are cooked, 2-3 minutes, take them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a paper towel. When they are cool enough to touch roll in a cinnamon sugar mixture. Traditional Oliebollen are dusted with powdered sugar but I love the cinnamon sugar. I think it goes so much better with the apple flavor.

Now eat and enjoy. They taste best fresh and warm. 
Try not to eat them all in one sitting! 😊

Snowman (warm and indoors)

My daughter is a little too excited for winter to come. 
Today she was asking to build a snowman….
 I provided a much warmer alternative.

Supplies:

Cotton balls

Piece of card stock (any color)

Glue

Googly eyes

Scrap of orange paper

I suggested light blue card stock but she wanted to build a snowman on pink... so be it. (The card stock will hold the weight of the glue and cotton much better than regular paper.) 

I drew a snowman shape lightly in pencil, gave her the supplies, and she went to work. No assistance needed. 

She even put the eyes and nose on all by herself. Love that my little girl is so creative and independent!

Gluten Free Tomato Soup!

I love tomato soup would frequently by cans of Campbell's tomato soup in the past. Since going gluten free I have missed tomato soup because most canned soup have flour as a thickener (there are a few brands out there without). I have often tried to create my own version at home without success. The other day I again attempted to make a homemade version. This time I hit the nail on the head!

Start with 2 cups of milk and 2 Tbsp of butter. 

Turn heat on to a medium setting. 

As the milk/butter is beginning to warm. 

Add 2 Tbsp of corn starch and whisk till fully dissolved. 

Whisk until starch is fully dissolved and butter is melted. 

Switch to low head and stir until you see the mixture starting to thicken.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. 

Your mixture should be thick by now, it should coat a spoon when it is dipped in.

Next add a 29 oz can of tomato sauce and mix thoroughly.

Finally add spices. I opted for garlic salt, dried oregano and basil from my garden. 

Then let it sit and simmer on low for a bit so the flavors cook together and the spices have a chance to really infuse.  I don't have exact measurements for the seasonings because I wasn't following a recipe. I was just "winging it".  If you are unsure you can always start small and add more. 

Finally, dish it up. To make a real impression on someone you can adda  sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh basil from your garden!

A healthy low calorie soup, full of good stuff for you. Eat and enjoy!