Thursday, August 22, 2013

Mission Prep - Planting our testimonies

In the faith in God Booklet it asks the children to write their testimonies in the book. To prepare them to do so this activity will identify what a testimony is and what we can do to help it grow.

The Plan : Start the night with a mini lesson about how faith is like a seed, that needs to be nurtured and cared for. It starts out small but with faith, prayer, study etc it can grow and can be shared with others to help their testimonies grow too (just as a tiny seed with water, sun, etc can grow to a plant that shares too -fruit, seeds etc)
Activity - Paint plant pots and plant a seed - maybe a sunflower (many seeds come from sunflower once its grown and it stands tall for all to see)
Have the children write their testimonies on little cards - maybe of flowers - and then "plant" them in Book of Mormons, and on the ward notice board to be shared with our ward family.

We can use this message to create the lesson behind this activity. http://www.lds.org/new-era/2013/02/growing-your-testimony?lang=eng















Tonight we had a lesson about how our testimonies are like a little seed, to grow they must be nurtured. We decorated pots with parts of our testimonies on them and planted sunflowers for us to look after. We also shared our testimonies on our own homemade pass-along cards and flowers which decorated our ward notice board so our testimonies can be shared with others. Special nite too because Elise moves up to YW and we had a Saul attend for the very first time!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

MISSION PREP: KIDS CAN COOK

For this activity we wanted the children to gain some confidence in the kitchen, a skill for missions, family and life in general.
I sent out an email to all of the parents asking them to send me their childs favourite recipes to make or eat.  I took the recipes and some easy extras of my own and made up a simple cook book.  The plan, to choose several of the recipes for the kids to make on Activity night, and to have each child decorate their own copy of the book to take home and use.
We had some fabulous recipes submitted:
The Plan for the night was to group the children into 3 groups.  Each group would be responsible for making 2 recipes from the book so that at the end of the night we would have 6 dishes to sample. While the foods bake, the kids cleaned up the mess and then went out to colour and personalize their books.  When the food was ready we could all partake..... and each child was asked to bring a container so that they could take extra home for lunch the next day.

Preparation was the key for this activity:  Because of space, time etc:  I pre measured all the ingrediants an put them into zip lock bags and grouped all items for each recipe:
We had one adult with each group.

The kids did a fantastic job and were so proud of the results.   The key too, Having simple recipes with only a few ingrediants:   They all wanted to go home and try cooking for their families: AWESOME
 

 

 

 
 

 

Tace’s chicken nuggets,
Chicken, eggs, flour, bread crumbs, and seasonings
Dip diced chicken into flour, then eggs and cover in breadcrumbs and seasoning.
Cook in oven for about 30 mins on gas mark 6 or 200’C


Tace’s Poppy Seed Chicken
1 to 2  (or more if you have a bigger family) pieces of chicken diced and cooked in a frying pan or however you want to cook it.
Mix chicken with a pot of sour cream (125/150g pot) and can of Campbell's condensed soup
Alternative is half sour cream and half Philadelphia  with the soup
Put in a shallow dish, cover with crunched up ritz crackers, about a packet or as much as you like, sprinkle with poppy seeds (if you have them...I never do) and pop in oven
About 30-40 mins or until heated through on gas mark 3-4 ( abt 170’C)

Serve with mash potatoes or whatever you like.

Gabriel’s Bourekas (Puff pastry with Cream cheese filling)
Ingrediants:
4-5 sheets of puff pastry, 250grams cream cheese, 1 egg, ½ c flour,  ½ teaspoon salt,  sesame or poppy seeds for topping (optional), extra egg.
Method:
Preheat oven to 190’C, In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 egg, flour and salt….mix till smooth.
Divided puff pastry  sheets into 9 squares, place a teaspoon of filling in each square, and fold in half to form rectangle pastries. Pinch the edges together with fork to seal the filling inside.
Brush pastries with egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and bake for 20-30 mins  or until golden.
Gabriel’s Russian Potato Salad
Ingrediants:
4 eggs, 4 medium sized potatoes, 1 can of peas and carrots drained (or use fresh or frozen), 3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of mustard, salt and pepper.
Method:
Place the eggs  in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil  for 7 minutes. Peel eggs.
In another pot, Boil potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Boil until tender, drain. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes.
In a large bowl put the potatoes and cut eggs, peas and carrots, mayonnaise, and mustard and mix well.
Taste and add a little salt and pepper.

Baked Crispy Potato Fritters
2 large potatoes (Peeled), 50grams melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of pepper.
Boil Potatoes for exactly 10 minutes until just getting soft. Drain and let them cool.
Turn oven to 180’c, Grate cooled potato and mix with melted butter, salt and pepper.   Spoon into a 12 hole muffin tray, cook for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden (or you could cook them in frying pan) Carefully tip out onto Paper towels and cool a bit.  Eat warm  as they are or serve with salsa or sauce.
Fritters can be – RE heated.
Breeana’s Marshmallow Ricebubble bars
100grams butter or Margirine, 1 packet (300grms) Marshmallows, 4 cups of rices bubbles , ½ cup choc chips
Melt Marshmellows and butter in a large pan over a medium heat until smooth.
Add rice bubbles and chocolate chips, Mix well.
Tip into a greased cake tin, wet your hands and press mixture flat.  Chill in the fridge and then cut into squares.
Breeana’s Mac and Cheese
1 onion (chopped finely), 1 cup of grated cheese, 2 cups of macaroni, ½ cup of milk, salt, pepper, 2 pinches of nutmeg, parley (optional), bacon chopped (optional)
Cook Onion and Macaroni in a saucepan of water with a bit of salt (follow packet instructions for pasta, should take about 10mins.
Drain off water, if you are using bacon, cook bacon in the pan with a little butter, then  place Macaroni and onion back into saucepan,  Stir the cheese and milk  though the macaroni. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.   Stir in chopped parsley if using.
Grate some extra cheese on top to serve.
Hannah’s Spaghetti Bolognese
2 teaspoons oil, 1 onion chopped, 500grms of mince, 425gram can of tomato pasta sauce, 400grms of spaghetti pasta,  1 clove of garlic, parsley, grated cheese. ADD vegetables that you like, mushrooms, grated carrot, pumpkin etc.
Heat oil in the pan and add the onion and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Add mince beef and cook, stirring until brown.
Add the tomato sauce, and leave to cook for about 10 minutes on a medium heat. Add any chopped and grated vegetables that you want to use.
While the meat and sauce is simmering, cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10mins, or until it is soft.
Drain the spaghetti in a colander and pile into serving bowls.  Top with the meat sauce and then some grated cheese.

Aaleah’s Coconut Macaroons
Easy Coconut Macaroons
INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 cups shredded coconut
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
PREPARATION:
Generously grease baking sheets. Combine all ingredients; stir until well blended. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart, on prepared baking sheets. Press down with the back of spoon to even thickness. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, or until macaroons are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from baking sheet. Makes about 36 coconut macaroons.

Mini Pototo top pies.
Use Hannahs spaghetti Bolognese meat recipe (without pasta) or leftover meat from any other dinner….then add…
4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped,  1/3 cup milk, 2 Tbls butter, 1 cup of grated cheese, few sheets of puff pastry.
Cook  the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8 minutes, or until they are soft.  Drain the potatoes and them place them back into pot.  Add the milk, butter, half the cheese, and mash with potato masher until smooth.
Grease muffin tins, then lay squares of pastry into the trays.  Spoon in meat, top with mashed potato and then sprinkle with cheese. 
Bake in 180”c oven for 20 minutes or until pastry in golden brown.


Tasty chicken Wings
10 or more chicken wings, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon finely grated ginger, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon tomato sauce.
Mix lemon juice, soy sauce,  and ginger in a large flat baking dish. Add chicken wings turning each till coated in sauce.  Cover dish with tin foil and put in fridge for a few hours to marinate. Drain the wings and save the sauce.  In a cup mix honey, tomato sauce, and left over sauce mix.  Pour the sauce back over the wings, put into oven and back for about 20 minutes or until cooked.  Serve hot or cold .

2 ingredient Pancakes
2 small ripe banana’s, 3 eggs lightly beaten
Mash banana’s with a fork, whisk eggs and add to bananas-  Heat a pan to a medium heat.  Add spoonfuls of batter into pan, cook till brown on one side then flip to cook other side.
Serve hot or cold with breakfast, lunch or for afternoon tea.

Baked Bean and Bacon Muffins (from food in a minute)

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped, 3-4 rashers bacon, diced, 3 cups self-raising flour, 2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper,2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 1 1/2 cups grated tasty cheese,  420g can Baked BeaNZ, 2 eggs, 1 1/4 cups milk, 100g butter, melted.
Method
1. Cook the onion and bacon in a dash of oil in a frying pan until softened and cooked. Cool.
2. Sift the self-rising flour, mustard, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir in the parsley and 1 cup of the grated cheese. Make a well or hole in the centre.
3. Mix the onion mixture, Baked BeaNZ , eggs and milk together and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir gently to mix, adding the melted butter as you stir. Do not over-mix as the muffins will peak.
4. Divide the mixture evenly among 12 well-greased muffin tins and sprinkle the tops with a little of the remaining grated cheese.  5. Bake at 220°C for 15 minutes until well risen and golden. Cool in the tins for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cake rake. Serve warm.      Note: You can cook the onion and bacon in the microwave without the oil if wished. Place on a plate and cover. Cook on high power for 2 minutes. Cool.


Delicious Lemonade
Ingredients:
1/3 c lemon juice
The rind of one lemon, finely chopped, use the finest part on your grater to do this
1/2 c sugar
4 glasses cold water

Method:
1. Mix the lemon juice, sugar and lemon rind in a medium saucepan
2. Add cold water, then bring to the boil over a medium heat. You can add a bit more lemon juice and sugar if needed at this stage for taste
3. Stir the mixture, then turn off. Let the mixture cool
4. Pour lemonade into a jug over ice and enjoy!
Cheese Roll-ups
200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting, 50g butter, softened, 1 tsp paprika, 100-125ml milk, 1 cup  grated cheese
Heat oven to 200 C. Put the flour and butter in a bowl and rub them together with your fingers.. Now stir in the paprika and mix again.
Add 100ml milk and mix with a fork until you get a soft dough. Add a splash more milk if the dough is dry. You can always add more milk if required. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough like pastry to about 0.5cm thick. Try to keep a rectangular shape.
sprinkle the grated cheese on top, then roll up like a sausage along the long side. Cut into 12 thick rings using a table knife.
Line the baking tray with baking paper. Place the roll-ups on the tray, cut-side down, almost touching each other, making sure that you can see the spiral. put them in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins until golden and melty. then leave to cool. The cheese roll-ups will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.



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