Mom vs. the Dot: Making it COUNT!

  Going to the family reunion tomorrow.  It's 8:00 p.m. and I haven't made anything yet. Rats.   So I decided to go with a personal favorite and get the kids involved - we all have more fun when we do things together (even if it takes longer to get things done).  It requires very little cooking, so the chances of me burning it are pretty small.  This is probably why it's my favorite take-to-a-picnic dessert.  That, and it's REALLY yummy ! STRAWBERRY JELL-O PRETZEL SALAD    Here's the Recipe Step 1:  Whack the Pretzels!! This recipe calls for crushed pretzels, so I put a handful in a baggie for each kid and seal it.  Next, I give them a big spoon and show them how to whack the bag of pretzels with the back of the spoon.  Cheerful whacking sounds fill the air and in a minute or two, I have the crushed pretzels I needed. Step 2:  Dump the Stuff!! Let the kids take turns dumping in the stuff in a LARGE...

This is one of my family's favorite recipes.  The kids can help, it's fast and easy, and everyone will eat these. (the above picture shows the pizzas just before baking) Three ingredients: 1.  Canned biscuits (we use 3 cans so there are leftovers) 2.  Sauce (pizza or spaghetti sauce work fine) 3.  Shredded cheese (mozzarella or whatever you want) Make sure the kids wash their hands first!!  My kids usually have dirty hands from playing outside. Heat the oven according to the directions on the package of biscuits. Step one:  Have kids flatten each biscuit on a cookie sheet.  They spread out, so you will need more than one sheet.  I tried  pizza pans this time - don't use them.  The pizzas in the middle don't cook through. Step two: Slather on some sauce.  I discovered it is less messy if you put the sauce in a measuring cup with a spout.  At our house, we have one kid pour, and the other spreads the s...

My 7-year-old daughter reported in sick today. My first thought (besides making her comfortable) was woohoo!  No school!  Yep - I think I'm happier than the kids.  Is that possible? I can do this and that and the other thing I've been putting off for months! One thing I wanted to try was making homemade potato soup.  My Betty Crocker cookbook has it marked as a "Fast" recipe. Let me tell you what. Between my sick child's needs, which she bellows through a megaphone so I can hear her from the living room and tend to her every need, my three-year-old's shenanigans, the phone ringing (no, I don't have time to talk to the dentist's office), and my four-year-old's desire to make a separate recipe at the same time, things went crazy!!  I just wanted some homemade potato soup.  I will not pretend that I was making the soup for my sick child, because I knew before I made it that she would never eat it.  I live in a house full of picky eaters. ...