Yep...Fried Pie

Fried pie will probably be a popular lunch box treat for my son this year. It is self sealed and portion controlled making this a SUPER simple lunch box treat.

There's so many tasty ways to enjoy fried pies. Savory. Sweet. Hearty. Decadent. They make the perfect main course, appetizer or dessert! It's also fabulous at party's, picnics, and large gatherings!

• cookie dough
• ham, cream cheese, and sharp cheddar
• tomatoes and cream cheese
• fruit and jam
• marinara, mozarella, and pepperoni
• shredded meat with gravy
• shredded chicken with taco or enchilada sauce and cream cheese
• pot pie filling with mixed veggies
• candy bar chunks
• marshmallow and chocolate chunks
• peanut butter and chocolate
• peanut butter and jelly or jam
• bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and cheese
• baked beans with crumbled bacon
  

The list goes on and on! Fried pies can be made with your favorite pie dough recipe-and yes, it's perfectly fine if your favorite pie dough comes from the refrigerator section of the grocery store. ;)

Here's my recipe:

• Heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees. (I use a deep fryer)
• Mix 1 cup all purpose flour, 4 tbsp shortening, and enough cold water to form a ball of dough.
• Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" inch thick.
• Use a biscuit cutter or a large glass to cut rounds.
• Place filling on one side of the round, wet the outer edge with water, fold over and pinch closed. Pinch the edges several times to make sure it seals properly.
• Fry till light golden brown-usually around 4 minutes.
• Drain on a rack placed inside a baking pan.
• Roll sweet fried pies in granulated sugar or top hearty pies with shredded cheese or garlic salt or other spice combo.
• Store in air tight containers in refrigerator or freezer. Reheat in microwave or oven (oven maintains crisp flakey pie texture).

Dough Tips: Lots of people use butter instead of shortening in their pie dough. The trick with butter is to work with it quickly so it stays cold. I don't have a food processor making it difficult to work with the cold butter quickly enough to get a good pie crust. Butter flavored shortening will give you the buttery taste without the hassle of working with pie dough.

Recipe Tips: I find half moon shapes are simpler and work better in the fryer than a whole circle shape. Half moons flip easier in the fryer and cook more evenly. If you are really good with frying pies, then go for more fun shapes like hearts, stars, etc. *You don't need a deep fryer to fry pies. You can use vegetable oil in a skillet or pot just make sure it's heat to around 375. Too hot and it cooks too fast, temp too low and it gets soggy instead of crisp and flaky. *If for some reason you don't want fried pie, simply prepare as above, scoring the top of the pie dough and bake at 350 till golden brown. I'm southern so I like 'em fried!

proudly submitted to:

Traveling With Kids

Thursday morning we packed up for a 3 hour trip to Fargo North Dakota. Hurt Hubby needed to see another Neurosurgeon for the back injury he suffered the day after Christmas. We decided to stay in Fargo for the night returning this afternoon. I remembered lessons I'd long forgotten when traveling with children. Here's a few reminders for anyone planning a road trip with children.

1. Pack each child's clothing in a separate smaller bag if possible. This helps when making pits stops and when you get to the hotel. Pack at least ONE extra outfit per kid-you WILL need it!
   
2. Keep a separate diaper kit in the trunk on top of all the other bags for fast pit stops. Diapers, wipes, ointments, baby blankets or changing station liners, powder, etc all in the bag. For road trips under 4 hours, pack diapers, wipes, everything for each kid in the same bag unless you have one who "goes" often!
   
3. For recently potty trained kids, pack the potty or the potty seat topper with the wipes. Children recently potty trained sometimes become finicky about going in strange places and having their own potty seat is comforting. Try to avoid traveling with kids in the middle of the potty training process to avoid set backs.
   
4. Create an activity bag or backpack to keep in the cab of the vehicle. Find age appropriate items the kids can easily play with in the car. This can range from crayons, coloring books, Bendaroos, books, math worksheets, dry erase board, small cars, sewing card with yarn, video games, Ipods, DVD players, etc. Just don't forget the chargers to all electronic gadgets! Learned this the hard way yesterday!
5. Pack a snack bag. Avoid the high convenience store costs of chips, candy, and sodas by packing a bag full of snacks. Ideas include chips, peanut butter half sandwiches, nuts, trail mix, fruit, etc all packed in individual sized servings in plastic baggies. See my Trailblazin Mix recipe below.
   
6. Take your potty and snack breaks at the visitor's centers or rest stops along the highway reserving the convenience store stops for refueling the car.

The money for your trip can be handled a number of ways but first a budget must be created. I create a budget for travel related expenses and a seperate one for the activities planned. This helps me stay organized an on top of our budget.

• Traveler's checks are wonderful. If lost or stolen, they are replaced like credit cards but are used everywhere like cash.
  
• Check cards tied to your checking account eliminates the need for your checkbook. Check with your bank on daily limits, fees, etc.
  
• Cash in an envelope works for me on a small two day trip but I wouldn't recommend it for long trips or if you need large sums of money for your trip.
  

Here are some excellent travel resources to help planning your trip.

• AAA's Trip Gas Price site will help you create a fuel budget traveling anywhere in the US.
• Take public transportation to avoid high gas prices when your there.
• Find hotels along your route, gas stations, repair shops, etc online.
• What can you see on a tankful of gas?
• Printable toddler travel games. Check out the other sections for great kid travel related articles including FREEBIES.

Trailblazin Mix Recipe

Cereal (Cheerios, Trix, Fruit Loops, etc)
Raisins, Craisins, or other dried fruit
Nuts
M&M's, Reece's Pieces, or Chocolate Chips (if kept cool)
Bite Sized Chips, popcorn, etc

I mix all equally except for the one item I have the biggest supply. The item with the largest supply gets doubled or even tripled depending on the number of additional ingredients I mix into my trail mix.

Toys for Baby + Discount Code

Have a new baby in the family? Need a toy for the littlest one of the bunch but you're just not sure WHAT to choose? Look no further, Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby's development. And they select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on their baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

• Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.
• Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play', reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no' (about half the time) and will start babbling.


• Toys for a six month old: They'll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They'll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.
• Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Whether you're looking for toys and gifts for infants, toddlers, or bigger kids, Ebeanstalk is a great resource to find the perfect item for the special kid in your life.

Just for you-my lovely readers-here is a 15% discount on your first purchase at ebeanstalk — TGS345 — just enter the code at the shopping cart.

Happy toy hunting!

Kid-Friendly Healthy Eating Tricks

My youngest boy will eat anything. My oldest son will eat almost anything. Then there's my oldest daughter who eats mainly chicken, fries, baked potatoes, burgers, steak, pizza, milk, tea, mac n cheese, and a few other entrees. Most veggies and fruits she won't consider touching-it's the eeewwwww factor and she's almost eleven! {shrugs} I've tried covering it in cheese or adding a dipping sauce like ranch, BBQ sauce, or ketchup with no luck. Everyone knows how important it is for kids to form healthy eating habits early on. Proper nutrition equals healthy bone growth and development, great adult eating habits, extended life expectancy, reduced health risks...I could go on but will spare you since you already most of this! As many of you know, it can be quite difficult to get a child to eat properly, especially as they get older. Here's a few of the tricks I've used over the years to get my kids to eat well (many times without them even knowing it).

Get covert!

• Boil the heck out of cauliflower and mash it into mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, or blend in pizza or spaghetti sauce.
• Puree veggies and/or fruits into a creamy soup by adding cream, and tomato sauce. Pureed mixed veggie soup with an apple or banana for a dash of sweetness will offer better nutrition than canned ravioli.
• Try blending pureed veggies/fruits into the canned soups they already love and eat. Chances are they won't notice it and a little bit is better than none!
• Serve pureed fruit blended in oatmeal. Add a spoonful of powdered milk for a cream based oatmeal.
  
• Skip the store bought juices as much as possible. Most are diluted with water and have added sugars negating the nutrition you get from them. Plus more vitamins are absorbed when eating the fruit or veggies rather than drinking the extracted juice.
• Use pureed veggies and/or fruits in baked muffins, pancakes, cakes, breads, etc. Many times the kids won't know they're even there.
  
• Take left overs from the night before, puree and blend into your meatloaf mixture.
  
• Nuke Spaghetti Squash, string it out with a fork and top with pasta sauce. Serve just like it's traditional spaghetti!
• Most kids, teens, and adults don't get enough Vitamin D and Calcium in their diets. Blend yogurt, cream, powdered milk, even shredded cheese in just about any dish for an easy Calcium and Vitamin D boost! (A bit of trivia for you: Exposure to sunlight in ANY amount triggers the body to create it's own Vitamin D but don't forget to use your sunscreen!)
  

Make it pretty. Presentation can impact a kids opinion about what they eat!

• Try adding unusual bite-sized fruit or veggies to salads. Some kids love salads but don't like eating the stuff by itself. Bite sized apples, bananas, grapes, nuts, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, and mandarin oranges are great additions to salads.
  
• Turn it into a pizza. Make a fruit pizza by using jam instead of pizza sauce and top with sliced fruit, and drizzle with yogurt, chocolate or caramel sauce. Create a raw veggie pizza by spreading a thin layer of ranch dressing over toast, top with bite sized chopped raw veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. Dust the top with toasted fine bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese.
  
• Try making funny faces or pictures using their food. Broccoli for hair, cauliflower nose, cheesy smiles, olive or grapes for eyes!
  
• Cut cheeses with a mini cookie cutter or cut into a circle and use a toothpick to poke holes in the shape of eyes, nose and cut out a smile for a fun smiley face. They'll get a boost of calcium and vitamin D while eating a fun shape.
  

Get them involved. Their involvement in the meal usually translates into a more willing eater!

• Have you kid help in the kitchen. They can help pick out the menu, measure ingredients, stir, and add ingredients. The older kids can help plate the food and even serve it.
• Read about different foods or watch food programs or find fun food website especially programs aimed at kids. Knowledge is power. Sometimes a child will be likely to eat something new after seeing another kid eat it.
  
• Get down and dirty in the garden! If a child can help grow or harvest it then, they'll be more likely to try it when it hits their plate. My oldest daughter found she LOVES garden fresh green beans but can't stand canned or frozen beans!

Present kids with PLENTY of opportunities to develop a taste for an item!

• Many folks use the 1 bite rule at every meal. I use the 2 bite rule since my kids are usually so emotional during the first bite they have no idea what the food actually tastes like. The second bite gives them an opportunity to see what the food tastes like without the emotional baggage.
• Don't fill their plate with things you know they don't like! Try one at a time over several days or even weeks.
• Try not to present the same food the same way every time. Kids like variety as much, if not more, than adults. Maybe your kids just doesn't like steamed broccoli but loves it raw with ranch dressing. Maybe they prefer it chopped broccoli mixed in mac n cheese or with Italian flavored rice. If at you first don't succeed, Try Try Again!

Lead by example!

• Don't expect your child to eat something you aren't willing to eat either. Take the bull by the horns and try a new food along with your child. You never know, maybe you both will find a new favorite food!
• Be aware of your own reactions and facial expressions when served a new food (especially in a restaurant or dinner party). Small children especially like to emulate their parents. If your youngster grimaces every time he's served peas, make sure he's not copying your behavior!
  

No matter what tricks you try to get your kids to eat better, don't make a big deal out of it. Your stress levels goes through the roof, your kid's throwing a fit, dinner's now an official disaster and all your hard work in the kitchen is overshadowed by the drama at the dinner table. If all else fails, you child simply may not like a particular food and that's okay. Until they day she decides she loves all veggies and fruits, you can ensure they get adequate nutrition through a multi-vitamin.

Wellesse has challenged all Twittermoms to share our creative tips to ensure our kids are getting the proper nutrition for healthy and strong bone development. I've showed your mine now show me yours! What are your healthy eating tricks?

We're on the Potty Train!

Yes, the time has finally arrived to potty train Daniel. We've been working on it for a week now and have made great progress. I had hoped we'd be completely trained for the daytime only wearing a pullup for naps, night time, and long trips away from the house. Unfortunately, it's not going quite to plan!

I started with a 3 day plan by having Daniel in regular underwear keeping a close eye on him to redirect any accidents. I limited his access to various rooms in the house making it easier to watch him. No TV in his room only in the living room helped keep him in the living room, where we placed the potty seat. I didn't work on the laptop unless he was napping. I didn't clean much or cook much either-just played with him and watched him like a hawk.

Day one ended with out many accidents. He was slightly confused about the whole potty thing but Daniel was adjusting well! Day two, was a different story. I was feeling pretty confident last Friday night (Day 1) but by mid day Saturday I thought we'd be in diapers forever!!!! There were too many accidents to count. I'm not sure if it was cause big brother was home from school or just a natural progression of the potty train but it was the roughest day by far. The good thing is he discovered he didn't like the feeling of the wet undies so he'd come to me whining and standing funny (you know legs WIDE apart with this look of despair on his face-lol). At this point he wasn't showing me where his accident was so I'm off on a scavenger hunt. Exactly the kind of hunt mom LOVES!!!!

Sunday was better but just barely. We had accidents but he would show me where they were and would help clean them up. Our trips to the potty became more frequent and I would cheer, dance, clap my hands, give him a high five, etc EVERY time he went to the potty-even if he just sat there! A strange thing began to happen by Monday, day 4, Daniel discovers he doesn't have to deal with wet undies if he doesn't keep them on! So he's been running around half naked or completely naked. As quickly as I get those cute underoo's on him, he runs off to another room and strips. Next thing I know, he's running around buck naked!

We're doing MUCH better today. He's addicted to the celebratory dances we do when he goes potty by himself. He enjoys helping dispose of his pee pee by flushing it away in the big potty and washing his hands. He still prefers to run around naked and we still need to work on doing #2 in the potty but we've made TREMENDOUS progress in the potty train! I'm hopeful it won't be long before we're completely free of diapers and pullups! The next step is getting him to keep his clothes on!

Here's a few potty training tips I've been reminded of this past week:

1. Potty placement is crutial to successful training-the living room worked best for us but maybe your toddler's room or the bathroom would be better!
2. Find the potty seat that works best for you. Maybe a singing one works best or a flushable chair would be better or perhaps a unrinal is the way to go!
   
3. Don't force it, have fun with it-I know this sounds completely backwards but, keep in mind it won't last forever! Kids learn faster the more fun they have with the subject.
   
4. Bribery works! We dance and sing afterwards, maybe yours will respond to stickers, candy, special drinks, etc. In this case, bribery is NOT wrong!
5. Be patient! Kids pick up on mom's tension so if it gets too much, put the in a pull up for a few hours if you need to-it won't bring the world to an end!
6. Speaking of pullups, don't use them unless their sleeping or you're going out. They're built too much like a diaper to encourage you little one to go to the potty.
   
7. If things are just not progressing or he's resisting too much, maybe your little one's not ready for potty training. Take a break and start again in a few weeks.

There are tons of webpages offering lots of advice on the subject but all we can do as mothers is try our best. After all, if we don't scar their childhood at some point, what will they complain to their shrinks about when they're grown! lol

Good luck to all you potty training parents out there. If anyone out there has any ideas on how I can get Daniel to keep his clothes on, I'd LOVE to hear them!