Tuesday's Tip

Today, I offer a timely and oh-so-important tip.  This tip was requested a month or so ago when I put out an APB for ideas, and I thought it was a great one.

Gift ideas for teachers...


Now, please believe me when I tell you that my recent return to the classroom has nothing to do with this topic.  Actually, my husband - the other teacher - has fueled this conversation for years.  And every year, we laugh about the gifts that teachers get.

Being a teacher, being married to a teacher, and hanging out with teachers, I've gathered quite a few opinions on what makes a good teacher gift.  And, truthfully, every teacher is different, but there are a few tips that may help.  You may want to consider these as you do your holiday shopping :)

- Just because a teacher has a particular hobby or interest (ie, a sports team, a particular animal) does not mean that they want every object imaginable within that particular theme.  For real.  The worst bit of trivia that ever got into the hands of Chuck's students is the fact that he likes the Steelers.  Along with the hateful banter, he has received every Steelers Christmas ornament that has ever been made.  Seriously.  I finally told him to stop bringing them home - which is why he has a Christmas tree in his classroom that is totally decorated with Steelers ornaments.

- Full time teachers have more than just one classroom full of students.  Even on the elementary level, the students often switch teachers for their various subjects.  So, each teacher could possibly receive gifts from 60 - 100 students.  Yes, this ends up being a fun and incredibly generous out-pouring from students... but it can also be a lot.  Keep your gifts simple!

- Food gifts are nice because they are consumable.  But you don't need to send a large tin of said food item, because, as I mentioned, it can add up to a lot of food.  Small samples are nice, though.

- A framed picture of your child may seem very sweet and sentimental.  But remember - your child is one of many, and each teacher gets a new crop of students every year.  There is only so much shelf space.

- Teacher knick-knacks are fun and oh-so-easy to use as gifts.  They are especially good gifts for first year teachers.  However, those who have been teaching for a while already have a lot of that stuff - just take a look around their classroom!

- Find out what your teacher uses and help replenish their supply.  Does she use felt-tip markers for grading?  Does he use motivational stickers or stamps on papers?  Is she a post-it junkie?  These are great gift ideas that will most definitely be used and will save the teacher money.

- Don't give scented gifts unless you know that it is a scent the teacher likes!  Apple cinnamon candles are an incredibly popular gift for teachers, but I had one on my desk while I was pregnant with Patrick, and - to this day can not stand to be anywhere near one.  Besides, you need to know if your teacher has allergies or gets headaches from strong smells.  By the way, most schools do not allow teachers to burn candles.

- My sister, who is also a teacher, has shared stories of parents who admittedly could not afford a gift but sent her a nice card instead, sharing how much they valued her as their child's teacher.  She says that those cards are worth more than the token gifts that the parents would have given.

- If you really want to purchase a gift that is specific to your teacher, find out what they need / want.  Room moms often collect money for one large class gift and even ask the teacher at the beginning of the year if there is something significant that she is saving for (for the classroom or for herself).

- Consider giving your gift before the class party.  Students' gifts to teachers are always fun and very generous, but it's hard to appreciate them individually when they come all at once.  Chuck has often said he doesn't have time to open them, so he does it at home, but he loves it when the kids bring in gifts the week or two before Christmas.  It helps him to make more of a connection between the child and the gift, and it also spreads out the fun of the holidays just a bit more.

- When in doubt, give a gift card!  I know that people often don't like gift cards because they are impersonal (and because they make it very clear how much you spent...) - but a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card is sometimes a better gift than the "teacher mug" that cost you $10.  Not to mention, those $5 gift cards can really add up... :)

- That being said, don't be too specific with your gift card unless you know the teacher's tastes (a DD card won't work for a non-coffee drinker).  Target, bookstore, and teacher supply store gift cards are always a hit!

Tuesday's Tip

from here on, i'm thinking "tuesday's tips" may be in name only.  for the record.

this seems to me like a tip that may not need to be shared, but someone once enlightened me with its use, so i am guessing that someone out there may benefit from it.

i hate to find this when i'm cleaning up after a meal.

it happens to all of us - no matter how nonstick a pan is (or was) it just happens.  but, rather than soaking and scrubbing and soaking again, there is an easier way!

add water.  that's it.  just add a little water to your messy pan.

then turn the heat back on.  way on.

as the water  heats up (and starts simmering), use your appropriate utensil to stir up the gunk that has adhered to your pan.  i always use nylon or wood/bamboo to preserve mine...

once all the stuff has been dislodged (it should only take a few seconds), pour the water from your pan, and find this...

you just saved yourself (or your husband or designated child) quite a bit of elbow grease :)

in a nutshell...

i've been meaning to do an update post for awhile... but was too busy living life to actually write about it.  here goes nothing...

this fall has been much more hectic for our household.  we added soccer to our schedule - something new for patrick and chloe.  it has been a lot of fun, but having practice two nights a week plus a mid week church service really filled up our evenings.  saturday morning games have been great, though, and i am very grateful to the family members who have filled in for me or chuck when we weren't available to get somebody somewhere.

on top of soccer, chuck and i attended 3 weddings in a one month span - the third being my youngest sister's.  plotting out babysitting and scheduling to make it all happen was interesting but we made it through, and had a great time at each one.

in addition to back-to-school, soccer season, weddings, and church life, chuck is also in the process of completing his masters.  this semester he is completing 2 grad courses and a practicum.  he will be so glad when it's all over - he is so busy, and consequently, so am i.  we're trying to focus on the end result - no more grad work and a completed masters in educational administration.  yay!

last weekend, on top of halloween / fall party activities, we celebrated chloe's 8th birthday.  she had 17 girls over friday evening for a party (fun - LOUD - but fun...).  in the midst of that 4-party weekend, my cousin called me with a job opportunity at the local Christian school where she works.  although i wasn't looking for a job, i have been thinking about what i'm "going to do" next year when all 4 of my kids are in school.  this particular job completely fit my availability and need for where i am right now - part time (3 afternoons a week) in a Christian school (meaning my current educational status is sufficient) located 7 minutes from my house (so i am still accessible to my children should they need me).  and, although, tucker is still home, several friends and family members have been incredibly gracious to "hang out" with him in the afternoons that i work.

so, that's it.  i signed my contract yesterday and i start teaching this afternoon.  here we go...

Tuesday's Tip

ok, so this doesn't count as a new tip - but, blogger finally decided to let me post pictures.  so, since i was a slacker and did not post yesterday (honestly, i didn't even realize it was tuesday til i crawled my way into bed - but more to come on all that later), i've opted to repost last week's tip with the missing pictures.  thanks for being merciful :)

loved, loved, loved the suggestions i got from everyone last week.  keep 'em coming.  i'm looking forward to writing about each... or discovering a tip to share.

today's tip builds on an exisiting, fabulous tip from sarah over at short stop.  and because it involves food and saves time and money, it's one of my favorites.

a while back, sarah posted a recipe for homemade beer bread.  it is a super easy recipe, based on the boxed bread mixes you can buy at specialty stores and from certain home-party food retailers.  when you buy pre-made bread mixes, you are paying for convenience as much as taste and name, and while i am a big fan of convenience, i am not always willing to pay the price.  caring for a family of six on one school teacher's salary doesn't allow for convenience with a price tag.  so, when sarah taught us all how to make homemade beer bread (skip the $8 a box cost and fancy packaging and skip right to mm mmm good), i was happy to try it.  

not surprisingly, it was delicious and fast and cheap.  seriously, the 6 ingredients required you will always have on hand, and although the recipe calls for beer, it is equally good with any type of soda (i've tried coke, ginger ale, and sprite).  i love being able to make bread from scratch for an every day meal.  

so, you may not be surprised that i decided to make it even easier.  i thought, "if a manufacturer can box these dry ingredients, why can't i?"

i lined up all FOUR dry ingredients,...

put them in a bowl,...

and then poured it in a ziploc bag.  tough, huh? then i repeated this process a few more times.

as a result, i now have four bags of beer bread mix in my pantry, ready for the next time i want fresh bread with dinner.

one little step i added was to sift the ingredients.  i did this, simply, by placing my small strainer / sifter inside the large ziploc bag and pouring the ingredients into the strainer and sifting it right inside the bag.

no mess, no hassle.  now it's really ready to go.

oh, and don't forget to write any extra steps / ingredients on the bag.  that will save you the step of finding the recipe when you're ready to throw it in the oven.

enjoy :)

Tuesday's Tip

yes, i took last week off (wow - to those who noticed)...

although i do have a tip in mind for this week, i first have a request.  my creative well is running dry (although in an effort to streamline everything, my life sometimes looks like one big tip - and that is not necessarily a good thing), soooo... i am asking you for inspiration!

what is an area of life / home where you could use a tip?  yes, i realize i'm opening myself up for all sorts of mockery and jokes, but i know there are legitimate requests out there.  i'm not promising i have an answer, but i love doing the research to find the answers.  i'll keep a running list of your questions and try to work my way through them.  

and.... go!

Tuesday's Tip

as promised, here is the recipe for the mashed potatoes to accompany last week's meatloaf.

my family loves mashed potatoes.  i like them.  but because i don't love them like chuck and the kids do, i just don't think to make them as often (besides, there is all that peeling and chopping... and instant does not fly in this house).  last week, however, i made mashed potatoes that made my family smile.

some also felt compelled to show me what they were enjoying so much.  (sorry for that...)

they love seeing this on the table...

and this on their plate...

and after they gobbled up their potatoes and emptied the serving bowl (no leftovers that night), i finally had to tell them.  

"i tried a new recipe for the mashed potatoes.  what did you think?" i asked.

"Great!" "we loved it!" "make them again!" is what i heard in return.  even chuck agreed.

"well, i'm glad you liked them... but i should tell you.  they weren't potatoes," i confessed.

 - silence - 

"those mashed potatoes were actually cauliflower."

they looked amazed and impressed and a little betrayed all at the same time.  but they gave me permission to fool them again.  

the idea to substitute cauliflower for mashed potatoes came from my mother.  she had heard it somewhere and tried it - and fooled my sister and father in the process.  so, i decided to give it a go.

here is how i did it...

it is surprisingly just like making mashed potatoes.  however, instead of cleaning and peeling and chopping potatoes, i just broke up a head of cauliflower.  then i boiled it until it was soft (like if you were to serve it as a vegetable.)

the only real difference from here on is that i prepared the mashed potatoes in the food processor instead of the mixer.  it makes the final product much smoother, thus hiding any tell-tale chunks of cauliflower.

i added the same ingredients that i typically add to my mashed potatoes, with a few exceptions.

i always add milk or cream as i go (instead of using a set amount).  same with butter.  

but i also added some parmesan cheese (for great flavor).  

and, per my mother's suggestion, i added 1 egg.

then, for the sake of texture, i also added a cup of instant mashed potato flakes.  now, i'm not sure that was necessary, but i didn't want to completely shock my family if the finished product didn't turn out as i expected.

and, although the picture does not say so, i added salt and pepper.

once the mashed potatoes were creamy and blended, i poured them in a casserole dish and topped them with shredded cheese and bacon bits (i usually finish my mashed potatoes this way when i don't have gravy to accompany them).  then, i placed them in the oven (350-ish) for about 20 minutes.  this helped them to "set up" and take on a more "mashed potato" consistency.  

well, it worked.  

even i, knowing full well what i was eating, thought it tasted remarkably like mashed potatoes.  

and it was a vegetable!

my husband was completely impressed, and the kids thought the whole thing was pretty funny.  we're looking forward to trying it again.  

as we were cleaning up dinner, patrick was finishing up and commented that he liked the bread (a store-bought, nothing special, loaf of bread).  

"thanks," i answered.  "it's cauliflower."

they'll never trust me again.

Tuesday's Tip

i love meatloaf.

i never realized til i was an adult how odd this was, as i've learned that most people don't use "love" and "meatloaf" in the same sentence.  but my experience has only been positive, so i love to make meatloaf... especially for people who say they don't like it.

as a bonus, i'm including my recipe for meatloaf (the tip will follow towards the end).
the reason i think most people are not meatloaf fans is because they've only ever had dry, flavorless meatloaf.  the reason i love it is because i grew up with a mom who knew how to make it... and now my kids will tell anyone that meatloaf is one of their favorite meals.

here is how i make it:

Meatloaf
2 - 2 1/2 lbs of ground meat.  i suggest using half lean ground beef, half ground turkey.  do not use all ground turkey as it does not "set up" well; and all ground beef tends to come out too dry.
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
2 TBSP ketchup
salt
pepper
onion powder

Meatloaf Topping
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground mustard (although, in a pinch, i've used dijon mustard)

Directions:
- combine milk and bread crumbs and set aside until the bread crumbs have absorbed all of the milk
- combine meat, egg, ketchup, and bread crumb mixture.  use your hands!  they are truly the best tool, although the pampered chef mix n chop works well, too.
- add about 2 tsp of onion powder (or more if you like).
- salt and pepper like you mean it
- shape in the form of a loaf and place in shallow greased dish (13x9 works well) or follow my tip below
- add topping (which has been mixed well)

bake at 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour (depending on how large your meatloaf is)

i promise this meatloaf will be moist and flavorful... no need for gravy!

however,... here is something to make it a bit different.
every now and again (or if i'm short on time and don't want to wait an hour for dinner to cook), i cook my meatloaf in muffin tins!

here are the meatloaf muffins before they went in the oven.

i only show them pre-baked, so you can see that they come out of the oven much the same size (another reason lean meat is the way to go).

not only does cooking meatloaf this way speed up the whole dinner process (they are out of the oven in about 20 - 25 minutes), it adds a fun presentation to the table.  for kids, they are the perfect serving size.  it also ensures just the right amount of topping for everyone's portion (something we don't take lightly in our house).

try it!  maybe you love meatloaf, too.

ps) next week's tip is this week's side dish - amazing mashed potatoes you'll want to try.