5 Star Cheeseburger Casserole

Wow! I can't believe I'm back on track and have cooked dinner 3 nights in a row. What is even a bigger shock is that the last three meals have all been successes. 

Tonight's dinner 5 Star Cheeseburger Casserole was located at the website Bakerette and the recipe can be found here.

As you know, I usually follow recipes as close to the original directions as possible making very few tweaks on the first try. I did make two alterations to this recipe. 

I've been trying to eliminate some gluten from our family's diet so when it comes to pasta I've been substituting with gluten free options. I had some left over Ronzoni spirals and Barilla penne (both gluten free) that I combined to make the 2 cups of required uncooked pasta. Couldn't tell the difference! 

The other alteration was in the tomatoes. I had planned and shopped for this meal last week and I did not want to waste or have to make a separate trip for fresh tomatoes, so I bought a can of 14.5 oz Del Monte petite diced tomatoes to replace the "required" Roma's. I did drain and rinse the tomatoes using the entire can in the recipe. 

This recipe was so easy and quick to make. The pasta cooked while I prepared the beef and was ready to be combined at just the right time. 

Now I have to tell you the ketchup, mustard and pickle really help to make this meal taste like a cheeseburger. It wasn't really saucy, which I liked, and you could taste the individual ingredients used. 

As I write this, Dave is still at work so he has not eaten this meal yet so I can't give you his reveiw. However, Emily said "it tastes like a cheeseburger" and gave it a thumbs up. Matt, well he still hates visible tomatoes, so once he picked them all out his served portion, he gobbled it up. He liked it but thinks I should leave the tomatoes out next time. Not going to happen! Matt can pick them out the next time it is made.

My opinion -  this was yummy and pretty healthy. I used a lean beef this time, maybe I'll try ground turkey breast the next time. 

The recipe does make a  13x9 casserole dish so I may half the recipe next time seeing we aren't that much of a leftover family.

Try it, tell me what you think.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Paper Strip Easter Eggs - 4th grade Arts and Crafts Class

Several weeks prior to Easter, the 4th grade arts and crafts class used their creative abilities to make "framed" paper strip Easter eggs. 

I found the original idea of course on Pinterest here. 

Prior to this class,  I spent quite a bit of time prepping the supplies needed. I printed out the egg template provided at the original website. The base paper and shimmer "frame" paper were items I already had in my home craft supplies. As for the paper strips, I had a "slab" of coordinating decorative card stock and packages of coordinating colored paper on hand that I used cutting them into 1/2" x 8" strips. 

Being a crafter, I already have two paper cutters here at home. However, they are not made for the amount of paper I have found myself cutting as of late. The one cutter is an older Fiskar model and the blade I had on hand was dull making the paper strip edges frayed. My other cutter, although cutting clean edges, makes a horrible noise when cutting, like nails on a chalkboard. Thankfully I had another day before class so that night I took the plunge and upgraded to a more "professional" paper cutter.  Best buy ever!!!

With the papers strips cut, template copied onto the card stock backing and "frame" papers and the sample project in hand, class was ready to begin.

First, using the egg backing paper as a guide, the students laid out the design they would create with the decorative and colored paper strips. After they made their design, they then glued the strips on top of the egg template. For the frame, I used an Exacto knife to cut a portion of the egg center out and then the students used scissors to cut out the remaining portion of the egg. 

Because we only had one class to complete this project and the paper strips were just glued, I chose not to have the students adhere the "frames" during class. As a matter of fact, I took the kids "eggs" and "frames" home, let them dry and then adhered the frames with Super 77 adhesive. 

One of the best parts of this project was that they were able to be displayed in the school hallway for a few weeks before the students took them home at the start of Easter break. There is nothing like seeing the pride students have when their work is displayed. Once again, they did a great job! 

As always, thanks for stopping by! 

Chicken Ranch Burgers

Last night was burger night, chicken burger night, here at the Wessel home. The recipe I chose to try can be found here.

Sadly, it was rainy here so instead of grilling them I broiled them. 

I have to say these were very tasty. I chose to eat mine without a bun with a slather of ranch on top. The kids had theirs on hamburger rolls. Matt is more of a BBQ guy so I topped his with the same BBQ sauce used in making the burger base. Emily however LOVES ranch dressing so her burger was topped with ranch. Matthew said it was one of the best burgers he's every had. Emily didn't really give any kind of review. 

Dave ate about an hour after we did and he gave it a big thumbs up, which says a lot from a man who prefers beef. 

This is a recipe I will definitely try again but next time I will make sure they can be grilled.

Try the recipe and let me know your opinion.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Buffalo Chicken ....YUM!!!!

Last night's dinner was a total success even though I completely messed up the cooking portion. This is what happens when you think you know what to do and don't read the recipe directions entirely. This recipe can be found at the original site skinny taste. 

So how exactly did I "mess" this up? Well, I actually put the wing sauce in with the chicken as it cooked, not waiting to add it at the end once the chicken was shredded. Oops! Although the chicken was very tasty, the hot sauce flavor didn't really permeate the meat like I thought it would during the cooking process. So, I would recommend following the true directions in the recipe, which I will be doing the next time.

Another thing I changed was the cooking time. Instead of 4 hours on high in the crock pot, I did 6 hours on low. Oh and I completely omitted the last 30 minute cooking portion of the directions too (won't be doing that again). The time change was more out of convenience with our activity schedule and really didn't effect the meal's outcome in any way.

Okay, maybe I didn't prepare the chicken properly but it was still very tasty. It did require more hot sauce when assembling the wraps though. Matt had his chicken on tortilla wraps with extra hot sauce. He has an iron stomach when it comes to spicy food, just like his Grandpa Joe.  I had mine in lettuce leaves adding carrot, celery, hot sauce and a little bit of lite blue cheese dressing. Dave had his like mine only on tortilla shells. Emily, well, she had an away volleyball game which got her home later in the evening so she opted for Greek yogurt instead. So, that would give this meal a 3 thumbs up, majority rules, so it is now added the family menu binder.

Definitely try this recipe, especially if you like/love Buffalo chicken and let me know what you think. Oh and please, follow the recipe directions. 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

School Project x's 2

Wanted Poster

The end of February ushered us into the month of school projects for Emily and Matthew.

Both kid's projects were based on books they were reading. Matthew's 3rd grade class was collectively reading Charlotte's Web while Emily's 5th grade class was able to select a book of their choosing from the school library. Her book was "Asking for Trouble" written by Sandra Bryd. 

For Matthew's project, he was to choose a favorite scene from the book and depict it in a diorama. Emily was given a menu of project options. She needed to choose from the Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Dessert menu - 3 creative projects and one style of class report. I have to say she was very excited about her choices - a wanted poster, brochure, game board and a paper bag oral report. Dave and I were very pleased that she chose items that would use her drawing abilities. Although I do have to say in the final week, I was panicking a bit about the board game selection. Of course, that was the item Emily was most excited to do. Thankfully being a crafter we had most of the supplies needed for both their projects on hand.

The completed "Wanted" poster

Okay, being a parent who loves crafting is helpful but is also a bit of a curse because I need to curb my desire to help. Now this is easy with Emily....she has the crafting gene. Matt on the other hand is not so much a man of ideas or detail. So, to keep myself sane during this two child school project "season" I let Dave help Matt with his diorama and I assisted Emily where needed. 

Matt chose as his favorite scene the time when the Zuckerman's cleaned Wilbur with buttermilk. The shoe box was painted a nice "barn" red with a black roof placed on top. Fences, felt ground, Timothy hay, plastic animals, small accessories and stick people completed his scene. As you can see, Matt was very pleased with his project. 

Even though Matt's project was completed quickly, Emily still had two more main projects to finish. One thing we've learned with both kids is the importance of having them do rough drafts of their ideas before even attempting a final copy. This also includes all the written information that will be on the project. Emily's brochure was for the academy that her main character attends.  I have to say this was my favorite project she did.

The front of her brochure

Front and inner flap

Full inner portion of brochure

Back flap

The most daunting, in my opinion, of the projects was saved for last - the board game. From day one, Emily knew she wanted it to be fashioned after the game Monopoly. After we mapped out the board and determined the amount of squares, Emily took her book and found positive and negative happenings that she would write in each square. Of course, Emily gave the extra detail of a small coordinating picture to most of the squares. What an amazing job she did and it was completed a day before it was due! 

Emily's game board

It was amazing to see the projects they produced but it was even more special to see them displayed along with all the students projects the night of the school's open house.

Emily's project display

Matt's diorama display

So pleased with all their dedication and hard work - it definitely showed in the final product! 

As always, thanks for stopping by!  

Snow Families

Even though the first day of spring was Thursday March 21st the 4th grade arts and crafts class still completed their snow families on Friday the 22nd. This idea was located via Pinterest here. 

Like I usually do, I prepared a sample that the kids could refer to when working on their projects. My snow family included Dave, myself, Emily, Matt and I couldn't help but include Mr. Jingle.

The class had already painted the 5 x 7 canvases with light blue acrylic paint at the end of a previous class. Several had also "applied" their snow people. The people are the finger portions of their hand that we covered with white tempura paint and "stamped" onto the canvas. For those who had to still apply their snow people during that day's class, we used a hair dryer to dry the paint once "stamped" so they could "dress" their snow people.

Because of my previous love of overbuying craft supplies, I had plenty of permanent color markers in a vast array of colors and tip sizes that the students were able to use to "dress" their families. Oh and just a side note, I have curbed my love for overbuying. 

After their families were dressed, they went to another table where I had two additional embellishment stations. At the first station, I had a paper plate that had more of the white tempura. The students used Q-tips to make the round snowflakes. They also used a pouncer to create the ground under the snow people. Several of the students pounced around all the edges of the canvas creating a "frame" effect. 

Once this was done, they moved onto the glitter station. First, they took a brush and added some modge podge to areas all over the canvas. Then, they sprinkled glitter on top of the glue. I provided silver and blue glitter. Also at this station was Epsom salt that they could sprinkle on top of the modge podged areas creating the look of falling snow. 

As you can see, each of the students snow families showed not only the uniqueness of their individual families but also their own creative abilities. Great job 4th grade!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Mosaic Hearts and Crosses

In February, I introduced mosaics to the 3rd and 4th grade arts and crafts classes. After seeing this project on Pinterest and having Valentine's day just pass, I chose to use a heart as the focal point of  their mosaic. 

My first and most tedious task was to cut a significant amount of small squares from colored paper to mimic mosaic tiles. These are 1/2" inch squares. I then cut 6 x 6 white pieces of paper that the students would glue stick the colored "tiles" on. To make things a little easier for the students, I cut a heart from a heavier card stock that the they would use as a template to trace onto their paper. With the supplies ready, I started the sample project that the kids could refer to in class. 

On the sample, I traced the heart onto the right corner of the paper and made 4 sections where I would have different colored "tiles" coming from the heart. 

 This picture shows the completed arrays.

The heart was completed with red paper "tiles". 

When I met with the 4th grade class, I gave them just three criteria for the project: 1) the heart had to be a part of the mosaic, 2) they had to use at least 4 colors, and 3) the heart had to be the focal point, standing out from the background they created. Other than these criteria, they were to use their creative talents. 

I also advised them that it was best to start by gluing down the tiles that would form straight lines and avoid any cutting until that portion was completed. Truly the most difficult part of the project was cutting the "tiles" that butted up to the heart as they needed to be curved edges and not just straight cuts. 

Here are their projects at the end of the first session.

Then after our second 40 minute session.

Finally at our 3rd class, these are the hearts that were completed.

Because I only allotted 3 classes for this project, several students had to take "tiles" home to complete  their mosaics. 

The students that did finish their projects spent the remainder of the class painting small canvases that would be used for their next project.

After I completed the mosaic project with the 4th grade, I did adjust it for the 3rd grade. They still had the same 3 criteria but the shape used was a cross. This eliminated the difficulty of  cutting curved edges on the small paper "tiles". 

Here is a picture of some of the 3rd grade class's cross mosaics at the end of their first session. 

I was very happy with how both classes did on their projects especially since this was their first time making a mosaic.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Eat Your Heart Out

This past year has been "the year of the cake" for me. 

As most of you know, I started my cake baking trend with Emily's 11th birthday moustache cake last June. Of course, that was followed by Matthew's 8th birthday F8 tornado cake. 

Well, the cake baking continued with Valentine's day and, yes, I got this particular idea from Pinterest. 

I used a red velvet cake mix and baked the batter in one round and one square cake pan. When the cakes cooled, it was time to "create" and what says Valentine's Day more than a heart. 

I cut the round cake in half and placed the half circles at the top of the square cake which was positioned in such a way to represent the look of a diamond. Ta da! A heart! 

The cake was iced with cream cheese frosting and Emily helped shape a heart out of mini M&M's in the middle of the cake. We also dusted the cake with some sugar sprinkles. 

It was a special dessert for the people I love and let me tell you it was yummy!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Elementary Abstract Art Project Bulletin Board

It all started with this picture on Pinterest.

Of course it did because most of my ideas originate from a "find" on Pinterest. 

At my children's school, there is a bulletin board outside the 4th grade classroom. I've had the privilege of being asked to create a few winter themed boards and the one I recently assembled was due to be taken down. Also this year, I have had the privilege of voluntarily teaching an arts and crafts class with the 3rd and 4th grade classes at their school. Because of my involvement with these students and an upcoming open house, this picture brought about an "inspired" idea. 

After getting permission from the board's next in line creator and the school principal, I started scheduling time to "create" with all the elementary classes a collaborative bulletin board. 

Now, I have to admit when I first saw the original picture I didn't really notice the cross. So, I decided to change that  portion making the cross stand out more reflecting the beliefs of the Christian school our board would be representing. 

Now came the hard part, coordinating 7 classes to come and paint Popsicle sticks for the focal point of the bulletin board with only one week (including the weekend) to paint, create and assemble the entire board. We were up for the challenge!!

Each student received a red painted Popsicle stick that they wrote their first name on with a white "paint" marker. Then, they were given 2 Popsicle sticks each to decorate as they desired. Now, to save time I had pre-painted the sticks with a base coat of color. We started the painting process on a Wednesday. On Friday, I conducted the final Popsicle stick painting classes. During the last class, I let the students paint 3 to 4 sticks each, thinking I would have extras when I assembled the framed focal point. Well, that wasn't the case. When I pre-assembled the piece later that evening, I found we were short by 60 sticks. UGH! 

So, the following Tuesday during recess, I asked the 5th and 6th grade classes to come in and paint the remaining sticks. Thank you students! 

That evening I put the board together. The sticks were glued to a black piece of foam board with the cross taking center stage. A frame was created with extra pieces of black foam board and a specialty paper was adhered to the frame portion with Super 77 spray adhesive. Whew, the main element was created. 

On Wednesday, I went to assemble the board. The previous day I had attached the black background paper so my first task was attaching the Popsicle art element to the board. 

I used my Cricut cutter to cut out the title "Elementary Abstract Art Project" from white card stock which seemed a little plain so I added colored tape to the word "abstract" for a pop of color.

Also added to the board, using the Cricut cutter, was the phrase "Christ died for ME" in red card stock signifying the blood Jesus shed on the cross for each of us. 

I have to tell you it was wonderful seeing the kids looking for their names on the cross and for the sticks that they had created. The board was also done the day before the open house and was on display for that event. 

Thank you Pinterest for inspiring an idea that brought our elementary students together on a collaborative project that inspires not only them but those who see this bulletin board.

Way to go HCS Elementary! 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

First Class of O'Keeffe Flowers

I was very excited for today's 4th grade arts and crafts class. 

I'm not formally trained in the arts but am very willing to learn in order to bring variety to my craft oriented class. Today I was originally scheduled to teach the 4th grade class, however, due to the art teacher chaperoning the junior high for their Academic day, I also taught this same lesson to the 3rd grade.

As I stated, I'm not formally trained but thanks to Pinterest art resources are readily available. At the website The Art of Education, I found this free lesson plan which focuses on getting students to draw big referencing the works of Georgia O'Keeffe. The lesson plan provides the materials needed, step by step instructions and some sample pictures of projects completed by students. 

Yesterday, I started prepping by cutting sheets of 9 x 13 watercolor paper into 9 x 9 inch squares. The left over strip I cut it into 4 x 4 squares that I would have the students use for drawing "test" flowers. I also took the time to make some of my own sample flowers to share with the them. I figured this would give them more options helping them to be creative while making their own flowers. 

This morning I took a trip to my local library in order to take out a few books on Georgia O'Keeffe so I could show the students samples of her work. Sadly, our local library was not very well equipped with books on the arts. I did find this one book on Georgia O'Keeffe in the children's section of the library. Thankfully it did have a few of her flower pieces. 

Because of the library's limited resources on the artist and her work, I also looked for books showcasing flowers in great detail. Fortunately, I was able to find this one book in the "flower/plant life" section of the library.

I started the class by telling the students a little bit about Georgia O'Keeffe and then showed a few of her works. I explained that our project would be to produce a flower that would take up the majority or entire 9 x 9 piece of paper and that they would be able to watercolor paint their flowers. At the mention of "watercolor", the students grew more excited. I showed them the sample flowers I made along with possible flower suggestions from the library book and that was enough, they were off creating. Of course, I didn't let them start on the 9 x 9 paper. Each student drew a sample of the flower they would create on a piece of the 4 x 4 scrap paper. This way they would get a feeling of how it felt to draw their flower and have a point of reference when they went to their final piece. Once all the students completed their "test" sample, I took one and showed them how this specific flower would translate when drawn bigger on the 9 x 9 paper. I think this step really helped them visualize how they needed to magnify their flowers for the final projects. 

As you can see, most of the students finished the pencil drawing of their flower and over half of them moved on to the next step of tracing their pencil lines with black Sharpie.
Our next class they'll finish the outlining and move on to the painting portion of the project. With how excited the 4th grade class was with this project, I have a feeling they will complete these during our next class period. When completed, their creations will be displayed in the hallway for a few weeks.

The 3rd grade also did well on this project with most of them getting to the outlining stage too. 

What a great class today!!
As always, thanks for stopping by!

Easter and "The Jesus Story"

For the last 3 Easter seasons, our family has been involved in our church's production of "The Jesus Story" - a play showing the ministry, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Although the involvement has been primarily on the part of Dave and myself, this year Emily decided to take a part in the ministry too. 

I'm not a forefront person when it comes to these type of productions. I prefer to be in the background. So, my "position" has been in the area of backstage small props. Of course, it only seemed natural to have Emily join us as a part of that crew. Although very willing to help in small props, after the second performance of the play, Emily told me that next year she did not want to be backstage but out on  stage as a part of the crowd. I was in no way disappointed with her desire to go from backstage to on stage but I admit I was surprised.

Other than school programs, where the kids practice during school time, Emily has shown no desire to be a part of any program. Her last "formal" program was a Christmas program at our church, and although she enjoyed being in it, she told me she wouldn't be doing it again because there are just too many practices. I've learned with Emily not to push her. When it comes to sports, programs, activities, we've always been of the thinking to have the kids try it once  and then let them make the decision regarding the next time. So, yes, I was suprised at her declaration of wanting to be "in" the play next year.  And, yes, I did inform her that it would involve practices she would need to attend. 

As the following week of performances occurred, Emily continued to tell me of her plans for next year. Our last two performance were going to be the next Thursday and Good Friday. When I was cleaning up from our perfomance the Sunday prior, Emily came running to me all excited saying she was going to be in the play. Of course, I said "next year" because I've only heard her tell me this now a thousand times. She replied "no, Good Friday". I was like "what?" Well, Emily expressed her desire to a dear friend who knowing Emily saw how much she wanted to be a part of the crowd and was going to see about making it happen this year. What was supposed to be a possible Friday performance turned into Thursday and Friday performances and let me tell you Emily was over the moon. 

Of course, she asked me a million questions about details before that first performance but once she was in that make-up chair she was no longer thinking about me. 

Thankfully she had friends who were already in the play that could guide her throughout the scenes she was invloved in. I can't tell you how much my heart swelled when I caught my first glimpse of her from the sidestage. This is my girl! She is a part of a huge ministry telling the Good News of Jesus. There is nothing like that moment when a parent sees their child serving their Savior. 

Well, Emily loved being a part of the onstage crowd and is making plans for next year and just so you know she is "okay" with all the practices she will have to be a part of. 

It is so amazing to be a part of a ministry for the furthering of the Kingdom of God but it is even more amazing when your children desire to be a part of it too. Matthew did his part selling DVD's of one of this season's early performances. 

Of course, the biggest "thank you" goes to Emily's Aunt Debbie (my sister friend) who saw the desire and excitement of a young lady and did what she could to make her desire a reality! 

Our little girl has come so far and nothing makes it more special than seeing her want to walk the path that God has for her. 

This Easter season has meant so much with the growing of our kid's in their faith. Our prayer is that God will continue to touch their hearts and move them in the direction He desires for them. 

As always, thanks for stopping by! 

No-Bake Tomato Skillet Lasagna

After over a month of on again off again cooking, tonight I started a week's worth of "homemade" dinners. 

This recipe is from Betty Crocker and can be obtained here. Although the recipe is very easy to make,  I did have trouble finding one of the main ingredients required.

The recipe calls for a pouch of Progresso Recipe Starters fire roasted tomato cooking sauce. Now, I know this product existed because I remember purchasing a can of it once before along with this can of their basil sauce. I went to my main food store and it wasn't there. Although they did have sauce pouches they didn't have the fire roasted tomato sauce so I knew the product line still existed but concluded they were no longer being packaged in can form. So, off I headed to two other stores with no luck. Finally, my fourth trip to another food store this morning resulted in sweet success. Oh, and I did buy two packages just in case. 

The other issue I had is not being able to find mafalda (mini lasagna) noodles so I don't think I would really call this recipe a skillet "lasagna". When it comes to pasta products, I've been trying to change over to gluten free items as they have become more available. Both Barilla and Ronzoni are producing gluten free "pasta" products and they are reasonable priced. For this meal, I used Ronzoni Gluten Free Rotini. 

The final result was a very easy and yummy meal. I didn't even have to ask if it was liked by the family because their plates told that story - they were completely empty!  I would consider that a 4 thumbs up for this meal.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

As always, thanks for stopping by!