College Prep

College Prep? Oh, I have plenty of time for that, right?

As we all know, time flies when you are having fun, and as my grandad would say, even when you're not. Preparing kids for college seems like a daunting task if you ask me. Starting the home school journey a little later than most, we have had no time to waste when it comes to preparing for the college exams. 

Here are a few of the resources we have found to help her prep:

1. Princeton Review  

 After attending a seminar at a local community college, we were on a mailing list for this company. The best part about getting on the mailing list was when they sent us a notice about an opportunity to take a FREE ACT, SAT, OR PSAT. I realize this is a tactic to get your money in the end, however, we took advantage of the opportunity. Having a daughter with test anxiety, it was nice for her to take the test when "it didn't matter."  She got to experience the test without the normal pressure and it proved to really boost her confidence. She returned a week later to get her score and a 1 1/2 hour review of test, along with tips for taking the test in the future. 

2. Flash cards     

 Barron's flash cards have proved to be a great resource. We ordered ours HERE. Each test section has a set of cards devoted to test strategy and a set of cards devoted to sample questions. The sample question cards have explanations for the right answer, as well as why the other answers are not correct. Having these flashcards has helped my daughter feel like taking this test is a game instead of testing her for knowledge, which is exactly how they are designed.

3. Books of the tests

 We were fortunate enough to have a former co-worker of mine give us a test prep book that her daughter had only slightly used. The Kaplan SAT test prep book has 12 full length practice tests. It contains detailed answer explanations, similar to the flash cards. I am sure there are many others, but this is the one we happen to have and use.

Keep in mind the learning style of your teenager when considering which source or sources to use. One or even a combination of the resources may benefit you, while some of the options may be a waste of time. This is by no means an exhaustive list of college prep material, just a few of the ones we have found and have used. 

I would enjoy hearing what you have done for your college bound student! I can NEVER have too much help in this area.  Thanks for stopping by.

Make Once, Freeze Many

 

 
My family likes to have this lasagna with a green salad and garlic bread if we are really hungry! It is super EASY to make and it makes A LOT. The original recipe says it makes 2-9x13 pans of lasagna, each having a serving for 12. For our family of 3, a 9x13 pan of lasagna is too much, so I started making it in 8x8 pans. This makes 3-4 lasagnas, so time spent making this is VERY PRODUCTIVE.  I have also made this as one HUGE lasagna for family and friend gatherings and it is always a hit. I sometimes get a little over zealous with the meat sauce and run out...NO PROBLEM...just make lasagna rolls to freeze. The lasagna rolls just need marina sauce over them before baking.   

THE RECIPE:
1-16 oz pkg lasagna noodles
3 lbs. ground beef
3-26 oz jars spaghetti sauce 
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 lbs ricotta cheese (I use the entire 2 lb container)
6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (again, I use the entire 8 cup bag)
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

• Cook noodles according to package directions.
• Brown meat until no longer pink and drain. Rinsing the meat with hot water will help remove some of the extra fat. Add spaghetti sauce and set aside.
• In another bowl, combine eggs, ricotta cheese, 4-5 cups or handfuls of mozzarella, parsley, salt and pepper. Get your hands messy in this step to really blend all of the ingredients together.
• Drain the noodles. Spray pans with Pam to help prevent sticking. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 cups meat sauce in each pan. Layer 3 noodles...cutting them in half for smaller pans...1 cup ricotta mixture, then 1 1/2 cups meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
• Cover lasagnas for the freezer with saran wrap or something similar to seal the edges, then cover with foil. Use a Sharpie to write Lasagna and the date on the foil. I put each lasagna on a cookie sheet, stack the cookie sheets in the freezer until lasagnas are good and frozen, then remove the cookie sheets and stack them up. These will stay good for about 3 months.
• Cover tonight's lasagna with foil and bake at 375* for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until really bubbly. Let it stand for about 10 minutes before cutting.
• TO USE FROZEN LASAGNA:  Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Take out of fridge about 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 375* for 60-70 minutes or until heated through. Uncover, bake 10 more minutes or until really bubbly.

Hope this recipe helps you get your freezer stocked for those busy days, days you just don't feel like cooking, and to help keep you and your family healthy and happy!

Thanks for stopping by...Happy Cooking :)

                                                               

Home School History

Where do I fall in this chart? I am a parent of one. I have an associate degree in dental hygiene. We spend over $600 a year for schooling...we pay to have my daughter's records kept by Bridgeway Academy. My husband and I were not home school. We began home schooling because we were not satisfied with the education our daughter was receiving at the local high school. We live in Texas, so the regulation on home schooling is simple. We have been home schooling for one year, about to start junior year of high school! If you have found this as a result of searching out information to decided if home schooling is the right thing for your family, I hope this has helped in some small way. The decision to school your child/children at home is a BIG ONE! The reasons are personal and only you can decide what is best for you and your kiddos...and remember YOU know them BEST. I was really the last person on earth that thought she would be a home school mom, yet it has been one of the best decisions I have made as a parent. My daughter is not only happier but healthier because of the decision. I would love to hear where you and your family fall in this chart! Thanks for stopping by!
Source: TopMastersInEducation.com

On Sale and Stocking Up

When strawberries go on sale for BOGO, how can you resist?? As usual with strawberries from the grocery store, they rarely last more than a few days in the fridge before they start to get moldy or go bad in general. We LOVE strawberry banana smoothies, so this is the perfect opportunity to put these in the freezer for future use. Freezing strawberries is EXTREMELY easy. 

• cut off the top leafy part of the berry...I didn't take time to actually hull the berries because it gets blended up and not a problem for smoothies
• cut berries in half or quarters
• rinse berries...a salad spinner can be used to remove the extra moisture. If you don't have a salad spinner,I would recommend you invest in one. Greatest invention EVER! OR you can pat the berries in a paper towel to get the extra moisture off of them.
• place wax paper on a baking sheet and arrange a single layer of the berries...I do this just to make it easier to get the berries off of the pan.
• place in freezer for a few hours...you can put berries into bags not frozen, but you may end up with a big glob. Freezing them first helps them to not stick together and easier for blending.
• once frozen, the berries can go into some sort of freezer storage...ziploc, freezer containers, or vacuum sealed. Leaving the berries on the counter while you prepare bags makes it easier to get them off of the wax paper. We purchased a Food Saver a year ago and I LOVE IT!! I precut the bag size needed for individual servings, wrote berries and the date, and then sealed them for the freezer! 

My favorite classic smoothie recipe is quick and simple!

1 cup orange juice (or juice of 2 fresh squeezed oranges)
1-2 frozen bananas (depends on the size of banana...as you can see in the pic, I freeze them in the peel and use a knife to remove ends and peel when ready to use them)
1 pkg of frozen strawberries

Blend thoroughly and ENJOY!

Hope this was useful...thanks for stopping by and happy smoothie making :)

Garden just about Anywhere

With a "For Sale" sign in our front yard this spring, it was advised that we not put in our garden. Apparently the garden might ward off potential buyers...I thought it would be considered an plus! I mean how often do you buy a house with the garden already started for you??? The reality is that most people don't garden and I find this sad in some way.
I had already started seeds in an egg carton and hated to just throw them out. Funny thing, the wind got to my light weight carton and took care of most of them for me. The few plants that were left got transplanted into a flower bed along the back of the house. This space is usually used for herbs, so why not just throw a few extras in there. 
I was beginning to think the idea of any fresh vegetable was doomed when the chickens then got into the flower bed and dug up just about EVERYTHING!! I managed to salvage two plants, that I thought were both squash. However, I was surprised to find that one was a watermelon! Just wanted to share a few photos of the plants in that bed and encourage you to garden just about anywhere!
The ONE squash has provided us with plenty for our family of three. I have not had extra to freeze, but have been thankful to not have to buy it in the grocery store. The watermelon has taken over!! We have harvested two of the five melons on the vine and they have been a treat...and the chickens love the left over rinds.
Hope this inspires you to plant a squash or two even when someone tries to squash your garden...Happy Gardening and thanks for stopping by!

Cards and more cards...

As we have all read many times, the digital age has taken a toll on personal interactions with our friends and family. Remember those things we used to receive or send to each other through "snail mail"....those things called cards?? 

I have an aunt that lives a few hours away and she sends me a sweet personal note almost every time after we have been able to see each other in person. She tells me that she enjoyed our time together or whatever else is on her mind about our visit. She not only takes the time to write the note, but she most often makes the cards as well. Every holiday is another opportunity for her to send them...and I mean EVERY holiday...not just the big ones. It is a good day when I open the mailbox to find an envelope with her handwriting having addressed that special note to me!

She has inspired me to try and be better with personal correspondence...it is nice to know somebody is thinking about you! As part of the process and my crafting addiction, I am making cards as well. Not everyone has the time or want to do the card making but like the idea of a unique card. In an effort to help those that aren't crafty or those short on time, I have put some in the shop. Check them out and brighten someone's day with a personal note!

Thanks for stopping by!

TOO MANY TOMATOES....IS THAT POSSBILE???

My aunt calls in distress telling me how her and her husband have "too many tomatoes!" Being a lover of ALL things tomato, I do not believe that to be possible. However,she continues to say that they are eating them with EVERY meal, she is giving them to people whether they want them or not and yet, she is overrun with tomatoes. I told her what any reasonable niece would and that is,"You HAVE to can them so you will be able to enjoy them later in the year!"  After a lengthy conversation about how to go about preserving her tomatoes, we decided I should make a day trip to her house and we could do it together.

The next week I loaded up the supplies:
pint size mason jars (if your jars are not new, you will need to purchase new lids but not new rims)
canning kit (items that are priceless when dealing with boiling hot jars)
large boiling water canner
Ball Blue Book
camera (so I could show you all our process)

She provided:
grape tomatoes (I don't know how many pounds she had, but it was two large tubs FULL!)
lemon juice
salt

Following the directions in the Ball Blue Book was simple and VERY self-explanatory. As with all canning/preserving it is nice to have multiple sets of hands! 

We began by heating up the jars, lids and rims for sterilization purposes. As well as heating the water to blanch the tomatoes to get the skins to peel. I will say that grape tomatoes have a tougher skin and it did take longer than the 30-60 seconds in boiling water to get the skins to crack for peeling.

Pre-blanch 

Post-blanch

Then let the peeling begin!!! This was TIME CONSUMING...but we will be glad we did it when that winter stew with these wonderful summer tomatoes are enriching the flavor, right!?!? We also had some little hands helping us and it became a game to see who could get the highest mound of tomato peels on their napkin! Get the little ones involved, they LOVE it!

some of the peeled tomatoes

Choosing to pack the tomatoes in water, I returned them to boiling water and let it go for 5 minutes. BE CAREFUL not to fill your pot too full!! I put a little too many back in the pot and we had a MESS!! I just chalked it up as part of the fun:)

As recommended, we added 1 tablespoon lemon juice to each jar prior to packing in the tomatoes.

Next, we began adding the tomatoes, a small amount of the water in which they were boiled, and 1 teaspoon salt per jar. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, we did remove any air that was trapped, then cleaned the rim of jar with wet cloth, then secured lid and ring. (THIS is the part where the canning kit is priceless!! The jars are SUPER hot and will burn your hands if you are not careful!) My hands were a little busy during this process and I did not manage to get any pics of this step...:(

Back into the boiling water canner the jars go to process for 40 minutes...if you choose do to quart jars, they need to process for 45 minutes. During this step my jar lifter handle broke and we called in assistance for repair...never underestimate the versatility of duct tape!!

To protect counter tops, I use a bath towel folded in half to place the jars. Carefully lift out each jar and place on counter to cool. When the lids start to "pop" it is music to my ears! So after a day of laughter, gabbing, and hands that became quite like a prune, we had 12 pints of tomatoes!

If you don't have "too many tomatoes", then go grab some at your local farmer's market, call family or friends and have a great afternoon preserving food for the winter!

Thanks for stopping by and happy canning!!