Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Potato and Crab Salad

Ingredients


6 small russet potatoes
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
400g processed crab meat, sliced
200g sliced, pitted black olives
1/2 carrot, grated
3/4 cup light mayo
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano

Directions


Place potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook over medium-heat for 30 mns, or until tender. Drain, peel and dice while still hot. This is what will make the salad fluffy. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

in a large serving bowl, toss together the potatoes, eggs, crab meat, black olives and carrot. Chill until ready to serve. 


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Grilled chicken marinated in a zesty italian dressing

Grilled chicken

Ingredients


  • 2 kg skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp basil dried
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1 tsp salt

 Directions


Combine all the ingredients and poor over chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator over night. A zippy bag works great. Cook on a grill or in the oven.

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Monday, June 11, 2012

Parenting: The reason behind thumb sucking

Before worrying about how to stop our children bad habits, we should always understand the reason behind their behavior and we should learn when is the right time to start considering such behavior a problem.

baby sucking his thumb


Today we will be talking about thumb sucking the most natural act in all babies. When they are born children suck their thumb due to the sucking reflex that helps breastfeeding, some ultrasound revealed that babies start that sucking process from the womb. This reflex disappears at about 4 months of age; thumb sucking is not purely an instinctive behavior and therefore can last much longer.

A baby could suck a thumb, fingers or even his whole hand, this will help him feel comfortable when he is hungry, sad or sick. He may also use his thumb to fall asleep at bedtime and to lull himself back to slumber when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Most infants suck their thumbs. Toddlers suck their thumbs too. Little by little, most children stop on their own between ages 3 and 4.
Although your child's habits may bother or even worry you, relax. In most cases, a habit is just a phase in the normal developmental process and is not cause for alarm.
If it lasts after your child turns 5, then you could consider it as a problem cause in most cases it will lead to dental problems; his teeth could become improperly aligned. A child may also develop speech problems, including mispronouncing Ts and Ds, lisping, and thrusting out the tongue when talking.

In some rare cases, thumb-sucking after age 5 is in response to an emotional problem or other disorder, such as anxiety. A child with this type of problem needs to be evaluated by a doctor.


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Sunday, June 10, 2012

How to make a Father's Day Handmade Card





Follow the Super Mom steps to make this cool handmade card

 

Supplies Needed

2 A4 Construction paper ( any color)
Glue
White pen 
Colored pen
2 buttons ( any color)
Scissors or a punch


Directions


  • Fold the A4 paper in half
  • Cut from one of the halves a 4 cm width rectangle
  • On the other half, measure 4 cm from the top then cut 3.5 cm from each side





  • Fold the cuts to form a blouse collar




tie pattern




  • On the other construction paper, draw a tie. You can use this pattern if you desire.
  • Cut it off with using scissors or if your kid was younger than 4 he can use a punch




  • Glue the tie
  • Glue both sides of the collar







  • Decorate your tie with stripes, dots or you can even glue colored stripes or colored dots that you will cut out from another construction paper.




  • Striped Tie





step by step handmade card



  • Cut an eight * five rectangle from a construction paper of your choice, fold it from the top just like a blouse pocket.



  • Cut a small triangle to form the handkerchief
  • Glue the handkerchief, then the pocket
  • Using the white pen, draw the stitches. But be careful this is supposed to be a folded shirt so don't draw the stitches all around the shirt! 
  • Follow my steps please





  • Glue the bottons on the bottom of the collar
  • Write Happe Father's Day or any other sentence you like, you can even pick a quote from www.quotegarden.com



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Friday, June 08, 2012

Farfalle with Tuna, Mushrooms and Cream


farfalle with tuna, mushrooms and cream


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Total cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients


  • 60 g (2 oz) butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 125 g (4oz) button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) cream
  • 450 g ( 14 oz) can tuna in brine, drained and flaked
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 500 g ( 1 lb) farfalle


Directions


  1. Heat the butte and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and stir over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
  2. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the cream, bring to the boil, then reduce the hear and summer until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the tuna, lemon juice and parsley and stir until heated through. add salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. While the sauce is cooking, add the Farfalle to a large pan of rapidly boiling water and cook until "al dente". Drain thoroughly, then return to the pan, Add the sauce to the Farfalle and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Variation


You can use a can of salmon, drained and flaked, instead of tuna.

Note


Farfalle, attractive pasta made into the shape of a bow or butterfly, comes in various sized, as well as flavors other than the plain, such a tomato or spinach.

Recipes: Feta, Tomatoes & Olives Pie

Feta pie

Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients


For the filling :


300 g red tomatoes, peeled and chopped
200 g feta, diced
100 g black olives, pitted and diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp garlic oil

For the dough:


2 cups all-purpose flour
125 g butter, chopped
60 g Parmesan, grated
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 egg
pinch white pepper
pinch black pepper
dried thyme


Directions


  • Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. 
  • Rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
  • Stir in the Parmesan, thyme and sesame seeds. 
  • Make a well, add the egg and mix well with your hands until the mixture comes together, add a little cold water if the dough is too dry. 
  • On a lightly floured surface, press together into a ball, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes. 
  • Roll out on the pie tin and bake for 10 mns or utnil golden. 
  • Cool.
  • Mix all the filling ingredients together, spread them all over the pie. 
  • Garnish and serve.

Bon appétit!

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Thursday, June 07, 2012

5 tips on making Father's Day a special day!

father and daughter

Anyone can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy.


So why don't we make that day very special, I know my husband deserves a unique celebration!

5 tips on how to make Father's Day so special:

1- Breakfast in bed: Our weekly mornings are usually crazy, get the kids ready, drive them to school and don't be late for work.  Well let's have a quiet morning that day, and offer daddy a delicious breakfast in bed:
                           * French toast and coffee
                           * English cake and tea (Click)
                           * Pancakes or Crepes with strawberries
                              and chocolate (Click)
                           * A Lebanese style breakfast: Labneh, olives,
                              fresh mint, white cheese, eggs and tea.
                           * A fruit salad with almonds and nuts
                      
2- Relaxation Coupons : Offer daddy limited use coupons. Make a deck of small cards and write down something that daddy would really love and don't forget to limit their use or else you will hate father's day!!!
Coupon ideas:   * Take in charge of his daily chores
                          * Prepare him a tv snack
                          * Let him watch his favorite action movie with no kids
                            interruption
                          * Prepare him a relaxing bath with candles and beer maybe.
Yeah, well these coupons are more of a gift from you to your husband since you will be doing most of the tasks. 

3- Make daddy his favorite lunch and let the kids participate in the cooking or invite him out to his favorite restaurant.

4- Offer him handmade gifts that your kids prepared. It could be a pensil cup, a father's day card or a photo frame.

5- Choose him the perfect gift: You know your husband best, and he might be giving you signs of what he really needs! Mine is singing that : "I saw that beautiful 800$ mobile"song that I am trying to ignore!!!!


David M. Gottesman once said :"Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers--and fathering is a very important stage in their development". Since we all know how important fatherhood is to both our husbands and kids why don't we play the main role in making father's day this year an unforgettable memory!

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Wednesday, June 06, 2012

How to be Super Mom Delicious HotDog Sandwich

Special hotdog Sandwich


Something as simple as a HotDog Sandwich could become one heck of a meal with "How To be Super Mom"


Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients


  • 15 hotdog fingers, chopped
  • 1 onion, cut into julienne strips( long thin stripes)
  • 1 green pepper, cut into julienne strips
  • 1/3 cup sweet corn
  • 2 tbsp Soya sauce
  • 4 tbsp grated, processed Mozzarella cheese
  • 4 small French baguettes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste


Directions


  • In a preheated pan, pour the olive oil and the onion, stir for 2 minutes, on High heat.
  • Add the green pepper and stir for an extra 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped HotDog, corn, Soya sauce, salt and pepper
  • Stir for 5 mns or until the HotDog becomes brownish
  • Cut a French baguette in half
  • Put the Hotdog mix and a little bit of Mozzarella
  • Grill it, and serve it warm.
  • Bon Appétit!

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Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Recipes: Meatballs Fusilli

Meatballs Fusilli

Preparation time: 30 mns

Ingredients


  • 250g colored fusilli
  • 400 g ground beef
  • 2 medium onions
  • 10 g Parmesan
  • 500 g tomato sauce
  • 1 green pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/4 cup water
  • parsley leaves
  • salt
  • black pepper to taste


Directions


  • In a preheated pan, on a High heat, fry 1 finely chopped onion with olive oil, add chopped garlic, diced carrot and diced pepper
  • Leave the vegetables cook on Medium heat, meanwhile combine, in a bowl, ground beef with one minced onion and Parmesan. Shape into meatballs.
  • Add them to the vegetables and cook on High temperature 
  • When the meat is almost done, add the tomato sauce, wine and water, season with salt and pepper. 
  • Simmer for 5 mns.
  • Boil the Fusilli for 7 minutes, add them to the sauce and simmer for 5 extra minutes.
  • Decorate the plate with fresh parsley leaves
  • Bon appétit!

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Let's Craft: Father's Day Pencil Cup

handmade pencil cup

 Daddy will be very proud to put this pencil cup on his desk!



Supplies Needed











  • A photoshop picture of your kids
  • A cylindrical carton box
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • White paper
  • Laminating paper

Directions









 Put glue all over the cylindrical box







Stick the picture on the box




Cut the paper extra ends
Glue the inside and cover with a white paper for a better finish




Add this to the How to be Super Mom "gift to make" ideas

Monday, June 04, 2012

Homemade baby food: Best Grinding Equipments


How To Be Super Mom promised to help you, step-by-step, make your own homemade baby food.

 

homemade baby food

 


To start you have to choose the best tool to grind your food.

Let's go by all the possibilities, shall we?

There are many food grinders available in the market we have a hand-turned food mill, all in one baby food maker, a baby food grinder, a hand blender or a food processor.

Your choice of pureeing equipment depends on your other culinary pursuits.  If you love kitchen work, and cooking is a hobby the food processor will be a good choice for you cause your money won't be wasted but if you just entered your kitchen when you started preparing bottles then a hand-turned food mill is a less expensive choice.

I personally prefer the hand blender. It's easier to clean, it can fit in the sterilizer, and we can blend directly in the clean sterilized pot. This way we won't take the risk of cross-contamination while moving the pureed food from the processor bowl to the pot.

We will post few brands to help you choose 


For those living in the US or in Canada ( linked to Amazon.com):

  1. Baby Bullet Complete Baby Care System
  2. Cuisinart CSB-76 SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender
  3. Kidco Babysteps Electric Food Mill
  4. Cuisinart MM-2M Mini Mate Chopper and Grinder
  5. The First Years Babypro All In One Baby Food Maker 
  6. Cuisinart CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments 
  7. OXO Good Grips Food Mill 
  8. Munchkin Baby Food Grinder 
  9. KidCo Food Mill


For those living in Lebanon (linked to Khouryhome.com and Abedtahand.com)

  1. BRAUN Hand Blender- MR6550MBCHC
  2. PHILIPS Hand Blender- HR1361
  3. KENWOOD Hand Blender-  HB605
  4. KRUPS Hand Blender- GPA340
  5. MOULINEX FOOD PROCESSOR ( FULL SET )MX-FP603141

This is a fair number of electronic and manual devices in the market, but if you are looking for a low cost tool you can always use a fork. 

Choose your tool, and check out the How To Be Super Mom homemade baby food recipes
 




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