Casserole Recipes: Fish Casserole with Cheddar and Tomato Topping

Fish is the healthiest choice you can provide your family with. If you're going low on ideas, then please check out my recipes. Fish recipes are numerous, diversified and delicious and How to be Super Mom posts a new recipe every day to meet with all different tastes. Your family will have a delight tasting one of my fish recipes. In less then 30 minutes, your meal will be prepared, warm and ready to be eaten. Every super mom's dream! 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Canola oil for greasing
• 150g orange cheddar, grated
• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 4 tablespoon crème fraîche 
• 4 fish fillets ( about 200g each)
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced into thing rings
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Season your fish fillet in white pepper, black pepper and salt.
2. In a bowl, mix the cheddar, mustard and crème fraîche.
3. Place the fish fillets in a greased casserole.
4. Top with the tomato slices.
5. Spoon over each fillet an equal quantity of the cheese mixture.
6. Place the casserole, uncovered, in a preheated oven ( 200 C).
7. Cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned golden and the fish is cooked through. 
8. Serve with a green salad on the side.

Easy,  quick and healthy recipes are always available at "How to be Super Mom". This exact fish casserole has made a huge success when I served it to my family. Try it and tell me what you think.
Bon appétit!

Chicken Recipes: Chicken Curry Casserole with Apples and Peanuts

How to be Super Mom's healthy chicken recipes will suit every member of your family, and you will all enjoy a cozy delicious meal every night.

I always cooked chicken curry with rice. One day I saw a recipe in a book where they used apples with chicken; I twisted the recipe a little, added few choices of my own, barred fatty ingredients and came up with this delicious casserole. Give it a try!

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1teaspoon mild curry powder
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 200 ml coconut cream
• 1/2 cup boiled chicken stock
• 1 green apple, cubed
• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried raisins
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts

Directions

1. In a preheated pan, add the Canola oil, onion, garlic and coriander. Stir until onion is golden and tender.
2. Add the celery,and carrots. Stir for 5 minutes.
3. In another pan, brown chicken on both sides, then transfer to the vegetables' pan.
4. Add the coconut cream, chicken stock, curry powder, bring to the boil.
5. Reduce heat, simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Transfer the mixture to a casserole, add apples and mix well.
7. Sprinkle raisins and peanuts and bake in the oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
8. Serve with steamed white basmati rice.

As a super mom wanting to find quick and healthy recipes this is the recipe for you. Try it and send me your reviews.


 

Chicken Recipes: Chicken Casserole with Bacon and Glazed Carrots

Chicken is one of my favorite kind of meat. I have to admit, though, that the only part I like to cook with is the breast- skinless boneless breast. This is why you will only find chicken breast recipes in the poultry section but you can surely substitute them with thighs, wings, or a whole skinned chicken. How to be Super Mom's simple chicken recipes are always easy and mouthwatering. If you are a fan of bacon then this is the recipe for you. 

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 500g skinless boneless breasts
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• 35g bacon rashers, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Canola oil
• 100g halved button mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or Maggi
• 1 large carrot, cut into "allumettes"
• 1 small onion, cut into thin rings
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1- Cut chicken into 4 equal portions
2- Combine flour, salt and black pepper and toss chicken in the mixture.
3-  In a preheated pan, pour 1 tbsp Canola oil. Add the spring onions and garlic and stir for 3 minutes or until golden.
4- Add the mushrooms, bacon and thyme and cook under medium heat for 4 minutes.
5- In a side pan, brown floured chicken using the 1 tbsp of Canola left.
6- Add the chicken to the vegetables, add the boiling stock and wine.
7- Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
8- For the glazed carrots: In a pan, combine butter, sugar and water.
9- Keep stirring until butter and sugar are well dissolved.
10- Add carrots and onions, boil then stir over low heat until the liquid is totally reduced.
11- Pour the chicken in a casserole, top with the glazed carrots and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, if desired.
12- Serve Warm.

I am always available to answer all your questions about cooking, crafting, mothering or any other possible topic. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email.
If  you like How to be Super Mom recipes, and you want to be a part of our super mom society please register your email in the "follow us by email" field and Like our Facebook Page to be updated with all the new events and postings.

You might also want to try:

Chicken, Ham & Cheese Pie

Easy Chicken Parmesan

How to be Super Mom - About Me

When it might only seem as a blog, to me this is the start of my dream. I have always been a big fan of crafts and cooking. When I was 8 years old I cooked my first spaghetti bolognaise following the tips my mother gave me over the phone, since she was at work and I was home alone with my young brother. 

Drawing, painting, knitting, embroidery work, candle making, flower arrangements, sewing and decoration have always been a huge interest. Becoming a popular “how to” writer is what I always dreamt of, and I had to pick a starting point---How to be Super Mom.

I would like to thank my brother for giving me the idea of starting my own blog, my mother and husband for all the support and my beautiful daughters for being the light of my life and my main source of energy. 

How to be Super Mom was created on May 2012, three weeks later I received an invitation to a TV interview to emphasize the goal behind creating How to be Super Mom. Few months later my blog was the topic of one of the most popular radio morning shows. Still, I consider myself at the starting point, and my success depends on your support. I need your comments and opinion on every article posted to get to improve my writings and your encouragement in following my blog and purchasing the e-books that will soon be published.

I include many articles about parenting, though my specialization is in crafting and cooking. But due to my main role in life as a mother, I had to read and research a lot and I would love to share with you all the helpful information that I have found during the past 5 years of motherhood.

My Facebook page is at your service; you can post your questions, problems and stories. Not to forget the monthly contests and valuable prizes.

Thank you for being a loyal fan,
Maria El-Aaraj
 

How to be Super Mom - Palm Sunday Candle Decoration Guide

The most amusing part about Palm Sunday is decorating the candles. There are endless ideas, shapes and designs. This small manual will provide you with all the techniques you will need to decorate your children candles by yourself. Believe me, no matter how beautiful the ready-made candles are, there will never be a candle as special as the one you will make for your child.

*I will have to apologize for not posting any picture for the time being reserving them for my next ebook on how to decorate Palm Sunday candles by How to be Super Mom. However, based on the request of many super moms, I decided to post this small article to give you the essential techniques about candle decoration.

1-Candle Choice: Palm's day candles come in all shapes and colors; you can find curved candles, cubed candles, marbled candles, etc. You can either choose a colored candle matching your child's wardrobe or pick a white one and decorate it as you desire. Selecting a white candle doesn't necessarily mean that you have to keep it plain, you can wrap it with a nice colored ribbon that will go perfectly with your daughter's dress or son's outfit.

2-Duct Tape - An Easy Secret Tip:  Before starting, you have to create a safe base or your decoration will risk falling off your candle. Applying glue gun directly to the candle is not a wise choice, that is why you should follow the secret tip: Duct tape.

The place where you need to place the duct tape depends completely on the design you choose. If you were planning on wrapping a ribbon all a long the candle in a hairspring movement you should wrap a duct tape onto the top, middle and bottom. If you want the candle to be showing, and decorate its center then you have to paste a duct tape on the middle.

3- Colored Ribbons:  Pick a ribbon that matches both the outfit and candle. Try not to exaggerate with the use of colors, remember you still have to apply a number of accessories which are already rich in easter colors, so a classy simple ribbon choice will do.

If you are wrapping it around the candle in a hairspring movement, apply a small drop of glue gun on the top duct tape and stick the ribbon and start wrapping it in a hand firm movement, adding a small drop of glue onto each duct tape to maintain the ribbon and prevent it from falling. 

If you wish to decorate the center of the candle, wrap a small piece of ribbon around the duct tape you applied, one reason is for hiding the tape and getting a better finished result, a second reason is to have a larger surface to glue the decoration on to.

Note that some duct tape are too slippery, in that case the glue gun won't hold for long. Try purchasing a Matte finished Duct Tape to insure a better result. 

4- Accessories Choice: Artificial flowers, beads, small stuffed animals, easter accessories such as eggs, bunnies, chicks and birds can make a great arrangement for your candle. Always make sure to choose the right colors; the closer the candle is to the outfit style the cooler your child will look. 

Always remember to start with the long thin accessories, then add the larger parts leaving the stuffed animal or the large bunny to the end, placing it on the side of the arrangement never in the middle to get a well balanced shape.

Hoping that this small manual was helpful, I will promise you all to publish my book about Palm Sunday candles before next year's holiday.

How to be Super Mom, is a growing e-zine for all mothers and parents. Recipes, crafts, parenting tips, beauty advice and free printable games are now available, promising you of adding additional interesting topics in the future.

For more information, or questions please leave me a comment or contact me and I will be happy to help.

Maria El-Aaraj

Beauty Tips and Tricks: How to Avoid Very Dry Hands in winter

A common problem among all super moms, during winter, is the dry skin, more particularly dry hands. This is terribly annoying, especially when you are tending to look at your best. Severe hand dryness can cause cracked skin, blisters and bleeding, and this could be enormously painful. How to be Super Mom will give you few beauty tips and secrets on how to avoid cracked skin.

What Causes Dry Skin:

• Extreme hand washing: during the winter, a super mom might be obligated to wash her   hands more often to avoid the spread of germs. This constant exposure to water could cause very dry hands and cracked skin.
• Excessive intake of coffee of alcohol: coffee and/or alcohol consumption usually leads to dehydration. This condition is represented by very dry hands and chapped itchy skin.
• Indoor Heat: During winter, the use of a heater leads to an indoor air dehydration, and your skin loses dampness from the atmosphere leading to very dry hands and skin.

Free Beauty Tips on How to Avoid Very Dry Hands in winter:

1.  Use a humidifier: This device will prevent the loss of dampness indoors. For best results, distilled water is more advisable
2. Prevent the use of severe cleansers: When you’re in the supermarket choosing your detergents, be careful to select cleansers that are skin-friendly to prevent hand dryness. As a supermom, you might be worried about the stain removal way more than you care about the side effects which these products can have on your skin. But always keep in mind that a mother should never neglect her looks neither her skin nor hands, that is why you should care to choose cleansers that are mild and might contain some beneficial ingredients such as jojoba oil or coconut oil.
3. Keep a Moisturizer by your side: Apply a moisturizer to both your skin and hands after every shower, or wash. To prevent very dry hands you should rub your hands with a lotion rich in beneficial oils to avoid cracked and chapped skin.
4. Drink water: In all” How to be Super Mom” natural beauty tips, you will encounter “water drinking”. Water is very essential to the body, renewing your cells and giving you excessive energy and health. Make sure you drink more than 8 glasses of water a day.

How to be Super Mom: Valentine's Day

Dear Supermoms,
Are you getting ready for valentines day? I have my daughter's first birthday on the 17th, so to tell you the truth, the last thing I am planning for is valentine's day; even though I love spending a romantic time with my husband whenever it's possible, so should it really be on the 13th or the 14th? Couldn't be before or after? Sure it could. The importance is to be happy and enjoy my time with him,  no matter where or when.
I can't forget when I was a teenager, how occupied I used to be with valentines day cards and valentines day activities- all the preparations and surprises I planned! I knew my husband since I was 19, and since then, we have spent the most romantic valentines ever!
When he was abroad- for almost 2 years-  I used to send his valentine day card, gift, and decoration to his best friend and plan the whole set up with him. Oh poor guy! He had to organize the whole thing, light up the candles, decorate the room so my boyfriend (husband) could get as surprised as I wanted him to be. Once, I accidentally sent my husband a sms with all the details instead of sending it to his roommate, and to wipe the mess I invented endless stories about this particular sms. Well, at the end, all my efforts went down the drain when Hani, his roommate, was off, the day the package arrived, and my boyfriend( husband) received it!!!!!!!  Silly days!

While surfing today, I found this card that could be easily hand crafted

It is nice to handmade the gifts you will offer for valentine's day, and this card is truly easy. All you need is:

• Valentine's ribbon
• Colored Carton Board
• Glue
• Silver Pen
• Couple of decoration of your choice to spice it a little
• Scissors
• Pencil

This could make a nice valentines day craft, that you and your kids could prepare for your husband or another loving member of the family. Remember, that our main goal in How to be Super Mom, is to encourage you to constantly try to spend more time with your children, and allow them to participate in all the action. Whether you like it or not, Valentine's day is- in its own special way- a holiday that kids love to celebrate. And what could be better than trying to craft this valentine day card together?!

Now a quick, delicious, sexy recipe is what you need to prepare for that evening. After you put the kids to sleep, the last think you will need is a kitchen full of dirty pots; so an easy recipe and a glass of wine will do the trick.

This picture was posted by Rebecca D. on allrecipes.com and I thought that it will make one of the greatest valentine day recipes. All you need are halved strawberries, fresh whipped cream and dark chocolate.
Enjoy your Valentine ladies!

List of Blogs Helping Every Supermom for Kindergarten School Readiness

Your loved one is getting bigger every day and you must be getting worries about how to prepare for kindergarten. As a super mom, you will need to be sure that he is getting ready for school.Therefore, a list of requirements must be completed, in order for your child to have an easy transition, such as solid social skills, knowing his alphabet and many more essential abilities that we will cite in a further post.
Today, How to be Super Mom decided to introduce you to other helpful blogs, which will provide you with additional information on how to get ready for kindergarten.
These materials will include: 

• Different kind of readiness checklist for kindergarten that every supermom should prepare before sending her loved one off to school.

1. Checklist for Kindergarten
2. Kindergarten Readiness & School Skills Checklist
3. Kindergarten Readiness Checklist and More
4. Checklist for Kindergarten Readiness
5. Kindergarten Readiness: How to Know if Your Child is Ready to Go

• Various methods, every super mom should adopt, to help your child resolve social issues, in order to achieve a smooth and successful transition.

1. How to Know Your Child is Ready for Kindergarten
2. Hispanic Preschoolers Show Strong Social Skills, Literacy Lags
3. Reach Higher: Kindergarten Readiness
4. Kindergarten Readiness Activities: Social Skills
5. Kindergarten Readiness: Are Shy Kids at an Academic Disadvantage?

• A number of blogs, selected by How to be Super Mom, among a long list of similar sites, which will help you learn how to teach your child numbers.

1. Flash Cards and Kindergarten Readiness
2. Kindergarten Readiness Rocks! 1 to 1 Correspondence
3. Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Adds More Math
4. New Math Activity Calendar: August is Kindergarten Readiness Month

• Children should be able to communicate with the teacher and others as well as understand what is being taught or explained to them.  Language skills can include knowing the alphabet and recognizing letters on the page, but they are not limited to just that.

1. Parents’ Guide to Early Brain Development and Kindergarten Readiness
2.  Kindergarten Readiness– Enroll or Wait?
3. Kindergarten Readiness Skills
4. School Readiness, Early Achievement , and the Role of English Language Proficiency for Children in Low-Income Immigrant Families
5. Play Contributes to  School Readiness

• A large number of activities to help your loved one get ready for his first year of school. Kids will most likely enjoy these activities and not even realize they are getting ready to go to school.  Encourage your child to use their creativity as you do these activities together.

1. Some Handy Ideas for Kindergarten Readiness: Painting
2. Fun Number Writing Activities
3. Farah Lokey MD Discusses Kindergarten Readiness and How to Prime your Child for a Successful Admission to School
4. Reading is Most Important Activity
5. Kindergarten Readiness Playgroup & Summer Practice Handouts

How to Help Your Child Deal with Disappointments

In a society full of successful achievements, the chance to teach your child how to deal with disappointments is becoming far more difficult. Consider a canceled play date or an incident where occurs a toy breakage an opportunity to help your loved one grow through disappointment, instead of just creating a quick solution to spear him from experiencing these feelings. If you don’t teach him to deal with dissatisfaction every now and then, you will be shielding him from developing crucial skills that he will need, during the coming years, to face the dark moments of life.
Supermom, there are many easy tips to follow in order to help your child become stronger when faced by a distressful moment, and teach him how to face unhappiness. How to be Super Mom will provide you with the best article, to simplify your task as a parent and help you raise your children in a psychological, healthy way. 

Respect his feelings
 
His problems might seem small and lame comparing to the big picture of life but what is making him sad is of a huge importance to him. Don’t ignore his feelings by telling him that everything will be just fine, instead help him express his feeling to you, let him talk about how disappointed he is; learning to identify and transmit feelings is a vital lesson you can help your child acquire.

Project his feeling

Imagine yourself in the same situation to be able to acknowledge your children’s feelings. Once you recognize, the impact of such disappointment and its effect on their emotions, you will offer a better support and find the best solutions to get them out of their distress. 

Teach your child how to find the positive side of every problem

« Après la pluie, le beau temps », a great quote holding the same meaning as every cloud has a silver lining. Super mom, if you think deeply, you will always be able to find the good side of every misfortunate event. From one side you will be giving him the skills to grow up as an optimist, and from the other side, you will help him deal with discontent when he learns how to turn things around to his best interest.


One additional piece of advice: a child is like a sponge, he absorbs way more when he’s fresh and young so consider this as an opportunity to work on his personality, helping him become a stronger, optimist person. Compare his brain to smooth clay dough, which can be easily manipulated. Any wrong step will ruin his personality, that is why every super mom is advised to intensify her readings from the moment she conceive, to learn the best way to raise an intelligent happy child.
Be sure that with How to be Super Mom, you will always find the best and easiest parenting tips ever.