Pesto gnocchi with green beans

13 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Experimental Cooking

• 1 pound gnocchi

• 1/2 pound green beans     

• 8 ounces pesto

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup ricotta

• Salt and pepper

Cook the gnocchi until it floats to the top of the SALTED water and then leave it in for two more minutes. While this is boiling you can also prepare the green beans by boiling them for 4 minutes in a shallow skillet with salt. Drain the green beans and add in the pesto. Mix in the gnocchi to cover with the sauce and top with ricotta cheese. I like to add it in the skillet to melt it down faster. Serve and enjoy!

You can make this recipe as easy or as intricate as you want! Homemade gnocchi or store-bought. Homemade pesto or store-bought!

Goals in First Grade

13 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Teaching Affirmations and Questions Tags: Goals, students

I truly believe people, and children more specifically work harder when there is a specific and measurable goal they are working towards. From day one in my classroom my students have had goals. Each month a letter is sent home to their parents informing them what they are now working towards and what goals were/were not reached the past month.

Additionally, the students have a laminated sheet on their desks that is updated each month of their specific, personalized learning goals. I have attached the template (at the bottom) that I cut into threes and laminate on colored paper. If you velcro them to the tops of desks they are easy to change each month with a vis-a-vi marker.

I also have a goal wall in my room that we update after every classroom assessment and also district assessment. WE LOVE REACHING OUR GOALS! Motivation is easy, stickers in their goal folders and goal parties for kids who met all their goals at the end of each month. BIG GOALS for desk

Homemade BBQ sauce

11 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Experimental Cooking

PLEASE TRY THIS!

We shall call it “Bubbas BBQ” in honor of my adorable nephew and my fantastic husband.

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons cayenne peppers

Heat oil in a saucepan and add garlic until brown. Then, add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes!

What’s for dinner?

09 May 2011 2 Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Experimental Cooking

In attempts to avoid lesson planning I attempted dinner tonight! My sweet husband said it was “great”….just good is the word because I didn’t follow the recipe close enough!

Carrot and Pea Pasta: I took this fabulous recipe that has amazing reviews from http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/2010/06/peas-and-carrots-pasta/#comment-18965

• 8 ounces peeled roasted carrots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 T fresh thyme leaves (I did not get fresh)
• 1 T olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 6 oz pasta
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3  grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup thawed peas

Place the carrots, garlic & thyme in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil & stir to coat. Season with salt & pepper then stir again. Roast in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes brown & caramelized.
Cook pasta according to directions.(I ran out of time for my husbands dinner break and took them out of the oven after only 30 minutes)

While the pasta is cooking, put the roasted carrots & garlic into a food processor or blender. Add the cream, parmesan & red pepper. Blend until smooth. (I COULDN’T get mine smooth—PROBABLY because I didn’t roast them long enough?)When the pasta is cooked set aside 1/2 cup off the cooking water. Drain the pasta & return to the hot pan. Stir in the blended carrot sauce and the peas. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the sauce is too thick.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS RECIPE, my fault!

For our main dish I made a simple GRILLED CHEESE on whole wheat bread with chopped jalapenos, cilantro, and roasted red peppers. Butter both sides of bread=YUM!

CosmoRITA (rough day redemption)

09 May 2011 2 Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Crazy Cocktails

This is the simplest drink on the planet! Enjoy with Sex and the City re-runs…knowing that your drink is not just a boring cosmopolitan.

• Ice
• 1 shot silver tequila (CHINACO Tequila is my FAVORITE)
• Splash of agave nectar
• Splash FRESH lime juice
• 2 shots cranberry juice
• 1 shake of salt (can also rim the glass if desired)
• Lime wheel to fancify

Put in a  martini shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients. Shake and strain into the girliest glass you own.

Sandra Lee is very creative, I have added my own twist to her already perfect cocktail.

Mother’s Day Meal

08 May 2011 1 Comment

by crazybeautifulteachingin Experimental Cooking

Happy Mother’s Day! I hope everyone had a fantastic, relaxing day. My husband and I enjoyed laying by the pool and Bahama mammas. We do not have children yet so one day this day will probably look pretty different.

Look at this fantastic summer meal we enjoyed:

Grilled Asparagus- Salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and lemon. BBQ and it has a fantastic simple flavor.

Soba Salad-

• 2 cups celery
• 1 cup green onions
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• Soba noodles that have been soaked in water for 20 minutes
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• Olive oil for pan
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Dash of soy sauce
• 

While looking around…

07 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Uncategorized

I have been looking at a ton of blogs lately looking for ideas and information. I stumbled upon these two comments..that shook my world:

missmiserable says:

whatwasithinking? says:

I am in my 5th year of teaching and I still feel this way almost every day. Been trying to get out, but it seems that with the economy the way it is, there is really no where else to go. I have taken to referring to my school as “the black hole” because each day I feel like I get sucked in deeper with no hope of escape.

HOW DEPRESSING! I do not think there is any way these teachers can be teaching their students with these attitudes. I feel for their class and hope they leave this crazy profession if they cannot find the humor and excitement of this profession. TEACHING ISN’T FOR SISSIES!

Lesson Plans and Homemade Mac-and-Cheese

07 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Experimental Cooking

Waking up at 8:00 on a Saturday is rough! This makes me look forward to summer but I am still very sad about my kids leaving. THEY ARE THE BEST CLASS!! I have finished my lesson plans for week 37 and am super excited about making a desert habitat (diorama) with them. Because everyone is so focused on test scores we literally almost never teach science. I have taught all of the math and reading standards…SO IT IS TIME FOR SCIENCE! Pictures will soon be added after they are made.

Next week I am also teaching MONEY–this used to be a standard in first grade–then was removed—now with Common Core standards coming back it will be needed next year. My kids will be SO ready for second grade since I found time to teach this. Check out this fantastic video I found to introduce Monday’s lesson. I have more but didn’t want a million links, just ask if interested!

Baking…I can do. Dinners, not so much!

Banana Bread for yummy dummies:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas (most recipes say how many cups..who cares)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Mac-and-Cheese: Soooo I looked up a Paula Deen recipe and me being irresponsible just wrote down the ingredients. Low and behold it was a recipe for a slow-cooker that needed 3 hours…not the 30 minutes I actually had until my husband was on his dinner break. EXPERIMENT TIME! Not to ruin the surprise but this dinner was boring and LAME. Mac-and-Cheese 1, Me- 0

• 1 box elbow noodles
• 10 ounces of cheese
• 1 can condensed cheddar soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 stick butter (CHANGE THIS TO 1/2 a stick and good quality–not cheap veggie oil butter)

Boil the noodles and melt the cheese ingredients in a pan. Drain the noodles, and then pour noodles in the sautee pan to mix with cheese. Serve and sprinkle bread crumbs on top!

Teacher Appreciation Dinner

04 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Teaching Affirmations and Questions

Tonight was my schools teacher appreciation dinner. Food was pretty good..but I am still hungry..but I usually always am! Getting home this late is unusual for me these days. I have been so much better about getting home at decent hours! August through January I was literally at school from 6 to 6 worrying, trying to feel prepared, and overall FREAKING out. Now I am able to get there at 7 and leave by 4–SO MUCH BETTER and healthier.

Interventions were super successful today and I am having my step-mom come in tomorrow to help me out. During our math lesson I was teaching my kids to sort irregular figures by using Venn-diagrams. If you click on this link: www.unitedstreaming.com you will find a “mathmatica” video that sorts sandwiches by peanut butter and jam that was a huge visual help in explaining what objects can go in the middle of Venn diagrams.

I will update on whether my step-mom is helpful..or a disaster. Just worried that she will be rude to the office ladies or something.

I need more time!

03 May 2011 No Comments

by crazybeautifulteachingin Teaching Affirmations and Questions

Ohh man, there is 11 days left of school. I have six kiddos who are SO close to reaching our end of the year fluency goal. If the kids read 60 words in one minute they are able to attend our end of the year celebration. THEY ARE AT 45 words! Am I a horrible teacher for finally realizing how close they are. WHY HAVE I NOT PUSHED THEM LIKE THIS SINCE APRIL?

Well with 11 days here is my irresponsible, terrible plan. While the students are in centers I am pulling this group of six for 40 minutes each day. Additionally, we are eating lunch in my room and reading during their lunch which they love because they feel super special. Can they get to 60? ABSOLUTELY….

I will post a picture of our goal wall tomorrow! My students need to reach 8 out of 10 goals to attend the celebration.

1. Read 60 wpm, 2. Count to 100, 3. Backwards from 100, 4. Count by 2′s, 5. Complete 100 addition facts in 10 minutes, 6. Read the whole sight words book, 7. Fill book log front and back, 8. Get an 80% on the Galileo in reading, 9. Get an 80% on the Galileo in math, 10. WORK HARD!!

I would love any suggestions for increasing this fluency. Feeling so bad right now that it took 11 days left to get my butt in gear.