Garlic Teriyaki Edamame

I made this veggie side dish to serve with the Thai Turkey Tacos (see this past Wednesday's post).  My husband and I are big fans of edamame.  The kids enjoy taking the edamame out of the pods but aren't huge fans.  I thought that the garlic teriyaki sauce was super tasty.  It was super easy to make and complemented the tacos so well!  This is going to be a repeater!

Garlic Teriyaki Edamame
from allrecipes.com - by CRAZY4SUSHI

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) package frozen edamame in the pod
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:
1.Bring the water and garlic to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in the edamame, and cook until the edamame are hot, and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Children's Book Review: What Little Boys Are Made Of

What Little Boys Are Made Of
Written and illustrated by:  Robert Neubecker
Published by:  Balzer & Bray, 2012

from goodreads.com:
A playful, updated spin on the classic nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made of?" from acclaimed author/illustrator Neubecker.

* My kids aren't familiar with the nursery rhyme of the same title, so they didn't really understand the author's spin of the rhyme.  When I asked my son what little boys are made of, he responded, "skin and bones."  This book was very stereotypical of boys. The author related pirates, sports, space, and dragons and knights to what boys are made of.  I enjoyed the illustrations and how Neubecker tied in the boy's quilt in his playroom in the beginning of the story, into all of the other illustrations. 

Family Rating: So-so.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

It's that time of the month again....time for the Crazy Cooking Challenge, hosted by Tina at Moms Crazy Cooking.  This month's challenge was fruit smoothies.  Unfortunately, I don't like smoothies.  I'm not a big yogurt drinker to begin with, and then mixing it with stuff and drinking it is just not appealing to me.  My kids however, love smoothies!  I don't think I've ever made them a smoothie before now, although I don't know why.....I discovered how easy they are to make!  I have been a big fan of the Dole Smoothie Shakers.  You just add fruit juice and shake!  The kids like them.....but I can't tell you how they rate on the store-bought smoothie scale!  When I was looking for smoothie recipes this one caught my eye.  Peanut butter and bananas are staples in our household.  I only had crunchy peanut butter which I used in the smoothie and I shouldn't have.  The peanut chunks ruined the smoothness of the smoothie.  I had a taste of the smoothie and it didn't make me a fan of them.  My son downed his but my daughter didn't like hers.   I'm glad that I was finally able to make my first smoothie.  However, I won't be making this one again.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie
recipe from Alli 'N Sons

Yields: 2 smoothies

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey, more or less to taste
1 cup ice cubes, more or less, depending on how thick like smoothies

Preparation:
Pour all of the ingredients in a blender, then blend until smooth. Add more honey if you want it slightly sweeter, more ice if you want it a little thinner.

Family Rating: So-so.

Children's Book Review: Bedhead

Bedhead
Written by:  Margie Palatini
Illustrated by:  Jack E. Davis
Published by:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000

from goodreads.com:
It was BIG. It was BAD. It was...BEDHEAD! No doubt about it, Oliver's having a very bad hair day. His parents and sister try to help. They push, they pull, they spritz and they spray; they goop, they glop, and they mousse. But Oliver's hair is still way out of control. And today's class picture day! What's a boy to do?

* Fortunately I learned my lesson about bedhead back in high school (thank goodness for scrunchies!).  Lesson learned....do not go to bed with wet hair.  Which is why since then I always take my shower in the morning.  In this story poor Oliver wakes up with bedhead.  His mother, father, and sister all try to come up with ideas to help him tame his hair, which end up making it worse.  He finally ends up wearing a hat to school, only to find out that it's picture day!  Luckily, my children have not had much experience with bedhead, though this book shows them how difficult it can be to deal with!

Family Rating: So-so.

Children's Book Review: Dog In Charge

Dog In Charge
Written by:  K.L. Going
Illustrated by:  Dan Santat
Published by:  Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012

from goodreads.com:
Dog can Sit.
He can Stay.
He can even Dance.
But when he's in charge, can he keep the cats in line?
All one, two, three, four, five of them?

With slapstick silliness and utterly earnest charm, Dog will quickly wiggle his way into preschoolers' hearts.

* In this book, Dog is a good, smart and the very best Dog.  So when the little girl goes out with her family she leaves Dog in charge.  Unfortunately, the five cats that he has to watch are not behaving.  They are making messes and getting  into trouble.  It all becomes a bit too much for Dog who ends up taking a nap.  Fortunately for him the cats like him and surprise him at the end.  This was a cute story and for those readers with pets (not us!) makes you wonder if this is what goes on when you're gone!

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.  

Thai Turkey Tacos

I think that I've mentioned how much my family likes Mexican food.  I think my son will eat anything if it's wrapped up in a tortilla!  I saw this recipe and knew I was going to make it since it mixed Mexican and Asian....both cuisines that my family loves.  These tacos were really easy to make and super tasty.  The kids ate theirs all up!  I served with some edamame (see Friday's post!) and brown rice.  This made a lot, so we ended up with some leftovers for lunch.

Thai Turkey Tacos
recipe slightly adapted from Newlyweds: Exploring the Joys of Marriage

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 bag coleslaw mix
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 2 limes
2 tsp sesame oil
6 T soy sauce
4 T honey
1 T cumin
1 pk flour tortillas

Preparation:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add turkey; cook, crumble and stir until meat is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, onion, and slaw mix; stir-fry with meat for 2-3 minutes until vegetables are wilted. While veggies cook  mix lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and cumin in a small bowl.  Add sauce to meat mixture, stirring constantly to blend all ingredients, about one minute. Serve on warm tortillas.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Children's Book Review: Three Little Kittens

Three Little Kittens
Written and illustrated by:  Lorianne Siomades
Published by:  Boyds Mill Press, 2000

* My kids are familiar with the classic nursery rhyme The Three Little Kittens.  This book with the same name is the rhyme, written in story format.  The illustrations are bright and colorful.  My daughter, son, and I all took turns reading this.  We had fun looking for the missing mittens hidden on a couple of the pages.  This was a fun book version of the classic rhyme. 

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.