Join us at The Children's Center of Austin's Summer Camp, "Keep Austin Young"

On-the-go conversation games

Since my kids were small, we've played a handful of games in the car on the way to work, school, and on errands.  It's amazing how fun they still are after several years!  These games are often a great way to get my children to converse with me, and for me to connect with them, so I don't feel like just a chauffeur!  Our favorites are "guess this character" and reading half of a road sign so they can guess the other half.  Here's another idea that's great for on-the-go fun that will have you and your child talking!  Thanks to Family Fun magazine for this idea.

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

Celebrate Hanukkah with some delicious traditional dishes! Latkes can be served with sour cream or applesauce and are a great way to usher in the holidays!

Adam and Maxine's Famous Latkes

3 pounds large russet potatoes (4-6)
1 pound medium Vidalia, yellow, or brown onions (about 2)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fine plain dried breadcrumbs
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (or more) schmaltz (chicken fat; optional)
2-4 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
Applesauce
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°F. Peel potatoes. Using the large holes of a box grater or the grater disk on a food processor, grate potatoes and onions. Transfer to a large kitchen towel. Gather ends of towel; twist over sink and squeeze firmly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Open towel; toss mixture to loosen. Gather towel; wring out once more.

Whisk eggs, breadcrumbs, salt, baking powder, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add potato mixture. Using your fingers, mix until well coated. (Latke mixture should be wet and thick, not soupy.)

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Set a wire rack inside another large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons schmaltz, if using, and 2 tablespoons oil (or 4 tablespoons oil if not using schmaltz; fat should measure about 1/8") in a 12" nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Drop a small amount of latke mixture into pan. If the fat sizzles around the edges, it's ready. (Do not let fat smoke.)

Working in batches and adding more schmaltz and oil to skillet as needed to maintain 1/8" fat, drop large spoonfuls of mixture into pan, pressing gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to flatten slightly. (If mixture becomes watery between batches, mix to incorporate; do not drain.)

Cook latkes, occasionally rotating pan for even browning, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 1/2-3 minutes per side. (If small pieces of potato floating in the oil start to burn, carefully strain out.)

Transfer latkes to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to prepared wire rack. Place sheet with latkes in oven to keep warm and crisp while cooking remaining latkes.

Serve warm latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

Thanks to Adam Rapoport for this amazing recipe!

Enjoying the Second Half of Summer Break

 

Well, I can't believe that summer is already half over! It is amazing how time flies, and it is also amazing when you look back and note all of the hard work put into making “fun” happen. With all the prepping and planning to create memorable experiences, it is easy to forget to enjoy it yourself! As parents, you can be busy planning vacations, weekend get-a-ways, pool parties, slumber parties, or just a good ol' get together in the backyard, but how often do you really get to enjoy yourself during these events?  Well it is time to stop and breathe and enjoy these last few weeks. 

                In my line of work, I am always inundated with materials pertaining to children.  I get emails, fliers, faxes, and magazines on a weekly basis, and all of it is filled with articles pertaining to raising children.  “Should your 10 year old watch Pg-13 movies?” or “How to potty train in 10 days!”  However, recently I have been exposed to ideas to bring families closer; fun activities for everyone to enjoy.  I would like to take this time to share those with you.

 In this month’s issue of Parenting magazine, Janene Mascarella suggests that you create a “yes jar.” Every time you are busy and have to tell your child no, you have them (or you help them) write the activity on a piece of a paper and place it in the jar.  Then, when you have spare time you pull the ideas from the jar and enjoy these activities.  You don’t even have to be an expert for this next one; read every night to your child.  Reading a book or two is the best way to close out not only your child’s day but yours as well. 

                Dr. AlanGreene, who is a pediatrician and wrote the best-selling book Raising Baby Green, suggests that you dedicate 7 meals a week to eat with your family.  Dr. Greene continues to clarify in the August 2012 edition of Parenting that “First, I said meals, not dinners. Dinners may work for your family, but for mine the easiest to coordinate hands downs is breakfast.”  Dr. Greene continues by saying that it is important to eat at the dinner table and not around the t.v., and that this is a good way to bond and teach healthy eating habits.

                In addition to family vacations, weekend outings, and other summer activities that will build life long memories, try doing some small projects together.  Find what really interests your children; it could be baking, treasure hunts, exploring nature, researching new ideas, or crafting.  I stumbled across this great website that mails you a “craft box” monthly; www.kiwicrate.com.  The boxes from Kiwi Crate come complete with everything you will need to dive into a craft; they offer a variety of crafts from gardening to dinosaurs.  You can order month by month at your discretion or sign-up for a yearly membership (paying in full and receiving one month free). 

                Lastly, record your summer fun!  Create a family journal writing the adventures you had, or start a scrapbook!  At the beginning of this year my husband and I started a memory jar and we write our 2012 memories on a small piece of paper and place them in a mason jar.  We plan on reading back these memories to each other on New Year’s Eve!  Just some ideas, but the most important thing is to just have fun!

Summer Fun for Families

Summer means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To elementary children it means camp, or days spent at the pool. To tweens it means hanging at the house catching up on all your favorite t.v shows, video games, etc. To teenagers it is time to spend with their friends on the lake, at the pool, or the mall. To parents it means how I am going to entertain my children for the next three months. Austin, Texas is a beautiful place to raise a family and it offers a lot of amenities to families that are either free or very inexpensive. There is a wonderful website established by mothers here in the Austin area; it is called Free Fun in Austin. This website sends daily emails to inform you of events that are happening around Austin and outlying areas. I recommend everyone to sign up on their email list.



For all of us, summer is a time to spend with family and catch up with our children. Check out Austin ’50 Free Anytime Fun Adventures in Austin’, courtesy of Free Fun in Austin.