D-Tour #1: Arts and Scraps



Proudly toting her treasure




Looking forward to shopping

 

Ever get stuck in a rut with the kids? We're all guilty of doing it. The same park. The same coffee shop. The same play date. The same library. Same same same same…blah! We live in a great metropolitan area with so much to offer in the way of family entertainment. This is the first in a series of "D-Tours" (outings to fun and unique places in the metro-Detroit area). So many of my friends with kids are hesitant to venture into “The City” with the bambinos, so I will try to focus on trips into the D.



Look at all the goodies!



Arts and Scraps

This afternoon, another child-wrangling adult and I headed to the east side of Detroit to visit Arts and Scraps. Our mission was two-fold: stock up on some rainy day supplies and pick up a few activities to keep the wee ones busy at Lincoln’s upcoming birthday party. While he’s only going to be one year old, there will be plenty of kids joining the festivities who will need something to do to keep busy.




I grabbed a big bag and Eleanor got a small sack. The deal is you get to fill each of them with as much “treasure” as you like for $7 and $3.50, respectively. The goodies to choose from consist of donated items that include things like rubbery stickers, pipe cleaners, corks, foamy shapes, fabric swatches, beads, empty oatmeal containers, and who knows what else will show up tomorrow. Barrels and barrels of trash abound just waiting for someone to turn it into a masterpiece. While whatever is created won’t likely

Helpful volunteers

join the ranks of the DIA, watching your little ones express themselves through creativity is priceless. My 2+ year old loved the freedom of “shopping” for whatever she wanted and taking inventory (repeatedly) when we got home. She’s already spent hours packing and unpacking and sticking and un-sticking little foamy circles to paper, herself, her brother…

Aquarium kit

A+S has done an amazing job at putting together project kits with all the fixings for a quick art break. Each package costs $1.50 and if you purchase 10 you get 2 free. We stocked up on kits for Lincoln’s party and picked up a few more for gifts.

This was a great D-Tour, not only because Arts and Scraps was a fun way to spend a solid hour hanging with the kids, but also because what we picked up for about $20 will provide hours upon hours of creative entertainment for the kids.



Kit corner with dozens of projects to take home.



Details

Free entry

Located just south of Cadieux on Harper (read: convenient to the freeway)
16135 Harper

Detroit, MI 48224

www.artsandscraps.org

313-640-4411

Open: Tuesday and Thursday 11-6 and Saturday 11-4

Safe, gated parking

You can check out a Museum Adventure Pass from your local library (FREE) and participate in Scrap Junction (SJ). At SJ, adults and kids create and learn together at 5 interactive stations. This looks like a fun program that we’ll definitely return to enjoy.

Consider the following additional programs offered by A+S

• Workshops-for students or families

• Invite the ScrapMobile to your school
• Events-custom-project at their place or yours

• Birthday parties-kids complete 2 projects and get to “shop” the ScrapMobile

• Adult training and team building

• Volunteer-youth, adult and special needs volunteers are all welcome. Call the store to schedule.



Tuckerd out on the way home







Dinner Drama

As a busy lady who also wears the hats of mom and wife, the question "What's for dinner?" typically makes my head hurt. This question is usually complicated by the fact that both my husband and I are budding foodies. In an effort to make this question less irritating, we have instituted a meal planning strategy that seems to work for us. In a nutshell, here it is:


1. Pick a menu planning day. We usually choose a Friday or a Saturday to go through our tried and true favorite cook books and pick 4-5 recipes we want to prepare for the week. We don't do an entire week because we account for a leftover night and an eating out night. When complete, post the menu in a common family spot. We are flexible with our meals. For example, we may have planned for chicken on Monday, but end up making pork instead. Just agree to make it through your menu before the week is up.

2. Make a shopping list. Based on the menu chosen, we make a list of what we need in order to make the meals a reality. We also add staples and snacks that will get us through the week.

3. Check the coupon file and blog sites. For the casual coupon user this might not happen every time and that’s ok. Make your list, check the file and go. However, if you are more ambitious and a seasoned coupon-er, you’re going to want to check the blogs (Bargains to Bounty is first on my list followed by the coupon database), pull out/print the ones for the items on your list and hit the market. Don’t be discouraged if this takes you a half an hour or more. It will likely pay off with savings at the register.

4. Make it happen. When practical, prep for the next meal the night before (maybe while your spouse does the dishes). And if you don't execute your entire menu in one week, be sure to freeze those valuable ingredients or use them early next week. An unexpected date night or late night at the office is no excuse for letting tenderloin go bad.

5. Keep records. If a recipe sucks, make note in your cookbook to avoid duplicating efforts in a few months. Likewise, if you modify a recipe be sure to make notes.

6. Share! I love sharing a quick, easy, yummy meal find with friends and family. The beauty of sharing your good finds is that your foodie friends will likely return the favor. I'll share some of our tried and true favorites here.

Fine Line

 

Hoping that she’d understand my telepathy, I gave the whistleblower “all-knowing, you-rock, I would have done the same thing if someone cut in front of me” looks while shaking my head reproachfully at the line jumper. 

Has this happened to you?  What is your responsibility if you’re the cashier?  How can these offenders be stopped?

Tasty Tomato Salsa

I've invited the lovely, talented and creative Audrey to join us a guest blogger today (really more of a recipe submitter, but calling her a blogger is way cooler). My mom indicated that my little sis has been putting her red, ripe ones to use in a tasty salsa. What followed was no small amount of harassing and pestering on my part to get her to give up the info. Finally, she acquiesced.

Lotsa fresh ripe Michigan tomatoes, diced
1 whole Vidalia onion, diced
2 jalapeños, diced
2 lemons' juices
2 limes' juices
a couple o’ tablespoons of fresh pressed garlic
a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
a couple teaspoons of sugar
salt
pepper
touch of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
bit of red pepper flake

Let set for a few hours, drain a bit of the liquid, devour!
A point of clarification: the difference between a touch, a dash and a bit is up to your buds. 

In the absence of any salsa pictures, I’ve opted to include a few of little Auddie instead.

What a little more than $11 (and a fistfull of coupons) gets you at Meijer

I SAVED $28.85!

8 boxes of Barilla Piccolini pasta
8 boxes of Barilla whole grain pasta
a pound of mini-bellas
a pound of baby carrots
3 boxes of frozen rice/mushrooms
6 pounds of Jonamac apples

Now, it may seem that we are into all things small but that's just what was on sale that matched up.  When I put together my shopping list, I consulted Bargains to Bounty.  In addition to matching up Meijer, she does several other metro Detroit area grocers.  I'll be hitting Kroger for the $3.99 rotisserie chicken (great for sandwiches, quesadillas and feeding the babies) and $0.39/lb bananas later this week, too.  Oak Ridge market has Yoplait deals for $0.20 each, so I'll be stocking up on those, too. 

More 'maters!

In a world where we measure how good something is by the amount of effort it takes to get it, this pasta dish should be disgusting.  It is so easy!  In fact, I encourage you to include your kids in the process of making dinner.  This dish is not only yummy the first day, it makes an amazing cold salad that is sure to impress at office pot lucks. 

Pasta with Salsa Cruda

Tomatoes, 1 1/2 lbs, cored and coarsely chopped (if you have a plethora of cherry tomatoes, just cut them in 1/2-super easy)
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced (my toddler loves to help squeeze the garlic press)
Fresh basil, 1/2 cup, slivered
Olive Oil, 1/2 cup (I use closer to 1/4 cup)
Red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp
Mozzarella cheese, smoked of fresh, 1/2 lb, cubed
Pine nuts, 1/4 cup
salt and pepper
Pasta, I like Farfalle for this one, but use anything medium sized
Prosciutto, 2 oz thinly sliced, chopped

Serves 4

1  Prepare the sauce
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, oil, and red pepper flakes.  Stir well and let stand at room temp for about 15 minutes.  Stir in the cheese and let stand for about 10 minutes longer.

2 Toast the pine nuts
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan over medium-high heat, toast the pine nuts, stirring often, until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).  Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3 Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I start the water after I've washed my tomatoes). Add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain and add to the sauce along with the prosciutto and pine nuts.  Toss to combine and soften the cheese.  Add salt and pepper (if you want).  Enjoy!

Holy Tomatoes!

My friends and family have been more than generous with their tomatoes this season.  On top of my 1/2 share from the Royal Oak Community Farm, I've had to get more creative than just salad toppings with my red fruit.  Tonight, I put a bunch to good use in a Tomato-Basil soup.  The recipie is from Williams-Sonoma's Weeknight Cook cookbook. 

Plum tomatoes, 10, halved
Garlic, 2 cloves minced
Fresh Basil, 4 TBS chopped
Olive Oil, 5 TBS
Shallots, 4, halved (I used a small white onion from the farm)
Dry white wine, 1 1/2 cups
salt and pepper
YIELD:  4

1  Roast the tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Arrange the tomatoes cut side up in a roasting pan or heavy duty cookie sheet.    Sprinkle with the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the basil and drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the oil. 

Roast until the tomatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.  Remove and discard the skins (I used two sets of tongs to do this). 

 2  Simmer the Soup

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining oil.  Add the onion and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add the roasted tomatoes, wine and 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  (The seasoning is key-if you skip it, the soup will be really yucky!)

I like to think of step 2 as the "Enjoy the remaining wine" step.

3 Puree the Soup

Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup to the desired consistency.  Return to pan and reheat to serving temperature.  Garnish with remaining basil and enjoy. 

Enjoy!