We made these incredibly cute Olaf soaps for teacher gifts this year. The idea was based on what we had previously done with the soap snowballs. This time, we took it up a notch and formed OLAF!!

We first, formed the head and body parts and stacked them together while they were still wet. Like an actual snowman, you need to have some "flatness" where the parts meet so they will stay together. The next day, while the soap was still soft, but not wet, we gently inserted the twigs we cut from our bushes. The hair twigs were short little things and the arm twigs had to have forks in the end to qualify. Then we took a break and left them out on the porch for a week or so.

We purchased Sculpey clay in black and orange and we formed LOTS of buttons, eyes, and noses. The eyes were just round balls, the buttons were flat sort-of hexagons and the noses were bent cone shapes. We baked the clay in the oven and then glued (with Elmers so it would come off when wet) them in the appropriate places. We could have made his tooth too, but I forgot to buy the white and then the kids ran out of steam!

When Olaf's body was dry and harden, we boxed him up in a clear plastic PVC 5"x5"x7" container with a fancy drink umbrella glued to his hand, and a summery napkin behind for the background. We used playdough for his towel underneath (and a little more glue) to keep him from sliding around on the slippery gold "sand" bottom of the box.


Once his was all boxed up, the kids added a sun shaped tag cut with my sister-in-laws Cricut that said, "Teachers have fun... IN SUMMER!!" Soooo excited to give it them away to our deserving teachers next week!

Here's what you need if YOU want to make soapy Olafs...

  

 

Gingerbread Latte

Dinner tonight was AMAZING! Really. I'm trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals in our dinner routine both for health and for expense. I've encountered resistance from just about everyone in the family except the baby - she's happy to eat anything. My darling husband, Mr MacGuyver on the other hand insists on meat - protein for him he says. I think he might be finally softening after a few really good meatless meals we've had.

Tonight was one of them. Acorn Squash Soup that was delicious...creamy, tangy, sweet. So many flavors, it was hard to pin down and perfect for a cold night after everyone had played outside all afternoon. The recipe is pretty easy too, which always makes me happy on weekends when I really want/need to do other things besides cook. I'm guessing I'm the odd-ball there because most of you probably want fast dinners on weeknights. With homeschooling and really limiting what are kids are in involved in, weeknights are actually easier for me. I can start dinner anytime after 4pm when the baby wakes up, so I have plenty of time.

Weekends are are another story. There is NEVER enough time on the weekend. I want to play games with the kids, work in the yard, work on the computer, go on adventures, everything gets done on weekends around here. Whichever night you choose, this soup is one you should pin, stumble, or bookmark for an easy dinner meal.
Acorn Squash Soup with a Lime Twist
Adapted from Sargento's Website

Ingredients
2 large acorn squash
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. nutmeg 
1/4 tsp. salt  
4 slices Parmesan cheese

Place whole squash on paper towel in microwave oven; cook on HIGH 5 minutes. Turn over; continue cooking 4 minutes more or until squash is barely tender when pierced with a knife. Let stand 5 minutes. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Cut squash in half; scoop out and discard seeds and membrane. Keeping squash shell intact, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4-inch thick shell. Add squash pulp to onion mixture; cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth, nutmeg and, if desired, cayenne pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until squash is very tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer squash mixture to food processor or blender; process until smooth. Reheat soup until very hot. Arrange squash shells, cut sides up, in ovenproof bowls; place bowls on baking sheet; fill with hot soup. Top with toast and cheese. Place under preheated broiler 5 inches from heat; broil 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Ingredients
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp green cardamom pods
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp anise seeds
1/4 tsp peppercorns
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
6 c water
10 black tea bags
1 c sugar (use more or less according to your taste)
2 c water
milk

Bring all the spices and 6 cups of water to a boil. Add tea bags and let steep until very strong tea is made. Remove tea bags and add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add 2 cups more of cold water. Store this concentrate in the fridge in a closed pitcher.

Pour concentrate into a mug, filling halfway. Fill the rest of the way with milk and heat in microwave.

My kids request hot tea often, for afternoon snack or for special occasions, but they LOVE chai tea. Super Bear even requested it for his Secret Agent birthday party.

This makes a great gift  - end-of-the-year teacher gifts, new mom, get well, etc. Just change the colors I used that Christmas long ago and make it whatever colors you like. To make chai tea into a gift, bag the spices together. Fill a container with the sugar in the bottom. Lay the tea bags on top of a square of wax paper. I wrapped mine in colored tissue paper to jazz it up. Add the spice bag on the top. Tie a ribbon around the container with instructions. Your container could even be a pretty pitcher to keep the concentrate in!!

During the winter I love cooking with hard winter squashes, but sometimes I feel like I'm in a rut. I make butternut or acorn squash soup, we have roasted squash. I microwave it and serve it mashed with butter and salt. I needed something different. I finally found it with this recipe I discovered in one of my neighbors hand-me-down magazines. I adore hand-me-downs like those - thanks Trish!

This recipe sounded fancy and looked fancy, but ta dah, turned out to be pretty simple. I'm thinking it's the perfect recipe to keep in my arsenal for company when I want to whip something up, but not work too hard. All you really do it slice the squash (in the recipe they call for pumpkin, but I used butternut and it was perfect). Then you mix up the topping and sprinkle it over the slices and roast. See??? I told you it was easy!! And guess what, it's delicious too. Always a bonus :)
Crusted Butternut Squash Wedges
Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs of butternut squash (or pumpkin)
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
3 tbsp dried bread crumbs
3 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
sour cream, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash into 3/8 inch wedges (this part is pretty important as you want the slices to be uniform so they will all be cooked at the same time) and lay them on a greased (or lined with a silicone mat) baking sheet. Brush the slices with the olive oil.

Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, and seasonings together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the slices until they are completely covered.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until fork tender. Can be served with a dollop of sour cream, but I didn't think it needed anything. The seasonings make this a very flavorful dish.

After it's all wrapper up, tie the sides of the paper with ribbon. You can add a note that tells the recipient to pull the ends of the paper apart to "POP" the gift open. For kicks, you can open them the traditional way. Have two people pull at the same time, one on each end, but then there is the inevitable drama of who gets more candy, so maybe not!
This gift is also a great teaching moment since they are originally an English tradition. We looked at the map and learned a little about Britain. My girl was pretty proud of herself after she made a bunch of these for her friends. If you need a last minute gift, this is an easy one.