Dinners - Crock Pot Tator Tot Casserole

I try to make a somewhat healthy, warm meal for my family every day, on a budget and that two little kids will like.  Now, I don't make chicken fingers or frozen pizza on a regular basis - practically never, actually.  But I do make meals with ingredients that aren't too wild so that my family will enjoy it, it will be healthy and mostly from scratch, we can eat together and there will be little whining.   I'm all about 5 or less ingredients, and little to no prep time or skill - a lot to ask. I've figured out a few recipes though that qualify. 

This is a yummy, easy crockpot comfort meal I found on The Country Cook  via Pinterest. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots
• 4-6 strips of bacon (original recipe calls for bacon bits, but I just cook up a pound of bacon at a time, freeze it and pull out a few strips as needed)
• 1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced, raw (again, original recipe is only 1lb, but I like our meals to be protein heavy, so I use ~2lbs and the tator/chix ratio is still good)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• salt & pepper, to taste

 Instructions:

1. spray the crockpot with cooking spray (to make your life easier later with cleanup)
2. dump about 1/3 of the tators on the bottom - about enough to cover with one layer. 
3. cover those with 1/3 of the cheese and 1/3 of the bacon and all the chicken
4. add two more layers of tator tots, cheese, bacon  (honestly, I don't always layer this, I just dump the rest of the tators on, the rest of the cheese and the rest of the bacon)
5. poor in milk
6. cook for 4-6 hours on low with the lid on. 

Prep is done. Cleanup is done (which consisted of throwing a few bags away). Now, go to work, take the kids to soccer, swimming, dance, scouts, dentist, etc and come home to a warm dinner.   

Tonight, microwave some green vegetables, serve with a tall glass of water and you're all set!

Summer Break Activities

Outside
Scavenger Hunt
Photo scavenger hunt
waterballoon baseball
Pool
Speed Parking
Crafts (365 things to do)
Volkening Farm
Highland Park pool/Waterpark
Santa's Village

Rainy Day
Library
Glow Golf, Schaumburg
Enchanted Castle
crafts

Spring Break 2014 in Milwaukee, WI

When planning our trip to Milwaukee, I thought we could do this in about 2 days, but I was wrong.  We went for three nights and we packed it in! (no pun referring to sausage intended!).  As usual, we look for a hotel that has a suite setup, so that the adults can stay up and visit/play cards while the kids sleep, and has an indoor pool.  This year, we stayed at the Staybridge Suites – Airport South.  They had a two bedroom suite which worked out nicely as we travel with another family.  The facility itself seemed clean and well kept – our first night of housekeeping left a little to be desired, but it all worked out.  It was a bit further out that we would have liked, but because we planned out our days to stay within sections of the city, it really all worked out.

Day 1: Zoo
We decided to meet up with a friend for brunch so we left Chicagoland at 8:30am and got into town at 10:00am almost exactly.  We tried to go to Blues Egg, which we heard was quite tasty, but the wait was 2hrs! So, gladly, we ended up at Cafe Hollander.  The food was great, the great big tables were perfect for a big group and the space was well suited for our families to have a leisurely visit.     

From there, we went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Unfortunately, there is no reciprocity with Brookfield Zoo and for our family of four and the parking, it cost about $50.  This was a very manageable zoo to complete in three hours.  We actually like to go to the zoo in the winter (although technically it was Spring at 20 degrees) because the animals usually seem feisty and the crowds are low, many of the animals are viewed indoors and it was quite comfortable.  There were lots of beautiful peacocks strutting about, the primate house and reptile/fish house were all cool. The African house with the hyenas and leopards was fun as the animals were active. The polar bear was having a lot of fun in his pool, throwing the ball to himself. However, the area where they keep the pachyderms, they were inside in a concrete room and we were outside looking in big windows, was a bit cold and a bit disappointing.   

At 4:00pm we went to Lakefront Brewing company for a tour of their facility and some tasting. Although we had a lot of fun on this tour and it was interesting, the tour guide was rather colorful in his stories and language. Much of it went over our kids' heads, but some might find it inappropriate.  This tour requires reservations and tickets.  

Day 2: 
We kicked off the day with a tour of Buddy Squirrel Candy.  Our tour guide was a very sweet woman and all the people who worked there, proudly showed off their wears and waved to us as they worked. We got to watch them make marshmallow for the marshamallow eggs, toffee and white-chocolate covered cheesecake (from Suzy's Cheesecakes, next door).  The tour finishes in the gift shop where they give each guest a baggy of chocolate treats and a cup of their popcorn.  Then, they put out more samples for everyone to enjoy while they peruse the gift shop.  All of their treats were delicious!  This tour requires reservations and is $3 per person.  
For lunch, we went to Cafe Centraal - owned by the same company as Cafe Hollander, a very similar menu and a large beer menu. Again, tasty.  After lunch, we walked less than a mile down to Honey Pie for... pie.  The kids enjoyed hearty sized cupcakes, I got a traditional apple pie and DH devoured a bourbon chocolate pie.  oooeeee.  Tasty!  Walking there/back was probably a good stretch of the legs and quite needed.  

That afternoon, we went to MillerCoors Brewing.  We always end up going to at least one brewery, but we decided to do two this time to compare a big/old brewery to a small/newer brewery.  MillerCoors was impressive just because of the sheer size and volume. This was a major factory and didn't really have the feeling of the craftsmanship of Lakefront.    
That night, we just ordered pizza at the hotel and watched a movie in the hotel theater room.

Day 3:
We started the day with a visit to the Clockshadow Creamery.  We thought we were going to be going on a tour of the creamery, but it’s really just a talk, albeit interesting, looking at some pictures of the process and looking through a window into the creamery.  Hence its name, this place is right near the world’s largest four faced clock atop Rockwell Automation Headquarters and Allen-Bradley Clock Tower – worth a look up.  It’s also near Milwaukee’s Best Brewing.  I don’t know if they have a tour, but we did get to peek inside as they were loading up kegs and spent grain. The “tour guide” at the creamery mentioned there was a pizza place across the street that walks across the street daily to get cheese.  Might be a good stop if you are there at the right time of day. 

Next stop Discovery World.  This museum does have reciprocity with the science museums (Adler, MSI, etc) in Chicago so there was no cost to get in. This museum was full of hands on exhibits.  The kids had a lot of fun in the technology building especially.  They also have a very fun aquarium and a flight simulator that I kinda wanted to kick a few kids out of line to try for myself.  The “café” was rather limited – the food was decent but it was very small.  Looking around, it appeared that a lot of people brought their lunch and it was okay.   This was interesting for both of our kids (ages 6 and 8).  

Although we weren’t planning on it, we decided to visit Sprechers Brewery.  We were done with Discovery World  and it wasn’t quite dinner time, so we figured “What the heck?”  Sprechers has delicious rootbeer, but also has an extensive European beer selection and several craft sodas.  Sprechers had a nice tour, four beers for each adult and unlimited craft sodas for the kids (or adults!).  This was fun because there really were lots of options for the kids to try.  This was one of my favorite activities of the trip.  Very nice people, not pretentious and lots of yummy soda!  You can make reservations, but we didn’t, and they do require you purchase tickets for the tour.  I think it was $16 for the family.  

For dinner, we went to a very fun themed restaurant, The Safe House, which is set up as a spy safe house and is tucked away in an alley in downtown Milwaukee.  My son is very much into all things Spy and this restaurant did not disappoint.  It’s an experience from the moment you walk in until the moment you walk out.  The food was quite tasty – and the service was very nice.  You can request various levels of attention for a fee or you can simply request a “mission” which is a bit of a scavenger hunt around the restaurant.  Very fun and well worth it.   Also, if you go to the Sprecher tour, you can get a coupon for a free Sprecher beer to use at the Safe House with dinner.  On the way out, right along the river, you'll also see a statue of "The Fonz."  We didn't get to take pictures as it was dark (and cold) at the point. 

Here I thought we'd be done in less than two days and there were a few items we still didn't get in over 3 1/2  solid days... the bio domes, the polka elevator, The Public Market, a few pretty magnificent churches, etc.  It's only 90 minutes away - we'll have to make a day trip out of it!

Cool Girl

My sweet little baby said today, "I wonder what I will be for next Halloween."  After a little discussion, she decided she will be a "Cool Girl."  I asked what all that included.  As usual, my sweet girl knew exactly what this would entail... all her coolest clothes and shoes... "and a cape of course."  I asked if Cool Girl was a super hero like "Water Girl" (a self made super hero of her past).  "No Mom, that would be silly.  Cool girls are not silly."  I love her. 

A few minutes later, we were talking about how Kit, the Knight Rider car, is now on display at the Volo Auto Museum and how it might be fun to go see it.  Of course, I had to explain to my children the premise of Knight Rider and why Kit was the coolest car in the world.  I also was telling them about Kit's mechanic, who was a girl, was my favorite.  I had said that she was really pretty and smart and could fix things, and that I wanted to be just like her.  Without skipping a beat, my little girl says, "Mommy, I don't want you to change. I like you just the way you are."    Um, thanks? 

Spring Break '12 in Kentucky

Another attempt to have a cheap little trip for Spring Break led us to Kentucky.  It didn't turn out terribly cheap since we went on a lot of tours and at 8hrs from Chicago it wasn't all that quick.  It was definitely worth it though and I'm throwing around the idea of going back in 2013. 

Before I go too much further, if you like to vacation to non-resort type destinations, you might consider a National Parks Passports.  We got ours after this trip and are now convinced we have to go back to Kentucky to get our stamps!  Save yourself the second trip and get your passport at any national park.  If you do the Junior Ranger program, the kids get a chance to be hands on at the parks and really learn something.  I talked to someone recently whose parent's had one since childhood and they cherish it and the memories!

OK, back to this year's trip to Kentucky.  It's a long drive from Chicago, but doable.  We left in the afternoon, had a leisurely dinner somewhere around Crown Point, IN, and arrived pretty late in the evening - the tornado that my DH insisted we drive through rather than pull over did not help our speed at all.  With nice weather - it probably wouldn't be a bad drive since it's straight down 65 for much for the drive.

On the first part of the trip, we stayed at the Residence Inn Marriott Louisville Northeast.  It was a suite, with a kitchenette/living room and separate bedroom and had a nice breakfast buffet each day.  The room was a little small for the 4 of us, but it did the trick.  It had a pool and was very close to a lot of restaurants, so we could just walk to get dinner. Therefore, it met the requirements.  The second part of the trip, we stayed at the Hawthorne Suites Louisville East.  It also was a suite, had a pool and was near a lot of shopping, however you had to drive everywhere.  It was a little bit tired and the rooms seemed very dark - not a lot of natural light.  Again, it did the trick.  There was a big trucking convention in Louisville the week we were there, hence, the difficulty in finding a room for the full 5 nights.   

Day 1: Louisville Zoo

On our first full day in Kentucky, we headed to the Louisville Zoo.  This zoo was very manageable, had a nice layout and some interesting animals.  Several of the exhibits were interactive, which is always fun for the peeps.  Lorikeet Landing allows you to go in an enclosure with the birds and you can buy food to feed them.  In the Wallaroo Walkabout, you can walk a path within a wallabies (think small kangaroo) enclosure while they hop around you!  It was very fun!
 


Day 2: Lexington

We drove out to Lexington - a beautiful drive - to visit a friend and her horse farm.  Spectacular views and a very fun day - but probably won't apply to most.  I hear the  Kentucky Horse Park is very interested for anyone who is interested in horses or horse racing.   My parents went and loved it.  It would have been a long day for my little people, so we decided against it this trip.  I thought it might be better for them when they are a little older and could appreciate seeing some very famous retired horses. 

Day 3: Lousiville Slugger Factory, Kentucky Derby Museum
This was a fun day!!  The Louisville Slugger Factory is an awesome factory tour.  I'm not even into baseball, but I love a good factory tour and this one fits the bill.  You start out in a little baseball museum while you wait for your tour to start. During the tour, you watch every step of how a bat is made.  I don't mean on a tv screen or from a gallery - you are right there about 2" from all the equipment (safely protected by plexiglass in some cases) and professional bats! Sorry, no pictures allowed in the factory.  At the end of the tour, you even get a miniature baseball bat to take home. Perfect! To top off the visit, when you are finished, you can use their batting cages for a nominal fee and try out some Louisville Sluggers.  For the little kids, they have a little batting cage with tees/balls as well as a coloring and play area. CAUTION: These bats are considered weapons by the FAA and must be packed in checked baggage only. 

For lunch on Day3, we went to Against the Grain Brewery housed within Louisville Slugger Field - just down the street from the Factory. The Food was quite tasty... as was the beer!

 After lunch and some swimming, we headed back out to the Churchill Downs to go to the Kentucky Derby Museum.  We ended up going pretty late in the day, so we had a bit of a cursory tour.  The museum itself was pretty good as it had a bunch of the crazy derby hats and an area for the kids to sit on mechanical horses and "race" each other.  Within the museum, there is a 360 degree movie room with the history of Churchill Downs which was interesting for all ages.  Included in the general admission price is a 30minute Historical Walking Tour, which walks through the public areas of the grounds and talks a little bit about, you guessed it, the history of Churchill Downs and the Derby.  I think the Inside the Gates or Barns and Backside Tours would have been interesting as well, but we were in a bit of a rush as we snuck this in at the end of the day.      



Day 4: Mammoth Cave, Abe Lincoln's Birthplace

This might have been my favorite day of the trip, however, Day 2 and 3 were pretty awesome too.  On Day 4, we drove south to Mammoth Cave!  En route, we stopped at Abraham Lincoln's birthplace.  I feel a little bit bad and kinda un-American, but it wasn't really that interesting.  At the top of the 56 granite steps (one for each year of his life), there is a monument that enshrines a symbolic log cabin -not the real cabin.  As my DD said, "What?! We don't even get to go in?!  Now, looking at their website, they have a National Parks Junior Rangers program.  If I knew then what I know now about this type of program, the stop would likely have been a bit more interesting.  Maybe we'll give it another try some time.

Onto the exciting part.  We kept driving south to Mammoth Cave National Park.  I would recommend bringing a picnic and reserving the tour you want in advance.  We did not make a reservation, but because we brought our picnic, it worked out okay to eat and do a little exploring above-ground before the tour.  In our group, we had 4 adults, two 6 year olds and a 4 year old.  Because of the age range, we had to keep in mind the difficulty/length of the tour.  We decided to go on the easy, Frozen Niagara tour.  The tour took about 1 1/4 hours. This tour was perfect!  It was very interesting including very up-close encounters with stalactites, stalagmites, underground lakes, tiny little cave bugs and more!  This was totally doable with little kids and all ages found it so interesting! There are lots of public and private tours available, however, we went with the National Park Service (public) tour and were quite happy with it.

Once we got back north into Louisville, about 1.5 hours later, we went to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for dinner.  This is a pretty goofy restaurant with some wild decorations.  We chose it because their Hot Brown Sandwich, loaded with roasted turkey breast, Mornay sauce, bacon, tomato and cheddar cheese,  was included on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.as Alton Brown's favorite sandwich.  We like sandwiches, so we decided to give it a try.  The food was very tasty and the gift shop/waiting area was a hoot (as was DD trying out their wares)!

Overall, I'd give this trip an A+ (minus the tornado, of course).  Definitely recommended for families!

the Giraffe in his shirt

Charlie put on a short sleeve shirt that was a few sizes too big for him today. I told him he might want to tuck it in so he doesn't get a draft. He said, "What's a girafft?"

Brave Knights and Princesses

Charlie is going to be a brave knight for Halloween. He saw it on Backyardigans and was very descriptive of exactly how it had to be - including the feather for on his helmet and the "gate" that goes in front of his eyes.

The other night while he was watching his shows before bed, I told him that Aunt Maryjane was also going to be a knight. He very seriously took out his bink and turned to me and said "Mommy, knights are boys." I explained that a lot of knights are boys, but sometimes they are girls and Maryjane was going to be a very famous one, Joan of Arc. He unplugged the bink again, turned to me and said, "Mommy, knights are boys, Maryjane can be a princess." And calmly turned back to his show.