Monday Pep Talk No. 17
Let the holiday rush begin! I don’t know about you, but in our house things kick into high gear just before Thanksgiving and don’t slow down again until January—and a weekly kick-in-the-pants of inspiration is pretty essential.
3 fun things to do this week
What better way to celebrate Homemade Bread Day (Tuesday) than by whipping up a loaf of bread in your kitchen? This no-knead recipe is designed for preschoolers, so it’s virtually impossible to mess up.
Take a virtual field trip to the first Thanksgiving (in 1621) at Plimoth Plantation. (Download the application first, and it will run faster than streaming it.)
Find out how much energy is stored in a single peanut with this simple (but fascinating) peanut power science experiment.
3 ideas for this week’s dinners
Warm everybody up with bowls of this 15-minute Greek chicken soup. It’s the perfect dinner on those grumpy, sniffly nights when everybody needs the food equivalent of a hug.
This easy shrimp-fried rice is an ideal one-pan dinner. (Sub tofu or chicken if your gang is anti-shrimp.)
This crunchy, spicy autumn salad with horseradish vinaigrette is exactly what a cold-weather salad should be.
one great readaloud
To gear up for Thanksgiving cooking next week, read A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat, a delightful picture book describing how four different generations of American families prepare the same blackberry fool. (This book is definitely on my list for best picture books of 2015.)
