Crafts and Recipes from Parents Magazine

Photo Scott Little

Yarn Cornucopia Treat Cup

This mini cornucopia is just the right size for filling with an after-Thanksgiving dinner treat.
Make It: First make a mold by covering a 6-inch plastic foam cone with aluminum foil, crumpling excess foil at the tip to make a curved end. Then dip a 3-foot length of brown yarn into a bowl of white glue, removing excess glue between your fingertips, and wind the wet yarn around the cone. Continue wrapping lengths of glue-covered yarn around the cone until covered. Let the cone dry for a few days, then twist the cornucopia off the cone.



Photo Scott Little

Bubble Wrap Indian Corn

Resist the temptation to pop those leftover scraps of bubble wrap and put them to good use as a colorful Indian corn display for Thanksgiving.
Make It: Cut three long ovals from bubble wrap scraps, then paint the ovals yellow, tan, and rust. When dry, go back and paint individual bubbles shades of brown, blue, and gold to mimic Indian corn colors. Glue the painted corn pieces onto card-stock backings, punch a hole at the top of each corn, and tie on raffia before hanging the grouping from a doorknob or on a wall.



Photo Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Curried Lentils and Butternut Squash

Ingredients
· 1 cup lentils
· 1 small butternut squash (1-1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 tablespoon curry powder
· 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
· Salt and pepper to taste
· Toasted coconut, optional
Directions
1. Butter an 8 x 11-inch baking pan and set aside. Combine lentils and enough cold water to cover in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; add butternut squash. Simmer until squash and lentils are tender, about 25 minutes.
2. Drain. Put chunks of squash in a medium bowl, then mash roughly with a fork or potato masher.
3. Heat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine lentils, squash, and remaining ingredients except coconut. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Bake 20 minutes. Top with coconut, if using. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.




Photo Brian Hagiwara

Spaghetti squash primavera

Ingredients
· 1 spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds), stem removed
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 medium-size onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1 can (8 ounces) stewed tomatoes
· 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
· 1/2 cup prebrowned all-protein vegetable crumbles, thawed (see Note, below)
· 1/2 teaspoon sugar
· 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 3 tablespoons heavy cream
· 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Directions
1. Halve squash; remove seeds. Place cut side down in microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high power 20 minutes, rotating once, until tender.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat until softened, 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crumbles, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cream; cook to heat through, 2 minutes.
3. With fork, scrape strands from squash onto serving platter. Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings.
Note: This sausage-like product can be found with vegetarian products in frozen-food case.

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Holiday Travel

Travel map, 1954, From RMC's Travel Brochure and Map Collection

The holidays are approaching!
As one of the biggest times of year for travel, your family may be one of the many who are planning a trip.

Click HERE to be linked to a fun quiz about whether your child is ready to travel.

Some ideas for traveling with children:

-Talk about your journey together with your child in advance. Show pictures of places or people you will see, plot out your destination on a map, and give your child a simple travel agenda so they know what to expect. Sometimes it's helpful to sketch simple pictures to go along with a written agenda.


-Let your child choose a favorite blanket or stuffed animal to take with them and let them know that while they may be away from home, they'll aways have their special item with them during their time away. Favorite books are always comforting too.

-Bring a blank book or spiral-bound notebook and create a travel diary with your child; older children can do this activity on their own to keep them busy while riding in a car or on an airplane. It's easy to do and will preserve special memories for a lifetime. In addition to recording each day's activities, you can add photos, postcards, ticket stubs, and even make your own drawings to commemorate the trip. For speech therapy clients, this could make a wonderful opportunity for your child to sit and talk about their activites with someone after they've returned from their trip.

-Travel Seek and Find: Create a list of things for your child to keep a look-out for during their travels and have them check them off as they see them.


-On car trips, older kids may enjoy keeping a list of license plates. See how many different state license plates you can spot!

-Buy inexpensive toys or books and wrap them. Dole them out to your child at prescribed intervals during the trip. This gives them something new to play with and something to look forward to.

-Definitely don't forget to bring non-sugary drinks and bags of healthy snacks to keep kids from getting thirsty, hungry, and cranky! You'll save money too.

-It is tempting to bring along enough DVDs to keep kids quiet during car rides, but seize the opportunity to exercise your child's creativity and imagination. Try an audio book; as they look out the window they can create images with their imagination as they listen to the story. Also consider a book by Oxford press called "250 Word Games"; they're verbal games you can play with your family. Create unique memories and great conversation!

Happy travels!