Category: Special Needs

Taco Ring

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog15 Comments

This is a great meal that works well for parties and get togethers as well. I need to start making two of these as it disappears really quickly around here.

There is a link to the original recipe below.

Taco Ring

Ingredients:

Taco Ring:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork
  • 1 package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 T water
  • 2 – 8ct packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Optional ingredients:

  • 1 medium bell pepper
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 3 cups lettuce, shredded
  • 1 medium tomato
  • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pitted ripe black olives
  • sour cream
  • avocado, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cook ground meat in large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
Remove pan from heat.Stir in taco seasoning mix, cheese and water.
Unroll crescent dough; separate into triangles.
Arrange triangles in a circle on pizza pan or cookie sheet with wide ends overlapping in center and points toward outside. (There should be a 5 inch diameter opening in center.)
Scoop meat mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Filling will not be completely covered).
Bake at 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

If you want to do something fancy, scoop out a bell pepper and fill with salsa and put into center of ring.
Add your toppings to top of ring and finish with more shredded cheese and sour cream.

Easy Bean Tostadas

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog10 Comments

These are so easy to make and you can get very creative with the toppings that you use on them. They are also a good way to use up leftover beans that you may have sitting around. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes in place of the beans. Or add a little cooked meat too.

The kids can help by spreading out the beans and topping their own tostadas. Continue reading “Easy Bean Tostadas” →

Rice Pudding

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog7 Comments

This has been a favorite of mine since I was little. It is a great way to use up leftover white rice also. Some of my kids don’t like the raisins so I usually divide the batch in half and leave one part plain.

This could also be served for breakfast if you like. Continue reading “Rice Pudding” →

Pancake Poppers

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog9 Comments

This is a quick and easy alternative for breakfast. There are so many things you could add to these to make them a family favorite. They are also really easy for little hands that might have trouble with a regular pancake. These are great for freezer meals too! Continue reading “Pancake Poppers” →

I didn’t clean my house last week!

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

Can I tell you a secret? I didn’t clean my house last week or even this week yet. We didn’t have school last week and probably won’t this week either. Sometimes we all just need a break, a time to do nothing, a time to just enjoy life. 

Ok, so maybe I did clean a little bit. We kept up with our basic routines and I did declutter the playroom but no other ‘real’ cleaning took place. We took down our Christmas decor and carried it out to the building for next year too. 

By the ‘basics’ I mean that the dishes and laundry were washed and put away everyday. The bathrooms were wiped down with a cleaning wipe every morning. The table and counters were wiped down after each meal and the floors were swept. We also made our beds and the kids picked up theirs toys. 

We didn’t vacuum the carpets other than the playroom. We didn’t mop and so far no one has stuck to the floor. We also didn’t dust or polish and yes, you probably can write your name on the mantel. 

We didn’t have any ‘formal’ lessons or structured learning. However the kids did take it upon themselves to work in their workbooks. They also did some ABC mouse on the tablets and computers. 

You know what happened? We survived and the house doesn’t look like a complete disaster. 

The kids also learned a lot about sharing and working independently. They got to be kids and that’s important too. 

Our routines kept us together and kept our house running smoothly. So when someone is sick, out of town, or just plain tired the house can keep going as normal. 

What routines do you have? Make them as simple as you can so they can keep your house running when you need a break.