'A' is for Attitude - A Recipe for Surviving Wisconsin's Winter with Preschoolers
It's 15 below zero outside. The furnace is running but hasn't cranked the heat up beyond 64 degrees. I'm coated in wool and writing this next to the heating vent. Wisconsin schools are closed due to the dangerous wind chill. And now my children sit frozen in front of the TV. But winter is only half over. At this point we need more than comfort food - we need a recipe for survival.
My ace in the hole for keeping spirits up is to throw a party. The kids and I will celebrate any occasion around here, especially in winter. We've been planning our super bowl party for Sunday, but that's 4 days away. What can we rally around right now?
Last night I lost sleep over my 5-year-old's inability to recite the alphabet. Yes, this was a foolish, unnecessary worry, but it kept my mind off bigger concerns. I know I can teach the alphabet, and make it fun to boot! So when we learned that schools are closed today, I announced that today we would throw our first alphabet party. Every week from now until kindergarten, we will choose a letter to celebrate. "What letter will it be today, Dave?" I asked. He chose 'A'.
So we started by writing upper and lower case 'A's and taping them to the kitchen door to signify that it's 'A's special day'. Then the kids decorated a large cardboard box with letters cut out of magazines. Into this box will go items that begin with 'A'. Now comes the food! I baked an angel food cake and got out my Apples Everything cookbook. I found a recipe for sauteed apples to serve over the cake. (The recipe is on the 'Cooking with the ABC's' page.)
My neighbor just called and wanted to know what we're up to. She has a 5-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter also aimlessly wandering the house. We invited them to join our party this afternoon. They'll be bringing 'A' toys and treats.
The kids and I have been brain-storming other 'A' foods. We've come up with...
'A' is for:
- artichoke (their favorite vegetable)
- apricot
- ambrosia salad (they love Mandarin oranges)
- antelope (well, not really, we'll be eating a beef roast tonight, but we'll call it 'antelope')
Since Wisconsinmade.com supports Edible Antics, I figured I'd look on its website for other 'A' foods. I found a bunch of yummy ones:
Apple Pie (of course)
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I'm drooling over these
Gourmet Caramel Apples Dunked in Belgian Chocolate .
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but the kids might prefer
Gourmet Caramel Apples Dipped in Candy.
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To be healthy we should be eating
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And I love almonds, but I admit I enjoy them most baked into a 
kringle
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