Discover the perfect All About Me preschool activity designed for young kids! Get a free printable worksheet that's simple, engaging, and ideal for emergent readers. Download now!

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by Robin Along the way, we have become experts in basement ceiling ideas. We're actually very proud of this. It's a great example of what we're all about: taking a problem and figuring out an

Add elements of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell to your preschool centers to integrate science and play while students explore their senses.

Let’s learn how to make perfect blistered shishito peppers with a garlicky aioli sauce! They are not only crazy delicious, but also super simple to make. An excellent paleo + whole30 snack or side dish made with only a handful of healthy ingredients + a skillet! For a vegan version grab your favorite vegan dipping sauce!

This is my favorite peanut sauce recipe. It is made with just 6 key ingredients, and it is a great dipping sauce or dressing for salads.

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These sourdough tortillas are super tasty and easy to make. Best part: you finally have a delicious no-fail recipe to use your sourdough discard!

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This moon sand recipe is so easy to make! With only two ingredients, you'll be playing with this soft and sensory sand within minutes. Moon Sand This moon sand recipe is so much fun. The texture is soft and crumbly, but it also molds really well into different shapes. The kids thought it was the best thing ever! I've tested different kinetic sand recipes before (like this kinetic sand, this moldable play sand and this foam sand), but this one was BY FAR the best. And with only 2 ingredients it's also super easy to make. We loved how the

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Giada’s famous Neapolitan-style pizza dough!

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This Chinese-style Beef Stir Fry combines tender beef steak with an array of colorful, crunchy fresh veggies coated in the absolute best, savory-sweet beef stir fry sauce. This nutritious meal is made in one-skillet or wok and comes together in 30-minutes. Gluten-free adaptable. Use your favorite veggies.

First Week Watercolor Portraits 7 comments Back to School, Bulletin Boards, Self Portraits, Tutorials Every year, my second graders paint a watercolor self-portrait. It is truly my most favorite first week activity of all time. After sharing this picture of this year's portraits on Facebook, a sweet reader asked if I had a blog post about them. Well, it dawned on me that while I have shared my annual self-portraits many times, I've never really shared them exclusively in a post. So, here goes! Every year, I have my students paint a self-portrait during the first week of school (an idea I learned while student teaching many moons ago). I hang these portraits in the room, for the entire year. They really brighten up our space and they are such a joy to look at (this is a picture of my students' portraits from last year). I am not an art teacher and I believe that kids should be encouraged to take risks, so when I task my students with painting their portraits, I pretty much let them "have at it." Don't worry, it isn't a total free for all. I do model the process and I also share examples from years past, like the ones shown below. I just make it very clear that I don't expect their paintings to look like an actual photograph. ;) I always begin by pointing out how much of their body/self they will be painting. I tell them to think about the pictures they see in their yearbooks and how those pictures only show people's heads and shoulders. I explain that they will include only their head and shoulders in their paintings. I then show them examples from previous years (sometimes students move and they get left behind, so I have a few on hand). Once the students understand what it is that they will be including in their portrait, I model the drawing process on the board. I discuss how large the head should be in relation to the paper and show them what this looks like. From there, I show them how I draw a neck and shoulders, hair, and facial features. I apologize that I don't have a photo of this, but essentially, I model and narrate the process, one step at a time. And, then...it's the students' turn. I give each student a piece of white card stock (8x10 inches) to work with. Card stock is brighter and thicker than construction paper, and it just seems to hold the paint better, in my opinion. Then, they start their drawing. Sometimes, I have them draw the outline of their pictures with a black crayon (see below). When I do this, there is NO pencil involved. This helps them to really slow down and visualize before they draw because they know that they can't erase. However, this year, I let them draw with pencil first and then they traced over their pencil lines with a Sharpie. Why did I do that? I have no idea, it was just what I decided to do when I was prepping the materials, but the end result was still fab! Once the students draw the outline of their portrait, they get to paint! Using watercolor is a tricky thing for many second graders. They have a hard time always gauging how much water to use, so a discussion about this (and a little modeling) ahead of time is a good idea. Tip: No matter how much explaining and modeling you do, you'll still have a student or two that uses too much water. Let them use a tissue to blot their paper if you notice this happening. I lay the portraits to dry on the floor, in an out of the way spot. They dry within minutes here in the desert. Once they are dry, I flatten them by stacking heavy teacher manuals on them overnight. I could iron them, but my iron and I do not get along. At all. The next morning, I hang them up and admire the sight before me...all year long. :) At the end of the year, it's always fun to repeat this process. You will be amazed at how much growth your students show. Here are a few examples from last year. Amazing, right? We always get lots of compliments on our portrait display, and the kids are always very proud of them. They love seeing if their parents can guess which one is theirs, and it's fun to see how many parents get it right! At the end of the school year, I send the portraits home as a keepsake. Many parents have commented how much they love them, and they are the perfect size for framing! First week self-portraits are a great way to encourage students to take risks, have fun, and learn to use materials. Beyond that, the students take great pride in their creations and enjoy them just as much as I do, and we have something truly magnificent (that they created!) to look at all year long. :) Share It:

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These crispy baked chicken cutlets are packed with incredible flavor and they have the most amazingly delicious, golden crust that is so good! Make them in under 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love!

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Oven Roasted Zucchini and Squash: a delicious and easy way to serve up some summer produce.  Sprinkled with a touch of seasoning on a bit of parmesan cheese these make a great summer side dish.

It is time for another McDonald's copycat recipe. After making these delicious Egg McMuffins, and Chicken McGriddles, we're making McDonald's hash browns this time. These mouthwatering hash brown patties made from shredded potatoes are cooked to be fluffy inside and crispy and toasted on the exterior. Since no other recipe even comes close to the original and, in my opinion, doesn't merit the moniker "Copycat recipe," the primary cause is wrong or missing ingredients. This recipe has been waiting patiently to be published. Thus I'll walk you through the process of making these hash browns in the McDonald's way today. The best part about them is that you can prepare them ahead of time and freeze them for whenever you're ready to cook them. The Best McDonald's Hash Browns Copycat Recipe I'm not sure about you, but I consider McDonald's hash browns among their most delicate items. They're great in the restaurant, but I think my version is much better when it's cooked at home! Once you try these easy and delectable homemade hash browns, you'll be addicted. That has certainly been the case for me. So far this week, I've cooked these for breakfast nearly every morning. Making these McDonald's hash browns at home is also great because no harmful ingredients are added, which I appreciate. My meal should not contain anything like sodium acid pyrophosphate or hydrogenated soybean oil! The original McDonald's hash browns don't contain any cheese, cayenne pepper, or other additives. Still, I see most, if not all, online versions that do—missing essential flavors, such as those from beef stock and a little sugar. But don't worry; you're going to create something genuine. The second item that appears to be ignored by everyone is confit cooking. Cooking anything in fat or oil at a reduced temperature is known as confit cooking. Because it changes the starch within, most restaurants "double fried" their potatoes. As a result, it becomes even crispier when you re-fry it after chilling. Confit, indeed, yep. Ingredients you'll need Okay, to prepare these delectable McDonald's hash browns, you just need some basic ingredients. And while this recipe calls for a few more ingredients compared to standard hash brown recipes, they are more than worth it. Here is all you will need to prepare this simple hash browns recipe: Russet Potatoes Salt Sugar Pepper Cornstarch Vegetable Oil (sunflower or rapeseed) Dry beef stock powder Since Yukon potatoes have excellent consistency, I occasionally use them to create hash browns, but any potato would work in this recipe. Because the original recipe calls for russet potatoes, I've included them. Regarding the oil, McDonald's uses a blend of rapeseed and sunflower oils. Any neutral high-heat oil, such as canola oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, or macadamia nut oil, can be used. How to make McDonald's Hash Browns Copycat Once more, making a homemade hash brown that tastes like the one from McDonald's couldn't be simpler. To make them, you only need to follow a few simple steps. And the steps in the procedure are basically peeling, grating, straining, shaping, and frying. You'll find this recipe incredibly straightforward to create, even if it's your first time cooking hash brown patties from scratch. And, to be honest, once you've prepared these hash browns, cooking them again and again will be simple. Now, let's start with the recipe and quit wasting time! Step 1: Prepare the potatoes. The potatoes must first be peeled and placed in a dish of cold water to prevent browning. Use a box grater's big hole to shred the potatoes. Fill the bowl with cold water, then stir the potatoes well. Drain off the water when it becomes cloudy. Then, move the chopped potatoes to a mesh sieve or strainer and squeeze them to remove most of their extra liquid. Step 2: Confit Cooking To get the restaurant quality hash browns, I advise you don’t skip this step. A non-stick skillet should be heated at low heat. Add the potatoes to the hot oil and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes. Before continuing, strain the potatoes and let them a little period of cooling. Step 4: Combine the ingredients and form the hash brown patties. Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the sugar, cornstarch, dry beef stock powder, salt, and pepper—Transfer 1/4 cup of the hashbrown mixture on a piece of parchment paper afterward. Make a rectangle out of the potatoes by flattening them. Add another 2-3 tablespoons of the potatoes on top, then fold the parchment paper over the top to help create the patties. Repeat these final two procedures with the remaining hash brown mixture until you have about four large patties. Step 5: Frying and Serving Next, add the oil to a nonstick skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. After that, add the hashbrowns and fry them there for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown. How To Store Hash Browns You are aware by now that this McDonald's hash browns recipe yields around four patties. Don't worry if you can't eat them all or decide to double the recipe since they really keep nicely. You may keep the cooked hash browns in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. By the way, you can freeze the hash browns for up to 10 months if you want to store them for even longer. Just make sure the bag is freezer-safe. This is the approach I normally take. I usually prepare an extra batch of these McDonald's hash browns since I like preparing and eating them so much. The excess batch is simply frozen, so it's available anytime I need a quick side for breakfast. In any case, I advise using parchment paper to line each patty in order to keep them from adhering or disintegrating. Reheating Hash Browns The simplest method to reheat hash browns is to put them in the microwave and cook them for 20 seconds at a time until well hot. Alternatively, you may bake your hash brown patties at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until they are well cooked, on a baking sheet coated with parchment paper or foil. This is the best approach if you want them to crisp back up. McDonald's Hash Browns Recipe Ok, time for more detailed recipe instructions. Ingredients 3 Russet Potatoes 1 tsp of Salt 1 tsp of pepper 1 tsp of sugar 6 tbsp of Cornstarch 2 tbsp of Vegetable Oil (sunflower or rapeseed) 1 tsp of dry beef stock powder Instructions Peel and cut the potatoes, then put them in a bowl of cold water so they won't turn brown. Next, grate the potatoes thru the large hole on a box grater. Add cold water to the basin, then stir the potatoes well. Drain the water after it has become murky. To release most of the liquid, move to a strainer and press. On low heat, preheat a nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes to the heated oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Before continuing, drain the potatoes using an oil strainer and give them a little time to cool. Combine the salt, pepper, dry beef stock powder, and cornstarch with the potatoes in a bowl. Put 1/4 cup of the mixture on a piece of parchment paper. Make it flat, like a rectangle shape. Add another 2–3 tablespoons of potatoes on top, and then fold the parchment paper over the top to make it flat. You can make the patties with the help of paper. Do the same thing with the rest of the mix. Add the oil to a nonstick skillet that has been heated to medium-high. Add the hashbrowns to the skillet and cook them for a few minutes, turning them occasionally, until golden brown all over. Share the image below to your Pinterest board if you like these McDonald's hash browns! Conclusion There is no way that this hash brown dish could be any more authentic. Every bite has the same deliciousness you adored every time you've eaten at McDonald's, and the outside's crisp crunch, buttery middle.