Gifts for Dad to show him he's rad!

If you know a dad who is one cool dude be sure to shop our collection of new daddy & baby gifts for your husband, brother, or best bud! A hip onesie is a great way for dad to proudly display his chip off the ol' block (and will probably earn him twice as many compliments as that new set of golf clubs). Father’s Day is June 17 - three weeks away; prove you were listening during that "do as I say, not as I do" lecture, and make your pops proud. In other words, don't wait until the last minute to shop for Dad!

Earth Day: Make It Easy To Be Green!

Kermit the Frog's wise words "It ain't easy being green." may have been true when they were first uttered by the popular Muppet way back in 1970, but nowadays being green is as easy as changing a light bulb! (In fact, one of the ways IS changing your light bulbs...)


Today is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, and as adults we are trying our hardest to keep this planet clean, or basically reverse all the bad stuff we did to it...remember the 80s? We need to be kind to Mother Earth in order for the next generation to enjoy her sunsets and green park spaces well into the future. It's never too early to teach your children about recycling and energy conservation, even if they don't quite know what it means yet.


You can start today with these 10 easy tips to help stop global warming from TIME for Kids:

1. Change a light
Replace a regular bulb with a more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb.

2. Drive less
Walk, bike, use public transportation like a subway, bus or even car pool. Talk to your parents about considering a hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicle. And keep your tires inflated properly. It can improve gas mileage by more than 3%.

3. Recycle more
Think before you throw away trash. Recycle instead. Cut down on how much you throw in the trash, which ultimately ends up in a landfill. And be sure to take e-waste, like computers, cell phones and hazardous waste to a special recycling facility.

4. Avoid products with a lot of packaging
When it comes to your shopping habits, consider buying products that are better for the environment or that are made from recycled materials, and have less or no packaging. And when it comes to food, support local farmers markets.

5. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Install a low flowing shower head and wash a full load of clothes in cold or warm water.

6. Adjust your thermostat
Moving your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer can save a lot of energy. And ask your parents if your local utility company offers alternative power. If so, consider switching.

7. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

8. Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo, and unplugging your iPod and cell phone charger when not in use, will save you thousands of pounds of CO2 a year.

9. Spread the word
Talk to your friends, family and school teachers. Teach them what you've learned and make your house and school as green as possible. Think of ways to raise awareness & educate others; create fund-raisers in your local community to make a change.

10. Go Green
Work to make these changes in your daily life so it becomes second nature.

So on this Earth Day, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle...because Muppets know best.

Source: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/specials/articles/0,28285,1601933,00.html

Gift ideas for that are better late than never!

Oh my goodness, your second cousins son slipped your mind completely in the midst of your holiday chaos! No worries we'll take the heat. In honor of us busy moms who just couldn't remember it all this season, we are offering 10% off those last minute oops gifts. Just enter OOPS10 in at checkout and we'll have your last minute gift wrapped and on it's way to your last, but not forgotten Psychobaby. For some cool and easy ideas, visit our Holiday Gift Guide or Psychobaby's Custom Shop. Offer extended through midnight, 12/27, CST.

Warm Your Belly with Beef Stew for this Sunday's Dinner!

Original recipe modified from foodandwine.com

With my family's busy schedules during the week, Sunday meals are sacred in our house. Sunday, for us, is about unplugging from the outside world and plugging into each other. It does not always work out perfectly. Often there is begging for TV, video games or a play date. I remember doing the same thing to my grandmother, who is the inspiration for this precious day of the week, . Last Sunday I felt completely bored with my standby meals and went back to my childhood memory of my grandmothers' beef stew. Unfortunately, I did not have the recipe, but knew she was a huge fan of the great Jacques Pepin. After a little searching, I found this recipe on Food and Wine's website. I modified the recipe and language a bit but tried to keep the integrity of this great meal intact. My family loved it and I had fun paying tribute to my grandmother and a chef that she greatly admired. I hope you try it and enjoy!


INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds of stew meat
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 bottle of red wine (yes, I said a whole bottle!)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
15 pearl onions (blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes)
15 cremini mushrooms (I used white but cremini would have been even better!)
15 baby carrots
5-ounce piece of pancetta (a slice about an inch thick)
1/4 cup water


1. Preheat the oven to 350*. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast-iron pot. Arrange the meat in one layer in the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on top of the stove over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides.

TIP for browning meat: Make sure the meat is nice and dry before adding to the pan and DO NOT overcrowd the meat. It takes a bit of patience to make sure all the sides are nice and brown but well worth it in a few hours!

2. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes remembering to stir occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon of flour mixing well so the flour does not burn or get lumpy. Pour in that glorious bottle of red wine taking a sip if needed. Add 2 bay leaves, a sprig of fresh thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Give it a stir, cover and put it in the oven.

3. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 hours of cooking time. I recommend checking after an hour and fifteen minutes. My stew was beautiful and yummy but could have used a few minutes less in the oven. 

4. Bring Pancetta and 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes; drain. Cut the pancetta into 1/2-inch slices and cut slices into 1-inch-wide lardons. What is a lardon? I had to look it up! Lardon is a small strip or cube of pork fat (usually subcutaneous fat) used in a wide variety of cuisines to flavor savory foods and salads. In French cuisine, lardons are also used for larding, by threading them with a needle into meats that are to be braised or roasted. Lardons are not normally smoked and they are made from pork that has been cured with salt. -Wikipedia

5. Combine the onions, mushrooms, carrots and pancetta in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a good dash each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point there should be practically no water left (this was true for me). Uncover and cook over high heat, sauteing the veggies until nicely browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. 

 Ahh, bingo! This is what my grandmother was always talking about! "Tasting the veggies". I have always combined my veggies into my stews at the beginning. It's true, if you do this later, you CAN really taste everything individually!  

I did the last step a little differently than recommended. After I cooked my veggies, I stirred all of them into the yummy stew instead of stirring them in with each serving. I have four boys in my house and there is little time for proper serving of meals! I put this in a pretty soup terrine and to the table it went! I served it over some mashed potatoes, a simple salad an watched my hard work disappear in roughly ten minutes. True happiness for me.
Posted by Marlo

Over the river and through the woods...

How are you getting to your turkey feast? Whether it's by car or by plane, you are going to need to keep your tot busy! My family and I are braving new scanning technology and heading to Boston!
I am putting together a bag for my six year old including this great Flip to Win memory game by Melissa and Doug, Melissa and Doug's Sticker Collection that comes with over 500 pieces (a no brainer) and some snacks. If all else fails, I have my secret weapon, my iPad!
I thought back a few years to when my boys were too tiny to play games or appease with a soft toy for more than a minute or two and had to include Rockabye Baby's lullaby rendition of Journey. If all else fails with a wee one...how about a Mute Button pacifier?
The most important thing to remember when traveling with a little one is patience and a sense of humor. Both go a long, long way!!
Have a great Holiday! -Marlo

Hey pumpkin- you are going to turn into brownies!

While you are carving up that pumpkin and giving it goofy eyes and a monster grin, make a batch of brownies- because everyone needs more sugar around Halloween! Many ghouly thanks to Elena at the Kids Table for sharing the yummy!

Pumpkin Brownies

Makes 1 9x13 pan

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt2 tsp vanilla
2 cups roasted and pureed pumpkin* (thin with a little water if necessary - consistency should be like applesauce)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine first six ingredients (flour through salt) and whisk well. Add vanilla and squash and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

2. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer batter to baking dish and spread evenly. Bake until top is springy and brownies are cooked through, about 25 minutes.

*Feel free to use any winter squash for this recipe, such as butternut, acorn or delicata. To roast squash, cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and pulp. Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and roast at 350 degrees. until tender (about 25-35 minutes, depending on size of squash).

posted by Kristina
photo courtesy of pearltreemanor.com

20% off Psychobaby Picks! Why? Because I Said So!

A little birdie told me you don't know about Because I Said So! Well, if it were a snake, that 20% off Lisa and Marlo's Top Picks would have bit you! When I was your age, we didn't even have the internet! Now, I will not listen to any talk balk, Misters and Missys- I want you to march right over to psychobabyonline and start shopping. Do not pass GO, but do collect your 20% off! I won't take no for an answer. Oh, and next week you'll get to vote a pick in on facebook. I know, I know, life is hard. Now get movin' - why? Because I Said So, that's why!

-Posted by Kristina (see Mom, I did listen to you! XOXO)

Hotter than H-E-C-K Lemonade

This recipe could not be any easier! In fact, my 10 year old son Grey taught me how to make this after taking a cooking class at an amazing place in Chicago called The Kids Table. The original recipe that he learned was Raspberry Lemonade, I just happened to have a watermelon in the house. We gave that a try and loved it.
It is a steamy 95 degrees in Chicago today and I thought nothing would taste better than this yummy refreshing drink!

Watermelon Lemonade
Makes 1 pitcher

8 lemons (or 6 lemons and 2 limes)
1/2 seedless watermelon cut into chunks
1-2 bottles of sparkling water
1/3-1/2 cup of sugar (it depends how sweet your watermelon is)
1 cup water

In a food processor or blender puree watermelon with a little of your sparkling water. Strain pureed watermelon into a pitcher. As we found, you have to do this or else the lemonade has an unpleasant texture.

Next juice your lemons or limes into a bowl. Don't worry about the seeds or pulp because you will also strain this into your pitcher.

Depending how sweet your watermelon is, take 1/3 - 1/2 cup of sugar and about 1 cup of water and heat to just a boil on the stove. Set aside for a few minutes and let cool. As soon as your sugar water is lukewarm, add to your lemonade.

That's pretty much it! You will have to adjust the flavor a bit to suit your taste. Add more sugar or lemon or even use a little honey instead of sugar. Maybe even a tiny bit of fresh mint would be amazing, I'm going to try that next time!

I hope this helps you cool off wherever you are! Please share any ideas you have for escaping the summer heatwave.
-Marlo

This is for all you hot mama's!

To put it mildly, pregnancy is a roller coaster of emotions. One minute you feel sexy the next you feel like Shamoo (that's what my husband made the mistake of calling me once, and I stress once!).
I wish I would have seen this when I was pregnant. I could have used a laugh! This video had my whole office in tears.
Funny or just wrong?
-Marlo

Yummy Recipes- Candied Apples for a Baby Shower!

Valerie McSwain, mother of cutie little Mylo (pictured with his apple- awww!) and former Pastry Chef at the Jackson House in Woodstock, VT was kind enough to give us this Candied Apple recipe, which is super dainty and pretty and perfect for toting to a baby shower. Considering she missed her own shower because she busy having the baby, we think that is super cool of her and we promise to make them for her if she's ever expecting again! Val says that Whole Foods or a similar store is great for finding these delectable Lady Apples, and that after they are tied in the cellophane, they can be placed in a cigar box ("It's A Girl!!") or stuck in a flower pot with some flowers to make a spring baby shower topiary centerpiece! Any which way, they are super yummy and we are very grateful she has shared with the group!





Mylo's Mom's Candied Lady Apples (makes about 3 dozen)

The stuff you need:
36 lady apples (rinsed, dried, room temp)
36 lollipop sticks
1 c water
2/3 c light corn syrup
2 c sugar
1/2 tsp red food color (liquid)
1/2 tsp cinnamon oil

What you do with it:

• Twist and remove stem from apples and insert one stick into each apple. Line up your apples on a baking sheet lined with an non-stick material (Silpat).

• Carefully combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Try not to splash any sugar onto the walls of the pan.

• Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Boil, without stirring, until candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees (hard-crack stage).

• Remove pan from heat and let stand until bubbling subsides (about 1 minute). Gently stir in food coloring and cinnamon oil.

• Holding the sticks, dip each apple into the hot syrup, allowing any excess to drip back into the pan. Set each dipped apple back onto the non-stick mat.

• The apples should cool and harden in about 1 hour (depending on humidity). Wrap each in cellophane and store in a cool, dry place.

---posted by Kristina