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I’ve been wanting to share this video on YouTube for awhile now. It’s by one of my editors at Citizen Mom’s Family Journal, Elyse Orecchio. Elyse blogs at How’s Theo? Her son was diagnosed with PDD or pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism. As you can see, they don’t let his diagnosis prevent them from having fun and being creative with a wonderful fairy tale.

The Frog Prince is hugely popular with the first graders at Nathan’s school. When I read the Usborne version to them, they loved it. Probably because it’s one of the stories in the Core Knowledge sequence, so they’re familiar with it.

So besides making videos and posting them on YouTube (after all we’re not near as talented like Elyse) what other activities could you do after reading the Frog Prince? Try making Frog Prince cookies using this cool frog prince cookie cutter from CopperGifts.com. Or try some of the frog activities at the ChildFun Family website.

Or you could make Toad in the Hole, a traditional British dish (credit goes to Wikipedia for the photo). While not the most healthy of recipes, I bet it would make a terrific SuperBowl party dish. You could call it Footballs in the Hole or Sausages in the Bowl.

The recipes I’ve found on the internet are basically the same, but the challenge is finding it in farenheit and ounces (it’s British after all). You could try this recipe from the UK’s Greasy Spoon Cafe. Or this 1936 version from Retro Food Recipes.

I like Meg’s version at Too Many Chefs because she gives good tips, like letting the batter rest and using bacon grease instead of oil. Also see the comments section regarding using mustard, mustard seed, and trying to find proper English sausages.

The Critic’s Toad in the Hole
From Meg at Too Many Chefs

ingredients:

1. 100g/4 oz plain flour
2. pinch salt
3. 1 egg
4. scant 300 ml/1/2 pint milk
5. 6-8 sausages
6. 2 Tbs oil or bacon grease (I use the latter)
7. Optional: 1 Tbs mustard

Directions:

1. Sift flour and salt together, add egg and enough milk to make a sticky mixture, beat well.
2. Gradually whisk in the remaining liquid. (Note: Nigel Slater advises stirring in a tablespoon of mustard. We tried it once and it was a nice touch but it was also "Messing With Tradition," which is frowned upon. We haven’t gone back to it.)
3. Set batter aside in a cool place for 20-30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 220C. (425 F)
5. While it is preheating, place a small baking pan (just large enough to fit your sausages in one layer) in the oven with the oil or grease in it. When the pan is nice and hot, remove it from the oven. Carefully swish around the oil/grease to cover the bottom and part of the sides of the baking dish.
6. Plop your uncooked sausages in a single layer and pour over them the batter. Put in the hot oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the batter is all poofy and cooked through.

Serve with Onion Sauce:

Ingredients:

1. one large onion
2. enough butter to saute onion
3. tsp. fresh tyme
4. tsp. flour
5. white wine
6. 1 cup pork gravy or chicken broth

Directions:

1. Saute one large onion in a little butter.
2. When it is soft and a little caramelaized, add a teaspoon of fresh thyme and a teaspoon of flour.
3. Let it bubble a while and then deglaze with a little white wine.
4. Pour in a glass or so of broth - pork gravy if you have it, or otherwise chicken broth. Let it bubble away and thicken as the toads are baking in their holes.

Including the sauce making, only 15 minutes is need to prep the dinner.

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