MUSIC! MOSTERS! ROBOTS! - Experience Music Project/ SciFi Museum

Since the 1950's Science Fiction and Rock-N-Roll have gone hand-in-hand.  From the 1950's portrayal of the Greaser and Rock-a-billy stereotypes to the amazing sci-fi soundtracks of the 70's and 80's(Queen's soundtrack for Flash Gordon comes to mind) the two pop culture branches have been firmly entwined.  Which is why the EMP/ Science Fiction Museum is such an amazing place.  One half of the museum is dedicated to music with a special focus on the musical history of the Northwest (including great exhibits on Jimi Hendrix and the Grunge Era).  There are also opportunities for hands on exploration in the Sound Lab which features a variety of instruments and private recording room to experiment with.  The Science Fiction Museum contains a large collection of sci-fi memorabilia ranging from early pulp novels to current film and television.  Supplementing the permanent exhibits are rotating exhibits at both the EMP and Science Fiction Museum.  Past exhibits have included The Muppets, AC/DC, The Beatles and Alien Encounters.  Admission to one museum gets you into both.   http://www.empsfm.org/

Tasty Architecture - 20th Annual Gingerbread Houses

For the past 20 years Seattle’s top architecture firms have teamed up with the Downtown Sheraton's culinary team to create amazing gingerbread houses.  Each year a theme is offered (this year's theme is Once Upon a Time) and these teams pool their imaginations and skills, building massive structures that embrace the whimsy and wonder of youth.  Each of the structures is fantastic from a distance, but they truly shine up close.  Each of them is packed full of fine details and hidden sights.  The display will be up from November 20th thru January 1st.  http://gingerbreadvillage.myevent.com/

 

Rocket To The Top - Visit Santa Atop The Space Needle

From now through the end December you can visit the jolliest of elves at the top of space needle for free.  All you have to do is head to Bartell Drugs and pick up your FREE voucher good for one free adult or two youth tickets with the purchase of one adult ticket.  So if you have visitors coming into town and want to show them the birds eye view of your hometown, grab this voucher and do it on the cheap.

Blast From The Past - SIMM

If you were a kid in the late 70's- 80's there was a mind-altering event that tore the barrier between fantasy and reality itself...the Video Game.  Most can tell you when they first experienced the hypnotic flashing lights for the first time.  Since then, there have been countless variations of systems, games and controllers , from wired to wireless and handheld to worn on the hands (Powerglove, I'm looking at you)  And now, everyone is carrying a stronger, more powerful video game system in their pocket, but there is something amazing about revisiting those earlier systems...  and now you can.  The Seattle Interactive Media Museum is a hands-on collection of the early pioneers in video gaming.  From the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision to all variations of Nintendo(NES, SNES, N64) and Playstation, the SIMM exhibit not only will give you a chance to play a variety of games on each system, but also supplies in depth information on their evolution through placards, a very well informed host and sticky notes with various facts left behind by visitors themselves.   The SIMM will be at the Seattle Center through early January 2013 with the goal of creating a permanent museum ASAP.  So go get your game on and revel in the nostalgia!  http://www.thesimm.org/ 

I Will Create Food! - Gnocchi

It's not often I can convince the boys to help me with dinner.  Usually it falls along the lines of:
 "Hey, come help me make dinner."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Start by mixing this."
5 minutes later the item is mixed and my help has vanished.  But not this time.   As soon as my youngest saw me mashing the potatoes for the Gnocchi he wanted to be elbows deep in the process.  From mashing to rolling to freezing, he was a part of every step.  I think we may be making Gnocchi more often.

I found several recipes online and pieced together a simple version.

2 large potatoes
2 cups of flour ( you may use more or less depending on how your dough comes together)
1 egg

Boil the potatoes. I prefer to boil them with the skin on and peel them after while their still warm.

After peeling, mash the potatoes and form a small crater in the middle.  Start another pot of water to cook the Gnocchi. (I like to add a bit of olive oil to the water) Add the egg to the crater and add about 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Knead all the ingredients together adding more flour as you go until you have a slightly sticky dough.

Cut small chunks of dough off and roll into long snakes.  

They should look like this.
Once you have the dough snakes, cut them into whatever sized chunks you would like. (We cut them into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces.

 

Once you have the Gnocchi cut to the size you want drop them into your boiling water, wait for the Gnocchi to rise to the surface and enjoy with your favorite pasta sauce. 

Healthy Body, Quick Mind - Professor Wellbody's Academy of Health & Wellness

How do the choices you make affect your body?  And how do you pass that information to your kids in a way that will stick?  Introducing Professor Wellbody's Academy of Health & Wellness at the Pacific Science Center.  The Wellbody Academy is a new interactive exhibit that shows how your actions affect your health and well-being.  From the Calorie Conveyor Belt (figure out how many calories are in that doughnut, bacon, pork sausage, cake sandwich with a milkshake chaser you had for breakfast)  to the Interactive Sneeze (You will get wet) the exhibits are interesting and, more importantly, fun. Professor Wellbody's Academy of Health & Wellness officially opens on December 1st.  http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/wellbodyacademy/Home

Watch The Sky Fall - Leonids Meteor Shower

It's not often that you can play Chicken Little, but this weekend is one of those times.  The Leonids Meteor Shower is an annual event as the Earth passes through the tail of  the Tempel-Tuttle comet.  The best viewing will begin Friday evening with the peak happening early on Saturday morning. (3:00 a.m.)   I don't usually encourage my 11 year old to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, but this may be an exception.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121112-leonids-meteor-shower-shooting-stars-space-science/

Explore Another Planet! - Google Mars

Google Earth has changed the way we look at the world around us.  The ability to search, locate, get directions and see it from the street has both made the world a little bit smaller and given rise to an interesting version of hidden picture where people look for strange items in the satellite and street images.      (http://www.mapofstrange.com/ ) But now the good people at Google are setting their sights on a new planet to explore - Mars.  Using Google Earth you can change the settings to explore the surface of Mars including satellite images and ground images.  So if you feel inclined to explore but can't bring yourself to leave the house, turn you attention to the skies....from your very own couch. http://www.google.com/earth/explore/showcase/mars.html