Just Another Winter Weekend

This weekend was certainly a busy one. Actually, I didn't even leave the house except to go to the grocery store for our week's food and to take the 3 boys on a 2-hour neighborhood walk, where Jaguar started his nature collecion with some itty bitty pinecones and some various acorns. Bobcat walked pretty well, but I carried him in my sling most of the time, and Lynx was quite conversational and satisfied with the wet washed look of all the plants and trees.

Bobcat discovered a fascination with moths. He was quite scared of them...well, he is still very frightened when they randomly take flight near him, but he loves to look at them and talk about them as he points. We went around last night and counted all the moths up in the corners of the walls and on the ceiling, and I noticed they look like little hearts upside down ~ how perfect with the upcoming Valentine's Day.

Today was our baking day, as it usually is on Sundays, so Jared was in charge of making Apple Poppy Seed Bread in the bread maker. It called for apple sauce, of which we had none, so he is seen here cutting up apples for our homemade apple sauce. We have honestly not yet tried it, which is silly because fresh bread that is warm out of the oven or bread maker is the best. Once we try it, if it is good, I will create a posting with the recipe.

Lynx is seen hand-creaming the butter and sugar for our Dark Chocolate Heart Cake made from scratch (usually we are guilty of using cake mix). He was quite "buff" this time because he did it completely by himself and without complaint. Our electric mixer is from like the 1950s passed down from my grandmother, and it isn't performing too well. We can't afford a new one, so we make due. His cake was very yummy, soft and moist and very tasty! A recipe worth sharing! The recipe of course didn't call for making a heart, but we decided to anyway because I found a heart-shaped cake pan at the thrift store and it again was inspired by Valentine's Day, though it is a little early. It is actually called  Dark Chocolate Cake I, and we modified it to half measurements.

They were determined to build a house. They took the cardboard box cutout house from the back deck, some mats, chairs, a couch cushion, and blankets to create the structure and bedroom of their house. Lynx created a laundry room with a washer, a kitchen with a sink, cupboards, and a full pantry. They even had a mailbox out front. Lynx plays wonderfully with his brothers...when he wants to ;). They took a trip to the store (their bedroom), where Lynx was inspired to make tons of money and setup an elaborate display of merchandise to purchase and price tags. This literally took up hours of their time. Yay!

The look of satisfaction as he savors our newly founded houshold snack, Nori. Nothing like a nice helping of tasty and mildly salty seaweed. Yum!

We decided to attract our local birds by creating some delicious treats. Jaguar helped me to prepare our Suet, a mixture of cornmeal, oats, peanut butter, lard, flour, and so on. It is fairly dry, but it globs together pretty well. When we were done, we put some in the hanging net seen below for the birds to feed from. We also strung peanuts on some yarn and tied each end to nails at both ends of the somewhat weathered birdfeeder. The rest of the huge batch of Suet was placed in old jars and stuck in the freezer. Unfortunately, we did this late in the day, so we can only expect the birds tomorrow morning. In addition, Daddy pulled himself away from his continuous studying and played some basketball outside with the boys.

They read, I ironed and did some more loads, Lynx rode his skate board, Jaguar his scooter, Bobcat practiced his talking and skills of imitation, we all did a lot of cleaning, hanging out, and so much more.... Good night (or day) to you and I hope you enjoyed our weekend full of simplicity.

Chewy Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

       Tonight, Jaguar convinced me to make some cookies, even though baking is our Sunday thing. We were planning on making a "Screamer" (one of our traditional yummy shakes with peanut butter, ice cream, bananas, and milk), but I realized we hadn't any more milk. So, I thought, What the Heck! I looked up a recipe that included honey and we made it. Jaguar handled the eggs, some of the stirring, the adding of ingredients, and so on. We then popped them into the oven and Vuala! This particular recipe yeilded plump, ooey gooey, soft and moist cookies with fabulous flavor. I encourage all to try them! I will definitely bake this recipe again.

Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chocolate chips

• Cream butter and sugar, then add honey.
• Add egg and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 375F 10 minutes.

Easy as Pie...well, actually easier than pie, and quick!

A Few Thrift Store Treasures

As you may know by now, I love vintage treasures and I love frugality. So, not only are antique shops of interest, but thrift stores are divine. There are always fabulous vintage and used items at these lovely second-hand shops. This last time I went, I didn't find much, but I did find a couple of cute finds.

I am somewhat of a collector of different mugs, generally from Japan or fancy companies. We use them and they always replace some of the chipped or broken cups. The blue spiral mug on the left was made in Japan and I love the color and character of the piece. On the right are two mugs featuring wonderful Norman Rockwell paintings with brief stories on the opposite side. I love Norman Rockwell and this was particularly cool because I already have two other editions to this set, also from the thrift store (they are in the dishwasher right now, so I will have to share another time.)

These were about $0.25 for this set of ceramic autumn candle holders. I know that autumn is a ways away, but I still couldn't resist for the price and the lovely colors. Plus, we love candles in this house, so this was a perfect buy.

At the local thrift store, there is always tons of junk in the book section, but if you have the time or patience to weed through it all, you will always find some gems. Each of these books offer wonderful illustrations and classic stories. The entire shopping day cost us about $4.00, and we just went to the one in our community so I am not even going to count gas. It is always so rewarding and it is always fun to go on treasure hunts!

Kitchen Play...Work, Rather

Bobcat and Jaguar both were mesmerized by washing the dishes and playing in the water. As you may already know, it is very important to give young children the opportunity to engage in water play...or work...however you want to look at it. The bath tub, a pool, near the waves on the shoreline, at the edge of a lake, splashing in a puddle, playing in a water table outside...these are all wonderful and vital experiences. Since winter is very chilly where we live and far travels aren't in the cards for us lately, we have only the indoors to play with water. The bath is always a place of amusement for these 2, but now we have discovered the kitchen sink. For my 22-month-old, it is a place of sensory experience and a learning zone for science. My 4-year-old gets the benefit of coordination and both sensory and practical experience. You can guarentee there will be somewhat of a mess, but it is easy to clean up, it's just water.

Recently, I decided to fill the big bottom drawer in our kitchen with various cooking utensils, tupperware, and pots and pans with their lids. This is mainly for my youngest, but his bigger brother decided to get involved. Bobcat learns how to match, create different noises, to nest, to stack, to clean up....Jaguar flexes his imagination pretending to cook many different dishes as he sees Mommy doing all the time. This is also a great opportunity for them to get into stuff, as young ones will inevitabley do...well, mainly Bobcat. It is better to set them up for learning success and preoccupation rather than to constantly shew them away from exactly where they want to be, the room you are in at the time.

Apple Sunday

Though we live in Apple Hill, 'tisn't the season for apples. That was a few months ago, but we were still inspired to have warm, fresh-cooked sweet apple tastiness. Since Sunday is our baking day, we decided to celebrate the wonderful essence of organic apples. Actually, it was quite funny because as we were driving toward our house on Friday I looked over at our 92-year-old neighbor's house thinking to myself that I needed to make him a pie, when about 1 second later Jaguar randomly bursted out with, "I want pie, Mom." Who says there isn't telekinesis?

This was the Organic Honey Apple Pie we made (we should have made hearts, but the fall leaf was the only cookie cutter I could find) just before we stuck it into the oven.

And here is the golden, flaky crust (though the pretty edges didn't remain so pretty) and sweet, warm, juicy filling of our final product fresh out of the oven. It was delicious! I recommend using honey instead of sugar because it is better for you, and also you should use less than the recipe calls for because apples have their own natural sugars that are superb when baked.

These are our apple fritters. It gives me an excuse to buy beer. Beer batter is so perfect for these greasy delights. I just thinly slice 2-3 organic apple. For the batter I mix 1 cup each of beer and flour, 3 Tbs of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Heat up at least half an inch of oil, dip apples and turn momentary, then place finished fritters onto a paper towel-lined plate and Vuala!!!

Feel free to send your comments about yummy apple recipes you have tried, or that you want to make. Or if you make these fritters, let me know what you think!

Steaming Soup Medley

There is nothing like cold winter evenings filled with warmth from the fireplace, soft oversized blankets, hot tea, and of course a big pot of steaming, simmering soup. This past week, we decided to ward off the last bit of our colds with a soup medley. Almost every night we had a different soup accompanied by rolls and other veges, and tonight we have quite a variety of leftovers from which to choose. So, go make a family recipe or search online for a really delicious choice and indulge in a bowl of home-cooked soup. Or you can simply try from among these recipes listed below.

Cheese Tortellini Soup with Cannellini, Kielbasa, and Kale

Chick-Pea, Chard, and Lima Bean Soup

Italian Chicken Soup

Sweet Potato Soup

Hanukkah-Inspired Family Feast

We decided to have a Hanukkah dinner so I compiled a few recipes and created a perfect feast for a family of five. Going clockwise, the menu included Golden and Red Beet Soup (though, I can't find any golden beets at my local grocery stores this time of year, and our local farmer's market runs only until the end of October...thus, it is more like Red Beet Soup), Apple Fritters (these were superb), Matzo Balls (these are like tasty dumplings), Potato Latkes (this, in addition to the apple fritters, is customary during Hanukkah because fried foods are an important element to celebrating the tradition), Beet Greens sauteed in butter (I had these leftover from the beets I utilized and I thought we definitely needed some greens in the meal), and Roased Turkey (well, I cheated a little here....I bought one of those fresh roasted turkey breasts from the store). Anyone can put together a beautiful Jewish meal for the family. It is a great way to learn about this unique custom to actually observe the wonderful holiday of Hanukkah. Food and family gathering are are key experiences in learning about other cultures. One can simply perform an internet search for Hanukkah recipes or find a recipe book at the local library or at a book store. Lynx and I will be making Sufganiyot (basically jelly doughnuts) in a couple days, even though Hanukkah is now officially over this year. We are drawing it out a little longer.

Never Too Old to Play with Play Dough

Play dough is one of the age old activities for young children. However, working with your hands to mold artwork is beneficial for any age and can bring a family together in a fun, often funny manner. Play dough can be easily made at home, where you know the ingredients are safe (in case your little ones munch a few pieces). In fact, there are several recipes that can be utilized, including edible picks that include peanut butter and honey. They are quite easy to find on an internet search. I chose to use a traditional recipe, as shown below. I made 5 different colors with food coloring to represent Autumn colors. We all had quite a bit of fun creating, cutting, rolling, molding, cookie cutting, mashing, building...Well my husband and I just molded a turkey and a couple of faces...The kids really did all the work.

Recipe for Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring

Mix all ingredients (add food coloring last). Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan, let cool slightly, and knead until blended and smooth. Store in a plastic bag or airtight container when cooled.

Children Create Soul Food

When I say Soul Food, I mean that when children are involved in preparing food (and cleaning up) it nourishes their very being. There are so many ways to allow children of all ages to participate in the kitchen. My 19-month-old can help by giving me needed items, putting cut food into a nearby bowl or pot, loading the dirty silverware in the dishwasher, handing me clean silverware, wiping the floor after I wash it….. My 4-year-old can cut things with a butter knife, pour, mix, crack eggs, whisk, grate, arrange, make a sandwich, decorates baked goods, wash produce, load the dishwasher, wash dishes, unload the silverware, rearrange his kitchen/dining shelf, start the oven with guidance, set the table before meals, wash the table after meals…… And my 10-year-old can do all of that, plus make eggs, make butter, slice and dice with a real cutting knife, peel and core, wash and dry dishes, clean the counter tops, stir food as it is cooking, pull things in and out of the oven, measure, and even look up recipes that he wants to make and enjoy. (Sigh…that was a long sentence). It is more time consuming to involve your children, but well-worth it in the long run. Hey, you never know, you could wake up on Mother’s Day or Father's Day one year and have a gourmet breakfast in bed made by your kids ;) . Either way, if you don’t know how or even why to get started, there are a ton of great resources for you and your children.

Some resources are:

6 Ways to Thrive in The Kitchen With the Kids - http://simplemom.net/6-ways-to-thrive-in-the-kitchen-with-the-kids/
Teaching Your Kids to Cook - http://www.squidoo.com/kids_can_cook
Twelve Reasons to Bake with your Children - http://www.homebaking.org/familyfun/reasons.html
Kids Healthy Recipes Guide - http://kidshealthyrecipesguide.blogspot.com/2009/10/bake-christmas-treats-with-your-kids.html
Tips for Baking with Toddlers - http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/category/baking-with-toddlers

Here are a handful of books:

Baking Bread With Children (Crafts Series) by Warren Lee Cohen
Williams Sonoma Kids Baking by Abigail J. Dodge
Mom and Me Cookbook by Annabel Karmel
You're the Cook! A Guide to Mixing It Up In the Kitchen. For Children 9 and up! (Paperback) by You're the Cook!
Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook by Marion Cunningham
The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan
Salad People and More Real Recipes: A New Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up by Mollie Katzen
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up by Mollie Katzen and Ann L. HendersonCooking Around the Calendar with Kids: Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun