Little House Lemonade

We're reading the Little House books, and not too long ago we made lemonade to compare it to the powder kind. Man, its better! This Little House Cookbook has been a wonderful accompaniment to the books. It includes a lot of history of food as well as recipes for all the foods in Laura's books. 

More Eggplant Recipes

I don't have a lot to say about this, but its summer now and eggplant abounds. These are recipes I made last year and never got around to posting, and now I think it would be a good reminder for myself.  In addition to Ratatouille, we enjoy this recipe of fried eggplant, especially the kids.

My favorite was the Eggplant Croquettes - because I like things like crab cakes, and this was yummy and similar.

Share Birthday

We decided to have one party for both girls this year, and the girls started calling it a "Share Birthday." They really latched onto the sharing idea in a way I hadn't anticipated. For all the effort of trying to teach them, beg them, force them to share... sometimes it just flows naturally - and isn't that beautiful? And maybe I should remember to stop lecturing and just spend more time baking with the kids, eh?

When we prepared the cakes, we baked  the batter in tuna cans, making two very small, very tall cakes. I thought this was a lot of fun, but I was also worried - how exactly do you slice and share a very skinny cake? My mom, my trusty baking guru who is always on the other end of the phone, suggested cutting each layer in half, height wise - making the layers shorter and making more layers. Enough so that each guest could have their own little cake.

I told the kids about this idea, and explained that they could pick what color layers each guest received - so it would be a little gift they gave their guests. They pretty much thought that idea was AWESOME, and immediately had me call everyone to find out what their favorite color was.

[A couple of side notes about the cake:
1.) Making the layers shorter also meant that the birthday girl cake layers were a little neater and straighter and made the cakes tidier all together. Nice.
2.) One cake mix made about 14 tuna can size cakes, which I cut in half, so we had 28 layers. Each birthday girl had 6 layers, and each of the 5 guest cakes had 3, except for Daddy who got an extra 4th layer. You could also make nine 3-layer cakes.
3.) Even the small 3 layer cakes were really too much for a guest to eat in one sitting - it would have been super cool to have a little take-out boxes for the guests to take their extra cake home. Alas, we kept the leftovers.]

After choosing the colors and arranging the layers, I finished icing the cakes on my own. But the girls wanted to do more. They wanted to make more surprises for their guests! As I was icing the cakes, I realized I was going to have trouble telling them apart - so I had the idea that the girls could make cake toppers. I drew a set of circles on cardstock and had them draw a picture of each guest (and themselves) in a circle. There was probably a neater way of assembling them than what we did - but with a little scotch tape, blue paper and some grilling skewers we ended up with these cute cake toppers.

Our guests were also super gracious when I required each of them, one by one, to carefully cut their cake in half and pose for a picture with their cake and cake topper. It was exciting for me and the girls to see them opened as well, since they were pretty messy looking pre-icing, and so lovely when cut neatly open. Each cake got some oohs and aahs.

The cake toppers made nice party favors for grandparents and aunts. I think they would be cute in a potted plant. I love the set of our family that each girl made, and will probably do something with those soon...

I had a lot of fun doing all of these things with the kids - baking and scheming, color matching and drawing.  It seems to be the best of parenting, the easiest and most fun part, and the part too easy to forget at times - the being together, sharing our days. This was so hard to grasp in the beginning, but its becoming clearer to me now. Here's to togetherness and the passing of time. Many years, my not-so-little ones!

Please, let me know if you have any cake questions. Although I wrote more about the cakes here and there are a million rainbow cake tutorials on the web. Much fun and great wow factor - I definitely recommend it!

Baking Together

We're getting ready for some birthday celebrating this weekend, so the girls and I baked their birthday cakes today. Usually, I like to make the cake a surprise, but this year the girls both wanted rainbow cakes, and since that wasn't a surprise I thought they'd like to play with the food coloring with me.

We'll celebrate both birthdays together this year, so we're making two cakes. L is having a true rainbow, and J chose a pink value scale. This was a fun follow up on the recent color wheel lesson we did. I think they'll both be beautiful!

We used one cake mix (yes, friends, a mix!) and baked 12 little cakes in washed tuna and pineapple cans. I put a 1/4 cup of batter in 12 little bowls and we added food coloring, then baked them 4 at a time (because we couldn't eat 12 cans of tuna on such short notice).

After baking, I sliced off the rounded tops with a bit of thread so they will stack more neatly, and the girls and I ate the little cut off pieces. I will decorate and assemble them later so that there is at least a little surprise - but I'm glad we did this part together.

The girls and I thought that even the mess we made was beautiful. It's nice to have something to celebrate when there has been so much sadness in the news and from friends lately. In the picture below they each just happen to be wearing their favorite colors, which nicely match the cakes we made. I can't believe how quickly they grow, and how precious and beautiful they are! 

Egg Drop Soup

It turns out everyone in our house loves Egg Drop Soup, and it's super quick to make. John and I are always up for a good soup recipe, but the girls are a little hit and miss - so I was thrilled that both kids gobbled this up. Here's my recipe:

• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1-2 TBSPs soy sauce 
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups dried egg noodles
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
• 1 TBSP tahini (or 1 tsp Asian Sesame oil)

Bring stock, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. My chicken stock is unsalted, so I used 2 TBSPs soy sauce, but you may want to use less. Stir in the egg noodles and simmer, until tender. Add the beaten eggs slowly, stirring constantly. Let simmer until the eggs are cooked. Remove from the pot from the heat, and stir in the green onions and tahini. Salt to taste. 

I used tahini in place of asian sesame oil, because I always have tahini - and it adds great flavor! The soup was done in 30 minutes, maybe, so definitely going to add this to the rotation.

Koulourakia

A friend of mine asked me to try his recipe for Koulourakia. And given my love for baking things in funny shapes, I've made these many times now. They're kind of like the Christmas butter cookies I grew up with, but not nearly as dry. Plus, they're super pretty with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, and they go nicely with hot coffee in the morning. 

There appear to be as many variations of this recipe as there are Greek bloggers. :) This recipe is close to the one I used, but this one is nice, too, with lots of pictures. I took some pictures to show how I twisted the shapes. A good recipe will make a strong dough that's not too sticky so they twist up quickly and nicely. 

American Lussekatter

I might as well say "Lucy Cats" since there is nothing Swedish about my bread. I saw lots of talk about St. Lucia day, and since I love an excuse to make shaped bread, AND I loved Kirsten as a kid (and in fact have her tucked away in the attic. Shhh! I don't want to tell the girls I have her until they finally sit through one of the books!) I thought we should have a little last minute St. Lucia day celebration, too. 

At first, I dreamed of the girls letting me sleep in, and then waking me, dressed in pretty gowns and bearing fresh-from-the-oven sweet bread and hot coffee, to serve me breakfast in bed.

But then I woke up and decided a tea party was a better idea.

Unfortunately, I had already started mixing the ingredients before I learned of the vital (and rare and expensive) ingredient saffron. Even more unfortunately, I realized too late that I didn't actually have enough flour to turn this batter into bread. So I stuck the goopy mess in the refrigerator. Yes, this is how I roll.

The next day, I added some flour and cinnamon and a few other entirely non-Swedish-tradition ingredients and braided up this bread.  I intended to shape them all into the cat shapes (sort of a cross made of 2 S's), but it was messy and the kids were yelling, and so I quickly braided the rest into a Lucia crown, and threw them in the oven. 

It was quite ill-planned - nevertheless, we sat down to our tea party with sweet bread, cocoa, candles and a little reading from the end of the Kirsten book. (spoiler! It's St. Lucia day and guess who gets to be St. Lucia!) The girls loved the story and (surprisingly) the bread, although the cocoa was a touch too hot. It's amazing how sticking a candle into your food can get everyone in a festive mood, and plenty of sugar glaze will keep everyone quietly licking their fingers while you read. Yes, it was a good time. 

Yummy Yummy Vegetables

I've been plugging away on the Rose Creek Farms CSA blog, with 2 recipes each week. I'm learning so much about vegetables, and we are eating new foods each week. If you're wondering what to do with your kale, turnips, cauliflower or kohlrabi - be sure to check out my recipes. I've been wondering the same thing! Come check out my recipes, but please share your favorites, too.

Apple and Turnip Pot Pie

Cauliflower Soup

Kohlrabi Quiche

Acorn Squash and Broccoli Rabe Flatbread

Lamb Sausage Balls and Greek Yogurt Dip

I'll admit I get goofy excited about taking these food photos. Plus I get to play with all my fiesta dish colors. Too fun. :)

Updated 12/13/12 to add: Okay, I just realized that Lamb Sausage Balls are not vegetables and so they sorta don't fit here, huh? Nevertheless, the lamb sausage did come from our CSA, and I did post a recipe, so there you have it. 

One Eyed Jacks

We're enjoying our hens being out and about, and the eggs are definitely better for it. My latest breakfast craze (why do I get so excited about breakfast food?) are One Eyed Jacks. I'm still trying to figure out the right timing for putting the cheese on, because I feel a one-eyed-jack should have pepper jack cheese. The one pictured above has no cheese, and turned out perfectly with the white fully cooked and the yolk a little runny. I'm pretty good at cooking my eggs unevenly, so a perfectly cooked egg was heaven for me.

Here are a couple of recipes I'm referencing.

The girls thought that was too much for them, and they would not even try the egg in the toast. Which was just fine with me. They ate the toasted circles and regular eggs.

How do you like your eggs? Anyone know when to put the cheese on a one-eyed jack?

Refrigerator Pickles

Our CSA has included a lot of cucumbers. I'm not really much of a cucumber person. John has made a valiant effort to eat them in salads and sandwiches, but I'd rather not.

I do like pickles though. I'd love to try canning them, and someday I will. But I don't have the time or equipment now.  Nevertheless, refrigerator pickles turned out pretty awesome and quick.  I used this recipe from Rachel Ray. Give it a try!

Vegetable Lasagna in Parmesan Cream Sauce

Isn't it funny how quickly the internet has changed, and how quickly it has changed us? When John and I first married, he had a folder where he kept recipes he printed from online. I kept craft ideas in three ring binder. Today we have pinterest. :)

John's vegetable lasagna recipe is outstanding. I grew up with a meaty lasagna, so his - with broccoli and carrots - seemed unlikely. But apparently, smothering anything in cheese guarantees tasty. And this recipe includes ricotta, a parmesan sauce, and a healthy dose of mozarella. I made it again this week - substituting the broccoli and carrots for vegetables included in our CSA basket: zuchinni, tomatoes, squash, fresh basil and swiss chard (plus a yellow bell pepper from the store). It was excellent!

I've never made a lasagna that slices perfectly with all the pretty layers. Fortunately, that hasn't affected the taste.

I had to do some digging, but I found John's recipe online. The url was on the recipe he printed, but that website was defunct. Google came to the rescue though, and I found it elsewhere. Bookmark it, pin it or print it - this one's a keeper!

Braided

I saw this lovely Braided Spinach Feta Bread over at Artisan Bread in Five (did you buy the book yet?) and wanted to make something so pretty. Mine didn't turn out quite as lovely as his, which is funny because he says his isn't as pretty as Zoe's. Nevertheless, they're all pretty.  :)

I think I've made it three times now, each time stuffed with different things. Once for dinner with friends to be kinda fancy. Later, when we were out for the day, it made an easy cold picnic lunch. And a third time to use up leftovers. It's easier than it looks, and basically any meat/veggie/cheese/sauce/herb combination would work as a filler. 

I used the Challah dough for the first two, and maybe the basic dough for the third. I forget. Quick, tasty, and pretty every time! 

CSA and Greens

This is our first year to participate in a CSA with Rose Creek Village. I love buying local, and even more I love buying food from a family who grew food with their own hands. It's been a really exciting experience so far. They send us an email each week, telling us what we'll be getting and with some recipe ideas, and keeping us up to date on how the crops are doing.

My biggest worry was whether we'd be able to eat all the produce each week - especially with all the greens. We like salad, but John and I both tend to be wary of cooked greens. I have to admit, despite all the kale love floating around in recent years, I still hadn't tried it. I eat spinach - isn't that enough? Nevertheless, we found some recipes, and I'm totally digging both kale and swiss chard.

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo beans and fresh tomatoes

I'm loving comparing tomatoes and trying new things. In our third week, we've already tried about 6 new recipes. It would be a safe guess that I'll have lots of veggie recipes this summer. 

Non-photographers, such as myself, should really avoid taking pictures of certain types of foods - it's not doing anyone any good. So use your imagination for this one: this White Bean Soup with Kale (and bratwurst from our CSA) has been my favorite new recipe thus far.

Celebrating Five

I love my kids' birthdays.  I try really hard to make it a whole day of celebration. I don't want the day to be lost in the presents you got, the ones you didn't get, or the struggle to share new toys. I don't want birthdays to be about the stuff they're going to get, but to be a celebration of who they are, what they mean to our family. As a parent, it is an opportunity to find deeper ways of showing them how loved they are. Here are some ways we emphasize celebration over gifts:

Decorations! We hang streamers or bunting, pick flowers, and use table cloths and set up games, so when the girls first wake up, they know today is special. I don't necessarily buy decorations, we mostly use our special occasion linens and buntings, but we do like to pick up a few fun party favors. I usually lay out special clothes for the kids, too, because they still love dress up.

Memories. We talk a bit in the morning about growing up and all of our old memories. This year I was glad to be able to pull out our family albums and show them pictures from each of their past birthdays, and we talked about the ways they have changed - getting taller, longer hair, learning new words, writing, etc.

Food! Of course there's the birthday cake, made in a silly shape. But, I also try to make a whole meal (or two meals) of special foods the girls like, or things we don't have often. This year, Lou requested sausage balls like we have at Christmas.

A meal. We had a little tea party this year, so the entire meal felt like a special event. We ate finger foods, and had chocolate milk in our teapot and tea cups. John and I drank our coffee in little child size tea cups, too - which added another layer of fun. We also used our best (silliest) polite voices and everyone helped everyone get their food (rather than me fixing their plates). We eat together most days, so it is important to make this meal feel different than our usual family dinner.

Games! Kids love to play games, but more importantly, they love to play with us! So we spent the day playing together. I made a hopscotch game on the floor using painter's tape. John and I had to google the rules, and we had an awesome time learning and teaching it to the kids. This has become one of my favorite parts of birthdays - a whole day that I give them my attention and play with them without being distracted by all of the other things I need to do.

Presents. Of course, there still are a few presents. Not very many, but we spent much of the day playing with the presents with the kids. The joy wasn't so much about the thrill of opening too many packages but enjoying learning new games, playing pretend, and reading new books together. (Here the girls and I played with eeboo's awesome Tell Me a Story card game.)

L's one birthday present request was that mommy make her another dog.

Family. Our family lives far away, so its special to get to speak to so many of them on birthdays, to know that this is a day when people remember you and love you.

How do you celebrate little birthdays? How do you de-emphasize stuff and emphasize love?