Coloring a Cookbook!

I enjoy preparing and consuming foods that are a little out of my comfort zone.  I've discovered some of my favorite recipes are those which send me on a multi-store hunt for ingredients, or make me Google a new cooking term.  I've cooked with herbs, cheeses, and vegetables that I would otherwise not have touched with a ten-foot fork!  Some have been successes and some, well, have not.

My husband and I believe it's important for our children to leave their comfort zones, too.  We ask them to try new foods, and give us their honest feedback.  In doing so, I've had to learn to accept not-so-constructive criticism regarding my recipe experiments.  A five-year old and two-year old give VERY honest feedback and sometimes follow that up with a disgusted face, pretend gagging, or enthusiastically tossing food to the dog!  It's a good thing we always have a sunflower butter and jelly sandwich option.


A surefire way to get our girls interested in trying healthy new meals, is to ask them to help with the preparation. Kids love being in the kitchen, and take pride in sharing their kitchen creations with family and friends.  I have several resources I use when our girls put on their aprons.  My favorites are:  Food & Family magazine, Disney's Family Cookbook,  The Royal Recipe Collection (Disney Princess Cookbook), Family Fun magazine, and Taste of Home magazine/website.

My youngest daughter and I were browsing the TOH website this morning, and discovered a coloring cookbook.  There are many free coloring pages available for download.  Not all of them are healthy, but most of them do look tasty.  My daughters are very excited to "cook" Veggie Christmas Trees (who cares it's just now September?!), and the Festive Tomato Wedges.  They'll enjoy coloring the little pictures on the recipe page, and I'm excited because this means they will try herbs on tomatoes and might give cauliflower a second a chance!
I love the idea of combining coloring and cooking.  A great way for kids to have fun and be adventurous in their eating habits!

Now...if only some brilliant person could figure out a way to combine the things I enjoy with foods I don't.  Handbags and raisins?  Oil painting and jalapenos?

If you have a favorite kid-friendly recipe or recipe source, please share!  I'd love to know where you gain your inspiration. 

An Evening with Earl Grey

The Meal Swap group celebrated one year of success! We decided to throw ourselves a party, and do something fancy and fun. We gathered with our LHWC small-group friends and had a tea party!

The women in our group wore scarves, hats, and necklaces that definitely would have met the Queen's approval. We sat at a decorated table and sipped tea from beautiful china cups. When our cups were empty, we crafted colorful flowers from paper napkins. We enjoyed delicious desserts and delectable conversation.














"A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards." ~A.A. Milne

Needless to say, our tea was a proper and unforgettable one. Thank you for an amazing year of meals, fun, laughter, and most importantly...friendship.
I can't wait to see what our future brings. No doubt, it will be wonderful.

I Just Found Gold!

Make-ahead-meal gold, that is! The Once A Month Mom (OAMM) catalogs her incredible array of recipes by month, and it's the perfect way to find a tasty meal using what's available in the garden and at the grocery store. Another thing I liked about the blog is almost all the recipes include detailed cooking, freezing, and reheating instructions. Perfect for our Meal Swap! http://onceamonthmom.com/

OAMM links to several websites and blogs, and even has a section of baby food recipes (arranged by age). While that section doesn't apply to me, I know it will come in handy to some of you! After visiting with my sis-in-law, who prepares yummy homemade baby foods for her son, I was reminded of how much healthier, tastier, and cheaper homemade baby food is. Such a great way to feed a little one! Matter of fact, I might prepare some of the recipes for my vegetable-hating toddler. It would be a great way to sneak in the good stuff without her knowing!

Many of OAMM's springtime recipes looked delicious, and I wish it were even looking like spring here, but I think I'll have to wait a while for my herb garden to catch up with my recipe trials.

Happy Browsing and Happy Cooking!

Cup Cakes (aka Genius in a Mug).

My parents sent our kids a package for Valentine's Day. Among the goodies in the box was a large coffee mug, and many tiny packages of cake mix. I know. "Huh?" was my first reaction.

My Mom had divided boxes of store-bought angel food cake mix into little baggies (1/3 c. each). She then typed instructions so the girls would know how to turn those baggies of cake mix into amazing little microwaveable treats, using the large coffee mug!

Our girls wanted to have a tea party with their aunt and uncle (and baby cousin, of course) who were visiting for the weekend, so they decided to make Cup Cakes. The cakes were a hit and what I like the most is, aside from handling the hot mug, the girls can make the cakes all by themselves. Tasty, and a great way to include kids in the kitchen!

Instructions:
**Put 1/3 c. angel food cake mix into a large (microwaveable) coffee mug.
**Add 3 tablespoons water to the cake mix. Stir.
**Microwave for 60-90 seconds. (MAKE SURE AN ADULT HANDLES THE MUG. VERY HOT!!)
**Let cool (usually only takes a couple of minutes). Eat directly from mug, or take it out and add frosting, whipped cream, powdered sugar, etc.

In about one minute, you will have a warm cake to eat! Enjoy!

A Valentine Party!

Sorry this is late but I've been playing a serious game of catch-up lately. I'm hoping to win this game, eventually!

When discussing themes for our February gathering it was impossible to avoid things like hearts, valentines, and candy. (Plus, who would want to leave those out?!)

We decided to honor our childhood days and have a Valentine party. A party complete with homemade mailboxes, Valentines, and candy! So. Much. Fun! What an incredibly creative group of women. Those mailboxes were works of art! We enjoyed a delicious DQ ice-cream cake, and as always, great conversation.
We also learned cheap, dollar store, utensils are no match for an ice-cream cake.

Raspberries and Pecans

Since I am clearly thinking salads today, I thought I would share one of my favorite salad recipes. It's very simple, but the combination of flavors is delicious!
I have to admit, this salad has a special place in my Meal Memory Bank. A wonderful man made me a fancy Italian meal several years ago, and he made this salad as an accompaniment to one of his famous pasta dishes. That man eventually became my husband, and this salad became my favorite lettuce treat. Enjoy!

Raspberry & Candied Pecan Salad

1 bag: spring greens salad mix
1 bottle: fat-free raspberry vinaigrette
(My favorite is Maple Grove Farms Fat Free dressing)
1/2 cup: pecan pieces
1-2 Tblsp: butter
1-2 Tblsp: brown sugar
1: ripe pear, cut into bite size chunks (do this right before serving to avoid
browning)
Note: Sliced apples or strawberries make a great substitute for the pear in this salad.

*To candy pecans: Melt butter in small skillet/pan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar has melted. Add pecans and stir until pecans are mostly coated in the sugar mixture. You can add more sugar, depending on how buttery the
pecans look. (You don't want a buttery pecan, you want a crisp, sweet one!) Once the pecans are coated, pour them onto a sheet-pan covered with wax paper. Let cool.

*Toss greens, pecans, pears, and dressing in salad bowl. Serve. Enjoy. Laugh.

A Happy Little Salad.

I am channeling Bob Ross with that title. I am also channeling Edith Zimmerman's photo entry from thehairpin website.

I enjoy digging into a really fresh salad, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a salad so much it caused me to break into delighted laughter at the site of lettuce. Actually, I can honestly say that has never happened. Never.
Apparently, I am not eating the right salads! For your entertainment, I bring you...

Women Laughing Alone With Salad
by Edith Zimmerman on January 3rd, 2011