Christmas Pretzels

The week before Christmas had been trying. Long. Exhausting. Daddy was gone, and Elli and I met some unexpected hiccups along with way. So you can imagine the rejoicing in my heart when on Saturday we had nothing much to do but just a bit of laundry, and I could hang out with my lovies (that would be Elli and Daddy), signing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," wrapping gifts and watching "A Christmas Story" -- how can you not like that classic? Fra-jee-lay! Daddy even kicked off the day with an advance present: tickets to the upcoming Chris Tomlin concert. Merry Christmas to Mommy!!

Yes, the batteries were recharged. Elli and I also had plenty of time to prepare for her class Christmas party. Instead of a gift exchange, the teacher invited parents to bring in treats for the kids. That was always my favorite part of school Christmas parties as a kid, but these days it's kind of a fine line. Between food allergies, health particularities and kid-friendly options, what to choose becomes harder and harder. But I had the perfect idea.

I had made these treats for a kids Christmas party many years ago, and they were a huge hit, both with parents and kids. The idea came from Kraft Food and Family magazine and the pictures were of two little girls having a grand time.

Christmas Pretzels


Pretzel rods
1 cup of Baker's chocolate chunks, melted (I opt for the microwavable bowls)
4 cups fruit-flavored rice cereal


Melt chocolate. Pour 2 cups of cereal on a large dinner plate, reserving the remaining 2 cups until needed. Cover each pretzel rod halfway with chocolate; immediately roll in cereal. Place on a wax-paper covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until chocolate is hardened.

Melted chocolate. Small bits of cereal. "Fra-jee-lay" pretzel rods. Oh, yes, this rang with the promise of one grand mess. But that was okay. What's Christmas without a grand mess on the kitchen counter? Between these Christmas Pretzels and now-traditional French Toast Casserole from Gooseberry Patch for Christmas Eve, my kitchen was bound to be a giant pool of sticky sweetness. 

Before we started on the pretzels, I walked Elli through each step so she knew what to expect.

"We can make some for your Christmas party at school," I said. "We'll make one for all your friends."

"I am going to make one for my friend Finnegan," she replied. You may recognize that name. If it sounds familiar it might be from the story I've told you before. When we were working with Elli on her full name, we would prompt her, "What is your name?" She would respond "Elli no hit Finnegan, not nice." They have since learned to like each other.

"What about Karson? And Izzy?" I asked, naming off the other kids in her class.

"Yes, I am going to make some for them."

"All right. Well, we better get started."

I opened the bag of pretzels, which Elli immediately began to eye, plotting her move. I then poured the cereal out onto the plate and popped the chocolate, in it's convenient little bowl, in the microwave until it was melted.

"Look, Mommy," Elli said, holding a pretzel rod in the cereal. "You dip this in the cereal."

She was halfway correct. "Yes, you do, sweetheart. But first we have to put chocolate on it."

"Choc-o-let?"

"Yes, chocolate."

"Oh-kaaay." She almost sounded resigned, but once I showed her how to dip the pretzel in the chocolate, any hint of resignation disappeared like chocolate milke in a preschooler's cup.

The only thing about the Baker's microwavable cups is they are a little too short to dip a pretzel in halfway. So, I instructed Elli in the art of using a spoon to scoop the chocolate up and around the pretzel rod.

"All right, Elli. Now the fun part. Roll the pretzel in the cereal. Quick, quick."

"Nice job!" I took the pretzel and layed it on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. "Let's do another one. Who is this one for?"

Elli grabbed the pretzel from my hand and said, "Luis!"

"Okay, let's make this one nice for Luis."

We repeated the process 12 times, once for each kid, for the teaching staff and a few extra just in case. We laid each rod on the cookie sheet to be put in the fridge overnight and then wrapped up in Christmas-themed snack bags. Then, while Elli licked the chocolate off the spoon...

...I made a little treat for her teacher and school director: chocolate-dipped plastic spoons accented with cinnamon, toffee and mint chips to be gifted with individual packets of hot chocolate. Mmmm. Maybe I should have made some for myself, now that I think about it.

It was a quick and easy adventure in the kitchen, and one I'm guessing the kids in her class enjoyed (at least, no pretzels were sent home with me). Nonetheless, I didn't feel like have any more cooking time that day, so I told Daddy that "baby wants Chinese food" for supper. Perhaps the craving really did come from baby sister, or perhaps I was inspired by the ending of "A Christmas Story." Either way, we had a little Chinese pre-Christmas and enjoyed each other's company -- a well-deserved treat after a very hectic week apart.

Hope you all had a Christmas full of merriment and fellowship with family and friends! Leave me a note, if you so choose, to tell me about the traditional dishes or activities your family enjoyes at holiday time.

Overall Christmas Pretzels Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 5
Simple: 5
Fast: 5
Frugal: 4

Family Sandwich Night

Maybe it's the approaching holidays. Maybe it's the coming addition (less than 10 weeks to go!). Or maybe it's the fact Daddy will soon be leaving for a very, very far away country for a week and I will miss him terribly (we've never been so far apart for so long); my heart is aching already. Maybe it's a combination of it all. Whatever the reason, I find myself absolutely loving and wanting more moments with my family. And it seems to be those moments with very little fanfare. Those are the best kind, aren't they?

This weekend, Elli and I made cookies for the first time in a long time. Then, we drove around our town looking at Christmas lights, searching in vain for a blowup lawn ornament of a Santa piloting a helicopter we had seen last year. But along the way we instead found lots of pleasant sights and a new version of "Angels We Have Heard on High" by Chris Tomlin (whose tour, by the way, is coming to our town soon -- in case anyone is on the hunt for a Christmas present for me...wink, wink). It was wonderful. I wish it would have lasted longer.

Sometimes the most memorably adventures, though, are the ones you can't plan for, the ones that land fortuitously in your lap. That's what happened to us earlier this week, and it all started with a package of turkey.

I had a whole plan of what we would have for supper, but then by coincidence I saw the "best by" date on a package of turkey I had just purchased. It was two days past it prime, but no means expired. We could have gotten upset, taken the package back to the store and demanded a refund, or we could have just made the best of it. And that's exactly what we did. Our solution: grilled turkey sandwiches served with a nice cup of hot chocolate, apple slices and chips.

Grilled Turkey Sandwiches

slices of wheat bread
butter
3 slices of turkey per sandwich
2 slices of turkey bacon, cooked
mayo
2 slices of American cheese per sandwich

Spread a little mayo on two slices of bread. Top each bread slice with a slice of cheese. Top one side with turkey and the other with the bacon. Assemble sandwich and spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter. Place sandwiches on hot electric skillet, browning evenly on both sides until cheese is melted.

I was the designated hot chocolate maker, and Daddy and Elli started in on the sandwiches. She wielded the butter knife (with a little help from Daddy) like a seasoned cook, spreading the mayo generally evenly across the bread.

And don't dare keep her from cheese (something we learned when she was a wee 18-month-old).

"Okay, now break this piece of bacon in two," Daddy told her, handing her a slice of bacon.

Well, it did break in two, just not the two fairly even-sized halves that Daddy had intended. Going with the flow, as he normally does, he simply replied, "That's all right. Just break it into little bits and put it on the turkey."

That Elli could do easily.

When they assembled the first sandwich, Elli clapped her hands, cheered and matter-of-factly announced, "I don't want to help anymore," and got down from her steps to go find her toys. Not even the promise of an advance of cheese would keep her in the kitchen. So be it.

Fickleness or a short attention span -- or both -- brought her back a few moments later, just in time to help me stir the hot chocolate, which had just started to heat up. She took control of the whisk for a few turns.

She did great, even picking up instantly on how to tap the whisk against the side of the pan if the marshmallows I had put in got stuck in the "cage."

Before long, the whole meal was ready.

"Very well done, Elli!" we told her. "Thanks for you help."

The sandwiches were great, the hot chocolate so-so (I can never make it as good as I remember my mom's), but it was really the memories and the company I was after. Warm food, cozy house, Christmas light all around, and two smiling faces I adore. No chef in the world can create that.

What is your favorite memory with your family that was a fortuitous accident?

Overall Grilled Turkey Sandwich Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 5
Simple: 5
Fast: 5
Frugal: 5

Nothing but a (Birthday) Cake Walk

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We did. And I discovered a few more things to be thankful for this year, like God's provisions of plenty of food and love to share with others, cheerful hearts in relatives that make the holidays truly meaningful and lessons in how not to make turkey gravy. The latter was perhaps most memorable, not because it ended with a gravy-colored paste that plopped audibly into the trash can, but because, as the adage for this blog goes, it's not the food that matters in the end, it's the journey to the table.

With that in mind, Elli and I turned to our next adventure in the kitchen. As part of our family Thanksgiving celebration, we were to commemorate the birthday of Cousin Remy. Her parents, my brother and his lovely wife, asked Elli and me to make the cake. (Apparently our reputation is a bit inflated with this blog.) I accepted, but in the back of my mind was thinking, "How do I not mess up a little girl's birthday?" With plenty of icing, I suppose.

Remy put in her request: white cake, vanilla frosting. And there was to be a theme: Missouri Tigers, because their family bleeds Tiger gold. I'm not a talented cake decorator, but I wanted to go beyond just the simple "Happy Birthday, Remy," and resorting to ordering one from the grocery store (although the thought never entirely left my mind).

Seeking ideas online of something Elli could potentially help with, I found an idea from Parents magazine that used fruit chews (Starburst, etc.). You heat them up in the microwave to create a pliable dough, then roll them out and carve the dough into shapes or letters using cookie cutters or, if you have a very steady hand, a knife. I was thinking Elli might enjoy helping roll out the candy, but I had to test it all first to get a handle of the science of it all. Twenty minutes into the test, I walked away from the idea entirely, leaving behind an "E," a "Y" and lots of leftover hardened fruit-chew dough, some of which came with a wax paper badge on one side.

While I was being confounded by the fruit chew challenge, Elli was being thoroughly entertained with my cookie cutter set. And the aha! moment struck. I could use a large and a small circle cookie cutter to make a tiger paw print. Simple, understated, and -- I was hoping -- resistant to lack of talent.

This is the same reason I decided to stick to a box mix instead of a from-scratch recipe. Hey, one full cup of pudding in the mix -- you can't go wrong.

"I pour it, I pour it!" Elli said, reaching for the bag of cake mix. I handed her the opened bag, and she did the rest.

Didn't spill a drop!
"Nice job, sweetheart. Okay. Let's follow what the Doughboy tells us." Whatever the social statement is being made by having pictures of all the ingredients on the box, it does make it a lot easier when working with a 2-year-old on learning to bake a cake. I pointed to the first picture. "What is he telling us we need here?"

She studied the picture. "Water." I measured out the water, and handed the cup to her. I needn't say a word; she knew exactly what to do.

Look at my independent girl go!

"Now what?" I asked, pointing to the next picture.

"Oh-wool!" she replied. I measured the oil and again she masterfully poured it in the bowl.

"Next?"

"Eggs!"

"How many?"

"Three."

We cracked the eggs together, only once doing so a little too hard and having to look carefully for any shell shrapnel. Right before we started the mixing phase, Daddy walked through the kitchen with a load of fresh laundry (one of many reasons I love him). Elli did not miss the opportunity to announce proudly, "We baking a cake for Remy!"

"You are doing great," he said.

She really was. I honestly got a little misty-eyed thinking of how well she handles herself now in the kitchen when just this time last year half the brownie mix would end up on the floor without a guiding hand. Between her developing cooking skills and her graduation out of training pants, I just can't believe she's such a big girl.

That said, she still has that ornery streak.

See what I mean? That's her, sneaking some batter when I turned my back for five seconds to find a scrapper. Can't really blame her, though. I did the same thing.

After the pinnacle of a taste of batter, she lost interest. By the time I was pouring the batter into the pan, she was off playing with her toys. Just as well. The hard part was about to begin. The only thing she could really help with when it came to decorating the cake was staying out of the room.

With the help of tubes of decorating icing and cookie cutters....

and the edge of a small, smooth utensil (like one of Elli's baby spoons) for spreading the icing....

I was able to create a paw print that looked pretty good. Of course, I'm not entirely sure how many toes a tiger actually has, but we went with four because Remy's name has four letters. 

The important thing was Remy liked the cake both in looks and taste. She also enjoyed having her little cousin there to help her blow out her candles. 

Happy birthday, Remy! And Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all!

Overall Birthday Cake Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5 for the cake part, 0 for the icing
Elli-friendly eating: 1 for the cake part, 5 for the icing
Simple: 4
Fast: 2 (decorating takes time!)
Frugal: 5

Question for you:
What are your cake decorating tips/secrets?

Taco Soup-er Hero

It has been a long while since I last wrote to you all of our escapades in the kitchen. It's not that we haven't had any; it's that time has become even more of a valuable commodity these days between doctor appointments, water aerobics and other commitments. Maybe it's preparation for having two children.

Another part of the preparation for the arrival of little sister (yes, we found out we will welcome another sweet girl), we are working with Elli to be more independent with things. Potty training, drinking from a glass, cleaning up after herself, dressing and undressing. With the latter, she has a thing where she pulls her shirt behind her head, looks up at me, smiles and says emphatically, "Superhero!" As she breaks into giggles, I'm left wondering 1) what exactly a shirt half-off and a superhero have in common and 2) where or from whom she picked this up. Wherever or whomever, she gets a kick out of it. I get a kick out of her giggle.

She also gets a kick out of the (so far) only other little girl in the family: her cousin. And her cousin, con the parentals, came over to our house to join us and Oma for a special family dinner. Because it's fall, my favorite season, it's the perfect time for soup, perhaps one of my favorite meals. I decided to make taco soup served with homemade tortilla chips. Who better to have on hand to help prepare the meal for seven than Souper-hero Elli?

Taco Soup (adapted from Taste of Home)

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning (or 1/2 envelope of Williams Chili Seasoning for no sodium)
1 1/2 cup water
1 can mild chili beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
In Dutch oven, brown beef; drain. Add seasoning and mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Suggested toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream ranch dressing or homemade tortilla chips (see below).


Homemade Tortilla Chips (from Oma)

5 10-inch flour tortillas
canola oil spray
sea salt


Using a pizza cutter on a cutting board, cut tortillas into 1-inch by 2-inch strips. Spread strips onto two jelly roll pans. Spray evenly with oil on both sides. Sprinkle with desired amount of sea salt. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes. Turn strips and spray again. Sprinkle with a little more salt if desired. Bake for an additional 7 minutes or until lightly brown.

Except for browning the meat, there wasn't anything Elli couldn't do with this recipe. While I handled the meat, Oma helped Elli cut up the tortillas. Elli loved handling the big pizza cutter -- with Oma's help, of course -- and spreading the tortillas strips on the pans.



She organized the strips on the pan, then organized them again...and then again. She loves to arrange. You should see her with her building blocks.

By the time they were done, so was the meat. I removed the pan from the heat and let it cool a bit and lined up the opened cans of veggies and beans on the counter.

"Ready to help me make the soup?" I asked Elli.

"Yeah!" she said, and scrambled up her steps, which were positioned close but still a safe distance from the stove. Together, we picked up each can and poured the contents into the pot, all the while I carefully guided her hands and arms clear of the pot.

"Corn! Maytoes! Nuther maytoes! Beeens!" she said with each can.

Then came her all-time favorite thing about cooking. That's right, the zenith of culinary arts: stirring. With a steady guiding hand from Mommy, Elli took on the large pot of chunky ingredients with an expert touch.

"Very nice, Elli," I said.

"Mmmm, that looks good!" she replied, her little face hovering over the pot. And within in 20 minutes, it smelled good too.

By the time, uncle, aunt and cousin arrived, the soup was simmered to perfection and the tortilla chips were crisped and cooled. Everyone gave their compliments to the young chef.

Overall Taco Soup and Homemade Tortilla Chips Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 3 (soup can't compete with cousin)
Simple: 5
Fast: 4
Frugal: 5



Question for you: What quick, crowd-pleasing meal do you serve for company?

This Little 'Piggy' and Potato Bake

"Cooking with Elli' has turned 1 year old! Thanks to all of you for keeping it going. In honor of the first birthday, I thought I would give a quick update on the glories that make up glorious girl:
Age: 2 years, 8 months
Favorite activity: entertaining an audience of any size
Favorite toy: Curious George stuffed animal
Favorite meal: cheese
Favorite beverage: milk
Favorite movie of the moment: Babe, which she calls "Piggy"

Elli was engrossed in a one-man game of Chutes and Ladders. Of course, this really just means that she moves the game pieces (Daddy, Mommy, Elli and Eli, as she calls them) around the board at will with no regard to the rules. Who needs rules? I asked her if she wanted to help me cook. At first she said no, but sometimes her "no" means "I don't understand" or "Maybe, tell me more." So I described the steps I was about to take -- smashing crackers, sprinkling cheese, handling ham -- and before I knew it, she was on her steps at the counter to help me make:

Ham and Potato Bake

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 32-oz. package Southern style hash browns, thawed
8 oz. Colby-Jack cheese
2 cups crushed Ritz-style crackers (about 1 cup crumbs)
2 tbsp butter, melted

Combine soup and sour cream in large bowl. Add potatoes and cheese; mix well. Spoon mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Combine crushed crackers and butter; sprinkle evenly over mixture. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until heated through.
This recipe is based on one I found in an old Kraft Food and Family magazine. I added the ham to make it a main dish, used Colby-Jack because it was what I had to use up and used regular Ritz crackers because I misread the original recipe (it called for Ritz cheese-flavored baked chips).

Disregard for board game rules aside, Elli listens and absorbs quite well. Her sense of patterns is developing nicely, as she demonstrated to me while we cooked. For instance, she knew that the 1/2 cup of sour cream I had measured out and the opened can of soup should go into the mixing bowl I had sitting on the counter, and then we needed to stir it. I let her do the pouring, as best she could anyway before I dug in with the scrapper. Then I handed her "Elli's spoon," a short-handled mixing spoon that gives her little hands more leverage.

Her command of stirring has improved remarkably as well. She also got her first taste of sour cream in this whole process. I warned her of the taste, but she didn't seem to mind it.

Next we added the potatoes.

And stirred some more. Elli looked in the bowl and declared, "Need add cheese."

I don't care who you are, that's impressive. "Yes, my budding chef, we do need to add cheese." And so we did.

"Want to pick one out," she said, looking longingly at the mixture.

"One what?" I asked. "A piece of cheese?"

"Yes."

Odd, but she's requested odder (like, say, carting a can of Jif to daycare with her). "All right. Go ahead."

Next came the ham. Because I knew it was coming, I pre-empted her request and asked her if she wanted a piece of ham. Of course she did. And she liked it. A lot.

She tried her best to stir the ingredients, but after a minute she grunted, "Big pile, Mommy."

"Yes, honey. Let me help you." Together we mixed everything well.

When it was time to transfer the mixture into the baking dish, I let her take the lead on scrapping it out of the bowl with the spoon.

She dug and scrapped, dug and scrapped, little by little moving the mixture into the dish.

"You're doing so well, Elli!"

She replied, "I want more ham in my mouth."

Well, what can you do?

The last step was probably her favorite: the smashing of the crackers.

I mixed the course crumbs with the butter and sprinkled them over the mixture. Elli ate ham. Then she watched "Piggy" until the bake was done.

The bake was a hit with everyone in the house, although next time I plan to use sharp cheddar and salt and peper to give the bake more flavor.

Overall Ham and Potato Bake Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 5
Simple: 5
Fast: 3 (long cook time; not a good weeknight fixing)
Frugal: 4

Question for you: How would you modify the standard hash brown bake to your liking?

Adventures in Guacamole

Most of you know by now that I will soon have another junior chef in the kitchen. The food aversion is still very present these days, which partially explains the lapse since my last post. So far the score is mounting in favor of the aversion. A brief list of the no-no's: hummus (or anything that resembles hummus), Naked fruit juices, sausage gravy, and for whatever reason cupcakes (sheet cake, cheesecake and crab cakes, however, are acceptable). Among the things that are very much still on my cravings list are fruit-flavored candy and anything in the Mexican food category. So, when one Elli fan suggested we try making guacamole, I couldn't let the brilliant idea go to waste. 'Twas our first adventure is mashed avocados. I searched online for a good recipe, but couldn't really find one that seemed perfect -- did I mention I also have a thing against red onions recently? So, I took a bit from one recipe and one from another and put together:

Elli Guacamole

3 avocados
1/2 cup green onions, minced
1/2 fresh lime
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cilantro
3 grape tomatoes, chopped (optional)
Peel and pit avocados, placing flesh into a serving bowl. Squeeze lime over avocados; mash together, leaving slightly lumpy. Mix in salt, pepper, cilantro and tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Who can forget the first time peeling and pitting avocados? The uncertainty. The many questions. The mess! Thank goodness for moms a phone call away. With some pointers from Oma, I peeled and pitted sucessfully, avoiding damaging the goods and severing fingers. Elli was a little skeptical that mashing would bring as much excitement as I promised, but then I demonstrated teh power the potato masher had over the defenseless green flesh. There was no stopping her.

What fun. She also loved to help squeeze the lime.

And to my surprise, she didn't try to eat the lime, unlike the lemon in Daddy's water at Applebee's. Boy, was that a face!

We added the rest of the ingredients and mixed well. Then, the big moment came. Daddy and Elli did the honors. I handed them some nacho chips and let them dip. Daddy did the real-deal scoop and eat, whereas Elli delicately dipped the tip of the chip in the "gaky" and licked it off.

Note: She really does have a chip in her hand, and a pair of Pull-Ups on under her shirt (we're potty training...it's a long story).

"Mmmm, that's pitty good, guys," she announced after taking her first lick. Daddy agreed.

Unfortunately, that is where her love for the gaky ended. She refused to eat any more for supper that night. She did, however, eat the chips and Spanish rice I served. Not sure why the sudden change of heart over the creation she helped make. Perhaps I can chalk it up to sympathy aversion.

Overall Elli Guacamole Ratings:
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: with chip, 3; without chip, 0
Simple: 5
Fast: 5
Frugal: 4 (have you seent the price of avocados?)

Question for you: What is your favorite chip or cracker companion?

Yo Quiero Crab Quesadillas

Ready for an orginal Elli-Mommy creation? It combines three things I'm finding most appetizing as of recent: crab meat (the fake kind, because it's cheap and goes a long way), fajita-style peppers and onions, and cheese. Simple, quick and fast. Also three things I'm in love with. Elli helped we whip this meal together in no time the other day. We call it Crab Quesadillas because we are that unpoetic. Here's what you need:

1 8 oz. package of imitation crab meat (or 16 oz of the real McCoy if you're up to it)

2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch strips

1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch strips

1 small onion, cut into strips

8 flour tortillas (8 inch)

1 tablespoon Williams chilli seasoning mix

Sautee peppers and onion in small amount of oil until tender. Add chilli seasoning mix and coat veggies evenly. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Lay out each tortilla; divide crab meat evenly among all tortillas, placing the meat on one half of the tortillas, careful to keep it at least one inch from the edges. Top crap meat with cheese. Top cheese with veggies. Wet edges of tortillas with a little bit of water; fold tortillas in half, pressing down on wet edges to secure closed. Bake in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Elli kind of has a thing for tortillas.

See what I mean? Poor tortilla looks like Charlie Brown's ghost costume. She did, however, manage to restrain herself from doing that to every tortilla. The others she calmly laid out for me -- in one big pile -- on the jelly roll pans while I finished sauteeing the veggies (I like 'em with a little singe, you know what I'm saying?). "There," she said, patting the top of the pile.

 

"Very nice, Elli. Thank you."

We let the veggies cool and set to work on filling the tortillas. I laid each one out on the jelly roll pans, mouths open like clams. We plunked down some crab meat in each one.

"Was dis?" she asked me, holding up the white-with-orange slice.

"It's crab meat," I replied. "Try it."

She put the slice partially in her mouth, and I thought for a second that maybe I was raising a seafood lover. How brief a second can be. She removed it from her mouth, held it up to me and said, "You eat it."

So much for expanding horizons. I popped the crab meat in my mouth, and we turned to the cheese. Elli, you may remember, once had a big thing for cheese. To the point I could not rely on her to put the cheese on the dish rather than in her mouth. She has matured past this point, though she still does sneak a few shreds here and there. She loved to see the cheese piles she created on top of the crab meat.

 

Finally it was time for the veggies, which I added solo because they were still a little too warm for little hands, or it was Mommy being a little paranoid. But she did enjoy helping wet the edges of the tortillas with water. Of course, some of that water ended up in places it wasn't assigned to go, but toddlers seem to have an innate skill for that type of thing.

Over the tortillas halves went -- closing the clams, as I say -- and then into the oven. Realizing that Elli would probably not do well with crab meat or cooked peppers, I added a small, plain cheese quesadilla to the middle of one of the pans.

Two dozen minutes later, we were sitting down to eat a delicious meal of crab (slash cheese) quesadillas with salsa and a dab of light ranch dressing. Elli ate three bites of cheese quesadilla, double that amount of ranch dressing and some peaches. Apparently, she had overindulged on tortilla.

Overall Crab Quesadilla Ratings (5 being the best):

Elli-friendly cooking: 4 (the veggies part brings down the rating a bit)

Elli-friendly eating: 1 (thus the plain cheese version)

Simple: 5

Fast: 5

Frugal: 5 (thus the fake crab)

Question for you:

What do you do with crab meat (real or otherwise)

Cupcakes for Baseball

Updated 11 a.m., Tuesday, July 13: Our condolences to the Steinbrenner family. Baseball will not be the same. Our family's affection for the national pastime is well-known in this sphere by now. Almost as strong as my affection for Chris Tomlin. Well, Chris probably takes a small second to baseball, honestly. This year we had planned our family vacation around another MLB city we had yet to visit: Minneapolis/St. Paul, otherwise known as Joe Mauer's hometown. While there, we took in a game at Target Field--Elli's first baseball game--and, of course, procured a piece of Twins garb or two. Saturday we found ourselves, through sheer coincidence, all wearing our Twins shirts. In honor of the happy chance, and of the All-Star Game coming up this week, we decided to make some baseball-themed cupcakes. Elli was in love with the thought from the very first mention. In that half-hour between lunch and Elli's naptime, we set about, as a team, to whip up some cupcakes. All we needed: 1 box of yellow cake mix eggs oil vanilla icing red decorating icing It quickly became clear just how much Elli had been paying attention this past year in our kitchen adventures. First, Elli showed Daddy how to pour the cake mix in the bowl. Then she gingerly guided my hands as we cracked eggs into the mix. She even counted them for me. After adding the oil, Elli coached Daddy on the finer points of moving a hand mixer around the bowl to get all the dry and liquid combined into a smooth batter.

Next, she asked for the cupcake pan and commenced with plopping in the liners. "There," she said when finished.

She consented to having me pour the batter into the bowl, so long as she determined the sequence in which I filled the cups. Like any good coach, she was not far away with her encouragement, both ("Nice, Mommy") and dietary ("You eat it" while handing me a yogurt covered raisin). Gotta keep her star players' movitation up!

It worked. We finished prepping the cupcakes in what felt like record time, and it was time for the cupcakes to go in the oven, and for Elli to go into her bedroom. About two hours later, she awoke with a question: "Eat cupcake?"

She rushed into the kitchen to find Daddy hard at work putting the finishing touches on the "baseballs." Having been a keen pitcher for many years, Daddy could draw baseball seems with his eyes closed.

Elli settled in at the table with her baseball and a nice, tall glass of cold milk. While Daddy and I chomped our way through ours, Elli delicately licked the icing, savoring the sugary heaven at the pace of a baseball game.

The wisdom of a child.

Because we have only one cupcake pan and even less patience, we decided to make just one batch of cupcakes and use the rest of the batter for a small cake. On that cake, which will likely last us until the All-Star Game, I wrote, "Go National League" in what I'm sure will be futile hope that the tide will finally turn for the hard-luck NL All Stars. I just can't help myself from rooting for the underdog.

Overall Baseball Cupcakes Ratings (5 being the best):

Elli-friendly cooking: 5

Elli-friendly eating: 5

Simple: 5 (if you use a cake mix)

Fast: 4

Frugal: 5

Question for all of you: What creative things have you done or seen done with cupcakes?

Cutie S'more Pie

Summer is supposed to be a time of outdoor play. The kind that at the end of the day leaves you with the unmistakable musk of outdoors and a bit darker on the arms. Unfortunately for Elli, this summer has been a mosh of extreme heat and constant strings of rainstorms. We have had to improvise on some of the traditional summertime activities. Like making s'mores, for instance. When a Saturday presented yet another rainy afternoon that separated Elli from her new swingset, we did some exploring in the kitchen instead. Just days before, I had received a cookbook from Parents magazine (I was suckered in by the "renew today and receive a special gift absolutely free" postcard). In it, I found one recipe that seemed to be an answer to a silent prayer.

S'mores Pie

4 graham crackers 8 oz. mini marshmallows 1 15 oz chocolate bar

Fill an enamel or foil pie pan with pieces of graham crackers, chunks of chocolate and mini marshmallows. Place on grill while fire is dying down but still hot. Cover for 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows melt. Let pan cool before serving.

They also include a nutrional analysis, but we all know that s'mores are not exactly endorsed by Jamie Oliver so no point in me listing it here. And as long as we're being honest, I think it makes more sense to name this a S'mores Casserole than a pie, don't you? I mean, there is no crust.

So obviously we didn't have the grill fired up. The oven would have to do. I turned it on low and let the oven heat up while we created the casser-pie.

She is already quite familiar with graham crackers, or "big cackers" as she calls them, because they are bigger than a saltine.

So, of course, there was no having graham crackers out and not having one in Elli's possession. As I broke off pieces of cracker into the foil pie pan, Elli munched.

Then, with a big cacker still in one hand, Elli sprinkled in the marshmallows. She attempted to count them, but her sprinkling never quite caught up with the cadence of her counting.

"Marsmedows" were also already on her friend list, as she met them back in the winter, during hot chocolate season. This time, perhaps because she was occupied with the big cacker, she did not eat them. And just as I began to take pride in my daughter's abstinence from pure sugar, she spied the Hershey's bar. This was one friend she had not yet met. It was love at first sight.

I did manage to get her to help break apart the chocolate squares and scatter them among the marshmallows and cracker pieces, all with only one or two squares disappearing.

"Very nice, Elli! Look, we made a S'mores Pie."

She smiled and nodded. We admired our artwork for a minute, then agreed it was time for it to go in the oven. As I busy cover the pie pan with foil, I heard a strange wooshing noise, like the rush of rain down a drain. At first, that's what I thought it was. Wondering why I was hearing rushing water in my house, I looked over at Elli. Good news: It wasn't water. Bad news: Half the marshmallows are scattered on the floor around her steps.

She had grabbed the marshmallow bag at the wrong end, and the tiny puffed sugar pellets had rushed out toward the source of gravity. Quickly I grabbed the bag and set it on the counter.

I pointed down at the soiled marshmellows. "Oops."

Elli looked down and then up at me with those big blue saucer eyes and said sweetly, "I soddy, Mommy."

Who could be upset with that? "It's all right, sweet girl. It was an accident." And so began another lesson in the other vital part of cooking: proper cleanup.

All in all, the S'mores Pie was pretty good. I definitely had to leave it in longer than a couple of minutes, taking it out when the chocolate melted (the marshmallows never quite did, though...and they certainly didn't get nice brown corners like the picture in the cookbook showed). Someday, though, Elli will know the true American classic that is a first-born s'more!

Overall S'mores Pie Rating (5 being the best): Elli-friendly cooking: 5 Elli-friendly eating: 5 (did you expect anything less?) Simple: 5 if there ever was one Fast: 5 Frugal: 5 (save leftovers for when you really do have an open flame)

Question for you: What is your favorite American summer classic, food or otherwise? (If you do not say baseball, I will not like you any less)

The Apple Pocket of Oma's Eye

This is how you know your child is watching too much Disney (watch video): For those who didn't catch her flawless performance, she is singing "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go, d'do do do do, d'do do do do, hi ho hi ho." We had just ridden the carousel at the local mall, which played (who knew?) Disney songs. Elli absolutely loves Snow White. And it has had absolutely adverse affects on her love for apples. Usually I just slice up some apples and let her go after them. But her little rendetion of the famed little-miners motivator inspired me to find an apple recipe for her. I found a good one in a recipe collection from Parents magazine. It's simple, low-calorie, no-frills. My kind of recipe! The day I had planned to do the recipe with her, though, my mom, "Oma" to Elli (means "grandma" in German), happened to be at the house. I have such fond memories of my mom baking and fixing me some "dough cookies." I asked her to show Elli the ropes on this very watered-down version of an apple pie. She took over with delight, showing Elli how to make... Apple Pockets 2 golden delicious apples 2 tbs sugar 1 tsp cinnamon flour for dusting 1 package refrigerated biscuits. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples; grate them into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Stir half of cinnamon sugar into grated apples. Roll each biscuit into an approximately 5-inch circle. Spoon apple mixture into circles. Fold circles and pinch edges to make half-moons. Place on a baking sheet. Brush pies with water and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake 20 minutes.

Oma took my tip (though she probably didn't need it) to ensure all the stuff involving sharp edges was already done before little hands were brought into the mix. Oma peeled and grated the apples -- which took her about five seconds after spending a lifetime as a farm wife. I helped her set up Elli's steps, and off they went, rolling out the dough....

...mixing the cinnamon sugar into the apples....

...filling the pockets with apples...

and resisting as best they could the temptation to eat all the apples...

...no one is perfect. Honestly I can't blame Elli for sneaking a taste. They apples smelled heavenly! With a little help from Mommy, Oma showed Elli how to fold the dough gently over to form a half-moon. We didn't really like the word "pocket" to describe the creation, so we toyed with words like "pies," "tacos," and "dumplings." We stuck with "pies" because it sounded the most romantic. The next step was brush on some water. Yeah, sounded kind of strange to me too. Water? Really? I was thinking egg white, but Parents magazine obviously knows what they are talking about, so we showed some faith and followed the directions.

"Just like painting a picture," we told Elli, and showed her how to dip the pastry brush in the bowl of water and run the brush over the top of each pie. She took to it right away.

At this point, Oma questioned whether the cookie sheet should have been sprayed or lined or something.

"No, Oma, the recipe does not say anything about that."

Oma shrugged, but it was obvious she doubted the omnisience of Parents. Have faith, I told her, though I too harbored doubts.

We pressed forward. With a steady hand from Oma, Elli used a tablespoon to rain the remaining cinnamon sugar onto the pies.

Into the oven the pies went. They really did smell like apple pie as they were baking. And they really did stick to the pan. I should have known as much; the picture alongside the recipe of the happy mom and daughter who look nothing alike but are supposedly blood shows them using parchment paper. Hmph. Note to self: Listen to your mother, and your instincts.

Oma did manage to pry off all the pies and place them on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Elli was dying for a taste, so, though we were hoping to save the pies for supper, we tore into one. As a quality measure if nothing else. Elli gobbled her portion up quickly. Oma and I just looked at each other and said, almost simultaneously, "Bland."

We probably feel that way having had true-blue, sugar-coma apple pie and Oma's amazing baked apples with caramel and amaretto syrups. Daddy agreed that the pies needed something, although he was thinking more like ice cream. So, next time we definitely will use parchment paper and maybe add a little something to the pies for a bit more of a kick.

But regardless of how the food turns out, here at Cooking with Elli the emphasis lies on the memories made and the lessons learned. And what I learned was that Elli has the simple, unbiased love of a child and a gorgeous singing voice.

What would you add to this recipe to make it more lively? Let's takea vote:

a) caramel

b) different kind of dough

c) ice cream

d) other (please explain)

Costco and Broccoli Casserole

Anyone who knows me knows of my loyalty to Costco. Oh the deals! The best produce anywhere, both in terms of cost and taste. Consistently best deal on diapers and Carter's play sets. Did I mention the sweet potato fries? And don't even get me started on the low, low price of milk! Today was what is known in our house as a "Costco Day." That means we make our journey to Costco with the extra-large all-temperature reusable bags, which double nicely as an impromptu toddler swing, as demonstrated by Elli and Daddy here:

Elli was saying over and over in the car on the way there, "Go Costco, go Costco. Go shopping." Yes and yes. Sigh. We love you Costco. I'm not sure I came to obtain it, either I bought it or it was a prize for sinking so much $$ into my favored store every month, but I have found myself supplied with 220 pages of recipes using Costco products (not that I don't already). Some of these recipes may end up in the Family Recipe Box. Like, say, this one from page 73 of Home Cooking: The Costco Way:

Broccoli Casserole

1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups fresh, bite-sized broccoli florets, lightly steamed

1 1/3 cups french fried onions, divided

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Mix soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, broccoli, 2/3 cup onions, 1/2 cup cheese and nutmeg in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining onions and cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Elli was very curious in what I was doing in the kitchen. She watched me steaming the broccoli and asked, "Mommy cook?"

"Yes, would you like to help me?"

"Ahh no."

"All right."

A few minutes later she was back by my side. "What doing, Mommy?"

"I'm cooking. Would you like to help me?"

"Okay. Get steps."

Not sure what caused the change of heart. Could have been the smell of broccoli, which she enjoys. Or it could have been the sight of cheese, which she enjoys more. I set the freshly steamed broccoli in the casserole dish and explained to Elli that it was hot and that we were going to add some stuff on top of it. "First, we'll pour in some milk."

"Okay."

We measured out the milk in the Pyrex measuring cup and carefully poured it all over the broccoli. "Very good. Now let's pour in the soy sauce." She was itching to grab the teaspoon full of dark liquid, so I let her go for it. Then I added in a dash or two to make up for the dash or two spilled on the counter. Next we dropped in the soup, and Elli shook on the pepper.

"I stir! I stir!" she said, though there was no spoon and no instruction from me that stirring was the next step. I smiled with satisfaction that her instincts for cooking are starting to develop.

"Yes, sweetheart. You can stir."

It was a beautiful sight, reinforced with the gorgeous fact that not a drop was slopped outside the dish. It was time for the onions. I showed Elli what to do, and off she went. Normally she does not like onions. She likes french fried onions. Who can blame her, really?

"Need stir," she told me in her best official voice, grabbing the spoon and going to work.

"We need to add more onions," I said, pointing out that there were only about 10 pieces of onion on the broccoli mixture.

"Need stir," she repeated.

"All right. You stir and Mommy will add the onions." This arrangement worked out great. I was really impressed with her refined stirring skills. Elli stopped stirring and looked down at the mixture. She then looked over at the bag of cheese. The little wheels in her head turned and clicked.

"Add cheese!" she said and reached for the bag. I have never been so proud. My little independent, smart chef!

We stirred some more and topped it all off with a careful pinch of nutmeg. "Looks just like the picture," I said. I slipped the dish in the oven and Elli and I exchanged high-5s in between her rescuing a few shreds of cheese that had fallen overboard.

Our Costco Day was complete. Along with the Broccoli Casserole, we had slices of apples from Costco (seriously, 4 pounds, 5 bucks) and some breast meat from a Costco $5 rotisserie chicken, which will soon become chicken salad, chicken taquitos, chicken stock, and possibly a chicken tamale pie. Sigh. We love Costco.

Overall Broccoli Casserole Ratings (5 being the best):

Elli-friendly cooking: 4 (aside from the broccoli steaming, all was good)

Elli-friendly eating: 3 (she seems to like plain broccoli better)

Simple: 5

Fast: 4

Frugal: 5

I ask you: Are you a fan of Costco?