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?

TGI Donuts

Before each meal, Daddy and I lead Elli in this simple prayer: "I love you Jesus. Thank you for..." and each member of the family says something for which they are thankful. Almost invariably, Elli will thank the Lord for His benevolent gift of donuts. She whispers enthusiastically into her little balled hands, "Thank for doooonuuuuuuts!" The frequency with which she says "donuts" in her prayers could be the result of one of two things. One, she is hinting that she desires more fried dough in her diet, to which Mommy has a strong objection. Or, two, she said it once, got a reaction out of us, and decided to keep doing it. Whatever her reasons, I decided last weekend to make some donuts for breakfast. Ironic, I know, that I'm doing this recipe considering my feelings on the Food Revolution. But, even Jamie Oliver agrees that a once-in-a-while treat is all right. But the way these are made, one donut is pretty much enough. Shortcut Donuts 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough (learned from experience the regular-size, non-buttered ones work best) 1 cup canola or vegetable oil (I used Mazola's Cholestoral Free Corn Oil) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Heat oil in larget skillet over medium heat. Gently place biscuits in oil, cooking on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, mix sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowl or on plate. Remove bicuits from oil and turn in sugar mixture to coat. Set aside. Allow biscuits to cool before eating.

I set Elli up at the counter with a glass of milk and small bowl of Cheerios to keep her hands and tummy occupied when it came time to fry the "donuts." At one point in the very recent past, we had Elli convinced that Cheerios were mini donuts. She has become the wiser, however.

The prospect of making donuts exicted Elli very much. The excitement began to build the night before, when I promised her that we would make donuts in the morning. "Elli, want to make some donuts?" I asked. "OK!" she said and raced for her steps. I had her separate the biscuit dough while I prepped the oil. She carefully broke off each biscuit and set it down on the cutting board where they waited for their frying fate.

Because I wanted Elli to have as much participation as possible once the donuts came out of the pan, I decided to do the sugar mixture a little differently. Instead of turning each donut in the sugar mixture, we were going to set the donuts on a plate and use a spoon to shake the sugar mixture over top the donuts. So, we poured the sugar into a cereal bowl, and Elli shook the cinnamon directly from the can into the sugar until I said "Whoa!"

Together, we mixed the sugar and cinnamon with a spoon. As could be expected, Elli had to sample the sugar mixture...repeatedly, each time declaring, "Mmmm, dat's good!"

"Of course it's good, sweetheart; it's sugar!"

"Mmmm, shoogar!"

"You betcha."

Mainly to get her fingers out of the shoogar, I decided at the last minute to have her help poke holes in the middle of each biscuit, to make them more donut-like. Someone somewhere once said they use a small circle cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle. I don't have one small enough, so we used our fingers.

Elli did pretty good, to be honest. She has just the right size of hands to do this type of work.

"In the pan?" she asked, pointing to the skillet.

"Yes, that's right. Mommy will put the biscuits in the pan. We're going to cook the donuts."

"Doooonuuuuts!"

As I fried up the donuts, Elli ensure the sugar did not separate from the cinnamon, stirring it every few minutes with the spoon, and her finger from time to time. As each donuts was done, I put it on a plate that was covered in a thin blanket of sugar mixture and together Elli and I spooned some sugar mixture over top. I flipped it over and we spooned mixture over the other side too. Then, I moved the completed donut to another plate to make room for the others coming out of the oil. Elli reached for the completed ones. "Those are hot," I warned her and redirected her itchy fingers to her bowl of "mini donuts."

The donuts turned out a little more brown than I was wanting, and because I used the jumo size instead of the regular size biscuits, some of the donuts were still a touch doughy in spots. But how the food turns out is not nearly as important as the memories gained in getting there.

With donuts on the plate, we folded our hands and began our prayer. When it was Elli's turn, she smiled, looked at the serving plate on the table stacked with freshly made donuts, and whispered into her balled little hands, "Thank for.....puzzles." Just when you think you know her....

Overall the donuts were tasty. They were not as big of a hit as The Nacho Revolution was with the fam, but still good enough to try them again.

Overall Shortcut Donuts Ratings (5 being the best):

Elli-friendly cooking: 4

Elli-friendly eating: 3 (would have been higher hand Mommy not scorched the outsides)

Simple: 5

Fast: 5

Frugal: 5

You Tell Me: National Day of Prayer is May 6. For what will you pray?