Memories 'Bubbling' Up

Many of you have been asking me when this next installment of Cooking with Elli was due to arrive. To be honest, blogging has been the furthest thing from my mind recently. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because an important dynamic has changed.

I had made a promise at the very outset of this journey that I would do this only as long as Elli was interested in helping me cook on a regular basis. At the time, Elli was a tad shy of two years old and wanted to do what I was doing. Really, she wanted to eat (remember her trying to eat the green pepper through the produce bag?), but helping me create things was a joy for her too. This blog was a natural outgrowth of those times in the kitchen. Its purpose was to capture those times and be a blessing to those who know Elli and want to watch her grow. 

For the past several months, I've been contemplating wrapping it up. Elli seems to have had many other things occupying her preschool self: writing her name, reading to Krista, playing tag, building with Legos, dreaming up worlds with Little People. And then, just a tad past her fourth birthday, Elli said she wanted to cook with me again.

How appropriate it was, then, that I happened to making a recipe that she had made toward the beginning of our little blog, a Taste of Home recipe called Bubble Pizza (see the first go-round for the full recipe). It was a great way to see how far she has come in two short years.

For starters, when I told her the first thing we needed to do was spray our 13x9 glass pan, she declared, "I can help you, Mommy!"

And she did, taking the can with one hand and pressing down on the nozzle with the other. She created both a nice coating on the pan and nice fog that engulfed us for several minutes.

Similar to last time, I started on browning the meat (turkey, of course) while Elli set about tearing up the biscuit dough for the crust.

"Take each biscuit," I told her, "and tear it in half. Then, put the pieces in a line in the pan."

"Okay," she replied, and set to work like an artist.

Her pieces were not the Skittle size of yore, and her line marched first around the perimeter of the pan instead of piling into a molehill in the center. Her budding mastery of spatial relationships shown brightly.

Elli's newest thing these days is smelling. She loves to smell everything. Every. Thing. Like she just discovered she had a nose. She frequently asks, loudly, regardless of proximity to other people in line at the checkout, "What's that smell?"

Should I have been surprised that she smelled the biscuit dough? Only if I was surprised that she asked to eat the biscuit dough. (A really cool video was supposed to appear here, but technology would not cooperate.)

Unlike last time, we deviated from the recipe a bit and added in spices I thought would jazz up the pizza. I brought out the garlic powder and basil from the spice cabinet. Elli helped me pour the pizza sauce into the pan with the meat and then we set about adding the spices. She popped open the garlic powder lid and took a whiff.

Delighted, she stuck the canister under my nose and said, "Smell this, Mommy."

"Wow, that's a strong smell. Should we add some to the sauce?"

"Yeah!"

Add is probably too gentle of a verb to use to describe a four-year-old's action. Dump indiscriminately is a more accurate.

"That's a lot of garlic," I said, looking at the heap of granules in the pan. I was convinced we would all be permeating the lovely stench for a month.

We put the basil on too and mixed it in. As I was stirring, she postulated, "I think we need more gaw-wic."

"No," I assured, "no, we do not."

Cheese time. Sprinkling cheese was something she has always loved to do.

Eating cheese she has always loved more. Old habits....

The swoosh of cheese shreds falling must have echoed into the living room, where the almost-1-year-old was chillin' before bathtime. Much like big sister, cheese is a favored food. Before long, I heard the thwap-thwap-thwap of chubby little hands smacking the kitchen floor. Silly me, at first I thought she was coming to simply watch her idol. I have a lot to learn as a mother:

Of course, I also have a lot to learn as a cook, as I discovered, after Elli had diligently covered the meat sauce with cheese, that we were to bake the pizza and then add the cheese.

"Oh well," I said. "It'll be fine. Let's do this thing."

I placed the pan in the over, closed the door and set the timer.

"Mommy, turn on the light so I can see the pizza," Elli said, sitting down on the floor in front of the stove to admire her creation.

"Oh, Elli, how nice," I replied and flipped on the light. "It's neat to watch what you've--"

"I'm going to go read!" she announced, and headed off to her room to find a book.

That, my friends, is the attention span of a four-year-old.

Over a delicious supper of Elli's special pizza, we discussed the prospect of adding another little chef to the kitchen team.

"This time next year, I bet Krista will be able to cook with us," I told my protege. "What do you think?"

"Yeah! We can make a cake for desert!"

"Yum. That sounds good."

"Yeah! A cake for my raccoon party for my 5 birthday!"

Yes. You read that correctly. Raccoon. My child wants a raccoon-themed fifth birthday. I can only imagine the possibilities.

Until then, we'll just have to stoke that seeming burning desire of Krista's to do what big sister does. After all, that's kind of how it started for Elli and me.

Where Cheese Tacos Live

There they are, my plaid-clad girlie-Qs, back from an unintentionally long break from the blog.

So, did you miss us? We have missed you! Several of you have lamented the lack of recent posts. I feel your angst. I wish I had more time to keep up this blog like I used to. Several things have diverted my attention recently -- a baby who just begs to be fed and videotaped, a sputtering workout routine, a couple of new writing adventures, and this growing time suck they tell me I should call a "job." But one thing has brought us back together: Elli.

Yesterday during our dinner go-round of what we liked most about the day, Elli said, "Spending time with Mommy." (Sniff, wipe tear.) I asked her if she wanted to cook with me today, something we hadn't been doing as regularly these days. "Yes!" came the emphatic reply. "What should we make?" Without hesitation, she answered, "Cheese tacos!"

I really shouldn't have been surprised by the answer. Her affinity for the quasi-Mexican entree began when she was barely two. We were running errands, and it was getting close to lunchtime. Out of the blue, Elli declares from the back seat, "I want to go to the food store [restaurant] where cheese tacos live."

To her, a cheese taco involves two things: melted orange-colored cheese and a soft tortilla. Any variation will do: roll up, quesadilla, etc.

As it turns out, her request was the perfect lunch for after church (thus the formal attire in the pictures below). Simple. Pleasing. Fast. Three of my favorite things.

Video prelude begins now:

Elli's Cheese Tacos

4 wheat tortillas, soft taco size
1.5 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican-style cheese
canola oil spray
1 tbsp Williams chili seasoning

Spray one side of each tortilla with cooking spray; top other sides with equal amounts of cheese; sprinkle on equal amounts of seasoning. Place one at a time oil side down in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until cheese is just melted. Remove onto a plate and fold in half. Serve warm.

We worked on our cheese tacos one at a time. I sprayed; Elli topped with cheese.

A little too much cheese in some cases.

The process was so simple for Elli, who, let's face it, is far more advanced in her culinary skills. She became a bit bored not long into it. She would have paid closer attention had she not been trying to shovel cheese into her mouth.

"Mommy, can I have some more?"

"Elli, hang on a few more minutes and we'll have lunch."

"Can I have some more now?"

"No."

"Can I have some more now?"

"No."

"Can I have some cereal?"

I deflected her requests for several minutes. Finally she simply surrendered her post and moved on to teaching Krista in the fine art of letter magnet sorting.

Krista would have paid closer attention if she was not so busy trying to eat the letters.

It's been nice chatting with you once again! I promise to try to be better at staying in touch. Perhaps next time you see us, Krista will be helping for real. Here she is modeling her stir-and-sample technique:

Superb wrist motion, Krista!

Until next time....

Grandpa's Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Just wanted to start off this blog post correctly. That is Krista, my 4-month-old precious. She is growing so rapidly, and she has started on the biggest and perhaps most pleasurable journey of her life: eating food. A few weeks ago, she started with the obligatory rice cereal...and promptly spit it out. Then came the oatmeal. Not that you don't have a good reason to watch a video of an adorable baby eating cereal, but just so you know, at the end she gives one of the best soliloquies ever captured on video.

Well said, my love! Without realizing it, she gave me inspiration for my next cooking adventure with Elli, one that also would include a little history/lineage lesson. My maternal grandpa I will forever remember for three primary things: 1) the ornery laugh befitting of the ornery stick of a man he was, 2) Old Spice and 3) his oatmeal raisin cookies. 

I called my mom to ask her for his recipe. "I don't know," she replied, "check the oatmeal box."

Classic.

I just so happened to have a Quaker Oatmeal box, and, sure enough, the recipe was under the lid.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups oats, uncooked
1 cup raisins

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon; mix well. Add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown.

As soon as Elli heard the word "cookie" tumble off my lips, she was asking to eat the dough. She is, as they say, her mother's daughter. (It really is no wonder I have not lost all of the baby weight.)

Because Elli is a smartie -- "gifted" if you ask certain family members -- she is on the verge of reading. So, I gave her the lid and the responsibility to captain us through how much we would need of each ingredient.

Together we counted the butter as we dumped it into the stand mixer bowl, then the sugars, which of course Elli wanted to consume. When the mixer was done making them "creamy," I handed Elli the scraper to clean off the paddle.

Precise as a surgeon.

"Can I eat this now, Mommy?"

"Not sure you're going to like it," I said, but I might as well have said, "Put your whole hand in it," because that's exactly how she responded.

"It's good, Mommy."

"OK, Elli. If you say so. How about we add some more ingredients?"

"Yes!"

She wiped her hand on her shorts, as any mature baker would, and helped me crack the eggs into the bowl. I wish I could say that went smoothly.

"Can I eat this now, Mommy?"

"No, honey, it has raw egg in it. Let's mix the dry ingredients."

"Yes!"

She read off how much of the flour, baking soda, etc., we needed and dumped the measurements I gave her into the bowl. Without me having to say a word, she picked up the spoon and went at it.

Steadily we added the dry mixture into the butter-sugar mixture as the paddle spun. Elli watched as the last of the white disappeared into the brown.

"Can I eat this now, Mommy?"

"Time to add the raisins and oats," I diverted.

"Yes!"

After she read to me how much raisins we needed, I gave her the measuring cup and a box of raisins. She did the rest.

The oats went almost as well as the eggs. Let's just say I'm glad we invested in a good broom.

Elli stood at the ready with her scrapper as the mixer paddle came to a stop, a huge ball of dough adhered to it. When she was done prying off the ball, her hand started inching toward the bowl. Suddenly she remembered I was standing there.

"Can I eat this now, Mommy?"

I can't say I didn't finally relent and let her have a taste, or that I didn't try some myself. Honestly, I think it is only responsible baking to test the dough before you commit it to the oven. Like tasting the sauce before adding the pasta. Can I get an amen? Do you eat the dough of cookies you're making? Let me know. Those who agree, you just may find yourself the proud recipient of an Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie!

Overall Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie Ratings (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 5 (was there any doubt?)
Simple: 5
Fast: 5
Frugal: 5

Chicken and Crowder

Elli has always enjoyed music, and I've tried my hardest to steer her in a direction that alleviates us from the burden of an endless loop of kiddie songs. I can take only so much "Baa Baa Black Sheep." Specifically, the steering has been toward those artists I enjoy and whose lyrics will not make my face red if my 3-year-old asks "Mommy, what's that?" Where that has led us, though, is a fierce loyalty as of late to David Crowder Band. And when I say loyalty, I mean infatuation. I mean she would rather watch DCB videos on YouTube than the latest episode of Dora the Explorer. Of course, I partially credit this phenomenon with 1) killer vids and 2) David himself. Have you ever seen this guy? Who wouldn't be fascinated?

For some reason she also has it in her head that David Crowder is my uncle. Not sure how she came up with that, but hey, something for the journal, right?

I guess it should have been no surprise to me the other day when Elli burst out into a DCB chorus while we were making chicken salad.

I should digress here and say that Elli and I have cooked numerous times since Krista's arrival, but cooking and documenting the session in photos is one thing. Etching out time to share it all with you is another. Sorry about that. Maybe I should just post all the pictures some day and let you all guess what it was we were making. Tell me what you think.

The other day, just ahead of an insanely busy week in terms of appointments and a planned trip, I had about 30 minutes to prep a weeknight meal of chicken salad. Daddy was doing some yard work, and Krista was still down for a nap, so Elli and I got out her steps and whatever I could find in the house to throw into the chicken salad, and off we went.

Step 1: Dump the chicken into the bowl...

...and a little bit on the floor. Seems like old times, doesn't it?

Step 2: Check on Daddy.

He's fine.

Step 3: Break up the chicken and add the ingredients.

Step 4: Humor Mommy by singing "Here is Our King" one more time because she didn't get the video started in time on the first round.

Step 5: Taste test!

Done. She followed this up by coloring a Father's Day card for Daddy.

When she finished,shestuffed inside two tickets to a DCB concert and the hopes of being the one he asks to go with him. If he does, 'twill be her first real concert.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Doing anything special for the dad(s) in your life?

Big Girl Beef Burgundy

With a totally dependent and endlessly precious baby in the house, Elli has blossomed even more into a big girl, and she is so proud of herself. "Look at me, Mommy, I did it!" She now gets dressed by herself, except for shirts, which can be tricky getting on and off her 95th percentile noggin. She cleans up her dishes after meals, loves to help dust and wipe down counters, and has started to swing by herself. If she were tall enough, we'd have her paint the house this summer.

However, even with the freed up time I have found to devote to getting Krista through another bottle or diaper change, finding time to cook can be a challenge, and that's without the factor of being back at my full-time job (which I do in about two weeks *sniff*). So, finding recipes that promise few ingredients, simple prep and delicious results are not only a desire, they are a need.

When I first saw the recipe titled Beef Burgundy in one of my Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, I admit I skipped right over it. I thought it sounded too Julia Child for my time and talent constraints. But something made me reconsider it.
I read the ingredients: can of soup, beef broth, onion soup mix.
Yes, great and doabe.
Then the directions: Mix, cover, bake.
Sign me up!
Look at me, I'm cooking like Julia Child!

Beef Burgundy

2 lbs beef stew meat
1 package onion soup mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/4 cup beef broth (or Burgundy wine if you're into that sort of thing)

Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole dish with lid. Cover with aluminum foil then lid. Bake at 325 for about 2 hours.

With Elli by my side, I set out all the ingredients, preheated the oven, and dumped the beef into the casserole dish. I then walked Elli through each ingredient we were going to add: soup, mix, broth, and "marshmellows." And off we went.

From there, it was as easy as:

Dump:

Mix:

Cover:

After that, the only thing left to do is find something to occupy yourself for two hours while it bakes, such as...
Work on tummy time with Baby Krista:

Or play with cousin Annika:

Quack at a duck:

Plant flowers:

Go to a Chris Tomlin concert:

Okay, you might not have time for a whole concert, but I just loved doing that so much I had to throw it in.

For the next two hours our house filled with the cozy smell of the beefy dish. My mouth watered so much I had to go run a couple of miles to dry it out. When I got back, I boiled up some egg noodles and carrots to serve with our latest creation. We shoveled in the goodness just in time for Krista's next meal. And I'm certain I detected a tinge of jealousy in her eyes. In time, Krista, you too will be a big girl!

Overall Ratings for Beef Burgundy (5 being the best):
Elli-friendly cooking: 5
Elli-friendly eating: 3 (she preferred the carrots and noodles)
Simple: 5
Fast: 3 (middle grade for fast prep, but long baking time)
Frugal: 3

Question for you:
What dish do you make now but were afraid to try before? What changed your mind?

Use Your Imagination Chocolate Cake

You all probably know by now that the kitchen has welcomed a new little chef: Krista! Please indulge as I proudly show off my precious:

And another:

She is about 1 month old now. Growing each day in size and beauty. Meanwhile, the rest of the family is adjusting to having Little One in the house. Daddy and I, having been through the newborn boot camp before, have fairly easily fallen into a routine that allows Krista what she needs and the sleep we need. But we weren't the ones we were concerned about. Though we wondered how Elli was going to take Krista, she has impressed us with her loving attitude toward her baby sister. Case in point, since taking the picture above, Elli will periodically ask us, "Can I hold Baby Sister and take a picture?" She has such a good heart. And Krista seems to like having Elli around. She will just stare at Elli and listen as she "reads" (i.e., makes up a story based on the pictures) books to her. I have no doubt that Elli will be a fabulous big sister who will be a loving guide for Krista.

Hopefully this will carry over into the kitchen some day. But for now, Elli is my one and only sous chef. Though we haven't cooked much together for the past several weeks, she still catches me in the kitchen working and grabs for her steps, wanting to help...and eat...wherever she can.

The one exception I have made to the one-and-only-sous-chef rule is for Daddy. With a newborn and preschooler in the house, we have to make the most of the one-on-one time we can find. We have started a challenge for each other: every week find one thing we can do together. This week was my turn, and my first thought went immediately to food.

I knew Daddy would not hate the idea of a cake, but I wanted to put a spin on it. I told him we were going to make a cake without a recipe -- just wing it completely, relying only on our experience and our sensibilities. Apparently he did not trust our sensibilities, although I'm not sure if it was mine or his he didn't trust. Hmmm. I digress.

So, we came up with an alternative. We would use the recipe for a chocolate cake on the back of the baking cocoa can but we would invent a variation on the cake. Our variation was to do a "stuffed" chocolate cake.

Base Chocolate Cake (from Nestle Tollhouse)

2 cups flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup water

Grease 13x9 pan. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with water. Spread into prepared pans. Bake 25-35 minutes at 350.

We kicked off the cake baking session when both girls were napping. We read off the ingredients from the cocoa can. Baking soda. Baking powder. Flour. Eggs.

"We totally could have done ths without a recipe," I told him. "We would have nailed it." I don't think I convinced him.

We tag-teamed mixing the ingredients together, and our creation began to smell as good as it looked.

"It looks like it has pudding in it," I said.

"It smells better than a box mix," he said.

Our plan was to put half the batter in the pan...

...then add the "stuffed" layer, which comprised minimarshmellows and chocolate chips.

Mmmmmm.

Then we topped that with the second half of the batter, carefully pouring and spreading the batter over the marshmellows.

"This smells so good," Daddy said. We both wondered how it tasted.

Where have I seen this before?

We agreed that the batter tasted amazing, certainly better than the pudding-infused box mix. But we were curious how the stuffed layer would work out. I figured the marshmellows would just bake into the batter.

They did, of course, and the chocolate chips sunk to the bottom, thus our stuffed layer didn't really pan out (pardon the expression), but the cake was tasty, and we had a lot of fun making it. Even Elli enjoyed chowing down when she woke up from her nap.

Maybe next time I'll make the challenge a little tougher. Any suggestions on what Daddy and I can make? Let me hear your suggestions.

God bless you all. Talk to you soon.

Keeping it Simple Pizza Twists

It's not a news flash to any of you that I have been more hit and miss these days with my posts. Well, in the late stages of pregnancy, you tend to do things like that. We are now approaching labor day rapidly, and everyone in our house is very excited. Elli likes to hug and kiss Baby Sister (a.k.a. my large belly). Daddy likes to rub Baby Sister. Mommy likes to lay down with her feet elevated above her heart.

When it comes to just about everything these days, I'm keeping it as simple as possible. I've stopped worrying so much about what outfits I wear to work -- all my shirts are too short for my belly anyway, so whatever. I've stopped hassling over trying to drive on wintery roads -- my doctor gave me strict instructions to stay home when the roads are bad anyway. And for meals, well, I still put a little emphasis on that because, well, I'm still hungry, very hungry, these days. For some reson I particularly crave Mexican food or any semblence thereof (Taco Bell). I would not be shocked if Baby Sister comes out asking for salsa.

I'm also preparing for having meals on hand when Baby Sister comes home. One of my favorites to have premade and in the freezer is a Pepperoni Bake. As I was planning to make up a batch, I decided to do something new with the pepperoni not used in the bake. That's when I came across a recipe from my friends over at Gooseberry Patch (the Cozy Country Christmas cookbook, specifically) called:

Pepperoni Pizza Twists

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
10.6 oz. tube refrigerated bread sticks
Pepperoni slices
14 oz. pizza sauce

Combine cheese, garlic powder and seasoning; set aside. Unroll and separate the bread stick dough. Place pepperoni slices on one end of each stick; fold top half over and twist the bread stick. Place twists on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese mixture. Bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

Elli is now 3 years old, which means she is establishing her own way of doing things. Nowhere was this more evident to me than in the kitchen the night we made these pizza twists.

I showed her how to unroll each breadstick dough bunch, place the pepperoni slices on the lower half, and then gently fold the top half over the lower half. Allow me to introduce you to Elli Style (watch video):

That, my friends, is how she rolls. It all bakes the same.

From that point on, we took turns making the twists. But, of course, she instructed me on whose turn it was who got to unroll which bunch of dough.

When it was my turn, I tried to keep faithful to the recipe instructions. Elli was equally faithful -- to her version. But she did have a certain grace in her coordination in laying down the pepperoni slices.

Kinda reminds you of a Subway sandwich artist, no?

The last step was to sprinkle on the cheese mixture. And "sprinkle" in Elli Style means pinch some cheese mixture out of the bowl, drop it on a twist, lick fingers, repeat (to Mommy's protest). Then, when task is completed, swipe as many pepperoni slices as you can.

After putting the twists in the oven, I asked Elli to pick out which veggies she wanted: peas or mixed veggies. She picked mixed veggies, which apparently she took quite literally because she insisted on mixing the veggies in the microwave steamer.

Elli Style. Who can bag on that?

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

So tell me....
What simple meals are good to have in the hopper when a newborn is in the house?

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?