My Sweet Babu

gift giving...

Gift giving at the holidays can be a puzzling time for me for a variety of reasons.  First, we are a young couple and are not wealthy by any means.  We usually end up spending the most on our kids and then try to buy a little something for everyone else.  This might not seem too crazy, except for the fact that both my husband and my parents are divorced and remarried...then there are the grandparents on my husbands side...oh, and I have cousins that are very generous our kids....close friends...

{the oatmel cookie recipe from the Quaker Oats container with craisins and white chocolate chips instead of raisins, then drizzled with melted white chocolate}

You can see how the list can go on and on and perhaps you are nodding your head in agreement, finding yourself in a similar situation.  What to do?  At some point this year, I decided that when it came to gifts, whether it was for a wedding, a holiday or birthday, I was not going to worry about perfect as much as I was going to focus on giving something that I liked and that was from the heart.  I like to think that I have pretty good taste, and I am happy that the gifts I have given seem to have been well received.

 {Homemade Chocolate bark, melted milk chocolate with slated peanuts stirred in, pour on a parchment lined baking sheet and swirl in melted white chocolate.  Let set in fridge and break apart.}

I am very fortunate in that I do not feel like anyone actually expects any gifts from us, but I like to have a little something to give all the same.  Hey, it makes me feel good!  Last year was the "green year" where we gave candles and home made soap in recycled glass dishes and had a tree planted in everyone's name...this year, however, I did not have a stellar idea, so we have decided to go with the failsafe, food.  Making special holiday breads and cookies, putting it all in a nice basket with a nice bottle of wine or champagne; now that is a gift I'd be very happy with!  I am hoping that everyone enjoys them...I'm sure they will! 

So if your stuck on an idea, it is never to late to do some baking and hit the spirits section of your food store for come nice bottles of wine or champagne that you can keep to hand out in a pinch! 

a.  

cookie swap

Many years ago, I was invited to participate in a cookie swap.  Ok, talk about baptism by fire...I was instructed to make 12 of 2 kinds of cookies for like 8-10 other women...yeah, that was like 240 cookies!  I should probably mention that we were living in a small apartment at the time that had an even smaller kitchen!  And then there is that little thing that I'm not exactly the world's cookie baking master...

So not long after we moved to this town, I was invited to participate in a cookie swap, which the next year, I ended up hosting myself.  Having been through cookie swap boot camp, I called this swap the "bake, borrow or buy" cookie swap, because I did not want anyone to not participate becasue they did not have the time or desire to bake a million Christmas cookies.  In addition, the nuber to swap was 6...of one kind of cookie! 

Over the years, the cookie swap has turned into more of a mama's night out, wine swap...where guests happen to stumble home with a variety of different cookies.  However with everyone's busy scheduals, it works out that the best night to get together is actually the 23rd of December.  Being all pregnant and trying to be a mindful host {I don't my friends to be totally hung over for Christmas eve} I'll have to make sure that the party does not go on too late!  But whatever the evening turns out to be, we have all agreed that it is well worth it!  It is so much easier to make one kind of cookie then to make several...but with the swap, it works out that we all have a huge selection of Christmas cookies to offer or bring to our individual holiday gatherings.

It's not too late!  If you don't do a swap already, try to throw one together!  If there are less guests, up the swap # to 12 per person, or whatever you all agree on!  It is such a fun time...and if it does not work out for this year, make sure to put it on your holiday to do list for next year!!

Happy baking!

a.

martha's great ideas...

Martha Stewart has some amazing ideas in her Halloween editions of her magazine.  There are many adult ideas that I love, but have not yet got around to trying, however, what really grabbed me were the Halloween craft ideas she had for kids.  These have been used year after year and are so simple...

This is the first craft, which involves using a drop of watered down water color, then taking a straw and literally blowing the droplet of paint accross the page!  It makes the most spooky, kooky branches!  I used a similar technique once to creat cherry blossom branches, using brown paint for the branches, then letting Tobin use his tiny pointer finger to make little red dots all around it.  It is such a fun activity, you really can't go wrong!

 
Another fun idea that will have your little ones drinking their milk for sure, is the ghost glass.  To make this, melt down some chocolate, then use a paint brush to paint a spooky ghost face on the inside of your glass.  Remember the bowl of chocolate is very hot when you are either microwaving {30 sec at a time} or heating it over a pan of water.  I put mine in the freezer when I am done to help the chocolate set up.  When you are ready to serve it, just pour in the milk!  These ghostly faces really come to life against the white background!

 
Enjoy!

alison

mini pumpkins

I must start out by saying that I did have a most wonderful birthday weekend full of well wishes from friends and time spent with family.  The weather was just perfect for a variety of fall time activities and I could not have been happier that we had the extra days off to enjoy this great fall season!

 
One of the highlights of the weekend, however, was our weekly sunday dinner {which also doubled as my birthday dinner this week}.  A couple of weeks ago, we attended a spectacular wedding, where as part of the entre we were served a mini pumpkin on our plates, which was so delicious, it very well could have been the dessert.  We decided to try to replicate the recipe and this was what we came up with.  Begin by taking 5-6 mini pumpkins and carefully cut of the tops {so they may be saves and replaced like a jack o lantern} and remove the seeds and strings.  Place the pumpkins, lids on, in a baking dish with about 3-4 cups of water in the bottom of it, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 375'. 

 
While the pumpkins are roasting, I took 2 bananas and sliced them.  We sauted the bananas along with 2 Tbsp. of butter and 1Tbsp. of cinnamon {more cinnamon if you like}.  After the bananas are mostly mush and combined thuroughly with the butter and cinnamon, remove from the heat and put into the food processor.  Once the pumkins are finished roasting, pour most of the water out of the baking dish.  Use caution as the pumpkins are hot.  I used an oven mit to hold the pumpkins and scoop out the meat of the pumpkin into the food processor.  Don't completely empty the pumpkin, as you will want to use the pumpkin shell for serving.  We added about 2 tsp. of vanilla and a pinch of salt, then blended away.  Fill your pumlin shells with the mix and put back in the oven {pumpkin lids on} for about 15 minutes, to warm through until the rest of your meal is ready to serve.

 

I have to say that we did a pretty great job of recreating what we had tasted!  The kids thought it was so cool to have a mini pumpkin on their plates...I never thought I'd see them eating pumpkin and enjoying it!  I hope you give this fun holiday treat a go!

Enjoy!

a. 

a vegetarian staple...

This week has been a busy one with John home from work on vacation and Tobin begining kindergarten.  With all of the running around, it is no surprise that we have not had much time for extra crafting!  I figured this might be a good opportunity to introduce a recipe...one that we will probably make this week; a very appropriate dish for this September weather. 

 As promised, I wanted to introduce some of the vegetarian meals that we prepare here at home that your family might also enjoy.  Besides being ultra healthy, cutting down on the amount of meat we purchase in the store can greatly reduce our weekly grocery bills, which is always a good thing!  The Lentil Loaf is a great preparation becasue it it comes out looking quite attractive, is delicious and is best when eaten with sides of veggies, mashed potatoes and ketchup!

To make this Lentil Loaf, begin by placing a bag of dry red lentils in a pot with 5-6 cups of water; bring to a boil, then reduce to low until most of the water has been absorbed. Chop 1/2 of a yellow onion and 1 red pepper.  Heat some olive oil and some red curry paste 1/2 tsp. or more to taste {I use the Thai Kitchen brand; it is a tiny jar, but you'll have it for quite a while!} in a pan, then add your onion and pepper.

   

Once the peppers and onions have finished cooking, remove from heat.  The next step is to combine your lentils, 1 egg and the pepper/onion mix {oil and all}, into a large mixing bowl.  Then add your bread crumbs.  I have never measured this out, I just continue to add a bit at a time, making sure it is all mixed thouroughly, until it feels good and thick.  Spread your lentils into a baking dish {I spray my baking dish with a non stick spray first}.  Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 350', then uncover it and cook for another 10 minutes.  You can check it with a knife, but it may still be a bit soft...the best thing to do is to let it sit and cool for a bit before serving it.  The Lentil loaf is even better after it has gone into the fridge and is reheated the next day! 

Lentil loaf is so great because it really gives the illusion of a "meatloaf and potatoes" meal, while being a super healthy, vegetatiian option.  I love anything that can be made easily and in large enough amounts so that we have leftovers for another night!  This has been especially helpful this week when we would rather spend opur time talking about all of the new and exciting things that have been happening, rather than slaving over the stove!  I hope you enjoy this!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

a.

chocolate pudding

The last couple of days have been just beautiful; it as is if the universe knew that September had arrived and some kind of magical weather switch was flipped.  The windows have been open, the mornings are actually chilly and we have been back to spending hours outside, meeting new playground friends and revisiting parks that were all but deserted in the height of the summer heat. 

 

As a reward for a long walk to the park yesterday, this mama settled into a chair out back with a book I had been meaning to read more of for quite a while; leaving the little ones to entertain themselves.  I have greatly enjoyed reading Molly Wizenberg's, A Homemade Life: stories and recipes from  my kitchen table.  As much as I love the recipes {and can't wait to try a few}, I really love all of the wonderfully written stories and how it is all incorporated into this one lovely book.  Although I wish I could report that I devoured the entire book, all things cannot remain peaceful forever when there are kiddos playing outdoors.  When the tears arrived, I suppose that I was so moved by my reading, that I immediately suggested that we head into the kitchen to whip up a snack.

Like Molly, we spend much of our days preparing food, eating and spending time in the kitchen in general.  Sometimes what we create is resteraunt quality, while other times, it may be nothing special, but still seems like it is the best thing we have ever eaten!  When I think about recipes, even some of the ones I have shared on this blogg, I often think of some memory that is associated with the meal.  Even if the memory is just the act of us all being together preparing a meal, that does it too.  There is so much more to a meal than what the food being prepared is, I suppose...

 

So this afternoon, the cure for our moment of friction was instant chocolate pudding.  I know that this is neither complex nor glamorous, however, I knew when the tears subsided, the little ones would want to be back outside.  This task of whisking cold milk into chocolate powder was enough of a diversion to get everyone smiling again.  I'm looking foward to a few more peaceful moments to read through the rest of Molly's book.  I am thankful for being reminded of the wonderful memories that are created at home in these little moments.  As I look down at my hands that bare the remains of chocolate pudding {even after having been washed off}, I am so grateful that I have  the opportunity to be home with my kiddos to help make these memories happen.

 a.