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Why you shouldn't participate in that cookie exchange.
Published December 11, 2009 @ 09:14 in Being Mommy, Recipes

This year a friend of mine was organizing a cookie exchange. I've heard a lot about these famous cookie exchanges. You make dozens of the same kind of cookie, then you meet, switch, and suddenly you have a dozen each of lots of different kinds of cookies. So, instead of spending a day or two baking, you spend a few hours and still get loads of fresh, homemade treats.

Sounds great, doesn't it? A real time saver.

So, I said, "Yes! I would LOVE to participate."

Big mistake.

First off, when I got the other cookies back, I noticed that my tried and true chocolate chip cookies would pale in comparison to these amazing creations. Beautifully done, decorated, and packaged, the dozen I threw into the zip-lock bags just won't measure up.

But after I got over my insecurities, I started to eat. And eat. And eat. Thus far I am madly and irrevocably in love with the Skor shortbread. Pure genius. Yes, I've had three for breakfast so far today, and I've promised myself that I won't eat lunch or dinner to stay under my daily calorie allotment - the fat is probably over my recommended daily intake. I am actually considering eating the last two just to be done with the dozen (yes, I got them late after hockey on Tuesday night, and 10 are already eaten, ALL BY ME!)

The only problem with that theory, is that I am pretty sure after the Skor Shortbread is done, I will just move onto the ginger cookies. Or maybe the almonds ones. Probably both. Expect that the sugar cookies with sprinkles look pretty good, too.

Sugar, butter, flour... nothing good can come of it.

Please heed my advice before your jeans start to tighten, like mine. Say "No" to the festive Christmas cookie exchange. Your friends may think that it is a little Bah-Humbug, but tell them you are just getting an early start on your New Year's Resolution.

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Can kids cook?
Published November 27, 2009 @ 17:33 in Recipes

My kids love to help me bake. It seems to double the time required, and at least double the mess. Plus there is always at least one broken egg, and one fight because somebody got to stir more or pour more.

Last night we made my (almost) famous chocolate chip cookies for the school bazaar today. I was actually thrilled that it only took an hour and 15 minutes to make the five dozen cookies. Yes, I had three helpers. You should see the state of my kitchen. I just can't motivate myself to clean it!

Today, Son Two, the fiercely independent one of my offspring, made himself popcorn. Microwave popcorn. It was great - he can read enough to press the "Popcorn" button on the microwave, and then his sister made melted butter to go along with it.

Only one problem. He didn't know to take the plastic wrapper off. Just so you know, it doesn't really seem to matter. The popcorn popped well. Half the wrapper was melted into the bag, the other half just feel off when he took it out of the microwave. No gross burning plastic smell. We were golden!

I have some friends who when renovating their kitchen choose to put their microwave in their island so that the kids to could access it. Other friends did the opposite, placing it over the stove so that the kids knew not to touch. Ours is over the counter, so the kids need a chair to access it.

I haven't explained the "no metal in the microwave" rule yet, though I have cautioned about burns and things being really hot. It seems like we are entering a new phase where the kids can start to prepare their own snacks and meals. If I teach them how, isn't that sort of like phasing myself out of my job? And is that a good thing?

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Two Scoops Too Many
Published July 28, 2009 @ 18:38 in Recipes

My family is obsessed with cereal. I hate cereal, and never, ever, eat it. However, the other four members of my family love cereal, and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Currently, there are 14 boxes of cereal in my pantry. Usually, there are closer to 20 and they start taking up counter space.

It seems like different cereals go through cycles of popularity. Sometimes it is Corn Pops, other times Mini Wheats. Last winter is was Lucky Charms and Life.

This month, Daughter's favourite is "Daddy's cereal" - Raisin Bran. Except she doesn't like raisins. And she wants it with milk, but doesn't eat it once it gets "soggy."

Raisin Bran boasts "Two Scoops of raisins and those delicious flakes of bran!" Their raisins really are these weird mutant, XL raisins with a odd, powdered coating that is probably sugar and fat.

Daughter picks out the raisins; if Daddy is home, then she hand feeds them to him. When he is not, she puts them back in the box (as long as they aren't wet from milk - then they just get put on the table to dry and stick.)

I've tried buying her plain bran flakes, but it is not the same. Plus, she thinks that "Scoops" is her name on the box, because they both have "S". Since she is only three, we are trying to encourage this reading.

Daddy now gets extra raisiney raisin bran as Daughter eats her way through a box of raisin bran, hold the raisins, please. And I am left to ponder how I, a life-long hater of cereal, find myself in the family of cereal enthusiast. Lucky for me - they are all magically delicious!

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published July 8, 2009 @ 11:23 in Recipes

Years ago, in what seems like a past life, I worked in advertising. There was this lovely woman in Media, who recognized me as a fellow foodie, and gave me the most amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe for Christmas.

I've used that recipe a few dozen times since then. They make really amazing soft and chewy cookies. Unfortunately, I've noticed that my recipe card is fading, and knowing me, it will fade before I get the chance to rewrite it, thus losing the recipe forever.

Last week I went to Canadian Tire to buy new cookie sheets. I picked up the aluminum sheet that I normally use for cookies, and two Baker's Secret cookie sheets because they were on sale and I needed one for frozen chicken fingers.

As I peeled away the cardboard, I noticed a cookie recipe on the back of the Baker's Secret packaging - MY chocolate chip cookie recipe!!!

Of course, Julie, the wonderful woman in Media, had made it her own by adding personal recommendations, but it was the same recipe.

So here it is for you to try... I swear it make the most delicious chocolate chip cookies if done right.

NOTE: I am going to give you Julie's recipe, the one that I got from her in December 1998; I am pretty sure that I can't give you the Baker's Secret version...

Preheat over to 325 F
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix in a medium bowl with a fork and set aside

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 white, granulated sugar
3/4 light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix with fork in large bowl

2 eggs

Beat with fork, and mix with butter and sugar

Add in flour mixture - continuing to mix with large fork

2 - 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (mixture of pure semi-sweet and milk chocolate)

Add chocolate chips to batter. Fold in as many as possible. (If you like nuts, you can also add up to a cup of chopped nuts.)

Using an aluminum cookie sheet, use a teaspoon to drop.

Cook for 8-10 minutes, unlit golden brown. Remove with metal spatula to plate or cutting board to cool (as these are soft, they would break easily on a wire rack).

Makes approximately 5 dozen. Last about 3 - 4 days (assuming you don't eat them all before then). Can be frozen - though lay on cookie sheets to freeze, then place in container or bag.

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Summer Vacation - Day Three
Published June 29, 2009 @ 16:35 in Amazing Kids, Recipes

Wow - tomorrow I am going to take a look at the calendar and count down how many days we have left of vacation.

Yesterday was Day Three of summer vacation, and we had a relaxing family day. Daughter was finally over her illness. We played T-Ball and went for a walk through the trails in High Park.

Last night I tried to introduce the kids to more "super foods" at dinner. I have decided that this summer is going to be about better ourselves. Thus the chore list. Next I cleaned out the kids drawers and got through some of my laundry. Next it is cleaning out the house and getting rid of toys and stuff that we no longer need. I also want to get the kids to eat better, and the summer with its cornucopia of produce seems like the right time.

We talked about good foods, and the kids aren't bad. Yesterday we had guacamole and berries. For dinner last night I made grilled sea bass, mashed sweet potato and sauteed spinach and corn. The kids ate the corn and the bread. Son Two tried to claim that he likes blue berries, but only ate half of one. Apparently, he ate three berries about 6 weeks ago so he thinks that he's good. Son One asked for cherries, but then when he realized that they weren't maraschino explained that he just likes the red ones.

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BBQ Time
Published April 19, 2009 @ 17:36 in Kids Activities, Recipes

For lunch today we turned on the BBQ to make some hot dogs and hamburgers.

Except that daughter, who has been eating chicken fingers twice a day for the past week, insisted on chicken fingers. And Son Two prefers his hot dogs boiled, not on the BBQ. Why do we bother?

Husband and I enjoyed the BBQ - except I was all out of pickles. What is a burger without pickles?

It has been an exhausting weekend, except that I haven't really done much. I think the nice weather is taking it out of me. Sitting around in all of that fresh air watching the kids run around. Boy, I am really beat.

At least the hockey season is officially over. The boys won their house league championship game yesterday, and now I have these two huge trophies to dust. This doesn't mean that we are done with hockey for the summer, it just means that there are no more games until the fall.

I asked my husband if there is a service where we can send the equipment for cleaning. He recommended that I just check the labels and wash it. Thanks, just what I needed. More laundry.

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Breakfast for Daughter
Published April 17, 2009 @ 07:55 in Recipes

Yesterday for breakfast Daughter ate, and ate, and ate. Maybe she is growing. I only gave her a glass of milk for lunch.

Breakfast 1 - 7:45 am
3 chicken fingers

Breakfast 2 - 8:00 am
cereal - corn pops - no milk

Breakfast 3 - 8:45 am
2 eggo waffles

Breakfast 4 - 9:20 am
3 hotcakes and 1 hash brown - McDonald's

Have I mentioned how tiny daughter is?

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Mutant $3 Red Pepper!
Published March 27, 2009 @ 15:08 in Recipes

Today I decided to try a tex-mex slow cooking chicken recipe for dinner. I am pretty much guaranteed to be the only one in my house to enjoy it, but husband will eat it anyway.

It is chicken, crushed tomatoes, red kidney beans, black beans, zucchini, red pepper, corn and chili powder. Pretty simple to throw all together and let cook.

I needed black beans, zucchini and red pepper. I decided to walk to get Son Two from his morning JK as it is so nice out. I grabbed a $10 bill and daughter.

I coulda-shoulda gone to No Frills to get everything, but I wasn't sure that I would have enough time.

Daughter insisted that I get hot dog buns. I am assuming that after she and her brothers turn up their noses at my dinner, Husband will make the kids hot dogs. She also asked for Rolos as a treat. I was down to $5.30 cents entering the produce store.

This is when I realized I should have brought my wallet. I picked a zucchini, a red pepper, and a can of black beans. Then I watched as she rung up the red pepper - $2.85!!!! for one pepper.

Normally I do large, bulk, grocery shops, so I don't actually pay much attention to the price of individual items. Once I watched as produce was rung up and I returned the $6 grapes, but $3 for a red pepper? I was in too much of a hurry to argue, and I needed it for my recipe.

When I got home and started preparing dinner, I soon realized why the red pepper was $3 - it was a mutant! I cut it open to reveal light green peppers inside; globs of them. It was sort of gross and really weird. I have seen little ones before when cutting open a pepper, but nothing like this.

I shouldn't have picked this pepper in the first place - it had a tail.

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Only One Bun!
Published February 22, 2009 @ 21:13 in Recipes, School

Had to run out to the grocery store, or I wouldn't have had any lunch for Son One tomorrow.

Son One takes the same lunch every day - ham on a bun. With butter. The only variation allowed is ham on a croissant.

At the beginning of the year I tried to be creative. Pasta. Grilled Cheese. Tuna. Turkey. Hummus. Pea Butter and Jam. Chicken Fingers. Butter Chicken. But all he wanted was a ham sandwich on a bun. Then I remembered how I had survived the first few years of school with Peanut Butter and Jam.

He will be fine. Once a month they have pizza day. That seems to be enough variety for him. He is not starving.

Tonight we had no ham or buns in the house. I seem to find myself in this same position every Sunday night. I ran out to the 24 hour Sobey's, because their deli counter is open until 10 pm. Ordered the ham - yes! Then went to the bakery section. THERE WAS ONLY ONE BUN!!!! No croissants, no bagels. Fumbling to get the bag open, I grabbed the last bun before the woman beside me could. VICTORY!

I hope tomorrow as he eats his sandwich, he will appreciate my effort.

Realistically, I know he won't. But I can dream, right?

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