Family time

We had a nice full, family day yesterday.  Every now and then it's nice to spend time together, just us! 

The morning was full of work, but after a nice shrimp stir-fry lunch, we packed up in the car and headed to Black Creek Pioneer Village.  If you've never been, you don't know what you're missing.  It's one of my favourite places to be, despite the ridiculous admission and parking costs. 

One of the houses at Black Creek belonged to a German family.  They had a Christmas table laid out the same traditional way the family would have done it.  Instead of stockings, each person got a plate of goodies at their place.  I loved that idea and I think we'll adopt it for our home.  (Also, we don't have a fireplace!)

Michael loved the animals best.

By the by, if you possess a Toronto library card, you are eligible for a free MAP pass admitting up to 2 adults and 2 children.  (I love finding those kinds of things!)

We brought along these cookies along with sliced apples for an afternoon snack during our visit.  Probably one of my favourite cookies... 

ROCKIE ROAD COOKIES (dairy free)
These are perfect for baking with toddlers who love to get their hands dirty, or are fascinated with textures.  The recipe is also super simple for older kids to do on their own. 

1 cup applesauce
1 cup peanut butter
1/2  cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup oats

Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together in a large bowl.  Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.  Take small spoonfuls of dough and drop onto a parchment-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand.  Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes until done.

Paradise

I thought I'd share a brief snapshot of our life right now.

Picture this: darkness blanketing the world; a big pot of chick pea soup simmering on the stove; bread dough rising in a covered bowl nearby; the washing machine humming away; Dany's calm voice reading bedtime stories. 

This is my reality right now - my paradise. 

Of course, paradise comes with exhaustion, poopy diapers and screaming tantrums... but I'll take it any day.  (Especially when it comes with a serving of glazed banana cake!) 

CREAMY CHICK PEA SOUP

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

5 potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups chick peas, cooked (I think about 1 can)

4 cups water

vegetable oil for frying

salt, to taste

Place carrots, onions and celery in a large pot with a drizzle of vegetable oil and saute until onions are translucent.  Add water, chick peas and potatoes.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.  Puree soup with immersion blender.  Add salt to taste. 

A (somewhat) wordless Wednesday

Instead of telling you what's been going on these past few days, I'll SHOW you!

 

Artsy projects

I've been madly scrambling to finish a few projects due today! 

Some are Christmas gifts and some are to be sold at our local church's Christmas Festival.  I can't tell you how much fun it was to squeeze in the time for these miniatures (they're about the size of your palm).  I can't paint the way I used to because of the kids.  (Can you imagine them getting into my acrylic paints!?  What a disaster!) 

I got the idea for these peg people from our visit to the monastery and here.  I will post more pictures as I finish them off.  I have a whole family planned, plus a priest to go with my deacon and maybe a bishop, though I'd really have to find a crown to glue on top of his head to do him justice.  

I really look forward to the days when I can properly resume my other passion, painting. 

My affair

I'm in love.  I'm in love with a book that I've never met.  But I will.  Oh, yes.  I have no doubt that Rustic Fruit Desserts and I will soon begin a passionate affair.  I dare you to take a peek at this book without falling in love.  The photography alone is simply mouthwatering and will have you drooling in no time.  Each picture conjures up its own story: warm crisps, golden pandowdies, colourful compotes...

I'll be shameless and say that this is the first item on my Christmas wish list.  (As of five minutes ago, I didn't even have a Christmas wish list...)

Today we tidied up our home.  It sounds obvious, but it rarely happens where we have a tidy place for more than a few minutes.  Clean, yes.  Tidy, no.  This is not my fault.  I am a neat freak - borderline obsessive-compulsive even.  This is not my husband's fault as he is away most hours of the day, and J. is too young to make a real mess.  It's my dear son. 

I am trying to get M. into a more orderly frame of mind, because he drives me crazy!  The little guy wanders into his room (or any other for that matter!), trashes it and waltzes out again a happy man.  He doesn't play with the toys, he just strews them around.  I wish I could understand the mind of a two year old who insists that he's only happy when his kingdom is littered with toys.  Therefore, today we tidied. 

It feels good to sit in an orderly home... for a few more minutes.

Here is the recipe for a lovely apple cake that was given to me by a dear friend (with some minor modifications).  M. and I baked it this morning to have as an after-dinner treat.  This is one of those cakes that you think of during the autumn months.  The brown sugar, the tart Granny Smith apples, the sprinkling of cinnamon, the hint of vanilla, all baked into a comforting cake.  Not too sweet, just the right kind of comfort food.  Now that I think of it, it's a perfect addition for that Rustic Fruit Desserts book!  Perhaps my new love and I will have a chat about that when we finally meet...

RUSTIC APPLE SPICE CAKE

Cake:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup oil

2/3 cup applesauce

5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

Cinnamon sugar mix:

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar

To make the cinnamon sugar, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.  To make the cake, mix all the ingredients together except the apples.  Pour half of the batter into a well-greased tube pan.  Arrange a layer of apples on top and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar.  Add the remaining batter on top and arrange another layer of apples on top.  Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 F for about 1 1/2 hours until done. 

"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.  For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."  Edwin Way Teale

Homemade Bread

Image taken from A Fondess for Reading

Is there any smell better than homemade bread fresh from the oven?  I think not!  Lately I've been trying to make my bread instead of buying it.  It's not so time consuming to actually make it, but it does take a little planning.  Can't just pop into the grocery store when I run out, so I have to be aware beforehand and schedule it into the day.  

Honestly though, there's just no substitute for homemade bread.  A slice of warm bread, perhaps toasted in the oven even, with a dollop of fresh churned butter soaking into it - both warm from the heat of the fire.  Add in a cup of spiced cider on a cold day...

I'll interupt my daydreams to pen a whole wheat bread recipe that I've found success with.  I used corn flour in this one because a friend of mine is gluten-sensitive and doesn't tolerate white flour well, but I'm sure you can easily substitute all-purpose flour. 

There is another bread recipe (for french baguettes) I'm itching to try from here that was passed on to me by a friend.  I'll have to let you know how it goes.  I love bread.



Image taken from Baking is Hot



WHOLE WHEAT HERB BREAD

2 1/4 tsp yeast

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

about 2 cups corn flour

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp thyme

sea salt

Mix together yeast, honey and water until yeast begins to foam.  Add salt, spices, oil and stir well.  Add flours and mix until you have a dough consistency.  Knead dough for 8-10 minutes.  Cover with damp tea towel and let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.  Punch down, divide in half and roll into rectangle.  Roll up at short side and press to seal seam.  Place seam side down in greased loaf pan.  Brush top with vegetable oil.  Sprinkle top with a little basil, oregano and sea salt.  Cover and let rise until doubled in size (between 30-60 minutes).

Bake at 425 F for about 35-45 minutes until loaves sound hollow when tapped. 

Silence

"All profound things and emotions are preceded and attended by silence.  Silence is the general consecration of the universe.  Silence is the invisible laying on of the divine pontiff's hands upon the world.  Silence is the only voice of our God."

Herman Melville

Finger Lickin' Food

Dany and I have decided to cut out candy, chocolate and junk food in general (minus the occasional treat like a slice of homemade cake, or a yummy cookie at the end of the day).  In an effort to model a healthy lifestyle, we've included a lot of processed foods under that umbrella.  Most of our non-produce food is homemade.  (Dany still gets mad at me for buying yogurt cups, so there is room for improvement obviously...)

Anyhow, as a result of this, I am constantly trying to find nutritious ways to feed the kiddies, and often on the go.  Apple slices, yogurt, grapes, nuts and cucumbers are M.'s snack favourites.  He's also recently taken to applesauce, cheese cubes and the oatmeal banana muffins we made last week.  It's possible he loves them so much because he helped to make them, but who cares!  We made a healthier version with applesauce instead of margarine, but I've made them both ways with much success!  The secret is to use really ripe bananas.  It allows you to cut down on the sugar without sacrificing sweetness.  :o)

OATMEAL BANANA MUFFINS

1 cup oats

1 1/4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup brown sugar

1-2 very ripe bananas, mashed or pureed

1 cup margarine (I often use applesauce, but it also comes out well if you use a combination)

1 Tbsp vanilla

water

Cream margarine and sugar and vanilla together.  Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add bananas to the sugar mixture and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix together until well combined.  Add enough water to achieve batter consistency (between 1/2-1 cup depending on your flour).  Pour into lined muffin cups.  Bake in oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes until done. 

A few weeks ago, chicken breast went on sale.  Of course, the space in our freezer space shrank into non-existence.  (I mean, come on!  It was skinless, boneless breast!)  What do you do with so much chicken breast?  Amongst other things (like chicken pot pie, chicken Alfredo, etc.) we made chicken fingers.  They were "finger-lickin' good"!  They keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for longer.  I'd say they're the perfect kid food for outdoors or indoors.  

CHICKEN FINGERS

5-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup flour

1 cup bread crumbs

oil for frying (I use canola)

Whisk together the milk, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and egg in a large bowl.  Slice chicken breasts into several long pieces.  Place them in the bowl, cover, place in fridge and let marinate for at least 2 hours. 

Mix together flour and bread crumbs together in a medium-sized bowl.  Take several pieces of chicken, dip or roll around in the bowl until coated with the flour-bread crumb mixture.  Fry in hot oil for a few minutes until golden brown and done.  (Spear a chicken finger to make sure the juices run clear.)  Serve hot or cold.

I will say that M. loves his with or without ketchup.  High praise for a ketchup addict...