home is where my story begins...

Cooking With Kids

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My kids and I love to bake together. They love to roll out the dough for sugar cookies, and then help frost and decorate. When we make bread, they help knead the dough. (Yes, the flour gets everywhere.)

Last week, my daughter and I got out all of our “kid cookbooks” and picked out a few new recipes to try. I have a pretty big collection of cookbooks written specifically for kids. Every year I do a cooking unit in my classroom, so I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive cookbooks to add to the collection. Cookbooks for kids are easy to find. There are usually big bins of books for sale at my grocery store. I find some on ebay or at Half Price Books. You’ll see them everywhere if you’re on the lookout.

This time, instead of choosing something to bake, my daughter and I picked a few recipes for dinners and snacks. We picked a broccoli mac and cheese, clam chowder, and a cereal based snack.

My daughter is only 5, and had a great time being in charge of dinner for the family. I love the way directions in kids’ cookbooks are written so simply. They are easy to follow and the language is just right for a beginning cook. They are full of photographs too, which make them ideal for young chefs. (But, really, who doesn’t love good pictures in their cookbook?)

Here are a few things we made:

Here’s the whole wheat mac and cheese with broccoli. Whole wheat pasta does not photograph well. It tastes better than it looks.

This is the cereal based snack mix we tried.

Here’s the clam chowder.

Overall, we had a great afternoon together. We had Sunday night dinner, snack for the week, and a casserole to put in the freezer for later. I purposely didn’t share these recipes because my daughter’s favorite part of cooking together is the hunt for the perfect recipe. If you haven’t cooked with kids before, I encourage you to find a few kids’ cookbooks and give it a try. Each year, when I do my cooking unit with my class, I’m amazed at how many kids NEVER help out in the kitchen. So, put them to work washing vegetables, tearing salad greens, and mixing ingredients. Cooking with kids is a joy!

Here are a few linky parties I like to participate in:
http://homeiswheremystorybegins.net/linky-parties-i-like-to-participate-in/

Fresh Juice – My Newest Craigslist Find

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The reason for my latest purchase starts way back in October. Remember in the fall, when the whole Swine-Flu-Freak-Out began? It seemed like the whole world was living in fear. No one really knew what to expect with this flu and no vaccinations were available yet. Well, that was about the time it went sweeping through my kindergarten classroom. The Center for Disease Control had just said that they would not shut schools down any more. Within days, half of my class was out sick and I was in quarantine (confined to my bedroom, where my family would leave Jamba Juice and Tylenol at my door). On top of Swine Flu I got Strep, two weeks later got Strep again, then Pneumonia. I honestly do not remember most of Fall. I tried going to the pumpkin patch with my kids and was too weak to stay the whole time. I missed almost all of my son’s football games.

That was the beginning of my downward health spiral. I have had one weird illness after another for the past seven months. My doctors keep telling me that the Swine Flu took a toll on my immune system. I asked how long it will be until my immune system is built back up, but they don’t know. I was one of the first people at my doctor’s office to get the Swine Flu, so I’m kind of the guinea pig. They don’t really know what is happening with me, just a theory that it’s all connected. So, that brings me to my Naturopath’s recommendation to start a juice diet.

I didn’t own a juicer and didn’t really want to pay several hundred dollars for one. Then I found this on Craigslist. $40!!! I normally sells for about $200.

We washed a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies.

The kids LOVED making the fresh juice and were eager to try new things.

I have to say it was REALLY good.

I ordered a few books on juicing, which haven’t come yet. I’m excited to read more about the benefits because I really don’t know a lot about it. Tonight we added some really odd veggies to the juice. The kids drank it all up… every last little vitamin!

Here’s to my health!

Buttermilk Pancakes – The Whole Ball of Wax

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In the early sixties my grandparents bought a small piece of property on a lake. It started with a little cabin and an outhouse, as a weekend getaway. Through the years they added on to the little cabin (even adding a bathroom) and before long it was their home. Nanie and Baumpa (as well called them) lived on the lake for most of the years I remember.

Most family parties were held at the lake. They built a home big enough to have the entire family sit together at the dinner table, and enough space for after dinner seating in the living room. Some of my best memories are of family parties at the lake.

One truly special day at the lake was Opening Day of Fishing Season. Once upon a time the lake was stocked with fish each year. Shortly after, fishing season would open. We’d all head to Nanie and Baumpa’s the night before it opened for a big sleepover. By that time they had a two bedroom house, a living room big enough for two families and their sleeping bags, a guest house out back, and a camping trailer. We’d wake up early in the morning and head out for a little fishing. At around 7am, when we heard the bell ring, we knew it was ready… the whole ball of wax.

(The same bell is now at my house.)

We’d have sausage, bacon, french toast, eggs, and the best buttermilk pancakes you could imagine. Baumpa called it “the whole ball of wax” and the name stuck.

Reading a blog last week (I wish I could remember which one), the memories came flooding back. The Blogger wrote about Grandma’s pancake recipe. Thinking about the ball of wax brought back so many good memories for me and I started telling opening day fishing stories to my kids. It’s funny how, when I tell them stories about when I was little, they really seem to listen and imagine what I was like.

Nanie is now 92 and living in an assisted living home. Along with so many wonderful memories, I also hold her recipes. Many, many years ago she scratched down a recipe for buttermilk pancakes on a piece of scrap paper and delighted us with this recipe for many years to follow.

I made Nanie’s special buttermilk pancakes with my kids yesterday.

As we were eating them, my son said, “Wow! These really are the best pancakes I’ve ever had. They are SO good!” That’s a pretty good compliment, coming from a nine year old boy. My daughter was super impressed with the fluffiness of the pancakes. Me? I was thrilled to share some wonderful memories with my family and delighted that the pancakes were just as good as I remembered. So, this one’s for Nanie. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do.

Nanie’s Buttermilk Pancakes

2 Cups Flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 Cups buttermilk

Combine egg yolks in buttermilk. Add remaining ingredients, except egg whites. Beat egg whites until stiff.


Fold egg whites into the mixture.



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Clam Chowder and a Pretty Table

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I love clam chowder and I’ve passed this love down to my kids. My daughter is a picky eater, but one food she loves is clam chowder. I think it’s a odd thing for a picky eater to like. Clams are an acquired taste. Since it’s something I know we’ll all eat, Sunday afternoon I decided to try a new recipe. I found a recipe that looked pretty good on the Food Network website. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mikes-clam-chowder-recipe/index.html
The kids were in a good mood so I convinced them to help me make the chowder.


They peeled and cut the potatoes (with my help).


This is my absolute favorite kitchen tool. It’s a little mini chopper from Pampered Chef. I use almost daily to chop herbs, garlic, or onions. I don’t think I could live without it. We used it to chop the thyme and parsley for the chowder.


They stirred and added ingredients. Then they lost interest. My son took the puppy to the dog park and my daughter drew pictures. I decided to get ready for Tablescape Thursday on Between Naps on the Porch.

It may not be anything fancy, but my kids thought they were royalty. I don’t usually set a table quite like this when it’s just the four of us. My youngest was so excited that her cup wasn’t plastic! I love taking a simple soup dinner and making it into a special night for my family. Seeing their smiles gives me a joyful heart.

Here are a few linky parties I like to participate in:
http://homeiswheremystorybegins.net/linky-parties-i-like-to-participate-in/