We have a fun tradition in our family. On special mornings, I bake biscuits (from scratch, yes!) and after I roll and cut out a couple of pans full, I give the leftover dough to the kids. They get out the sprinkles and the cookie cutters and have fun! Here is this year's installment. If you look closely you might see some trees, an angel, and a gingerbread (gingerbiscuit?) man or two.
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
The holiday season is upon us, and at the Sewing for Cherubs household, preparations are in full swing. I have such a love/hate relationship with this time of year. On the one hand, there always is way more to do than I can possibly accomplish, and I never finish everything I plan. On the other hand though, there are all those wonderful moments that only happen at this time of year. So far this December, we have...
Trimmed the tree:
Started the baking:
Prepared for and enjoyed three violin concerts (whew):
And I've even carved out some time to just sit in my favorite chair with a furry friend:
Whatever you've been up to this December, I hope it has been a cozy time with friends and family!
Radar requested a Pac-Man cake for his birthday party. Child of the 80's that I am, I was happy to oblige. Making a homemade birthday cake is not hard at all, and it can be a lot of fun if you don't worry about getting professional results. So, here is my step-by step tutorial for a cute Pac-Man birthday cake!
First, you will need to prepare two round cake layers and a pan of small cupcakes. Here is where I tell you that IT IS OKAY TO USE CAKE MIX AND CANNED FROSTING. If you are going to the trouble to prepare and decorate a cake for your child, you are already wonderful. Don't feel you have to be a martyr by also forcing yourself to prepare it all from scratch, mmmkay?
Put one of the round cake layers on a prepared cake board. I like to put strips of wax paper under the edges of the cake so that the frosting does not get on the board. Now, trim the top of one of the cake layers with a large serrated knife so that it is level. Frost the top with white frosting.
Carefully put the other round layer on top.
Next, use a knife to lightly score the cutting line for Pac-Man's mouth, a wedge of about 1/6 of the cake. This way you can eyeball it to make sure it looks right before cutting it out.
Next, cut out the wedge. Hide it from the rest of the family and enjoy it with a glass of wine later. I mean offer it to your husband as a treat for working so hard all day. Use a pastry brush to brush away crumbs.
Now, VERY CAREFULLY frost the inside of the mouth with yellow frosting, and then frost the top and sides also.
Hopefully it looks something like this:
Now get out your mini-cupcakes. I recommend having one cupcake per birthday party guest, because the little darlings will of course want a piece of cake AND a cupcake.
Frost the tops of the mini-cupcakes white. These will be the "dots" that Pac-Man munches on. Arrange the dots, remove the wax paper strips from underneath Pac-Man, and you're all set. Be sure to remind your child that he/she has the best Mom EVER!
I admit it. I don't make all of our food from scratch. I buy all of our bread, because the proper use of yeast mystifies me. I do know how to make a delicious spaghetti sauce, but on a busy weeknight I am much more likely to open a jar. And sometimes a can of cream soup is just the thing to mix into an easy casserole.
Brownies, though.... that's a different story. I would never dream of making brownies from a mix. Those are always, 100% of the time, from scratch. Is it because I am a food snob? Is it because I am a talented baker? Well, no. If you've never tried making brownies from scratch, allow me to let you in on a little secret: It is EASY. I use the one-bowl brownie recipe from inside the chocolate box, and have done it that way for years. Quite literally, if you can measure a few ingredients, dump them in a bowl, and mix them up, you can make brownies from scratch. And they really do taste so much better than the ones made from a mix.
Just don't tell my family. They think it requires a lot of work... and I like it that way.
I experienced a first this year as I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner at my house. It was a good opportunity for me to practice my (somewhat limited) culinary skills. I used to enjoy cooking, but my picky little eaters have beaten it out of me. But as I set about preparing the lemon herb rub for the turkey, I reflected on how fortunate my family is this year.
In the midst of this economic crisis, we are able to buy the groceries we need, we can pay for the electricity to power the oven, and we can gather at our kitchen table to enjoy a feast with the people who mean the most to us.
So what if my picky kids' plates had to be supplemented with goldfish crackers?
As I was cooking dinner recently, I noticed that the food was roughly in the shape of a heart when I took the pan off the stove. (And of course, in true blogger fashion, I smoothed out the heart shape with my spatula and snapped a pic.)
But this got me thinking about how it really is an act of love to prepare dinner for my family. It says that I care enough about them that I'm going to take some time out of my day to cook a healthy meal and have everyone sit down together for a few minutes and reconnect.
In these overscheduled times, getting the whole family together for a meal seems harder and harder to do. But it is so important, and it's something that I'm really working on this year. Want to join me?
A few days ago, Superman decided he really wanted to eat his lunch in an empty laundry basket which was on the floor (I had been folding laundry earlier in the day).
Now, I do try to teach my children good table manners, that we all sit down together at the table, we stay in our chairs, we have nice table conversations... you know, stuff like that. But I also knew that his enthusiasm for dining en basket would probably lead to a clean plate.
Yes, parenting involves making choices. On this particular day I decided to pick nutrition over manners.
Oh yes... Before we know it, farmer's market season will be here!
If you want to get your hands on delicious, locally grown produce and other food products, why not look into a CSA? For a good definition of what a CSA is, see this explanation at LocalHarvest.org. Basically, it's a way to support farmers in your community by buying a "share" of what they produce for the whole growing season.
I love the idea of sending more of our food dollars directly to the people who actually grow the food. So this year, I'm thinking about buying a small share in a CSA (we don't need a full share, as my in-laws have an amazing garden and keep us well-stocked). The CSA I'm considering has not only produce, but also fresh free-range eggs and pastured meats. They had a little preview sale this week, where I was able to purchase the farm-fresh goodies you see in the photo above. I see lots of delicious scrambled eggs, omelets, and sandwiches in our immediate future. I think it's going to be a delicious year!
Oh Broccoli,
Much-maligned and misunderstood cruciferous vegetable.
You are scorned by my older children, tolerated by my husband, and disliked by presidents.
But on top of my potato, with just the right amount of cheese sauce, you make me happy.
Your nutrients comfort me.
Not only that, but my two-year-old LOVES you.
And for this, I am grateful.
It was a productive Sunday at our house; my husband made these.
I married well, didn't I?
