Deliberate Memory Making

My Mom and Dad invited the grandkids only for day of Christmas fun at their home.
I got to stay for the first couple of hours, just to be a fly on the wall.
I was impressed with the agenda:


There were plenty of craft supplies:



The kids were from 4-15 years old and all had a great time:



There was also a few early gifts for unwrapping:


Listening to my Mom talk about how this day (it was the 23rd) put her in the right frame of mind for celebrating the holidays made me really appreciate how important it is to create the important holiday memories each year. We want to have them, and sometimes they happen spontaneously, but they are worthy of our time, effort and planning too.
Thanks Oma and Opa!

Marshmallows on Snow Day

What's for breakfast on Snow Day?
Ooey Gooey homemade vanilla marshmallows.

The batter is a little drippy:


But it makes a delicious appetizer to breakfast, right out of the bowl:


All set up for cutting:


Coating and dipping make them a real treat:

Madeline's House Rules

Madeline saw a great idea (on SuperNanny) for posting family rules on paper plates and posting them for everyone to remember. Here are the rules she wrote and posted (see the paper plates on the top of the wall):

no hating, be nice to each other, clean up, do what mom and dad tell you,
no lying, try something new, eat 'helthy' food, no hitting, no yelling, ask first, no whining

She also designated a time out spot and rules for execution.

She had so much fun creating the rules; we are curious to see how much she will like it if she has to sit in time out.
So far though (and it's been 4 days), a quick reminder has kept her behavior right in line. I did notice that 'do homework' and 'clean bedroom' are not rules she posted. Smart kid.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Shake together:

1/2 cup oil (I used olive, but canola would make it taste more like what you'll find in a restaurant)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and pushed through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds- this will leave you with 2 or 3 Tbsp of thick 'juice'
dash or two of salt

If you want this to be more creamy, put it in a small bowl and whisk is a Tbsp or two of miracle whip. At first it will seem lumpy, but keep whisking and it will come together nicely.

I'm hip! Who knew?

Thanks, Allison, for saying I'm hip. Us stay at home Mommas don't get that very often! ;)

And to Loralee, for covering the magazine launch so beautifully!

(click on their links for blogs covering the launch of 'Where Women Cook')

Magic Buffer Breakfast

For the last school day of the year, we made a special breakfast. It's traditionally called 'Dutch Baby' or 'German Pancake', but we dubbed it 'Magic Buffer Breakfast' in our house. Cameron loves trains and will sometimes only try a new food if you rename it with a train theme. If you cut this dish into long strips, it looks like a train track with the puffed up edge being the buffer.

German Pancake
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour (I used white whole wheat)
couple dashes of salt
4 large eggs

Blend in blender or in a tall container with an immersion blender. Blending well will incorporate air to help the batter puff up while cooking.

In 8x4 (small) baking dish, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a 420 degree oven till bubbling and turning brown. Pour batter over melted butter and bake about 15-20 minutes, or until it smells like yummy butter and eggs.

Serve with syrup, fruit, powdered sugar and/or yogurt.

Not just PB&J anymore

My 2nd grade daughter takes lunch from home nearly every school day. She doesn't eat a lot, and will not touch peanut butter, so I have to come up with creative options.
These containers really come in handy for some of her favorite lunches. The stainless steel thermos and pyrex glass bowl came from WalMart; the divided container is from Tupperware, but I'm sure there are similar options at many stores.
In the divided container, I put meat, cheese and apple/pear slices with a bag of crackers on the side. Kind of a home made lunch-able. You can avoid nitrates by sending pieces of roast chicken instead of lunch meat.
The thermos will keep things hot- like chili-mac (chili mixed with cooked elbow pasta) with shredded cheese on top, or cold like milk to pour over cereal sent in the glass dish.
Kabobs are another fun way to send lunch, as long as your child won't think of other ideas for the skewers. Try kabobs of cheese cubes, oranges, apples and chunks of chicken or ham.
Greek yogurt is one kid friendly high protein option.
Quinoa or brown rice with low sodium soy sauce are favorites of my 4 year old and could be sent warm in the thermos.
Wraps are easy to make with the same sandwich fillings your child likes, but make it feel like something different. My kids like the whole wheat tortillas and love that the fillings don't fall out like they can in a regular sandwich.
Pasta salads and potato salads can be kept safely cool in the thermos. Consider sending any leftovers from dinner that your child enjoys.
Veggies and dip are another kid favorite in our house. Make the ranch dip with plain greek yogurt for a healthy dip.
Make sure to send a drink, a small sweet and a napkin, a note from home is a nice touch, and you'll feel good about your child's school lunch break.

It's The Cookies!!!

On the way home from school, Madeline (age 7), asks me, "Mom, how can we know that Santa is real?"
Me: "Hmm, good question. How can we know?"
Madeline: "Well, it isn't the presents. Parents could do that you know."
Me: "I guess you're right. So how could you know?"
Madeline: "I know! The cookies!!! If we put the cookies out and they are only for Santa, and they get eaten, then we'll know."
Me: "I guess that's a good idea."

It's all about the cookies;
and, after seeing the creations of my two kids, I am starting to think that no one other than Santa would dare eat these cookies.

Tonight's new ingredient came to us from New York's Chelsea Market. The Filling Station has the most wonderful selection of flavored vinegars, oils and salts. This one is Coconut Balsamic. It tastes more like dessert than vinegar. I love how aromatic coconut is; it only takes a little to light up your palate. Anyway... I emulsified this vinegar with a little canola oil (whisk it quickly to bring the oil and vinegar together) and tossed it over spinach, pears, avocado and candied walnuts. A very nice dinner salad!

In this beginning...

And so it begins...
Every story has a beginning. But I like to read a magazine from the back. (my mother in law says I'm weird that way) So I'll introduce myself where I am now and fill in the beginnings later.
My name is Marsey. Well, it's really Marcella, a name I adore, but I go by Marsey.
I've been married 3 times. It took me three times to get it right, but boy, oh boy, did I get it right!
Eric and I have two little darlings. They make us crazy. Crazy happy, crazy angry, crazy proud. They complete us and are everything we dreamed and hoped for. We are crazy blessed.
I have four siblings; two brothers, two sisters. They just make me happy.

Anyway, to bring this present, I was recently featured in a new magazine called, 'Where Women Cook'. It was an amazing honor to tell my story and to be put in the company of so many talented and accomplished women. If you haven't seen it yet, you can find it at most book stores, craft stores and a few grocery stores. Anyway, point being, some of these women inspired me to start this blog.

I love to cook. I mean love it. I started watching my mom cook when I was little. Our family watched 'The Frugal Gourmet' every Sunday afternoon. When I was 8, I got my first real lessons in baking. I was lucky to have a mom who let me mess up the kitchen. (thank you Mom!)
Cooking is my creative medium. I have to do it anyway, you know, to feed the family, so I make it fun.
My favorite thing to do is buy an unfamiliar ingredient and try it. I google a few recipes to get ideas, consider what I have on hand, the flavors that might pass the distinguished 4 and 7 year old palates of my little darlings, and charge ahead. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much.

On this blog, I will share the food adventures, the 'Challenge Ingredient' dinners with Chip, and the funny mommy stories. (as I write this, I am eavesdropping while my 7 year old daughter tells the neighbor girl about her crushes!)

Wish me luck.