Three Kitchen Fairies

Chocolate cover everything

Today Isabel and I spent most of our day in the kitchen. We made bread in the bread machine, and we also made chocolate covered pretzels. When the pretzel were all ready we still had a lot of melted chocolate. We got the marshmallow from the pantry. We gave the little guys a top of chocolate and sprinkles. It's the end of the school year, and all the goodies will go into baskets as gifts for the girl's teachers. This year we're graduating from pre-school, and all our girls will be in elementary school by September. Wow!! time flew by. It feels like yesterday I had a four year old, a two year old, and my new born baby, ah!!

I dipped the pretzels, and the marshmallows in the chocolate. Then she did the rest of the work with the sprinkles. As we were standing by the stove she was telling me her plans for the future. She said she wants to have a store with me. There we'll make and sell chocolate "covered everything," we would be selling coffee too: like starbucks!! "It'll be like bring your child to work everyday, because I'll be working with you." My heart melted like the chocolate on the stove.

Like that I have tons of stories in the back of my mind, but I think I better tell you who are the three winners of my apple pattern.

I did used the random number thingy and the winners are:

Trash , Sudi-Laura, and Wynn.

Random stuff.

 

I'm working really hard at some pattern making. I'm enjoying the process a lot but I wish I had more time.

Hopefully it will be ready to go in a couple of weeks...

Yesterday, I took my camera on our daily walk. A couple of weeks ago she learned how to ride her two wheeler. Now she bikes, and I power walk right behind her. This is half an hour before my other two fairies get off the bus from school. Then, we walk back, and we talk about the important things of their day.

Couple of days ago I realized I was loosing weight. So far I lost 6 lb. I'm guessing it's a combination of the walking, and the vitamin D I started to take on the daily basis couple of weeks ago. Who knows...

Yesterday dinner: molletes. Very easy and quite delicious. They're just what you see: bread, blacks beans, and melty cheese on top, and "Pico de Gallo" with it.

they go like this...

As I write this post I can hear people cheering for President Obama. He's giving a speech at the University of Michigan commencement at the Michigan Stadium, just two block from our house.

Talk to you soon.

 

 

Starbucks style rainbow cookies

First of all, I want to thank all of you my blog friends and readers for your amazing response to my Wagon Wheel Tutorial. I was so happy to see that my post was added to a bunch of tutorial listings and to some other quilting blogs. I was also feature on Whip Up, and I got my button for my side bad. Thank you!! After taking so much inspiration from your blogs and you  flickr photostreams I felt eager to contribute somehow to this quilty/crafty cyber world.

On another subject, today I'm posting about this intent to make rainbow cookies Starbucks style. Why make them instead of buying them from starbucks? Well, one of the fairies is allergic to eggs. If there is something frustrating for an allergic person is to know that they are not allowed in anyway to try something that looks so yummy. Imagine that frustration on a child... This is our third batch and the taste and texture are getting closer and closer with each intent. They aren't as chewy and soft as the originals but they aren't too hard either. These cookies are perfect for dunking. Here is the recipe in case you have an allergic person in your family as well, or just in case you want to give them a try:

1 cup of soy butter, room temperature

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of packed brown sugar

3 cups of unbleached flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

I cup of M&M's

a tiny bit of water or soy milk

Pre-heat your oven at 350F degrees. In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla, the baking soda, and then the flour little by little. If the mix is too dry add a bit of water or soy milk. Then add the M&M's and fold the dough. To form the cookies, roll small dough balls and put the in cookie sheet. Personally, I prefer to use some parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet. Then flatten your cookie dough a bit with the help of a fork. Put them in the oven and bake for 10 minute.

This is a recipe that's still in the making. I'm open to any suggestions about how to make these cookies softer. So far, I think next time I can try some apple sauce and maybe a bit of cinnamon, and let's see. These fairies of mine are really faithful that will make the recipe right pretty soon. They  really want to share this kind of cookie with their sister. So keep your fingers crossed...

Fairies in the kitchen...

Today my girls had no school. I love these kind of days because they're a total break from the routine, without counting that I have to be "creative" about what to do. First I took them to the library to get their week loaded with stories and beautiful picture books... and they were happy. Then we headed for the grocery store to get ingredients for this delish

 

Chocolate Dominoes is what they are called. This is a recipe we have been planning to bake for some time. It's from this book we got around Christmas. But because I'm so happy with the result I want to share it with you.

Ingredients

1/4 cup of soft margarine (here we substitute for soy butter because of our cow protein intolerance)

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cup of self-raising flour

1/4 cup of cocoa sifted

3 eggs (here you can substitute for 1 cup of apple sauce in case you're allergic to eggs like some people around here)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (or 180C.) Lightly brush a 7x11 inch baking tin with oil and line the base of the tin with a greaseproof paper. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake for 30 min. Cool the tin for 5 min. Then loosen the edges and transfer to a wire rack. [mine came thin enough to break apart so I transfered it to a chopping board.]

From here I made it my way which was spreading chocolate frosting on half of the cake, and because my cake came thin I cut it in half and put one half on top of the other. After the dangerous maneuver ( it could have been a catastrophe if I broke the Fairies' work of art...) I put more frosting on top and then cut it into the individual pieces. Little hands added the pieces of twizlers and the M&M to make the dominoes.

The girls did most of the work. Fairy #2 remarked that baking is a craft, clever...The three of them took turns with the electric mixer, very adventurous for a four year old. We ate them for dessert, and ended our day with a great feeling of accomplishment.

I suggest you try them, you may end up with the same feeling.

Pretzels, shopping, and crafts

We are only three days away from the first school " winter break."  I think I'll be done with my to-do list right on time. Last Sunday I made the chocolate covered pretzels for family and friends. They just need to be delivered.

 

Yesterday, I was supposed to go shopping in the morning but I got a sick girl here at home. I only got to go to the post office to deliver some packages. I was starting to feel a bit stressed and grumpy about Christmas, so much to do and to shop for. How can I disagree with "the Grinch" when the parking lots are starting to get crowded and people are starting to get rude. I simply can't enjoy it this way. Lucky for me, Jose came back from work early. I went out into the shopping jungle and one way or another my shopping is finally DONE!!

Crafts: It has been impossible to go out to play. It's way too cold, and there is ice on the ground. Crafts are the entertainment for most afternoons.

 

We made this garland out of recycled Christmas cards and bakers twine. I just traced circles in some interesting parts of the cards, then cut them out, and then glued two circles together with the twine in the middle. The girls loved it and they lasted a good deal of time working with it. We hanged it right away in our dinning room with some other "decorations."

Are you having a fair enough pre-Christmas week? 

P.

Birthday Party.

My due date was December 25 but she was born on December 16. We only get regrets if we celebrate right on her day, it is so close to Christmas. This year we celebrated on the first weekend of December (yesterday) with a big party at Jump City.

I baked "vegan" cupcakes for the almost 20 kids plus parents (she is turning 6 so I asked the parents to stay.) The kids did not even notice the cupcakes were "vegan." Success!!

 

I also made a "Birthday Party Outfit," and she was happy to model it. And so happy to wear it. The cupcake on her t-shirt had sprinkles too.

She is such a special person: sweet, kind, modest, smart, and generous among other things. People say she looks just like me... If I were to write about her I would never end.

It was a super fun weekend. Now she is asking if we can go to Jump City on her "real birfday."

Hmmm...

P.

Cookies !!

 

This is our second batch of cookies. They are double chocolate cookies, and they are delicious. We found the recipe in this book that Clara brought from school. We always substitute ingredients (due to food allergies and intolerance,) which makes our baked goods taste like dietetic food; but not these cookies. These cookies will be great as Christmas gifts...

 

How about I pack them into these tin cans?  I got a bunch of them for $2.00 each. Sweet.

The first batch were "Mexican almond cookies." The cookies turned out flat, and tasted like pure fat.

I want to try...

 

this recipe next, but that is not up to me.

Enjoy!

P.

Give away !!!

The sky has turned grey and we’re having our first snow here in Michigan. I feel like snuggling inside the house with a warm drink and a fat-full muffin…The holidays are getting closer, and because of that I decided to work a bit harder than usual in my stuff . I can’t believe we are only 45 days away from Christmas !!! And since Christmas is the season for giving and receiving I have decided to have a “GIVE AWAY.” I’m giving away this tote made by me.

The game: since the cold weather is getting to us, leave me a comment about your favorite drink to warm yourself up; or to cool yourself down if you live in a warmer part of the planet. Coffee, tea, hot cocoa, specialty coffee, cocktail, etc.

I will use your comment to practice my barista skills, just joking…Still imagine the skill of these people, they have amazing short term memories. My drink: tall soy decaf café latte with a shot of hazelnut sugar free syrup.

What’s yours?

The winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck !!

P.

PS: don't forget to spread the voice!

Kitchen poetry

Simple sparrow invited her readers to join in her kitchen poetry. As I said before, we live our days in this kitchen. My three girls and the kitchen... you know...the three kitchen fairies. I think this is a good opportunity to talk about a special time when the girls get home after school.

 

"La hora de tomar la leche" ( or time to drink your milk) is the moment when my girls are finally back home from school. We seat at the kitchen table with three cups of milk, (someone may ask for juice)one coffee for me and some cookies or cracker. Sometimes we have an apple cake. Right at that moment everyone starts talking about their days. Who were their playmates, what the teacher said that day, who was sent to the principal's office, what they had learned during their day, etc. It's is glorious for me to see how much they have grown, to see how the can express themselves. Their individuality and strenghts are still concepts that are hard for me to grasp. They are my babies...

And Monday through Friday at the same time I rejoice with their stories and their conversation. What a wonderful place the kitchen is...Why don't you try some "Kitchen Poetry"? Thank you Toni for sharing the kitchen joy.

P.

She's afraid of ice cream...

 

I have this little girl, she has food allergies. Last summer I accidentally  fed her ice cream with eggs, and she had an allergic reaction. We both went crazy... she was so nervous and scared of the epipen. I did not know if I would have to rush her to the emergency room. Thank goodness, the antihistaminic did the trick and she did not had anaphylaxis. Tonight she refused to finish her ice cream for desert. She said she is scared of ice cream. It breaks my heart...what we had was an accident . Her health issues take a lot of our attention; without realizing it she is the one that gets all of the hand made clothing from me. I made her this skirt last weekend.

P.