small stuff…kid's cooks tools

As a follow up to my previous post, I thought I would share some of D's tools he uses in the kitchen. I got the idea to make him his own cooking set from Cookie magazine a few years back, and it's been a successful investment. These tools are made by ZAK, and you can purchase them easily on Amazon.

Not only are the colors wonderful, they are helpful. I can say to D, "use the blue scoop to measure the sugar and then pour it into the orange bowl." We don't have the happy spoons, but I think we might need to add a couple to the set. I must confess, the measuring spoons are awkward. D manages somehow, but they drive me crazy!

Happy Cooking,

F&N

family + tasty things…a "day of rest" cake

Shortly before summer vacation began, D had a day off from school. It was called "a day of rest".  Of course, I turned to baking as an activity the two of us could do to start our day, and after a very short discussion, D made up his mind he wanted a chocolate cake. The first recipe that came to mind was Nigella's honey chocolate cake…it's very easy, moist and tasty. 

Now that D expresses his thoughts and ideas clearly, baking together is not as easy as it once was. As we gathered our ingredients and tools, D began improvising, "let's use a square pan instead of a round pan! Let's make cupcakes! Let's add dried cranberries!" I somehow managed to keep him on track or rather distract him while I quickly measured, mixed and poured. Here is what the kitchen looked like by the time the cake batter made it to the oven!

The recipe calls for a honey glaze/icing which I usually skip because the cake is tasty without it, and, mostly, I'm too lazy to make it. D was insistent on having the icing. In my haste, I forgot to sift the powdered sugar…very bad! 

Doesn't it look awful! It's pimply and cracked! Appearance aside, it tasted delicious as usual. Now, we call this our "day of rest" cake, even though there was nothing restful about making it.

Cheers,

F&N

around town…santa cruz beach boardwalk

During the summer, we head "over the hill" to Santa Cruz and hit the Beach Boardwalk. I'm not sure I enjoy going so much, but D sure does, and that makes the effort worth it. We hope for sun, good luck at the games, short lines and junk food!

Some snapshots from our past visits:

F&N 

family…hello & goodbye, Nemo

Our caterpillar, Nemo, that we found a month ago FINALLY hatched! He was pupating underground for three weeks, and then wiggled his way to the surface where he stayed until he popped out of his chrysalis a week later. We were excited that he completed his transformation from caterpillar to moth. His survival was in doubt as we had very little information on how to rear these guys.

Nemo was beautiful. He was big, fat and furry; you could see his eyes. He felt like a little pet. When we tried to release him, he clung to my arm. I realize now, that his wings were not fully developed. Slowly his two sets of wings opened and spread, and for the next few hours, he clung to his net waiting for night time.  When the lights went out, Nemo came to life! His wings moved so fast you could hear them. Once I released him outside, he was gone in the blink of an eye. 

Nemo in his chrysalis a few hours before he opened. You can see the pattern of his wings. His head is to the right of the picture.

Shortly after emerging. Isn't he cute? His wings hadn't spread yet. 

Nemo clinging to my arm. You can get a sense of how big he was. His legs had  tiny little barbs that allowed him to cling and crawl…very cool.

His big, strong wings spread.

D holding the broken chrysalis.

Watching Nemo change from caterpillar to moth was fun for the whole family. D became quite fond of him during the short time he was with us and cried during our first attempt to release him…so sensitive and sweet.

Anyhow, we moved on, and now we are discussing what insect we should get next. A praying mantis is on the top of the list, perhaps more caterpillars, or maybe a tarantula [if I get my way!].

F&N

tasty things…homemade apricot preserves

Summer has finally arrived and here is the proof…yummy sweet, juicy apricots from my mom's tree! 

When we picked our first harvest, I imagined baking tarts, pies and more upside down cake, but for whatever reason, no baking occurred. The little gems did not go to waste as we snacked on them all week and used them in a couscous and shrimp dinner.

Over the weekend, we picked more ripe apricots, about twelve pounds, and I knew then that I was going to make preserves with this harvest.

I've always wanted to make fruit preserves, but I never had an abundance of fruit on hand and was intimidated by the boiling and sterilizing process. With some on-line research, I found a recipe and canning instructions and decided to give it a go. 

I am quite pleased with this recipe and process. Because the apricots were so juicy and some overripe and I wanted to taste the tartness of the apricots, I cut the sugar way back. The original recipe calls for 6 cups of sugar to 4 pounds of apricots. I used 2 cups and that was plenty. 

The apricots and sugar are mixed together and left in a bowl overnight to macerate then transferred to a pot to simmer until it thickens. I liked macerating the apricots for two reasons: 1] you can control the amount of sugar and gauge the sweetness, and 2] I try to avoid boiling water and sugar unless I'm making caramel or flan because it ALWAYS burns.

Now, I need to make some labels and find homes for these tasty preserves!

Happy Summer,

F&N

NOTE: I didn't buy any special equipment, aside from the jars. These rubber tipped tongs made it possible to pull the jars out of the hot water and fill them with the apricots. It's an awesome tool.