Winter Food Ideas

Just because Christmas is over, doesn't mean you can't serve festive foods to the kids.  What about snowman pancakes?  Two round pancakes with a bacon slice used as a scarf, chocolate chips for eyes/buttons and some mini marshmallows for snow!

And a really fun idea I recently saw online... fruit candy canes.  Slice some bananas and strawberries and shape in to a candy cane. 

My kids gobbled both these ideas up! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! (and from our dessert table to yours, too!)

Gifts for the Kitchen

If you have someone on your list that loves to cook, check out a few of these ideas.  I have all of these in my kitchen, and they all get used constantly! Most of these can be found at local specialty kitchen stores or online at websites like Amazon.com.

iSi Basics Flex-it Measuring Cups, Set of 3 (approx $25)

I received these as a gift last year and wasn't sure what to think.  I have a liquid measuring cup as well as metal measuring cups.  So why did I need more?  These do more than just measure.  You can use the big one to make smoothies with your immersion blender then easily pour directly in to serving cups without spilling.

You can pour pancake batter, drip free.  Cupcake batter... filling for mini quiches, pies, muffins.  I think of more uses every time I bake something.

Immersion Blender ($20 and up)

You can puree soups as they cook on the stove.  In the pot!  No need to transfer soups to a blender.  You can use your immersion blender emulsify, whip, to make smoothies, milkshakes, salad dressing, mayo, quick blending of batters or mixes.

I have the Cuisinart Quick Prep, which costs around $20.  Its not fancy, its just your basic immersion blender.  Plus, mine came with a mixing cup that fits the blender perfectly.  I've never had an issue with it, and mine gets heavy use.

Trudeau Utensil Pot Clip (Prices vary, but start at $7)

Best invention!  My mom and I have given these to most of our friends.  Used them as stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, as a garnish to a kitchen themed gift...  They come in a rainbow of color options.

It clips to the edge of your pot and holds your mixing spoon or spatula so you don't have to deal with placing the utensil on the kitchen counter and making a mess.  If you don't have one of these, add it to your wish list.  Better yet, just buy one for yourself the next time you're near a kitchen shop!

Silicone Sleeve for Pot/Pan Handles ($8 and up)

I have made the mistake of grabbing the handle of a hot frying pan that needs to come out of the oven.  Do not make this same mistake!  The next day I went out and purchased a silicone pot handle sleeve for all of my All-Clad cookware and to protect my hands the next time a recipe calls for a dish to go from stovetop to oven.  This isn't something people usually think of for themselves!

They come in a variety of colors.  This is a purchase for someone with cookware that goes from stove to oven. This isn't a must for everyday stovetop cooking. 

 

Silicone hot pads or mitts ($8 and up)

Anyone who bakes or cooks can always use a nice set of hot pads or mitts.  I'm embarassed at the amount of hot pads and mits that I own... thick cotton, the 'Oven Glove', holiday themed,... but my silicone hot pads are my go-to item.  They withstand a lot of heat, can be used as a protector of tabletops, can be rinsed off in the sink (instead of the need of a washing machine with cloth pads/mits), and come in a variety of colors.

I own the brand from Sur la Table for both the silicone sleeve hot pad, and love them! 

Mini Food Processor ($35 and up)

I have the DeLonghi mini food processor that is no longer available online (very similar to the Cuisinart brand).  Perfect for grinding flaxseed, oats, seasonings and herbs, making breadcrumbs, making baby food, etc.  Making small batches of salsa, dressings...

I have the giant Cuisinart, so having the option of using something much smaller for quick items is nice.  Plus, it has less parts to clean.

Kitchen Scale ($20 and up)

I LOVE my kitchen scale.  It allows me to: measure things exact; divide things evenly (like pie dough or cake batter poured in 2 pans...); easily half a recipe or double/triple a recipe when odd measurements are involved.  These days, I think most people assume kitchen scales are used for dieting.  But if you love to cook, a kitchen scale is a must.  I've even used it to weigh non-food items.

I have the EatSmart Precision Pro.  It measures in ounces/lbs/grams/kgs and has a tare feature that lets you subtract the weight of the plate or bowl holding the item you're weighing.

Salt Keeper ($10 and up)

I cook/bake every day of the week.  This results in lots of salt being used.  Salt in boiling water, seasoning steaks, chicken or fish, marinades... I used to keep a mini glass prep bowl full of kosher salt on my stove.  It was very convenient, but very unattractive.  It also spilled on occasion, and cleaning spilled kosher salt from my circa '84 stove is a chore.  Thats where a salt keeper, also called a salt pig, comes in handy.

These pretty ceramic or wood vessels for salt are meant to be kept out on the counter and within arms reach of the stove or kitchen prep areas. Available in many colors too!  I own a beautiful olive wood salt keeper from Sur la Table.  It is higher priced ($48.95) but a little piece of art on the kitchen counter, and something I never would have bought for myself.  One of my favorite gifts that I received this year.

These are just a few of my favorite things in the kitchen.  Do you have a favorite thing in the kitchen, or that makes the perfect gift for a person that loves to cook?

Special Cake for a Special Girl

Tonight we had a family birthday party for my little C.  I wanted something girly, feminine and simple.  I made mini tulle pom poms and made a garland for the big cake, decorated in white frosting.  I then made a pattern of pink pearl balls on the sides of the cake.

C's personal cake was decorated with white frosting as well, with pink balls along the top and bottom edges.

Sometimes even the most simple decoration can make a big, and pretty statement!

Tea for 2 - the Details

Today was C's 2nd birthday party.  The 'Tea for 2' theme was too much fun!  I had so many more ideas, but knew they'd be lost on our little guests.

The Details.....

Each guest took home a little box of animal crackers that were by our front door.

I filled pink, purple and white Glassybabys with roses and baby's breath and placed them throughout the party areas. I also filled a few of my grandma's (C's namesake) with roses as well.

For food I borrowed a few fun ideas from other toddler parties I found on the internet.  Paper cups filled with individual servings of strawberry yogurt:

Tea sandwiches made of cream cheese and jam, soynut butter and jam, soynut butter and banana, all cut in to small triangles or heart shapes (I used a heart cookie cutter).  We also had some mini blueberry muffins, and pinwheel sandwiches for the adults.

And for a buffet tablecloth, I spread a few yards of inexpensive pink fabric across my kitchen counter.

My favorite idea! Fruit salad served in ice cream cones.  Brilliant!  The kids seemed to enjoy biting the fruit off of the cone and then eating the cone too! This also helped avoid the mess of fruit rolling all over each person's plate. I plan to do this for an adult party soon...maybe our summer pool party?

Dessert was vanilla cupcakes with pink vanilla buttercream frosting, topped with shiny sprinkles.

Great Grandma C's teacup and saucer filled with roses.

A banner for some added decoration.

As well as pink balloons and poms that I made out of varying shades of pink tulle.

Another fun food idea for toddlers... a cereal bar!  I found these great containers for only $4 at Ikea and used a scoop for serving the cereal on to plates.

Each guest received a teacup and saucer and a personalized spoon.

The food spread.  Drinks for the kids was milk (you could do a pitcher of pink milk for older kids and decorate rims of glasses with pink sugar).  Drinks for adults was pink champagne!

We put a big sheet of butcher paper on our table so the kids could color or create fun tiaras with stickers.

The birthday girl wearing her crown and blowing out the candles.

What a great day and a fun event.  Now its time to sit back and relax, and start thinking about B's 5th birthday party in a few months!

Fall Reception

Tonight we attended a wedding reception for a family friend.  Just because the party was in late November didn't mean the decor needed to scream fall.  The colors were mostly white and black with a gorgeous pop of green.  Orchids, crystals, and an open bar with incredible food.  My kind of night! 

Iron trees throughout the room held candles, crystals and balls of flowers in this hip urban spot in South Lake Union.  Ironically these were the same trees I originally wanted at my wedding.  I loved the decor at this party! 

Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Making honeycrisp sangria was a risk.  Frankly, I don't like red wine based sangria (the only kind I've tried), but because I love honeycrisp apples and chardonnay, I thought this would be a fun try.  And if it was good I'd make a larger batch for Thanksgiving dinner.

The biggest challenge was finding 'unoaked' chardonnay.  Not every bottle makes it clear if the wine is unoaked so with the help of my local market's wine steward, I found a nice and inexpensive bottle to experiment with ($12.99). 

My test batch was just half a recipe.  I feared I would ruin an entire bottle of wine if I didn't like this drink.  I combined the wine, fruit, schnapps and spices in a tight sealing tupperware and placed in the fridge overnight. (I did not use pisco as called for in the recipe)

Today I anxiously awaited the sangria taste test.  I garnished the wine glasses with sugar and cinnamon. Such a beautiful color and great addition to a autumn decorated dinner table.

The finished product?  A crisp, refreshing and perfectly fall flavored cocktail.   It was so good my husband was asking for more and I knew this would be a great drink to start off our Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's.  Now back to the store for more unoaked chardonnay!



Honeycrisp Sangria, adapted from Adam Seger & Food and Wine Magazine

2 Honeycrisp apples
One 750-milliliter bottle unoaked Chardonnay
1/3c peach Schnapps
1/4c pisco (I excluded)
1/4c honey
2 oranges- 1 quartered
1 lemon – quartered
1 lime – quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
2 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger
3 whole cloves
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Ice
Club soda

Peel, core and chop one of the apples. In a bowl, combine the Chardonnay, Schnapps, pisco and honey. Add the quartered orange, the lemon, lime, cinnamon sticks, the chopped apple, ginger and cloves and refrigerate at least 4 hours. (I let mine sit overnight)

Strain the sangria into a pitcher. Peel, core and finely chop the remaining apple. Peel, section and chop the remaining orange. Mix the apple and orange in a bowl.

On a small plate, blend the sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the rims of wine glasses and dip in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until three-quarters full. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a spoonful of the chopped apple and orange.