Puffy Strawberry Short Cakes

I made these today.  It is a lighter version of a strawberry short cake.  I hope you like them.

Puffy Strawberry Short Cake

1/2 a package puff pastry
1 egg white
decorative sugar

1 cup strawberries, sliced thin
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream
3 tbs strawberry jam
1 tbs sugar

Un thaw pastry as per the directions on the box.  Roll the pastry out onto a floured surface until about 1/4 of an inch think.  Cut out 6 rounds about 3 inches in diameter.  Place onto lined cookie sheet and lightly brush half of the rounds with the egg white and sprinkle with the decorative sugar.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl mix the sugar and vanilla together until combined.  Add strawberries, mix, cover, and let sit in the fridge for at least on hour.

Just before you are ready to serve your desert, whip your whipping cream until soft peaks.  Add in your jam and sugar just until combined.

To serve, carefully cut your cooked pasty in half.  Place the bottom part of the pastry on a plate, add a spoonful of whip cream, a spoonful of strawberries, another spoonful of whip cream, and place the top part of the pastry on top.  Garnish with mint leaf or drizzle with chocolate, but this is totally optional.

Makes 6 servings.

Bella's Cookies

My son seems to have a hankering for a lovely little lady named Bella.  Bella is very into healthy eating so Donovan and I came up with this yummy recipe and made them for her today.

Bella's Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chocolate chips

In an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar.  Add in the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.  Once fully combined add in your flour, oats, and coconut a little at a time.  Once combined, stir in the raisins and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.  Cook on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Donovan asked me the other day if we could make pumpkin pie.  I didn't want plain pastry, so D and I came up with this instead.  We hope you like it!

Pumpkin Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Gingersnap Crust

2 cups gingersnap wafer or cookie crumbs (I crush my cookies in a food processor)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled

In a medium bowl mix the crumbs and sugar, add the butter.  Combine thoroughly with a fork.  Press the mixture into a spring form pan, going up the side of the pan as well.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Let cool.

Pumpkin Filling

2 eggs
1/2 of a can of a 796 ml pure pumpkin
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 evaporated milk

Using an electric mixer, slightly beat the eggs.  Add in the pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and evaporated milk.  Pour the filling into the cooled crust.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Do not over bake.  Allow to cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Splash! A great summer project for Calgary kids

This is such a great program!  It works with kids of all ages too.  We are a little behind the eight ball on this, but they gave us the ballots that we missed.  Below is some of the info off the Calgary Public Library's website.  The link is listed below for more details!  Happy reading.

How do I sign up?

Come into any of our 17 Library locations, starting June 16th, to register to play Splash: 2011 TD Summer Reading Club, a joint initiative with Library and Archives Canada.

How much does it cost?

It's FREE! Kids 12 and under can also sign up for a FREE library card so they can take home some great books.

How does it work?

When you sign up, you will receive an activity booklet, a poster, and your first of nine weekly reading logs. Weekly reading logs will be released every Thursday starting June 16th. Every time you complete a weekly reading log, you will receive a sticker that you can add to your poster!
There is a ballot on each weekly reading log for you to record your own summer reading and to enter our weekly draws. This year's grand prize is an underwater digital camera - the Fujifilm Finepix XP15 - with each of our 17 Library locations giving one away!
The program ends August 31st, so remember to get your ballots in on time!

Who can play?

Babies, preschoolers, and children of all ages can participate this summer. There will be special books and prizes for kids 0-4, with fun activities for kids and parents to do together.

Why join the Summer Reading Club?

Studies show that children may lose reading skills over the summer months. However, children who continue to read during this time maintain and even gain literacy skills. Reading opens doors to a world of imagination and knowledge. Enthusiastic readers make better students and will develop an association with books and learning that will last a lifetime. By visiting the Calgary Public Library regularly and participating in the summer reading program, you will help your child develop and sustain these crucial skills.


http://beta.calgarypubliclibrary.com/blogs/summer-reading-club/how-do-i-play

Kids Birthday Gift Ideas

This weekend we have four birthday parties to attend, 3 of which, are for 6 year old boys.  I do not like to give toys as gifts unless I know for certain that the child really wants it.  I prefer to give somewhat useful gifts.  Now this is not very fun for kids, as you can imagine, but it is all in the packaging.  I also think a themed gift is great as well.

For the boys this weekend I went with a "Movie" theme.  I got them each two movie passes, which include their snacks and food, and piled a bucket from Micheal's full of popcorn, Smarties, Twizzlers, Bubble Gum, Ring Pops, and other goodies.

I wend on the computer and found some movie clip art, wrote happy birthday and their name, and printed them.  I then cut them out and glued them to a thicker stalk paper.  I wrapped the bucket of goodies up in a cello bag from Micheal's and tied lots of ribbon around the top.

Here is what they look like finished.

This is unlimited options where is come to these kids of gifts:

Bedtime Bucket (my personal favorite).  Princesses for girls or Cars for boys are always great!

• Tooth brush
• Tooth paste
• Book
• Pj's
• Shampoo
• Body Wash
• Bubble Bath

Crayola Bucket

• Crayons
• Coloring Book
• Paints
• Smock
• Paint Brushes
• Pencil Crayons
• Finger Paints

Two more fruit crisp recipes and more!

This past week I found myself with a whole lot of fruit to use up.  I had a huge thing of fresh blue berries and a big stack of rhubarb.

Because everyone in my house loves apple crisp, which is an amazing this as my Donovan is a picky eater, I stick to what I know will go over well with the family.  With this in mind, I started to play around with some ingredients and came up with a Blueberry Crisp.  I then had this bunch of rhubarb to use, so I got some tart shells and made rhubarb strawberry tarts.  I only used about half of the filling I had prepared so I halved the topping recipe for my apple crisp recipe and made another crisp.

With all that being said I am going to give you two filling recipes that can be used in a fruit crisp or for pie / tarts.

Crisp Topping:

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 packed brown sugar

Place all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

Filling Variations:

Blueberry:

5 cups fresh blueberries
4 tbs granulated sugar
3 tbs all purpose flour

Toss all ingredients together in a 9 x 9 baking dish, place the topping on top and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry / Rhubarb:

3 cups chopped strawberries
3 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Toss all ingredients together in a 9 x 9 baking dish, place the topping on top and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Other options:

Both of the fruit variations listed above can also be used for a pie or for tarts.  Place your filling of choice in a pre made pie shell or tart shells (I always use the TenderFlake ones).  When making tarts, please keep in mind that the fruit fillings will shrink somewhat, so fill them up high and bake on a lined cookies sheet a dozen at a time.  You should be able to one pie or two dozen tarts from either recipe.  Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, you may need to cover with foil to prevent over browning.  Another option is to top your pie or tarts with the crisp topping, I would half the recipe.....yummy!

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2012...so great!

I was at Costco the other day and, in the kids book section, saw the National Geographic's Kids Almanac 2012 for $9.98.  I had quickly looked through one at my friends house before, it was really interesting, so I picked this up for my kids.

Reading everyday is mandatory in this home.  Every night before bed, all four of us snuggle into our (me and Ivan's) bed and read.  I have started to read this Almanac to them, maybe 6-8 pages a night, and they are loving it.  Simone and Donovan both listen quietly and look at the pictures.....they are both truly interested.  Not only are they learning a ton, but me too!

This is definitely a great thing to have as it discusses current global issues, politics, animals, a little of everything.  I am thinking of picking another one up and putting it into both children's memory boxes so they can look back each year and see what things were like when they were little.

Royal Tyrrell Museum

Now that school is ending and a very busy summer is approaching, I took Donovan out of school today and brought both kids to Drumheller for the day.  Auntie Alana join us and was very helpful entertaining Simone while Donovan went into great details about all of the dinosaurs and listed of the facts he knew about each one.  Here are some pictures from today.....

Field Tripp"n"

Both Simone and Donovan had field trips this week.  Simone went with her preschool class to the Cochrane Bowling Lanes and Donovan went to Glenmore Park.  I was so lucky and got to attend both field trips with them.  That being said, teachers are not paid enough!!!  It was still a great time and so wonderful to spend time with each child individually.  Here are the pictures....

Apple Crisp.....My favorite and easiest to make comfort food.

Apple Crisp

6-7 medium sized apples ( I usually use Mac or Spartan) Peeled, cored, and sliced thick.
1 tbs Granulated Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Toss all together in a 9 x 9 casserole dish (pie plate...whatever is handy).

Topping

1 cup of flour (I use whole wheat, but all purpose does the trick)
3/4 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 butter, softened

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and blend with a pasty blender until the mixture resembles course crumbs. 

Place the topping mixture on top of the sliced apples, spreading evenly on the top, and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown.  Don't over cook or you will end up with apple sauce crisp.

Serve warm topped with cream, whipped cream, ice cream, or plain!

Helpful Hint:

Purchase an apple slicer, as pictured below.  This is a great tool to have in your kitchen.  Not only does it make slicing apples easy, but when making something like apple crisp, allows for some consistency....no mushy apples mixed with under cooked apples.

Miss Monsie's Triple Chocolate Cookies

It was a rainy day today so Monsie and I played around with a recipe and created these.  We hope you like them, Donovan and Daddy sure did!!

Miss Monsie's Triple Chocolate Cookies

1 1/3 cups butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

3 tbs milk

1 225g package white chocolate chips

1 225g package semi sweet chocolate chunks

In an electric mixer cream butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs beating for 30 seconds between additions.  On the slowest speed add your baking soda, salt, and cocoa a little at a time until combined.

Add your flour alternately with the milk.

Stir in your white chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.  Drop by the spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Pictures of the kids....

We have had a couple of big and busy days with the kids.  Simone had her last "share" day at pre school today and Donovan had his first school concert today.  I couldn't be a prouder mom to two beautiful kids.  Here are some pictures of their special days and a few others......enjoy!