I’m raising some creative cooks. Molly, who is 14, shared her omelet with me this weekend. She put in an unexpected combination of ingredients: mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, and frozen peas. It was delicious! I enjoyed starting my day with a healthy serving of vegetables. Thanks, Mol!
This is a peanut butter and apple sandwich. Also try a classic cream cheese and jelly, being sure to use a red-colored jam.
This is a terrific trick that will wow your kids. Let them watch as you cut off a slice of your challah, then cut it in half to make a heart. It’s a little bit of slicing magic that little kids love. Don’t worry if your slices don’t result in perfect cookie-cutter hearts; the kids won’t care. If you want you can do a little extra trimming to fine-tune the edges. I like that the top and side crusts are still there.
Use this bread for sandwiches or for a special French toast Valentine’s Day breakfast.
It’s very easy to make a double-braided challah:
Make up a batch of Blue Ribbon Challah.
Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Braid 3 and place on the greased cookie sheet. Divide the remaining portion into 3 equal portions, braid those and place on top of the first braid.
Here's where to slice it. You can do some additional trimming if you like.
Get out your pretty china—the kids will feel the love—then sprinkle the pancakes with powdered sugar and add a dollop of raspberry jam.
We like to start out holidays by celebrating at breakfast, so on Valentine’s Day I make the kids heart-shaped pancakes. It means getting up a little earlier, but it’s something they look forward to. This year I might just make them the night before, and then microwave them in the morning. I don’t think they’ll suffer too much, and it will mean an extra 30 minutes of sleep for the cook!
Click here for a mini how-to on YouTube.
Jennie brought this incredible assortment of gourmet-looking cheeses as a starter course for our dinner party. She arranged them on a round wooden board and—this is the best part—she labeled them all! We all had so much fun trying some new cheeses. When I went to make my usual pasta sauce a few days later, I mixed in a left-over chunk of a soft looking cheese, blending it in with the cheddar. The cheese is called “fromager d’Affinois” and is a bit similar to brie, but made with more butter fat. Yum.
This is more-or-less the same recipe as Mixed Pasta Shapes with Vegetables, but without the tomato and substituting in about 3/4 c. of the fromager d’Affinois.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084WLZ1R7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
The turkey soup which we ate tonight, for the third time in five days, was calling out for a fresh bread product. I liked the idea of biscuits but wanted something a bit grittier than usual (I’m still on my winter grain frenzy), so I added some whole wheat flour and flaxseed meal to the usual recipe. The vote is still out on how we feel about this recipe. I might cut back on the flaxseed meal next time. They have a stronger flavor than the usual breakfast biscuits. See what you think.
Flaxseed Supper Biscuits (makes 6 large, 3″ biscuits)
Mix together the dry ingredients and cut in the shortening. Stir in the milk, flatten out onto a floured board and cut. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
This is a more kid-friendly version of the Party Chicken, and a really easy week-night dinner idea.
Chicken Breasts with Crusted Parmesan and Parsley
In a large, shallow bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic and pepper. Dip the chicken breasts in the butter and then dredge in the cheese mixture, being sure to get a good coating of the mixture on all sides of the chicken. Place in a baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
If you’re serving chicken at a party, or taking some to a pot luck, you might not want to serve full-sized pieces. Chicken breast tenders, if you can find them, are a perfect portion size when people want to sample a lot of different dishes.
Party Chicken (makes 20-25 modest portions)
In a large, shallow bowl, mix together the Parmesan, parsley, oregano, garlic and black pepper. Line a large cookie sheet with foil (non-stick is best). Dip the chicken pieces in the melted butter, then place side-by-side in the pan. Sprinkle on the mixture, pressing lightly into the chicken. Evenly sprinkle/arrange the artichokes, pine nuts and capers over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
For a more kid-friendly version, and to see an idea for a smaller serving which would be ideal for a week-night dinner, see this post: Chicken Breast with Crusted Parmesan and Parsley
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It was hard to count these but we guess that we made around 300 cookies this year.
We get into a cookie-decorating frenzy each December, with the kids asking for more and more batches every year. They love to decorate these, love to eat them, and love to give them away as gifts, so this year we made around 300. The great thing about this recipe is that the cookies really do taste as good as they look. Who knows how many we’ll turn out next year?
You’ll need a cookie press to make these, and be sure to plan a little ahead so that the butter will be at room temperature.
White Spritz Cookies (makes approx. 8 dozen)
Cream butter, then cream in sugar and baking powder. Beat in egg and almond extract, then add the flour. Do not refrigerate this dough—it must remain at room temperature to work properly in the cookie press.
Press the dough through the cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 mins. Cool completely. Dip a portion of each cookie in melted chocolate then sprinkle on a topping. Lay cookie on parchment paper to dry. The cookies will keep well for a couple of weeks, sealed in an airtight container.
Chocolate Spritz Cookies (makes approx. 8 dozen)
Cream butter, then cream in sugar, baking powder and cocoa. Beat in egg and almond extract, then add the flour. Continue as with White Spritz.
Swirled Spritz Cookies
Fill the cookie press with half white and half chocolate dough.
Dark chocolate for dipping (for 1-2 batches of cookies)
Melt chocolate and Crisco in a double boiler until smooth.
White chocolate for dipping (for 1-2 batches of cookies)
Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Topping ideas
So everyone can help, we put a tray of baked cookies in the middle of the table, with multiple bowls filled with all of the chocolate and toppings. Parchment paper is placed at both ends of the table where the finished cookies are placed to dry.
Either dip the cookie or use a spoon to drizzle on the chocolate.
We have a strict “may not lick your fingers” policy, but every so often a boy can’t help himself—and then he’s sent to wash up before the next cookie gets decorated!
These honestly taste as good as they look.
My grandmother taught me how to make these. It’s a good way to use up leftover bread, and a perfect breakfast for when you can’t decide whether to fix french toast or pancakes.
Bread Pancakes (serves 4)
Break the bread up into a medium-sized bowl, add the eggs, cinnamon and fruit. Pour in the milk and mix it all up. Depending on how dry your bread is, you’ll probably need to add more milk, a little at a time until the bread has absorbed all that it can, becoming very mushy. You don’t want extra milk sitting in the bottom of the bowl. Drop by spoonfuls, and fry in a hot, well-buttered frying pan. When they’re brown on the bottom, turn them over and lightly flatten with a spatula, and continue cooking until the second side is nicely browned and crisp.
Mix everything together in one bowl.
Fry these in butter until they are nicely browned.
This is as easy as it gets, making a smooth and creamy fudge in just a few minutes—no kidding.
Two-step Fudge
1. Put it all in a saucepan, stirring until just melted.
2. Pour into a greased pan and chill for 15 minutes.
The Plate is My Canvas 