My Little Chef

My son loves to cook. He's a young foodie.  Around 3-4 yrs old he dove into sushi, and he's been a fan of fish, salmon, quinoa and almost any vegetable you throw at him.
Yes, a child who loves broccoli, raw spinach, green beans, and asparagus.

He's my taste tester for all sauces and soups. He lets me know if what's cooking needs more spice, pepper, salt, or soy sauce.

Now that he's back in school, they have Library day. He has repeatedly checked out the same book so many times I've decided to buy it for him.

Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!

He has 2 favorite recipes from here......

Baby Bam! - A spice mix, we put it on everything! Pasta, veggies, meat!
He loves the spice mix so much he doesn't allow me to use it!

Then there's the recipe for Chicken Parmesan:  Absolutely delicious!



A chef in the making! One with a refined pallet and a taste for veggies!

Foodie Friday! Krispy Fruity Cupcakes!

Ahhhh the joys of motherhood.  As we transition in age from diapers and falls to the school days and requests of "I want to celebrate my birthday at school tomorrow since its the last day of school and my birthday is in the summer."

EEEEEK!  Rush to the grocery store to get supplies for Rice Krispies treats with Fruity Pebbles!

- Rice Krispies      ( 4 cups)
- Fruity Pebbles    ( 2 cups)
- Butter                ( 3 Tablespoons)
- Marshmallow Fluff  ( 7 oz, or 1 small container)

Now I like to mix it up a bit with the original Rice Krispies Treats... I add some Fruity Pebbles!

First, mix together 4 cups Rice Krispies and 2 cups Fruity Pebbles (for a total of 6 cups)

- too many Fruity Pebbles can make things a bit sweet for me....

Next Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter!  Use the real thing please, its not like we're going for healthy treats here.

You want the butter totally melted so it can mix well with the marshmallow fluff.

Mix the 1 small container of marshmallow fluff (7 oz.) and stir well until they are mixed completely. 

I did this over low - medium heat.   You don't want to burn the fluff!

Pour the marshmallow goo into the krispies and pebbles and mix well until every little piece is coated (in deliciousness). 

Now here comes some fun parts:  For most treats you need to put into a large pan with maybe some wax paper in the bottom to prevent sticking and press the treats down so they stick.  

I decided to make it a little differently... I pulled out the muffin pans with cupcake liners in it. Multiple colors for fun!  Then I filled the cups and pressed firmly.  This is important to make the treats stick together.  You don't want limp treats!

Now the recipe above is the single recipe which made about 20 krispy treat cupcakes.  

I needed 24.  

So rather than make them smaller, I made another batch.  Oh darn, I'll need to eat them myself. :)

No messy knife needed to cut them apart, just hand them out!  

Needless to say, they were a huge hit at the last day of school party!!!!!! 

Play!

As we grow up, we feel the weight of adulthood, and we grow serious.
Suddenly we have to teach the younger generation how to behave, how to do things.
But why should we have any less fun?

Love this from XKCD.com

Didn't we always dream of being the grown ups when we were kids?

We've forgotten how to play, how to have fun.

Its important to get back to basics.  Pick an activity and PLAY! :)



Go to a local park and go down the slide.  Pick up a video game and have at it for an hour.

Better yet, if you have children, include them.

My son tonight wanted to play the latest rage in video games, Skylanders.  He made sure to specify that he wanted me to play with him.  So, after dinner, we put in the game and played until his bed time.  Dishes sat undone on the counter until I can get to them later.

Some things are more important than work meetings, laundry, even dirty dishes.

Looking back, when you're 80, do you wish you had more time to do dishes? Or more time to spend with loved ones playing and having fun.

Studies have even shown that play improves creativity and productivity in adults.  Partly from the physical activity (which is always good for adults), and partly for the joy of play.  It makes us happy.

Make sure that its not all competitive either, just playing for the playing sake is the best reward.

If you have kids, include them; go to the park, get outside if its nice, or enjoy a night in with a kid-friendly board game.

If you're without kids, go to a laser tag, or get a kid-friendly board game (simpler the better!)

The point is to really relax and sit back and enjoy.

So, now I'm making more of a point to enjoy my time playing with my son (especially since he's at the age where he wants me to join in).

Never too busy to play with a child.

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” 
― Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.