This afternoon as we were digging out the backyard, we uncovered a live grub. (This was a better find than yesterday's small, dead worm.) I picked it up and showed it to Bug, who recoiled and declared that he didn't want to see or touch it because it was "too yucky".
I commented that some people eat grubs. Bug thought this was fascinating and asked if I could cook the grub for him.
Me: "You don't want to touch it because it's too yucky, but you want to eat it?"
Bug: "I want to touch it with my mouth."
Grubs were NOT on the menu for today... (Though I did find a decent sounding recipe should it come up again. The idea kind of turns my stomach, but I'd try it if my kids really wanted to.)
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Easy-Peasy Truffles
I hope everyone had a really nice time celebrating their winter holiday of choice. :)
We had a really great time and I'm looking forward to sharing some pictures a little later. Right now I'm just too wiped out to resize photos, so I'll talk about food instead. No pictures because it was all DEVOURED, but I made some yummy truffles to contribute to the holiday food selection. It's becoming a bit of a tradition. :)
I know that this recipe came from somewhere, but it's been a few years and I couldn't say where. Apologies. I'd like to offer credit where it's due.
These truffles are SO STINKIN' GOOD...and remarkably simple. You need baking chocolate - in a form that will melt - and cream cheese. Whatever amount of cream cheese you want to use, have double the amount of chocolate. Or equal parts of two different chocolates.
Melt 1/2 of your chocolate. I do this on the stove so that I can watch it, but I suppose you could do it in the microwave and just keep an eye on it. You don't want it to burn.
Once the chocolate is melted, mix in your cream cheese. (I tried this over low heat this time because I was using a block of cream cheese and it worked out okay. Just watch your heat.)
Once the cream cheese and melted chocolate are mixed together, put it in the fridge to cool. About two hours.
When the chocolate and cream cheese mixture have set up a bit, remove from the fridge and melt the last half of your chocolate. Form balls of the chocolate and cream cheese mixture and dip in the melted chocolate. Set aside for coating to harden and then enjoy.
I tried something different this year and used almond bark for the truffle innards and Wilton meltaways for the coating. They turned out nicely when the finished product was stuck in the freezer, but I wouldn't recommend it for truffles you'd like to leave out for the grabbing. The almond bark had a lot more oil/fat in it and never really solidifed the way I'm used to. Luckily, the meltaways hardened and held the truffles together. Next time, I'll just spring for the good chocolate to begin with. (In the past I've used both Hershey and Ghirardelli. Both work beautifully.)
We had a really great time and I'm looking forward to sharing some pictures a little later. Right now I'm just too wiped out to resize photos, so I'll talk about food instead. No pictures because it was all DEVOURED, but I made some yummy truffles to contribute to the holiday food selection. It's becoming a bit of a tradition. :)
I know that this recipe came from somewhere, but it's been a few years and I couldn't say where. Apologies. I'd like to offer credit where it's due.
These truffles are SO STINKIN' GOOD...and remarkably simple. You need baking chocolate - in a form that will melt - and cream cheese. Whatever amount of cream cheese you want to use, have double the amount of chocolate. Or equal parts of two different chocolates.
Melt 1/2 of your chocolate. I do this on the stove so that I can watch it, but I suppose you could do it in the microwave and just keep an eye on it. You don't want it to burn.
Once the chocolate is melted, mix in your cream cheese. (I tried this over low heat this time because I was using a block of cream cheese and it worked out okay. Just watch your heat.)
Once the cream cheese and melted chocolate are mixed together, put it in the fridge to cool. About two hours.
When the chocolate and cream cheese mixture have set up a bit, remove from the fridge and melt the last half of your chocolate. Form balls of the chocolate and cream cheese mixture and dip in the melted chocolate. Set aside for coating to harden and then enjoy.
I tried something different this year and used almond bark for the truffle innards and Wilton meltaways for the coating. They turned out nicely when the finished product was stuck in the freezer, but I wouldn't recommend it for truffles you'd like to leave out for the grabbing. The almond bark had a lot more oil/fat in it and never really solidifed the way I'm used to. Luckily, the meltaways hardened and held the truffles together. Next time, I'll just spring for the good chocolate to begin with. (In the past I've used both Hershey and Ghirardelli. Both work beautifully.)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Library, Part I
It's just after 2pm, but we're planning to head off to the library. Soon. Assuming that we can get Bug into clothes. (He's having an "I want to be naked!" day. With his newly updated cloth diaper stash, he's been enjoying running about in colorful pants and nothing else.)
I've been feeling a little guilty about the reading that I haven't done, but I'm putting those feelings away right now. I've started on Persuasion, though I've been reading Bug's books more often. As it should be, I suppose. :) I've also been reading a few cookbooks of Mom's, and I don't feel that that's wasted time at all. But the library books and impending due dates are starting to stress me out a little bit, so I'm just going to drop any feelings of failure and take most of them back. I'm planning to keep Candide and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters for a little longer.
The plan for today is to look into some non-fiction, since fiction is feeling a tiny bit frivolous right now. A friend turned me onto Friedensreich Hundertwasser, so I thought I'd see if I could find any books on him. And hopefully something on the Gee's Bend quilts. (Which is where the other conversation began.) I was able to see the Gee's Bend exhibit when it went through Houston a few years ago and it was AMAZING. I didn't have much appreciation for quilting at the time and (although I'm ashamed to admit it) wasn't expecting much. It completely blew me away. I could have gone to see them a thousand times and still been awed.
Here's hoping we come back with some awesome stuff!
I've been feeling a little guilty about the reading that I haven't done, but I'm putting those feelings away right now. I've started on Persuasion, though I've been reading Bug's books more often. As it should be, I suppose. :) I've also been reading a few cookbooks of Mom's, and I don't feel that that's wasted time at all. But the library books and impending due dates are starting to stress me out a little bit, so I'm just going to drop any feelings of failure and take most of them back. I'm planning to keep Candide and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters for a little longer.
The plan for today is to look into some non-fiction, since fiction is feeling a tiny bit frivolous right now. A friend turned me onto Friedensreich Hundertwasser, so I thought I'd see if I could find any books on him. And hopefully something on the Gee's Bend quilts. (Which is where the other conversation began.) I was able to see the Gee's Bend exhibit when it went through Houston a few years ago and it was AMAZING. I didn't have much appreciation for quilting at the time and (although I'm ashamed to admit it) wasn't expecting much. It completely blew me away. I could have gone to see them a thousand times and still been awed.
Here's hoping we come back with some awesome stuff!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Must. Find. Outlet.
The last few weeks (erm, months?) have been a tad bit hectic/stressful/busy/crazy. Choose your descriptive.
Bug is doing well. Or, well enough. There have been a LOT of changes in his life in the last two months, so some days are better than others. We've been in a little bit of a rough patch the last two or three days or so, but today was better. Given that there has been the same amount of chance in my life, I can't say that I've been responding well to his freakouts - which isn't helping.
Boo is doing very well. Getting big and strong. She's outgrown her teeny little preemie outfits and is starting to wear "real" baby clothes. She puts away a LOT of milk and has started to chub up. Her thighs are getting thick and chunky. :) (Funny to me...Bug's filling out, too, now that I'm making new-baby milk again.)
My sister is AMAZING. She's four days post-op and her doctor says she's healing really, really quickly. She's already got full range of motion back. My sister is Superwoman. Which I've always known but this has proved yet again.
Great news from her surgery, too. The genetic testing showed that she doesn't have the marker. Her lymph nodes were benign so the cancer hadn't spread. They were able to get it all out of her and she might not eve have to do chemo. Yay!
And we bought a condo. (Or, Mom bought a condo and we'll be living in it.) We haven't closed yet and there's a tiny bit of work to be done (a/c doesn't work - yikes!), but it's really exciting to know that we'll have someplace to really call home soon. Not that we haven't been comfortable at Mom's, but it'll be nice to have our own space again, and I'm sure they'll be glad to have less chaos in their lives when we're not on top of each other all the time.
So, all in all, things are ultimately going well.
And I haven't had an outlet for any stress at all. (Because yelling at Bug does NOT count as an outlet!) I neeeeed to do something creative. And soon.
I've fallen behind in my bee blocks. I've got a few starts there, but nothing worth showing yet.
I decided today that I needed to either sew or bake. So I looked up bread recipes and might try a honey wheat yeast bread tomorrow. And I got a bug to make a little dress for Boo, so I started on that this evening. I'm patterning it as I go, so we'll see how that goes.
And I think we're going to (finally!) get library cards tomorrow. I don't have any time at all to read, but I really need to have something on hand that I CAN read. If that makes any sense.
Hopefully there will be pictures of something soon...
Bug is doing well. Or, well enough. There have been a LOT of changes in his life in the last two months, so some days are better than others. We've been in a little bit of a rough patch the last two or three days or so, but today was better. Given that there has been the same amount of chance in my life, I can't say that I've been responding well to his freakouts - which isn't helping.
Boo is doing very well. Getting big and strong. She's outgrown her teeny little preemie outfits and is starting to wear "real" baby clothes. She puts away a LOT of milk and has started to chub up. Her thighs are getting thick and chunky. :) (Funny to me...Bug's filling out, too, now that I'm making new-baby milk again.)
My sister is AMAZING. She's four days post-op and her doctor says she's healing really, really quickly. She's already got full range of motion back. My sister is Superwoman. Which I've always known but this has proved yet again.
Great news from her surgery, too. The genetic testing showed that she doesn't have the marker. Her lymph nodes were benign so the cancer hadn't spread. They were able to get it all out of her and she might not eve have to do chemo. Yay!
And we bought a condo. (Or, Mom bought a condo and we'll be living in it.) We haven't closed yet and there's a tiny bit of work to be done (a/c doesn't work - yikes!), but it's really exciting to know that we'll have someplace to really call home soon. Not that we haven't been comfortable at Mom's, but it'll be nice to have our own space again, and I'm sure they'll be glad to have less chaos in their lives when we're not on top of each other all the time.
So, all in all, things are ultimately going well.
And I haven't had an outlet for any stress at all. (Because yelling at Bug does NOT count as an outlet!) I neeeeed to do something creative. And soon.
I've fallen behind in my bee blocks. I've got a few starts there, but nothing worth showing yet.
I decided today that I needed to either sew or bake. So I looked up bread recipes and might try a honey wheat yeast bread tomorrow. And I got a bug to make a little dress for Boo, so I started on that this evening. I'm patterning it as I go, so we'll see how that goes.
And I think we're going to (finally!) get library cards tomorrow. I don't have any time at all to read, but I really need to have something on hand that I CAN read. If that makes any sense.
Hopefully there will be pictures of something soon...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Bug, On Food
Recently, Bug has decided that the kitchen is his favorite place to be. Seriously. He wakes up in the morning and is still all groggy and sleepy-eyed when he snuggles up and mumbles "Let's go in the kitchen". When he gets upset about something and finally gets to the clingy, post-crying portion of his meltdown, he sniffles "Let's go in the kitchen". I'd worry that he was developing an unhealthy relationship with food, but he usually doesn't actually ask for or want anything to eat (though the recent discovery of his ability to reach the hard-boiled eggs has led to eating more of those than normal). He just likes *being* in there. He likes helping. Which I think is pretty cool.
If I may take on the role of the gosh-my-kid-is-so-stinkin'-cute parent for a moment, I'd like to share two food comments from yesterday that made me giggle.
We woke up waaaaaaay too early yesterday morning. Like, around 5:30. Which is an hour we don't often see around here. Annoying as it has to be for Richard, Bug and I have settled in to our natural clocks and tend to end up getting up in the morning sometime closer to 9:30. Or 11. Whatever. But, yesterday morning, the diaper gave up at 5:30. Eek.
Bug and I got up, Richard slept. When Richard got up a few hours later, Bug was still going strong, so I went to take a nap. Then Bug came in later and crashed, and I got up and went to the grocery store. It being a holiday weekend and me feeling celebratory because Richard was actually home, I bought a few things that we normally never, ever have in he house. Like a can of Pringles and a cheese danish.
When Bug woke up, we were cuddling and playing in the bedroom and I asked him if he was hungry. I got a non-answer. I mentioned that I had gone to the store and picked up some Muenster cheese, his current favorite. It peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there. I mentioned that I'd bought some Pringles, which he loves, and it peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there. I mentioned the danish and he gave me an inquisitive look.
Bug: "What's a danish?"
Me: "Well...it's kind of like a donut cake."
Bug's eyes got wide. He looked at me like I might be kidding. Then he sat up and crawled out of bed so fast that it was almost cartoonish.
Bug: "Let's go see!"
Then, just before bed, there was another giggle-worthy food moment.
My cousin, who is now living with us, had to put in a really long shift at work yesterday. Bug asked about her repeatedly and followed her around like a puppy when she got home. (Thank goodness she seems to think this is cute and not annoying.) At one point, he followed her into the kitchen and pointed out the Pringles on the counter. (He had been told that he couldn't have any more, at that point.)
Bug: "We got chips today."
Cousin: "Yeah?"
Bug: "Mhm. They're not good for me." *pause* "But I can eat them."
At least he *knows* they're a special event food and not something we eat every day?
If I may take on the role of the gosh-my-kid-is-so-stinkin'-cute parent for a moment, I'd like to share two food comments from yesterday that made me giggle.
We woke up waaaaaaay too early yesterday morning. Like, around 5:30. Which is an hour we don't often see around here. Annoying as it has to be for Richard, Bug and I have settled in to our natural clocks and tend to end up getting up in the morning sometime closer to 9:30. Or 11. Whatever. But, yesterday morning, the diaper gave up at 5:30. Eek.
Bug and I got up, Richard slept. When Richard got up a few hours later, Bug was still going strong, so I went to take a nap. Then Bug came in later and crashed, and I got up and went to the grocery store. It being a holiday weekend and me feeling celebratory because Richard was actually home, I bought a few things that we normally never, ever have in he house. Like a can of Pringles and a cheese danish.
When Bug woke up, we were cuddling and playing in the bedroom and I asked him if he was hungry. I got a non-answer. I mentioned that I had gone to the store and picked up some Muenster cheese, his current favorite. It peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there. I mentioned that I'd bought some Pringles, which he loves, and it peaked his interest, but he still wanted to lie there. I mentioned the danish and he gave me an inquisitive look.
Bug: "What's a danish?"
Me: "Well...it's kind of like a donut cake."
Bug's eyes got wide. He looked at me like I might be kidding. Then he sat up and crawled out of bed so fast that it was almost cartoonish.
Bug: "Let's go see!"
Then, just before bed, there was another giggle-worthy food moment.
My cousin, who is now living with us, had to put in a really long shift at work yesterday. Bug asked about her repeatedly and followed her around like a puppy when she got home. (Thank goodness she seems to think this is cute and not annoying.) At one point, he followed her into the kitchen and pointed out the Pringles on the counter. (He had been told that he couldn't have any more, at that point.)
Bug: "We got chips today."
Cousin: "Yeah?"
Bug: "Mhm. They're not good for me." *pause* "But I can eat them."
At least he *knows* they're a special event food and not something we eat every day?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Some of My Favorite Blogs
I don't have much to say today.
Well...I do, but I'm not quite ready to delve into that yet. And I don't have pictures of the stuff I want to show off, and I'm feeling very pregnant-tired today. So that leaves me with very little to say.
It's one of those all-I-want-to-do-is-sit-around-and-look-at-inspiring-websites days.
So I'll share some of my favorites. :)
Sew,Mama, Sew - Always an amazing site for inspiration, ideas and tons and tons of tutorials. This month is Quilt Month II, so there's lots of quilt-y goodness going on right now. Be sure to check out the blog on Fridays and enter to win the weekly fabric giveaway! (Ahem... They also have a store and forum, but I always get side-tracked by the blog.)
A Stitch in Dye - Malka - from here in Texas! - does some of the most beautiful work! Her fabric and dying are breathtaking and I love, love, love how she uses color and visual texture in all of her projects. I think I'd love to buy just about everything out of her Etsy shop. I'm saving my pennies for some of her fabric. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.
See Katie Sew - Quilting, pretty fabric creations...what's not to love? I'm currently working on convincing myself that I don't need to join in the vintage sheet swap. I DON'T. But...they're so pretty...
Juicy Bits - I don't think there's anything that Jessica doesn't do beautifully and at 115%. Seriously. Look at her photos. Sewing, baking, crafting, birthday parties, she does it all and it all looks straight out of a magazine. Takes my breath away.
Oh, Fransson! - I mentioned Elizabeth's blog the other day. It's a haven of quilt-y goodness, amazing tutorials, quilt-a-longs and beautiful, beautiful work. She's doing this week's Block-a-long at Sew, Mama, Sew, too. Fun stuff! (And be sure to check out her shop. I bought the pattern for her Canasta quilts and will be eternally thankful for her easy-to-follow directions. I'm not sure that even *I* will be able to muck up this quilt.)
There are other blogs that I love to frequent, but five links seems like a good place to stop for now. I'll save the others for the moment. :)
Well...I do, but I'm not quite ready to delve into that yet. And I don't have pictures of the stuff I want to show off, and I'm feeling very pregnant-tired today. So that leaves me with very little to say.
It's one of those all-I-want-to-do-is-sit-around-and-look-at-inspiring-websites days.
So I'll share some of my favorites. :)
Sew,Mama, Sew - Always an amazing site for inspiration, ideas and tons and tons of tutorials. This month is Quilt Month II, so there's lots of quilt-y goodness going on right now. Be sure to check out the blog on Fridays and enter to win the weekly fabric giveaway! (Ahem... They also have a store and forum, but I always get side-tracked by the blog.)
A Stitch in Dye - Malka - from here in Texas! - does some of the most beautiful work! Her fabric and dying are breathtaking and I love, love, love how she uses color and visual texture in all of her projects. I think I'd love to buy just about everything out of her Etsy shop. I'm saving my pennies for some of her fabric. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.
See Katie Sew - Quilting, pretty fabric creations...what's not to love? I'm currently working on convincing myself that I don't need to join in the vintage sheet swap. I DON'T. But...they're so pretty...
Juicy Bits - I don't think there's anything that Jessica doesn't do beautifully and at 115%. Seriously. Look at her photos. Sewing, baking, crafting, birthday parties, she does it all and it all looks straight out of a magazine. Takes my breath away.
Oh, Fransson! - I mentioned Elizabeth's blog the other day. It's a haven of quilt-y goodness, amazing tutorials, quilt-a-longs and beautiful, beautiful work. She's doing this week's Block-a-long at Sew, Mama, Sew, too. Fun stuff! (And be sure to check out her shop. I bought the pattern for her Canasta quilts and will be eternally thankful for her easy-to-follow directions. I'm not sure that even *I* will be able to muck up this quilt.)
There are other blogs that I love to frequent, but five links seems like a good place to stop for now. I'll save the others for the moment. :)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Palm Oil, Turning the World on it's Ear
Generally speaking, I'm the one who introduces soap box issues into our lives. But the world was turned on it's ear last night by a trip to the zoo, a sheet of paper, and a casual question.
We took C to the zoo last week - his second trip - and he loved it so much I didn't think he was ever going to want to leave. One of my favorite parts was dropping by the orangutans. We missed it on our first trip.
At first, the habitat appeared empty, but then we realized that a large male (Doc, as I recall), a female (Kelly) and a baby (Solaris) were tucked off in a corner. There was a glass viewing wall on that side and we went over so C could see what was going on. Doc sat with his back to us for a bit, then ambled over to the playground type thing in the middle of the habitat. He grabbed a thick rope, which snapped from it's supports when he put it's weight on it and then, as though he were embarassed about it, went to go hide in the back where no one could see him. Kelly, who had been cuddling with the baby, got up and went to check out the snapped rope. She tugged on it to untangle it (her problem solving skills leaving R open-mouthed) and eventually left it and followed Doc wherever he'd gone. Solaris followed her throughout.
The little nook where we were had information on all six of the zoo's orangutans (only three are out at a time) and I was tickled to see that the baby was six years old and always with his mother as he's still nursing. That made me happy.
Before we left, I picked up an information sheet. C started getting fussy so I tucked it away without reading it. By the time we got home six-or-so hours later, I'd forgotten about it.
R found it last night and sat down on the couch to read it. After a little while, he asked if we ever used palm oil. As far as I know we never have, but I almost picked some up for a project last week.
R told me that, according to the fact sheet I'd picked up, harvesting of palm oil is one of the largest dangers to orangutans. He seemed really bothered by it.
So.
No palm oil for us, thanks.
A photo of Kelly, 29, checking out the broken rope and her still-nursing son Solaris, 6.
http://www.houstonzoo.org/
- Kiza
We took C to the zoo last week - his second trip - and he loved it so much I didn't think he was ever going to want to leave. One of my favorite parts was dropping by the orangutans. We missed it on our first trip.
At first, the habitat appeared empty, but then we realized that a large male (Doc, as I recall), a female (Kelly) and a baby (Solaris) were tucked off in a corner. There was a glass viewing wall on that side and we went over so C could see what was going on. Doc sat with his back to us for a bit, then ambled over to the playground type thing in the middle of the habitat. He grabbed a thick rope, which snapped from it's supports when he put it's weight on it and then, as though he were embarassed about it, went to go hide in the back where no one could see him. Kelly, who had been cuddling with the baby, got up and went to check out the snapped rope. She tugged on it to untangle it (her problem solving skills leaving R open-mouthed) and eventually left it and followed Doc wherever he'd gone. Solaris followed her throughout.
The little nook where we were had information on all six of the zoo's orangutans (only three are out at a time) and I was tickled to see that the baby was six years old and always with his mother as he's still nursing. That made me happy.
Before we left, I picked up an information sheet. C started getting fussy so I tucked it away without reading it. By the time we got home six-or-so hours later, I'd forgotten about it.
R found it last night and sat down on the couch to read it. After a little while, he asked if we ever used palm oil. As far as I know we never have, but I almost picked some up for a project last week.
R told me that, according to the fact sheet I'd picked up, harvesting of palm oil is one of the largest dangers to orangutans. He seemed really bothered by it.
So.
No palm oil for us, thanks.
A photo of Kelly, 29, checking out the broken rope and her still-nursing son Solaris, 6.
http://www.houstonzoo.org/
- Kiza
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