Baking =

Bonding

James stays with us almost every weekend. For the most part he's all boy. He loves sports, video games, pranks, eating, more sports, more video games...in short, we have almost nothing in common. Except for that eating part. :) We both love food - eating it, talking about it, and now making it. I try to set aside time for us to make something together each time he is with us. Usually he acts a bit impatient with how long the process takes or how many steps it involves, but he's always very proud of the finished product.

Math Lessons

I always thought I wouldn't do what mom and dad (wisely) did and turn every day moments into little lessons, but today I found myself giving a mini math lesson in the middle of making a loaf of bread. Hey, what better time to prove you really do need math? :)

An Inexpensive Activity

As a super-intelligent person, I have quickly come to a new and startling revelation...kids are expensive! But a little flour, butter and eggs make for a pretty inexpensive way to spend our Saturday morning.

Delicious Bread

I hope. Waiting for it to cool.

Happy Irish Food Day

Here's hoping your St. Patrick's day has been green and pinch-free. And if you weren't able to enjoy a special meal, you can join us virtually for Colcannon and Irish Soda Bread. There's plenty to go around.

We actually eat colcannon regularly but this was Rachel's first attempt at Irish Soda Bread. It was excellent - nothing like the dry crumbly biscuit that I made on my first attempt!

For those not in the know, colcannon is made with mashed potatoes, bacon, and cabbage sautéed in said bacon drippings. Onions can also be sautéed with the cabbage but we leave them out. Mix it all together and season with salt/pepper, then pour melted butter on top. When you serve it, feel free to add more pepper (the photo is pre-pepper).

Another Food Challenge

For all of you riddle-solvers out there who just didn't get enough mental work-out with Ben's last blog post, Steve and I have been working on our own food challenge for you to solve. We've been processing this one for a while, and finally have enough details worked out to be able to share it with you. If the puzzle is still unsolved after a week, we'll add more details (following Ben's lead). So, here goes....

A king and queen decided to give a banquet, because they greatly enjoy being hospitable and sharing their time and resources with others. Their "super chef" was given free reign over menu planning and also determining when to hold the banquet and the theme of the party. They (the king and queen) just needed to show up when directed.

The "super chef" provided the royal couple with a multi-course menu plan. It was as follows:
1st Course: lasagna and yogurt
2nd Course: toasted bagel sandwiches with cheddar cheese and fresh tomatoes, seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper
3rd Course: cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise and dill pickle slices
4th Course: fried chicken, cole slaw, baked beans, homestyle macaroni & cheese and biscuits and gravy

The king and queen have been notified of the theme of the party and it's timing. Your challenge is to determine what specific occasion this menu would be appropriate for. The royal couple will assess the results and (after the correct response has been given) provide more details regarding the timing of the event.

Don't judge a dish by its appearance (unless you're a judge on a cooking show, then by all means, judge away)

Well, thank you Ben for making me feel more confused than usual last week. I think this proves that I need to solve more riddles so I can be in good mental shape when another one comes my way.

Last week when I was snowed in during the winter blizzard of 2011, it seemed like the perfect time to try out a new recipe. I leafed through my Cuisine at Home Magazine and was immediately drawn to the Pork and Mushroom Stew because:

A) It's winter and that's when you eat stew
B) There was a pretty picture next to the recipe


Thanks to David, I had state of the art cookware to use : ) Browning the pork

"Ooooo, Lisa! Please put us in the pot so we can be Pork and Mushroom Stew!"

Although this finished product may bear a striking resemblance to dog poop sauce, I assure you it tasted amazing. I followed the recipe's suggestion and made apple-potato mash; boiling a granny smith apple with the potatoes and mashing it all together. It was surprisingly good! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check my koolaid brussel sprouts.

A Little Food Challenge

The long, dark January nights have left me thinking about food challenges, and I think I've come up with a pretty good food riddle.

Guess the food or beverage whose name consists of two words where neither word is actually in the food or beverage. So, it's a thing that has two food/drink words in its name, but neither word is in the thing itself. Give up? If people haven't guessed it in a week, I'll update with a hint.

Frutti Tutti

In an unprecedented show of pizzaz, I am offering back-to-back posts on your favorite subject...food! Enjoy.

Just Another Pizza Pie