Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so you need to make sure it’s a good one!

The kids are heading back to school next week, so we are enjoying the last few days of having “weekend breakfast” during the week, and today was no exception!

I came across a recipe for Mayan Hot Chocolate… something that I have always loved. Yes, the Aztecs invented hot chocolate, or Xoclatl as they called it. This isn’t completely authentic as it often had red peppers in it as well, but this gives you a good “south of the border” flavor. There is mote history on the linked page…

2 ounces (squares) 100% chocolate (baker’s or unsweetened)
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons honey
dash salt
3 cups hot milk
4 sticks cinnamon bark
Chop the chocolate and heat it in the water until melted. Add honey, salt, and beat the hot chocolate water with a balloon wire whip as you add th warmed milk. To make it more frothy and give more food value, you can beat up an egg or two, add hot chocolate to it, then pour it into the chocolate cooking pot and continue to whip, (but this isn’t authentic). Serve the hot chocolate in mugs with cinnamon-bark stick stirrers in each.

Of course, with the kids drinking it, I had to add a bit more sugar to it, but this dark-chocolate loving girl thought it bordered on the divine! I used a dash of ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks because that’s what I had.

Alongside this delicious confectionery one of the small ones wanted pancakes… and eggs… oh, and why not toss some bacon into the mix too!

So, I got out the bacon (from a locally raised pig – so much better than the store bought stuff!) and started that in the pan while I mixed up the ‘cakes. When the bacon was done, I cracked a few eggs into the pan with the leftover bacon grease (in my opinion, the hands-down, best way to have a fried egg!) and set them fry with the yolks intact. Then I flipped them and smashed that yolk bubble. Yum!

Once the eggs were done, giving the pancake batter a few moments to rest of course, I made some good, thick pancakes.

With all of the ingredients, the obvious choice was a pancake sandwich! Yes, pancake, fried egg, 2 strips of bacon, a sprinkling of shredded cheese and another pancake. Delish!

Of course, if you are a die hard syrup person, you can pour syrup over the sandwich and eat it with a fork, but there is something fun about eating pancakes with your hands in this way! It must satisfy that kid that is buried deep down inside.

No, this is not the most heart-healthy of meals, but the kids sure do love it! Perfect for Saturday mornings…

While we were camping, I made my favorite corn on the cob… and was surprised that no one else had heard of doing it this way! Obviously, I have to share this simple & delicious way to make fabulous corn!

Corn on the cob – as many as you want to fix
Your fav. seasoning blend
~Montreal steak seasoning
~ Mrs. Dash
~Cholula Seasoning
butter
aluminum foil

Shuck the corn & clean off the silk. Lay out a sheet of foil for each cob, and spread about 1/2 Tbsp. of butter on each. Sprinkle seasoning blend on top of the butter.

Lay the cob down on the butter & spin it around once like a top to spread the butter around. Roll the foil up around the corn & cook on the grill for about 10 minutes, turning over once. Check for doneness.

Unwrap and eat! The corn is pre-buttered & pre-seasoned for you.

If you are cooking this on a campfire, know that it may take a bit longer. Just toss the corn down around the hot coals to cook. Make sure you have tongs to pull them back out again!

This is a quick, easy recipe that will have you staying away from those little boxes at the store in favor of homemade! Really, it only takes 5 minutes. I will warn you, this is a darker chocolate pudding when made with coconut cream, but even my “I hate dark chocolate” daughter loved it. Secretly I think she says she doesn’t like it dark because I do, and Grandma doesn’t… but that is another story!

Ingredients:

1 can coconut cream*
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp corn starch

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the coconut cream and milk on the stove. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. When the milk begins to bubble, remove from the heat and pour some of it into the dry ingredients and mix. Pour everything back into the pan and return to the heat. Stir until everything is dissolved and add the vanilla.

Serve immediately over pound cake, angel food cake, brownies or ice cream, or pour into snack cups or bowls and chill until set.

In my experience, these don’t get the traditional “pudding film” but if you want to make sure they don’t, put plastic wrap right on the surface of the pudding.

This pudding will do a soft set, but stay very creamy. Make it the day before for the hardest set. It will not get as thick as the snack cups you can buy at the store.

This is a great snack for kids – after school, mid-morning, or to take in their lunch boxes! And yes, it’s a great snack for us bigger kids too…

*Coconut cream can be found at Asian markets, and occasionally at good grocery stores. Coconut milk could also work, it just won’t be as thick.

This is an easy kid friendly recipe that the whole family can help with!

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. shortening
1/3 cup warm milk

In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and shortening.  Slowly add in the warm milk and mix.

Knead the dough until slightly tacky (like bread dough).  Form into 1.5 inch balls and roll out as flat as possible.

Cook in an ungreased skillet or griddle.

Butter, fold and eat!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We made the double batch pictured above using whole wheat flour.  If you choose whole wheat, add just a touch more milk.

These are great to let the kids help with!  They enjoy getting to knead the dough and roll out the tortillas.  Getting them round is always a challenge!

This is one of our favorite summertime beverages – it’s cool and refreshing and tastes great! This recipe makes a concentrate – it’s a bit too much straight. Just add it to a half glass of ice water to make a delicious, cool Summer treat. Check out the add-ins at the bottom for some great alternatives. It also makes great frozen popsicles…

Lavender Lemonade

ingredients:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
20 sprigs fresh lavender – either blooming, or just before the flowers open
4-6 lemons (depending on your tartness preference)
water

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, turn off the heat and place the lavender sprigs in the pan while the syrup cools down. Set aside to cool.

When the syrup is cool, remove the lavender sprigs and pour it into a 2 qt. pitcher.

Juice the lemons and add to the pitcher. Stir. Fill the pitcher up with water.

When you pour the lemonade into a glass, first fill the glass halfway with water and ice, then pour in the lemonade concentrate.

Garnish with a small sprig of lavender, lemon slices or mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Add ins:

- use the juice of limes instead or a mixture of lemons and limes
- add some strawberries to the simple syrup while it is cooling and strain the syrup when cool – crushing the strawberries to get all of the goodies out
- add some mint leaves with the lavender and use limes to make a non-alcoholic mojito – or mix it with your favorite rum for the real thing (obviously not for kids)
- add some grenadine to give it a cherry flavor and a lovely pink color

This was one of the dishes I made to during me vegeterian challenge week – I just didn’t have a chance to add it!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion (I prefer sweets)
1 tsp. minced garlic, or more to taste
1 zucchini – peeled & sliced
2 carrots – peeled & sliced
1-3 cups cooked rice (leftovers work great!)
4 pieces fried tofu, cut in bite-size chunks (I buy these at the Asian Market)
black pepper – to taste
pinch of salt
spicy oregano (mexican oregano works well) to taste
3 eggs

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and cook the onion & garlic until translucent – about 3-5 minutes.  Add the carrots and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the tofu, rice and spices and cook until warm – about 3 minutes.

Crack the 3 eggs into the pan and stir to coat everything.  Allow the egg to cook, stirring occasionally – around 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Adding more rice will make it go further, less rice will get you more veggies & tofu in each bowl.  I usually just use whatever leftover rice I have on hand.

BTW, my 6 & 7 year old kids LOVE this!

This is a quick snack that your kids will love, and you probably have the ingredients on hand!

tortillas – 1 for each person
cinnamon & sugar mixture
honey or agave nectar
butter
vanilla ice cream

Place a pancake griddle over medium heat. Lightly butter the griddle, and lay your first tortilla on it. Butter the top side of the tortilla. When the butter has melted nicely and the tortilla is getting warm, flip the tortilla. Lightly butter the other side, and sprinkle with the cinnamon & sugar mixture and drizzle in the center with honey.

When the honey and sugar have warmed up and begun to mix, lay a couple of scoops of ice cream across one end, and
,starting at that end, quickly roll the tortilla up around them.

Have a bowl handy, and quickly move the tortilla into the bowl before the ice cream melts all over the griddle.

Do this for each person.

Serve and enjoy!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, are you ready?

We will be bringing you some delicious recipes to help you prepare for the Day of Romance, so get your tastebuds ready!

Our first treats will help you involve the kids, or the kids at heart!

Most kids love to spend time in the kitchen. Why not foster their love of cooking and baking with a few treats for Valentineís Day! Here are five treat ideas that are easy and simple enough for kids to make with proper supervision.

1. Baking is the easiest part of cooking for kids to learn. Make scrumptious cookies for the family or the school class for Valentineís Day. The cookies can be simple sugar cookies. Use cookie cutters to cut them in the shape of hearts. Round cookies can be decorated with hearts using a pastry bag and a small tip for writing. Add a bit of red food coloring to white icing to create pink for the cookies.

2. What about chocolate desserts? Kids can make chocolate truffles. The chocolate candies can be rolled in powdered sugar, cocoa, nuts, or chocolate sprinkles to complete the tasty treats. The finished candies can be packed in a heart-shaped candy tin on top of waxed paper. School teachers would love this treat from one of their students.

3. Melted chocolate can also be used to make chocolate lollipops. Using a mold and lollipop sticks, the chocolate can be melted into heart shapes. Once the candy is cool and firm, the lollipops can be wrapped with clear wrap and a ribbon tied to the stick. Kids can put these lollipops into gift baskets for their siblings on Valentine’s Day.

4. My kids learned to cook by making breakfast. Surprise the family with a breakfast created by the younger members of the family. Heart-shaped pancakes can be made with a mold in the frying pan or on the griddle. Omelets in the shape of love can be created using the same mold. If Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday, kids can plan their Valentineís Day breakfast for the Sunday before the day so that everyone can relax and enjoy the breakfast.

5. A Valentineís Day cake would make a sweet treat for after dinner. Kids can create a series of small cakes using individual mold pans or one cake. A round cake can be used and a stencil cut to shape the cake into a heart after it is baked. Let the kids mix the ingredients together and spread icing on the cooled cakes. As an extra touch, they can write the name of each family member including themselves on the cakes.

Why not invite other family members over for the treats that the kids create! Kids love having an audience of taste testers for their work. They will likely want to spend more holidays creating good food in the kitchen if they receive positive reinforcement.

All sorts of treats can be made by kids. Give them a sampling of recipes and let them choose the ones they want to make. Plan your strategy at least a week in advance so that there is time to gather all of the ingredients.

Valentine’s Day treats are a way for kids to share in the giving of the day. They may not have money to buy gifts for others but they can use their hands to mold candies and other foods for the family members to enjoy. Try these ideas for Valentineís Day treats, or try some of your own.

Is your family getting tired of the same old lunch day in & day out? Mix it up a little bit with this great turkey sandwich – it has some surprising ingredients that they are sure to love!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
16 slices cinnamon raisin bread
8 slices whole wheat bread
1 pound thinly sliced smoked turkey or fully cooked ham

Instructions:

Fold together the dried apricots and cream cheese until fully blended. Add the mustard and mix well. Stir in the apricot jam being sure to blend all ingredients together well.
Start with the cinnamon raisin bread. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on one side. Place the meat (as much as you like) on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the cream cheese mixture on one side of the whole wheat bread and place on top of the meat. Take one more piece of the cinnamon raisin bread and spread mixture on one side. Place face down on sandwich.

Continue with each new sandwich until all the bread is used. Cut in half, wrap in foil and place in your child’s lunchbox for a healthy sandwich they will enjoy.

This makes 8 servings – toss them in the freezer to use all week!

Try this sandwich for a change of pace on the traditional PB&J. This is especially good for cold days!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons butter
2 slices bread, white or wheat
1 teaspoon peanut butter
2 teaspoons any flavor fruit jelly

Instructions:

Place butter in a skillet. Allow butter to melt completely. On a piece of bread spread peanut butter just on one side. Place bread in heated skillet with the peanut butter face up. Take another slice of bread and spread one side with jelly. Place the jelly side down on bread in skillet. Grill sandwich until brown, flip and grill other side until done.