Kidopolis Party

The kids are having a holiday party this afternoon at day.   Eeek.  The peanut butter chocolate holiday bark has been made.  I used this recipe from Cookies and Cups (actually she was guest posting on Katrina's Kitchen).  But anywho -- my version came out looking pretty much like the original.  I was impressed.

Lunchtime will be filled with baking White Chocolate Cranberry cookies.  I only have one more of these mixes left.  I'm going to be sad to eat the last one.  :)  Guess I'll just have to search and find another good recipe to replace the mix.  It can be done....

Oh - and then I have to make latkes to take up to the party!  I'm a little concerned.  I've never actually made the latkes.  I'm an expert latke eater -- but latke maker?  We'll see!!

Oy vey -- so here's the update.  I made some pretty rocking latkes and I totally forgot to take pictures of them!  How dare I?  I must have looked at a dozen different recipes and videos on how to make latkes.  The funny part?  There are only 4 or 5 ingredients in the darn things - how hard can it be?  I took some tips from many of the comments on the official recipes.  I can't tell you how many potatoes I used, but I'm guessing about 2.5 lbs maybe 3 pounds?  I bought a 5 pound bag, but I got tired of peeling potatoes and I was running out of time so I just started mixing.  I ended up using the box grater - actually it's a really nice one that we got as a wedding gift from Crate and Barrel.  I don't remember who got it for us, but I really like it.  It has interchangeable plates and it grates into a sealable glass dish.  But I digress... I grated potatoes and then put them into bowl #1.  I squeezed out at much water as I could with my hands and put the potatoes into bowl #2.  The starch sank to the bottom of bowl #1 so I was able to drain off the water and then pick up the sludgy starch at the bottom of the bowl and move it back to bowl #2.  Apparently the starch is part of what makes the latkes so crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. To the potatoes and starch in #2, I added eh... 3T of matzoh meal, 1t kosher salt and 1/4t baking powder.  (I know, totally controversial -- but it made them a bit creamier in the middle I think!).  Oh, there was also 2 eggs (slightly beaten) and a grated yellow onion in the mix.  I probably should have put the onion in the mini food chopper, but I didn't want to pull out another dish!  I grated the onion and then squeezed it out in a paper towel.  Very scientific I promise.

My final recipe:
3lbs russet potatoes (grated, water squeezed out into another bowl and then starch added back to grated potatoes)
1 medium yellow onion
2 eggs slightly beaten
3T matzoh meal
1t kosher salt
1/4t baking powder
vegetable oil - a lot of it and my nonstick wok (which was happy to come out from under the counter!)

This made 24 latkes - (actually, I think I had 27) which was just enough to split between the two classes. I should have saved some for us!  Maybe I'll end up using the rest of the potatoes for us tomorrow!!

The party was pretty much mayhem.  Toddlers, food, parents, arts and crafts... Atticus and another little boy were fighting at one point.  I don't know who it was, but Atti got a pretty good scratch on his face.  I know it happens every now and then, but I'm bummed there wasn't an adult close enough to stop it before it started.  There was a lot of stimulation going on in their room!  Wren was running around like a wild woman for a while.  She couldn't decide if she wanted to be in her room or Atti's room or just running crazy.  Greg and I had our hands full for a little while.  But, we all survived.  We handed out gift boxes with our cookies and chocolate bark to the teachers and the director and then we headed over to chambers to say hi to the Judge.  It was the first time for me to actually meet her!  The kids love Greg's office.  There's a section of a bookcase that's filled with Mardi Gras beads, stuffed animals and other assorted toys.  Wren was having fun playing with a nerf football.  She kept throwing the ball and saying "touchdown".  Goofy girl has always been a football fan!  Atticus was doing some "work" on Daddy's computer - that seemed to keep him occupied for 20 minutes!!

It was a busy afternoon for all and an early night for all as well.  Tomorrow morning will be busy too -- I need to pick up a birthday present for one of Atti's classmates and then we're headed to a party.  The exciting part -- they live in Algiers Point which is just across the river from the French Quarter.  Atticus and I are going to ride the ferry across and then walk the .4 miles from the docking station to Clay's house.  I'll be sure to get some photos and report back!!