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!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wishlists
We don't need much. Really -- we've still gone one more cross country move coming up. When your kids don't watch any tv -- it helps a bit with the toy buying for the holidays. They don't know who Dora is, or the Yo Gabba Gabba people or any other gimmick-y type thing. Sure, they know who Elmo is -- but they aren't in love with him. So, characters aren't very important. Atticus (and Wren) love the Thomas tent that Aunt Rhonda sent for Atti's birthday -- but more because it's a cool tent I think.
Atticus is into puzzles at the moment. That's why I added the big floor puzzles. He's mastered his 12 piece puzzles and he's ready for a bigger challenge. Wren really like Minnie Mouse, which is pretty funny considering the whole no tv thing... I'm not quite sure what to put on her list. She loves books. She's enjoying cooking in the play kitchen, but she's still pretty little and hasn't quite declared her love for one thing or another just yet! I think they'd both dig the pillow pets though...
Anywho -- if you're curious, you can go to Amazon and click on Wishlists at the top of the page. Search for my full name and you should see a link to the Wishlist.
Other welcome ideas -- membership to the Zoo/Aquarium. Cool sheets for Atti's new big boy bed, hairbows or shoes for my girly girl, a visit from friends and family here in NOLA -- that'd be the best!!
Atticus is into puzzles at the moment. That's why I added the big floor puzzles. He's mastered his 12 piece puzzles and he's ready for a bigger challenge. Wren really like Minnie Mouse, which is pretty funny considering the whole no tv thing... I'm not quite sure what to put on her list. She loves books. She's enjoying cooking in the play kitchen, but she's still pretty little and hasn't quite declared her love for one thing or another just yet! I think they'd both dig the pillow pets though...
Anywho -- if you're curious, you can go to Amazon and click on Wishlists at the top of the page. Search for my full name and you should see a link to the Wishlist.
Other welcome ideas -- membership to the Zoo/Aquarium. Cool sheets for Atti's new big boy bed, hairbows or shoes for my girly girl, a visit from friends and family here in NOLA -- that'd be the best!!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Brilliant
My kids are brilliant. Perhaps I'm biased, but they're pretty darn smart. To occupy Atticus in the car and to help with his letters and alphabet, we've started pointing out words on signs, billboards, the side of the trolley, etc. This has of course led into Bubbe's favorite game "How Do You Spell?". We spell pretty much everything now and constantly. It has helped with letter recognition - so who am I to say anything?
Then, this morning, I put Wren in the booster seat at the kitchen table and she looked at the placemats, pointed to a letter and said "H". She was RIGHT! She was looking at the word Hanukkah. She also figured out "Y" too in Happy.
Brilliant I tell you.
Then, this morning, I put Wren in the booster seat at the kitchen table and she looked at the placemats, pointed to a letter and said "H". She was RIGHT! She was looking at the word Hanukkah. She also figured out "Y" too in Happy.
Brilliant I tell you.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Yack Yack
If I don't write this down here I'm going to forget...
Wren must have a couple hundred words by now. It's amazing. My favorites at the moment are her animal sounds. When she sees a duck or if you ask her what a duck says -- she responds with "yack yack". She will also tell you that frogs say ribbit, cows say moo, kittens say meow, horses say a very enthusiastic neigh, puppies go woof, sheep says baaaaaaah and if you try and confuse her and ask what a bus says... she smiles, moves her hands and says round and round.
I also need to get some video of her running down the hall and through the house. I swear it's the cutest little run I've ever seen. But then again, I may be biased...
Wren must have a couple hundred words by now. It's amazing. My favorites at the moment are her animal sounds. When she sees a duck or if you ask her what a duck says -- she responds with "yack yack". She will also tell you that frogs say ribbit, cows say moo, kittens say meow, horses say a very enthusiastic neigh, puppies go woof, sheep says baaaaaaah and if you try and confuse her and ask what a bus says... she smiles, moves her hands and says round and round.
I also need to get some video of her running down the hall and through the house. I swear it's the cutest little run I've ever seen. But then again, I may be biased...
2 Ingredients?
Yep. TWO ingredients. Atticus and I made pumpkin cookies - or maybe pumpkin muffins (we're not quite sure what to call them) with only 2 ingredients. And they are delish!
Seriously... a box of spice cake mix and a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin. That's it. We mixed it together and used a melon baller to scoop out "cookies" which went onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. No eggs, no oil, no butter....
We baked at 350 for about 14 minutes and they are so good!! We put raisins in about a dozen of the cookies -- the mix made a total of 30 cookies.
Crazy, eh?
Seriously... a box of spice cake mix and a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin. That's it. We mixed it together and used a melon baller to scoop out "cookies" which went onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. No eggs, no oil, no butter....
We baked at 350 for about 14 minutes and they are so good!! We put raisins in about a dozen of the cookies -- the mix made a total of 30 cookies.
Crazy, eh?
Saturday, December 3, 2011
New York - Solo Trip
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to the city. I was able to see three different schools, one nursery program and a daycare. All that in 2 days and one morning (before jetting back to LGA).
I know that getting into a good school in NYC is a process and has all kinds of stress associated with the admissions process. However -- the more time I spent pondering what to wear and what to say in order to woo the admissions teams from these schools, the more I just wanted to laugh. I am who I am -- and so is our little man. If he's a fit for a particular school - great! If not, he's only 3 right now -- maybe one year in the big city and he will be a violin virtuoso or a published author or a child prodigy in who knows what! Actually - I am starting to think Atticus is rather brilliant. He can already identify and say the letters on almost any flash card we show him. I didn't even realize he could do this until last night in the bath tub. Granted, we are always spelling in the car and pointing out letters on big billboards, but it was last night in the tub when he was picking up some of his bath card/tile thingies and spelling the words that I had the thought -- holy moly, my child is a genius! :-) He's going to be absolutely FINE no matter where he ends up going to pre-K.
I really loved a couple of the schools we toured and I am quite looking forward to continuing the admissions process. And it's a process. I have no clue how well it will go when Atticus is totally out of his element for the testing and play dates. He's going to have just flown for 4 hours to New York, be staying at a hotel and then have to be charming to other kids, psychologists, parents, etc. It is what it is... so we'll see.
The nice thing about all of the schools and the JCC was the small ratio of kids to teachers. Atticus definitely thrives with a smaller ratio and more structure. What can I say, he's an engineer's kid! I love that even if he doesn't end up going to the international school, he's going to be surrounded by diversity. Different cultures, foods, races, sounds, people -- everything I could dream of. The same will go for Wren too. She's about 3 months too young to qualify for the majority of the formal nursery programs, but the daycares offer a lot of diversity too. The world is such a fascinating place and travel from here to anywhere is getting easier every year... I hope my kids are afforded the opportunities to travel anywhere their hearts desire. Travel Europe, live in South America, backpack Australia and New Zealand... just imagine the possibilities, especially if they are 18 years old and bi or tri-lingual. Oooooh.... so exciting.
This is really a rambling post. Essentially, there is a lot going on right now. I'm submitting applications and setting up parent and child interviews. The first week of January, Atticus and I will most likely be back up in the city. We hope Greg can come too - but there are a LOT of logistics we need to work out!! I'll keep the bloggy world updated when we know more.
Totally unrelated -- but while I was in the city, I did manage to meet up with a new friend, Fiona, for lunch and I had dinner with my Sister in Law, Rhonda, and her husband, Brian, close to Rockefeller Center. After dinner, we wandered over and saw the Rockefeller Christmas Tree all lit up. It really is a sight to see. The tree in ginormous! And... I remembered that the subway system is really quite cool. I didn't quite have it down to the same rhythm as when we were living in the city a couple years ago -- but it comes back pretty quick!
I know that getting into a good school in NYC is a process and has all kinds of stress associated with the admissions process. However -- the more time I spent pondering what to wear and what to say in order to woo the admissions teams from these schools, the more I just wanted to laugh. I am who I am -- and so is our little man. If he's a fit for a particular school - great! If not, he's only 3 right now -- maybe one year in the big city and he will be a violin virtuoso or a published author or a child prodigy in who knows what! Actually - I am starting to think Atticus is rather brilliant. He can already identify and say the letters on almost any flash card we show him. I didn't even realize he could do this until last night in the bath tub. Granted, we are always spelling in the car and pointing out letters on big billboards, but it was last night in the tub when he was picking up some of his bath card/tile thingies and spelling the words that I had the thought -- holy moly, my child is a genius! :-) He's going to be absolutely FINE no matter where he ends up going to pre-K.
I really loved a couple of the schools we toured and I am quite looking forward to continuing the admissions process. And it's a process. I have no clue how well it will go when Atticus is totally out of his element for the testing and play dates. He's going to have just flown for 4 hours to New York, be staying at a hotel and then have to be charming to other kids, psychologists, parents, etc. It is what it is... so we'll see.
The nice thing about all of the schools and the JCC was the small ratio of kids to teachers. Atticus definitely thrives with a smaller ratio and more structure. What can I say, he's an engineer's kid! I love that even if he doesn't end up going to the international school, he's going to be surrounded by diversity. Different cultures, foods, races, sounds, people -- everything I could dream of. The same will go for Wren too. She's about 3 months too young to qualify for the majority of the formal nursery programs, but the daycares offer a lot of diversity too. The world is such a fascinating place and travel from here to anywhere is getting easier every year... I hope my kids are afforded the opportunities to travel anywhere their hearts desire. Travel Europe, live in South America, backpack Australia and New Zealand... just imagine the possibilities, especially if they are 18 years old and bi or tri-lingual. Oooooh.... so exciting.
This is really a rambling post. Essentially, there is a lot going on right now. I'm submitting applications and setting up parent and child interviews. The first week of January, Atticus and I will most likely be back up in the city. We hope Greg can come too - but there are a LOT of logistics we need to work out!! I'll keep the bloggy world updated when we know more.
Totally unrelated -- but while I was in the city, I did manage to meet up with a new friend, Fiona, for lunch and I had dinner with my Sister in Law, Rhonda, and her husband, Brian, close to Rockefeller Center. After dinner, we wandered over and saw the Rockefeller Christmas Tree all lit up. It really is a sight to see. The tree in ginormous! And... I remembered that the subway system is really quite cool. I didn't quite have it down to the same rhythm as when we were living in the city a couple years ago -- but it comes back pretty quick!
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