Archive for the ‘The Niko Files’ Category
Posted on: April 28, 2012
- In: Eat It | The Niko Files
- 1 Comment
9 weeks in and my little guy’s interest in baking may be waning… (but my enthusiasm is still full tilt!). After only a few short moments in the kitchen, Niko spotted the Play-Doh containers and it was off to the table for a different kind of fun. Ah well, I can always count on the beaters, and mixing spoon to reel him back in.
Today I gave Niko a choice of two recipes. The debate was between Lemon-Poppy Seed Tea Bread and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. After showing him both pics I asked him which he preferred and his response was an enthusiastic “Cookies Mama!”. Like, duh! As if there could be any other option…
Lately we’ve been on a peanut butter kick, solely for the reason that my hubbie proclaimed his love for peanut butter cookies (who knew?). So good wifey that I am, I’ve been experimenting for him! (And truth be told, me…)
After last week’s peanut butter cookie debacle, I was ever so closely monitoring those “golden brown edges” that the recipe called for. And voila, peanut butter cookies to perfection!
My mods for my too hot oven: heat to 325 and bake for 10 minutes! Golden edges! Golden bottoms! Sweet delicousness! We even piped on the PB frosting as suggested in the recipe.
Note:
52 WEEKS IN THE KITCHEN
Week 2: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Week 3: Carrot Applesauce Cookies
Week 4: Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
Week 5: Chocolate Chickpea Cookies
Week 6: Protein Packed Smoothies
Week 7: Berry-Almond Quick Bread
Week 8: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Week 9: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Stella and Suzy: 4 Months Old
Posted on: April 27, 2012
According to her 4 month check-up, we’ve got a big one on our hands! Big and healthy. Go Stella Go! Weighing in at over 16 pounds our little babe is not so little anymore. I still find it amazing how quickly babies grow – I mean seriously in only four months, she has more than doubled her size. Imagine if you did that in the next four months! Yikes
New feets in her life:
- she settles down for the night between 7:30 and 8, and usually sleeps until 1 or 2, or if I’m lucky 5 or 6 (but the latter’s only happened twice…)
- she’s started bouncing in her exersaucer
- her hair is growing back (looks sort of blondish)
Note: Stella and Suzy: One Month
- In: Eat It | The Niko Files
- 7 Comments
Remember the days when you used to take a whole spoonful of peanut butter and just eat it? Maybe not. But when I was a kid this was a treat for me and my cousin and one that lasted quite some time with all that ooey gooey sticky goodness. Niko got a little taste of such delicacies when he got the leftovers on a spoon we used to scoop the peanut butter with, into this recipe. Not quite a full spoon for him, but still, took him quite a while to polish it off!
This week we tried these Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies. Unfortunately my oven runs a little hot and I burned them. Ah well, one burned batch and already into my 8th week of 52 in the Kitchen. I would say that’s not that bad. Borys (my hubbie) had the idea of scraping the burned bottoms off on a cheese grater, using the lemon zester side. Getting rid of the carcinogens and all. He said it worked (and that’s after Niko and I had already had three a piece) and I saw the little black crumbly remnants in the sink this morning, so maybe he’s on to something.
Note to self: Would I make this recipe again? Not sure.
I modified the cooking temp from 350 to 340 and only baked them for 10 minutes, so if I do do it again, I’d have to really monitor those golden edges. Ah baking… At times it’s a fine line between sweet deliciousness and crumbly black bits…
Note 2:
52 WEEKS IN THE KITCHEN
Week 2: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Week 3: Carrot Applesauce Cookies
Week 4: Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
Week 5: Chocolate Chickpea Cookies
Fun in the March Sun
Posted on: April 18, 2012
Unseasonably warm weather for WINTER!
Yes, when these pics were taken it was technically still winter. The tail-end mind you, but still winter!!! WOW!
Week 7: Berry-Almond Quick Bread
Posted on: April 12, 2012
- In: Eat It | Parenting | The Niko Files | The Stella Files
- 4 Comments
So many delectables to be had when experimenting in the kitchen. While perusing the Food Network site this week I read that,
“A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!”
Anyway, not sure how practiced my hand is (at least when it comes to cooking), or how telling my glance is (unless you’re talking about the teacher “stink-eye” because I like to think I have that honed to perfection…), but nonetheless all this kitchen experimentation is proving to be a good way to try lots of new flavours, as well as a good strategy for stocking my freezer (and my family’s tummies!). If it was up to Niko I think he would have liked to add half a cup of Cars to the recipe (see third pic below), but again, I’m not quite sure this is what it means to personalize a recipe.
This week on the menu: Berry-Almond Quick Bread (So good!) Niko, Stella and I doubled the recipe and cooked it at 360 for an hour – my oven runs a little hot!
Note:
52 WEEKS IN THE KITCHEN
Week 2: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Week 3: Carrot Applesauce Cookies
Week 4: Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake
Posted on: April 11, 2012
If you had asked me yesterday morning when the last time was that I had burned a hole in my pants from playing too hard, I would have had to really think about it. Maybe 25 years ago? My mom actually used to patch my jeans or snowpants when it happened. But as an adult, there’s no real reason to ruin your pants this way. Unless, of course, you are the parent of a toddler.
I am a big believer in playing with your children. I try to carve out time for this each day – not just watching Niko play, or listening to him in the background, but actually getting involved in what he’s doing. Not having spent much time with two year old boys in the past, this type of play is somewhat new for me. Yesterday it involved going out to the sidewalk with some chalk, some cars and a ramp, and sitting in warm Spring sun, while creating a road and parking lots for his toys. Of course, you can’t play with sidewalk chalk without getting right down on your hands and knees.
Anyway, lo and behold, time passed, and I looked down to see the skin of my knee glaring at me through my jeans. One of my favourite pairs! Ah well, they had been well loved over the years and perhaps it was time. At one point ripped jeans were “in” anyway, and maybe I’m on to something here. An updated form of “mom” jeans perhaps? I’m just a budding fashionista, really!
One thing’s for sure, all this play certainly tuckered out little Stella.
A New Take on “Mom” Jeans
Easter Eggs and Rubber Bands
Posted on: April 10, 2012
- In: Parenting | The Niko Files
- 1 Comment
I saw this idea on the Style at Home website and thought we’d give it a go.
Fun for Niko + fun for me = Success! (And it was super easy, which is always a bonus in my books!)
Week 6: Protein Packed Smoothies!
Posted on: April 9, 2012
- In: Eat It | Parenting | The Niko Files
- 5 Comments
This week’s kitchen adventures with my trusty toddler in tow, involved making smoothies! We’ve been doing this for the past few weeks and Niko loves to press the buttons on the blender. (Too bad I broke it yesterday as I was putting it away. Yes, smashed the glass and everything. I guess smoothies will be on hold for a while until we get a replacement. But this brings me to wonder: blender vs food processor? What’s the best way to go? Thoughts? But I digress.)
Yesterday our ingredients included:
- a banana
- frozen berries
- some grapefruit juice
- and Greek yogurt (as per my friend Traci’s suggestion, Greek yogurt is packed with protein: 11 or 12 grams per serving!)
The end results?
YUM-MEEEEEEEEEEEE! 🙂
Note 1: What would smoothie making be without the watchful eyes of some Thomas trains…
Note 2:
52 WEEKS IN THE KITCHEN
Week 2: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Week 3: Carrot Applesauce Cookies
Cousin Time Warp
Posted on: April 8, 2012
So…at little late with this post, but such is life-melding-with -blog these days….
In January, my sister and her whole fam (4 kiddos and hubby) came up to meet baby Stella and see Gramma (who had been shacking up with us while helping us get adjusted to life with a new baby).
It was a full house and an amazing and much appreciated visit!
The only cousin missing? Little Ramona. But she lives in Asia, so I suppose she has a good excuse…
Stella and Suzy: 3 Months Old
Posted on: April 7, 2012
Little Stella is growing! As they all do I suppose…
New feets in her life?
- smiling lots
- starting to giggle
- rolling onto her side
- a solid(ish…) bedtime – that falls somewhere between 8 and 9 ish (Woot! Woot! We’ve got our evenings back!)
- and last night she moved out of her bassinet.
Yes, she was three months and still sleeping in that tiny baby bed. But now that her head and toes were touching the ends we figured it was time to move her. But not into a crib just yet, for this little dear. Nope. It’s onward to the pack’n’play. And not because we don’t have a crib. Because we do. And a whole room for her that’s painted and ready to go. It’s just that Daddy’s insistent that she sleep beside us for at least four months.
Ah well, I enjoy our little roomie and it certainly makes those middle of the night feeds a little more convenient.
Note: Stella and Suzy: One Month Old
Stella and Suzy: Two Months Old
Parenting 2.0 