Chasing Fireflies

Cherry Clafouti

This afternoon I made a Cherry Clafouti in honor of Washington's birthday.  Plus, I had a lot of cherries that needed to be eaten.  And I needed a diversion.  And the kitchen was where I wanted to be.

I was inspired by this Cherry Clafouti on Posie Gets Cozy. I made the same changes to the Barefoot Contessa Pear Clafouti recipe that she did, plus a few additional changes.

 

The Taste was of :

a thick custard,

sweet cherries,

the freshness of lemon zest,

a background hint of almond,

pure YUMMINESS!

 

 

Here are the changes I made to the Barefoot Contessa recipe:

I used half-and-half instead of heavy cream, used almond extract in place of vanilla, used an additional 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest on top for color and taste, omitted the pear brandy, and substituted 3 dozen pitted cherries in place of pears.

Joshua's First Food

Joshua ventured out from his Mommy's milk today.  He tried rice cereal for the first time and LOVED it!

 
 
 
  

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As a matter of fact, he had another first just Friday.  He started saying "Dada."  J

Potato Taste Test

One of the highlights of Isaac's birthday party was our Potato Taste Test.  When thinking of activities for Isaac's party, I immediately thought of what a crowd pleaser it would be to have a test with different types of potatoes.  Taste tests are always fun, remember our Apple Taste Test last fall.

I went to the market and bought examples of each type of potato they carried.

1.  Ruby Crescent Fingerling Potato, 2.  Russet Potato , 3.  Yukon Gold Potato, 4.  Red Potato,

5.  Garnet Sweet Potato, 6.  Mississippi Sweet Potato, 7.  Jewel Sweet Potato,

8.  Purple Sweet Potato, and 9.  Japanese Sweet Potato.

To compare the tastes of the potatoes I baked them all after cutting them in small strips and seasoned with olive oil and salt.

 

Here are our results.

	Name	Where Grew	Color of Skin	Color of Flesh	Flavor	Total Score
1	Ruby Crescent Fingerling Potato	Colorado	Very Pale Red	White	nutty	0
2	Russet Potato	Idaho	Brown	White	starchy	1
3	Yukon Gold Potato	Canada	Yellowish-Brown	Golden Yellow	buttery	3
4	Red Potato	Florida	Red	White	mild	2
5	Garnet Sweet Potato	California	Red	Orange	sweet	4
6	Mississippi Sweet Potato	Mississippi	Orange	Orange	not quite as sweet	1
7	Jewel Sweet Potato	California	Pale Orange	Orange	sweet	12
8	Purple Sweet Potato	North Carolina	Purple-Red	Purple	not quite as sweet	1
9	Japanese Sweet Potato	California	Red	White	sweetest	16

Surprisingly, the Japanese Sweet Potato (who is not a "book to be judged by it's cover") won with a score of 16 and the Jewel Sweet Potato not far behind with 12 points.  The poor white potatoes probably should have been tested separately.  They really didn't stand much of a chance against the sweet potatoes. 

Did you know?  Even though potatoes and sweet potatoes are both native to South America, they are different in many ways other than taste.  Potatoes are stem tubers and sweet potatoes are root tubers.  In fact, potatoes and sweet potatoes are not closely related at all.  The sweet potato is part of the morning glory family, whereas, the potato is instead related to the tomato plant. 

So, what type of potato do you like?  Are you a big sweet potato fan? 

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And now for a little fun potato humor:

1. Q:  Why did the potato cross the road?

A:  He saw a fork up ahead. 

 

2.  Q. Why do potatoes make good detectives?

A. Because they keep their eyes peeled. 

SNOW

One week ago today we were blessed with a beautiful SNOW!  Because we are in the south, snow is a treat as it normally only comes once a year and only lasts for one day. 

This snow was an extra special treat since it came on Isaac's birthday.  I feel it was God's birthday gift Isaac.  J  It was also very special to share the experience with my mom and dad, who were in town to celebrate Isaac's birthday.

Here's what we did with our snow:

Made snowballs and chased each other around the yard.  

Made snow angels.

Introduced Joshua to snow for the first time.      

Built a snowman.
 

Took advantage of many photo opportunities.   

Drank white hot chocolate when we came inside to warm up.   

And best of all, made Snow Ice Cream to go along with Isaac's birthday cake.     

Crown of Thorns

In our home we have an Ash Wednesday tradition. 

For us, the Lenten season is similar to the Advent season.  During the next 6 weeks we prepare ourselves and look excitedly forward to Easter Sunday - the day we celebrate the day our Savior was resurrected.  Our Savior who bore the horrible crown of thorns on our behalf. 

When Olivia was three we made our first "crown of thorns."  Last year Isaac made his first.  Today they each again made a "Crown of Thorns" to display on our table until Easter day.  Olivia and Isaac were able to chose their own color of playdough for their crown.  Olivia, of course, chose pink and Isaac chose a spring green. 

Each helped me roll out three long ropes for me to braid.

  

We then formed the braid into a circle and placed it on a plate. 

 

Finally, Olivia and Isaac set to work placing 45 toothpicks into their own crowns. 

Forty-five toothpicks were placed in each crown for each day leading up to Easter.  One toothpick will now be removed until the day before Easter.  The crowns will be displayed on our table to remind us of the approaching best day of the year for a Believer.  Each evening before our dinner blessing, Olivia and Isaac will remove one "thorn."  On Easter day when all of the thorns have been removed, Olivia and Isaac will decorate their crowns fit for a king - in honor of our King of Kings.

(Here's a view of what the finished crowns looked like last year.  Well, at least Olivia's. J) 

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There are many other variations on this craft on the web - many made from salt dough and many removing toothpicks for a different reason.  I adapted this craft to best fit our family - colorful playdough and a countdown for Resurrection Sunday. 

Pancake Day

According to many historians, today would mark the 566th anniversary of the beginning of Pancake Day.  Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, in 1444, a housewife in Olney, England, supposedly was frying pancakes before the Lenten fast when church bells summoned her.  She was so eager to get to church, she left her house along with her frying pan and a pancake in hand.

In keeping with the tradition like we did last year, we, too, celebrated today with pancakes.  We began our morning with a reading of one our family's favorite books, If You Give a Pig a Pancake.  Our reading was then followed by a special treat of Pink Pig Pancakes.  They came complete with strawberry slices for ears, blueberries for eyes, and even almond slices for nostrils. 

To keep with our theme, this evening's dinner included more pancakes.  My mom is in town and we teamed up preparing a delicious meal of steak, rice pancakes, a potato-chive pancake, and broccoli.  I used this potato-chive pancake recipe and it turned out amazing.

It was fun indulging today.  Hope you were able to indulge on a pancake as well today.  J

Presidents' Day Granola

On Presidents' Day in our home we show honor to all US Presidents.  However, the day falls between the two birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln (whose birthday is February 12) and President George Washington (whose birthday is February 22). 

Because it falls near both of these two particular American Presidents, I created a granola recipe in honor of them based on their growing-up experiences.

PRESIDENTS' DAY GRANOLA

4 cups oats

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 cup coconut

1 cup dried cherries (In honor of the saying that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree.)

1/2 cup dried blueberries

2 tablespoons butter 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup pretzel sticks (also known as Lincoln logs in our house) (In honor of Abraham Lincoln's birth home).

Preheat oven to 325°.  Combine oats, almonds, coconut, cherries, and blueberries in a large bowl; set aside.  In a saucepan combine, butter, brown sugar, honey and maple syrup.  Heat on low until butter has melted.  Drizzle liquid mixture over oat mixture.  Toss until well coated.  Place mixture in two loaf pans and spread in a single layer.  Place in 325° oven for 10 minutes.  Take out and stir.  Place back in oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.  (May or may not need additional cooking time.  Bake until a light golden brown.)  Pour out onto a piece of parchment paper and cool completely.  Break into pieces, add pretzel sticks, and stir.  Serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

 

Valentine's Day

 

Isaac's 3rd Birthday Party

Today we celebrated Isaac's 3rd birthday with a Mr. Potato Head Party. 

 
 

As our guests arrived everyone built his or her own Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head.  Each Potato Head was then awarded - Most Unique, Most Beautiful, Most Creative, Cutest, Most Silly, Most Athletic, Most Handsome . . .

Next, we had a Potato Sack Race.  Isaac had a great time competing and was declared the "overall" winner.

Before lunch we had a "Potato Taste Test."  Nine types of potatoes were in the running, four regular potatoes and five sweet potatoes.  Here is a post to find out which potato won. 

On the lunch menu were 16 different toppings to select from to make a stuffed spud.  One could make:

THE MAX - roasted chicken, caramelized onions, sauteed bell peppers, bacon, diced tomatoes, cheddar, and olives

VEGGIE - caramelized onions, sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms, steamed broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, and olives

MEXICAN - refried beans, salsa, olives, and sour cream

CHILI - chili and cheddar

ROASTED CHICKEN- roasted chicken, sauteed bell peppers, steamed spinach, and cheddar

BACON AND CHEESE- bacon and cheddar

PLAIN JANE- butter, sour cream, and chives

  

After competing to determine if anyone could peel a whole potato without breaking the peel, Isaac opened his presents.

Lasty, Isaac blew his candles out on his chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (per his request).  Then he chose chocolate ice cream to accompany his cake.  This kid LOVES chocolate and LOVED celebrating his birthday!  J 

  

For more birthday pictures, see Isaac's 3rd Birthday in the left hand column under photo albums.

Isaac turns 3

Isaac turned three today. 

He woke up to streamers outside his doorway.

He was blessed with a very special birthday gift from God - SNOW! 

 
 

And he celebrated with chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (his favorite) and SNOW ice cream. 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC! 

Hangman Solution

 

Tea Time on Tuesday ~ Lincoln Logs

 

Abraham Lincoln's birthday is officially on Friday.  We are recognizing it early though because we have another very important birthday to celebrate on Friday.  J

After we finished dinner Michael read Abe Lincoln - The boy who loved books to the kids while I prepared our craft. 

The craft began with building miniature wooden Lincoln log cabins.  Then with pretzels and white chocoloate, we made cabins that can be eaten.  Despite our affinity for munching on the building supplies, we were able to build three mini-masterpieces.  We used pretzels, graham crackers, and melted white chocolate. 

 

Interestingly, we each had our own technique of constructing our Lincoln log houses. 

Michael dipped his pretzels length-wise in the chocolate and stacked the pretzels on top of each other.

 

I overlapped my "logs" as you would real Lincoln logs and used the chocolate only in the places necessary to hold the logs in place. 

 

And Olivia dipped each end precisely in the chocolate to make her one room log house.

 

Lastly, came our graham cracker roofs.  Because each of our houses were different measurements each of our roofs were different as well.  Olivia had a 2-inch wide roof, I had a 3-inch wide roof, and Michael had a 3-inch wide roof, too, but his was a steep grade.

You may be wondering where Isaac's house is.  Well, Isaac's house didn't have a chance.  All building supplies were consumed before being stacked.  J

Hangman Fun

Olivia is at the age where she really enjoys playing Hangman.  And she's gotten quite good, too, I might add.  On Friday nights we often gather round the chalkboard wall and challenge each other with puzzles.  One of Olivia's recent puzzles stomped me and Michael.  Can you figure it out?

 

Our 2010 Homemade Valentine's

 

Stitched hearts filled with valentine candy and the Bible verse John 3:16.

30 Days of Photos : Isaac : 26

My Helper

 

Our Super Bowl Evening

 

 
Watching the Super Bowl with the same friends we did 10 years ago

Eating my Aunt Marilyn's Minestrone Soup with Cheesy Bread

Finishing with a Football Cake 

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What did you do for the Super Bowl?

Valentine's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts

I have always been a big fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  My mother-in-law makes the most delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter balls.  They taste divine and I feel certain they will be found in heaven.  And better yet, they won't be unhealthy or fattening.  J

Since Valentine's Day is known for being a "chocolate" holiday, I decided to make the peanut butter balls in another form -- heart-shaped.  I think these would make excellent treats for teachers, friends, or loved ones on Valentine's.  Kids can help by cutting out the shapes and drizzling white chocolate, too.

Here's my spin on my mother-in-law's homemade chocolate covered peanut butter balls recipe:  

Valentine's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts

2 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 1/2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/2 lb (1 stick) butter, softened

1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 bag of white chocolate chips

Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter together thoroughly.  Place mixture in a jelly roll pan and smooth out evenly. 

Chill in freezer for at least 2 hours.  Using a medium sized heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many hearts as possible.  Might need to dip cookie cutter in powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

Roll remainder of peanut butter mixture into balls.  If mixture is too sticky, dust your hands in powdered sugar.  Place hearts and balls back in the freezer for 1 hour. 

Melt milk (or semi-sweet) chocolate in a double boiler.  Dip hearts and balls in the chocolate and then place on a rack to allow excess chocolate to drip down.  Place back in the freezer while preparing white chocolate.

After chilling briefly, line hearts close together on a rack.  Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. 

Drizzle melted white chocolate over hearts.  Place back in freezer to ensure hardening. 

Serve or package to give as presents.  If not going to eat right away, place in refrigerator. 

Makes 35 medium sized hearts and 20 1-inch balls

Additional notes:

Can freeze up to 3 months if packaged well.

Variations:  Dip in white chocolate and drizzle with brown chocolate; Dip in dark chocolate and drizzle with white and/or milk chocolate; Color white chocolate pink to use to dip or drizzle; Place sprinkles on prior to the chocolate hardening. 

I plan on making these again, except egg shaped, for Easter. 

Tea Time on Tuesday ~ Groundhog Day

Phil's official forecast as read February 2nd, 2010 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye

On Gobbler's Knob on this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2010, Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, the Prognosticator of all Prognosticators awoke to the call of President Bill Deeley and greeted his handlers, John Griffiths and Ben Hughes.

After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers, Phil proclaimed, "If you want to know next, you must read my text. As the sky shines bright above me, my shadow I see beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be."

Well, even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning forecasting six more weeks of winter, we have been celebrating this silly day with fun around here.  We have watched Phil's prediction on YouTube and made our own groundhog puppets. 

Isaac's groundhog, "Mack," and Olivia's groundhog, "Alice," have occasionally cast shadows today, but not many times.  For they, too, are ready for warmer weather. J 

For homeschool we talked about what letters spelled groundhog, discussed the history of Groundhog Day, where Punxsutawney is located, looked up what "prognosticator" means, determined how often Phil sees his shadow, and how the sun casts shadows.

For our Tea Time we celebrated with glasses of cold milk and Groundhog Cupcakes.  We used chocolate buttercream frosting, chocolate chip ears, sprinkles for eyes and nose, and slivered almonds for two large front teeth.  

Making groundhog cupcakes has actually become a tradition in our household as we've done so each year since 2006 when Olivia was 4.  

 

 

We hope you've had a nice Groundhog Day!  And by the way, there's some good news for Georgians - General Beauregard Lee the official groundhog of Georgia didn't see his shadow today.  So I guess that means spring will be coming early for us.  J

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Phil's official forecast taken from http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/ 

New Year's Tradition

 
For the last six years our family has returned home from Christmas break to embark on what has become a very special tradition.  Each Christmas we collect the cards, pictures, and letters that family and friends send us and place them in a special green basket which is the centerpiece of our table during the month of January. 

Each time our family gathers round the table for a meal in January, we say special prayers for those individuals and families who sent us Christmas cards.  Before our meal, Olivia or Isaac picks a card from the basket.  We then pray for a year of God's blessings for that family.   

We are thankful God has given His children the blessing of prayer for family and friends.