Ho Ho Ho!

Okay, so our track record with the Jolly Old Man, remains Santa 3 & Littles 0.  I thought the little little might even out our odds this year, but nope.  She fed off of the big littles anxiety about seeing the man in red and we had another clutching, grabbing, climbing, crying time.  The plus was that there was no line, no wait.  Maybe next year we will have harmony.  The irony of the whole thing is that now, Santa reigns king in our house.  It is almost a full week into the new year (and by the time I posted this it is February!) and the big little wakes up every morning asking "Where's Santa" and every night before bed we have to read the coveted Santa book that he can now narrate himself.  Here is one picture of our Santa visit 2010... note that the big little is practically crawling into my shirt in fear.  Oh poor little guy.

Santa was a good sport!

Here is "the" Christmas holiday square that was coveted and consumed in large portions this year.  Unfortunately, no pictures were snapped, they didn't stay on the plate long enough.

Caramel Toffee Squares

(thank you Sarah!)

For the bottom layer:

1/2 cup plus 2 tsp butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

Crumble ingredients well.  Pack into ungreased 9X9 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min (check after 10 min).

For the middle layer:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp corn syrup

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Combine ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 min, stirring all the time.  Remove from heat.  Beat and pour over bottom layer.

For the top layer:

Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips and pour over second layer.

Let partially set and then score cut lines into chocolate.  Let cool completely, then finish cutting along lines.  Yum oh yum.

Sending Love,

Twin A

Oliebollen: A Sweet Dutch Treat

My inlaws are Dutch, through and through.  If you want to talk, eat, discuss and/or decorate Dutch, they know all about it.  Over the years, I have been trying to incorporate a little Dutch into our family traditions.  It has been a blast and a culinary adventure.

My husband always talked about how his mom and grandma would make oliebollen during the holidays.  He says the aroma of a batch of oliebollen immediately transports him back to the days of his youth.  How can I not try to recreate those great memories?

Directly translated, oliebollen means fried balls.  Essentially, it is a yummy doughnut with currents/raisins.  For the Canadians in the crowd, it's like a really fresh Timbit.  I didn't really want to make them since it involved a large pot of crazy hot oil.  Hot oil and kids don't make a safe combination.  I did however mention that if I ever got an electric deep fryer, I could be convinced to make them.  Bingo, my great husband got me a deep fryer and after a quick trip to the local Dutch store, I got the "cheat" mix and attempted my first batch.  They were a hit and so we made them for the numerous groups of people we entertained during the holidays.  They are perfect after a skate or a slide down the hill.

The oliebollen mix from the Dutch Cash and Carry in Calgary.   Just add water, raisins and let it rise.  The instructions are in Dutch but it isn't too hard to follow.  Once fried, you dust them in icing sugar.

Everyone always looks for the ones that have 'crunchy' tails.  Those ones are the best.

The oliebollen maker

Enjoying every yummy mouthful.

Can we make these every day?

These things are the best.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!

Prettig Kerstfeest gelukkig vakanties gelukkig nieuwjaar!

Love,

Twin B

xoxoxoxo

Chicken and Dates

This is a very unusual paring of chicken, sweet dates and salty olives but it is a winner at our house.  The E-man loves olives so much that he insists on carrying them around when we buy them at the grocery store.  Not kidding, he would rather visit the olive bar at the deli than check out the candy bars at the till.  Weird but awesome at the same time.  If your family doesn't like olives, this recipe is good without them too!

Chicken and Dates

Ingredients:

▪ 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

▪ 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

▪ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

▪ 1 tsp paprika

▪ 1 tsp ground cumin

▪ 1 tsp ground tumeric

▪ 1 tsp freshly grated ginger

▪ Salt and cracked black pepper

▪ 1/2 finely sliced lemon

▪ 2 onions, finely chopped

▪ 1 cup of chicken stock

▪ ½ cup green olives

▪ 1 cup  fresh dates, halved and pitted

▪ 1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as mint or parsley (for garnish)

**  Note:  I use the rest of the carton of chicken stock to make my couscous!

Place chicken pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with 3 tbsp of oil. Combine garlic, paprika, cumin, tumeric and ginger and sprinkle over chicken. Season with salt and pepper and turn chicken to coat. Add lemon slices, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400F.

In large skillet, heat remaining olive oil and sear chicken pieces on all sides.  Remove chicken to plate.  Add onions to skillet and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Transfer onions and 1 cuo of chicken stock to a large casserole dish.. Place chicken on top of onions, turn to coat, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Add olives and dates and bake a further 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serve chicken with juices, olives and dates spooned over and top with chopped fresh herbs.  Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.

Ingredients are standing by.

Chicken marinating with spices and lemon.

Ready to eat.  Just add couscous or mashed potatoes.

T-man couldn't keep his eyes open.  It was a long day full of playschool and playing in the snow.  We let him sleep for a few minutes and then he managed to finish all of his chicken and 4 bites of couscous.  Four bites because he is four!

E-man gobbled up every bite so that he could have MORE OLIVES PLEASE! 

Reegs is still mastering the skill of utensils.  She no longer wants any help and always says loudly "ME DO".  Meals are a very messy situation at our house right now.  She did manage to eat quite a bit, alternating between spoon and fingers.

Another successful meal at our house!

Love,
Twin B
xoxoxoxoxo

Slow Cooker Chocolate Bread Pudding

Slow Cooker Chocolate Bread Pudding

Sometimes, a dessert is born out of "extra" ingredients.  I had a leftover bag of dried bread cubes in the freezer and googled "bread cubes" along with "chocolate" and "slow cooker".  I got many 'hits' and combined a few different recipes to create this kid-approved yummy dessert.  This warm, gooey dessert was a perfect end to another very cold winter day.  Of course we topped it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

6 cups Dried Bread Cubes or leftover day old bread

4 cups whole milk (or 3 cups milk + 1 cup cream)

4 eggs

2 Tbs. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup Skor bits (optional)

Sauce:

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

Directions:

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Place bread cubes in slow cooker. Mix together milk with eggs, butter, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour over French bread in slow cooker.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Cook on High for 2 hours.

At end of cooking time, mix together vanilla, water, brown sugar and butter in small pan on stove top and bring to a quick boil, removing immediately after sauce comes to a boil.

Pour over cooked slow cooker bread pudding and remove to individual serving dishes.  Can also be served with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream, sprinkled with icing sugar.

My slow cooker...  large capacity, removable liner.  A busy mom's dream!

The chocolate bread pudding before cooking.  Forgot to take a picture of the end result but YUMMY!

E-man's (6 yrs old) picture of a CANADIAN snowman!

T-man's (4 yrs old) picture of a 'very cold' CANADIAN snowman!

Reeg's playing in the Tupperware Drawer...  She  is showing me "my cookies".

Love,
Twin B
xoxoxo

Remember Summer?

Saskatoon Berry Muffins...An old Canadian favorite.  You can use any berry, but why not a Canadian classic?  We went Saskatoon berry picking last summer and I am now rapidly depleting my supply of frozen Saskatoon  berries.  There is a really great U-pick berry farm called Little Purple Apple south of Calgary, a 15 minute drive from our house.  Their fields are beautiful and the berries are plentiful.  It doesn't take long to get buckets full of yummy, juicy berries.  They freeze great when you rinse, pat dry and then freeze on cookie sheets until firm.  Dump them into freezer bags and enjoy them all year long.  It’s a great ‘pick-me-up’ and a yummy taste of summer during our cold winter months.  Today, it is MINUS 24 degrees C outside, with the wind chill, it feels like MINUS 35 degrees C.  We really need to remember summer today.

Saskatoon Berry Muffins
Makes 2 dozen large muffins
3 ½ cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups Saskatoon berries (frozen or not)
2 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees C.
In a big bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.  Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs until quite smooth.  Mix in milk and vanilla.  Pour into well.  Stir just to moisten.  Batter will be lumpy.
In a small bowl gently stir Saskatoon berries with flour.  Fold into batter.
Fill muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes until nicely browned.

Love always,

Twin B

xoxoxoxo

Red Cake

So Grandpa's Birthday is on Christmas day.  Every year, when we were kids, we would wait at the bottom of the stairs on Christmas morning.  Dad, the earliest riser on the planet, would already have a fire going, the Christmas tree lit and the coffee pot a brewin'.  On the "come on up" signal, we would race up the stairs, take a quick "glance" in passing at our overflowing stockings with all the "hanger-oners" and what Santa brought for us under the tree and then find Dad.  We would wish him a Happy Birthday, plant a couple of hugs and kisses, then he would wave us off in his humble, don't think about me kinda way, and he would graciously let his birthday mesh into the crazy excitement of Christmas morning.  

Well, since Grandma & Grandpa arrived in NY on the 26th, we HAD to have a special birthday cake.  I'd been wanting to try and make a Red Velvet Cake, since the cupcakes are so popular right now.  I found this recipe online.  It is a good one.  The icing intrigued me... check it out.

Happy littles, happy Papa.

It is supposed to be a mitten...

Red Velvet Cake.

The cake was yummy, but next time I would follow one of the comments on their website and substitute the shortening for oil (the cake was a tad dry) and I would double the cocoa.  The "flour" icing reminded me of icing I'd had in a bakery once, but I might also try a cream cheese type frosting.  We decorated the cake with some holiday sprinkles we had on hand from our cookies and the result was really adorable.

Happy "Happy" Papa!

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 4 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Grease two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar WELL. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO CAKE BATTER. DON'T BEAT OR STIR NOW.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. To Make Icing: Cook 5 Tablespoons flour and milk over low heat till thick, stirring constantly. LET COOL THOROUGHLY! While cooling, cream 1 cups sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat this well till light and fluffy. Add to flour mixture and beat until of a good spreading consistency. DON'T ICE CAKE TILL COOL.

Sending Love,

Twin A

Just a Playin'

Before the holidays, the big little and little little and I had a day where we just stayed in our PJs all day and PLAYED.  The little little had just started to be on the move more and the big little thought it was pretty neat that she could keep up with him.  We played with our toys in our makeshift playroom, really our extra wide hallway.  It was snowing and blowing outside, but we were toasty and happy inside.  Gotta love those days.

Chewing on everything.

Cardboard box "mountain".

This is a tall road Mama!

Up on my knees!

So proud.

Who me?

"Come on baby, this a way!"

Ring ring goes the phone.

Colors.

Playin' happily.  I even got to walk away for a min. and grab a tea!  Amazing.

Sending Love,

Twin A