When planning a baby shower, the menu is a top consideration, as we all know how the quality of food can make or break a party! There are many factors that should go into your consideration of baby shower menu ideas, such as the venue, the time of day and year, cost, and, especially, the mom-to-be’s preferences!
I remember as a little girl – saving all of the ‘used-almost-to-the-bottom’ candles for the whole year to use for Hallowe’en. Our jack o’ lanterns would house a cornucopia of bright red and gold Christmas candles and a few yellow Easter ones. I would be a bit rattled that my beautiful pumpkin was getting red wax dripped all over, and then completely dejected that whenever I passed my own house (as I was doing the neighborhood candy marathon) the pumpkin would be dark. A gust of wind had just spoiled a child’s excitement at boasting artistic achievements to her friends. I’d quickly apologize and run up to grab a lighter or matches. And I can’t remember being anything other than a princess in chiffon so that + matches was clearly a bad idea…
A cornmeal pudding as they like it in Romania (they call it ‘mamaliga’) takes the place of bread on the rural table and is always eaten on its own, as a separate course. For children you can combine freshly made curd cheese, yogurt or sour cream. This adds protein and a touch of sharpness to balance the natural sweetness. Another sweet bonus…cornmeal is a suitable grain food for anyone with a wheat intolerance!
Back to school means back to a routine, back to feeling crazy busy and back to packing lunches. Aside from the daily content question of what to pack, have you given much thought to how you’re packing your lunches? A waste-free lunch by definition is one that contains no throwaway packaging or food leftovers. In terms of lunch gear products, re-usability is the number one factor when packing a waste-free lunch. A second factor, critical for your child’s health, is non-toxicity and a final factor to consider is durability. If you’re going to invest in reusable lunch gear, it makes sense to ensure it’s made to last. It also makes sense to encourage your child’s input on colours and patterns to encourage them to pack up their reusables for taking home.
This spinach salad was a party favourite growing up. We always dried the spinach in a pillowcase after washing it for big parties. As a little girl I got to do the shaking. Now, I’m more of a salad spinner person, but this brings back some fun memories that make me smile when I’m getting a big salad ready for a party.
One of the most glorious childhood memories has to be sitting in front of the oven, watching cookies bake. And who can forget that smell? It smells like love. The warm, gooey taste that follows is decadent. I love breaking out my trusty stand mixer and making batches of cookies with my sweet boys. Working the dough to form the cookies is such a fun sensory experience; letting them feel the squishy sensations between their fingers is so fun. It’s like play dough with culinary potential. Who says you can’t play with your food? As long as it’s not at the table, it’s fine with me. This one is Hudson’s favourite.
When the kids were tiny, we hired a live-in caregiver from Baguio in the Philippines and she has graced our life with love and kindness ever since. Before every special birthday party or event, I would come home from work to find a freezer full of amazing filipino spring rolls, and the kids and I would devour them early in any party! The rolling of these gems always eluded me, so I sat down with her and we all learned proper spring roll rolling technique together.
So Quinoa Turkey Meatballs are among our most popular recipes and it’s a great time-saver as you can make a large batch of meatballs ahead of time, freeze them and take them out each meal or snack time and add them to pasta, rice or veggies at dinner time or for a quick snack alongside cheese, crackers and fruit. The meatballs are great for your kids to pitch in and help make. They love the texture and rolling them into balls!
Today Ford was home sick from school so we took some time to bake a family favourite recipe that I so love on our Facebook live segment. We usually have Facebook lives on Mondays and Thursdays at noon Pacific time and baking and cooking is something I really enjoy doing live on Facebook. Normally when I’m making this particular dish, I double the batch so I have more to eat and some to freeze so that I can enjoy it later. It’s such a time saver!
With the warmer weather starting to set in, we are always on the hunt for a refreshing beverage that exudes the feeling of summer season. A delicious, cool beverage is the best way to beat the heat while indulging the taste buds. Recipes that are a hit for kids with flavours and bright colours are particularly prized with everyone getting ready to be home from school until September. This would be a great addition to your outdoor party in a classy punch bowl. Cheers and drink up to summer fun in the backyard!