Christmas Cookies 2013

This year Christmas cookies were mostly in ball form. Simple, easy, quick but look nice. Perfect for our first year really needing to have a full birthday party along with the holidays. Three is definitely the age when they understand birthday party and have expectations. This was also the first year G insisted on helping in the kitchen and these are easy enough for an almost 3 year old to make, with a little help, of course.

The non-ball cookie: Almond Coconut Chip

I like to store the ball cookies in the refrigerator for a few days before eating. The flavor definitely improves with time. These were packed in pretty tissue in boxes and clear containers but did I remember to take any pictures? No. Sorry, maybe next year!

Brownie Balls, flavored with either rum or coffee, depending on the recipients, were the simplest. There's not much of a recipe. Bake a 9x13-inch pan of chewy or fudgy brownies from a mix or scratch. Cake brownies do not work so well. When cool, crumble up in a bowl and stir in 6 Tablespoons of coffee or spiced rum. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. To make fancy, roll in sprinkles or shredded coconut.

Lime Coconut Balls came next, some in a Margarita version.

113 g melted butter (4 oz, 1 stick, 1/2 cup)
400 g brown sugar (2 cups)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
250 g flour (2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of 3 limes
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3 Tablespoons tequila or lime juice
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until tester comes out mostly clean. Let cool.

Crumble into a bowl and stir in lime zest, lime juice, tequila, and coconut. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. Makes approximately 30.

And, finally, Almond Coconut Chip Cookies. These were supposed to be balls but spread too much in the oven.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (60 g)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
4 oz melted butter (1 stick, 113 g, 1/2 cup)
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together to combine. Scoop 1 Tablespoon balls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden on bottom, 9-10 minutes. Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

G turned 3 in December, right after Christmas. This was the first year that she was really aware of birthday parties and had definite opinions on what she wanted. This was also the first year that we had to combine all the chaos of Christmas with making her birthday something separate and special.

For her party, she wanted Hello Kitty cupcakes. I was not going to spend the money on custom order, special design cupcakes for a 3 year old birthday party but she was insistent. Hello Kitty ON the cupcakes. Not the wrapper. Not the table. Not the walls. Not a balloon. Not even a cake. Cupcakes.

Now, I could have printed little cupcake toppers on cardstock and stuck them in with a toothpick or bought strange, hard sugar things stuck to cardboard that look vaguely like a white cat with a bow. But no. Somehow crazy-mom took over and she was going to have real, decorated cupcakes. Because I always had cakes with real icing decoration in whatever theme I wanted, my daughter would too. Never mind that we no longer have the family bakery to this. Never mind I won't spend more than a dollar on a cupcake for 3 year olds. It. Will. Happen.

And they kind of look like Hello Kitty. I was terrified she would end up with cupcake wrecks.

Pumpkin Mochi

G started preschool last September. This opened up a whole new world of food. Not only do I feed my own child, but now I make snacks and treats for school events. What will the kids eat? Can I keep the sugar and refined/processed items to a minimum and have them eat it? Oh, and no nuts or anything processed in a facility with nuts.

For the holiday celebration, I went back to my roots. Something so simple and popular it has to be a hit. Mochi! Sure, it's got sugar and extremely refined white rice flour, but at least nothing has seen a nut and, bonus, naturally gluten and dairy free! Plus, G can help make it.

Then J pointed out that kids around here have probably never seen mochi. At least not the kind without ice cream inside. Hm. Do I want to be the mom who sends the weird food? If they try it, they should like it. Maybe if I cut it into fun shapes. And it does jiggle, kind of like jello. Is that good or bad? Well, I'm too busy with holiday and birthday baking to come up with anything else at the last minute, so weird food it is.

I went with pumpkin so it was seasonal and had a familiar pie taste, limiting the weird factor to texture, not taste. G helped mix and cut out the shapes. There is a bit less sugar than most mochi recipes but it is still quite sweet. I am not sure if canned pumpkin puree will work the same or if it will need extra liquid. Note that this make A LOT of mochi.

Pumpkin Mochi

450 g mochiko (1 pound box)
200 g sugar (1 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
112 g melted butter (4 oz, 1 stick, 1/2 cup)
400 g fresh pumpkin puree (14 oz)
2 cups coconut milk
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch and 8x8-inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, pumpkin, coconut milk, and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to dry mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour. Cool completely before cutting.

Frosted Chocolate Beet Birthday Cake

Three words send fear into the heart of many a parent. Toddler Birthday Party.

Okay. Really, it's not that bad, but when you've been going to them almost every week for a couple months, sometimes twice in one day, your kid starts to ask questions. Is it my birthday? Is it your birthday? The cat's birthday? Is there cake? Can we get cake? Make cake? Juice box, please?

Last Saturday we had one birthday party in the afternoon and another birthday at our house in the evening. Do I want to put a two year old to bed after they eat treats all afternoon and evening? Do I want to tell the two year old there's no cake at a birthday party? Do I want to put candles in a loaf of bread? No. No. Yes, but the five year old might notice there's something wrong with his birthday "cake".

How about frosted chocolate birthday cake with less sugar and some nutrition thrown in? Yes. And it even uses up the beets! Kids and adults loved it. I didn't get a chance to take a picture before it was demolished.

The frosting tastes more like peanut butter than chocolate and is better if you let it sit overnight. For a dairy-free option, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.

Chocolate Beet Cake
200 grams all-purpose flour (about 1-1/2 cups)
150 grams brown sugar (about 3/4 cup)
50 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-3/4 cups pureed cooked beets
1 very ripe banana, pureed
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine beets, banana, vinegar and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
1-3/4 cups pumpkin puree (if homemade, drain overnight in a coffee filter to thicken)
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Makes enough to frost a single layer cake and pipe decoration.

Gnocchi with Beans and Tomatoes

It's CSA season again. With a box of veggies to use up and a randomly picky toddler (it's Tuesday, nothing orange for me!) to feed, that means some creative cooking needs to happen. Sometimes creative equals disaster, or at least toddler feeding fail, and sometimes it makes everyone happy.

This is what happens when you have beautiful CSA tomatoes, no defrosted meat in the house, and a toddler asking for everything in the fresh pasta case at the store.

Gnocchi with Beans and Tomatoes
1 pound sweet potato gnocchi
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
14 ounces cooked white beans (no salt added)
grated parmesan (optional)

Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water until they float.

While gnocchi cook, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes, and salt. Simmer until softened. Add beans and heat through. Drain gnocchi and combine with tomato sauce. Serve with grated parmesan, if desired.

Summer Squash & Corn Casserole

I mentioned earlier that J. surprised me by saying he's never liked squash. This casserole is something I tried to make the squash seem less, well, squash-y. It must have worked because he liked it. It's also toddler approved.

The squash, potatoes and corn are all from our CSA box. The goat cheese is from a local farm. I used a knife (newly sharpened by J.) to slice the squash and potatoes as thin as I could, around 1/8-inch. A mandoline would probably be easier and faster but I don't have one. Bacon might be good in this, but it might be over-kill.

Summer Squash and Corn Casserole
2 medium yellow squash, sliced very thin
2 smallish waxy potatoes, sliced very thin
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 ears corn, kernels sliced off
3 ounces goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
Combine the squash, potatoes, oil, salt and pepper.
In the casserole dish, layer a third of the squash mixture, followed by half of the corn and cheese. Repeat layers and finish with the remaining squash mixture. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Feline CRF

For years our cat has had minor kidney problems caused by high blood pressure. Medication controlled her blood pressure so her kidneys worked fine. Recently, she truly went into chronic renal failure (CRF). We give her subcutaneous fluids once a day to support her kidneys, medicine to control her blood pressure, phosphorus levels, and stomach acid, and feed her using a syringe. It's a lot of work but it keeps her pretty comfortable and stable. She still lets G. pet her and even played with G. and a pink cellophane hula skirt yesterday.