This week I made animal cracker truffles. I love love love animal crackers, BUT they have to be the right kind. Yes, I am kind of an "animal cracker snob" in that I only buy Stauffer's animal crackers...they just taste the best. I remember eating animal crackers as a kid, and they were always Stauffer's. I do remember my Sito Georgia buying me animal crackers on occasion that weren't Stauffer's. They came in the cardboard box that looks like a circus train with the animals on it, but the crackers always tasted stale. So when it was my turn to buy animal crackers for my kids, I chose Stauffer's. Ryan actually chose the recipe for this week. He was really in the mood to bake, and he requested the cake batter cookies again (from week 22). I asked that he pick a new recipe so I could use it as the cookie of the week. I let him sit at the kitchen table and peruse my recipes, and he chose this one. It's a very simple recipe with only 3 ingredients...animal crackers, cream cheese, and white chocolate. I let Ryan do most of the work and I just supervised. He did a really good job too. The resulting cookies taste like cheesecake...if the cheesecake had a Stauffer's animal cracker crust. Ryan and Victoria don't actually like cheesecake (crazy right??) but they do like the cookies. ☺ Here is the link to the recipe that we used:
http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/dianne-singleton/animal-cracker-truffles/cookies
I was really happy that Ryan wanted to bake today. I often ask the kids if they want to bake or cook with me, but they usually don't ask me to cook or bake on their own. Victoria used to love to use her "easy bake oven" on her own, but now she'd rather use the "real kitchen." I do let them "fly solo" in the kitchen sometimes, and I only help when the oven or stove is involved. They have made cakes and cookies on their own, and they came out really great! In fact we have started a tradition that over the Christmas break, the kids bake and then decorate their own cakes. They are usually "too decorated" with sugar crystals and sprinkles for my taste, but they love it! See pictures above.
Additionally, the kids have taken various classes that involve baking. Partridge Creek used to have a bakery called "The Cupcake Kitchen" that offered cupcake decorating classes for kids. My kids LOVED that place, and are disappointed that they closed. They took a class there and really had a great time. See the pictures to the right and left. They also took candy making classes in Romeo at "Sugar Art." It is a cake and candy supply store, and they also offer a ton of classes for adults and kids. I have taken my Girl Scout troop there twice at Easter time to make sugar eggs as well. Ryan and Victoria loved the candy making class, and learned to make several different chocolate delectables including chocolate popcorn...YUM! See photo below.
 |
| Making candy at Sugar Art. |
Since my children were old enough to stand on a chair at the counter, I have had them help me in the kitchen. I love love love the idea of moms and children cooking in the kitchen together. I remember being in the kitchen with my parents and my grandmothers when I was little, and I LOVED it! Cooking and baking with my own children, is one of the things that I looked forward to since I was pregnant with Victoria. As I mentioned way back in blog number 1, when Dan and I were house hunting, I'd always walk into the kitchen of the potential home first. I'd picture myself baking cookies with Victoria and Ryan. If I could picture it in that particular kitchen, then the house had potential. I am happy to report that we utilize the kitchen in our house all the time. We obviously eat there, but it really is an all purpose room for us too. My kids do their homework at the kitchen table, and we have family game time at the table all the time. Sometimes I sit and read at the table, or sit at the table to talk on the phone. My favorite times in the kitchen though are when the kids have helped make a delicious meal or treat. Of course I like the yummy end result, but I treasure the whole process. Measuring ingredients together, teaching them old family recipes, and telling them stories about my parents and grandparents while we cook. So today as Ryan and I were making the animal cracker truffles, I reflected on all the good times with my kids in the kitchen, and it made me smile. I hope that when they are grown, they'll remember being in the kitchen with me. I hope it inspires them to cook with their own children someday, and that they'll tell stories about me like I do about my parents and grandparents. Most of all I hope they remember all the cookies I baked, and all the love those cookies had inside. Of all the ingredients that I use love is the most important. ♥
 |
| Cookies the kids made ☺ |
No comments:
Post a Comment