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5 Medieval Fun Foodie Facts & No-bake Medieval Gingerbread & fun at Reading Museum in Reading Berkshire

That's probably the longest post title I have ever had ..... but it's the best way to describe this post!

As it is the summer holidays I am always looking for things to entertain my children and after exhausting our craft supplies at home we ventured out with a friend to the Reading Museum! During the school holiday's they always have various activities going on. One half-term we went on a trail looking and drawing local trees, we've made hats at another event, and sometimes just explored the museum!

The Reading Museum is full of local history and host various events; family, special events, and talks & tours. It's definitely a place to stop if you ever happen to find yourself in Reading! I like writing about local events and things to do in Reading, but this was a one-off event and although it can't be repeated at the museum I am going to share the recipe we made here and you can then make it at home with your little ones teaching them about life and food during those times.

Here are a few facts you could include!

5 Fun Foodie Facts during the Medieval Times:

Bread - if they (the people) ran out of grain before a new crop could be harvested they would have to use old rye to make bread, but old rye could be contaminated with ergot a fungus that could cause hallucinations, gangrene, or death or possibly all three.
Poultry - Chickens weren't the only birds they ate. Today Swans are protected animals, but back then they were a delicacy for the rich with recipes for roasted swan or swan pie! They also ate loads of other birds such as peacocks, turtle doves, cranes, and blackbirds.
Bringing home the bacon - they ran wild and were quite vicious due to reports of them biting and killing people and back then animals would stand trial and if found guilty would be put to death and I assume cooked and eaten!
Travel - the majority of people aka peasants probably didn't travel very far, however the trade business during those times were booming! Silks from China, amber and furs from the Baltic, and spices from Asia. Christopher Columbus at the end of the Medieval times was on a trip to Asia and ran into what we know today is America. The spices used in this recipe would have been expensive and considered a real treat!
Pottage - Peasants ate pottage which was basically anything they had hanging around and cooked as a stew. Usually consisting of various root vegetables and sometimes meat.

No-bake Medieval Gingerbread

1 cup breadcrumbs (brown/seeded)
4 tbsp water (warm)
2-4 tbsp honey
1 large pinch cinnamon
1 large pinch ginger

In the case of using a cup of breadcrumbs, we were given an actual plastic cup full of breadcrumbs so I would say an average mug would work too. Pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl and then add the honey and give a bit of a stir quickly to stop it soaking into just some of the bread. In the same cup mix 2 tbsp of water with the cinnamon, and ginger. Add the spiced water slowly to the bread crumbs, get your hands in there and mix together. The breadcrumbs should be moist, but not wet. When you can mold the breadcrumbs into little balls without falling apart then you can stop adding the water. Then leave in cupcake cases or on a plate.

If you want you can also decorate paper plates with medieval-ish patterns here are some great examples!

My mini-bakers and their friends had a great time making the gingerbread probably more then they were interested in eating it. They did try it, but weren't too fussed they were more interested in decorating their plates with medieval patterns (some not so medieval), and exploring the museum. Definitely give the website a look for other events and activities. Most events are free or like this one had a minimal fee and as it's all drop in, make sure you get there early to get a spot!

*I paid for my children to attend the event and as stated above was invited on the day by a friend. For more information see my contact/policy page.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, & Fudge Muffins

Whenever some one says to me that they would like to start baking, but don't know where to start or what to try first I always suggest muffins. Muffins are one of the easiest things to bake as you just mix all the dry ingredients together and then the wet ingredients. They also almost always use oil instead of butter and therefore usually turn out soft and fluffy!

Muffins are also a great thing to bake with children for the same reasons above! These delicious Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, and Fudge muffins were created last Sunday morning by my two girls.

Sunday's are our lazy days and they wanted muffins for breakfast. They couldn't agree on chocolate chips or fudge pieces so we put both in! We were all ready to go and we had all our stuff out ready to go when I realised we didn't have eggs!! I know!! To avoid disappointed we ran to our corner shop in our jammies!

Both girls were like "What?!?! We're going to walk there in our jammies?!?!" They were shocked and horrified, but at 7 o'clock in the morning (they are early risers) it was only the guy working there who saw us!

So, for lazy Sunday mornings or something to do over the summer holidays bake these tasty peanut butter muffins and add whatever you want to them!!

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, & fudge muffins

150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
pinch of salt
90g peanut butter
100ml sunflower oil
1 large egg
175ml milk
chocolate chips
fudge pieces

Heat the oven to 200C line the cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a big bowl, add the the sugar and salt - mix together.
In a smaller bowl or jug mix the peanut butter, oil, egg, and milk together. The peanut butter won't fully incorporate, but that's okay!
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and fudge pieces. I guesstimated them about 50g of chocolate chips and about 25g fudge pieces.
Spoon into the paper cases and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Until the sponge springs back after being lightly touched, if in doubt use the skewer test.

notes: recipe adapted by my 8 & 6 from 100 Magnificent Muffins and Scones by Felicity Barnum-Bobb

Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, & Fudge Muffins

Peanut butter, chocolate chip, & fudge muffins

notes: recipe adapted by my 8 & 6 from 100 Magnificent Muffins and Scones by Felicity Barnum-Bobb

Five on Friday - 5 Shows I'm Currently Watching on Netflix

I am a bit late to the Netflix bandwagon! So, I have a load of series and movies I need to catch up on! Here are the five shows I've either just finished watching or in the middle of!

Shadowhunters - The Mortal Instruments

I read all the books except the last one so I was curious about the show. I haven't seen the movie, it apparently flopped and if it's anything like this show I understand why! The show is actually not that good, but because I love the Shadowhunter world I'm stuck watching it!!

Fuller House

I watched most of the series in one sitting! I grew up watching Full House and I can't help, but love this. Yes it's a bit cheesy and all goody goody, but I can't help but think we need a bit more of that in the world.

The Ranch

As a huge fan of That 70's Show (see previous post) when I saw that Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher were to be reunited in this made for Netflix series I just had to watch. It's about a prodigal son returned to help out on the family ranch. A different kind of show and I hope there is a second season!

Mako Mermaids

My girls really wanted to watch this show and I was all "Ugh, it looks terrible." However, I spent one Saturday night watching the last four episodes of season 1 with the girls because we, me included, just had to know does Zac takeover Mako Island? Does the pod return? I have refrained from watching season 2 as I was sucked in once and didn't want to get sucked in again!

Him & Her

A series that really focuses on the characters and they are loveable and completely outrageous. I started watching this on TV, but never caught all of them and now they are all in one place! Steve and Becky live in a bedsit and most of the show takes place in that bedsit with their friends and family coming in and out bring drama and comedy with them! I can't wait to get through the seasons!!

Classic shows that I love:

That 70's Show
TMNT
Buffy
Arrested Development

On my too watch list:

Once Upon a Time
Firefly
Daredevil
Jessica Jones
Orange is the New Black
Making a Murderer
Between
Scream (the series)

Series I wish were on Netflix

Ugly Betty
Angel
Felicity
Coupling

And one show I don't have to wish for: Gilmore Girls! I am so looking forward to the reunion!

Are there any other shows I should be watching?

Please leave a comment below if you have any suggestions!

note: images are not my own, they come from Netflix or Wikipedia - this post is also in no way associated with Netflix, all opinions are my own please see my contact/policy page for more information.

Day Out: Free Half Term Event at Reading Museum {Doodle Tree Trail}

It's half-term! Again! Half-terms have a tricky way of sneaking up on you unexpectedly. You're busy taking the kids to school, picking them up, doing homework, and other school things and then it's half-term and you have to plan all these things! I don't know about your children, but my two are now used to a routine and struggle with not being told what to do next.

That means it's up to me to give them suggestions or to take them out! It can be hard to get out and about without spending a lot of money at the movies or indoor play centres. I went looking online at free stuff for kids to do in Reading over the half term and was directed to the museums site.

Now this event was outside, but I thought rain or shine it's a good way to get out of the house for the afternoon. There is only so much baking, crafting, and watching movies parents and children can do!

The event was called the Doodle Tree Trail: discover some extremely special trees in Reading town Centre. It sounded different and interesting so I signed us up!

We started outside of the museum with a fun activity pack that asked us not only about the trees, but included fun facts of the trees or local history!

Trees we saw:

Hornbeam (carbines betulus)
Judas Tree (circus siliquastrum)
Mulberry (mores nigra)
Maidenhair Tree (ginkgo biloba)
Weeping Willow (sail babylonica)
London Plane (platens xhispanica)
Indian Bean Tree (catalpa bignonioides)

The crew of people who were running the tour were very friendly, informative, and patient with the children... and adults who had questions! My girls seemed to really enjoy it. At 8 and 6 they might not have taken it all in, but they liked walking around the different parts of town we rarely go too and filling out their activity packs along the way.

This tour won't be happening again, unless they get funding, but they will be leaving the activity packs and a map of the tour at the Reading Museum for anyone interested in checking it out! If anything it takes you around the town centre and shows you a bit more then just shops!

I would recommend checking it out if you happen to be in Reading and looking for something a bit different to do! Plus there is so much more to see and explore at the museum as well as hosting other free half-term events!

Find it here:
Reading Museum
The Town Hall
Blagrave Street
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 1QH

notes: all opinions are my own and in no way associated with the Reading Museum - I really enjoy local events and sharing them with my readers, for more information please see my contact/policy page.

Day Out in Bath, United Kingdom

One of the reasons I love the UK is because of its history. The USA has a history too, don’t we all?? However, the history of this country is much older and it’s reflected in pretty much every town you visit.

For my birthday we went to Bath for the day and we were lucky that the weather was beautiful! We got there just in time for lunch. We ended up at Wagamama because we were all hungry and when feeding kids it’s sometimes good to go somewhere we all know and love.

Then because it was my birthday we went to The Jane Austen Centre. It is located on the same street that Jane Austen lived on when she resided in Bath. I could be wrong, but I believe they told us that Bath is mentioned in all of her books. Of course if you’re a fan like myself you know that in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion her heroine’s visit and reside in Bath. All the staff at the center wear the name of one of Jane’s many characters and they will answer any questions you have. I found a lot of the information available I already knew from reading up on her before, but there was also a bit more on her family and herself that I wasn’t aware. It was interesting and enjoyable!

Right out side The Jane Austen Centre is a little park and lucky for us that weekend there was a sort of pop up/kickstarter children’s event called Forest of Imagination. There was a lot going on and the girls had a lot of fun jumping around on space hoppers and writing their names on the giant rabbit and more! I would love to see something like this in Reading.

After that we went in search of Sally Lunn’s. Still full up from lunch we took some of the famous bun’s home with us along with some homemade cinnamon butter. We were instructed by the lady on the till to split the buns in half and gently toast them under a grill before spreading with the cinnamon butter and grilling again to get the cinnamon butter smell throughout the house! That’s what we did and we weren’t disappointed! We also stopped to get Bath buns from The Bath Bun. There are so many tea places in Bath and there is no way we would have gotten to them all in one day.

We stopped for ice cream and while we ate our ice cream listened to some street music. The human statues were also fun to see! Then before we left we stopped at an art gallery, Rostra Gallery. There were some prints in the window that drew my attention and as a fellow/former printmaker I had to have them. The simple style of imagery is inspiring and I highly admire this type of art. The best part is that Ruth Broadway, the artist, is local to Bath. I don’t know why that makes it the best part, but I like the fact that she’s a local artist.

I think that’s what I loved about Bath the most, the art. It’s everywhere including the architecture! I can see how it inspired Miss Austen to create her work.

Places I have been in Bath before:

The Roman Baths

Bath Abbey

The Royal Crescent

Hands Tea Room

Walking Tour/Bus Tour

Things I’d like to see and do next time:

Richard Bertinet Bakery and Cookery School

Jane Austen Festival (September)

The Pump Room
Alexandra Park.

notes: All opinions are my own: for more information see my contact/policy tab above.

Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Popsicles

This this summer is different from most summers for our family. I am working part time so I only have 2 says a week to bake & do other leisure day things. It's hard to believe we are already into week two of summer vacation!!

The kids love to help try new things in the kitchen. So, when I was out the other day, I saw these Popsicle molds at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I remembered that we always talked about wanting to try different types of Popsicles. So, I picked them up and searched for a recipe. We tried these...

Raspberry Lemon Yogurt Popsicles aka Ice Lollies:

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons (approx. 1 lemon) lemon zest
½ cup (approx. 2 lemons) fresh lemon juice
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Divide the raspberries between ice pop molds. Cut the raspberries in half if needed. Set aside while you combine the lemon zest and sugar by smooshing it together with a fork. Add the lemon juice and yogurt - stir until combined and pour into the molds with the raspberries. Last but not least put the stick/lids on and freeze for at least 4 hours, possibly longer depending on your freezer.

My kids loved them. They are very lemony...sour yet sweet from the raspberries. My oldest loved how creamy they are because of the yogurt. The kids want to try them with blackberries, blueberries and strawberries next.

We can't wait! :-) - Janet

recipe adapted from www.theslowroasteditalian.com

If you liked this try these Mango Ice Lollies:

or these Strawberry & Coconut Ice Lollies:

Five on Friday: 20 Tips on Traveling Abroad with Children under 10.

This was going to be 5 top tips on traveling with kids abroad, but it turned out I had a few more then that so even though it’s a Five on Friday it’s a 20 on Friday.

As a parent you know your child best you know what keeps them entertained and what sets them off. It’s this time to indulge them, with in reason of course. If they want to run around the plane clearly not a great idea but getting them out of their seat and walking around is a good idea.

Before flying: Things to check with your airline

Check with your airline for general information on suggested times to be at the airport. Currently it’s 3 hours ahead of time for flights abroad. I would suggest this anyway as it is one less thing to stress about.

Be aware of liquid limits. It is in my opinion to just not pack any liquid or lotions in your carry on. That includes make up things like mascara. If you can’t fly without lotion or hand sanitizers consider buying them once you get through security. I’d rather spend a little extra then have to surrender the item just to have re-buy them later. If you do take them in your carry on make sure they are with in the limits, which is only about 100 ml’s and they are already in clear plastic bags.

Check to see what you can take as a carry-on. Make sure your bags are the right sizes. Sometimes you are aloud to take one bag and one purse/bag/coat/laptop bag/diaper bag. This all depends on your airline. Double check if a buggy/stroller is considered a carry-on or extra luggage as well.

Traveling with under 5’s:

Make sure you pack spare clothes and have a few plastic bags packed in your carry on for said dirty clothes.

Don’t forget about you!! Make sure you pack a spare shirt or two in your carry on, for the unexpected “accidents.”

Take an extra diaper/nappy or two; you know to be on the safe side.

Wipes are also a must! They not only clean up bottoms but sticky fingers too!

Toys are a tricky one, because no matter what you bring they will want that one toy you left behind. Try choosing their favorite 1 or 2 toys and a couple of activity things. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas for your child’s age. A lot of airplanes show kids movies these days if you are lucky enough to have a child who sits for cartoons!

When going through security if there is a family line, use it. It’s just more forgiving when going through with children and buggies and numerous carry-ons.

Make sure they have easy on and off shoes. They may be asked to take them off.

Before boarding if your children have energy to spare let them let it out. With in reason and with regards to safety of course. It will be expected that they sit nicely for numerous hours depending on how long your flight, let them get it out.

Traveling with 5-10’s

Similar to above pack a spare outfit and pajamas in their bags along with extra socks and underwear. If your bags go missing you at least don’t have to rush out to buy new things right away. I also suggest doing this for you as well.

If your children read, pack a book that can be left behind if need be; same with coloring books and other activities.

With this age group pack less then you think you’ll need. Once they get to their new location they won’t want to play with that bag of toys they thought they couldn't go with out.

At this age you need to prep them for going through customs and make sure they know it isn't something to joke about.

General Tips:

Dress them in comfy, but easy to change outfits. Socks are a must!

Bring chewy sweets or gum for older kids and bottles for babies (or breast feed on take-off and landings) to help with ears popping. My girls are fine on take off, but really terrible on landings.

Plane food isn't great - bring snacks and lunch type foods for your child. Avoid peanut butter for allergy reasons and any fruit brought on the plane must be consumed or left on plane. They will not allow you to bring fruit through customs.

Cups with lids are a must, but pack them empty same with bottles. Even for your older child get them a sports water bottle or something.

Embrace technology. Handheld gaming consoles and tablets are your friends.

Get them a comfy pair of headphones for above technology and for in air movies.

Encourage them to sleep, bring favorite blankets and/or stuffed animals if they need them to sleep and you have room in your carry on.

Don’t let anyone else get to you. You are allowed to fly with your children. Children are people too and they can’t be locked away until adulthood.

If you have flown abroad with your children what are things you wish you knew ahead of time? What did you learn worked and didn't work? I would love to hear your tips and tricks!

notes: These tips are based on my experience traveling with my daughters. We have flown when they were 2 and 8 months, again when they were 6 and 4. Both times we had some up’s and down’s, but mostly it went smoothly because I prepared ahead of time. Please check with your airline for any further help!

Huffkins {inspired by Paddington by Michael Bond} #storybookbakes

I don’t know how many times I have written about my love of books so I won’t go into too much detail all you need to know is that I love books. Okay? Okay, so I have been trying to figure out a way to combine my love of books and food for a while now on a regular basis and I think I have found a fuss free easy way to do it!

Basically I am going to be baking and making from whatever novel or children's book or autobiography that inspires me to do so! See that wasn't so hard! Originally I was going to make it a linky post, but I started to find that a bit stressful. The stress of getting people involved etc... however I think I've come up with an easy solution for that too! See the notes below!

I hope to do this at least once a month, possible 2 as I actually have a list of stuff I have been wanting to make inspired by my favorite books! This month I was inspired by Paddington and here's what I made!

My girls and I went to see Paddington with some friends before Christmas and they loved it. It is very cute! After that my girls started asking for their Paddington book to be read at bedtime. Then they dug out their Paddington Cookery Book and insisted we make something from it.

They choose Huffkins! I tried to convince them to make something else, because I didn't want them to be disappointed. See bread and I have a love hate relationship. Meaning it either loves me or hates me and I never know which it will be!

However, love or luck or something was on my side the other night when we made these! They turned out just fine! The girls loved filling the indent with marmalade and munching on them before bed!

Huffkins

500g plain flour

50g butter

pinch of salt

2 tsp sugar

7g fast action yeast

120ml milk

120ml water

12 tsp marmalade

Start by sifting the flour and rubbing the cold butter into it, to make it look like breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt and sugar before adding the yeast, leave to the side while you heat the milk and water together until it’s just warm to the touch. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients before pouring in the heated milk and water. Using a wooden spoon start to bring the dough together, once it’s started use your hand to finish making the dough into a big ball. On a clean counter surface knead the dough for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and completely combined. Place in a clean bowl and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Heat the oven to 220C and lightly grease a baking tray. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces the best you can, then gently roll them into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press them down lightly to slightly flatten them, then using your thumb press a hole in the middle of each one (this was the girls favorite part.) Leave them for another 20 minutes to rise, or until they double in size. Once they are ready, bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. They should have a lightly tan/brown color to them, place a teaspoon of marmalade in each indent and enjoy while reading Paddington stories!

What is your favorite Paddington story? Leave a comment below! Mine will always have to be the original and first book about how the Browns came to have him living at their house!

notes: Recipe is adapted from Paddington's Cookery Book by Lesley Young. If you, like me, have been inspired by the books you read then I would love to see what you create whether it be food or a craft or art! Please get in touch in one or more of these ways: on Twitter tag me and use the hash tag and I will like and re-tweet! On Instagram tag me and hash tag and I will like it and leave a comment. If you have Facebook like my page (or not) but add your image to the page and I will share it with the rest of my readers! If you are on Google+ good luck to you! Just kidding I'm just not very good at being active on it. So, if you do share on there please be patient with me. If you prefer Pinterest, I will be starting a group board, if you would like to be added email me at unitedcakedom(@)gmail.com, unless you tell me otherwise I will use the email you emailed me with.

Looking for inspiration? Here are a few of my old posts that were inspired by books I have read!

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: I made a Snitch Cake, Pumpkin Pasties, and Rock Cakes!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: Forgotten Blackberry Pudding from the Hempstock Farm
Cupcakes at Carrington's by Alexandra Brown: Everything is not as it seems Red Velvet Cupcakes
Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges: Slo-Mo Cupcakes

Fizzy Jellies

Some children will be going back to school today after a long week off, others like mine, still have an inset day.

I feel lucky at the moment to have a part time job that allows a lot of flexibility. Which means more time to play with my girls!

Although to be honest I have become chopped liver as of late.

Who wants to play with me when they have each other and Monster High, their latest obsession?

Ah well, I do come in handy when it comes to making fun and easy treats. Also when they need anything else for that matter.

Jelly is one of the things I let them make pretty much on their own, which they love!

Of course they love eating it as much as they love making it! They are so very impatient though and if it's not setting high enough in the fridge there tends to be finger marks in it!

There isn't much you can do with jelly, but layer it or possibly add some fruit or something or mold it in fun molds... okay there is a lot you can do with jelly!

One of them is making it fizzy. Basically fizzy jelly is just replacing some of the water with 7-Up or any clear carbonated soda. Make sure the 7-Up or lemonade is chilled in the fridge before hand.

Fizzy Jelly

1-2 packages of different flavored jelly

7-Up or lemonade

water

Start with one flavor and break the jelly block into squares along the indented lines into a measuring jug. Fill with water up to the 150ml or ¼ pint mark. Place in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir until dissolved. If needed place in the microwave again for a further 10 seconds until it’s completely dissolved. Leave it to cool for a minute or two. Tilting the jug slightly (helps to keep the bubbles) pour 7-Up along the side of the jug to the 570ml or 1 pint mark. Then pour into whatever jelly molds you have or glass cups. Leave to set for about 4 hours in the fridge.

Repeat as we did with a second flavor, you could do three or four different flavors if you had the patience and enough molds/glasses to divide into.

notes: Lemonade in the UK is a fizzy carbonated drink, not like the lemonade in the USA that kids sell at stands. Also "Jelly" is Jello and it comes in cube forms not a powder. I am curious if champagne or prosecco would be a good replacement to make them for adults? Might have to try it out sometime. The idea was inspired by Paddington Bear and his cookery book.

Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father’s Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton {book review}

I long for the days when I only had to think of myself at meal times. I know what I like and therefore I find it easy to feed myself.

Now I have a husband and two little people have likes and dislikes of their own. Which means dinnertime especially can be nothing short of my worst nightmare.

To be fair to my husband it’s not his fault he’s allergic to all citrus, but it is something I have to accommodate for.

My Mini-Baker loves all veggies and will try anything and everything at least once. My Baby-Baker loves meat and point blank refuses to try anything.

When I first became a mom I did stress about food. My Mini-Baker didn't like jarred baby food nor did she like homemade food, whole or pureed. She was only happy with toast and some fruits.

I felt like I was failing at one of the 3 fundamental things that all children (and adults) need: food, clothes, shelter.

I wish I had this book then, I would have saved me a lot of stress and allowed me to relax and know that it would be okay. It wasn't until she was 8 or 9 months old that I realized there was no need to stress. I caught her watching my fork go to the plate to my mouth. From then on she ate what we ate and did so just fine.

According to Amazon I bought this book in 2011 well after both my little ones were weaned, so there were parts that I really related too.

He tells us how at first he was very smug at his 2 year old ate pretty much everything, but little did he know that by the time she was 3 she would start to get picky.

When Mini-Baker was about 2 ½ years old she loved Chilli Beef, our local Chinese does the best, so I didn't blame her. We were so tired of her stealing ours we ordered her her own portion and she ate all of it. I was so smug about it I told everyone!

We took her again for a treat around 6 months later and again ordered her her own portion expecting her to demolish it. No, such luck she decided that it wasn't that good and much preferred to just eat the rice. I wasn't so smug after that and was prepared when her sister came along.

Baby-Baker currently loves olives and hot sauce, sometimes together. But I know one day that might not be the case. For know though we have lots of olives because I love them too.

This is the reason that children are so hard to feed. One day they love something the next day they don’t.

Now that they are both older and discovering their own tastes when I meal plan they get to suggest something they would like for dinner. I always listen because it saves me the hassle of figuring out what to make!

If you are a foodie, parent, or both this book is for you. It’s full of parenting truths only learned by experience, but it’s also full of recipes!

In chapter 18 he states that his food fantasy is to take his daughter to Toyko for the ultimate culinary vacation. Well his fantasy came true as he writes about it in his second book Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo which I have downloaded on my kindle app and will be reading while I am visiting in the USA!

If you are a parent I would love to hear what your kids favorite foods and dishes are! Please leave a comment below!

notes: I bought this book as stated above years ago, I have just re-read it and felt like writing down my thoughts on it. I will be posting a post on my summer reading soon! Matthew Amster-Burton also writes a blog called Roots and Grubs.

Baking Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts with Janet

Whoever decided that donuts should be served for breakfast is a genius!

In my typical fashion, I wanted to bake something that would "WOW" my family.

After a trip to the local Dunkin Donuts, I realized that these treats were something that I could probably make (healthier) and be a big hit with the crew.

I promptly went shopping for some Wilton's pans (another one of my common practices) and since I couldn't decide on whether to make full size or mini donuts, I bought both pans. :)

I followed the recipe on the pan for the plain cake donuts and the chocolate glaze. One layer of chocolate glaze was not enough so I double dipped them. I sprinkled them and let the kids eat them for an afternoon snack.

They were satisfyingly impressed...my job here is done. :) ~ Janet

Baked Doughnuts:

2 cups cake flour, sifted

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Non-stick vegetable pan spray

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray Doughnut Pan with vegetable cooking spray.

Doughnuts: In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat until just combined. Fill each pan cavity approximately 2/3 full.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan 4-5 minutes before removing. Doughnuts are best served fresh.

Chocolate Glaze:

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1-2 teaspoons hot water

In medium bowl, melt chocolate chips, butter, and corn syrup on 50% power for 1 minute, stirring frequently until completely melted. Stir in 1 teaspoon of hot water, stirring until the glaze is thick and smooth. Add another teaspoon if glaze is too thick. Use immediately to glaze doughnuts.