Good for the Noggin'

In honor of the President signing the "Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act" today, I'd like to take a minute and talk about food. If you get a chance click on the link, excellent stuff (an upgrade from my overly used "good stuff") That First Lady is one groovy chick.

Here is a new recipe for an old holiday, nutritionally questionable standard: Egg Nog. I for one vote yes for Egg Nog each year, but then cringe at the site of the Nutritional Facts label. So in the past I have mixed it with 1/2 ginger-ale, Diet Sprite, or bubbly water works for us. But here is an additional choice, Pear Nog. Don't miss out on the nutritional analysis at the bottom, it'll blow your Christmas stocking clean off the mantel.

Pear Nog:

1 pear, peeled, cored, cut into chunks (or use canned pears packed in juice, not syrup, and drained)
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp brown sugar
1 large pinch cinnamon (about 1/4 tsp)
2 ice cubes, cracked

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 15 seconds or until ice is completely crushed.

Ready for this? You better sit down.

Nutritional analysis is listed by traditional eggnog followed by pear nog (1 cup portions)

Calories: 343/200 Yup, it is that different, where is it coming from?
Carbohydrate: 34gm/36gm Not there
Protein: 10gm/12gm Not there either
Fat: 19gm/2.5 gm BINGO
% of calories from fat: 49%/11% Yes, I double checked my numbers people, remember I'm type A!

Know what else: Pear Nog has 6 gm of fiber (a food with 3gm or more is considered a good source), eggnog has nadda

Wanna know what else is in Pear Nog? calcium, phosphorous, Vitamins A,B1, B12, C, D and K with iron, potassium and zinc to boot.

Wanna know where I got this recipe? Go here, go here fast: www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org and sign up for their emails. You'll get excellent stuff in your inbox.

Wanna know what else? my kids liked it. But my kids like most everything. So, when I fed it to 6th, 7th and 8th graders today, only 3 kids didn't like it and they were a little different, if you know what I mean. I mean come on, who doesn't like eggs!?

McKennaism - "Patience, my darling"

McKenna loves to be in the kitchen, so much, that if I give her two bowls, some flour and a spoon, she is good to go for an unbelievable length of time.

Today while on base I decided to splurge a little and get a hydro-massage, which !rocks! by the way. I had no back-up for McKenna, no iPod, no toy, no nothin' BUT a black pen and a white piece of paper. She looked at me like, "You've got to be kidding." So I said, "McKenna, if you let me try this for 15 minutes, I'll bake cookies with you this afternoon." Her head jerked up so fast I got dizzy. She was on board! Yeah!

Here is the conversation as we are baking:

McKenna, "Can I taste that?"
Mom, "Sure, but you better taste it before I put the egg in."
McKenna, "Why can't I eat it with the egg?"
Mom, "Because you can't eat eggs unless they are cooked or you could get sick."
McKenna, "Well, then why do I see you eating cookie dough?"
Mom, "Well, uhm, when you are a mommy, you can taste cookie dough if you want."
McKenna, "Why can you eat it when you are a mommy?"
Mom, "Weeelllll, mommy's can test fate"
McKenna, "Huh?"
Mom, "Wha? . . . . Get a bowl and I'll poor you a big pile of chocolate chip cookies"
McKenna, "Wheee!"

Here is how much McKenna loves to cook:
She stood, watching her precious cookies THE WHOLE time, which is 13 minutes times 3 batches. That's MY girl!

And so because I confuse her with my fate-alistic wisdom, here is the gift at the end of the day as the cookies come out of the oven:
McKenna: "Can I eat one now?"
Mom: "Why YES you can and do you want to know why?"
McKenna: nodding her head up and down
Mom: "Because when you are the chef, you get to taste everything before anybody else does!"

And that is the truth!

Easter and a Baileyism

 

 We had a pretty quiet Easter which was a nice change with the pace of life we have been sustaining. And it's not going to get any quieter now, with 2 trips planned for spring break followed by our trip back to the states for a month. But super exciting!!

Here is McKenna putting her full behind in the effort of finding eggs.

 We had company for dinner on Easter Sunday which is always fun for me.  I love to host small intimate parties, I get my fancy tablecloth's and dishes out.  But the icing on the cake is dessert, of course.  Thanks to my good friend Holly, this little beauty has become one of my "go to" sweets.  Super easy, super pretty.

This week I found out that Bailey is not too old to have her fair share of -isms.  Since advancing to middle school and becoming a tween she has had to steer her way through the difference between boys and girls.  She sure has her opinions on where she stands and what she will and will not put up with.  So much so that she came up with a list.  Let's share:

Bailey F's Essential Boy Training Tips

1. Boy proof your heart, a new or old boy can do serious damage and fast.  

2. Decide what you want.  Boys don't know the rules unless YOU set them. 

3. When making conversation, keep it short and to the point, so that they know who's boss.

4. When in doubt bribe with food or money.

These are just a few (my favorite) of a loooong list of tips, but here is the top tip:

5. When you meet a boy, be careful, some are dangerous.

And here is the recipe for the tart if anyone is interested:

1 premade tart cake (I spent a whopping 75 euro cent at Aldi for this baby).  You could also do this on pound cake. Mix, 8 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup creme fraiche and 3 T. floral infused honey (Creme Fraiche is the equivalent of really rich sour cream so if you can't find it just use regular fat sour cream.  Regular honey is fine as well, the floral honey is found everywhere in Germany) Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the tart. Then add fresh/frozen berries and fruit.  If your fruit looks a little dull you can warm up an addition 2 T honey and drizzle over the top.  Eat up!

Don't need no schoolin'

We are learning that McKenna is definitely not a morning person. She needs a slow ease into her day. If a slow ease is not available she locks down, digs her feet in and much frustration ensues. She doesn't want breakfast, she wants PJ's, a blanket, TV and the big red couch. It is not a pretty site. Especially because we have the exact total opposite in Bailey, her eyes pop open, without an alarm most of the time, and singing, dancing and skipping ensues. Could. not. be. more. opposite.

I have learned how to help McKenna ease into the day. First, go in and turn on her lamp, not the big blinding overhead light mind you, the quiet soft lamp. Then whisper in a positive voice that is completely ridiculous for that early in the morning, "Good morning sunshine, time to start a wonderful day of . . ." and we have to add incentive, something good that is to happen that day, something that really gets her blood pumping like: Dad is meeting you for lunch, we are having pancakes for breakfast, we get to check the mail for a package from Grandma, I'll give you $10 dollars if you get dressed in the next 5 minutes. Then just walk away and let it sink in, she has to come to me.

So here is the conversation the other day when no matter what we did, a slow ease into the day was NOT happening.

McKenna, "I don't want to go to school!"
Dad, "You have to go to school so that you can learn." To his credit, he is maintaining stellar control over his voice so as not to cross over to yelling and pulling what little is left of his hair out. And where am I in all this? I'm cowering in the kitchen praying that Mark doesn't turn the situation over to me.
McKenna, "I already know everything I need to know!
1. The earth turns around and around.
2. Jesus watches over us.
3. Milk makes my bones strong.
4. Fairies are real and they make magic.

Dad, "Huh, you've got a point"

She did not stay home but with that we eased into a bright beautiful day full of a 5 year old.

Know what happens when you add a Diet Coke to a Triple Fudge cake mix? This . . .

. . . and let me just tell you that IT. WORKS. I learned this trick from a friend and I was a skeptic but I thought, 'What the heck". If it doesn't work, I'm out an 80 cent cake mix and a 35 cent Diet Coke, it was worth the risk. And by doing it this way you eliminate the oil and eggs, which is a huge cut in calories and fat. We added a dollop of light whipped topping and it was gooooood stuff. The cake was moist, chocolatey and brought smiles to my family's face. Next time I'm going to use caffeine free for the kids sake.

Here is what last week looked like:


bright sunshine. We pulled out sandals and capris and basked in it. It didn't stick, it is gloomy and raining (why do I continue to be surprised and disappointed by this?) this week. I have to remind myself that all the gloom and rain makes for a lushious green landscape that we get to enjoy, oh, about 3 days out of the year.

Piano Party

Yesterday the girls performed at their Piano Party. This is an idea that I love, a casual celebration and sharing of the kids piano skills. There is no pressure, they can wear pants AND there is the promise of sweet treats at the end. In a few months we will do the traditional recital which is equally important. Bailey's new piano teacher is great and her main focus is that piano playing should be fun. With the knowledge and skills that Bailey gained with her former piano teacher, who we just loved, she has now continued. Jessica has let her pick songs that she has always wanted to play, that are challenging and allow her to continue to utilize the skills she has gained. Plus, we decided to start McKenna on the piano. I was a little worried as she has not learned how to read yet, but we found a book series that is made just for that stage. Yippee!! Meanwhile I continue my role as roadie to my musically talented family. Plus I get to make sweet treats along the way.

I found this idea for cupcakes from a Martha Stewart magazine. Her idea was to make hearts for Valentines cupcakes and I liked it so much that I tucked it away, waiting for a moment to use it. Super cute, super easy. Just melt chocolate chips, put them in a ziploc baggie, snip the corner and go to town. I "drew" my designs on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Then they went into the freezer until we were ready to go. I thought they would be super fragile but they made it to the party in one piece. This has opened up a whole new world of baking ideas for me.

So here are the girls performing their pieces. The first two are their solo pieces and the last two are the duets with their teacher.

McKenna with Magic Tree House:

Bailey with Wild Rider

McKenna with Cuckoo Clock:

Bailey with Prelude:

Valentine's = Baking

Can you really ever be too sick to bake? In my house . . . that would be a no. The girls and I stayed home from church today. We all have such bad head colds. I sound like a man and I am a little concerned about the girls. They are so stuffed up that I think they are oxygen deprived, they can't walk a straight line. Plus their ears are so plugged I find myself yelling everything. I don't need too much of a reason to get the butter, sugar and eggs out to play with. But Valentine's Day seems to be the best reason today. Here are the results:


The cookies are the best recipe I have found in years. They just might trump my famous chocolate chip cookies, they are that good.

So now you can picture what we'll be having tonight as long as you are picturing a big scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream on the side. Oh, and even better. Mark will be having some too, we expect him to walk in the door any minute.

Gotta love the Love Day!

Heaven . . . in my kitchen!

I really love to cook. I'm not talking about the everyday monotonous cooking, the cooking that comes from your pantry in cans, you just can't wait to get on the table, eat and then clean it up to move onto homework or couch time. I'm talking the new recipe with the mysterious twist. Maybe it is a unique pairing of two foods, maybe it is a food that has never been tasted, MAYBE it just has butter in it and therefore must be made. And you have time to enjoy the process, savor the result and postpone the clean up while good conversation flows. Whatever the case, that is the kind of cooking I love.

Which reminds me, have you seen "Julie and Julia"? I'm buying "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" on my next Amazon order and I'm going to de-bone a duck, I will, I will!

Monday was an unexpected day full of . . . empty time. We were supposed to go to Rothenburg to a Christmas Market but Mark was delayed getting home from his Italy trip and the weather didn't cooperate. SO, I pulled out all the recipes I have had tucked away in my back pocket just waiting to be made. Let me just give you a preview of what is in store by giving you a portion of my shopping list: 16 sticks of butter (we are off to a good start); semi sweet, milk, mini chocolate chips; red plum jam; almond butter (thanks mom); all forms of sugar; cream (oh yeah). And the most important ingredient of all: a fridge full of diet coke (to which a drip of madagascar vanilla hits the spot) and 2 new Christmas albums (thank you my friend iTunes, who makes it so easy to spend so much money with just a click of a button).

And just because I need to write this out loud, I started at noon and put the last touches on my orange cookies at 8:00 pm. I took a break here and there by letting the kids lick the spoons, dip their fingers in the goo, but for the most part the oven was on and the mixer was humming. SO. FUN.

Here are the results . . . so pretty!




During one of our breaks we ate dinner which was a work of art in and of itself. I gave Mark a list of things to buy while in Italy and he made me proud. He bought olive oil, balsamic vinegar, asiago cheese, red pepper infused olive oil and parma ham (32 euro per kilo baby, which is why we only have 200 grams to work with ;). When we move back to the states and you come to my house expecting to see all kinds of souvenirs from Europe you will be sorely disappointed because I ate them all! When Mark and I travel we find the most enjoyable thing is to try the local cuisine. I will be able to show you lots and lots of pictures of us with our mouths open, trying all kinds of good eats.

So we made pizza! I even made the dough from scratch, and I believe even my friends Bree and Aaron would have been proud. We layered homemade pizza sauce with mozzarella cheese, parma ham, fresh tomatoes, asiago cheese and topped with Parmesan. Seriously folks, now you have a really good idea why I love this man. He speaks to my heart AND my stomach.

We went to bed fat and happy with smiles on our faces. Other days can be filled with fruits and vegetables and my torturous treadmill. Today was my day for a good dose of calcium intake what with all that dairy and maybe, just maybe the good fat (olive oil) nixed the bad fat (butter and cream). I know this is not true but a gal can dream . . .

Oh yea . . . I'm proud to be an American!

Today ends the ship week for the holiday round of Baking Gals. Team Fab Four pulled through again, just like I knew they would! I had about 15 team members this round which is fantastic! So here is another look at the recipient of our sugar confections:


Chief Ray's children made this for him and I. LOVE. IT. Does he look menacing? Maybe? Is that a good thing? Oh Yea! After all he is tasked to stand between me and the "bad guys" with the goal of zero collateral damage. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this guy rocks! He is a wonderful father, husband, brother, uncle, son, leader and friend. He is strong, brave, humble, charitable, tender, selfless, kid-friendly, smart and a good example of how to be a follower of Christ. He values the human spirit and spends his day fighting for that. He can withstand this trial of being separated from his family by keeping his eye on the target of reunion and an eternal perspective of a forever family.

Am I proud to be an American? If this is the type of person that represents me to our foreign neighbors and enemies . . . oh yea, I'm definitely proud!

Let the baking begin!

Time for another round of Baking GALS. Last round Team FabFour was so successful and I'm hoping to have the same results with Round 5 especially because Round 5 falls during the Christmas holiday, a time when these wonderful soldiers really need a boost. They are apart from their loved ones and working at a back breaking pace. No one else on earth needs a little sunshine like this group:

This round I am sponsoring Chief Ray. He is the Officer In Charge of the Equipment Readiness Division which includes 10 soldiers. He is on the top row, far left side. Basically they provide equipment and supplies for soldiers in the field for the north half of Iraq. Pretty important business! Here is what his day is like:

His work day begins at 0630 every day. The day goes until about 2000 -2200 hours each day. The other soldiers usually work from 0800hrs till 1800hrs. He has not had a day off since he arrived in Iraq, 3 months now. He tries to get the soldiers half a day off each week. The days are LONG but he tells me that they all prefer that…it means they "are not sitting in their CHU’s (container housing units) feeling sorry for ourselves".

Of the 10 soldiers in his charge, six are married and four are single. Chief Ray is one lucky man as he is married to a wonderful and strong woman and is the father of 7 children. And when he is not being a great husband and father he is constantly looking out for friends and neighbors in need. He wanted me to tell you that "All the support you and your teams gives is GREATLY appreciated".

So come on bakers, get on board and lets drop much needed sunshine in the form of sugar and Christmas cheer onto the souls of these deserving soldiers who are doing their duty above and beyond to support the good 'ol USA! Just hop over to Baking GALS and first, register on the site if you haven't already done so, then second sign up for a team, I think my team is a pretty good one! Make sure you do both steps, register then join a team. I'm already planning my box of sweet treats . . .

Team FabFour Conquers Round 4

As you may have read earlier in my blog I have been involved in a project, Baking GALS (Give a Little Support). Which basically involves making yummy baked goods that go to troops deployed down range. I hosted team FabFour and let me tell you, my team baked me proud! Here is a list of my team members (without last names) and if they posted on their blog (I tried to get all the posts but if I missed yours PLEASE let me know) about their experience I have linked that with their name:

Kim
Sherrie
Danette
Laurel
Marie Ann
Jamie
Holly
Mandy
Marie
Michelle
Melinda
Trina
Inga
Sara
flourgirlsweets (although this isn't a blog post I wanted to show you her talent!)
Domestic Engineer

What a great team of bakers and I personally want to thank each one of you for your time and efforts! I know for a fact (because our dentist boys emailed me personally) that your efforts were greatly appreciated. Not only did we satisfied their bellies and hearts, but we also ensured their job security!

Now, get ready for Round 5! The Baking GALS site should be opening up new teams this week for the month of December. What a perfect family project to spread some holiday cheer to those soldiers who sacrifice so much for our freedom and comforts. Now I think Chief Ray who I'm sponsoring next round is the best pick BUT it is up to you to decide: pick a team, any team (but pick mine) and send a little Christmas cheer downrange!

I'm a team captain! Do you wanna play?

So I have a new project that I feel very passionate about and that is Operation Baking GALS.

It is a great concept that is being carried out all over the world and now I get to be a part of it! Basically the project involves sending home baked goods to our troops down range. Yes, they get fed down there, yes they get packages from home BUT how cool would it be to get bombarded with treats so that they can share the love?! Well I just think is sounds too good to not be a part of. The cool part is that ANYONE can participate no matter where you live.

Baking is done in rounds so that all teams ship during the same week. Each team has a team captain that sponsors a soldier and organizes her team to ship to the lucky guy. I participated in Round 3 and now I'm a team captain in Round 4! Which is so cool because then I get to pick the soldier to be showered in sugar!

Here is my pick for this round: (this is my recruiting statement from the Baking Gals site)

Hello fellow bakers and "do gooders"! My name is Leslie and this is my first time hosting a team for this great endeavor! I am an Air Force wife currently living in Germany. I baked for a different team during round 3 and had so much fun I thought, what the heck, I'll host. Especially because I have two, that's right people, TWO very deserving soldiers to recruit for, Captain Terry and Hammons. Both are Army Dentists that do an excellent job at maintaining the smiles of our soldiers down range.

Love those safety reflectors, no deep cover there guys!

In their dental unit there are approximately 25 Soldiers that will benefit from our sweet treats. This group of professionals see aprox. 1000 soldiers per month doing everything from fillings to rootcanals to crown and bridge work to dentures. They service a patient population of 60,000 soldiers and another 60,000 Third Country Nationals, Contractors, etc. on an emergent basis. So fellow bakers join my team and let's send our sweet creations and well wishes over to these great soldiers that could use a little lift! If you are interested in joining team Fab Four either hop on over to the site or give me a comment that you are interested. Your reward will be the joy of baking and knowing that you have lifted a soldier's heart and put a smile on his face!

So now I'm recruiting my friends, family and neighbors to join my team! Just jump on over to the site and register (this does not by any means tie your hands into baking, although I love a good reason to play in butter, sugar and more sugar) but by doing this you can sign onto my team! Seriously consider this, it is really fun, involve your kids in the project, they will be so excited. Show them their picture tell them what they are doing and how this will help make them feel appreciated and pampered for a bit. AND depending on how this goes, I'll try again to be selected as a team captain and then I get to sponsor another one of my good buddies, maybe even your sweetie! GO, NOW, get onto team Fab Four and let the baking commence!

We've got mad skills!

Put the Frandsen girls in the kitchen and watch out! There will be a mess, some mayhem, lots of laughing and then we are rewarded with sweet treats! So how could I resist when I found this great project in the blog world called Operation Baking Gals. It is a great cause and fun to do at the same time. Basically you bake for soldiers downrange and send them your treats. If you are interested you are placed on a team and then you get to work! I highly recommend it for your family!

During this round (there have been 3 so far) we are assigned to Team Doughmesstic. Take a minute and check this chick's blog. Seriously, go right now. Not only will you drool with her creations but you will find yourself laughing along with her humor. She is also the founder of Operation Baking Gals. Doughmesstic, you rock!

We are assigned to a 1st Lt. Robinson and he told our team that he has at least 50 mouths that need our sweet creations. So I decided that we would make 3 batches of cookies, one for each of us. Plus I can send to other APO's for free so it can weigh a brick and it is no skin off my wallet!

McKenna's choice was the good 'ol Frandsen stand by, Chocolate Chip Nut. I have been making these babies so long that they are now at a state of perfection. I can do it in my sleep. That might be bold but it is true, my cookies rock! Bailey chose Peanut Butter Bites. Folks, she did the whole batch all by herself with very little supervision from me. She is gonna take after me! So cool!
And for my contribution I chose Apricot Oatmeal Cookies. Thought we needed a little fruit with our chocolate and nuts. First time making this recipe and I really liked it. Probably helped that it included almonds.

We had a huge box, filled it to the brim with our creations and sent it on it's merry way just this morning. Lucky for us, we made more than the box could fit so we were able to enjoy our treats too. So, here's to Lt. Robinson and your guys and gals, thanks for all you do. We truly appreciate your sacrifice and service to the good 'ol USA.