my tips for decorating cookies with kids...

As I have mentioned in past years, the key to kids partaking in kitchen projects, and having them be enjoyable to all, is all about prep. That and some rimmed cookie sheets, if it involves cookie decorating.

If they're little, get things organized and then invite them to help. If they're old enough to help, encourage them to get things set up for younger siblings... having everything at arm's reach makes it easy to share.

Making a pastry bag out of a sandwich-sized zip-loc, with a tiny hole cut in the corner works well. Older children can make precise lines...and younger ones, well, it helps to keep the frosting contained.

 I don't know about your children, but the attention span of mine is not long enough to make dough, roll, cut, bake, cool and then decorate. So, I made a big batch of gingerbread again this year and froze the cookies until this weekend, when we had time to do the fun part: decorate.

That said, what is most important is that you keep things merry. If you don't have time to bake before Christmas, no. big. deal. I love Meagan Francis' perspective on holiday baking. Forget the calendar, heck, go out and buy cookies and a tub of frosting if that's what works. You and I both know that what matters is that you actually enjoy time together this holiday season, decorating cookies... tromping out in the snow... snuggling up with a book...or whatever family time bring these next two weeks. I hope you all have a wonderful vacation together and will look forward to kicking off the New Year with some health-inspired, simple recipes to share with your families!

kerry's super simple coconut macaroons

My friend, Kerry, told me about these Real Simple coconut macaroons, which she and her children have been whipping up as holiday gifts. I'd never made macaroons, though I do love a good, chewy macaroon. So, last night, we gave these a test whirl. Not only are they delicious, but they are so simple to make...perfect for little hands that want to help!

Real Simple's Coconut Macaroons

(makes 50 teaspoon-sized macaroons)

14 oz bag of sweetened shredded coconut

4 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

parchment paper

round measuring spoon: teaspoon

Preheat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl, using a hand-mixer. The original recipe says to "drop packed tablespoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet". At Kerry advice, we did teaspoonful and they were plenty big, especially since they're so sweet! Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Will store for 7 days in an airtight container, if they last that long.

For extra decadence, you can make them chocolate dipped, though I thought that seemed unnecessary, since they were so delicious as is...

special class snack: make-your-own yogurt parfait bar

My little one's birthday is coming up, so he gets to bring a special snack to school to share with his classmates. His choice? A yogurt parfait bar. My husband balked, wondering "what 4 going on 5-year-old asks for a yogurt parfait for his birthday snack", but I kind of wonder if the kid is on to something?

Each child will be given a clear cup with yogurt on the bottom, then a variety of toppings to choose from. As a special treat, I am also giving the teachers whipped cream and some Stonewall Kitchen Raspberry Syrup. At home we use a variety of nuts and seeds as well, when we're making parfaits. But his class is nut-free, so we're going with:

• strawberry, banana and vanilla yogurts
• strawberries (from frozen)
• pineapple
• cantaloupe
• peaches (from frozen)
• blueberries (which I paid a small fortune for organic ones in mid-December...)
• nut-free granola (Back to Nature was one of the only brands at Whole Foods that was nut free... I believe Berkshire Grain is also nut-free, but our Whole Foods didn't carry that brand. Kevin, if you're reading this, in Berkshire Grain granola nut-free?)
• cheerios
• raisins
• cranberries (fyi: Trader Joe's organic brand is one of the only "not-produced in a plant with tree nut" varieties I can find)
• Stonewall Kitchen's Raspberry Syrup
• and whipped cream (which, no, we don't usually top it off with at home!)

homemade applesauce

I've made apple sauce twice this week, which is more than I think I've ever made it. In fact, this might be the first time I've ever whipped it up? Now that I see how easy it is, I might have to make it more often as a healthy snack to have on hand, or as a special addition to our breakfast oatmeal.

Homemade Applesauce
(makes about 1 quart)

8 medium-sized apples, cut into chunks, skins left on*
1 cup apple cider
sweetener (agave, turbinado, honey, maple syrup...), optional
cinnamon, optional
vanilla, optional

In a saucepan, combine apples, cider, and sweetener, spices and vanilla (if adding). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until apples are soft. I stirred the sauce about every 10 minutes to mash the apples a bit. The longer you cook it, the softer the apples will get. When you reach the desired consistency, remove from heat and let cool. Can be frozen for up to two months.

* I am thankful that my family doesn't mind the texture of skins in our apple sauce (which we also leave quite chunky), because I don't have to peel the apples, making this a super fast snack or side. But, if you are more of an applesauce purist, then go ahead and remove the skins. You'll end up with a much smoother end product, which you can further mash til smooth with a fork, potato masher or food processor.

homemade apple pies

With the bounty of apples from our picking adventure, we made 4 apple pies. I'd never made an apple pie before. Crisps? Plenty. But we winged it on the apple pie front and they came out fabulous. Here is our recipe:

Homemade Apple Pies
(makes four 8" pies)

store bought pie crusts (yes, you read that right)
1 dozen large apples (or more if your apples are smaller), cut into chunks
apple cider
raw honey
agave
maple syrup
cinnamon
nutmeg
allspice

This was not a perfect science, so I've listed the ingredients that went into our pies, but you should tinker with the amounts to get to a taste you like...

Preheat the oven to 425. In a large pot, combine the apples and cider. You want enough liquid so that the apples are simmering in it...but not so much that the filling will be soupy. For a dozen large apples, I eventually added about 2 cups of fresh cider. Start with 1 cup and add more as the liquid boils off. You want to start the apples and cider at a boil, then lower heat so it is at a fast simmer. Add your favorite sweetener (we added a combination of raw honey, agave and maple syrup) and a few hearty shakes of each spice, to get to the taste of your ideal apple pie filling. Stir the apples a few time, just to combine everything and make sure they are cooking evenly, during the 10-12 minutes it takes for the apples to soften some. Ideally, you'll end up with about 1/2 cup of liquid remaining in the filling.

Line pie plates with crust. Fill with warm pie filling. Top with crust (lattice or a full top crust with a small hole cut in the center to let steam escape). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden.

thursday's lunchbox

This is what was going on yesterday

while I was packing lunches.

So, today I suggested they get in on the action. I'm not really in the mood for any broken bones this week. My little one was thrilled with the idea that he could not only choose-- but make-- his lunch. Why didn't I think of this sooner?! I laid out an assortment of sandwich fillings...stuff to make cream cheese & jam or a ham sandwich. Or so I thought.

First went the jam. Then plain cream cheese.

Then the little bit of leftover strawberry cream cheese I'd made for the roll-ups on Tuesday. And then ham. Ham?! "Torn into little bitty pieces!" "Wow." I bit my tongue. "It's going to be the best sandwich ever!" he proudly announced. Mmm, I bet. "Now, all it needs is cheese!" he said inspecting his creation. And on went a slice of sharp cheddar. Never mind the quarter inch thick layer of both regular and strawberry cream cheese, which apparently don't count as "cheese"....

"But then I need to cut it into shapes like you do..."

"because a plain old sandwich is boring." "Mmm hmm, I'll say."

Here is his self-made feast as we enter the home stretch of lunch packing:

his cream cheese-jam-strawberry cream cheese-ham sandwich + sweet potato chips + lemonade + strawberries + carrots (hidden under the chips)

wild berries

not enough for a pie, so we're baking a batch of our go-to oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

pink punch

Last week, I made watermelon-cucumber juice, in an effort to cool us all down after camp, tennis and swimming lessons.

It was delicious, but I'll admit that the weird color (from leaving the cucumber skins on) wasn't too appealing.

My little one told me, "that if he made the juice around here, he would have made it pretty and pink, not yucky color". And so, today I laid out a variety of fruits, and let him create his own juice concoction...

His watermelon-strawberry-apple-blueberry juice was delicious. And pink. Very pink.

homemade granola bars

This has been a whirlwind summer. It's been social and fun, but between too many snack bar lunches and end of the day drinks with friends, my hard-earned journey to health has taken a nose dive. And so, before we embark on the second half of our summer adventures, I am making a concerted effort to at least keep healthful, delicious foods around the house. My kids will (thankfully) eat most anything I put on the plate, so really it's up to me to make healthful choices. In addition to reminding myself of my own little prep ahead mantra, I made a batch of these granola bars to have on hand as a quick afternoon snack before running out to play. They are energy packed, so easy, and satiate our cravings for a sweet treat.

Ruth's Granola Bars

(recipe by Ruth Fehr of The Palette Fund - from the Food Solutions event at Urban Zen in May) makes 14-16 large bars*

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup sliced raw almonds

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup dried raisins, cranberries or cherries

3/4 cup agave

1/4 cup neutral oil (expeller pressed canola or safflower)

3/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter

1 cup brown rice puff cereal

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine oats, almonds and coconut. Pour onto rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. As soon as this comes out of the oven, add your dried fruit and mix well, placing the mixture into a large bowl. Place the agave, oil and nut butter into a small pot, stir to mix and bring just to a boil. Pour warm mixture over the granola. Mix well. Add the puffed rice and mix well, until the granola is coated. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and press the granola mixture onto it. Press firmly until an even layer covers the baking sheet. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and place in fridge until cool. Cut into 2x4 rectangles or 2x2 squares and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

* I cut the bars much smaller (2"x2"), as they're really sweet, and yielded about 40 bars. Here's the recipe in photos for those who like a visual the first time they're whipping something up!

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine oats, almonds and coconut.

Pour onto rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

While the oat mixture was baking I placed the agave, oil and nut butter into a small pot, stirring to mix and brought it just to a boil.

As soon as this comes out of the oven, add your dried fruit and mix well, placing the mixture into a large bowl.

Once the nut butter mixture was combined and just about to boil, I poured the warm mixture over the granola.

Mix well.

Then, add the puffed rice cereal, and mix well once again, until the granola is coated.

Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and press the granola mixture onto it.

Press firmly until an even layer covers the baking sheet.

Cover with another piece of parchment paper and place in fridge until cool.

Cut into 2x4 rectangles or 2x2 squares and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

It's a bird, it's a plane...it's SUPERMOM (armed with a variety of sprinkles)

I am done baking. For the year. Seriously. For those of you who might still be whipping up some holiday treats, don't forget to read last year's post on letting the little ones help, but keeping it sane. Then put on your Supermom cape and have fun!

A day of baking in pictures

Tomorrow my little one brings a special birthday snack to preschool. As you can imagine, I have been thinking of the possibilities for a while now. He really isn't too concerned-- or interested for that matter-- as long as it's sweet. With no "rules" in place, we can go wild. I've been pondering all sorts of holiday-themed treats, but really, he was more interested in his Legos than talking about treat ideas. Then last night, he mentioned that he wanted cut-out gingerbread cookies. Super, I'm thinking. I just happen to have a cookie exchange the same day we're bringing "birthday snack". So, I'll bake a giant double or triple batch, and let him go wild with decorating the ones for his classmates.

So, before the school bus pulls up this morning, we've cracked the eggs, poured the molasses...

we've beaten and stirred...

and I have 5 big balls of gingerbread dough chilling in the fridge until after school when we'll busy ourselves with rolling, cutting and baking. The only glitch? On the way to school my little one says, "Mommy? Maybe I like gingerbread but maybe my friends at school don't. Let's not make gingerbread. Let's make pink cookies, since pink is my favorite color!"

Long on butter, flour and sugar this time of year, I humor him and get a batch of sugar cookie dough made when we get home. "Shall we still cut them into shapes?" I ask excitedly, picturing all of the little faces oohing and aahing at the culinary masterpiece we'll bring in tomorrow morning. "No, round is fine mommy, just so long as they are pink, since that is my favorite color."

Knowing full well that my son's (current) favorite color is pink, I just happened to have picked up some India Tree sugars one day on a whim. I am golden. He looks at the cookies approvingly when they come out of the oven, then excitedly goes on to tell me that what would be really special as a birthday snack are the chocolate chip cookies that are regular. Regular? "Yeah, like the ones with the recipe on the bag like other mom's make," my older son tells me, clearly in cahoots with my little one. Really?

Not one to pass up a culinary challenge, even if it is their bedtime, the three of us whip up a batch of Tollhouse cookies. By. The. Book. No wheat flour, no oats, no messing around. Plain chocolate chip cookies. As they cooled on the rack and we went up for bedtime stories, my older son told my younger son, "you're really lucky you're bringing in such a special snack". "I know," I could hear my little one answering and you could tell from his voice that he was just beaming. Worth the extra flour, sugar, butter, eggs and effort this one special day of the year in his young life.

Now I know a few of my friends reading this are wondering whether I am bringing pink sugar cookies to the party tomorrow. Trust me, at that point in the night I had totally run out of steam to roll, cut, bake, decorate. So, I checked our butter and chocolate supply and instead whipped up a double batch of my cinnamon-chocolate brownies with chocolate ganache that are super simple and always a crowd pleaser. If any of my neighbors are reading this would like a ball of my gingerbread dough, just holler. We'll bake and decorate one or two balls this weekend, but we have a few more to share!