bubbling over

When you have a child that's subdued in his emotions and keeps his feelings close, it's sometimes more special when you can spot the spark of excitement that's been lit up inside him.  It comes across as a shy smile, excited chatter or a burst of energy.  You can't wait for him to tell you all about it and see that smile grow across his face.  Today, well several days this week, has been like that for me.

At the beginning of the week, Nathaniel had the idea that he wanted his class to play hockey in the gym.  Initially he wanted to be the coach, but I encouraged him to consider playing with his friends.  I was a bit skeptical that it would happen, but I encouraged him to talk to his teacher.  It was at the end of the day that his teacher told me how Nathaniel had shared this idea and was then put to work to make it happen.  He made up a chart to poll all his classmates, asking if they wanted to play hockey.  A number of teachers were called in hopes there was some space in the gym for the class to play their game of hockey.  And it happened.  Nathaniel scored 5 goals with the final score being 5-1.

Today he went to school wearing a t-shirt.  He was hoping for another hockey game and didn't want to get too hot.  At the end of the day I received a call from his gym teacher.  She said that Nathaniel's class had played again in the gym and that he had been invited to play in the school's floor hockey league.  The teams play 1-2 times a week, during recess time.  I'm sure you can imagine his excitement.  Here's where you can imagine my boy's excitement overflowing - he was playing with a team of all grade 4 kids.  His teacher wanted to call to make sure I was okay that he was the only kindergarten kid playing with the grade 4 to 6 kids.  One of the players had recently moved so they had an empty spot on a team.  Nathaniel was up for it, totally holding his own during the game.

So, I was waiting for the smile when he walked out of school today.  That glimmer in his eye when our eyes met.  And I got it.  He came over talking about his team - the Ice Breakers.  He was planning when he could surprise Daddy with the news and how he needed to practice when we got home.  It was amazing to sense how special he felt and know he was so proud to share his excitement.  These are the sparks that make it for me as his mom.  They don't happen every day.  So, when they do, they are so much more special.

a quick decision

Jesse was up early this morning.  He cuddled in our bed, mumbling about whatever he was thinking about at the time.  This doesn't allow either of us to fall back asleep.  Finally Andrew brought him out to the couch.  When I came out later to have a shower, I caught a quick glimpse of this - Andrew trying to rest a few more minutes and Jesse happily looking at one of his favorite books.  I might have just smiled and continued on to the bathroom, but thankfully I grabbed the camera.  It was a quick decision and I'm so glad I stopped to make it.

grapefruit scones

I am thankful for the sunny skies we've had since our spring snowstorm last week.  But, I am needing warmer weather.  I'm tired of the boots, snow pants, mittens, hats, etc. that clutter up our mudroom.  I am ready to have the kids grab their spring coats and rain boots and be done with it.  This need for warm weather got me thinking of this cheerful recipe that I found a couple of weeks ago.  Just seeing these scones lined up on the cookie sheet made me happy.  And I needed a bit of a pick me up.

And making the simple grapefruit sugar for the tops put a smile on my face.  Not everyone gets this, but thankfully Nathaniel was ready to high five me in the kitchen after see these pretties.

I wasn't the only one anticipating their deliciousness.

And as I was taking these pictures of the scones I was so pleased with the light that had miraculously found itself in my dark and dim kitchen.  We receive some light in the morning but otherwise my kitchen is not the place for pretty blog pictures.  It was when I looked out the family room window that shows the beautiful scene of my neighbour's garage roof that I realized the not yet melted snow on the roof was creating a perfect reflector for the sunshine to find its way into my kitchen.  So, I guess all that snow did have a purpose.

Grapefruit Scones - adapted from Joy the Baker
makes 8

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 ruby red grapefruit, zested and segmented
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup yogurt (I used vanilla, you could use plain)
2 tablespoons honey

Place your oven rack in the centre and preheat to 425 F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Zest the grapefruit and combine the zest with all of the sugar.  On a clean cutting board, rub the zest and sugar together with the back of a fork.  The sugar will become a tinted orange colour.  Measure 2 tablespoons of this grapefruit sugar and add to the flour mixture.  Reserve the remaining sugar for the tops of the scones.

Next, segment the grapefruit.  Using a sharp knife, cut off the remaining white peel.  Then slice in between the white skin segments to the centre of the fruit.  When the fruit has been segmented, cut the grapefruit segments into chunks.  Set the segments aside.  If you're unsure of how to segment citrus fruit, here's an article that will break it down for you.

Dice the cold butter into small cubes.  Working quickly, add the butter to the flour mixture and combine with your fingers.  Continue to break the butter down until they become the size of peas.  Add the yogurt, honey and grapefruit segments.  Using a fork, toss the mixture together until the dry ingredients are moistened by the yogurt and honey.

Turn the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface.  The dough will still be quite sticky.  Using your hands, pat the dough into an 8 inch disc, about 1 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges.  Using a bench scraper or a knife, place the scones on the prepared cookie sheet.  Brush the tops lightly with buttermilk or milk, then sprinkle with the reserved grapefruit sugar.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown on top and firm but still soft in the centre.  Allow to cool on the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.  These are best eaten the day they are made.

have I mentioned?

Have I mentioned that this boy loves to read?  Now every time we go to the grocery store, he insists on spending time in the book aisle.  Yes, he likes to make himself comfortable.

being canadian

It's something we all know will likely happen.  The snow has all melted, the birds are singing and the air has changed enough that you can smell the earthiness of the ground.  You can get away with finally not wearing mittens and snow pants.  But you know that you really can't tuck these items away for next winter.  Because when you live in Ontario there is always the chance of an early spring snowstorm.  Yesterday we received ours.

And it came down all day.  It was heavy and difficult to shovel.  My back muscles are definitely reminding me of this today.

It does give the kids a few more days of playing in snow.  Tobogganing with friends, digging up snow with shovels and dump trucks.  Finding joy is brushing off snow from the van.

Even though we all know this is likely to happen, it doesn't make it any easier.  Spring, where are you?

march break 2011 part 2

In the middle of last week we still had some snowbanks.  I was thankful that Jesse had something to keep him busy while we played outside.

The other kids were busy thinking of spring with skipping ropes, sidewalk chalk, scooters and bikes.

Nathaniel was busy making his blue lines for his hockey rink on the driveway.

On Thursday morning we decided to visit City Cafe - a local hot spot for bread and wood fired bagels and pizza.  Our kids were after the donuts.

The girls walked as the boys used their wheels.

We returned home for more scootering.

March Break was a new concept for this little guy.  He quickly realized just how special it is.

march break 2011

The kids are back to school after a week off for March Break.  I knew it was time to get through all the pictures that were taken over the week.  We started things off by heading to St. Catharines to celebrate all the winter birthdays.  Nathaniel had to wait a long time to celebrate with this side of cousins.  So far he has never complained.  I like the arrangement.  It spreads out the gifts he receives.

Nathaniel has really gotten into music so I thought a ukulele would be a perfect thing.  I think he would have preferred it if it came with an amp.  Jesse loved hearing Uncle Eric's serenade.

The kids then slept over until Wednesday morning.  No pictures from all their fun experiences but all three talk about how much fun they had during their trip to the sugar bush, a indoor playground for the boys, movie night, hot tubbing and spending loads of time with cousins.  I enjoyed sleeping in, not making supper and never having to sweep crumbs from the floor.  I also spent lots of time working on projects for Jesse's preschool.

When they returned, the warmer weather arrived and we spent hours outside taking in as much of the snow as we could.

Abigail lost a tooth and had to share it with the boys.

I will share more pics soon.

real banana pudding

I spotted this recipe in one of my cookbooks months ago and knew I wanted to make it someday.  Of course I totally forgot about it for another few months.  But for some reason it came to the surface on Wednesday when I felt like making something in the kitchen.  We had just enough ripe bananas and thankfully the exact amount of cornstarch left.

If you've never made homemade pudding before, trust me, it is easy and so much better than the boxed kind. This would make a great March Break treat to make with the kids.  Cutting up bananas, stirring the pudding on the stove, all perfect tasks for little hands.

Real Banana Pudding - adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
makes 4-6 servings (I doubled the recipe)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Put 2 cups of the milk, the sugar and the salt into a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Cook just until it begins to steam.  Take off the heat and stir in the bananas.  Let this mixture steep for 20 minutes.  Strain out the bananas.  (You can snack on these bananas or discard them.)

Combine the cornstarch and the remaining half cup of milk in a bowl and stir well.  There should be no lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the warm milk and cook on medium low heat until the mixture thickens.  Stir frequently. As the mixture thickens, you will need to stir constantly to prevent any milk burning on the bottom of the pot.  When the mixture just starts to boil, reduce the heat to very low and continue stirring for another few minutes.  Take off the heat, add the butter and vanilla.  Stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a large dish or 4 to 6 small ramekins of bowls.  To prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pudding, place plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding.  Refrigerate until chilled and serve within a day.

to sum up

He is still fascinated by books.  He still loves firetrucks.

our evening walk

Abigail had spent an hour in her room reading.  She came out and said that she needed to get outside for some fresh air.  The two of us decided to take a little after supper walk.  The sun was just setting and we quickly decided on our route.

When we got home we decided that the two of us should try and get out for a walk more often.

A few days later I found this note tacked onto her bedroom wall.  She's got it all worked out.

peanut butter cup crunch brownie bars

These brownies are crazy!  And dangerous.  Some people refer to them as "Better than Crack Brownies".    They were so good and addictive, that I had to ban the leftovers from our house and send them to Andrew's work.

Brownie, peanut butter cups, peanuts, rice krispies, more chocolate and peanut butter.  I don't think I need to explain any more.  Go make them! 

Peanut Butter Cup Crunch Brownie Bars - adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

makes 24 brownies

1 batch of your favorite brownie recipe for a 9x13-inch pan (see recipe below)

1/2 cup salted peanuts

8 Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1. Prepare the brownies according to the directions and bake for about 5 minutes less than the recipe states. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with the peanuts and chopped peanut butter cups. Return to the oven and bake for 5 additional minutes.

2. While the brownies are finishing baking, melt both kinds of chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once combined, add the cereal and stir to evenly coat.   Remove the brownies from the oven and immediately pour the chocolate and peanut butter mixture over top. Spread to cover evenly. Let cool on the counter then refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting and serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Chewy Brownies  - adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

makes 24

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
21/4 cups (17½ ounces) sugar
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into ½-inch pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one-inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water together until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Add the melted butter and oil, whisking until combined. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Add the sugar and whisk until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.  (If you are using these brownies for the peanut butter cup crunch brownie bars recipe, be sure to take the brownies out 5 minutes before being done.)

4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. 

the juicer

This weekend our lazy susan was reorganized.  Among other treasures that were found, our juicer was brought out.  This was on our wedding gift registry and perhaps has been used the same number of years Andrew and I have been married.  Of course having it stuck in the back of the lazy susan didn't help.  I think now that my boys know about, we'll be making many more cups of juice.

What little kid wouldn't love this machine?  It makes lots of noise, has buttons, you can push down your fruit and juice comes out the front.  It's brilliant!

So on Sunday the boys got out some clementines and started juicing.  I walked away for a few minutes to put away some laundry and heard an awful noise.  I ran back to the kitchen where the boys were looking quite bewildered.  Stuck in the blades was a single jelly bean.  My boys had tried making jelly bean juice.  They learned you can't make juice out of everything and I learned that boys and kitchen appliances do need full parental supervision.