An Extra Day - Just Because

We ended up trying another new food on Christmas Eve - Key Lime Pie.  

I was surprised at how easy this was to make.    It reminded me of a cheese cake, without the cream cheese. Traditionally, the base would be made from graham crackers but I have not found a nice gluten free alternative to graham crackers so I just opted for a gluten-free pre-made crust.   The filling was simply Key Lime juice and condensed milk.   The topping is meringue.

Key Limes are small limes, grown in the Florida Keys.

Kai was bribed into trying the Key Lime Pie.   As you can see he did not like it.   It was quite tart, and this four year old couldn't handle that.   He did enjoy his ice-cream, which was his reward for trying.

But, as you can see, everyone else gave it the thumbs up!

I'm very tempted to make a Key Lime Cheesecake now!

Day 12 - Black Truffle

Today our new food was Black Truffle.   We almost didn't try this food, as I asked for it at the shop only to find that one truffle cost in the range of $60-$100.   Ben and I had decided that we needed to wait until we had more money to try this food.   But then we found Black Truffle Butter.   A tiny tub of butter cost us $8.99 - but it contained shaved black truffle, black truffle puree and black truffle extract so we knew we were going to experience the taste without breaking our budget.

I served it with gluten free pasta and romano cheese.   My original recipe called for pasta, olive oil, black truffle and romano, so this was pretty close to the original.

I was not surprised when Isaac announced that he did not like it.   Isaac is not a big pasta fan at the best of times.   Add in a strong flavored butter and it was not well received.   He did, however, add some meat and suffered through the meal.

Elizabeth loved it.   This girl of ours is our food lover.   She has loved trying new foods for the past two weeks and each day she seems to be finding a new "favorite".

Ben and I thought it was delightful.   I think when we have the budget available, we might try the real thing.   This was a much cheaper way to find out how our family reacted.   It would have been terrible if we all screwed up our noses after paying $80 for a truffle.

Kai did not try the Black Truffle.  He did, however, thoroughly enjoy the pasta and cheese.   Or as he kept on saying "Can I have some more spaghetti with my cheese?"

Day 11 - Kumquats

Today we tried Kumquats.   They are small citrus fruits that are in season at this time of year.   No one had ever tried these before.    I did have another meal on my menu but I felt like something nice and easy to try, due to all the busyness of Christmas.   What could be better than a small fruit which we didn't need to prepare!

Kumquats can be eaten with or without the skin.   Ben was the first to try and he found the skins quite bitter.

Due to this, we recommended that the kids try the fruit without the skins.    For this they suck on the fruit to remove the juice.

Elizabeth was the next one to try.   Let's put it this way - she's now eaten about 6-7 kumquats.   Because she liked the first so much, she decided to try them with the skin as well.    She declares that they taste better with the skin.

Isaac and Kai were not impressed at all!

As for me, I liked them as much as any other citrus fruit.   I tried both with and without the skin but preferred them without the skin.   I have to admit though, as I'm typing up this post I have a nice fresh taste in my mouth.

Day 10 - Borscht

This is the food that I really wanted to try.   Borscht is a beetroot soup/stew.   When I started looking for recipes, I found out that there were many variations on Borscht, depending on which region you are from.   I chose a Ukrainian recipe, which called for meat in my stew.   There were many vegetarian options as well but I felt like eating meat.

Ben and I thought it was delicious.   We don't eat beetroot over here very much - they don't sell Golden Circle Beetroot and nothing seems to compare to that.    However, as soon as we ate this Ben said "Of course we like this, because we're Australian.   Beetroot soup - why didn't we think of this sooner?"    This was made from real beetroot - not the canned stuff - and it was yummy!

However, the kids disagreed.   They both tried a few mouthfuls of the different vegetables and the meat but they really didn't like it.   I'll give them stars for being brave enough to try more than one mouthful though.

Our conclusion is that Ben & I will have Borscht again on a night when we're cooking just for ourselves.

Day 9 - Eggnog

The thought of drinking egg has always put Ben & I off Eggnog.   Until I looked into Eggnog recipes, we thought the egg wasn't even cooked.   However it appears that you do heat the milk and egg, so you are not actually drinking raw egg.   That fact tipped us over the edge enough to try Eggnog as our next food.   I admit, I cheated and bought a very unhealthy, highly processed, drink from the shops rather than making my own.   It's nice to have a ready made food every now and then!

Everyone tried the Eggnog - even Kai although that did take some bribery.

Ben and Elizabeth loved it.   We had to tell Lizzy she couldn't have too much, as it's very high in calories.   To put it another way - it would take 1 hour of snowboarding to work off 1 cup of eggnog.

Isaac and I didn't mind the Eggnog, but it's not something we would choose if there was another option available.   I'd rather drink my calories in other ways.

Kai was very emphatic about the fact that Eggnog is yucky!

Astrophotography

If you have a spare 5-6 minutes, and you are interested in listening to Elizabeth present her talk about Astrophotography, here is the video...

Day 8 - Baba Ghanoush

Today we headed off to the Middle East for our new food:   Baba Ghanoush.

Baba Ghanoush is made from egg plant, tahini, lemon juice and spices.  

I quite liked this dish although it was very lemony.   As I was taste testing, I thought that Elizabeth would be a fan as she likes hummus and she likes lemon.   This dish tasted like a mix between the two.

This is Ben's "why are you taking a photo of me face".   He thought it was OK, but I'm guessing that he's not going to go out of his way to eat it again.
  

Isaac could not decide if he liked it or not - but it must not have been too bad as he ate all of it.

And, not surprisingly, Elizabeth loved it.   She's already got some in a small container to take to school tomorrow.   She kept on telling me that it tasted just like hummus but even better.

Kai did not try any, as it was not ready before he went to bed.   But I'm guessing he would have looked at it and screwed up his nose.

Finally!

Kai is my reluctant writer.

But for the last few days he has finally been writing his name!

Hooray!

Day 7 - Pocky

Pocky is a popular Japanese candy.   It's basically a small stick wafer, covered with chocolate.

Unfortunately, this is the one thing we are trying over the two weeks which Ben cannot eat, as it's made from wheat.

It also turned out that Elizabeth had actually tried Pocky.   She went to a martial arts camp last summer, and they had Pocky as a treat one day.    She liked it so much back then that she was really excited about having it again tonight.

Isaac loved it - and I'm expecting him to ask for more when he gets home.

Kai did not like it at all but I suspect that is mainly because he is not well and many favorite foods are being rejected.

I, of course, loved it.   Who can resist vanilla wafer with chocolate:   not me anyway!

Day 6 - Baked Alaska

Day 6 has been my favorite day so far.   Not only did this taste delicious, but it was so fun to make.   I have happy memories of Mum making Baked Alaska and remember being fascinated as a kid with how you could cook ice-cream.    This was my very first attempt at baking my own Baked Alaska and I'm happy to report that it worked!

Not surprisingly this was a hit with the kids too.   Elizabeth declared that this was her favorite day so far.

Ben enjoyed it too but not just for the usual reasons.   Baked Alaska is a dramatic dish, which you set on fire just before presenting it to your guests.   Mum had told me that traditionally brandy was used but that she never had success with it.  Instead, she used lemon essence or vanilla essence.   I didn't have any brandy, and my vanilla essence is homemade from vodka so I wasn't sure how well it would work.

So Ben gladly rose to the challenge of going through our alcohols to find out which was the most flammable.   We had seven different kinds to try, and unfortunately most didn't even create the smallest flame.   For each one, he put some in a shot glass, lit the match and watched.   Once it was tested, he drank the sample.    Let's just say that I had a very talkative husband for the evening and he did lots of cycling to exercise off the calories :)    Luckily we had one that lit up quite nicely - Peppermint Schnapps.  

Day 5 - Dango

Our next food on our "new foods" list was Dango.   To be precise we had Fugetsu Do - which is rainbow dango.

It is a Japanese dumpling/dessert made from mochiko (rice flour).   It's not the most famous sort of Dango, but that one is covered in soy sauce and that, of course, contains gluten.   (I could have made a gluten free version myself - but Monday is a busy day and this was one meal I decided to buy instead of make)

It was well like by all - and definitely one that the children would happily eat again.

Preschool Christmas Concert

It's that time of year again - when the children have their Christmas concerts.   Of all the concerts, the preschool concert is definitely the one overloaded with cuteness.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Kai's class singing Silent Night and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Day 4 - Spaetzle

Today's new food was Spaetzle.    This is a German food that resembles little dumplings.  

The recipe is very basic, but I found it quite hard to make.   Basically, I made a simple gluten free dough from eggs, flour and milk (the easy part).  I then pushed the dough through a colander into boiling water.   All recipes I found recommended pushing the dough through with a spoon.  I was really struggling until I had the bright idea to use a cup with a heavy bottom.    A pair of oven mitts also helped!

We served it with bratwurst and sauerkraut - both new foods for the kids too.  

Isaac did not really like the spaetzle - he thought it tasted too much like spaghetti which he doesn't really like.

Elizabeth thought it was too bland.

I liked it but it was pretty bland.  I think it would have tasted a lot nicer with some fresh herbs.

Ben liked the spaetzle.

Kai was the funniest.   Being a typical 4 year old, he refused to try it.   As I was reasonably sure he would like it, we told him he had to be a big boy and try one mouthful.    This resulted in many tears, but he took a mouthful.   While still sobbing, he says "I like it".   He ended up eating all of his, and a little bit of Isaac's.

None of the kids liked the sauerkraut, but they all liked the bratwurst.

Day 3 - Huevos Rancheros

Today's new food was Huevos Rancheros.   It was a huge hit.   Huevos Rancheros is a Mexican breakfast dish consisting of eggs on top of fried corn tortillas, and then topped with a tomato-chili sauce.

Elizabeth declared that this has been the best food so far, and I have to agree.

If you are wondering how to say Huevos Rancheros - have a listen here:   http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=huevos+rancheros&submit=Submit

Day 2 - Cheese Fondue

Today was our second day of trying new foods.    On tonight's menu was Cheese Fondue.   We've had chocolate fondue before, but none of us had ever tried cheese fondue.

Our fondue was made from Jarlsburg and Gruyere cheeses - you can find the recipe here if you are interested:   http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cheese_fondue/

I then served it with steak, cauliflower, broccoli, capsicum, carrots, fries and French bread.

It was liked by all, although Isaac and Elizabeth declared that they actually preferred the food when it wasn't dipped in the fondue.   Kai wasn't going to try it, but after he watched Lizzy and Isaac having fun dipping their food, he wanted to get in on the action.   He declared that it was very yummy, and that it was his second favorite thing today (coming in behind playing his computer game).   He particularly liked the broccoli with the fondue.

Fondue is a fun family meal - although I could imagine a smaller, more intimate, table might have been easier for the meal.

12 Days of New Foods

For the next 12 days, our family is going to try a new food each day.   There are going to be some things that either Ben or I have tried, but the majority of foods on our list have never been tried by all five of us.

Today was our first day, and on the menu was Goat's Milk.    I find it funny that for some families, Goat's milk is a part of their daily life.   However, none of us have tried it.

The verdict...

Despite the reluctant face, Ben didn't mind it.   He's not a milk fan, so for him it just tasted like milk.   He didn't like it in coffee though.

Elizabeth didn't mind it but she prefers cows milk.

Isaac did not like it and thought it tasted salty.   Good lad that he was, he drank it all before making his verdict.

I did not like it at all.    I had one mouthful and couldn't do any more.   I don't mind Goat's milk cheese but I just couldn't drink the milk.

Kai refused to try but that's not unusual at the moment with him.   Hopefully he'll try some of the foods over the next two weeks.

Day One of trying new foods is done.   Come back tomorrow for our next taste test.

Reluctant

Although it is commonly said that no child is alike, I have discovered that all three of my children have had some things in common.

One thing is that they are reluctant to let people know how much they know as preschoolers.

With Isaac, we were concerned in preschool that he didn't even know the alphabet verbally - let alone be able to recognize the letters.   However, he let us into his secret knowledge one morning when Ben purposely said the alphabet in a silly manner.   Isaac was obliged to show him the correct way and told us the complete alphabet.    Let's just say we were stunned.

Elizabeth followed suit - in a different manner.   She was an early reader - and basically taught herself to read at 3 years old.   As she entered preschool, we let her teacher know that she could read.   It took a full four months for her to show her teacher this skill - one morning I arrived to pick her up from preschool and Miss Julie said "when you told me that she could read, I thought you meant that she could recognize some basic sight words but this morning she laughed at the poster I had put on the wall.   When I asked her what was funny, she read the entire thing!"    This time, it was the teacher stunned - as she didn't share her knowledge outside of the family.

Now, of course, it's Kai's turn.   With Isaac and Elizabeth as examples I haven't been too worried that Kai was not recognizing numbers and letters.   If I asked him what a letter was he just say "I don't know" in a whiny voice.    However, the advent calendar has proven that he knows his numbers, at least.   With the motivation of being able to open the advent door and get a small chocolate - he has been able to find all the numbers 1-9 without the slightest of hesitation.  We'll find out today if he knows number 10.

Sometimes they really can be little rotters - said in the most lovely way, of course.

Thanksgiving

Another year - another Thanksgiving.   I like Thanksgiving as the whole day is based around a meal and one thing I really do enjoy is cooking.

 

This year, I really wanted to have the kids get involved in some of the baking so I decided that they would make some kid friendly desserts. So off to Pinterest I went.   (I love Pinterest.com - if you haven't ever been there, it's a wonderful place to search for ideas on nearly anything from travel, to cooking, to house decorating, and to school crafts and more). 

 

I decided we would make Rice Crispy Thanksgiving Turkeys.    They all got involved - I thought I would be lucky if my boys made even one as they are not big into crafts but they all loved making these.

 

 

 

The end result were these little turkeys!

If you ever want to make them - detailed instructions can be found here:    http://amysfinerthings.com/too-cute-turkey-treats

I suspect that her kids didn't make hers - as they look perfect!

We tried to have a healthy thanksgiving meal this year - Ben and I are watching what we are eating and we didn't want to over indulge like we often do.   I made my own cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato salad and green beans.   I also had gravy but it's not featured in my photo as this was my plate and I don't like gravy!   I bought the bread rolls, as I'm not superwoman despite what my family sometimes thinks ;-)

 

For dessert, I made mini pumpkin pies and cheesecakes.   It was all very delicious.

 

During lunch, we talked about what we are thankful for.

 

We are thankful for our family and the opportunities that we have.   We are thankful that we are going to be able to visit our extended family in Australia next year too!   Isaac and Kai are thankful for computers.   Elizabeth is thankful for our cats.

10th Birthday

Today is Lizzy's 10th birthday.   My! Time has flown, although I'm sure she thinks it's taken a long time coming around.    I remember as a child that one year was a very long time, and that the school year would never end.   Now one year seems to flash past and the kids just get bigger all the time.

We had a quiet birthday this year.   Our day started off with a rule!   No waking Mum & Dad before 7.00am.   She had asked us how early she could wake us up, as presents were going to be the first event of the day.    At 7.01, I felt a tap on my shoulder and was offered a glass of water (Ben was given a coffee).    She was thrilled with her gifts.

This afternoon, we had cake for afternoon tea.   She didn't want to choose a cake this year.  Instead she wanted to be surprised.    So I decided that I would make her a piano cake.     

 

 

It was also a hit.

 

Tonight, we are heading out for dinner to celebrate 10 years.

No Treasurer

Elizabeth did not get the position of Student Council Treasurer.     Let's just say she was very upset.  

As a mum, it's hard to watch a child struggle over the disappointments in life.   Sometimes you wonder if you do and say the right things.   This was one of those moments.

Before the election, I let her know that I was proud of her for running for the position.   I was proud of the fact that she was willing to get up to speak in front of 100 plus kids.   And no matter whether she won or lost that I would be proud of her.

But when she came home, looking down cast and near tears - I knew what was coming.   I offered a hug but it was rejected.   All she wanted was to be alone in her room.   I was told quite bluntly to go away.  

I wrote her a letter, dropped into her room and retreated.    I hope that the message got through that it was OK to be sad but that I was still proud of her.   And that I would love to see her try again next year despite the disappointment this year.

I then turned into mean mummy.   Two hours later, when she was still upset and didn't want to go to swimming lesson, I told her she had no option.   We had paid for swimming lessons and unless she wanted to pay me the cost of the lesson she had to go.  

Life sometimes does not seem fair, especially when you are nine.  But we all have to get up and keep on going.

She was fine today.   The disappointment of yesterday has passed.