Queen of Wonder

My kids got The Silver Spoon for Children cookbook for the holidays and it is such an adorable book. I am thinking about buying a stack and keeping them on hand children's for birthday party gifts. Anything that gets kids cooking is fantastic in my eyes. This book has cute illustrations and simple easy to follow instructions.  The focus is on Italian food, which most kids love- at least mine do....   So, in the past couple months we have been doing some cooking. The boys love the  desserts section the best. So far we have made the homemade ice cream (made in a Cuisinart, no ice cream...

It's the end of July, and the first pear fell off the tree the other day- so I started picking them. I put a few little pears in a paper bag to ripen and today I noticed they were ripe and firm.  The day was not going well before this discovery....first I searched high and low for The Magic School Bus videos due TODAY, then my girls day lunch fell through, then I could not find the checkbook. I was getting very bitchy. Somehow I stumbled into the kitchen in my grumpy mood. I noticed the pears. I decided to make a claufouti... one hour later the house smelled yummy and I was temporarily sedated...

This past weekend, it was sweltering. Not 80 degrees, just warm, but HOT like Calcutta.  Even though it was hot, the family needed dinner. I rifled through the fridge and found zucchini, peppers, and just harvested baby carrots from the garden. I chopped up the vegetables, drizzled with olive oil and mixed in some crushed garlic… then, I fittingly pulled some Madras Curry Powder from the pantry, and generously sprinkled on the veggies and grilled. That was the best move of the day.  This amazing Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder rocks! I served the vegetables with Pork Tenderloin marinated...

I bought a new cook book. Because of that cookbook, we had an actual meal inspired by said cookbook. No, not Dino Nuggets , or grilled cheese, no tacos, spaghetti, or things in the usual rotation. We had an amazing dinner for the first time in weeks, no make that months. In an effort to simplify life, I have not been cooking the elaborate meals I once did. I decided it was not worth the effort. As my children ran rabid through the kitchen as I attempted to cook, I would finally deliver dinner to the table frazzled and exhausted. Everyone would eat the meal in 10 minutes and in what sometimes felt...

I decided to make a pie for Barbara to thank her for all her help making Alex's cape . Our pear tree is heavy with fruit, and I thought it a perfect chance to share the harvest. But… the pears were not ripe. So, I decided upon a nectarine raspberry pie and a strawberry rhubarb pie -- most of the fruit came from San Rafael Farmers Market Festival . My friend Caroline taught me to make pie crust a couple Thanksgivings ago (thanks Caroline) and I find that the more pies I make, the easier it gets. I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for the crust. It is easy and delicious. On the nectarine raspberry pie...