We have had the girls friends visiting from Germany this week and have been on the go daily. While Moira was out last week her brothers and sisters worked to finish her birthday surprises for her "friends" birthday dinner.
Kieran really wanted to mix up the cotton candy cupcakes Alannah had planned. While she was at work he got his supplies together and gave it a whirl. A little ways into the process he thought something was off. He reread and realized he had forgotten the eggs. That was soon fixed up and he had them all ready to frost when the girls got home.
The little girls got to work seasoning the new cutting boards. You know all these jobs are easier done yourself but this is about the process. The end goal isn't a finished job, but busy hands and minds learning something they didn't know and understanding they make valuable contributions even when they are small.
I have been challenging myself to use up all the new veggies the landlord has brought us. The other night I tackled a new recipe for the fresh sprouts sauteed with bacon. It was really good and super filling. A little went a long way. The new Country Living (British) magazine featured parsnips so that's the next culinary adventure.
Ah, really sweet post! Love those little faces and hands busy at work. The Brussels Sprouts look fantastic, and Oh! am I ever jealous about your British Country Living! I love that magazine--my favorite ever--and I can't get it here anymore (and I just can't pay that overseas subscription price, either!) I still have a little stack of old copies that I won't be discarding, and they'll just have to be enough for now.
Blessings to you and yours, Kim.
Posted by: Susan L | January 28, 2013 at 01:41 AM
Those sprouts look delicious! We just made the Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Avocado, and Lime from the bottom of this page: http://www.inthelittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/winter-favorite.html . It sounds odd, but it was SUCH a good combination. Filling and flavorful. It made a great main dish with polenta as a side.
Posted by: Sarah | January 28, 2013 at 02:25 AM
My dim memory nags that we froze parsnips, first, and that removed the sometime bitter taste. It also made them sweeter. I'l email my Dad (the keeper of cooking trivia) and ask him. They are wonderful additions to stews, and even just mashed on their own, much like rutabaga or turnip. I'll let you know what my Dad says.
Posted by: Yvonne | January 28, 2013 at 08:23 AM
That's how we make sprouts too!! My kids will eat anything sauteed with bacon :)
Posted by: Barb | January 28, 2013 at 04:43 PM
Yum! We made almost the exact same dish last year which I linked here but the recipe called for juniper berries. Did you add juniper berries? How about capers? :D Anyhow, your photo looks like you've added onion which would be delicious! All this talk about sprouts is making me miss my previous neighbor who used to bring over stalks of them.
http://gypsycaravan.typepad.com/a_gypsy_caravan/2012/02/brussel-sprouts-with-bacon.html#comments
Posted by: Rebecca | January 30, 2013 at 02:01 AM