365 Days With Kiddos - Update & #7 - Eat Dessert FIRST

I am enjoying the 365 Days With Kiddos posts and have received nice feedback. In an effort to blog on other topics I have decided that the 365 Days posts will not necessarily be daily but there will be 365 of them.

Winter technically starts on December 21st, although here in the Canadian Rocky Mountains it could be winter any time. We woke up to 20 cm/ 7 inches of snow yesterday! We even made a snowman which I was going to blog about but have decided that since for most of you, there are still months of autumn left, I will stick with general or fall themed ideas and hold off on winter ones... although, I am aware of our friends from all over the world, in places that are now spring, like Australia, so maybe it doesn't really matter what I post when. It will continue to be a hodge podge with no real rhyme or reason. That said, on to #7...

Do you EVER eat dessert first at your house?! We don't do it very often. In fact, the first time I ever mentioned it to my husband, we didn't even have kids and he responded like I was suggesting something really radical. In fact, I believe his exact words, accompanied by a concerned look, were "But you will spoil your dinner!". It was priceless. I thought my mom was in the room. My Aunt Helen is probably the only person who ever fed me dessert before a meal, although my Dad may have done it, too, but I blocked it from my memory for fear my mother might find out. The point is, it was done only often enough that it was seen as an enormous treat, something that was special and just a little sinful. I am vaguely recalling a friend telling me that they have ice cream sundaes before dinner, or maybe it is for dinner, once a month. WOW! So go ahead, make your kiddo's eye go wide as if you have lost your marbles, EAT DESSERT FIRST!

Healthy Homemade Fruit Thin Bars (Think Fig Newtons...)

I am always on the look out for healthy homemade snacks and luckily I have lots of friends who are willing to share their recipes. My friend, Jane & I swap cookbooks, which is a really nice way to gain some new recipes, complete with feedback from someone you trust.

Our new favorite in this house are fruit thins. They are a fruit filled cookie that literally have tons of possible fillings. This recipe is from a very old out of print cookbook about baking.

Fruit Thins
Makes 24 to 32 cookies



Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Brazil nuts or walnuts (I used walnuts)
- 1 cup coconut (I used unsweetened shredded)
- 2 cups quick oats (I used organic)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
- 1/4 cup honey, warmed (although if you use liquid honey you don't need to warm it)
- 1/2 cup water
- Filling: use 1/2 cup water with a, b, c
a: 2 cups raisins, 1 cup dates
b: 1 cup each dates, raisins, and dried cranberries
c: 1 cup dried apricots, 1 cup dried pineapples pieces, and 1 cup golden raisins
NOTE: I used organic raspberry jam in my thins because I had it on hand.

Method
1. Blend coconut and oatmeal two minutes in food processor and place in bowl.
2. Blend nuts, flour, and salt for 30 seconds. Mix in bowl with coconut/oatmeal mixture. Add honey and water and stir together until pie-dough-like mixture is formed. Divide into two balls.
3. Filling: use a, b, or c from ingredient list; place in food processor with water and whiz, adding extra water if needed to make a thick speadable paste. (If dates or dried pineapple are hard, soften them in the water in microwave or on stove top before processing).
If using jam you do not need to prep it. Here is where things get a bit tricky...
4. Roll out first crust using two large pieces of plastic bag material or Bake Magic sheets. Place dough ball between sheets and rool, readjusting plastic if dough begins to press out as you roll. (Dampen counter slightly to keep the sheets from slipping around on the counter as you roll them. You will transfering everything to a cookie sheet with a lip, so roll it out to that size and shape.
5. Spread driend fruit mixture or jam over the surface.
6. Roll out the other ball of dough and place over the top of the other rolled out dough with filling and transfer to a cookie sheet. Place the plastic sheet on top and roll filmly to merge the layers together.
7. Score (press knife, don't drag). Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden brown on edges and bottom.

These smell delicious while baking. Best wishes not having the whole family eat them on the first day...

Robin Red Breast & Cozy Cave Cake

A couple of days ago I saw a robin red breast land on the freshly fallen snow. It made me smile and roll my eyes at the irony of what is called spring in our area. We seem to have had more snow since the first day of spring than we had all winter.


For my three year old daughter's Easter bunny gift, I bought a cake from my friend, Alannah's, amazing bakery, Cozy Cave Bakehouse. My 10 month old and I walked to town in a spring blizzard to buy it (another spring blizzard, more irony). What I love about Alannah's creations, next to the taste, is how beautiful they look and how much attention to detail she puts in the packaging. I could have bought anything chocolate that day but I bought the cake because we could share it, it was indeed a chocolate egg, and because of the vintage egg shaped box it came in. Thanks to Cozy Cave we have one awesome Easter bunny who comes to our house. He also brought the most delicious iced sugar cookies...