Hallelujah for the Christmas Cookie Exchange

Who came up with this holiday ritual? I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart. The Christmas cookie exchange is truly the lazy woman's answer for having tins of goodies of all variety over the holidays. I love the concept. And, after having heard of these wondrous events, I can now say I have taken part. And I am hooked!

Ok, I just had to look it up. While the Christmas Cookie Exchange is not credited to one person, it seems to first have appeared in print in the 1963 Betty Crocker's Cooky Book.
"A Party Idea. A popular once-a-year party is the Chrismas cooky swap party. Friends and neighbors gather, each bringing one dozen of her holiday specialty for each woman at the party. Cookies are set out to sample and admire and coffee is served. Afterward each one takes home a wonderful variety of festive cookies." Thank you, foodtimeline.org.


On a side note, did you know that my father's mother was the first female executive at General Mills, and for awhile, she was some of the features on the face of Betty Crocker (who was a composite of several women)? More on that someday...



Back to cookies... on Saturday night, I was part of a cookie exchange. It was just up the road from my house, and I was able to go with a good friend, while her hubby watched our three 1/2 year old daughters, who were incidentally born on the same day. Michelle & I got to hang out with my babe and two other fine ladies, sipping wine, eating Mexican chili (even veggie style for me!), and chatting. In the end, my 4 kinds of treats, turned into 9! And now, I have beautiful tins of baked goods to give away as gifts and to eat. Yum, yum!

I hope to collect some of the other recipes, which included yummy Russian Tea Cakes, delicious oatmeal peanut butter cranberry cookies, and exquisite pistachio lime iced cookies. I can share what I made...


Peanut Blossoms, which I wrote about and posted the recipe for here. My Aunt Jackie used to make these during the holidays and I think of her every time I make them. She taught me how and I used to unwrap and push in the Hershey's Kisses.


Maple Cinnamon Pecans. I got this recipe from my favorite enewsletter, Craft Daily. They are easy to make and the host of the cookie exchange referred to them as "crack", so be prepared to be addicted.



Homemade Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows. The recipe is here. Once again, Craft Daily, and the same wonderful contributor. The cookie exchange host squealed when she saw these! I could not resist attempting these. I don't really like to just eat marshmallows but I thought they would make great gifts next year, along with cocoa mix. I wanted to give them a shot before planning to make bunches and bunches. It was quite easy albeit sticky. I think I got about 5 dozen out of this recipe. I would use more vanilla bean next time and a stand mixer... They are beautiful, delicious, and Quin has fun helping to put the crushed candy cane on. They need to be refrigerated and can be kept for up to one week.




Iced Sugar Cookies. I have to admit that the batter for these was not made my me. The horror... but I wanted to support a friend who was selling buckets of frozen cookie dough as a fundraiser for her son's school. I bought one, thinking how much fun Quin and I would have making them. And we did. And I have a great respect for people who do such a beautiful job of decorating these. The thought of making different colored frosting... eeck. I just made a simple icing from icing sugar, a few drops of water, and a couple drops of lemon juice. Add sprinkles et voila!

Making Homemade Baby Food IS Just as Easy as Opening a Jar...

...and tastes oh-so-much better. Trust me on this. With my first child, I bought a lot of organic jarred baby foods. I waited until she was 7 months old before I fed her because she was not very interested in food. In the end, she was not much of an eater until she was close to a year old, she preferred to nurse. I was all geared up to make her homemade baby food, but the few times I did she didn't eat much of it, so I stopped. I had cookbooks, a food mill, and storage containers all ready to go. I held on to it all. I am happy I did because our second little one recently started eating pureed food and she LOVES to eat. She is also nursing but she got to a point where she was so interested in food we actually started her at 5 1/2 months, which is a bit early. She insisted. And now, just a month later she wants to eat food if the rest of us are. So, now I get to make baby food, and I have a babe who can't get enough. I have not bought one jar of canned food. I have only bought organic fruits and vegetables, rice, and oatmeal, and have made it all myself. You can, too. It is truly simple!


A few tips on early feeding:
~ It is best to start with foods which are least likely to be allergenic. These include banana, brown rice cereal, and avocado. My first child started with avocado and my second with brown rice cereal. It is a good idea to avoid feeding acidic foods like berries, citrus, and tomatoes to new eaters as they can be allergenic.
~ There are theories on not starting your child with sweet items first as they might tend to crave them. My second child actually didn't like banana at first, she preferred cereals and vegetables.
~ Don't expect your child to eat a lot at first. Do not force a baby to eat. If they are interested they will open their mouths and if they close them or turn away when you try to feed them, stop. They should still be getting plenty of nourishment from breast milk or formula.
~ Do not save any leftover food from the serving your child has been eating from. Once the spoon has been used and put back in the food, bacteria is in the food and it should be thrown out. For this reason, when you make food, keep it in a larger container and spoon it into a smaller one.
~ Do not microwave your baby's food. I use a regular bowl, filled with hot water, and I put a small glass ramekin (bowl) into the larger bowl and mix the food to warm it up.
~ Most new parents have many questions about introducing food to babies. I can only cover so much here. Please see the resource links below for more information.


So far, Elle has eaten brown rice cereal, oatmeal, avocado, banana, potato, sweet potato, green beans, applesauce, and mango. My best friend gave me a wonderful Kidco food mill (see resources below). It is a super easy way to puree anything. I just put the chunks of food in it, add a bit of water and turn the crank. It is easy enough for my three year old to turn so she is happy to turn the crank and feels she is a part of feeding time. This food mill is really good for fibrous fruits and veggies, since it keeps the fibers, seeds, skin, and even bone beneath the medical grade stainless steel strainer and cutting blade set, which is not at all sharp to the touch. The body of the mill is made from BPA and PHTHALATE FREE plastic. The newer deluxe version has a skid proof bottom and crank, a snap on lid, and a travel case. Once you crank the food it fills the 4 oz feeding cup so you can feed from it. It is a snap to clean, in fact it is dishwasher safe, although I always hand wash mine. They are well worth their affordable price of about $20 Canadian. If you prefer you can also use a food processor or blender but they are more work to clean and you may need to strain the food before serving, depending upon the type.

Here is how I have prepared everything I have made so far.

Banana & Avocado
My daughter doesn't seem to like banana unless it is very ripe. It is easy cut up avocado and banana and to mash it with a fork. You can also put it through the food mill for the smoothest consistency. Because neither banana or avocado keep very well once mashed, I usually use about a 1/3 of the banana or avocado, and eat the rest myself.


Cooked Brown Rice Cereal
This recipe is from the book Simply Natural Baby Food (see resources below).
Place 1/2 cup of brown rice in 3 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour.

Rice should be very soft so you can cook it for longer if needed. Water may not be completely absorbed which is fine. You can puree this in the blender, which I actually do, because it is a large batch. I keep about three days worth of feedings in the fridge, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. I usually have about 24 cubes (see photo below). I take them out of the ice cube trays and store them in freezer safe Pyrex bowls with plastic lids. I keep the cereal that I store in the fridge quite thick, and I add boiling water to each serving to warm it up and thin it out when it is time to eat. For the frozen cubes I usually put two in a hot water bath, letting them thaw, and then put them through the food mill. They hold their shape as they thaw and they absorb enough water that they usually come out of the mill the perfect consistency.


Oatmeal
We like to put oatmeal powder in our bath water to guard against dry skin. I have an electric coffee grinder that I use just for grinding oatmeal and other grains. I spoon a few teaspoons of the powder into a small glass bowl and I add hot water. As it cools the cereal thickens so I add water once more right before I serve it so it is the desired thickness. It ends up about one part cereal to three parts water. You can also powder the oatmeal in a blender or food processor, a few cups at a time, and store it in a jar with a lid.

Potato, Sweet Potato, & Apple
Peel the potato or apple. Cut it into small pieces. Put in saucepan with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until they are soft enough to puree, usually about 15 minutes.

Mango
I cut it into small chunks and put it through the food mill.

Green Beans
I cut the beans into small pieces then over cook them in boiling water. Once they are very soft I put some of the cooking water and the beans in the mill to make a smooth puree.


Resources
Food Mill
Kidco, Inc
Websites
~ wholesomebabyfood.com
~ HomemadeBabyFoodRecipes.com
~ Mothering Magazine Online
Books
~ New Vegetarian Baby by Sharon K. Yntema
~ Simply Natural Baby Food: Easy Recipes for Delicous Meals Your Infant and Toddler Will Love by Cathe Olson

I would love to hear your recipes for baby food and am always looking for good resources. Please leave me a comment if you have something to share.


If you are wondering where I got this adorable handmade bib, it is from Christine, at Barnyard Baby on Etsy. She gave it to me as one of the Etsy Virtual Baby Shower gifts I received back in June, after Emmanuelle was born. It is well made, beautiful, and washes up well. I love it!

She's Like a Rainbow - Nimbin Australia

I am involved with a book project with Female Photographers of Etsy (fPOE). We are in the process of voting on the cover image for our book "She's Like a Rainbow". I submitted this Polaroid Transfer of a woman in Nimbin Australia.
Image by Tiffany Teske

Vegan Ginger Orange Muffins Using Crystallized Ginger

BEFORE

My friend, Cheryl, came over on Sunday. It was an extremely chilly day, something like -25 below and she WALKED to my house. I like to drink warm beverages and eat goodies with my friends, especially if I have not seen them in awhile. What better way to catch up? I had not seen Cheryl since BEFORE my almost 7 month old baby was born, and we live in the same town! I used to teach the recycled craft projects at the kid's program she works with. So, after Cheryl shed her layers, I handed her some mint tea and we proceeded to eat these delicious vegan muffins. Cheryl has been a vegan for 6 months. They are moist, delicious, and sweet without any refined sugar (although I guess that would depend on which brand of marmalade you select). I love that the recipe calls for both marmalade and crystallized ginger. They are extra delicious warmed up and slathered with almond butter. YUM!


AFTER

I found this recipe on a site called Cat Tea Corner and you can click on this link to get the recipe. I will not type it out here since the copyright info clearly says their recipes may be printed out for personal use but may not be reproduced in any other form. Once you have clicked on the link above you are in the desserts, breads, and beverages section so you can scroll down to Gingery Orange Muffins and click on it. There is a large list of over 400 vegan recipes here. I can't wait to check out more of their recipes.

Book Recommendation - Art's Supplies by Chris Tougas

I love children's books. I used to read them even before I had a child. I strive to write one someday, hopefully sooner than later. I live in Canada. There are far fewer children's book publishers here than in the US. We do have a wonderful organization called The Canadian Children's Book Centre where Canadian's can find out about Canadian writers and illustrators. I like to look for Canadian children's books when we go to the library. They make it easy by putting a Canadian sticker on the spine. I am also drawn to kids books about art and art making. I recently came across Art's Supplies by Chris Tongas. Like most books for children about art, it is colorful and well illustrated. The story is about Art and the party he threw with his supplies. It is full of puns and knock knock jokes, both of which children love. My favorite joke in the book is:
"What's the one thing an artist can't draw? ... A good wage!"
Haha. Much truth is said in jest...
This book is published by Orca Book Publishers. It is $19.95. Check it out for your favorite little artist this holiday.

Kickin' It Old School With My New Retro ORANGE Pentax Camera Case!

My dear friend, Kim, and I, like to check out the local thrift stores and rummage sales when we can. And should one of us be out hunting for treasures without the other, we pick up items for each other. Kim recently found an awesome camera bag for me for $4 bucks. Now, that would be a steal for any functional camera bag but this one is ORANGE, which just happens to be my favorite favorite color (although I don't like to discriminate, I like all the colors in one form or another). When she brought it over I was so excited! It is so nice to have a friend who knows something that screams "me" when she sees it. And extra nice that she picks it up for me.


Now, as a professional photographer, I have tons of camera bags, because I have tons of cameras. Only two are digital, my Nikon SLR and my Leica point-and-shoot, and the rest are analog; various 35mm SLRs for film, plenty of Polaroid cameras, a bunch of point-and-shoots for film, a 4x5, an argus, a yashica mat twin-lens reflex, and of course, my Holga with Polaroid back. These all live in various camera bags, some of which were made for them, some of which were not. Case in point, my Holga with Polaroid back, which produces Holgaroids. A Holga is a plastic camera that is so simple and unpredictable that the artistic possibilities are endless. And adding a Polaroid back to a Holga not only increases the fun, it makes the camera a complete tank. Case in point, see the photo above. (Yes, that is green masking tape, all the better to keep the Polaroid back from falling off when I am taking a photo...). If you are interested in checking out some of my Holgaroids, here are some shots on my Flickr.


Soooo, up until now, my Holga was living in a much-too-short-but-wide-enough-to-house-it Polaroid Spectra case. Which meant my Spectra was either naked or living in some other case which didn't suit it. NOW, thanks to this orange case, my Spectra gets her home back, and my Holga AND all of her accessories, which were living in the super small Holga case, can live in luxury in the retro goodness of the Pentax case.


A place for everything and everything in it's place. Ain't life grand? Thanks, Kimmers! Now, I need to get busy making some new camera straps...

The Best Little Sweater Ever There Was... it Zips Up the BACK!

My friend Dominique has a lovely grandmother, Rachel, whom I got to know because I would occasionally taught crafts at the senior center she spends time at. I miss those seniors. Due to budget cuts, I have not seen them this year... anyway, for quite sometime I have been coveting the sweaters that Rachel has made for Dom's kids, as well as many, many other new babes in the area. They are ingenious, brilliant, and completely unique to me. I come from Minneapolis, the land of cold, so I thought I had seen everything known to man when it comes to winter wear. These sweaters have a zipper IN THE BACK, so instead of trying to put them over the head of your infant, you can just slip their arms in the sleeves, zip them up, and away you go (or "Bob's your uncle" as they would say in Maine).




It is basically a reverse hoodie but so much cooler somehow. I wish I could knit. Not being afraid to try new things, I have tried. But, I never got past the point of having really loose and really tight stitches. I decided that I would leave knitting to the many talented friends that I have who do it so well and who kindly shower us regularly with hand knitted items. Leave it to the pros. Well, Rachel is a pro, a legend even. When Dom came over with several sweaters for me to chose from, and then quoted me an really generous price, I was ecstatic. I chose a beautiful brown, green, and blue one that looks adorable on Emmanuelle but would look good on a boy as well so I am sure it will make the rounds of all the family kiddos.



I wish I knew how to write about knits, it has some beautiful detailing I would explain if I knew the right words. I think the detailing down the middle front of the sweater is called cable lattice. And I LOVE the peaked, elfin style hood! I have not been able to hang it in the closet, I have just been admiring it hanging on the back of a dining room chair. So, anyway, wanted to write about out lovely new handmade sweater, and to maybe inspire those of you who knit to figure out how to make one as your next baby gift. If you do, or if you know more about this style of sweater, let me know... Here is a link to a free pattern as well as to a blog post that has great photos of this style of sweater.

Our Little Holiday Photo Shoot: Featuring Ten Tips For Photographing Your Own Kids

My mom lives in Minneapolis, a three hour flight and one and a half hour drive from the airport from us. Due to Andre's job, which is busier in the winter, we always stay put for the holidays. My mom likes to send photo Christmas cards to friends and family and as soon as she started having grandchildren they became the stars of her cards. She now has four granddaughters so this year she is creating a collage card. Here is where I come in. Since we are so far away, I need to take the up-to-date image of my girls. A couple of days ago I dressed the girls up in holidays clothing sent by grandma and we had a little photo shoot, something that is a bit common around here. Having a mom as a professional photographer comes with some obligation to pose when called upon to do so. I always try to make sure my kiddos are have fun with it so that we can enjoy having shoots for years to come...


Here are my tips for a better Christmas card photo shoot...

Some Things To Keep in Mind To Help Photograph Kids Without Pain

1) Cut yourself and your kids some slack. It can be difficult to photograph your own kids. I have been photographing children professionally for 11 years and I still find it difficult to photograph my own. This is in part because your kids are used to you and they may or may not feel like cooperating. When a stranger is asking them to do something, they may be in awe of the situation or at least curious so they just follow along. It is different when Mom is asking, especially if Mom has a camera pointed at them all the time and they are desensitized to it. Don't push the issue. You may have to try more than once.
2) Make sure your kids are well rested, well fed, and in a good mood. Explain what you are after while at the same time making it sound fun. If you want to use bribery, it is up to you. I don't like to flat out bribe, but I do set things up in such a way that the kiddos know that once we have done our job of getting the photos we can then move on to baking cookies and making hot chocolate. Try to get the images you want within 30 minutes. Professionally, I have worked with kids for up to one and a half hours, but these were exceptional kiddos. Also, keep in mind that at different ages kids do different things. For example, it can be hard to get a very young baby to smile, then many two and three year olds ham it up and can't smile "right", and the more kids of different ages in the mix, the more difficult it can be to have everyone smiling, looking at the camera, keeping their hands off their faces, etc, etc, etc. For that matter, the more kids of the SAME ages, the more difficult it can be. I once had two Christmas photo shoots on the same day, one was with quintuplets, the other with twins. I earned my keep that day.


Some Things To Consider Before Getting Started

3) Use natural light. I feel it provides the best results with kids, much better than on-camera flash, especially the built in flash on a point and shoot camera. Pick a room that is well lit with window light. You do not want strong, direct sunlight to fall on your kids because it will cause squinting. You want soft, even light and for these photos you probably want it to fall directly on your kids faces, so position them facing the window and yourself with your back to the window. This does limit where you can move around to... For more options, go outside and have the kids sit in an evenly light place that is not in direct sunlight. We live where it was -22 C on the day of our shoot, so we set ourselves up in the living room, in front of the sliding glass door at a time of day when the most indirect light was coming in.
4) Select an uncluttered background. Keeping in mind which one has the best natural light. If you do need to use an on-camera flash do not position your kids directly against the background, as you will get a strong shadow against it from the flash, especially when taking a vertical photo. To minimize this, move your kids away from the wall, try to have some natural light coming in to also illuminate the kids, and take the image horizontally, then crop out extra background on the computer.
5) Have some poses in mind. You can put the kids on a couch, chair, bench, or on the floor. In my case, I have a three year old and a 6 month old. The 6 month old doesn't sit on her own. Her sister loves to hold her but because she is only three, it makes the baby (and me) a bit nervous. For my session I decided to have them on the ground, on a white shag rug. It was neutral but comfortable so they could lay on it for several photos.
6) Have a chair or sturdy step stool that you can climb up on so you can photograph your kids from above. It is not only flattering for subjects to look up at the camera (especially older people as it lengthens the neck and gets rid of double chins) but it also helps you to screen out all of the visual clutter. When you are above something, you only see the floor, bed, chair, that the child is sitting on, not the background. Where you stand when taking an image is called vantage point. Think about yours. Get up and down, and move around.
7) Do not have your kids say "cheese". This always makes them look unnatural. In fact, it is pretty easy to tell just by looking at a photograph that a child is saying "cheese". Let the true personalities of your kids show through. This is not always easy to capture, especially when kids are strictly posed by an adult. Kids are kids and I never strive for perfection in this kind of a shoot. I would rather get the true essence of the kids. If you want something very formal and you are not a photographer, maybe you should consider scheduling a session with a pro. For holiday cards, most people will be happy to receive cute photos of your adorable kids being, well, kids.


Start Snapping Away
8) Take lots of pictures in lots of different poses. Mixing things up is a good way to keep your kids from getting bored and it gives you lots to chose from while avoiding having to do the whole thing over again.
9) Let your kids decide on some of the ways they want to pose. Including them in decision making does wonders for cooperation.
10) Try to get what you want, without pushing it. Once kids have gone over the edge they rarely come back. Keep that half an hour in mind and be sure you have gotten the images that you want to work with, because unless you enjoy fix problems with imaging software, it is much simpler to get what you need in camera at the shoot then to edit the images.

If you have any questions or additional advice please feel free to leave me a comment.

My Aunt Helen's Salmon Frittata - Get Ready to Be WOWED!

Thanks to a friend, I recently participated in an email recipe exchange. It did not go as hoped. I was supposed to receive 32 recipes. I think I may have gotten 12. And once I had deleted the ones with meat and those with processed products like, eh hem, Cheez Whiz (I am sorry, as a lover of cheese I can not give this plastic in a container that is colored like no cheese I know, the time of day. The cutesy name doesn't help the cause either.) there were only a couple left worth trying. I will post those here as I make them. I sent the swap to my aunt, who is a gourmet cook, and who has greatly influenced my life since I was a child in all manner of creative pursuits. She sent me the selection she had passed along. I made it the next day and have added it to our regular repertoire. I love breakfast foods for dinner and this is also great for brunch. It is very good reheated, as my friend, Kim, will attest two. She came over for the lunch the day after I made it. And it is just as simple as something you would make with Cheez Whiz.... I recommend using fresh dill, so yummy!

Smoked Salmon Frittata
By Aunt Helen

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. hot sauce (tabasco)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 –1/2 lb. good smoked salmon (can use lox)
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
3-5 green onions chopped (depends on size)
2 tbsp. fresh dill or 2 tsp dried
1 tbsp. butter

Optional garnish; dill sprigs or sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine eggs, sourcream salt, and tobasco in a medium bowl. Add flour and whisk to blend. Stir in salmon, cheese, green onions and dill
3. Using a 10 inch oven proof skillet, set pan over medium heat, and butter and heat until butter sizzles. Turn off heat and pour in egg mixture. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set and the top is brown. Cut into wedges and garnish with sour cream and/or dill.
serves 6-8

Happy December! And I Just Caught My Breath Enough to Realize I am a Year Older!!

Bonjour Decembre! How can it be time for you to appear?! My year starts out slowly in January, meandering along until spring, picking up speed in the summer, taking my breath away in the fall, then racing along into the new year... and every year it gets faster!!

This year, on my birthday in mid November, I am officially became closer to 40 then 30 but I still feel like I am 20. I love my birthday and am suspicious of people who say they don't. I like to do my best to have a birthday week or couple of weeks. I love belated birthday wishes and I am still eagerly awaiting one card that got lost in the mail, a package that was just sent, and a promised birthday phone call (and I am happy since until these all arrive or happen my birthday is not over)...

I am grateful to my beloved friends and family who sent thoughtful cards, emails, and Facebook messages, who showered me with gifts, meals, and treats, who took the time call (which to me is a treat since in this world of email it is becoming more rare). And to my man, who arranged a sitter to watch the kiddos for 2 hours while we went out for Indian food. And to my kiddos who went out to lunch with me at a local creperie (see adorable photo above). I love you all!