Hoppy Easter

Rice Krispies are to your pantry what a white button down is to your wardrobe. Every time I make Rice Krispie treats, I think to myself, "Self, you should make these more often. They are so yummy". And I love thinking of new things to do with them.

A few weeks ago, I made mock sushi for a small get together we had, and those were really fun. The kids seemed to really like them.



Today, we made bird nests for Easter. Aren't they cute?




The bird eggs are Cadbury Mini Eggs. They would probably be even more authentic looking if you made them with Cocoa Krispies, but I'm not quite ready to introduce my kids to that deliciousness yet.


We also made these little bunny boxes to put Easter cookies in. You can see that Kate did a very thorough job with her painting. She didn't want to cover up Peter Rabbit on the box, since "he is a bunny too".

To what to my wondering eyes did appear

...but Michael eating his vegetables with cheer!


Here is what is important about this photo.
1. NOT that Michael has the dorkiest haircut on either side of the Atlantic
2. NOT that Michael is wearing a hand-me down girl bib
3. Michael is eating Kale.

Everybody knows that we all need to eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables daily. But some of us also know that convincing small children of that fact is sometimes difficult.
I often receive big bags of kale in my weekly veg box, and there is only so much kale soup & sauteed kale one can eat. So my favorite way of preparing it is to make it into kale chips. Contrary to what you are thinking, they are delicious. Crispy and salty, just like the much less healthy potato variety.

Even Michael, who is wary of many vegetables (most unlike his sister, who will happily eat whatever is placed in front of her) dug in. He ate nearly half a bag of the stuff, and his sister and I ate the other half.

Try it. You'll like it. And I bet your kid will too.
And hopefully all those phytonutrients will make his hair grow. Quickly.



To make:
toss together kale and some olive oil, a teaspoon of cider vinegar, and some salt. Spread into a single layer on a large baking sheet & bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until nice and crispy.

Good Eats

One of the things about moving here that got me the most excited was the food.
Those of you who know me well know that I live to eat!!

Cooking has been a little challenging, only because we still don't have our own kitchen items. I only have a couple of crummy pots, one lone baking sheet, a dull knife, and that is about it.
This morning, we went down to the Borough Market, which I'd heard so much about. It was amazing!! I could have eaten the entire day away. There were Italian monks selling Parma Ham, a thousand and one fromageries, a guy from Poland selling sausages, and tons of organic fruit & veg. I bought some Jersuleum artichokes, a Japanese Pumpkin, and some Comte cheese from the Borough Cheese Company. It was heaven. I can't wait to go back when I am better equipped to make some serious chow. I used the pumpkin to make some soup for dinner, and it was quite tasty, if very simple.

After that we headed down to Whole Foods to check out their cheese room. I chose goat log with Rind Soignon, organic Sheep Bastiaansen, and an unpasturized cow called Celtic Promise. Outstanding. I heart cheese.

I had hoped that they sold Aged Beef, but we couldn't find any cuts we liked. I want to make a special dinner for NYE, since we'll be solo this year. I bought some filets from the butcher for Christmas Eve, but I couldn't even eat it. THey don't age the beef here, and it tastes extremely gamey to me. Guess I'll have to go with a turkey or maybe some lobster.


Alright, I'm off to finish my mince pie and glass of Rioja before turning in early to bed. Ciao!