It's all about the LOVE

Over the weekend, Abby and Elise had a little Valentine's worksheet that involved defining "love" according to the dictionary, their parents, best friend, and on their own. They included Anna in this exercise and her response left us all smiling in agreement: "it just makes your heart feel better". 

You're nodding aren't you? Right?!?!?! Toddler speaks the truth... she also takes great pride in her flamingo pose.

Abby and Elise spent the last several days carefully crafting Valentine's for everyone in the family: Anna's had the little pig characters from some of her fave books drawn on it; John's was decorated with pants and referenced reading Harry Potter together; mine had a ball of yarn and crochet hooks. As I was sitting here typing, John walked in the door with handmade dark chocolates and a cherry sour beer from a local brewery. That is love. 

Happy Valentine's Day from our hearts to yours! May you find/do/be/say/see/make something, just even a little something, today and everyday that you LOVE. And, while you're at it, feed your body a little something it will love, like these super tasty and new favorite breakfast cookies!

Crisp and Delish Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from My Darling Vegan: Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies

- 1 C organic rolled oats
- 1/2 C organic almond flour
- 1/2 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 local eggs
- 1/4 C melted coconut oil
- 1/3 C organic creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 C maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 C raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 C dried fruit (I used chopped pineapple but cranberries would be great!)
- 1/4 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry ingredents; in a separate bowl mix wet ingredients; add wet to dry and then fold in dried fruit, seeds, and nuts.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until browned a bit - I made approximately 18 cookies out of this recipe. 

Foodie Friday!

Confession: my clothes are getting tighter. A little snug here, a little more stretched there. Could it be Bubbe's Christmas caramels? Maybe... after all, we did crank out two batches this year because the first one resembled more of a brick than a square of chewy-goodness. (In our defense, it was a new candy thermometer and the second batch was beyond perfection). I suppose the clothing dilemma could also be a result of the tiny human that I'm growing - 18 weeks along and going strong! I went for a run yesterday, however while reflecting upon the 3-mile outing, I decided I could no longer say I went for a "run". It was a "jog", at best. :)

For the most part, even where holidays are concerned, I try to "health" things up a bit. Here is a non-example of that:

The girls modified Gran's sugar cookie gingerbread people by adding ears. Then they painted them green... because they are obviously Shrek and Fiona cookies (we recently saw "Shrek: The Musical" at the Lawrence theater... the girls have not yet seen the movie). Doesn't everyone celebrate the season with Shrek cookies?

Back to the "health" part... Here are a few of my latest faves. The cookies and creamer were part of my contribution to Christmas brunch; the biscuits are just darn good and easy.

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Cookies

• 3/4 C organic coconut sugar
• 1 stick organic unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs (from the lovely Lavender, right out back!)
• 1/4 C organic molasses
• 3 3/4 C organic stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Chill dough for at least an hour before rolling
• Bake on parchment paper at 350 degrees for 8 minutes

Coffee Creamer

recipe courtesy of Deliciously Organic

• 2 C organic half and half
• 1/4 C organic maple syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
• Heat half and half, maple syrup, and cinnamon over medium until steaming
• Remove from heat and add vanilla
• Strain through cheese cloth and enjoy!
• I love this in my naturally decaffeinated green tea (no caffeine for baby!)

Honey Whole Wheat Biscuits

adapted from A Bear in the Kitchen

• 2 1/4 C organic stone ground whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 T cold organic unsalted butter; cut into pieces
• 3/4 C organic plain yogurt kefir (could also use buttermilk)
• 1 1/2 T local honey
• Combine dry ingredients; cut in butter with pastry cutter
• Combine kefir and honey
• Add wet to dry
• Roll out dough to approx 5" x 9" rectangle; fold long sides up/down like a letter and roll again to desired thickness
• Bake on parchment paper at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Wee Fruit Pizzas

For the girls' birthday this year, we had a small gathering in the morning, the day of their birthday. Little did we know that it was going to be 110° that day, which made the morning celebration that much more pleasant. Adding extra bodies to the house does nothing for the coolness quotient. I am now a huge fan of the morning party! I loved that the girls were able to wake up and start celebrating rather than waiting all day, the summertime birthday fits well with an earlier start, and the snacks were fun and easy! I didn't want to load them up with a sugary cupcake before lunch and naps, so when I saw these Mini-Muffin Fruit Pizzas, I was sold. I used homemade dough but definitely stole the idea. And I frosted/fruited a tray of them ahead of time for the adults, leaving some un-decorated to entertain the smaller humans as they did their own.

Mini-Muffin Tin Fruit Pizzas, with Lemony Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies
**I doubled the recipe for this occasion**

• 1/2 C organic unsalted butter
• 3/4 C organic sugar
• 1 local egg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 2 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 organic lemon
• Juice of 1/2 organic lemon
• Mix dry ingredients
• Mix wet ingredients
• Combine all and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Butter a mini muffin tin
• Roll dough into small balls - do not squish into muffin tin; just drop a ball in each spot
• Bake for 4 minutes; remove from oven and press tops down with the back of a spoon
• Return to oven for 3-5 more minutes
• Topping: basic cream cheese frosting and organic fruit of your liking

Chocolate Chip Cookies... with Coconut Oil

I was having a conversation recently about cooking/baking. I love the fact that recipes are endless. There is always something that could be made. There are always new ingredients to try. The need for food never goes away. I like to read about the latest "10 Greatest Foods" and the newest "Diets For Success" because, while I'm not a dieter (never have been, never will be), I do find value in learning from bits and pieces here and there as a way to improve upon our nutritional choices. And I'm continually amazed at the people (especially parents) who don't spend time, energy, and resources on becoming well-balanced and healthy. Our girls are eating machines. They love mealtimes and their food preferences are fabulous. I took them to The Merc last weekend to pick up some fun treats for dinner - Daddy was out for drinks and basketball with Uncle Travis, so I thought it would be fun for us girls to "eat out" (yes, getting goodies from The Merc constitutes eating out for us). Abby selected sushi (vegetarian rolls). Elise chose couscous (with roasted zucchini). I love it. 

So, as far as trying new things and testing out pieces of the latest and greatest... coconut oil. I've never used coconut oil but I'm reading about it on the internet, in books, and in magazines. I made cookies this week and substituted half of the butter with coconut oil. The result? Tasty McTasterson! Subtle coconut flavor that may have actually added to the texture and richness of the cookie. I used my favorite recipe that I've shared before but with the addition of coconut. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil

• 1/2 C (one stick) organic unsalted butter
• 1/2 C organic unrefined fresh-pressed virgin coconut oil
• 1 C organic sugar
• 1 C brown sugar
• 2 local eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C organic white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 C organic regular oats (ground up in the blender first)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Dark chocolate chips (approx 3/4 bag)
• Organic cranberries (approx 1 C)
• Combine dry ingredients
• Combine wet ingredients
• Add all together; mix in chocolate chips and cranberries
• Bake at 375° for 8-9 minutes (do not overbake; I use a Silpat)
• This full recipe makes 5 dozen cookies, give or take depending on size. It can easily be cut in half, but I like to make the full recipe and freeze half. Remember: roll the cookie dough into balls, freeze on a cookie sheet until hard, and store in a ziploc baggie. Frozen cookie dough balls can be placed straight into the oven - they just might need a few extra minutes of baking time.

Valentine's Day Slacker

Sigh. 'Twas the night before Valentine's Day, and not a card had been sent. Seriously. I don't know what happened - I feel totally disappointed that I didn't make a giant stack of beautifully cut and crafted cards this year for friends and family to receive tomorrow. Sure, life is busy. But. I. Love. Making. Cards. And I love sending mail. I mean, I managed to make these...

I just don't understand how the cards were forgotten. So, the best I can do, is send everyone a love-filled blog on this year's day-o-love. And a picture speaks a thousand words, right? If this doesn't say love, I don't know what does...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cranberry cookies... toddler-style

I know, I know... the girls are practically THREE, which probably, technically, most likely means that I will have to stop calling them toddlers. Seriously??? Although, I might be able to relinquish toddler-rights seeing as to how I still have not stopped referring to them as "my babies". Because they are - my babies. We visited a park today, camera in hand, and while we were there it occurred to me that we'd been at the same park last summer, camera in hand. I love having "then" and "now" photos - it solidifies memories for me because I can look back and remember so much about "then" while at the same time creating new memories in the "now". Case in point:

The bottom left pictures almost made me cry. Elise's hand on top of Abby's. Abby's sweet-as-ever little face that seems to be saying "Ahhhh... life is good.". Ahhhh... life is good.

And life is even better with cookies. I do have to share a secret about these cookies: I can't find where I wrote down the recipe, so you are getting what I think we did. They were really nice cookies and, given the ingredients and low sugar, turned into a perfect breakfast snack as well!

Cranberry, Pecan, and Oatmeal Whole Wheat Cookies:

• 1 1/2 C organic rolled oats
• 1 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 T organic unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 C organic sorghum syrup
• 1/8 C organic pure cane sugar
• 1/8 C organic turbinado sugar
• 1 organic egg
• 1 organic egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 C organic dried cranberries
• 1/2 C organic pecans, finely chopped
• Mix dry ingredients
• Mix wet ingredients + sugars (in separate bowl)
• Combine all; add cranberries and pecans
• Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes

You may notice the top right picture - the cookie to the left was the result of batch #2, while the large, flat, and very chewy cookie was the result of me giving the girlies a bit too much freedom with cookie-making. It seems that some of the flour was forgotten, so I had to remedy that for round two. If you make these, it should be a fairly thick batter - substituting some of the sugar with sorghum increased the liquid, so feel free to mix in a bit more flour if needed. And in the event that I follow my own recipe posted here and it's a disaster, I'll be sure to remember next time to not lose my baking notes. 

Happy Thursday!

Sunny Day Cookies

Today's stay-home Friday is brought to you by melting snow, no-hats-needed, and cookies!!! We've had some wonderful meals this week - crock pot pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes and carrots... lentils with veggies and turkey sausage served over red rice (a Daddy dish) - but alas, I have no pics from the week. BUT... today was a lovely day and what better to compliment the sunshine than some cookies. I found this recipe for "Cowboy Cookies" and did a little substituting there and a little modifying here:

Little Bit'O'Everything Cookies

• 1 1/2 C organic whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 T organic unsalted butter
• 1/2 C organic unsweetened applesauce
• 3 T organic non-hydrogenated shortening
• 2 organic eggs
• 1 1/2 T organic vanilla
• 1 1/2 C quick-cook oats (we are plum out of regular oats, but normally I would not use quick-cook)
• 1 C organic unsweetened coconut
• 1 C organic raisins
• 3/4 C chopped roasted cashews
• Combine flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon
• Mix together (in separate bowl) flour, applesauce, shortening, eggs, vanilla
• Combine dry and wet
• Add oats, coconut, raisins, cashews
• Bake at 350° on parchment-lined cookie sheet for 12 minutes

Now that we've covered the cookie part of today, here's the rest: sunshine, perfect snowball-making-wet-snow, and snuggles to warm our chilly fingers. Abby's new line to Elise is "Elise, you make me laugh!", which is perfectly fitting especially when Elise, who I thought was snuggled in bed, says to me "Momma, I see 'cycling truck" (recycling truck). I thought she was asking if she could see it, but actually she was confirming that she had seen it and continued with "I get out of bed and peek out window". Funny indeed, funny indeed.

Winter Break... Day #7

The blog has been neglected. The bathrooms finally got cleaned today. The "Happy Holidays" card is definitely going to be a "Happy New Year" card. But let me tell you - the really important things are getting done: the girls and I have gone shopping, done puzzles, read books, worked on crafts, decorated the tree (and undecorated... and redecorated... and undecorated... and redecorated...), looked at lights around town, done dishes in the kitchen sink filled to the brim with bubbles, bathed our baby dolls, rocked our baby dolls, made our baby dolls sit in the potty, visited Ms Jane at the library for storytime... and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy a clean bathroom. But I enjoy the previous to-do list far more.

Here are a few pics from the last week or two... there has been some baking, some celebrating, some goofery. There are pics (not very good ones) of some treats that I've made - please refer to the links for far superior photos as well as recipes.

• Lemon curd with Jam Thumbprint Cookies -the lemon curd was so simple, but I'd cut the butter in half next time. The cookies were even easier - nothing fancy, but a nice little sugary shortbread type of treat.

• Peppermint Meringues - yes, please! These were great and, for anyone who was in attendance at the social gathering for which I made them, it was no secret that I was proud of my work.

• Lots of playtime in our jammies - I'll be truthful with you, there have been days that we've curled up for naps still in our pj's. And those were probably some of our best naps because it doesn't get much snugglier than footie, fleece jammies, aka "piggy blockers" (so nicknamed once the girls realized that their little piggy toes are protected from Daddy, who is known in this house for piggy-eating!).

• Homemade Honey Vanilla Bean Marshmallows - just whipped these up tonight and won't actually cut them until morning, but if the marshmallow fluff that we licked out of the bowl is any indication of results, I'm going to go ahead and give a premature thumbs-up...

• Projects, such as this lovely set of cards - I love making things. Enough said.

One of the Abby and Elise's new words is "remember", as in "Elise, remember 'dis book?" or "Abby, remember 'dis shirt?". And let me tell you - they DO remember! As each holiday or special occasion hits, I hope the girls are forming memories that will spark infinite "remember 'dis?" conversations down the road. As long as our days can continue to be filled with the important things, like the past 7 days, I imagine those memories will be accompanied with a smile. Even if the bathrooms aren't gleaming. 

Molasses Cookies

When you spend all day with these:

And your kitchen looks like this:

You can't help but brag about making something as delicious as these:

Molasses Cookie Ball recipe from here

These little treats were a huge hit with the trio of toddlers last week - the recipe uses molasses, honey, and applesauce to sweeten, so there is no actual sugar needed.  I used a combination of organic whole wheat flour and ground up organic oatmeal instead of the whole wheat white flour in the original recipe. Yum-O!

On a totally random note, as the world begins the mass chaos of buying in preparation for the holidays, so begins our quest to stay entirely out of that world. John and I are not big-spenders. For the girls, we've tried to find that one gift for birthdays and holidays that will stand the test of time, that truly serves as a springboard for play and laughter and growth and development, and so far we've done pretty fantastic! The awesome cardboard house from last Christmas is still standing and used regularly (cute as a button, 100% recyclable, made in California), the rope swing in the front yard from their 2nd birthday is requested every time we go to and from the car (all natural, made in Minnesota), and the wooden pram from their 1st birthday is as loved today as it was then (all natural, made in Germany):

September 2009 - Abby pushing, Elise lounging

 November 2010 - Abby pushing, Elise texting

Happy shopping - may your gifts be personal, meaningful, and as worthy of pictures in the years to come as they are today.

Pre-Thanksgiving fast? Oh HELL NO!

I LOVE my mother's Thanksgiving feast. The cranberries... the stuffing... the apples and leaf-shaped squash (who knew that squash didn't grow this way?? my mom and her sneaky cookie-cutters...). Some people might be spending Thanksgiving Eve snacking on salads and sipping on water. We are spending this relaxing evening drinking milk and eating "Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Cookies" (original recipe found in a Hy-Vee mailer, with modifications by me). 

Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Cookies:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1/3 C. organic unsalted butter
• 1 tsp organic cocoa powder
• 1 C. organic cane sugar
• 1 T. instant espresso powder
• 2 organic eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 C. organic whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 C. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Combine chocolate chips (not including mini chips), butter, and cocoa powder in saucepan; heat over low until melted; set aside to cool. Combine sugar, espresso powder, eggs, and vanilla; stir in cooled chocolate/butter mixture; add flour, baking powder, mini chocolate chips. Let sit for 20 minutes until batter thickens. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

I feel like my belly is now sufficiently primed for the 2-day festival of food upon us. Our sweet little Abby is fighting a bronchial infection - Elise has been the best sister in the world, patting Abby on the back, bringing her blankets for snuggling, and providing ALL of us with entertainment galore. You should hear this kid's renditions of "Baa Baa Black Sheep", "Jack and Jill", and "Twinkle, Twinkle".  Today I'm thankful for a good night's sleep, healthy baby girls, nursery rhymes, and cookies. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My name is Erin, and I love cookie dough. Yes, I eat it with raw eggs. No, I've never had salmonella. No, I don't let my 2-year olds eat cookie dough with raw eggs. Yes, when they're older, I'll share this delicacy with them. :) Here's one of my fave cookie recipes, from my Bubbe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• 1 C. butter
• 1 C. sugar
• 1 C. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 C. flour (I usually do 1 1/2 C. whole wheat and 1/2 C. white)
• 2 1/2 C. oatmeal (ground up in the blender to a flour-like consistency)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 12-24 ounces of chocolate chips, depending on your preference (I use dark chocolate)
• These are also super tasty with nuts and/or dried fruit (especially cherries)
• Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes (do not over bake)

This makes a big batch of cookies, so the next time I make the full recipe, I think I'll try this little trick How to Freeze Cookie Dough, by Good Life Eats. 

Pumpkins and cookie painting

This past weekend was the 25th annual pumpkin carving party, hosted by my folks.  My mom has YEARS worth of pumpkin pictures, some with snaggly teeth and crooked eyes, and others with carefully carved details. Regardless of the result, it is a fabulous fall affair. 

In addition to the pumpkin party, we also took a little trip down to the lake to visit Bubbe. Unsure of what the weather would permit, I went prepared with pre-made cookie dough, cookie cutters, and cookie painting supplies. Score for the mom-team! :) My brother and I painted cookies when we were little and it's funny how some of those little experiences stick - I still LOVE to decorate cookies! I think Elise finished one cookie in the time Abby finished four; that sticky, sugary paintbrush just kept landing in her mouth instead of on the cookie!

Sugar cookie recipe (modified version of my Mom's recipe):

• 1/2 C. organic unsalted butter
• 1 C. organic cane sugar
• 1 organic egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 C. unbleached white flour
• 1 C. organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
• Chill and bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, depending on oven
• This recipe is awesome with fresh orange zest added!

Sugar cookie paint recipe:

• 1 C. powdered sugar
• 2 T. water
• 1 T. corn syrup
• food coloring
• Wilton cake-decorating paintbrushes

Team Lawrence does dinner!

There is a children's book called I Went Walking.  This afternoon, we lived our very own real life version of this book. And in the words of the girls, here is what we saw:

• "pink pig. no real. pretend."
• "black cat. no, gray. no, white cat."
• "three cats."
• "anderson, momma, baby."
• "man. fix door. tool. driver." 
• "truck. dirty. rust."

We saw a pretend pink pig.  We saw three cats; the friendliest of the bunch was white. We ran into our friend Anderson, his momma, and his baby brother. We saw a man fixing his garage door... with a tool... a screwdriver. We saw an old rusty truck.

As you can see, it's hat-making season in our house.
Lucky for me, I have hat-loving ladies.

After our long and very interesting stroll, we came home to feast upon a pot of potato soup made by our very own Chef Daddy! Soup season is upon us - if you've got a pot, some of this, some of that, a little broth... voila! Soup was the probably the number one vehicle for veggies for the girls last fall/winter. They acquired tastes for broccoli, peas, spinach, corn, cauliflower, green beans, onions, peppers... you name it, their little bodies ingested it with a soup spoon. Here's a quick run-down of ingredients:

• 
  About 8 potatoes - yukon golds, medium size
• 4 pieces of bacon
• 2 leeks of average size
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 carrots
• 1 quart chicken broth (homemade chicken stock is the ultimate)
  • + 4 or 5 additional cups of water
• 
  5 pieces of roasted garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh rosemary
• Salt & pepper to taste

Tools of the trade:

• Large soup pot - Le Creuset is the champion soup-maker!
• 
  Stick blender (or regular blender)

And here are some snippets of info from John's soup-savvy mind:

"Before we start, you could easily “healthy” this recipe up by simply omitting bacon and using extra-virgin olive oil instead. However, this is not the particular route I chose for this particular soup. In my humble opinion, few things go together so well in life as bac’n ‘n’ taters...

As far as soups go, it does not get much easier than potato. Plus it is healthy, inexpensive, and like most soups, gets even tastier after a day or two in the fridge."


-John "Daddy-doo" Lawrence

We love John for a lot of reasons.  But, his overall love of being in the kitchen is definitely at the top of the list! Time after time, I've said to John "Dear, do you get tired of doing dishes every night?", and his consistent response is "Not if it means that I've had a good home-cooked meal". Thanks, dear, for dirtying dishes in order to replenish us from our walk-about with this hearty soup and then doing dishes so that I can sleep peacefully knowing that the kitchen is clean. 

A slice of warm cornbread and fresh dark chocolate and cherry whole wheat cookies for dessert (recipes for both to come) perfectly accompanied our potato-bacon goodness.