Pumpkin Cookies

Recently, my six-year-old granddaughter called me with a special request:

“Grandma, could you give me your recipe for pumpkin cookies? I want to make them for Thanksgiving.”

“I’d love to, Sweetheart.” And so the search for pumpkin cookies began.

Then I looked in the memoir cookbook that I’m writing. In the chapter about Halloween—there it was—pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin is a popular vegetable October through December so you have time to bake with pumpkin before the year is over.  

I emailed the recipe to my daughter and granddaughter so they could make pumpkin cookies and decided to make some myself. I smiled all the way through the process thinking they were making pumpkin cookies just like me.  If you are lucky enough to have grandchildren or children to bake with, thank your lucky stars and have fun with these yummy cookies. We did.

                                                   Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups cooked pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon each:

ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and salt

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups flour

½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine first four ingredients and mix in a large bowl.

2. Then sift together and add: ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cinnamon, soda, flour.

3. Add pecans if you choose.

3. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes until light brown. Remove when done and allow to cool 10 minutes before removing to towel covered with wax paper. Cool completely then frost with cream cheese icing. This recipe makes about 31/2 dozen cookies. Let the children decorate with colored sugar—in December try red and green. Top with orange sprinkles in October and November. Enjoy!

Happy Face Omelet

I love making food that the kids will enjoy. So today a Happy Face Omelet is on the menu. Since most omelets are shaped like half a skillet, it lends itself to the bottom of a face. Once I made this cute omelet, I got requests even from Grandpa.

I've tried many different fillings--onions, peppers, sausage, bacon, avocado, but Grandpa's favorite is
ham and  cheese. Today the happy face had a little surprise. Grandma still likes to play with her food even
when she can't cook with the kids. What do you think?












Ingredients:
   
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheddar cheese
Sliced ham or turkey meat

Directions:

Whip eggs with salt and pepper in a small bowl, using a wire whip or fork. Heat a medium skillet coated with cooking spray. When it is warm enough for a drop of water to dance on the surface, add the egg mixture. Spread the egg until it covers the surface.Sprinkle cheese on top. Lay the meat at the edge of one side (like a tongue sticking out of a mouth).

When the egg is nearly done, flip the other side of the omelet over, not quite half way, so that the tongue is
exposed. When the egg is done lay the omelet on the bottom half of a plate--the tongue sticking out.      Toast a small bagel, butter it, or cover with cream cheese for the eyes!  Now you have a happy face omelet!
  

Letter Pancake Saga

Occasionally I make pancakes for breakfast for my grandchildren.  It’s a quick meal that they really enjoy and in which I can hide nutrients—a little applesauce anyone?  Today though was a little different.

My granddaughter sat in the middle of the kitchen floor when I asked, “What do you want for breakfast, Sweetie Pie?  How about some pancakes?”

“How about some Baby Bear pancakes with honey?” she replied.

“Yes, but how about Baby Bear’s letter pancakes, two letters, B.B.—for Baby Bear,” I said.

“Great idea, Grandma, but wait, how about L.P. instead?”

“Wow, you know your initials! Right you are—L.P."

And so it began, the letter pancake saga. Every time I made pancakes, no matter what flavor they were, we turned them into letters and used them to write words.  When Little Bear, her brother, joins in the game we have even more letters.

They are learning to read and write and don’t even know it.  How about taking a bite off the right side of a capital ‘H’ and turning it into a lower case ‘h’?  How could they turn an ‘I’ into an ‘i’?  What letters should we use tomorrow?  I bet they could think of many more ideas—especially with a little help.  Oh, the joys of having a teacher grandma—Granny Nanny, that is!  Can you think of other ways to turn a meal into a learning experience?

Happy New Year Sleepover

My four and a half year old granddaughter and my two and a half year old grandson came to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa on New Years Eve. They were jumping for joy, tossing coats, dumping toys, and investigating every inch of our small space. Since they hadn’t eaten we made plates and tried to calm them down so they could sit and eat, but it seemed to be a lost cause. We finally decided to divide and conquer.

Grandpa tried to assemble Bam-Bam’s tool bench with him, but soon discovered that a first time sleepover was far too exciting to concentrate on nuts and bolts. Large pieces of the new toy kept disappearing or being transformed into trampolines, or rocket ships. The job was finally scuttled in favor of a large floor puzzle.

The princess and I finished making Challah. We kneaded the dough and separated it into three parts, two we put in loaf pans and the rest the princess shaped into fluffy buns with happy faces—Grandma’s braided bread was far too boring for a New Year’s Eve Party.

The princess gently placed the fluffy bundles on a greased cookie sheet, patted them, and then finally covered the little faces with a towel like sleeping babies under a blanket.

Next we ate popcorn and toasted the New Year with “champagne”. Don’t tell the princess it was just fizzy grape juice, or that it is not really midnight. The Prince can’t get into pretend; he is a boy who just likes grape juice. Then we settled down to a movie that dad brought over entitled, Despicable Me. It had a villain, abused as a child, who was transformed into a good father by three little orphaned girls.

By 10:30 we had warm happy-face buns and chocolate milk with marshmallows. The children were happy they have kind parents and grandparents who love them—not like the orphans in the movie. We settled down for a story and last a long winter’s nap with Grandma sandwiched in between and Grandpa sleeping on the couch.

I lay there thinking how lucky we are to be able to nurture our grandchildren—to be here when they need us. There are so many children who don’t have grandparents or who don’t get to be near them. I believe grandchildren are the reason God put us on earth. We are truly lucky. Happy New Year, may you be so lucky!

No Bake Chocolate Eclair Cake for Grandpa's Birthday

My favorite assistant chef, the princess Lana, came to Grandma’s house to help make a surprise birthday cake for Grandpa. As always, the first order of the day was to get out the three-step stool and wash our hands. That done, we donned our aprons and began to assemble the ingredients: 1 box graham crackers, 2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding, 3 cups of milk, 8 ounces whipped topping, 1 can of already prepared chocolate frosting, and 3 tablespoons of water.

“Wait a minute, Grandma, you forgot the flour and butter,” said the princess.

“No Sweetie, we don’t need those ingredients. In fact this cake is so special that we don’t even have to bake it. We just set in the refrigerator over night and it turns into a cake!”

“Oh, does that mean it’s magic?” the princess asked.

“Maybe it is. When we get all the ingredients mixed just right, then you can say the magic words.”

“I can? I get to do the magic! But wait, I forgot to bring my magic wand!” she said.

“No, you don’t have to have it. I will lend you my magic wooden spoon, hand painted with my own name,” I said as I flipped it from the crockery pitcher. Reverently she took the spoon from my hand and we began.

We read the recipe then prepare the cake exactly as instructed.

No Bake Chocolate Éclair Cake

 1. Line an oblong cake pan with one layer of graham crackers. (This job is for the princess.)
2. Mix the 2 small packages of instant pudding, and 3 cups of milk in a medium size mixing bowl using a wire whip. (This job may be done by the princess, if her magic is working or by Grandma.) Then fold in the whipped topping.
3. Pour half of the pudding mixture over the first layer of graham crackers and spread evenly. (Grandma, you had better do this part, because the pudding always gets on the princess’ fingers, and the rule is if it gets on her fingers, she has to lick.)
4. Let the princess put another layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding mixture.
5. Now pour the remaining layer of pudding mixture on top of the crackers and spread it evenly. Maybe the princess can help with this, since she watched last time, and she can also lick the bowl. (No raw eggs here)
6. The princess can now put the third and final layer of graham crackers on top of the cake. (If there are any crackers left you can share them.)
7. Then open the icing and add the water. Carefully stir with a small rubber spatula or table knife until water is incorporated. Drizzle the thinned icing on top of the final layer of crackers and spread evenly. (Let the princess sample the icing to make sure it’s good enough for Grandpa’s cake.)
8. Cover the cake with a lid or plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
9. Tell the princess to say the magic words:
“No bake cake, no bake cake, you must be magic, you’re so easy to make.” At
last the princess waved her magic wand sprinkling magic pixie dust on the cake.

Try this recipe and I am sure this No Bake Chocolate Éclair Cake will be one of your family’s favorites too.