Tag Archives: children

May8

5,844 Days Old

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5,844 days old, and I remember every one of them!

My baby boy turned 16 today, not a baby anymore, on a brink of turning into a man yet still very much a child especially to his mother. A strong and willful spirit, a true Taurus born in a year of a Bull (double horns anyone? :) ), an independent thinker who marches to his own drum, a sensitive boy (deep inside visible only to those who love and know him well), my one and only, my everything!

As a whole life awaits you up ahead, I know you’ll have some turns and twists, some set backs and disappointments and hopefully many many joyous days, just as life is in general. For a mother, all those hard moments are a real gut ripping experience but as our children grow up and go through their own trials, you know that they are dealt their cards and have to win or lose sometimes to gain a perspective what it is they want in life and who they are in their true self.

Happy big 16th, baby!

And many many more happy and healthy ones up ahead for you!

What’s Cooking This Week

As my usual food-tester, the kid has tried his share of many tasty dishes (and some that did not turned out as planned). So today I’m making something that he actually requested. I was almost sure that he’d ask for chocolate (my true child), but I guess not, he asked for a pie. A pie, kid, for a 16th birthday?! Yep! The recipe below is a combo of his requested food and mom’s quest to make it a bit more festive.

Mini Fruit Pies with Almond Whipped Cream

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For the crust (makes about 18 mini pies):

2 cups of flour (I used Cup4Cup gluten free mix)

2 sticks of cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup of iced cold water

1/2 tspoon of salt

Filling:

1 cup of any cut up fruit (I used strawberries)

6 Tbspoons of sugar

1/2 tspoon of lemon juice

1 Tbspoon of flour

variation: fruit jam

1 container of Healthy Top Mimic Cream (or 2 cups of dairy whipped cream)

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In a bowl combine the flour and salt and mix well, add cut up butter and start mixing in with your fingers untill it resembles a coarse meal with pea-like small crumbs. Pour cold water over and let it soak in, mix well, make a rough dough ball, place it on a floured surface and let ir rest for 10 minutes.

Start kneading it on a floured surface, then make a couple of folds, cover the dough with parchment paper and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Use any large cookie cutter (I used a star) to cut out the mini pies.

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Carefully lift each cut out and place it inside a muffin or mini pie pan (I used mini tart pan) and mold each pie inside. Prick small holes with a fork.

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Place the pan into a fridge for about 30 minutes. In a mean while mix in cut strawberries with lemon juice, 1 Tbspoon of flour and sugar, let them sit. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the pan out of the fridge and bake for about 10-15 minutes or untill the edges become slightly golden. Fill each pie with the strawberry mixture or jam.

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Bake for another 15 minutes, let them cool before removing from the pan. Whip Healthy Top or dairy cream according to the directions. Place about 1 Tbspoon each on top of mini pies or decorate with sugar and fresh fruit.

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Happy Birthday Baby! Hope you enjoy them!

Dec20
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Last weekend the kid and I had our traditional Christmas outing: usually some kind of a show/concert and a nice dinner. Over the years, we’ve had our share of The Nutcracker, Christmas Carol and various other holiday productions. Every Christmas it’s been getting a bit difficult to find some venue that we’d both enjoy and have not been to before. His music taste and entertainment preferences change so quickly, his is now into jazz, classic rock and some modern bands that I’ve learned to appreciate. I must be the only mother of a teen who does not complain about his music! :)

This Christmas I was happy to introduce my 15 year-old to a group of talented young performers who I’ve grown to appreciate over the years myself, Vienna Boys Choir. A world-renowned choir with centuries old traditions are usually on tour during each holiday season with a stop at Carnegie Hall one Sunday in December. The choir is divided into four singing groups, each with their own tour schedule, that travel throughout the globe to many major cities. I’ve been to Vienna Boys Choir performances before, usually with some other male companion, but somehow this time became more memorable as it was the kid’s first (conscious, aka not for a kiddie concert) visit to Carnegie Hall. And he actually enjoyed it!

If you ever have a chance to catch their annual December concert, please consider it as your family holiday outing. It’s a wonderful option to introduce your children to classical music and visit a great venue as well as to support these amazing little performers in the beginning of their singing careers.

What’s Cooking This Week

Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional Austrian pancake that can be translated as “Emperor’s mess”. It is believed it was first served to the Emperor Francis Joseph in the 1800s. It is a dish of a fluffy pancake broken into pieces (thus the name, “mess”) and topped with powdered sugar and dried fruits or jam. Traditionally served as breakfast or dessert, this hearty dish could also be offered as a meal in itself.

Rustic Austrian Pancake (Kaiserschmarrn)

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For 2 big pancakes:

3/4 cups of flour (I used Cup4Cup gluten free mix)

1/4 cup of either whole milk or cream (I used dairy free sweetened coffee creamer by So Delicious Dairy Free)

3 eggs, separated

1/2 tspoon of salt

1/2 tspoon of vanilla

2 Tbspoons of raisins or any dried berries

2 tspoons of sugar (omit if using pre-sweetened cream)

butter/oil spread for frying  (I used Earth Balance unsalted coconut oil spread)

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In a bowl combine flour, salt, vanilla and sugar, if using unsweetened milk/cream.  Add egg yolks and milk/cream, combine well. Beat the egg whites until stiff and soft peaks appear, fold in into the batter, it will resemble a bit thinner pancake batter.

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Heat up a frying pan and melt some butter/oil spread, spoon half the portion into the pan and spread it evenly. Top with some berries/raisins.

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Lightly fry it on one side. When the pancake starts to form some bubbles, cut it in four pieces and flip them over. As it fries, continue cutting, with a spatula or knife, into rough smaller pieces until it’s done.

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The taste resembles a crossover between a pancake and a french toast, a perfect breakfast for the undecided! :)

Serve with powdered sugar, jam or fruits. If you feel particularly indulgent, serve with some whipped cream and chopped nuts. Here I’m enjoying it with whipped cashew cream Healthy Top by Mimic Cream.

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Enjoyt it too!

Dec17
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Words cannot describe what a parent must feel about a loss of a child. I sincerely hope neither myself nor anybody else ever lives to find out, but in this cruel world, it is still possible to lose a child to a senseless murder committed by a soul-less criminal.

I can say to a grieving parent “I understand”, but the truth is, I can’t. As every cell inside me is fighting the very hypothetical notion of ever being in this situation. Mind just cannot process, and the heart refuses to speculate. The whole being is simply shuts down at the very thought that these things are possible, and nothing seems to stop them.

As I’m rejoicing that my own child is safe at home, part of me is broken for all the parents and loved ones of the 20 tiny lives lost in Sandy Hook’s massacre and for all the adults who rushed to save them and at the end perished themselves. This will be the holiday season we’ll never forget. There will be many unopened gifts left forever under the Christmas tree, and too many families gathering together for a burial instead of a holiday meal.

I know that all the children across the nation were hugged and kissed extra tender this weekend, and all the parents said an extra prayer that their family is healthy and safe. I held my teen in my arms for what seemed like an eternity. And I know he doesn’t understand it yet, but years down the road, he will, once he holds his own babies in his arms. My only wish is that he will never have to doubt that they will always come home at the end of each day.

Join me in a prayer for all the lives lost and for all the families forever broken!

What’s Cooking This Week

During difficult times like these, you may feel like you just want to huddle in a corner a not move. And it may be right for some, or for a while. But when you have a house full of young children and a holiday season upon us, life still goes on, as it should be, and you may find yourself wishing to share some special times with your family. This recipe is a great chance to get the kids involved, cherish the moments and make future memories to pass on to your grandchildren.

“Candy Canes” Cupcakes

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For 24 cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups of flour (I used Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend)

1 cup of buttermilk

2 eggs

1 Tbspoon of cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 1/3 cups of oil

1 tspoon of salt

1 tspoon of baking powder

1 tspoon of vanilla

1 tspoon of white vinegar

2 Tbspoons of red food coloring

24 chocolate covered mint candies

Cream cheese frosting:

16 oz of cream cheese

2 sticks of butter

1 tspoon of vanilla

3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

24 candy cane candies

In a big bowl, beat together eggs and sugar, then add vanilla, oil, vinegar and buttermilk, beat together, add red food coloring and beat until all is well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients into wet ones and beat until everything is incorporated.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake pans and drop a spoonful of batter into each cup, then place a mint candy in a middle.

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Cover each candy with more batter until the cups are about 3/4 full. Bake for about 25 minutes, test to see if done towards the side of the cupcake as the mint will be melted and sticky. Cool off completely before frosting.

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To make the frosting, whip softened butter until light and fluffy, then add cream cheese and whip it all together. Add vanilla and gradually start adding the powdered sugar to incorporate it all. Prepare candy canes for decorations. Carefully snap the ends of about 1 inch each using a knife to make candy canes shorter. Use the cut off pieces to make decorations: place them into a food processor and pulse until they are broken into small pieces. Pipe the frosting on each cupcake.

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Insert a candy cane and decorate with broken candy pieces. This a great project to share with the kids. Not to mention that the cupcakes are delicious!

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Alternative options make include ‘Santa Hat” decorations, they look better on the mini cupcakes.

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Enjoy! And cherish the moments with your children!

Aug30
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If you have teens in the house (or just kids period), then chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about. Pick your battles and sweeten the deal are the best negotiation tactics to still remain sane while raising a teenager. And, yes, they’ll bend and stretch every possible boundary and limit (including the limits of your voice projection or the length of the silent treatment to ultimately test the aforementioned sanity).

My coworker asked me why I have to call my son who is home alone all day to see if he ate as clearly at the age of 15 he can choose if and when to eat. He sure can. But he often won’t. In a typical teen manner, he is just too busy with “more important” things. But it only lasts till the exact second he hears my steps at the door. And then I’m greeted by a moody and ravenous teenager who wants his food NOW. So see, my middle-of-the-day calls are about 10% maternal worry and a whole 90% self-preservation (bad bad mommy :) ).

 I do have a list of my bargaining points (and use them wisely). Like making the kid’s favorite food, aka anything with bacon, is pretty high on a negotiation ladder. Or getting some new “techy” stuff is usually priced for some ”extra credit” accomplishment. Yes, bribery at its best, but letting the kid know that “you just have to do certain things because I said so or because it’s good for you” doesn’t always work. Adding the element of a reward (which becomes a negotiation point in itself as you can always remove it later if the result is not up to your standards) makes the experience much more pleasant, for both of us.

Yep, the proverbial “carrot and stick” story that unfortunately works. And I don’t use it every single time. Some things need to be done “just because I said so”.

What’s Cooking This Week

Speaking about “sweeten the deal”. Italian sausages are pretty high on the kid’s food preferences ladder too, but he likes them spicy, which I’m not a huge fan of, I prefer them sweet. The recipe that continues our Italian series satisfied us both and was a nice diversion from the usual sausage dishes offerings.

Recipe # 6

Salsicce Con Salsa di Frutta Piccante

(Sausages In A Spicy Fruit Sauce)

5-6 sausage links (I used turkey sausage), cut into smaller pieces

1 cup of grapes, cut in half

1/2 orange, cut into pieces + juice from 1/2 of orange

2 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced

1 small pepperoncini cut

1 tspoon of paprika

1/2 tspoon each of dried basil and thyme

salt, pepper, olive oil

Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and saute crushed garlic until lightly golden. Add sausage pieces and let them cook until about half done. Then add cut pepperoncini, cut grapes and 1/2 orange pieces along with the juice from the other 1/2 orange. Lower the heat and let the sausages stew in the fruit sauce until almost done. Add paprika, spices, pepper, use salt very lightly and finish cooking.

You can serve this over pasta or rice, but I suggest you try it with millet. Naturally gluten free and very low on a glycemic index, millet with its sweet nutty flavor is a perfect addition to this dish.

Enjoy!

May13

The Side Effects Of Motherhood

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This gallery contains 16 photos.

In honor of Mother’s Day, enjoy these illustrative examples of “the joys of motherhood”. Just because my son could’ve been any and all of those little terrors, plus he came up with his own number of adventures. Other side effects of motherhood may include: heart palpitations, sudden onset of dizziness, insomnia, mood changes, and one intense […]

May10

Sweet Memories

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Some life events tend to create sweet memories, no matter how horrible they may look at the time. Your child’s mischievous happenings are one of them. Since it’s the kid’s birthday week and Mother’s Day on Sunday, I went down a “sweet” memory lane, and here are the most memorable episodes of my son’s childhood, viewed through a prism of many years removed and, thus, sweet rather than horrifying.

This earliest memory of mischief doesn’t involve him to the full extent, but only due to his infancy age, and, therefore, not able to really misbehave yet, but it does involve his father. Early Sunday morning, I awoke to the usual feeding and changing routine, but this time, the ever squirmy baby got himself dirty all over and needed to be bathed and changed into clean clothes. Being that my son showed his “royal” character even in early age (aka “royal pain in *** and according to his Imperial name), he’d only “agree” to be bathed in a kitchen sink, totally submerged into water so only his head would stick out ( you’d have to support his head with one hand and manage to soap and bathe him with the other, and mind you, I became a pro at that :)   ) So, as I tried to clean up his changing table (note the “squirmy” baby mentioned earlier), I woke up the Emperor’s dad and put him on a bathing duty, in the kitchen, where all baby bathing happened in our house. And, please mind you, that the father was a pro of a different character, he was a master in dirty pots clean-up, and was regularly asked to wash all the pots and pans left after cooking. Do you know where this is going?  :)    I come into the kitchen to find a sleep-deprived new dad, with his eyes only half-open lathering the baby up with dishwashing soap and having a Brillo pad in his hand getting ready to scrub the “dirtiest” pot he ever had to clean. And, yes, the baby survived, so did the father :)

The little terror managed to score quite a few “Dennis The Menace” moments once he started crawling (at 6 months) and then walking and running (at 11 months), but his “jewel” of the baby terrors happened at 9 months of age, in the middle of winter. I was home during the afternoon, making dinner for the evening and attempting to chase after my bundle of energy, who, by no means wanted to be confined to a playpen and, therefore, insisted on a free roaming (that came with pretty steep charges as it turned out). The bell rang, and I stepped into the front hallway to open the door for the mailman, forgetting for a second to leave the lock open. Like a lightning strike and just a blur in my peripheral vision, the baby crossed 3 rooms in a military style “rapid descend” and closed the door right behind me. Leaving me locked out in a small cold hallway, wearing just a t-shirt and thin pants in the middle of a snowy February day. And leaving himself locked in a house with a lit oven where dinner was making. It’s hard for me to describe the sheer panic I felt at that moment that lead me to forgetting how to speak English, which didn’t happen even during the most agonizing labor pains (you know how they say that during some terrorizing or painful occasions you might spontaneously revert to your native language), that was my exact moment, I was completely speechless, in any language. It took me a while to find any neighbor who was home during the day and able to open the lock (and he did it masterfully, not even damaging it a bit, and, by the way, we were able to return the favor years later, when his wife got locked out of their house :)   )  Yes, even as a baby, the kid was up to no good.

His toddler and pre-school years went under the premise of the “big fibbing time”, he became a mastermind for pulling the audience into believing something that’d completely contradict any common sense. Not a big sweets eater (still to this time), he loved buying the treats from the ice cream truck, just to get the thrill out of smashing the ice cream cone into the sidewalk, for example. So, at some point, I started getting strange glances from the neighbors on the block, only to find out later that he was going around during his daily strolls with the babysitter and while she’d turn away, he was asking neighbors to give him money because “we had no food in the house, and he even had to go on daily fishing trips with his grandfather just so we’d have some dinner that night”. And even though I’m still stunned at how quickly adults tend to believe some 3 year-old’s stories, my only concern was to avoid having a Children Services worker at our door one day.

The next story happened during one of the hottest day in July, when the mailman rang the bell yet again (I never left the door unattended from that February day on by the way), and I was out in the hallway signing for packages and getting mail. Out comes my master mind manipulator wearing his winter coat, rain boots and trying to blow his nose into a whole roll of paper towels. He opened his mouth and started complaining that “these people keep the house so cold with no working heat that he is constantly sick and has to wear winter clothes and boots even inside”. It must’ve been a REALLY hot day, as the mailman was purely over-heated and not thinking clearly when he started giving the sympathetic eye to the kid and the “evil” glances toward me (actually, it should’ve been the opposite). Yet again, I was praying there won’t be an open ACS case on us.

Thus run the sweetest memories of the years gone. We’ve had a lot more happenings before, after, and in-between, broken table lamps, fingers stuck into door locks, heads put through the next door fence, numerous appearances in the school Principal’s office, but as the stress of having to deal with the terrifying incidents fade, the sweet heart pangs for his earliest memories intensify leaving you even more nostalgic to sink back into the childhood of a boy who is now on a verge of becoming a man.

What’s Cooking This Week

Sweet memories definitely require something sweet and buttery, but with a twist, preferably a twist of liquor, as this is a sure way to cope with any little terrors in a house.  Pound cake could fulfill all the requirements on any given day, a cognac addition will make your memories sweetest out of them all.

Not Your Mom’s Pound Cake

1 box of gluten free pound cake mix ( I recommend 1-2-3 Gluten Free) or wheat pound cake mix or regular cake mix (white or yellow)

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups  of Spectrum Vegetable Shortening or  regular unsalted dairy butter

1/4 cups  of cognac

1/2 cup  of apple cider

For The Glaze:

1/2 cup of melted chocolate bar or chocolate chips

2 Tbspoons of melted refined coconut oil or canola oil

powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 325. Start by mixing together cake mix and the shortening, add eggs, one by one, and then incorporate the liquids. Spray a bundt pan with oil spray and pour the batter in, bake for 1-1 hour 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Place a plate under the cake and invert the pan leaving the cake upright, let if cool off for a few minutes.

For the glaze, combine melted chocolate and coconut (canola) oil, drizzle or pour it over the cake while it’s still warm, sprinkle with powdered sugar. I wouldn’t blame you if you decide to have it with cognac rather than a cup of tea :)   Enjoy!

May8

The Emperor Is Born

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Fifteen years ago a new man has entered my life.

          With a very royal name, and a matching attitude.

         Since then, my life has been increasingly complicated

       and just so much brighter!

Worshiped by parents, two sets of adoring grandparents and one star-struck great-grandmother.

Otherwise known by his common name as Gus 

Born on May 8, 1997 at 2:27 am

6 lbs 13 oz, 19 1/2 inch

A pure bundle of never-ending baby energy and a matching sunny personality :)

You’re my breath of fresh air, along with aches and pains and teenage mood swings! You’re my hopes and dreams, and more headaches in the future! You’re my morning kisses and sleepless nights, and extra worries to come! You’re my one and only!

I love you baby boy!

What’s Cooking On His Birthday

Speaking of Caesar Augustus, Caesar salad is my son’s favorite, mine was too, back when I was still eating gluten and dairy. So I was very excited when I found a recipe for a homemade Caesar dressing that could satisfy us both. And I’m skipping anchovies this time to substitute them with bacon bits, same saltness, more delight from the birthday boy. Also I’m making my own gluten free croutons, but of course, you can have regular store-bought croutons.

Homemade Caesar Salad (Gluten/Dairy/Egg/Soy Free)

Dressing:                                                   

1 cup soy free Vegenaise mayo dressing

1 tbspoon of fresh garlic, pressed through garlic press

2 tspoons Dijon mustard

2 tbspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (gluten free)

black pepper, sea salt to taste

Salad:

2 cups of romaine lettuce

1/4 cup bacon bits

2 slices gluten free bread (I used Udi’s whole grain) or regular wheat bread

oil spray

dry herbs blend

For the dressing, combine all ingredients, add salt and pepper as desired and blend in a food processor (I used Magic Bullet). Cut bread slices into small cubes, spray with oil spray and toss with herbs blend, lay out on a baking sheet and toast till golden brown turning them if necessary to toast evenly.

Break lettuce leaves into smaller pieces, mix in bacon bits and pour the dressing over. Garnish with homemade croutons. Enjoy!

May3

The Evolution Of Bed

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At this time fifteen years ago we were happily anticipating the arrival of a beautiful Italian crib, and even more so, we were ecstatic that the crib will get its new occupant, a much-awaited baby boy.

They both arrived at the same time, in early May, and the occupant took full control and possession of the crib exercising his true rights through drooling, biting, shaking, banging, climbing and using various other crib-torture excercises till the sturdy baby furniture pleaded its case and said “Please save me!”.  Since the crib earned its “military stripes”, it went on to house three well-mannered girls, none of each were as brutal as the original owner, till it honorably retired in crib heaven, probably still shuddering from the nightmarish memories of  baby boy’s “intense love” :)

The 3 year-old boy then got his hands on a no less beautiful cream-colored Twin bed and explored some other furniture-testing techniques, such as jumping, throwing, stabbing and mattress surfing. The more mature soul of the twin bed was bravely hanging on till the boy was in grade school and then had to give way to its similar counterpart. Until even that became “intensely loved” and just generally small for the now 6 feet tall 14 year-old.

Thus came the task of finding an appropriate bed to satisfy the standards of both the teen and his mother. We searched high and low (and diagonally too :) ) The grandparents pitched in with the extra financial “cushion” to give the teen the desired choice of a bedded bliss. The salesmen tried to convince the mother that getting a Queen size is much more “economical” than getting a Full bed, as it’s only 6 inches wider and not much more expensive. But the mother was holding her fort strong thinking that she’d not want to comfortably “accommodate” two in her teen’s bed (not that it’d make or break the decision if such choice becomes on the teen’s horizon), but no queens or even princesses should feel too welcomed in either Queen or Full bed, especially when the mother is not home to screen and monitor what her grown ”jumping on a bed monkey” is up to :)

Therefore, a Full bed found a home in the teen’s bedroom, complete with a leather headboard and plenty of drawers to  hold dirty socks and chewed up gum.

And, no, the mother is not changing the teen’s whole furniture set to leather and dark wood. He can do it himself in his own place with his first salary!

What’s Cooking This Week

Since we’re on a “please the kid” kind of theme this week, let’s indulge him even more by making his favorite dish! There are a few things I keep in a freezer, in case of  “food emergencies”, when the ugly teen hormones raise their heads, and there’s nothing else that looks satisfactory to a 14 year-old. Bacon is always at the top of a list and can be consumed in massive quantities unless hidden, like behind a bag of frozen peas. Usually it can stay there fairly unnoticed, but somehow this time, I was totally busted. Another kid’s favorite is tiny Russian dumplings called “pelmeni”.

They are meat-filled dumplings wrapped in a thin layer of dough, my son’s favorite is veal with spices. If you’re ever near any Russian store, they are in a freezer section, give them a try, you might like them! And if you don’t have any, small Chinese dumplings would work too. So, to please the kid, I’m combining “pelmeni” with bacon in a sour cream sauce (what could be more Russian than sour cream?!) and adding some fresh baby spinach just because he still needs to have some other food groups besides fat, meat and dough :)

Pelmeni In  A Creamy Garlic Sauce

1 lb frozen pelmeni (or dumplings)      

6 slices of bacon, cut

1 cup fresh baby spinach

4 tbspoons of sour cream

1 garlic clove

salt, pepper, spices

fresh herbs, chopped

Put a pot with water to boil, add pelmeni once the water is boiling and cook them until just about done (10-15 minutes or sooner if you see that the dough becomes too soft). While they are boiling, cook the bacon bits until half-done. Reserve about 1/4 cup of water from the boiled pelmeni, drain the rest. Add them to the frying pan with bacon and fry them all for a couple of minutes, then add reserved water, a garlic clove pressed through a garlic press, all the spices you want and sour cream. Mix it all well (add more water and/or sour cream if you want more sauce or creamier one), bring it to a boil and add fresh spinach, cook for about 1-2 minutes as not to over-cook the spinach. Garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy! The kid sure did :)

Apr29

Feeling Royal On Sunday Morning

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It’s Sunday morning, that blissful time before the weekend mood will slowly turn into pre-work week preparations, so all you want to have is “nice and easy” breakfast, no drama, and actually maybe just not much talking at all. It’s a perfect time to greet the morning sun and your cup of coffee, catch up on last night’s internet gossip or finish the book you were too tired to read all week.

Well, not if you have a teenager in a house, who decided that this morning he’d be a royal pain in the a**. Whatever happened to his hormones in the past 9 hours that he was in bed, it better snap right back where it came from. As this mama is on a mission to remain nice and mellow today :)

And what could be a better mood “picker-upper” than a nice breakfast?! Especially the one made by your mama, as that is the food sprinkled with a special ingredient, LOVE!

Even if they are pain in all possible places :)

 

What’s Cooking This Sunday Morning

What could be nice and easy and yet sophisticated enough to satisfy the royal highness of a brat who woke up in my son’s bed this morning?!

Breakfast Napoleon

1 medium potato, skin intact, cut into thin slices lengthwise

1 medium tomato, cut into slices

4 eggs

4 slices of herbed turkey (or bacon)

oil spray

butter (I used Earth Balance oil spread)

fresh basil

salt, pepper, spices

Lay out a small baking sheet with foil, spray it with oil spray and arrange potato slices, season each slice and bake at 400 for about 10-15 minutes. While potatoes are baking, heat up 2 medium frying pans, melt some butter in each and in one pan lightly fry tomato slices and make sunny-side-up eggs in the other pan, season all with desired spices (you’ll need 2 separate pans as not to have the tomato juices run into the eggs).

Arrange the Napoleon by placing potato slice on the bottom, then tomato, then turkey (or bacon) and then the egg, garnish with fresh basil and coarse freshly ground black pepper.

Hope it will satisfy the royal pains in your house as it did mine :)   Enjoy!