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What do you remember about your grandmother? The touch of her hand, the sound of her voice ... the smell of homemade cookies?
I remember how my Nana made miniature cakes for the grandkids when she made regular cakes. My brother, sisters, and I felt so special!
You know, it’s easy to help a child feel special.
Last weekend, two of Jim and my grands spent the weekend. The oldest asked for pancakes for breakfast … and not just any pancakes. She wanted heart-shaped pancakes.
Ummmm …. I thought. How can we do that? I don’t have a heart-shaped pancake mold.
And then it came to me. Just cook the pancakes and then cut them out with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Easy! Worked great and she felt special! We also made star-shaped pancakes and served the pancakes on the pink plate, our "special plate."By the way, our 3-year-old granddaughter and I made two batches of the Oatmeal Trail Mix that I mentioned last week (both with and without nuts). They were so good! In case you didn’t click on the link to this National Wildlife Federation recipe, I'll copy the recipe below. It's a keeper!
Oatmeal Trail Mix
from http://www.nwf.org/backyardcampout/recipes.cfm#mix
Ingredients:
1-1/4 Cups of Oats (or combination of Oats, Bran, and Wheat Germ)
3/4 Cup of powdered milk
1 T Plain gelatin
1 Cup of dates, apricots, or other dried fruit, chopped
1/2 Cup of raisins
3/4 Cup of chopped nuts and sunflower seeds
6 T Honey
1/4 t Grated orange or lemon peel
4 T Water
Preparation: Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix honey, water and citrus peel. Combine second mixture with the first. Knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. Press into a baking pan to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Bake at 150 degrees for about 6 hours. Don't let it brown! It burns easily. Cut into bars 1" x 2" or larger, wrap in wax paper. Store in a cool place until needed. May be eaten in bar form or crumbled in water or milk as a breakfast cereal.
What special ways have you made memories in the kitchen with your grandkids?
He is able,
Mary
2 comments:
Food is an intergenerational heart warmer. I love your problem solving pancake example as it gave a grandaughter and grandmother just what they both needed - a special memory.
-Mimi T
We have done the pancake thing too, but I am not so pricise, I just do a blob here and there and then connect them and the kids have to figure out what the shapes are. They usually come up with "looks like" some animal. they have got such keen imaginations. Of course then they want to do the shapes and do their own creations and of course theirs taste a lot better. It is a lot of fun, especailly when their attitudes are bright and fresh after a good nights sleep. Elaine
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