Welcome to a place where we can share ideas about grandparenting, especially ways to pass spiritual values and family stories to the next generation.

Mary is the co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart.
Visit www.legacyconnection.org
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Co-author of The Grandparent Connection: 365 Ways to Connect With Your Grandchild's Heart

Friday, June 4, 2010

Kitchen Memories with the Grands



Friday's Grand Connection Fun
by Mary May Larmoyeux

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 (with and without nuts). They were so good! Here's the recipe from the National Wildlife Federation: It's a keeper!

Oatmeal Trail Mix
from http://www.nwf.org/

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 tsp. 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?

Have a great weekend,
Mary
Mary May Larmoyeux
http://www.marymaywrites.com/
http://grandconnection.blogspot.com/

Article and Photo © Mary May Larmoyeux. All rights reserved.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We made Christmas cookies with the children and grandchildren until they graduated from highschool. Every year they brought in friends, neighbors, and teachers. Each helped bake and they took home a bag of their decorated cookies. We have pictures and great memories of those happy times. - Rita