Just in time for back-to-school the longtime staple gluestick of Italian classrooms is now available in the greener USA. Coccoina glue is non-toxic, non-solvent, and acid free. So nix the additives - this glue is made with ingredients we've all got in our kitchen pantry at the moment! Extracted from almond oil, this sticky stuff smells and tastes of marzipan - just in case you got yourself a preschool paste-eaters. : )
We are serious basil-lovers in this household, with pesto being a favorite. Between Freida, Manasseh, and myself - we go through lots of this stuff! We use it on pretty much everything (the normal and the not-so-normal), from picnic pasta to scrambled eggs in the AM. Manasseh loves it on sandwiches - it's amazing on a schnitzel sandwich, steak sandwich, cold cuts etc. Freida will eat anything if it's got pesto (or marinara) on it, and I like having it on hand to give a low-fat Omega-3-loaded flavorful kick to anything at all! I make batches of it, and store it in baby food jars (it last up to a week in the fridge, and with some extra olive oil at the top it maintains its color pretty well).
Here's the basic recipe (the amounts are not exact and totally flexible):
2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
3-4 Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts (Pignolis)
2 Tablespoons Walnuts
3 Tablespoons E.V. Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Using a food processor, blend the basil (make sure to wash and check it - especially in the summer), garlic, and nuts together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Voilà!
There can be all sorts of variations to pesto, the most common (and the most perfect!) is to add in about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese. This week I tried adding some sun-dried tomatos to the blend, and the flavor was incredible!
Enjoy!!
Freida's first play kitchen should arrive any day now... I've got some high hopes for the entertainment-factor this kitchen will bring her, and I'm so looking forward to the long hours she'll spend playing mom/chef (whishful thinking, right??). Now that my little bugger is joining the jr. culinary world, all my play-food browsing/testing is bound to come in handy... gotta fill those little cupboards with plenty of nutritional basics & goodies! Here's a little roundup of my current play food favorites (not that you need more grocery shopping...)! Haba Biofino: (Almost) eatible food for the little dude - Haba has an incredible line of realistic looking and versatile play food options. By far, my favorite kid-kitchen collection.
Yellow Label: Whimsical and charming - hand-knit play food with rattles inside makes for a great toy from birth onward. Plus, they look super cute! I posted more about them here.
Mellisa & Dough: Can't go wrong with this classic! Beautifully painted wooden toys + the added bonus of fine motor skills development through their fun "cutting" factor. I also love their "food group" sets - wonderful for teaching early nutrition basics.
Ikea Duktig: Fresh food is on the market! New to Ikea, this line of felted play food seems wonderfully practical as well as totally affordable!
Our home is currently under the Extreme Sport spell (I don't think I've seen our DVR light go off since the games have begun!), and I'm sure many of you, specifically those of you with little skater boys, are feeling the Extreme vibe as well. In the spirit of the X-Games 16 going on now at LA's Staple Center, I wanted to post some of the funkiest skating safety gear out there. Watching these dudes fly through the air at mach speed makes me wonder about the safety of all the wee little Tony Hawk fans out there, religiously perfecting their ollies, manuals, and melongrinds. Not sure I'd be so keen on the skating hobby if I had a little boy (or skater girl)... Here's a little something to quell a moms fears; Little Nutty helmets from Nutcase - known to be the only helmets designed to properly fit the head of a child. I'll be honest, they only made me look because of their totally tubular designs (!), but once I read a bit more about them I was completely sold on their safety features as well. Just make sure you check out the Kids Size Chart before purchase. So before you let your little Shaun White impersonator out on the half-pipe, make sure he's as safe as the pros themselves. Moms gotta give in to the hype eventually, and skateboarding has been deemed currently cool.
P.S. If you live in LA and are looking for a great place to take Jr. to practice, check out the Culver City Skate Park. They have smaller ramps for kids and beginners...
The American disease of "instant gratification" is taking things to a whole new level - in the kitchen! Introducing a popsicle maker that freezes your pops in a mere 7 minutes -flat. Check out the Zoku - a Williams-Sonoma exclusive that enables us last-minute-moms to make some homemade freezer treats minutes before the play-date. Featuring a guide to making all the frozen goodies: layered, cream filled, friut and yogurt etc., and a quick release system: get them out of their mold a cinch, to boot!
Maybe I'll finally try out this great recipe...
