I moved in with a friend and his family a couple months ago. He's got a McMansion. My rent helps offset the mortgage and I get...to not live alone anymore.
One of the highlights has been their son, who is 4 years old. Dad cooks dinner every day, but somehow the son has taken a shine to me. Now, every Saturday, we make a something together. I've been sticking with quick breads and cakes until he's ready to move on. And frankly, I'm hoping he'll notice a pattern in the recipes that took me ages to learn. Cream butter, "This one has vanilla too?!", wet, dry, combine. Etc. It's working out great.
Thank you all for the recipes you shared with me earlier. Slowly but surely, I hope we make it through all of them. We tackled NLB's Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread and it lived up to the billing! Man, was that good.
Anyway, I wrote some notes on FB and wanted to share with my FK family. I love this kid!
Baking banana bread with the 4, almost 5 year old. I bought the bananas 10 days ago, and they weren't quite black, but very fragrant. We did a smell test, comparing them to the bananas he eats every day (with a hint of green.)
First, his. "They smell very nice."
"Now smell these."
Sniff.
"Can you tell the difference?"
"These smell like 'banana'!"
"Yep, that's the goal. The older the bananas, the better they are for baking."
He took a small taste of the ripened banana. As if making a mental note, he added, "It's best to use 'grandpa' bananas."
"Exactly!"
During earlier baking attempts, he struggled with cracking eggs. Today, was a complete and utter victory! Perfectly cracked eggs were followed by a sheepish surprised expression...and hi-fives.
Moving on to the flour. Typically I hold the measuring cup and he scoops in the flour. I use a smaller measuring cup than necessary (1/2 cup for the intended 2 cups of flour) so he can get some practice. "Okay, buddy, we need four of these."
He earnestly scoops the flour with the spoon and dumps it in the measuring cup. He's still getting the hang of big scoops vs. small scoops and I have to remind him not to pack it like making sandcastles.
Today he dug in for a big scoop, flipped the spoon and 1/3 of a cup of flour landed on me (mostly), the floor, the dog, and his hands. I'm in my usual head-to-toe black and no apron. We get a good laugh, and then I summon one of my dad's mantras: "You can make any mess you want...as long as YOU clean it up." After the laughter subsides, he says he's sorry, and we clean up the mess.
I get the bulk of the flour off my shirt, but really, it's a total loss. Nothing short of laundry is going to fix my clothes.
He thinks for a moment, then says, "Traca?"
"Yeah C-man?"
"Now we look like ARTISTS!"
NLB's Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread (for artists)
http://www.eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=28850
One of the highlights has been their son, who is 4 years old. Dad cooks dinner every day, but somehow the son has taken a shine to me. Now, every Saturday, we make a something together. I've been sticking with quick breads and cakes until he's ready to move on. And frankly, I'm hoping he'll notice a pattern in the recipes that took me ages to learn. Cream butter, "This one has vanilla too?!", wet, dry, combine. Etc. It's working out great.
Thank you all for the recipes you shared with me earlier. Slowly but surely, I hope we make it through all of them. We tackled NLB's Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread and it lived up to the billing! Man, was that good.
Anyway, I wrote some notes on FB and wanted to share with my FK family. I love this kid!
Baking banana bread with the 4, almost 5 year old. I bought the bananas 10 days ago, and they weren't quite black, but very fragrant. We did a smell test, comparing them to the bananas he eats every day (with a hint of green.)
First, his. "They smell very nice."
"Now smell these."
Sniff.
"Can you tell the difference?"
"These smell like 'banana'!"
"Yep, that's the goal. The older the bananas, the better they are for baking."
He took a small taste of the ripened banana. As if making a mental note, he added, "It's best to use 'grandpa' bananas."
"Exactly!"
During earlier baking attempts, he struggled with cracking eggs. Today, was a complete and utter victory! Perfectly cracked eggs were followed by a sheepish surprised expression...and hi-fives.
Moving on to the flour. Typically I hold the measuring cup and he scoops in the flour. I use a smaller measuring cup than necessary (1/2 cup for the intended 2 cups of flour) so he can get some practice. "Okay, buddy, we need four of these."
He earnestly scoops the flour with the spoon and dumps it in the measuring cup. He's still getting the hang of big scoops vs. small scoops and I have to remind him not to pack it like making sandcastles.
Today he dug in for a big scoop, flipped the spoon and 1/3 of a cup of flour landed on me (mostly), the floor, the dog, and his hands. I'm in my usual head-to-toe black and no apron. We get a good laugh, and then I summon one of my dad's mantras: "You can make any mess you want...as long as YOU clean it up." After the laughter subsides, he says he's sorry, and we clean up the mess.
I get the bulk of the flour off my shirt, but really, it's a total loss. Nothing short of laundry is going to fix my clothes.
He thinks for a moment, then says, "Traca?"
"Yeah C-man?"
"Now we look like ARTISTS!"
NLB's Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread (for artists)
http://www.eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=28850