Pizzelles

My grandparents served a mission together in Ohio and Pennsylvania after they retired. Grandma came home making these yummy cookies. They are the perfect summer cookie since they are light and crisp and go perfectly with ice cream. It turns out that these are a traditional Italian cookie and not native to Ohio after all. They are easy to make but a little time consuming since you make them in an iron like a waffle iron. When they cool they are crisp, but they can be rolled into cones or cannoli shells while warm.

Make plenty so that you have enough to eat later. At our house about half of them get eaten before the last ones are finished cooking.

Enjoy!



Grandma's Pizzelle recipe:

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

Beat eggs and sugar until smooth. Add cooled butter, vanilla, and milk. Sift flour and baking powder together and add. Drop by teaspoonful on to hot iron and cook until golden brown.

Notes:

You can substitute almond extract or other flavorings for some of the vanilla and add cocoa powder for chocolate cookies. Try lemon juice and lemon zest, also good.

family time

A cute story and a silly song for family reunion and car trip season.

This story made me think of the Washington cousins that came down every year to visit the family. I wondered if they ever got to go anywhere else on vacation. Now we are the out of state cousins though we haven't been as regular at making our visits.

Having been on my fair share of car trips as a kid I can relate to this next one. Actually my grandparents lived fairly close and the car trips are great memories. I'm glad we did it. However, we are not as brave as my parents were in this matter.


I'm So Carsick
(to the tune of "Oh, Susanna")

I'm in my dad's Toyota
And we're now in hour three
I'm gonna visit Grandma
Though I wish she'd drive to me.

We had some lunch
A while ago
A tiny pizza pie
I need a soda or some juice
'Cause boy, my throat is dry!

I'm so carsick
Between you and me
We've been driving for so long that
I am growing a goatee!

Some take the bus
Some take the train
And others get to fly
We're in this car, in the slow lane
I think I'm gonna cry!

I'm so carsick
Gotta go wee-wee
Hey Dad, stop this Toyota
And next time, go without me!

From Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs by Alan Katz illustrated by David Catrow
This book is worth a look for the hilarious illlustrations and funny lyrics, though you may not want your kids singing these songs at the top of their lungs through the neighborhood.

Can you relate?

Gifts of the Spirit

"We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth." (Article of Faith 7)


“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Cor. 13:1–5).



Gifts of the Spirit - Elder Robert D. Hales
The Spiritual Gifts of Healing, Tongues, Prophecy, and Discerning Spirits - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

no campfire required

After seeing this recipe for homemade graham crackers I decided to give it a try. I remember trying other recipes in the distant past without being impressed. These were fantastic, but let's not fool ourselves. They are far from a "healthy" substitute for a cookie. They are in fact a rich, flavorful cookie that calls itself a cracker. I liked them rolled thin and a little bit crisp on the edges with a chewy middle.

With such graham crackers I had to try S'mores. Without a campfire at the ready in the kitchen, I substituted a toaster oven with more than satisfactory results. Who needs a campfire.

W and B

More letter days. We aren't doing this in any order or even very regularly. I just sort of happens while Buddy boy is playing with his Legos while Baby Girl is napping. I choose the letter to go with what we are already doing or eating and go from there. The day we started with Waffles for breakfast and had whole wheat D.W. mac and cheese and watermelon for lunch I had to go with it. We also talked about questions and question words on W day. Maybe some of this sticks.

I ask Buddy boy to name words that start with the letter of the day and we write them all down. Now that he has somehow learned to read, we practice reading the words as well. He isn't writing very clearly yet at all. That will come. Here are some of our words.

Citrus Circus

Here is my latest sewing project. I love these little overalls. They are a little bright to say the least. She looks like an escapee from the citrus circus.

While I was taking the pictures she kept eating the lemons! I know they are fresh since they came off the branch of the neighbor's tree that hangs over our fence. They are good, but sour. I had a hard time getting a good picture because of the sour pucker face.