Edible snowmen

Tomorrow's lesson at cafe colorie is about winter and body parts. So I was happy to find this amazing and easy idea that even the 4 year olds will be able to make! My kids made these, with a little bit of help from me. For more fun food ideas to do with kids, check out this blog http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/2010/11/marshmallow-snowman.html

Becca's cookies and classes: tuesday at 17:45 and saturday at 10:30 at café colorié, rue pont de comines in Lille. 

Cupcake party June 2013

 

Kid friendly pumpkin bread

Here’s a kid-friendly version of pumpkin bread (adapted from a recipe in The Joy of Cooking) Great for involving your children in bringing a taste of Thanksgiving to your family’s French home away from home. You would be surprised at how many Thanksgiving staples you can find in France, including cranberries both dried and fresh. Most other staples can be bought from My American Market. The Recipe makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf and can be made with cooked & mashed squash, yams, or sweet potatoes. This recipe is adapted from The Joy of Cooking. I've cut out all the non-kid friendly ingredients and adjusted the quantities where needed. 


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk together:

• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine in a small bowl:

• 1⁄3 cup milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat in a large bowl until fluffy:

• 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) butter
• 3/4 cup sugar plus 1⁄ 3 cup packed brown sugar

Beat in one at a time:

• 2 large eggs

Add and beat on low speed just until blended:

• 1 cup Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Pie Filling

Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk mixture, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Fold in:

• 1⁄3 cup chocolate chips
• 1⁄3 cup dried cranberrieshttp://www.americancommunityinfrance.com/blog/kids/pumpkin-bread/

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

*This article originally appeared in the My American Market newsletter

Ice Cream Cake

 This article originally appeared in the My American Market newsletter

Fudgy the whale, Cookie Puss to name a couple. Any kid who grew up in the Northeastern United States will recognize those icons from Carvel, THE ice cream place to be. In my experience, a birthday is just not a real birthday without the cookie crunch and smooth cream frosting of an ice cream cake. Ice cream cake is to an American kid’s party what fraise tagada is to a French party.

Who doesn’t like ice cream or cake? And what could be better than putting it together into a homemade ice cream cake?..A treat that, contrary to popular belief, is both incredibly easy and inexpensive to make?

When my son turned 1 year old this summer, I decided to attempt the ice cream cake for my French family. They found it étonnant which is a very nice way of saying ‘I’m not sure I like it’. At first, the invitees found it hard to believe that I had actually made the ice cream (I didn’t) and then wondered how I put the thing together because it looked so professional.
When serving an ice cream cake in France, you should keep in mind that most people will equate it with a buche glacée de Noël which I see as a sophisticated cousin to the basic American ice cream cake. To make the basic ice cream cake, chocolate and vanilla are the way to go. But to make it more sophisticated, perhaps for adult tastes, try using other flavors such as mint or coffee. And remember : I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream (cake)!

Recipe makes 1 10-inch cake (25cm)
Ingredients :

• 2 packs of oreo cookies (about 300 grams)
• 1 1 liter tub each of any 2 flavors of good quality ice cream
• 33 cl heavy whipping cream (such as crème fleurette)
• Decorations that will not be destroyed by freezing such as sprinkles, M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Oreos, Etc.
• Vanilla extract
• Sugar to taste

Materials :

• Wax paper or parchment paper or plastic wrap
• Round cake pan
• Large plate that can be put in the freezer

Preparation :
1. Line the cake pan, bottom and sides, with wax paper or plastic wrap.
2. Take the cream filling out of the Oreos (you may want to set a couple of whole Oreos aside to be used as decoration). Crush the cookies into fine crumbs. Line the cake pan with half of the cookie crumbs.
3. Soften the first tub of ice cream by stirring it with a wooden spoon. The ice cream should be spreadable but not melted. You can also place it in the microwave for 30 seconds but be careful! Spread it on top of the cookie crumbs, making it as smooth as possible (you will be able to hide any imperfections with the final step).
4. Cover the ice cream with the remaining cookie crumbs. Put the cake in the freezer for about 2 hours.
5. Soften the second tub of ice cream and spread the ice cream on top of the first layer. Put it in the freezer for about 2 hours.
6. Mix a teaspoon of vanilla and a little sugar to taste into the cream. Whip until stiff.
7. Remove the cake from the freezer. Take it out of the pan and place it ice cream side up on a large plate.
8. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, cover all sides with the whipped cream.
9. Decorate as desired and return to the freezer for another 2 hours or until the whipped cream is frozen.
10. Remove just before serving so the cake can soften just enough to be cut.
11. Return the cake to the freezer after serving. The leftover cake will keep a week or so if well covered.

His eyes just may be bigger than his stomach...