Christmas Cookies with Charlotte and Kim

Mom and I made christmas cookies today. it was fun.

Egg in a hole, Katie and Dad

Every Sunday at our house is known as pancake Sunday. Unfortunately I am one of those few people who just doesn't like pancakes. But what I do love, unconditionally and irrevocably, is egg in a hole. So this Sunday, instead of having pancakes, we made egg in a hole. Mmmmmmmmm! First we buttered the bread on both sides. I grabbed a knife a cut out a medium- sized hole, "not too big," Dad stressed. We turned on the griddle to toast the bread, flipping it over when cooked. I grabbed the eggs out of the refrigerator. Dad carefully cracked the egg onto the bread, then let it cook for a couple minutes. When the one side was cooked, Dad slowly flipped and let the other side cook. "Egg in a hole is ready" I shouted when it was done, setting it onto the plates. With my fork, I carefully dented the middle of the bread so the yolk spread onto the rest of the bread. I picked it up and tasted. It was perfect!

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Today my mom made pumpkin pie, while I (Vanessa) did my french homework. She cooked a pumpkin called a cheese pumpkin, which is good for making pumpkin pie. It was very easy and fun to make, mom told me. First Mom sliced the pumpkin in half and scooped the seeds out. Then she cooked it until it was soft and ready to be used to make pie! You then add evaporated milk, spices, 2 eggs, brown sugar and white sugar. Then put it into a pie plate with a pie crust and cook it first for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I can definitely tell the difference between the homemade pie and the pumpkin from a can. They were both good but homemade tasted much better as always. Finally we whipped up some whipped cream and had our pie! Tres delicieux!!! (Very delicious!)

Katie's Chili

Pots and pans clatter together. "C'mon" I say. "Let's get cookin' our chili." First step, "slicing the onions" mom says. "Uhhh" I groan. They sting my eyes and I try to remember not to rub my eyes despite the urge to do so.

I glance at the recipe and throw some olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Then I toss the onions in the pot and put it on the stove. The buzzing of the can opener fills my ears as I open up all the cans: kidney beans, canned tomatoes, hmmm, let's see... "Oh, I almost forgot the garbanzo beans" I say fingering through the cabinets. I quickly toss it in with the others and stir with my wooden spoon. I check the recipe once more. I move my finger across the words- "Kidney beans, check. Olive oil, check." I say to myself, murmuring the ingredients, then checking my sizzling pot. "Salt, oh shoot, I forgot that" I say opening up the spices cabinet. My eyes linger on the page and I catch the words chili powder. "Gosh, I forgot that too." I put in the spices, mix them, stir, and pull out a spoon from the silverware drawer. "Tasting Time!" I smile. I reach in. The delicious taste reaches my lips. "Mmmm!"

But... it needs more... I frown... it needs more... chili powder. "More?" Mom asks. "Yeah, it doesn't have enough flavor." I put in more chili powder, than taste again.

"Perfection" I smile, finally satisfied.

Vanessa's Scones

Today I made Cranberry Scones for a project for my social studies class; we're doing a region fair with different regions in the US and my group and I are doing the New England Region so I made scones! After mixing the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together, I put in the butter, milk and cranberries. Then I put it down on a sheet and rolled it flat forming little balls. We needed small servings so we used a very small vase (about 1 inch across) and cut out the balls like that, which I think was pretty funny! After that we put them in the oven and in what seemed like seconds, they were done! "Maybe I should have made more for myself," I thought to myself as I popped the scones into my mouth when I thought mom wasn't looking. They were delicious!

An Unlikely Combination

We're back in the kitchen this beautiful morning, again sans Julia with my sous chef Parsnip (Charlotte) making what else, curried parsnip soup (Parsnip insisted on doing all the peeling, a task at which she has become quite accomplished). This recipe is from Vegetables Every Day, by Jack Bishop. Next on the lunch menu is homemade applesauce, very easy and "delicious" as per Parsnip, and perfect to use up all those apples we picked last weekend. Dessert is Parsnip's personal favorite, brownies, of which she is very excited. We're off to kindergarten in a few minutes.

Blueberry Pancake Sundays

Sunday in our household means blueberry pancakes. And when it comes to making quality pancakes, tradition rules. My "three girls" often help with the prep work but when they do it's always under the watchful eye of their pancake perfectionist father. I've tried many a pancake recipe but have ultimately landed on Irma Rombauer's Joy of Cooking as the one. To give you a sense of how enshrined this recipe is in Reis household lore, one need only open and loosely flip through the pages and you will quickly find yourself on the pancake recipe page; it's like finding the dog-eared pages, except you won't find a dog-ear in sight. For Sherlock Holmes' this case would be a slam dunk: "It was Mr. Dad in the kitchen making blueberry pancakes."

There are two critical junctures in pancake making. The first comes when you've poured the wet ingredients (2 eggs, 3 Tbsp butter, 1 1/2 cups milk) into the dry (1 1/2 cups flour, 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tsp. salt, 1 3/4 Tsp. double acting baking powder). One must strike that delicate balance to make sure the ingredients are adequately mixed without upsetting the gluten strands too much. Of course, you can upset the gluten strands all you want IF you have an extra few hours to let them reattach - but when one has four hungry gals clamoring for sustenance on a Sunday morning, what's a perfectionist to do? The second key moment comes when you are spooning the pancakes onto the griddle (you are using a griddle, yes?). This is where your artistic proclivities take flight. Want a seahorse pancake? Spongebob Squarepants? No problem. (Well, actually we've only managed to make a questionable Patrick.) A pancake in the shape of the letter "C" or "K" or "V"? Check. Donut-shaped? Coming right up. Ultimately, I just go wild and let the pancake gods and my girls decide what masterpiece I've created - fortunately, they have good imaginations.

A few other tips: 1) If you're not going to serve pancakes with pure maple syrup (either A or B grade), don't bother making pancakes at all (with all due respect to Mrs. Butterworth and IHOP); 2) small, frozen blueberries are the best, better even than freshly picked ones (don't ask me why, I'm just telling you what works); 3) don't stack pancakes when they are done but rather lay them flat alongside each other on a paper towel or directly on the plate; and 4) eat them while they're hot.

Want some great pancakes? Come on down to Shadyside any Sunday morning and we'll serve you up a tall stack!