Thursday, February 25, 2010

Breadfruit


We've been trying some new foods lately so hopefully I'll get around to posting them.

We purchased this breadfruit for about $3.00 - I forgot to check what country it originated from.

I was eager to try it until I read that it needs to be cooked - ugh! I put it off for a few days and then went ahead and cooked it before it went bad.

There were streaks of what looked like white paint on the outside of the breadfruit, and it felt kind of sticky after I rinsed it off. I read that all parts of the breadfruit tree produce latex - so maybe that's what caused the stickiness.


I cut the breadfruit in half and placed it cut side down in a casserole dish filled with about an inch of water and popped it in the microwave until soft. Cutting the breadfruit was a bit difficult though not as hard as a squash.

The girl and I tried the cooked breadfruit and neither of us begged for more. It was soft - kind of spongy and at first bite it did have a nice flavor but after chewing it a bit it became very bitter - reminded me of a cooked eggplant. The flavor was kind of bland...probably would have been better if it was prepared properly.

"Breadfruit is a staple food in many tropical regions. They were propagated far outside their native range by Polynesian voyagers who transported root cuttings and air-layered plants over long ocean distances. They are very rich in starch, and before being eaten they are roasted, baked, fried, or boiled. When cooked the taste is described as potato-like, or similar to fresh baked bread (hence the name)." Wikipedia

What Has One Hundred Eyes But No Nose

The other day I read the old riddle "What has one hundred eyes but no nose?" to the kids. (answer potato)

The boy thought for awhile and then said "A box of needles."

Great answer :)

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cookie Decorating


Yesterday the kids and some friends decorated Valentines' cookies.

Christmas and Valentines' cookies are pretty much the only cookie decorating we do all year. Last year we decorated Valentines' cupcakes - not as exciting but faster and easier.

This year we went back to our 2008 cookie decorating theme.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Eskimo Picnic


On Friday we decided to venture out to our HQ library and the girl asked if we could have an "Eskimo Picnic" out there.

The library has a couple of picnic tables (balanced rather precariously on some very uneven ground) at the end of the parking lot near a small wooded area.

The girl packed her Bento Box, the boy had a sandwich and we brought hot cocoa in a thermos. It was rather coolish and windy (which of course is just perfect Eskimo Picnic weather) - so I just sat in the car while the kids braved the cold.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Clara's Kitchen - Book Review

A year or so ago I stumbled upon some YouTube videos of an elderly woman named Clara.

Clara talked about growing up in the Great Depression - and shared some simple recipes she remembers from way back when. The videos are quite short, but they were fun to watch.

At the library a few days ago I found a book displayed on a rack "Clara's Kitchen" Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression.

It was about the Clara!

It's just a small little book - not very many recipes and the recipes in it are far from exciting - but Clara makes them all sound delicious! Makes me wish I had spent more time with my grandmothers' - cooking with them and listening to their stories. I wish that I had asked them more questions and had written down their answers so that I could remember it all now.

The book is being sold online for about $15 and up...not something I'd spend $15-$20 (once you add in shipping) but it is interesting - so see if you can find it at your local library.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Snow Fun


Well we didn't get the predicted 2-4 inches of snow over the last couple of days, but we did get enough snow for the kids to play in this morning.

The girl was ready to go out at 8 AM...

The kids spent a good part of the time building snowmen - but they are not just ordinary snowmen ...the kids explained it all but I've forgotten. Two of the snowmen have their hands tied behind their backs for some reason...


Friday, February 5, 2010

Old vs New

What is it about an old edition of a book that is so intriguing? And who wouldn't prefer a hard cover edition to a paperback edition...

Why would I rather have an old worn copy of a classic story than a brand new copy from Amazon?

Old or new the words are still the same. The new copy would be clean and neat with no scribbles, no torn pages.

Old books seem to have more "character"...and unfortunately sometimes you have to pay double the price to have a little character thrown into your book.