comfort foods are SO comforting :)

It's almost spring which means it's that time of year when you can see three different seasons in a day. We wake up to winter, have spring in the afternoon, and feel fall like temps in the evening. Because of this, it's dressing in layers and prepping for warm/cold/humid/dry weather. You just never know. I mean, it's the midwest! 

Some nights we still light a fire and some nights we open the doors up. After all these years living here you just get used to it. This also means that we try to wrap up the rest of our winter fun. All the favorite winter games, crafts and recipes get pulled out. This includes homemade pot pie. You just can't make a good pot pie in warm weather!

My shortie loves to roll out the homemade pie crust. I always make the yummy, gooey filling and she does the crust. This new recipe made 2 pot pies, so we had gobs of food. It's completely worth the time and the mess watching my kid work her way around our kitchen with such confidence and ease. This is by far our favorite winter food that I make.  

In a month we will be ditching the crockpots, comforters and casseroles. We will crack some windows, prep the grill, and pull out the bikes. Goodbye winter, hello spring! In the meantime, though, no one goes hungry. And no one can get bored with all the recipes we can work through (and clean up!). 

you're never too young to cook and bake!

I love to bake and my husband loves to cook. Between the two of us, we are setting a pretty good example in our house for independence, hobbies, good eating, creativity... The rules are simple

 You have to try a food before you say you don't like it. You have to clear your spot at the table. Sometimes you help with dinner. 

My daughter has started preparing little meals for us. Last Thursday we had homemade pizza with macaroni and cheese. Have you ever looked into homemade pizza crust? So simple- flour, yeast, oil, water, sugar. Cheap and easy. 

Last night we had macaroni and cheese with breakfast cookies for dessert. She has aprons, measuring equipment, kid cookbooks, and interest, so why not?! Breakfast cookies are high protein, egg-free cookies that are actually really good. We split up meal cooking so we aren't stuck with only Kraft based choices ;)

Giving her a little freedom and trust has gone a long way. She wants to help. She is learning fractions and math skills through measuring. She has to help clean up, so every which way I win! And she gets to try new things, so we all win. I truly hope the art of cooking and baking is always her passion! We have so much fun with it!

the Easy Bake oven still exists!

Does anyone remember having an Easy Bake oven this adorable? Nope. Didn't think so. Mine was brown and yellow. I am only mildly jealous that kid's toys are cuter these days. I never had glitter on my stuff- definitely born in the wrong era :)

Someone I know saved and bought this over summer break. Every time we think of it, we buy a bake kit and she makes tiny little snacks. Geez, they went up in price! She is so happy when she can cook and bake safely and without assistance, though. Who doesn't want to spend all that time making tiny little cookies? 

I am glad that our toys have come full circle. A lot of things she plays with now are ones that we all used as kids. We got THREE whole toys for Christmas this year. Only 3. How amazing is that? All the gifts were centered on drawing, crafting, baking, or activities. 

This kid won't get bored until summer break, for sure. She will refine her culinary skills and it will be like a mini iron chef. Maybe she will learn to bake full meals and desserts and I won't have to do that ever again! Well, not really. But in the meantime it is fun to watch her mix and create. She doesn't even realize it, but she's still learning math, fractions and strengthening her reading skills. Bwahaha. I win. Mini cookies AND learning. A great combo!