Cooking for children

Finally here is the big-ish project that has been keeping me busy for part of the summer. Not that it is very long to make as such, but it was hard to find the time between naps, meals and playtimes with litte N. (cannot call her Baby anymore, she is 1yo!).

So let's have a look at what a present my niece and my goddaughter got for their second birthday:

  A cooking play-set! Including a tin of three different sorts of pasta, a herbs&spices tin, a box full of biscuits and mini-cakes and finally a mini-sponge to do the dishes once everything has been eaten and cooked :)

Making the labels

The herbs&spices tin

 I first bought the tin without any idea of what would come inside, then I thought about cinnamon sticks, maybe some of those star-shaped spieces etc. But my cousin J. had a fantastic idea: leaves! So we made mint, basil and bayleaves. Fairly easy to cut them, embroider a tiny bit and done! J. made the cinnamon sticks herself, they are all different. She inspired herself on a bag of real ones that we have in our kitchen. No need for any pattern there :)

The biscuits and cakes box

 Here I am giving you some links. I can unfortunately take absolutely no credit for any of the ideas ;). My own imagination only helped to choose the flavours of the mini-cakes:

- Banana and Kiwi

- Vanilla and Raspberry

- Strawberry and Chocolate
- Peach and Mandarine 

- Blueberry and Lavander 

I leave you to guess which one is which! (Just a quick remark: the beads are both sewn AND glued for more safety).

In the box, you can also see a doughnut (one is without beads at the mother's request), two round chocolate biscuits and two long-ish biscuits, those are called "barquettes" in French. To get to the websites where I got the ideas and patters, simply click on the words. 

 The Pasta tin

 There are many tutorials about making felt pasta. We (my cousin and I) made:

- Tortellini

- Farfalle

- Tagliatelle

 

If you pay attention the pasta and the small herbs (leaves) are attached with a thread. The reason is quite simple, the girls are still quite young and putting things in their mouths. So it is just a question of safety really, as soon as they are old enough, their mothers will be able to cut the threads and the girls will be able to use the pasta individually.

And finally to fit everything in and play pretend-shopping (who knows, maybe even to go shopping with their mothers!) here is:

The shopping bag

This I can take credit for :) no pattern! I just asked my sister back in France to measure the small "Shoppi" bag that we've since I was a little girl and I worked from there. I made a few mistakes on the first bag (the blue one), but I hope I will be forgiven by the little one who gets it.

 The end measures are:

25cm x 25cm x 10cm (the sides are 19cm high).  The hole for the handles is 9,5cm large and comes 4cm underneath the wooden stick.

I did cut (after learning from my mistakes) a 70cm long and 29 cm large stripe of fabric (which by the way needs to be quite strong). Two sides bits 23cm long and 15cm large. Two wooden sticks 24cm long and 1cm diameter. [Note: all measures are now with seam-allowance). 

As you can see on the above pictures, I have turned my fabric twice all along. I did that on all three pieces of fabric so as to allow the inside of the bag to look clean and tidy in the end:

Here is what I did for the hole under the handles. I do not know if it is the best way to do it though... If anyone has suggestions I would gladly read them!

Then was just left to put the sticks in - which is not so very easy since they need to be in when sewing (I did not want the girls to be able to take them out later on!)

 Aaaaand Tadaaaaaaam:

 There we are, all done. The bags took about 2 hours each (all steps included) which isn't that much really. Now the question will be: how long will they last? ;)

Anyway, that is it for today. If both girls enjoy their play-set, then I know already what to make at Christmas! And I plan on making a similar set (including the bag, hers will be red). 

What do you think?Do you like it?

My first swap :)

Some weeks ago I was searching for recipes containing "Carambar" (French sweets). In my web-travels I found this blog: École et Bricoles hold by a French primary school teacher, Steph. It all started with me leaving a couple of comments, carried on with Steph sending me those lovely home-made soaps:

 I am very pleased because my hands (usually quite sensitive to new soaps) did not react at all, quite the contrary, after using this soap they are quite nice and soft.

Anyway, since then we have been getting on knowing each other a bit more via emails and I have put together some things to send her next week:

- A recipe (translated in French from my blog)

- A guide of my town

- A kit to make a felt-doughnut

I hope she (and her family) will enjoy it!

 I actually still have two more swaps in mind with Rachael from Little Red Farm and with Cristina from Yencamade. One would be a cultural swap, Rachael asked me to talk a bit about the country where I live. The other one still remains to be decided :)

I do like the idea of exchanging ideas, objects etc. with other people from other countries! Thanks a lot Steph for my first swap experience!

A teddy as big as a thumb

Isn't he sweet and tiny?

 

I just could not resist presenting you my cousin's first job on her own without asking anything, without help. She just took some fabric remains, a thread and a needle... and some time later this little guy was born :)
He isn't perfect as she still needs to acquire sewing techniques, but she made it especially for my daughter N. So this mini-teddy bear is  very special.

A new game

A friend of mine used to work in a Kindergarten and she told me of a very simple game that became a huge hit among the children: a simple box with lid, the lid slightly cut open and some corks. The children then just have to push the corks through the lid and make them fall down in the box. It sounded just like the kind of thing Baby N. would love and I happened to have the appropriate material to make it. So there it is:

 Time required to make it? Hmmm... let's think: about 5 seconds to get the box, another 10 seconds to gather the corks, maybe a minute to wash them properly (they are doomed to be put in Baby N.'s mouth at some point, without the taste of wine is better). Then maybe another 10 seconds to get the cutter, 30 seconds to cut the lid open... Soooo that brings us to a grand total of (drum rolls!) 1'55'' :) I bet we can all spare that much time to make a toy for our children, can't we?

Baby N. tends to find it boring to put them one at a time, so she practices pushing three or four together. She also seems to think that lifting one corner up is a lot easier... Something tells me that the plastic lid isn't going to last very long, but nevermind. As long as she is having fun :)

Incidentally: once the box filled with the corks, show your child how much noise it makes, that should delight him/her and the corks will not be flying around thanks to the closed lid.

The work of a day

Finally I take the time to write a post, it is about time! Especially since I am going on holiday very soon and will not be able to post anything (apart from scheduled articles) for a whole month!

Several projects have been on for a month now. One that I cannot show you yet as the result is a present for two lovely girls who are turning two this summer. The other things I can talk about and post pictures :)

 A summer sleeping-bag

Days have been pretty hot for weeks now, nights too. Baby N. has been so warm and sweating so much that I finally decided to make her a very very light sleeping-bag. I had tried to make her sleep simply in her body, but just like her mother she needs something to cover her otherwise she sleeps badly. So, I simply copied out the shape of her sleeping-bag on an old bed sheet, drawing the contours with a piece of chalk that I have found in my Grandma's sewing-box. Cut out the three pieces, fixed them together, trimming in the inside with notching scissors (hoping it is the right word). I fixed bias tape around the arms and the neck and for the very first time in three years I MANAGED without making a mess on either side!!! I am SO PROUD of myself ^^. As you can see on the pictures though, I started the zipper far too low, which makes that she could get out of the sleeping-bag if she got the idea of doing it (I am not telling her!). When I have a little time available, I will probably fix some buttons or something to close the top part better.

 

A sleeping Mask

Now, this one wasn't done by me, I only participated in the finishing outside seam. My young cousin, J. (14 yo), visited us for almost a month and she got on helping me with some sewing projects and this mask is her very first attempt at the sewing-machine. I would say she did a pretty good job. Don't you think?
We got the pattern and explanations from this blog.

  

 Baby shoes

In this post, I have already shown home-made shoes. This time I needed bigger ones but I also wanted them to be stronger. I have recently ordered a lot of things from VBS, among which a bag of 500gr of leather remains. So I decided to attempt making leather shoes. At first I thought the sewing-machine would not be strong enough, but it did go fairly well. It just took me almost three times the expected time (which was two hours on the pattern). And to be perfectly honest, it wasn't quite just the work of one day since I finished the second one on the next day. I made a mistake on the second shoe and was too annoyed to finish straight away (was also far too tired and it was dinner time).

The yellow marks on the soles are antislips that you simply iron on your fabrics.

And finally after so much hard work, our hands and eyes were aching and my lovely husband prepared for us this delicious tomato, mozarella and basil salad. It was so refreshing and tasty! I dare say that we deserved it :)

Challenge : "Un mot, des titres" - Session 9

As per usual now, my post in French about a reading challenge organised by Callypso.

Le mot du jour était "Fille". Quel beau mot! Tout de suite j'ai su quels titres choisir... et comme "entre les deux mon coeur balance" depuis toujours, ce sont les deux que je vous présente aujourd'hui!

Deux livres d'auteures suédoises pour enfants. Deux livres qui ont accompagnés mes lectures depuis de très nombreuses années. Deux livres achetés avec mon argent de poche à la librairie en bas de chez nous. Deux livres jeunesse que je relis malgré tout avec plaisir presque tous les ans et pourtant je suis adulte maintenant. Deux livres que je veux transmettre à ma fille lorsqu'elle sera en âge de les lire.

La Fille de Papa Pèlerine, Maria Gripe

"Loëlla aime la forêt, sa maison et le vieil épouvantail qu'elle a baptisé "papa Pèlerine". Au village, on la dit sauvage et renfermée, un peu sorcière. Seule Mme Adine l'aide à s'occuper de ses deux jeunes frères pendant les longues absences de sa mère, qui navigue sur des mers lointaines. Mais cette fois, maman a écrit qu'elle ne rentrait pas... il faut tout quitter et vivre en pension. À la vile, perdue dans un monde étranger et parfois hostile, Loëlla conserve un espoir : retrouver son père..."


"Anémone noire! Fleur de lune ! Serpenthème!" Loëlla est tellement attachante, la pauvre a une douzaine d'année et la voilà responsable de ses petits frères, des jumeaux d'environ trois ans, en pleine forêt, sans eau courante ni électricité. Elle part tous les jours chercher du bois et de la nourriture. Le plus souvent elle cherche dans la forêt mais quand elle n'y trouve rien c'est dans les poubelles derrières les magasins du village qu'elle se sert. Les tartes à la crème jetées par la boulangère alors qu'elles sont "à peine tournées"... il faut bien qu'elle survive en attendant que sa mère revienne. Il y a bien cette Mme Adine qui est gentille comme tout, elle les aime beaucoup cette Mme Adine, elle leur donne à manger, fait un peu de ménage et leur donne un peu d'argent et rempli un peu le garde-manger, mais un jour elle se casse la jambe. Et un jour, le même, Loëlla apprend que sa mère ne viendra pas comme promis, qu'elle envoie une amie et son mari qui vont prendre les trois enfants en charge. Ce jour-là les ennuis commencent et une nouvelle vie aussi.
Loëlla va apprendre à connaitre la ville, la pension (et oui cette amie n'a de place que pour les jumeaux), elle va aussi en apprendre un peu plus sur ce père qu'elle n'a jamais connu et auquel elle n'avait jamais réellement pensé. Oh, ce n'est pas du bien qu'en dit Agda, l'amie de Maman. D'après elle, c'est lui qui est parti, il ne voulait pas se marier. Il voulait la petite mais pas le mariage. Il était beau, beau comme un dieu mais arrogant et fier, et sans le sou qui plus est!
Au fur et à mesure Loëlla rêve de sa rencontre avec son père "Loëlla, s'est donc toi ma fille", dans des circonstances toujours très dramatiques, un incendie, une noyage... mais jamais il ne vient. Elle finit par se résigner. Et puis c'est la fin de l'année scolaire, l'été est là, elle a le droit de rentrer chez elle, avec ses frères, enfin. Je n'en dirai pas plus, en dire plus serait rompre le charme de découvrir les mots de ce livre, les sentiments de Loëlla. Je ne peux pas non plus sortir quelques citations de leur contexte, elles seraient trop déplacées, comme Loëlla dans cette grande ville, déracinées, perdues, éperdues.
De même je passe sous silence la moitié du titre "papa pèlerine"... cet épouvantail joue à la fois un rôle mineur et majeur dans l'histoire, mais ça, c'est vous, lecteurs, qui devez le découvrir et le ressentir.


Tout ce que je peux dire c'est que sans aucune honte, j'ai encore et toujours les yeux humides à certains passages du livre. Quand je lis "La fille de papa Pèlerine" c'est comme si je n'avais pas grandi et avais encore 8 ans.

Ronya, fille de Brigand, Astrid Lindgren

"Depuis des générations, deux bandes de brigands se font la guerre. L'un des chefs adore sa petite fille, Ronya ; il ignore que son ennemi à un fils, Rik. Lorsque les deux enfants se rencontrent, ils commencent par s'affronter mais avec le temps, tout change. C'est le début de multiples aventures et secrets..."

Voici mon deuxième choix, un ou deux passages avec les yeux humides aussi, mais ce livre est moins "solennel", il laisse beaucoup plus d'espace à l'imagination active d'un enfant. Quelles aventures, à grimper dans les arbres et sur des rochers, à vivre dans une grotte tout l'été, à tenter de dompter des chevaux sauvages, affronter tous les êtres malfaisants de la forêt... Quel enfant n'a pas un jour rêvé de telles aventures qui lui arriveraient un jour et dont il se sortirait toujours avec brio?
C'est aussi la belle histoire de deux enfants qui se lient d'une amitié sincère et éternelle. Fils et fille d'ennemis jurés, dont l'amitié est tout à fait réprouvée par les deux familles, Rik et Ronya deviennent pourtant frère et soeur.
"Ta soeur? s'écria Undis [la mère de Rik]. Mais certainement, voyons, on sait bien ce que ça donnera dans quelques années!"
Cette phrase, je n'y ai prêté attention que tardivement (peut-être à l'adolescence)... J'en ai enfin saisi le sens! Il m'a fallu attendre d'être "grande". Enfant, lorsque je lisais ce livre, cette phrase ne voulait rien dire pour moi, de la même manière qu'elle ne veut rien dire pour Ronya et son frère choisi. Quand on est enfant, l'amitié est belle, sincère et on ne pense pas qu'elle puisse un jour devenir autre chose comme les parents peuvent le penser. Rik et Ronya sont à mille lieues de penser que cette amitié les amènera à se marier, et pourtant c'est la première chose à laquelle Undis pense lorsqu'elle apprend que son fils et Ronya sont amis... Ah les parents!
Une grande partie de l'histoire tourne autour de la relation parent-enfant. Rik vient d'une famille de brigands moins prospère, ses parents n'hésitent pas à porter la main sur lui, sa mère bien qu'elle l'aime, ne le montre pas. Lorsqu'il s'enfuit de chez lui, il est certain que jamais ses parents ne voudront plus poser les yeux sur lui. Ronya, elle, a toujours connu l'opulence, le bonheur d'être entourée de parents aimants et attentionées, de brigands qui chantent et racontent des histoires. Lorsqu'elle s'enfuit de chez elle pour rejoindre Rik, elle a le coeur lourd et se demandent comment vont réagir ses parents.
Les parents sont aussi décrits, mais je ne vais pas en dévoiler plus, il vous faudra lire le livre pour apprendre à connaitre Lovis et Mattis, Undis et Roka ainsi que les deux enfants. Astrid Lindgren est bien connue pour ses livres jeunesse, notamment "Fifi Brindacier" et pour moi elle est une référence que chaque enfant devrait connaitre.


À vous de découvrir ces livres maintenant. J'aimerais beaucoup savoir si certains d'entre-vous vont réellement être tentés de les lire, et si vous le faites, j'aimerais avoir votre opinion, vos réactions!

"Ochsenaugen" (Oxen eyes!)

Oh I wish I could see my non-German readers' face when they read the title of my new cooking post! What will they think I got on our plates?

Well, everybody can be reassured, it is nothing dodgy, no real Oxen eyes, just biscuits which are so weirdly named in German :)

Being quite a fan of that biscuit I decided to get on making some myself rather than always buy them at the bakery. The idea was also to master the recipe before going to France and surprise my father with it, as he is a big fan of marzipan. I used the recipe from Dr. Oetker (baking brand) and I am not quite happy with it. Still giving it to you, writing what I thought went wrong and what I will try to correct next time:

For about 40 biscuits [I only managed a maximum of 30]

Biscuit dough:

- 200 gr flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder [I misread and used half a tablespoon, not sure it mattered] 

- 50 gr sugar

- 1 sachet vanilla sugar

- lemon zest [the recipe says a sachet, I didn't use any as I prefer to use freshly grated lemon but did not have one at hand]

- a pinch of salt [I am proud to say that for once I did not forget it!]

- 125 gr soft butter or magarine

- 3 yolks (medium sized eggs)

[I found the dough very crumbly, uneasy to roll out and to use. Next time I would probably use my mother's recipe for plain biscuits. The idea of a touch of lemon is quite nice though.]

 

Coating cream:

- 300 gr plain cooking marzipan

- 3 egg whites

- 1 sachet of vanilla sugar [I would probably use two next time]

[The cream was far too liquid and did not get into shape. After baking it remained very soft. Without being horrible, it was not as expected and therefore disappointing. What I would do different? 2 eggs for 300 gr, if still too liquid adding another 50 or 100 gr of marzipan.] 

Other ingredients:

100 gr red jam (strawberry, raspberry...)

100 gr yellow jam (apricot, peach...)

100 gr green jam (kiwi...)

[I ended up with 10 biscuits less than what the recipe said AND the coating remained rather flat, so i only needed in total about 50 gr (tops!) of jam... I guess for that specific point, one just needs to adjust on the spot.]

1 - Preheat the oven - 180°C/200°C depending on the function you use. Cover the baking tray with baking paper.

2 - Mix all the ingredients for the dough (with machine) until you get an homogeneous dough. Roll it out on a flat, clean and floured area (30x30cm) and cut circle of about 5 cm diameter. [I used a flower shaped dough-cutter]. Put the circles on the baking tray. Do it again and again until you have used all the dough.

3 - Cut the marzipan in small pieces and put them in a bowl, add the whites and vanilla sugar. Mix everything with a mixer to obtain a sort of homogeneous cream.

 

Pour it in a pastry bag with a star-shaped end-bit of about 8 mm diameter [how is that even called in proper English? The star-shape did not work out well. Mine was too small and the cream was too liquid to retain any sort of shape anyway.]. Make a circle of cream on top of every dough piece.

4 - Bake for about 13 min [always to be adjusted according to the oven being used]

5 - Put the biscuits on a grid to cool down.

6 - Put the jam through a strainer over a sauce pan. Bring it to the boil for some minutes. 

Then place some of the hot jam in the middle of the biscuits and leave it to cool down. 

Enjoy!