Fun with Veggies

Well, I haven't updated in a while, but I haven't really been preparing anything lately except... snack at school, which often nowadays consists of different combinations of raw vegetables which are delivered to us from an organic farm affiliated with some of the students and parents involved with the school. One of my favorites is a very interesting looking vegetable called Kholrabi.

To prepare it, I cut off the stems and leaves, peel off the purple skin and slice it up into thin round slices which I then cut into quarters. It's kind of like a turnip, but bigger, and ever so slightly sweeter, I think. It's got a really nice, refreshing crunchy texture. I tried to look for it at my local grocery stores but couldn't find it anywhere. I guess it's just really special. Some other vegetables we've been enjoying on a weekly basis are snap peas, carrots, cabbage, and celery. We also got a whole bunch of tangerines... the kids will love that!

I am so glad that the staff of the school supports and appreciates organic, locally grown produce as much as I do. This is so much better than just sending someone to the store to buy arbitrarily chosen vegetables. Getting our produce delivered from the farm, we get what's in season and it's almost like being part of a special, exclusive club. We truly are lucky to have access to this great produce.

KSotW: Petit Palmiers with Preserves and Cream

Okay, I can't take.... any credit for this amazing snack, actually. It's all Ms. P, who, among other things, coordinates part of our post-lunch routine. Sometimes, she treats our hard working "clean up crew" (the non-nappers who clean up the yard after lunch) to a special treat of her choosing. Sometimes, ice cream. Sometimes, marshmallows. Always something sweet.

Recently, we had a French theme-- petit palmiers with strawberry preserves, blackberries and cream, and lemonade. Mrs. P was kind enough to let me take some of the delicious, buttery, flaky cookies home, where I added my own apricot preserves and whipped cream. I had no blackberries but the version I re-created at home was still very epic. Petit yet delightfully satisfying.

 

Petit Palmiers with Preserves and Cream

Self-explanatory ingredients and assembly: take a cookie, spread on some fruit preserves of your liking, and add some puffs of whipped cream. Add some berries, too, if you have them... any kind of berry. Eat carefully.. the flaky layers may fall apart!

I am going to find a recipe for these and try to bake them soon. :)

Kiddy Snack of the Week: Candy Christmas Trees

I forgot to post a snack last Friday. In the spirit of Christmas, this wasn't really a snack, but it was a food that was created at school... and eaten at home.

Candy Christmas Trees

These were my co-teacher's idea. Each child got a plate with their name on it, and an ice cream cone turned upside down and stuck into place with some "snow" (vanilla frosting). I got a big bowl and mixed some green food coloring in with some separate vanilla frosting, and gave each child some green frosting to spread on their tree. Then they had little candies and sprinkles to choose from to decorate it. We put the different candies on separate plates and I scooped up whichever kinds they wanted with a spoon and put it in a corner of their own plate so they could put them on with their fingers. Good practice in fine motor coordination :).

This all occurred while we were watching Polar Express; we'd just have 3 children come to the table at a time to do their tree, then they could sit back down to watch the movie. It was lots of fun, I even decorated my own tree while finishing up with the last couple girls. The trees were so pretty sitting on the table like a little forest, waiting to be taken home at the end of the day.