Recipe: Corinne's Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Corinne's Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix

Corinne posted this in her Facebook stream. Looks like it is tasty!

She says:

If you need a last-minute gift for someone who likes Mexican hot chocolate, try this spicy hot chocolate mix: in a bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1-1/2 cups dark cocoa powder, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 TBS sea salt, 2 TBS corn starch, 1 TBS cinnamon, 1 TBS cayenne pepper.

Food process the mixture in small batches. Put in a jar with clever homemade label. To prepare, put 1/3 cup mix in a mug and combine with boiling water or hot milk. Delish, and kids can make!

Recipe: Coconut Chews

I had been looking for a recipe for this cookie for while and recently found this recipe in the Denver Post. Just made them for the Christmas season and they were yum.

Coconut Chews

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 lb. sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions
375 degree oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium till light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and scrape the bowl. Add the flour and baking soda and mix until combined. Fold in the coconut by hand. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they spread out and turn golden around the edges.

Once Upon a Time by Axel, 1st Grade

Once upon a time
there was a elephant
ho did not know
how to talk.
He met a
pussumm the
pussumm said
do you know
how to talk
the elephant
shok his head
I will teach
you how to talk. He
lernd how
to talk
then he
new how
to talk to
all the
animal's
in the
word

(faithfully transcribed by Mommy)

Fig and Goat Cheese Chicken

4 oz goat cheese
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp fresh minced garlic
3 pears, cored and cut in half
fig preserves
6 boneless, skinles chicken breast halves
salt
pepper

Mix goat cheese, thyme and garlic until blended. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of goat cheese mixture into center of each pear half.

Spread fig preserves onto 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Place chicken breasts over fig preserves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place filled pear half cut side down over each chicken breast and drizzle with additional fig preserves. Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake, basting as needed, for 30 - 40 minutes until chicken breasts are done.

Cut chicken breasts and pear in half to serve. Spoon sauce over pears. Garnish with diced figs and thyme sprigs if desired.

Adapted from Cost Magazine Recipe - September 2011.

Recipe: Fish Soup

I made this for dinner tonight with a bunch of tilapia from Costco and it was very yummy!


6 TBS olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped small
2 carrots, chopped in thin circles
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Tabasco to taste (optional)
1/4 tsp thyme
1 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes (I used low sodium, organic), with juice
2 tsp of tomato paste
8 ounces of clam juice (1 bottle)
2/3 cup white wine
1-1/2 cup of vegetable stock
12 oz fish fillets (I used tilapia but you could use other white fish such as halibut, cod, etc), cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in heavy pan, add onion, garlic, celery and carrots and then sauté for a few minutes. Add parsley and other herbs and stir for additional two minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste and cook two minutes more. Then, add clam juice, white wine, and fish and simmer until fish is cooked through; this will take less than 10 minutes.Salt and pepper to taste. We served with bread and cheese. 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		175.3
Total Fat		7.8 g
	Saturated Fat	1.2 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.6 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.0 g
Cholesterol		27.5 mg
Sodium		608.6 mg
Potassium		425.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		7.5 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.0 g
	Sugars	2.9 g
Protein		15.1 g

Recipe: Homemade Fudgesicles (and Orangesicles)

Homemade Fudgesicles (and Orangesicles - see below)

They really are creamy!

1/2 cup sugar
2 - 2.5 TBS cocoa powder
3 TBS cornstarch
2-1/2 cups half and half
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBS butter

Directions - in small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and half and half. (I like a bit more cocoa powder so added 2-1/2 TBS, but don't over do it or they will be bitter.) Cook on medium till thick, stirring constantly (can burn easily). This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter and stir till well mixed. Place in molds and freeze until firm. I use silicone molds or just Dixie sticks and then stick in popsicle sticks when partially frozen (I use a timer so I don't forget). Note: I bought a half gallon of organic half and half at Costco so it was inexpensive, and have been making a lot of "cream" based popsicles.

Update July 2012:
This summer, Clémence and I fiddled with this recipe to use it as a base to make homemade Orangesicles or Dreamsicles. Use the recipe above, but modify as follows:

Omit the cocoa powder
Reduce half and half to 2-1/4 cups
Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate to mixture after thickened most of the way; rethicken a bit after adding.
Otherwise, proceed as above.

January 2011 Photos

Eve skiing Corkscrew (go, Mommy!)

Wow - that's some exciting sledding!

Luka climbing in Boulder

Axel's 100th Day of School Project

Axel ski racing (GS)

Luka ski racing (GS)

Axel with his skiing ribbons

Holiday Greetings! Meilleurs Voeux!

Luka and Axel's Christmas Greetings to you in French and English are below!

Luka et Axel vous adressent leurs meilleurs voeux (en anglais et en français)!

français :


English:


Winter Presentation - Axel
Presentation d'Axel (école)



Here are some other videos from the past year:
Voici quelques autres vidéos de l'année passée :

Luka's loses his 1st tooth
Luka perd sa première dent de lait


Axel at his first triathlon (!)
Axel à son premier triathlon


Luka at his first triathlon (!)
Luka à son premier triathlon


Our YouTube channel / toutes nos vidéos sur YouTube: BODEUX YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Classic Cut-out Sugar Cookie Recipe & Cream Cheese Frosting

These cookies are classic and so good. They work very well for bake sales, cookie exchanges, parties and any time you want a tasty cookie in cut-out shapes. You can frost them or eat them plain. I also like the parchment paper method for rolling out and baking the cookies since it 

reduces extra flour on the final cookies and this improves their taste and texture.

ROLLED SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 TBS milk
1 egg
1 tsp real vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
grated zest from one orange (or to taste) - the secret ingredient
1 tsp baking powder (in Colorado) or 1-1/2 tsp baking powder (sea level)
¼ tsp salt

Use organic ingredients where possible. In stand mixer or with hand mixer, combine sugar and butter till well creamed. Add milk, vanilla and egg; blend well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, grated orange zest and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix together well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour for easier handling.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To avoid giving cookies a “floury” taste when rolling them out, roll dough out directly onto large sheets of parchment paper (not wax paper) that will fit on cookie sheet, using minimal flour on rolling pin and cookie cutters. Roll dough to desired thickness (around 1/8-inch, but on the thick side). Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters, leaving 1-inch space between cookies. Leave cut shapes on parchment paper, and continue re-rolling remaining dough and cutting out shapes on parchment paper until dough is used up. Put parchment paper containing cut-out cookies directly onto cookie sheet and bake. Re-use parchment paper for several batches, as needed, till dough is gone.

Bake cookies for 6 – 9 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on rack.

Serve as is or frost after cookies have cooled.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

3 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 TBS butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Wilton’s coloring paste or other paste-based colorant of desired color
candy sprinkles - optional

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except coloring; beat until combined. Add coloring if using, and then continue beating till frosting is smooth and fluffy. A stand mixer works well for this – beat several minutes on medium to high speed.

Send pictures!

Christmas Photo Card

This is a card I made to try out Shutterfly's flat cards and see what they look like (I am a stationery maniac). Below they are from the online portfolio which you can view directly here:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IaN3DZy0auNg

Sage Snowflakes Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Recipe: Pumpkin Chocoloate Chip Cookies

These cookies are "cakey" rather than flat.

Pumpkin Chocoloate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 TBS vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, egg. Mix. Add vanilla and mix. In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper) and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Recipe: Banana Popsicles from Sanya

Sanya suggests variations such as substituting vanilla or chocolate syrup for for banana, or mixing them together. I like this recipe because she does not use instant banana pudding (yuck).

2 really ripe bananas mashed
1/3 cup super fine sugar (you can buy it pre-made or run regular granulated sugar through the Cuisinart)
1/2 cup cream
2 cups milk

Mix all ingredients together well and freeze in your favorite popsicle mold.

Easy and fresh tasting.

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This one is a keeper. Made it for the boys' after-school snack and the consistency and chocolatey-ness are yummy. 

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded raw zucchini (unpeeled)

1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
scant 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Grease loaf pan.

Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini.

Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

Yield: one 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf.

Luka in School Talent Show

Luka was first to perform in the school talent show, for the very last day of school (last night, he was "promoted" to Third Grade in a ceremony for all grades). In the talent show, he played the Star Spangled Banner and a Sonatina (adapted). There were some other fun performances – lots of piano players, a violin, a harp, gymnastics, joke telling, and hula hooping!

Luka also won "Mr. Literary" in his class for always having his nose in a book! :)

Luka playing Star Spangled Banner at the school talent show (last day of school!):



Luka at field day:

April & May Family Videos

Here is Luka demonstrating a "machine" he made for a school project.

Here is Luka at his piano recital and the program below.

Here is Axel skiing in his monster costume the last day of ski season at Ski Cooper.






Reynald's Mini Birthday Party

Recipe: Mom's Sugar Cookies

Mom's Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
4 tsp milk
2 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar, orange peel and vanilla. Add egg, beat till light and fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together dry ingredients; blend in creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Chill one hour.

On lightly floured surface, roll. to 1/8 inch. Cut in desired shapes w/cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 6 - 8 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from pan. Cool on rack. Decorate. Makes 2 dozen. Is usually doubled to make more.

Recipe: Lindemuth Fudge Brownies

Fudge Brownies 

(original from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)

Melt this together on stove top: 
- 4 1-oz squares of baker's chocolate (or substitute 3 TBS cocoa powder + 1 TBS oil for each square)
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter

Add to melted mixture, directly in the pot and mix well:
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cup flour
1 cup nuts

350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Can be cut in half.

Spring Photos

Nathalie as Skiing Gorilla - Me, want banana now! Celebrating (or mourning) last day of ski season at our favorite resort! (Check out that move!)

Axel as green ski monster at Ski Cooper - last day of the season. He was a very popular (and cute) skiing furry, green man!

Nat and Axel making scary noises!

Axel swooshing on down the backside. Go, Ax, go!

Eve and boys (Luka and Axel) at Ski Cooper

Axel and Reynald after they won their divisions (gold medal) in the last ski race of the season (Axel in "5 and under" and Reynald in Masters group (I won't divulge his age).

Easter egg hunt at Ski Cooper (Eve in pink jacket, Reynald sitting on snow, Axel in red jacket next to us).

Luka with his science project board. Great job!

Recipe: Mac & Cheese

 A friend in France was looking for a Mac & Cheese recipe, so I thought I'd post our favorite one. (She'll have to convert it, though!)

10 oz. elbow macaroni or other pasta
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dried basil
2-1/4 cups skim milk
1-1/4 cups Cheddar (or other semi-hard) cheese
2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes

- Cook the pasta as directed. Drain.
- In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the green onions and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, mustard and basil; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Add the tomatoes and macaroni. Mix well.
- You can eat now, or coat an oven-proof pan with butter and add the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil about 5 inches from the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the crumbs are browned.

Lullaby: I'll Sing You to Rest Love

Mom sang this to us when we were little, and I wanted to sing it to my kids. I couldn't remeber the words, though. Mom was just here and she sang it for us.

I'll Sing You to Rest Love

The lambs are sleeping in the fold,
The sun has turned the hills to gold,
The evening will be turning cold,
So come to mother my darling,
Lie safe in your nest love,
I'll sing you to rest love.

The stars are peeping one by one,
To watch the sinking of the sun,
They daren't came out till day is done,
And birdies and babies are sleeping,
Lie safe in your nest love,
I'll sing you to rest love.