When I am with my grandchildren, Liza and Annie, one of our favorite activities is cooking together. We love to make Dutch babies for breakfast, yummy hot soups for winter lunches, and grilled chicken on summer evenings. On the weekend what's more fun than baking cupcakes or an apple pie? Right now, we're living in... Continue Reading →
It was New Year’s Day and we thought, What would be fun to make today? Sous vide steak! Off to the butcher we went for a good cut of beef, but it was closed. New plan: lasagna with meat sauce. We could get everything we needed at the supermarket. At home, we assembled all the... Continue Reading →
Our great pal Tina Silva gave me a very special birthday present this year. She designed an apron for our website and towels, too, with the sweets Liza and Annie most like to bake and the kitchen tools we use a lot. You'll see me here cooking dinner in my new apron at my friend... Continue Reading →
Mom was off at her tennis lesson and Annie and I wanted to make something delicious that she would enjoy when she got home. Dad said he'd help us. We chose brownies, one of our favorite desserts. We made one great change in the ingredients: instead of the unsweetened chocolate we used caramel chocolate chips.... Continue Reading →
It's not that I don't have plenty of birthdays--maybe too many!--but this one was really special. I hadn't been with my best girls at their apartment in nearly a year because of Covid. My pals Penny and Patty were invited, too.The table was beautifully set and the food delicious. Liza and Annie put on a... Continue Reading →
I received a special gift from my good friends Maggie and Michael, a subscription to bake something different for each of three months. The kit comes with all the ingredients and the recipe. The last one was for red velvet cupcakes with the most delicious buttercream frosting. It was so yummy that my mom and... Continue Reading →
Last Sunday night was awesome because Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl. Annie and I are big Tom Brady fans and were allowed to stay up late to watch him lead the team to victory. We had just the right treat for half time--the cake I made. It was a yellow cake with chocolate icing--LOTS... Continue Reading →
I especially like to bake on weekends. Last Friday night Mom and I found a recipe for a shortbread with nuts that looked good. It calls for pistachios but we substituted hazelnuts so we wouldn't have to do all that shelling. The dough is made in the Cuisinart, which I'm now learning to use. You... Continue Reading →
On November 14th, Nama married Michael Korda, who is now our step-grandfather. Along with Michael's young friend Peyton, we had hoped to be flower girls in their wedding, but with Covid, we had to abandon that plan and view the ceremony on Zoom instead. It took place at Candace and Rick Beineckes' in Great Barrington.... Continue Reading →
We're the proud new owners of a lovely pellet grill and decided to break it in by making a pizza! First thing was to get a pizza stone large enough for a decent-sized pizza. This 16-inch stone seemed a good choice. The secret to a crispy crust is to heat the stone thoroughly (at least... Continue Reading →
Our friend Payton, who likes meatballs as much as we do, shared a favorite recipe with us. It comes from her great grandmother, whom she calls nammy. One day this summer, when the weather wasn't actually cloudy, she made these for her mom, Megan, and her brother, Ryan. Here she is about to pop the... Continue Reading →
Yesterday our friend Michael invited us to have a picnic at his farm so that we could finally meet Peyton and her family and ride our favorite horse, Monty. There were TWO Namas there, Maggie and Colleen, and our moms and Liza and Annie's dad and, of course, Michael. After feeding the horses and walking... Continue Reading →
Here is one of our favorite sweets. We should cut these brownies into small pieces so they will last longer, but we won't! Please send us a recipe for brownies you like to bake. (https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/recipes/best-bake-sale-brownies) --Annie and Liza
Hi Annie and Liza,I’m missing you bunches and thinking of you this summer! I hear that you have been cooking and spending time together, and it makes me think of how lucky I am to cook and spend time with my family at home, too. My mom and I made our favorite recipe today, lemon... Continue Reading →
One of the things I did this summer that was really fun was a two-week cooking camp. I took an online course with Tastebuds Kitchen (https://tastebudskitchen.com/.We) were given the shopping list in advance so I had all the necessary ingredients ready and followed the teacher online along with other kids. I was really fast but... Continue Reading →
Nama has a friend named Megan in Pleasant Valley, New York, who has a daughter named Peyton. Peyton loves sweets as much as we do. She surprised us with these unicorn pops, which she got in a special shop called Samuel's Sweet Store in Rhinebeck. We hope to meet Peyton very soon. Peyton loves to... Continue Reading →
Liza's friend Rose moved to California a few years ago but they keep in touch because Rose likes to bake, too. This recipe for angel food cake calls for a dozen egg whites--try separating all those those eggs!--but they make it light and airy and delicious. Here's what Rosie wrote to us: "At the beginning... Continue Reading →
We like to go to The Maple Bank food stand in Roxbury, Connecticut for vegetables in summer. Starting about now you can get corn for one of our favorite dishes, corn salad. Here is Annie shucking the ears. After we've boiled the ears and they've cooled, Liza cuts off the kernels. This time we used... Continue Reading →
This year decided to make a special cake because Grandpa Bob and Gail were coming to our Connecticut house to celebrate The Fourth of July with us. I put on my new chef's hat for baking. Since it's the Fourth, we wanted a cake that was, natch, red, white and blue! We decided on a... Continue Reading →
Our friend Loren Brill surprised us last week with a special delivery of her Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough and her Fudgy Cookie Dough. What makes the dough healthy is that Loren uses only clean, simple ingredients and it's low in sugar. Because there's no gluten, dairy or nuts, everyone at the table can enjoy what... Continue Reading →
Annie: The best dish we’ve made so far was pizza with cheese and tomato sauce. I think I had five slices! Another good recipe is the one for black bean cakes. They are healthy and so are the banana pancakes we make because they have fruit in them. I like peeled cucumbers for a snack.... Continue Reading →
We wanted a little more than scrambled eggs for brunch today and came up with the idea of making pizza on the grill. No stone necessary! The secret is to grill the raw dough first, then add the topping--we used Marinara sauce and mozarellla--and then grill it again. Of course it helps to have a... Continue Reading →
Annie and I are getting healthier up here in the country because we have more time to think about what we're eating and more time to make healthy meals and snacks. We eat together as a family every night and talk about what we've been doing during the day. But we've been learning that many... Continue Reading →
We found one! Here's the recipe. The pancakes are especially good when you've picked the blueberries yourself. We serve them with maple syrup and confectioners sugar on top. Hope you love them as much as we do! --Liza and Annie
When he was growing up, Hank's favorite meal was spaghetti with meatballs. Back then, he and I would go to a local farmer every fall and get a bushel of tomatoes. Hank's job was to load two dozen Mason jars into the dishwasher to wash and dry them, and meanwhile wash all of the lids... Continue Reading →
Mom gave me a terrific new book called The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs. The recipe I decided to make was for Pesto Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. Here I'm mixing the meatballs with the pesto and Panko breadcrumbs, which are healthier and lighter than the regular ones. Next I cooked the meatballs in the... Continue Reading →
I loved seeing what you girls are having for your lunch. Now it's my turn to show you what I'm having for mine today. This is a chickpea and mozzarella salad that is easy to make and healthy. You would love all the ingredients except, maybe, for the red onion. It's especially good with a... Continue Reading →
If you're Liza today, the answer is yes. This is her birthday cake--red velvet with cream cheese frosting. The candles say PARTY and that is what we had tonight. --Mom Jane
We made this plate of snickerdoodles for you. They are super yummy and very easy. It was so nice to talk to you the other day. We miss you so so much and hope to see you on the Cape this summer. Meanwhile, here's a great recipe for the cookies:https://www.modernhoney.com/the-best-snickerdoodle-cookie-recipe/ --Madeleine and Liam
What is Grandpa Bob's favorite food in the whole world? That's what Gail wanted to serve him for his 75th birthday. With a big smile, he told her pecan pie. That was also the favorite of his father Percy. Maybe one day we'll love it as much. Gail found a delicious one at Pieconic in... Continue Reading →
Here are our snacks for each of the Hogwarts House for Harry Potter movie night. --Annie and Liza
I'm dressed up in Liza's old uniform and my NBS headband to celebrate my new school where I'll be going for kindergarten in the fall. Mom made me the best lunch today and it's healthy. I'm eating cottage cheese pancakes with a little bit of raspberry jam and broccoli. (Mom likes green on the plate!)... Continue Reading →
One of our favorite afternoon activities is having tea. Sometimes Mom and Dad and Mom join us but Annie and I are quite happy to sip our tea alone. By the way, the berries here are real, but we made the sweets out of felt! https://videopress.com/v/MvEyqvQq?preloadContent=metadata --Annie and Liza https://videopress.com/v/MvEyqvQq?controls=false&preloadContent=metadata
Last night for dinner we had Mac and Cheese. That's my favorite meal because it's so cheesy and warm and stretchy. You can't see it here, but we also had broccoli. We always include something healthy. Afterwards I had an ice pop for dessert. Also yummy! Here's a recipe that Mom likes for mac and... Continue Reading →
This year I had my birthday celebration with my girls on Zoom because of the corona virus. After we signed off, my friend Gardenia, who lives in my apartment building, surprised me when she left this fabulous dinner plus Champagne outside of my door. What a treat that was! --Nama Maggie
Eating with Nama 