Salad Bowls Made out of Bacon?

Who needs bacon bits? Found this gem of a recipe at not martha via Tip Junkie.

First, Hubs carefully wove the bacon over the back of a tin-foiled muffin tin.



Next, he cooked it in a 400°F oven, rotating it regularly, for about 30 minutes. And he didn't forget to put a cookie sheet underneath it to catch the bacon drippings, which surely spared us from all sorts of smoke billowing in our apartment.



We made these a day ahead of needing them and kept them in the fridge. Right before our guest arrived we tossed in a wee salad into each 'bowl'.

SALAD INGREDIENTS
· Salad greens
· Olives
· Tomato
· Boursin cheese
· Pear slices
· Dressing: balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup

This was Spud's version ... the same as ours without the greens and dressing. He gobbled it all up.

Photo Friday #24

THE GETTY | TRAVELS WITH KID IN LA
We marveled at the architecture.







Appreciated the fountains.





Took in the views.



And then we participated in a little 30 minute art class for munchkins [we signed up for it in the main lobby a couple of hours in advance, as they fill up quickly].

The teacher introduced us to their collection of 250 year old French furniture and asked us to examine the rooms looking for examples of "nature" motifs carved in the the exhibit pieces to share with the group later. We observed lions feet, birds, grapes, apples etc. Spud was surprisingly taken in by the ornate details and insisted that we photograph a number of the pieces.



Next, we were introduced to a couple of pots as examples of collaborative work between two countries. The teacher said "Now you and your parents are going to be France and China, working together, decorating your own pot". Very cute.

You can see the pot we used for inspiration in the background here.



Hubs was France as he added the gold as directed by Spud. And Spud and I did our best to be China. Now Spud has a little keepsake box as a souvenir.



Unfortunately we ran out of time quickly and didn't even get a chance to do this! Must go back one day.



Hey, why not share your travel pics on Fridays too ... at Delicious Baby.

The Books that Changed Your Little World?

So, I was on my way to the library a few weeks back, to look for some good kid books. While needing a little inspiration, I put a call out to my Facebook buddies: "Jackie is wondering what books changed your little lives when you were 6, 7 or 8?" These are the results of my wee, informal study.

· Danny, The Champion of the World, Roald Dahl.

· The BFG, Roald Dahl.

· And all things Roald Dahl. Check out his site. Cute!

· Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren.

· Encyclopedia Brown, Donald J. Sobol.

· The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis.

· Superfudge Series, Judy Blume.

· And all things Judy Blume

· The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien.

· A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine l'Engle.

· Ramona Quimby books, Beverly Cleary.

· Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

· Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

· Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, Mordecai Richler.

· The Little Engine that Could, Watty Piper.

· Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls.

· The Cay, Theodore Taylor.

· The Bunjee Venture, Stan McMurtry.

· Nancy Drew Series, Carolyn Keene.

· Bobbsey Twins Series, Laura Lee Hope.

All images: amazon.com

Feel free to add more in the comments!

I've recently discovered Common Sense Media which gives objective reviews of kids books and helps me decide what is appropriate for Spud's age [it's great for movie reviews too].

Kids' Clay Sphinx Project

I could not resist posting the fruits of Spud's 6 year Egyptian Themed Party. These adorable sphinxes are hot out of the oven from 4 Cats Art Studio. The kids worked so hard on them and have been excitedly awaiting their arrival.

And Spud's little guy has come in handy already. On a windy patio day, he made an excellent paper weight.

Orange-hued Lunch Today

The top layer has a variety of orangy-coloured foods and accessories today ... for no particular reason ...
· Cheddar cheese bits
· 2 Apple slices [peeled as Spud has recently acquired a hate on for skins of any type ... great!]
· 1/2 a Kiwi
· 3 Mini Carrots
· 1 Strawberry
· And an orange puppy stashing 3 chocolate rosebuds ... shhhhh.



The middle tier is half filled with Pirate Booty [leftover from our travel junk food stash]



In the bottom tier is wholewheat hot dog bun filled with Mortadella, cut in half.



Spud's Tiffin, all packed up and ready to go.



It's no accident that the healthiest stuff is on the top layer, in hopes that he goes there first at snack time. A mama can dream can't she?

Meatloaf Muffins

BREAKFAST ON THE GO
Making a dozen of these at time means we can toss them in the freezer for future "we don't have time to sit around and eat breakfast" mornings. An accompanying piece of fruit will round it off nicely.



2 lbs. Ground meat
1 C. Ketchup
3 Eggs
1.5 – 2 C. any combination of Onion, Carrot, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, chopped fine in the food processor
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. Oregano, dried
1 t. Salt
1 t. Black pepper
1 C. Flour
Favourite cheese, cubed

Preheat an oven to 375° F. Combine above ingredients careful not to over mix. This cannnot be stressed enough: the more you mix, the more the fibres of the meat breakdown which results in dry, tough, boring meatloaf. Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups. Plop a cheese cube in the centre of each and apply a wee squirt of ketchup to each of the tops. Check them after 30-35 minutes to see if they are done.

Also, checkout Mama Goose's Cupcakes for Dinner. Let's just say, mash potatoes with a bit of food colouring, can make some pretty sweet "icing". I have yet to try this. Next on my list!

Happy Mother's Day

Spud designed a little scavenger hunt for me, with each little clue leading to the next one until I found the giant heart eating a happy face cookie. Pretty much sums up how my day is going so far. Hope yours is too.

Photo Friday #23

FROM THE GARDEN AT THE GETTY | TRAVELS WITH THE KID
We had but a few short hours to spend at the Getty and I savoured every minute. Truly. It's a simply stunning space. Spud enjoyed just sitting on the grass for a bit and taking it all in. The most fascinating part of the garden, for me, is the "trees" made of rebar with bougainvillea growing up the centre. Gorgeous. And Spud wished he was a fish for a moment so he could swim through the maze.











Hey, why not share your travel pics on Fridays too ... at Delicious Baby.

Anorak Magazine

Look what came in the mail! Anorak. And all the way from England. And boy are we smitten.

It has cute activities ...



Great wee stories ...



And super cool colouring pages!