Swirly Lollipops

For my kids birthday party they wanted to have a lollipop party.  I immediately thought of those giant swirly whirly lollipops that you see at old fashioned candy shops and that’s what I wanted to use to decorate.  Well I found out those are expensive and full of lots of not so good ingredients.  So what’s a mom to do but decide to make them herself!  It was a fun adventure making lollipops and I am happy we accomplished what I set out to do.  We made Swirly Whirly Lollipops!

Here’s How:

Recipe: Makes about 20 1” lollipops

3 cups Sugar
1/2 cup Water
3/4 cup Lt. corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar

1-2 different flavoring oils (about 1 tsp each)

2 different colors (about 1/8-1sp each)

You will need to adjust the amount of flavoring and coloring depending on how strong they are.  I found that using the paste colors from a candy/cake making store I had to use less than 1/8 teaspoon.  However when using the food coloring in the little red topped tubes from the grocery store took over 1tsp. 

I came up with this recipe by adapting this candy cane recipe.

Step One: Set up everything! Oil everything (I found vegetable oil worked best).  Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go. 

Here are my molds sitting on top of upside down cookie sheets covered in foil.  This helps them cool faster.  I found that the molds did not work well (too many lollipops broke getting them off the mold).  However the plastic mold you see in the background worked well.   Be sure everything is covered in oil and lay all your sticks out.  I found it was easier to just poor the syrup on the sticks instead of using the molds for regular lollipops. 

 

Step 2: Start heating the sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar and water on the stove.  You heat until the sugar dissolves then transfer it to 2 pots and add flavor and color.   This is when you turn up the heat on the burner and use your candy thermometer to get the syrup up to temperature (300 for regular lollipops, 280 for swirly pops)

You can see the color mixing into the syrup.  This happens without stirring.  It is important that you do not stir the syrup after the sugar dissolves. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regular Lollipops: Once the syrup reaches 300 degrees for regular lollipops you remove the pan from the heat and pour the syrup slowly onto your molds and sticks.  It pours very slowly so it is not hard to get nice sized circles this way for your lollipops.  Be very careful it is extremely hot!  Also you have to move some what quick because it starts to cool very quickly and of course it hardens as it cools. 

Swirly Lollipops:

Once the syrup reaches 280 degrees you remove it from the heat.  Now here is where it gets tricky and I admit I didn’t find the perfect solution.  I tried pouring the syrup out in a big mound onto oiled foil in a cookie sheet and then moving it around as it cools so it does not harden.  I also tried leaving it in the pot but it seemed to stay hot a lot longer this way.  Anyway You need it to cool just enough to touch it but not so much that it gets hard.  At this point (I have no pics because you have to move fast).  You cover your hands in oil and take a small pinch of each color.  Roll it into a rope and then form the rope into a circle and stick a stick into  the end to make a swirly pop.  You can also experiment with different shapes! 

This is hard work because you have to pretty much touch the syrup before it is cool enough to touch and then you have to work fast.  It helps to have an extra set of adult hands to help.  My daughter was able to make one or two lollipops (she’s 4) once the syrup cooled enough for her to touch.  Rubber gloves and Band-Aids to cover your fingers can also help but don’t forget to cover your hands/gloves in vegetable oil. 

If this looks to hard I got some great tips from from Jayne who sells homemade lollipops for a great price in her Etsy store (I found it only after I started making my own). 

Things I tried that didn’t work: I made one batch with agave syrup instead of corn syrup.  These turned out more like taffy.  The bonus was they were easy to mold (it didn’t harden all the way when cool).  However to keep there shape on there stick you had to keep them in the freezer.  They tasted good though.  This would be a good option if lots of kids were helping out. 

I also made an all natural batch with a honey and sugar (no food coloring or un natural flavored oils).  These worked okay and many people liked them.  I felt they tasted a bit like burned sugar also they made better regular lollipops than swirly pops.

Supplies: I ordered a thermometer, lollipop mold, sticks, candy bags, flavored oils (natural lemon, bubble gum and tutti fruity), food coloring from a candy making website.  However you can purchase most of what you need a craft store.  However be aware that chocolate molds will melt if used for lollipops or other hard candies. 

look what came in our CSA box today!

Can you identify this mystery veggie?

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Yummy Easy Brown Rice

I have been trying to switch to brown rice for a long time and I have had some success with cooking it but it seemed like a lot of work and it took a while.
Here is a great recipe that only takes 40 minutes. I did during the kids naptime and I warmed it up later for dinner. Oh and I went back to snack on it later that evening. That says something out of all the treats in the house I wanted to snack on brown rice! Oh and I bought it from Massa Organics at our local farmers market, there rice and wheat is the best and makes great products.

We used it to make Mexican rice bowels. Rice, meat (we used ground beef), black beans, salsa, cheese and avocado. This is an easy dinner and most things can be prepared in advance I also made black beans from scratch. Again it was an easy recipe and required no soaking! These were by far the best beans I have made, they were cooked through but not mushy!

Rice bowls are versatile, you can use different beans, meats, veggies, sauces but you’ll always know you are giving your family a healthy meal. Also for my picky kids I gave them all the parts of the rice bowl in different sections on there plate (not mixed up). Since there was a variety of veggies and protein sources I didn’t have to worry that they ate every bite. A few more good things about this meal is its economical and keeps well for lunches or tomorrows dinner.

Linking Up To:

Good Article on Fluoride

http://networkedblogs.com/doYM

We do not live where their is fluoride in the water, which I think is great because it gives us the choice.  Our children (2 and 4yrs) use non-fluoride toothpaste.  When they are older and not swallowing so much of it I will consider a more natural fluoride toothpaste. 

Activity of the day home made swirly pops! Rorie Loved helping make these!

Wordless Wednesday

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Hamburger and French Fries!

So people think that we are missing out not going to fast food.  We still do go out to eat I just try to pick restaurants that are not large chains and not fast food.  We now prefer home made pizza because it is so yummy!  However that means pizza night is no longer a quick phone call and 30 minutes later dinner is on the table.  

Anyway tonight we had hamburgers and French fries our way!  It was super yummy so I had to post.

Hamburger: Our meat is from Sean’s parents ranch where they raise a few cattle for beef.

Toppings: Avocado, cheese and mushrooms all from California.  It was weird not having tomatoes but I am trying to not buy fruits and veggies out of season so we went with out.  I was excited to find Avocado at the food co-op from California it was the bright green kind not the typical Hass ones that we get in the summer and fall. 

 Buns: At 3:30 I realized I would need bread by dinner time so I used my new Kitchenaid mixer to make over sized dinner rolls that have extra yeast so they rise fast.  They were 1/2 bread flour 1/2 wheat. 

 

Fries: I looked up some recipes and made baked sweet potato and regular fries.  The sweet potato ones did not get crispy (I will tweak the recipe and try again soon).  The other ones were great.  My family loves home made fries and always asks for more.  Also I am freezing a batch for a quick snack another day.   (Fry pictures are before they were cooked.  I got to busy with eating to take any after shots after they cooked)

Regular Fries: Pre-heat oven to 450, cut Yukon gold (or other) potatoes into fry size pieces.  Put in a bowl and mix with a few tablespoons of California Olive Oil, salt, pepper and other favorite seasonings (I like paprika, or 21 season mix from Trader Joes).  Place on cookie sheet in single layer and bake at 450 on lowest rack for 20-30 minutes flipping fries once about half way through. 

Back to basics!

This is a great article about changing how we eat. Over the last year my family has done most of these things. We are not perfect but we only go out to eat once or twice a week. We have been a member of a CSA for almost two years and I have been visiting farmers markets since I was a kid. We now have our own garden (if only we could get it to produce!). We make our own bread, cookies, jam, and many other snacks. We purchase about 75% of our food from the local food co-op buying seasonal and local when possible. Our kids are learning to garden, cook, shop local and they only eat the best seasonal fruits and veggies! As a family we are wasting less, saving money, spending time together gardening and cooking.
What changes is your family making?

New Years Resolution: Bread Baking

My goal this year is to make 95% of our bread at home.  I want to leave a little wiggle room to buy some things I don’t know how to make or when its just been to busy a week to make bread.  I do have a bread machine that I use to make my dough but I just got a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas so I am excited to branch out in my bread making.  If anyone has any sourdough making tips please let me know!  I have the starter but I have yet to get the texture of the bread quite right! 

I have more goals but they will have to wait for a future post.  Right now I am working on greening up my kids birthday party (reducing waste form party supplies, etc.).  Any tips on doing this on a budget would be appreciated! 

Fluffy whole grain pancakes!

Here is my recipe for fluffy whole grain pancakes.  Well they are a mixture of flours and grains.  I have been searching for a healthy yummy pancake recipe for a few years now and until recently my pancakes were never very fluffy. Luckily my family ate them anyway.  These ones though, they devour.  Enjoy!

4 servings: about 3-4 silver dollar size pancakes for each person.

1 cup milk

2 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup whole wheat flower

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flower

1/2 cup oats (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2-4 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp butter melted or very soft

1 tsp vanilla

First add vinegar to milk stir and let sit for 5 minutes while you get other ingredients ready.  Season skillet/griddle by rubbing oil on it with a small towel, then heat to medium/medium-high. In large bowl mix dry ingredients.  Add beaten eggs, butter and vanilla to milk mixture.  Mix with dry ingredients and stir just enough to mix batter. 

At this point I like to put the pancake batter into a large measuring cup to make pouring onto the skillet easier and less messy.  Next pour about 1/4 cup on to the skillet and flip after bubbles appear and pop on the surface.  Cook the second side then plop on a plate, hand them out to the family and enjoy with your favorite toppings!  Our favorite is maple syrup of course!

Freeze the leftovers: Now it is rare that we have leftovers (unless I make a double batch) but they freeze well.  Freeze them in a container and then just reheat in the microwave for a quick breakfast or snack!  We no longer buy Frozen waffles in our house which saves money and I don’t have to worry about what's in them!

Note about flours: I buy my favorite wheat flour at the Davis farmers market.  Of course that means it is local but also that means it tastes great and does not add as much density to baked goods as typical wheat flours.   For unbleached all purpose flour I buy King Arthur, Bob Mills or what ever is in the bulk bin at the Davis Food Co-op. 

Christmas Activities

We have been busy with our sustainable holiday projects. Here are a few...

Christmas Eve the kids woke up to receive these elf gifts. Silk scarves (in the buckets), fishing game and Christmas sensory bin. I wanted to give them these gifts separate from Christmas so they wouldn’t have to compete with some of the more typical Christmas gifts they will receive later and tomorrow from Santa. Also I like to spread things out so they don’t get overwhelmed with to many gifts at once.

For breakfast we ate Snowman pancakes of course. My own healthy take on it was bananas, dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds and almonds for decorating. My favorite new pancake recipe using 1/2 whole wheat flower and vinegar for super fluffy results.

 

 

 

 

 

There Christmas sensory bin using all things from around the house. Its a great way to use those ornaments, and decorations that don’t get out up. We also used, art supplies and extra gift wrapping stuff.

Then Rorie made some art projects that she is going to give as gifts to her family. Happy Holidays!

Update: Gone Fishing!

Felt fishing set that I decided to attempt in the final days before Xmas.
It was my attempt at copying this one at Counting Coconuts. It took two days to complete. I made the fish one day and added magnets, fishing poles and the lake the next day. So about 3-4 hours all together. Once I got going though the fish were easier and easier to make. Because I am not a good hand sewer I did it all on the machine. I went to Michaels and bought super magnets for the fishing lure and the poles. Then at Joanne fabrics (yes it took two stores to complete this project) I found magnetic purse snaps (for making a purse) that were on sale and perfect for the fish eyes (there is one inside the starfish).
My daughter has been asking for a fishing set for almost a year now. This summer I bought her a cheap set she saw at the store to go in her blow up pool outside. Well the pole promptly broke about 5 minutes after we got it home (it was a defective design). I had been looking for another more sturdy set when I saw this one at Counting Coconuts, I also had just learned how to sew felt food so it was time to try something new!
It will be under the tree for Christmas so if you see my kids before then, don't tell them about it!

Update 1/11/11: Additional things I thought would be fun and educational.  Using letter magnets or other fridge magnets to change the fishing theme.  Also instead of fishing in a felt lake you could use rubber or plastic magnets and try fishing in the bathtub.  If sewing isn’t your thing you could make fish out of thick paper and laminate or tape them with the magnet inside. 

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EIO Kids Cup Review!

About 2 weeks ago we received an EIO kid's cup to review. Its actually not a cup but parts of a cup to be put on an 8oz canning jar (or you can buy it with the jar included). Let me explain. This new company (basically parents that weren’t happy with the sippy cup options out there) decided to design their own cup.

The EIO cup: The cup consists of a top that screws onto an 8oz glass canning jar and a silicone sleeve for the jar. The cup has a small opening for drinking so kids learn to drink properly from a cup. It has no valves, spouts or other typical sippy cup parts that are hard to clean, break and get lost often.

Things we LOVE about this cup:

• Its BPA free
• It promotes proper cup drinking skills
• It promotes good speech development.
• It doesn’t break!
• Its reusable (we use canning jars for everything at our house).

I found this cup as I was searching online one day for plastic free dishes for my kids. My son is well known for his food, dish and cup throwing skills. One of his favorites is to pour “wawa” (water) on the carpet. So I thought we were stuck using sippy cups.

Then I came across the EIO cup. I contacted the company and they sent one out right away for me and Leo to review.

I washed and put it together easily and handed it off to Leo. He quickly figured out where the hole is to drink from and was able to easily drink from it. He now requests it when he sees it on the counter.

So check it out for yourselves. I know we will be purchasing a few more so we can get rid of those plastic sippy cups!

I work in Special Education and I have heard many speech therapists recommend no sippy cups after age 2 for proper speech development! The EIO cup can fill the gap between the sippy cup and a regular cup!

*Leo and I received a free cup to review for this blog post but no other compensation.

Sensory Bins: Recycled Kids Activity

I have been admiring the sensory bins that many blogger mom’s do with their kids. They are popular among home schooling mom’s, preschools, crafting mom’s and Montessori education. What has kept me from making them with my kids is that I have been working on not buying cheap dollar store (or other) toys, crafts and stuff just to occupie my kids time. Well since the weather does not allow them to play outside as much anymore I have been creatively coming up with more craft activities. Also my daughter attends a Waldorf preschool. We like her school and I think the activities that she does there are great, she misses the typical school crafts and activities she did last year in preschool.

So then I thought about it and decided I could come up with sensory bins that used stuff we already have around the house.

Our first bins are:

The Happy Birthday 4 Bin. This is for my daughter who will be 4 next week. She is so excited for her birthday so we decided to start celebrating a little early. It contains typical birthday stuff, candles, bows, birthday cards, napkins, etc and there is 4 of everything (except the tissue paper filler). All the stuff in the bin I had saved from past parties, gifts and activities so we are reusing everything. This was a great way to use up ripped tissue paper, recycled greeting cards, squished bows, etc.

To go along with this bin we are going to read: If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Also we will work on a P is for Party letter to go with our alphabet letters that we are decorating our playroom with.

I decided Leo needed a bin to. Although I don’t see him leaving the stuff in the bin, so I know a mess is ahead. So I made him a construction bin full of trucks, rocks, scoops and frogs. I just used toys form theie toy bins but I had to buy a few small bags of rocks to fill the bin (we didn’t have any in our yard). We will reuse the rocks in other projects, our garden or future outside play.

I am excited to do a Christmas bin, recycle bin, baking bin and winter bin in the next couple of weeks or months. I will continue to reuse and recycle as many items for the bins as possible.

Update: 12-5-10: The kids played with their bins today. Rorie really liked it and did all the counting, art projects, made up her own games, etc. Leo played with his for about 5 minutes. Then he dumped it out on the ground and rolled around in the rocks! Maybe he is too young for sensory bins.

This is how Leo decided to have his Sensory experience!

and here’s Rorie’s (about 2hrs after she started playing with it)

felt food

Still working on the felt food. This is carrots, strawberries and eggs. I like using the sewing machine to make the body of the food but closing it up and adding stems is very tedious. I am hoping to have the breakfast basket done in less than 2 weeks though so I will keep at it. Any tips are appreciated.

When I am making them I figure they don't have to be perfect because my kids are used to funny looking fruits and veggies since we have a garden, CSA box and shop at farmers market for our produce. So all the pieces are different and I don't worry about them all being the same size, shape or color.

Oh and it helps that Stacy and I are going to work on the baskets together. So I am making extra eggs and trading her for muffins, etc.

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Breakfast!

This my first felt egg. I am working on a breakfast basket for my daughter's birthday.
http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2010/03/breakfast-basket.html

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fresh pesto tomato pizza

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This is the super yummy pizza I made last night for dinner! So we were planting the rest of our winter garden and we took out the rest of our basil plants (from our summer garden), we were going to dry it but when I looked up drying directions I saw pesto making directions. Pesto sounded good so I quickly threw the pizza dough ingredients in the bread machine and started making my first Pesto. The finished Pesto was quite yummy even my kids liked it (who are not normally fond of eating green things).
The pesto Pizza however was AWESOME! Just pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes and sausage (for my husband who has to has meat at all meals). I am off from work this week and hoping to catch up on some blog posts about what we've been up to. Especially our garden that we nearly killed! Also I am going to have a review up for this new kids cup, I am so excited for Leo to try out!
Check it out:
http://www.eiokidscup.com/

English muffins ummmm

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Honey Wheat Bread

This is my favorite bread recipe; we make it at least once a week. I modified the recipe from the Zojirushi bread maker cookbook to just use the dough setting and cook it in the oven, but its still super easy and yummy. Baking in the oven leads to a much softer crust and better bread.

1 3/8 cups water

4 1/4 cups bread flour (co op bulk or King Arthur)

1/2 cup cracked wheat (co op bulk section)

3 Tbsp honey

1 tsp sea salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp active dry yeast

Put ingredients in the bread machine's recommended order. Set for the dough cycle. When complete I shape into 2 loaf pans or 1 loaf and rolls. Let rise about 20 minutes then bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. It makes great sandwiches, toast, rolls, etc.

I am trying out an English muffin bread recipe tonight so I will let you know how it goes.

Also I picked up a home made bread bag at Apple Hill a few weeks ago. It is lined with plastic but until I get a bread box it is great for keeping the bread fresh longer.

Please send me yummy whole grain or wheat recipes, I am looking for some that my family will like!

We have bought very little bread in the last 2 months which saves a lot of money on groceries. Also the few loaves we have bought taste cardboard-ish (even the good Rudy’s Organic). It is amazing the taste of home made bread!

We've been busy and sustainable

What have we been up to lately at Sustainable family???

Garden: Well we planted our winter garden and it is doing well so far. Our summer garden is still around and has given us some November (today) tomatoes, strawberries, basil and peppers! Today I needed a bell pepper to make chili and I didn't find any in the fridge. Then I thought oh ya the garden. It is so nice to walk out to our backyard market!

Cooking: I have committed to making our own bread and have bought very few loaves since buying my bread machine about 2 months ago. I prefer to make the dough in the machine and then make rolls or loaves and bake in the oven. Oh and the pizza dough makes amazing pizzas with lots of variety! Also this weekend we made our strawberry jam with berries from farmer's market! It is so good and reminds me of when I was a kid and my parents made jam every year. We have been eating lots of home made soup, stew and chili given the fall season.

Leo and Aurora had some friends over to make their own pizza's. They had fun shaping the dough and adding their own toppings.







Food Storage: I have been saving all of my jars (apple sauce, jam, peanut butter, etc.) and have started to use these for food storage. They are great because they are free and clean up better than plastic. Also I have been storing dry goods (crackers, flower, sugar, etc.) in large glass storage containers and mason jars. This saved them from a recent ant attack, looks good and helps remind me to shop in the bulk section at the co op.

I am looking for stainless steel divided plates, cups and bowls for the kids. Let me know if anyone knows where to get them.
What sustainable changes has your family made?

Apple blackberry breakfast bars.

These look like dessert but they are supposed to be breakfast bars! Here is the recipe I modeled mine after.
http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2007/08/apple-blueberry-crumble-bars-recipe.html

"Crust"
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shelled sun flour seeds (could substitute walnuts, almonds, etc.)
1 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup apple sauce

Fruit Layer
2 cups frozen blackberries
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all ingredients and spread evenly on first layer.

Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
Mix with hands (it will be crumbly) and spread on top of fruit layer.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. Mix Crust and press into 9 x13 or 9x9 & 9 x3. Spread Fruit Layer on top then crumble the topping over the fruit layer. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, reduce heat to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes (more for 9 x 13 pan). Cut or scoop and enjoy with yogurt for breakfast or Ice cream for dessert! Refrigerate leftovers or freeze in individual servings.

Okay after making and of course eating these I decided they are dessert not a breakfast bar. Even after reducing the butter and sugar they are too sweet for dessert. Yummy I am going to continue searching for a breakfast bar.

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