Cooking Lessons for Aubrie

This summer Aubrie and I have been having "cooking lessons"  We have made several things...Mostly desserts... UGH! it is so hard to stay focused on my diet with all this sweet cooking going on, but I will have you know, I have stayed strong, I am still sugar free!  Aubrie's Favorite thing to make are Pizookies.  They are cookies baked in a little ramekin dish or custard dish.  You fill the dish 1/2 full of cookie dough, bake till brown on sides but soft in the middle, then top with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. click here for the recipe 

 http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/03/pizzookies.html 

 We found it on this wonderful cooking blog  http://www.ourbestbites.com/

The other thing we cooked yesterday that we really like are ham and egg cups.  You bake them in cup cake pans, like mini quiche.  They are so good, and the great thing is you can freeze them and reheat later. click here for the recipe  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/01/mini-breakfast-quiches.html 

She didn't really like them because of the peppers and onions, so it was a great opportunity to show her that you can adjust recipe's to your taste buds.  So we made another batch...(honestly I don't think she was too excited about it, because we had just cleaned the dishes up!) In the new batch we left out the red peppers, the onions, but she did like the salsa, so we increased that a little, (OK funny thing...What does salsa have in it??? peppers and onions funny that she liked the salsa, but not the peppers!)  Walla...Something she likes.  We put them in a zip lock bag and into the freezer they went for future quick meals or breakfast's. 

We tried to make a "Watermelon cake" featured in July 2010 Woman's Day magazine.  It didn't look quite as professional as the one pictured. but I heard it tasted great, and it was fun for her to make click here for the recipe http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Watermelon-Cake-Recipe 

We had lots of watermelon red frosting left over, so we made Sugar cookies..The thick kind! They were the most tempting for me! We cut the cookies round then cut in half, which made the watermelon shape, then she frosted and sprinkled chocolate chips on for the "seeds"

We have been looking for a good cookbook for kids, but not one that shows you how to make Caterpillar meatballs or cutsie things like that.  we want something that has good pictures by every dish, and easy to make items.  We were at the store the other day and she picked up a magazine called Taste of home

I have seen in on the magazine rack, but honestly never thought twice about picking one up.  It is such a good magazine, we actually subscribed to it. (the subscription for a year was only $10.00 and the magazine in the store cost $5.00 get that?!!)

Food really does bring families together...It is like a swarm in our kitchen when good cookin' can be smelled through the house.  And someday, perhaps the cooking lessons will pay off, when Aubrie finds the right man to cook for...You know the way win a man's heart, is with.... Pizzookies!