Eggplant and Tuna

Foodie Friday

Eggplant is an amazing vegetable and we look for every opportunity to experiment with it.  While we had to purchase our eggplant at this time of the year in preparing this meal we started to plan our 2015 home garden and yes once again we will grow eggplant in two of our large clay pots.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 stalks of celery chopped
• 4 plum tomatoes chopped
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 small can tomatoe paste
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 1 can tuna drained
• Coconut oil
• 1 cup of your favourite cheese

 

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplant in half-length wise and carefully cut the pulp out of each half without cutting into the skin and leaving ¼ inch of pulp in place.
2. Sauté the garlic, onion and celery in the coconut oil until the onion are translucent.
3. Next add all of the other ingredients to the frying pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add the tuna to the frying pan and combined well
5. Divide the tuna mixture between the two halves of the eggplant and sprinkle the cheese on both halves.
6. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and place in a 350 °F oven for 40 minutes.

Enjoy
From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Spring is Coming

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

10 Things to Tell Your Children in February

February is the month of love, share your stories of love and the wisdom you have gleaned from it.

1.  How you met your children's father or mother?

2. Tell them what attracted you to this person and if you are still together does it still attracted you?

I was drawn to the comfortable companionship that Paul creates around him and this is still what I find most attractive.

3. How long did you date before you married or moved in together?

4. Described to them your funniest dating moment.

It was Easter and I made my first from scratch strawberry pie in an attempt to impress my new boyfriend – it looked wonderful.  On the way from the counter to the table I stumbled and the pie hit the floor.  My boyfriend started to laugh, there was pieces of broken pie plate, and strawberries everywhere but the pie shell made it through unscathed.  We went out for pie.

5. If your public school celebrated Valentine’s Day tell your children your best memory of this time.

6. Tell your old children of a dating experience if you could do it over again you would avoid and why.

7. If you know how your parent (their grandparents) met tell the story.

8. If your parents or you have divorced talk to your children about this and how you fell out of love. 

It is very important that before you tell this story that you practice telling it in such a way that your children can still love their other parent and feel whole as a person – remember they draw their identity from both of you.

9.  Tell your children what your favourite flower is and if there is a flower you dislike share this as well.

I cannot abide the smell of carnations.  My grandfather died when I was 12 and there were many carnations at the funeral home.  To the point that I now associate the smell of carnations with death and loss.

10. Tell them a love story from your families’ historical collection.

As always where this articles says children please feel free to substitute grandchildren.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Valentine's Day

As a child I loved Valentine’s Day at school, getting heart shaped cards from my friends, mostly I loved the home made treats.

In addition to bringing a card for everyone in our class we brought a treat to share.

It was that memory that prompted me to bake a simple box chocolate cake with my granddaughter.

She loved stirring the batter and yes licking the spoon.

Her favourite part was decorating the cake with the treats from

Grandpa’s candy drawer.

Happy Valentine’s DayEveryone

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Curried Carrot Soup Gluten and Dairy Free

Foodie Friday

Gluten and Dairy Free

At lunch I often walk with a good friend who is a wonderful Indian cook and in our January Good Food Box there was a large bag of carrots, so I asked Navneet how she would make curried carrot soup.  

Navneet started to list the spices she would use and I stopped dead my tracks when she said “and one green banana”, I have never heard of adding a banana to soup let alone a green one.  

Determined to give it a try Paul and made Curried Carrot Soup and it is wonderful, a rich yet mellow curried flavour. 

Navneet has given permission for me to share this with you and while the ingredient list is Navneet’s she did not have measurement  she uses taste and aroma as her measuring spoons.  We had to experiment until we reach an overall flavour we liked.

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 inch of fresh ginger pressed
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 2 teaspoons Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (Navneet uses seeds I could not find seeds at our local grocery store)
• 1 small sweet potatoe chopped
• 1 small onion diced
• 7 carrots chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 green banana chopped

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion, garlic, banana, and ginger until the onions are translucent
2. Add all of the spices to the frying pan and stir until well incorporated
3. In the soup pot add the sweet potatoe, carrots, vegetable broth and the contents of the frying pan cook until your vegetables are soft
4. Carefully using a hand blender blend the contents of the soup pot until it has reached the consistency you prefer smooth or chunky.
5. Add the can of coconut milk and heat until the soup starts to bubble

Serve

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Messages of Love in the Sand

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Crocheting The 2015 Sky

January 2015

I guess I am addicted!

With extra sky yarn sitting on the table I determined that I would crochet the 2015 sky and the granny square is the stitch I am working with.

January 2015 was a cold month with lots of blue sky compared to January 2014.

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkindAs man's ingratitude;Thy tooth is not so keenBecause thou art not seen,Although thy breath be rude. Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly:Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:Then, heigh-ho! the holly! This life is most jolly. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,Thou dost not bite so nighAs benefits forgot:Though thou the waters warp,Thy sting is not so sharpAs friend remember'd not. Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly: Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:Then, heigh-ho! the holly!This life is most jolly.

 By ~William Shakespeare 

Here is a look back to January 2014 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Spiritual Path

Grandparents, aunts and uncles have a unique opportunity to shepherd the children in their families onto a spiritual path.  Being a step removed from primary parenting the children in our lives are open to our suggestion and always watchful of our actions..

The source of our spirituality can be found in our religious beliefs and it can be found outside of structured religions, in activities that we do every day.

I nurture my spirituality through:

•  Journaling
•  Photography
• Silent Mediation
• Walking
• Music
• Being part of my religious community
• Being with my grandchildren
• Creating with my hands
• Gardening

How do you nurture your spirituality?
What do you do daily and weekly to grow as a spiritual being?

When you have answered this question consider how you can introduce the children in your life to these activities – how can you share your joy in spiritual activities with them.

Grandma Snyder

© 2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Gluten Free Vegetable Pie

Foodie Friday 

Gluten free, Vegan

This recipe came out of a need to use the beets we received in the Good Food Box because not only did we get our share we also found our son’s share as well.  

Many people do not cook with beets disliking the stain they leave on your hands when preparing them and if you use non-latex gloves this problem goes away.  Beets are described as a liver friendly vegetable and one of our favourite winter vegetables.

Ingredients:

• Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 2 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups of your favourite tapenade
• 6 beets sliced thick
• 4 carrots sliced thick (we did them the long way
• 3 cups of mushrooms sliced thick
• Olive oil
• 2 cups Gluten free Bisquick
• 1/3 cup coconut butter
• 2 tablespoon hot water

Directions:

1. Prepare your vegetable, spray a fine mist of oil on the vegetables and lightly dust with turmeric and roast them at 450 °F until just about done (do not overcook them)
2. While the vegetables are roasting prepare your tapenade and grate the cheese mix these together with the cumin
3. Make your pie crust by blending the Bisquick, coconut butter and hot water together
4. Spray your deep dish pan with oil and press your pie crust into the pan covering the base and ½ way up the sides – bake with your vegetables for 10 minutes.
5. Once everything is done you can assemble your pie
6. First spread a thin layer of your cheese and tapenade
7. On this place the beets overlapping the vegetables if necessary
8. Second layer of tapenade
9. Layer your carrots and mushrooms
10. Finish with a final layer of cheese and tapenade
11. Place back in the oven for 30 minutes

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Sunflowers

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Groundhog Day 2015

Wiarton Willie 

predicts 6 more weeks until 

Spring

So there is still time

to have great fun 

in the snow 

with your

(grand)children!

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Knitting Temperatures

January 2015

It has been a cold January with only one day getting above 0 degrees Celsius on the flip side the cold air has meant less snow and lower snow banks.  I will take the cold temperatures!

As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII William Shakespeare 1564-1616 Blow, blow, thou winter wind,  Thou art not so unkind  

As man’s ingratitude;  Thy tooth is not so keen,  

Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green holly: 

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:  

Then, heigh-ho, the holly! This life is most jolly.   

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,  That does not bite so nigh    

 As benefits forgot:  Though thou the waters warp,  Thy sting is not so sharp     

 As friend remembered not.

Heigh-ho! sing . . .

Knitting the temperature is the brain child of  Leafcutter Designs and is a year long conceptual knitting project.   Join me and knit the temperature in your area of the world I would like to compare projects 

Grandma Snyder

 ©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Apple Pudding Gluten Free

Grandma I’m bored can we bake something?  

What would you like to make?  

Can we look through Great Great Aunt Marjorie’s recipes?

Apple Pudding

If you are new to this blog I have become the repository of pictures, recipes and other papers and I have a decorative box that holds the many scrapes of paper on which my Aunt Marjorie wrote and collected recipes.

Ruth and I looked through many and decided we would make Virginia Apple Pudding because in Aunt Marjorie’s small and precise hand writing was written “Good” and “Delicious with Ice Cream”

We have included the recipe as written and in brackets you will find the changes that I made to make if gluten and dairy free.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter or margarine (we used coconut butter)
• 1 cup of sugar (we used 2/3 cup maple sugar)
• 1 cup flour (we used my gluten free flour mix)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten free)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• 1 cup milk (we used almond milk)
• 2 cups cooked apples

Directions:

1. Melt the butter into a 2 quart casserole dish
2. In a different bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking powder
3. Add the maple syrup to the butter and flour with the dry ingredients
4. Mix well
5. Pour your cooked apples into the middle of the dish and let the thin batter go where it will
6. Place the dish is an oven preheated to 375 °F for 40 minutes or until the batter covers the fruit and forms a brown crust

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Animals telling secrets

Wordless Wednesday 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake

January 27th National Chocolate Cake Day

Gluten Free, Vegan

We have been reworking all of our childhood favourites to be gluten free and vegan as we seek to live healthier in our senior years.  

In this recipe we have substituted maple syrup for 1 1/3 cups of white sugar, coconut butter and apple butter for  3/4 cup butter and ground chia seeds for 3 eggs.

We take our granddaughters to church on Sunday and so on Sunday afternoons our home is filled with the smells and sounds of children baking.  We hope that you enjoy Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake as much as we do.  Please note we do not like overly sweet cakes and we love a rich cocoa flavour so depending on your taste you may want to increase the sweetener and decrease the cocoa.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• ½ cup apple butter
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon ground chia seeds and 9 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup rice flour
• ½ cup coconut flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, squeezed dry and finely chopped

Direction:

1. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar, ground chia seeds, water and vanilla.
2. Combine dry ingredients together.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with water. 
4. Add the sauerkraut.
5. Pour into your greased cake pan or pans and bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

From our table to yours

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Building Imagination in Children

All great inventions throughout human history started with one human being able to imagine its possibility. 

How do we support our (grand)children in developing vivid and complex imaginations, so they are equipped to creatively meet the challenges that are awaiting them?

Pretend play is one way and many of us witnessed this at Christmas when large boxes became castles, cars and spaceships and another way to build imagination is through books.

From the moment we offer a hard cardboard picture books to a young child we are supporting the development of their imagination and their independence.

One of the first truly independent activities that a child will embark on is reading.  In reading a book they are creating a world imagined only by them independent of us and the rest of the world.

Never underestimate the power of:

1. Reading to a child
2. Reading with a child and
3. Creating family reading time where everyone turns off all screens (unless the book is being read from a screen) and sits in comfortable chairs reading different books yet together.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Vegetable Borscht

Foodie Friday 

Vegan Vegetable Borscht

January is soup month and so when our Good Food Box arrived and contained beets we decided to make Vegetable Borscht, this thick rich soup is full of flavour and wholesome goodness and is part of my Russian Mennonite food heritage.  This version is vegan, dairy and gluten free.

Ingredients:

• 3 beets
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large onion
• 3 talks of celery
• 3 small parsnips
• 2 tablespoons of minced dill
• 2 potatoes
• 5 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 teaspoon gluten free, Tamari Legere

Directions:

1. Chop all of your vegetables minus the dill
2. Place vegetables in a large soup pot and add your vegetable broth or water
3. Cook until the vegetables are tender
4. Add the Tamari (you can add more to suit your taste) and dill
5. Using a hand held blender blend the soup in the pot into a thick soup
6. Serve

From our table to yours 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

10 Things to tell Your Children in January

Our (grand)children have an entitlement to their story, their history and that means an entitlement to our history, our stories.

We can write stories down, there are great examples of  journals that prompt us to tell our stories.  I am encouraging you to tell your stories through the give and take of an interactive conversation.  

Some of my fondest memories are of the telling of family stories, my family history and in a perfect world we will do both.

Take the time over a meal, a coffee, as you tuck them into bed, while driving them somewhere, over Skype or Face Time to tell them about:

1) The New Years traditions in your parental home.

2) Your favourite childhood New Years Eve memory.

I have a strong memory of being danced in my Uncle Clifford’s arms, at one of my parents New Years Eve parties.  I was in my PJs have gotten out of bed and tiptoe down stairs to watch the dancers.

3) A New Years tradition you created for your children and the reasons behind it. 

Remember that doing nothing is still a tradition and there will be a reason.

4) A New Year’s resolution you kept, your motivation to keep it and how  you felt.

5) Talk about your best childhood friend, how you met, and your most vivid memory of them.  

6) Talk about if you stayed in touch and if not why not.

7) If your parents or grandparents shared any of their memories on these topics share them with your (grand)children.

8) Tell them about a favourite aunt or uncle on your mother’s side of the family and the reason they were/are your favourite.

9) Share with them your most embarrassing moment as a child and how you dealt with the embarrassment.

10) Talk about a time you were unjustly punished as a child, how you felt and what you did about it.  Are you proud of reaction?  How this event impacted your relationship with your parents?

In telling your stories remember to consider the age and life experience of the listener and gear your language and details to the youngest person listening.  

My experience is that as children get older they will ask to hear your stories again, allowing you to fill in more mature details when appropriate.

Also remember that once told your story becomes part of their history and will change as it is retold by them – the story is no longer yours to alone.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

Stacked Chairs

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

The Simplest Toy

Grandpa read me a story.

Grandma can we bake cookies?

Daddy let's go swimming!

Mommy help me paint my picture.

From the moment of their birth they  make known their dependence on us and

as they grow we can only pray that they will stand with us when we become dependent on them.

What our (grand)children will remember as adults is not the expensive toys you bought them for Christmas it will be the time you spent with them.

How you played with them.

How you formed a family with them.

And it will be their memories of us as we played, laughed and gave of our time that will inform their decisions to visit us when we need them.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls