kid friendly meal Archives - Spindles Designs by Mary and Mags

One of my fondest memories as a child was waking up to waffles on Saturday mornings. It was what we did every Saturday. My mom would get up and make us breakfast, I think it is the only thing that would get my brother out of bed on a Saturday. Well, with those waffles always came homemade syrup. At the time I had no idea this was so strange, but as I have grown older, I have realized it really is weird.

My best friend growing up loved to sleep over for Saturday morning waffles, she would drown her waffle in syrup making it very soggy, we would joke that there was more syrup then waffle. The recipe was named after her in our family cookbook, “Julie’s Favorite Maple Syrup” because she loved it so much. This should have been my clue for our families insanity, but that would not happen for years.

It was not until after I got married that I realized just how strange this family habit was (and is). It was our first trip to the grocery store as husband and wife, we needed to stock the kitchen so we did not starve. As we walked down the isle with the spices and baking stuff I grabbed a bottle of mapleine. My husband then asked, “What is that for?” I casually answered (having no idea it was so weird), “It’s to make maple syrup, for pancakes and waffles.” He stopped short and gave the greatest face I have ever seen and said, “You make your own syrup?” To which I could do nothing but smile and say, “Well, yes we always have.” I then had to proceed in telling more of my life’s history and how to make syrup. We laugh about this conversation now, and he willingly admits that he has been converted to the yumminess that is homemade maple syrup.

Mary Catherine

Homemade Maple Syrup
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp Mapleine

Directions:
1. Put all sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, let boil about 30 seconds.
2. Remove from heat, stir in Mapleine.
3. Serve warm over waffles, pancakes, french toast, or anything else you like maple syrup on.

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You might also enjoy these ideas:

Everyday Waffles

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

We like simple meals at our house. Especially for our 2 year old, she is somewhat picky. One of her favorite foods is pasta. She loves it! Spaghetti is by far her favorite meal. Well, we have noticed as of late all of us are lacking in the vegetable department. I have a serious issue with vegetables, I just don’t enjoy eating them, I may go so far as to say I do not like them. So, I hide them in food as much for me as I do for Savannah. When I say hide, I mean it, I don’t like chunky sauce it gets put through the blender. As I was preparing this dish, I felt like I was putting baby food in our pasta.

I started this recipe with my family’s tradition spaghetti sauce recipe, tomato sauce and spices. I thought about it and realized, there was no reason I could not add some veggie puree to the tomato sauce before adding the pasta. We gave it shot and then realized it needed some other flavors to make it a little less blah. The result was fantastic! I could not tell I had eaten a whole serving of vegetables, my two year old devoured hers, and my husband in his usual way made yummy sounds while he was eating. It definitely no longer tasted like spaghetti, but it was a hit at our house that will be made again and again.

Pasta with Veggie Sauce

1/2 pound Ground Turkey (can be left out or more could be added)

2 cups carrots, sliced

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

1 can (8oz) Tomato Sauce
2 cups water (or beef broth)

2 tsp beef bouillon

2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Dry Mustard Powder

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

8 oz pasta
Salt to taste

1. Steam carrots and cauliflower until tender, almost overdone. Put in blender or food processor until smooth, may need to add 1/2 cup water to get them to blend together well. It will look like baby food.

2. In a 10″ non-stick skillet, brown ground turkey, drain if needed or desired. Add tomato sauce, blended veggies, 2 cups water, bouillon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dry mustard, and Worcestershire. Stir and bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook until pasta is tender (8 – 10 minutes).

3. If needed, add water to make sure the pasta cooks, but only add about 1/4 cup at a time. Stir and serve.

I enjoy mine with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Mary Catherine

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