21
Jun, 2012

It's Summer And That Means One Thing: Milk

OK, maybe it also means school’s out, family vacations and omg I have a lot of cellulite I’m never putting on a swimsuit again, but there are also some awesome things you can make and chomp with milk this summer.

My friend and super awesome milk-loving blogger, Marsha Takeda Morrison, and I attended a cooking class sponsored by the fab Got Milk folks. Now those of you who know me know that I love to bake. Cook… not so much. I’m a good cook and can follow almost any recipe, but I’m no stranger to a package of Top Ramen (“Oriental flavor” is my fave. I know.) only because I really don’t like to cook. I was a little concerned about the hands-on aspect of this event as I’m more of a mouth-on person when it comes to food, but I can honestly say, I had a blast! Especially since we made desserts! YUM!

We paired up with a cooking buddy at our own cooking stations and first made Swiss merengue topped chocolate pudding tarts with Danielle Keene from Top Chef! Danielle was awesome, but the best part was getting to torch the top of the merengue AND I still have my eyebrows. Phew.

They look good enough to eat, don’t you think? We thought so, and we did. YUM! (I’m going to use the word “yum” a lot, fyi.)

Then my favorite part came next! Michelle Quilles of Blooming Gelatin Art taught us how to make GELATIN ART with milk based, colored gelatin injected into clear flavored gelatin using hypodermic syringes! Seriously one of the coolest culinary things I have ever seen! She made these gelatin flowers right in front of our eyes in just a matter of minutes:

Then I tried my hand at making the easiest flower, a chrysanthemum. Gosh, I’ve always wondered how to spell that and now I know. Onward… here’s what I made. Not bad for a first timer:

The next morning, Aubrey and I ate it at breakfast and it was delicious!

Of course, the Got Milk people treated us to a delicious lunch and a table full of other amazing milky summer desserts, my favorites being the Lavender Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Berry Caramel Sauce (YES you read it right) and the Coffee Banana Malt Ball Milk Shake. These sound pretty fancy-schmancy, but you’d be surprised how easy they are to make right at home. Here are a couple recipes for you to try, because I love you so much. Oh, and thanks to Eatz for letting us mess up your kitchen.

Cheers to summer eats and don’t forget your lactaid if you’re Asian. xo Amy

Lavender Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

with Berry Caramel Sauce

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 vanilla bean, split
2 ¼ tsp. dried lavender
½ cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 cups heavy cream
½ cup crème fraiche
1 tbsp. powdered gelatin

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring vanilla bean, lavender, sugar, ½ cup milk and 1 ½ cups of heavy cream to a simmer. Cover, remove from heat and set aside to steep for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix gelatin powder in remaining ½ cup milk to hydrate. Reheat vanilla mixture and pour over gelatin mixture. Whisk until combined and gelatin is dissolved. Whisk in crème fraiche and strain. Cool to room temperature.

With an electric mixer, whisk remaining 1 ½ cups of heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold in vanilla bean mixture in two parts. Pour into small greased ramekins and chill for 6 hours or overnight. Unmold and serve with blueberry caramel and fresh fruit.

Berry Caramel Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 ¾ cup fresh berries (in season), pureed
1 tbsp. butter

Berry Caramel Directions:

In a saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and water. Boil until mixture is an amber color. Add berry puree and butter. Whisk until dissolved. Strain and serve over panna cotta.

Coffee Banana Malt Ball Milkshake

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pint premium-quality coffee ice cream
1 cup milk
1 ripe banana, sliced
¼ cup malt balls
Whipped cream
Cinnamon
Chocolate sauce (optional)

Directions:

Combine ice cream, milk, bananas and malt balls in a blender until smooth. In a tall glass, top the milkshake with whipped cream, malt balls and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Optional: Before pouring milkshake, line glass with chocolate sauce for added touch.

(Amy’s Optional Touch: ADD SOME KAHLUA OR BAILEYS!! HELLO SUMMER!)

Go Ahead And Interrupt A Single Mom's Day Tomorrow

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL Moms!

While I’m thinking of it, this is something I mention every Mother’s Day and probably will for the rest of my life.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and if you know a single mom, reach out to her and don’t be afraid to make her day special. It won’t take much, a phone call, a text, or even invite her to your brunch, out for a drink, send her an ecard, knock on her door with a plate of cookies, whatever works for your schedule. Especially the single moms of very young children.

Mother’s Day can be a very lonely and sad day for single moms of little children. Aubrey’s dad and I split when she was an infant so I spent the 1st couple Mother’s Days of Aubrey’s life feeling pretty horrible. Alone in an apartment with a baby, no family near by. Tired and doing the daily grind… laundry, diapers, nap, bath, feeding… It was hard reading Facebook posts and Tweets about other moms going to brunch, getting flowers and candy, heading to the spa with their gift certificate in hand. These things don’t usually happen for single moms. And not that Mother’s Day needs to be about fancy gifts, but remember babies and young children don’t know it’s Mother’s Day. They just keep spitting up, crying and throwing tantrums on schedule.

Some single moms are lucky to have a close connection with immediate family or relatives and they are not forgotten. They are the lucky single moms indeed, but my nearest family members are across the country. I remember those first years being asked the Monday after, “What did you do for Mother’s Day?!” UM… NOTHING! Wiped up poop? And then you get the sad, I feel sorry for you, “Ohhhh. That’s no fun.” And that makes you feel even more like shit. Seriously, I don’t mean to make single motherhood out to be a big sob fest, but it has its moments, for sure.

Now that Aubrey is almost 5 yrs old, it’s not quite as difficult. The days are still demanding but we have so much fun doing all kinds of activities and we can go out and celebrate together. This year we are going to the circus and we are both really excited! I love being a mom and I even love being a single mom. Aubrey and I have an amazing bond and I feel we will have each others’ backs for the rest of our lives. But those earliest years alone were isolating and daunting at times. If you’re reading this and you’re there right now, you’re not alone! Hang in there – it DOES get easier!

So… for those of you who know a single mom, go ahead and take the time to reach out to her tomorrow. Let her know she is loved and appreciated for the very important job she does. You may feel like you’re bothering someone on their special day, but trust me, your simple phone call might just be what makes her day special. Go ahead and bother her.

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Tags: Amy Anderson • Aubrey Anderson-Emmons • Mother's Day • single mom • Single mothers • single parenting

30
Apr, 2012

Knott's Berry Farm Mother's Day Brunch! OMG!

With one of my best mom friends, Bernadette. She's the one on the right.

I was lucky enough to be invited down to the world famous Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant yesterday to preview their May 13th, Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch. All I have to say is Oh. Em Gee. It was soooo good.

I hadn’t been down to Knott’s Berry Farm since, um… well, circa 1976? Yeah, it’s been a while. I’m happy to report that a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same such as Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. This is where the whole thing began in 1934 and it is known for its homestyle dishes, comfort food and of course, the fried chicken.

Don’t expect the Ritz Carlton – this is real food for real people who like to eat in a casual, family dining atmosphere. The brunch is buffet style and everything was delicious. The most amazing thing, to me, was the variety and amount of dishes to choose from. Everything from breakfast staples like eggs, bagels, fruit, sausage and bacon, biscuits, cheese blintzes and more, to salmon, shrimp cocktail, enchiladas, Spanish rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple stuffing, steamed veggies, soups, fresh carved meats, cold salads, rice pilaf and MORE MORE MORE. It kind of blew my mind.

Ice swan on a pile of shrimp? Check.

I ate some of this fruit to pretend I was healthy

Included in the price of the buffet are your beverages – coffee, tea, sodas and unlimited champagne 🙂

And then there’s the dessert table. Or tables… plural. I smuggled an adorable Snoopy cupcake to Aubrey and sampled a few too many chocolate eclairs, fruit tarts and of course, I had a slice of Mrs Knott’s famous boysenberry pie. Yum.

Yummm

SO CUTE!

The service was great, the employees were all very friendly and we even got a visit from Snoopy. I love Snoopy and was kind of overly excited to have my picture taken with him.

My new boyfriend

Now here’s the best part – since you’re reading this here blog of mine, if you mention “MOM BLOGGERS DISCOUNT” when you make your reservation for the Mother’s Day Brunch, you will get 10% off!

Also, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant is located just outside the main gates of the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park, so you can park for free for up to three hours instead of paying the $15 amusement park parking. After you finish gorging yourself (Trust me, you will and you should if you’re a mother. You’ve earned it.), if you’re able, you should stroll around the Marketplace Shops! There is a wide variety of stores, from Snoopy and Peanuts paraphernalia, collectors items, clothing, an awesome candy store, a bakery, souvenirs and more.

This Mother’s Day, I will be flying home from a week on the road, otherwise I might actually be tempted to drive back down to Buena Park to chow down again.

The end of the road

To all of my mom friends and readers – Happy Early Mother’s Day! I hope you get some fried chicken too!

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant: Mother’s Day Brunch
Sunday, May 13, 2012
9am – 2pm
Adults: $29.95
Seniors: $22.95
Children: $16.95
Call 717.220.5055 and be sure to ask for the MOM BLOGGERS DISCOUNT for 10% off!!

I was not paid for this post, but the fine people of Knott’s treated me to a fabulous brunch and a gift certificate to the Marketplace shops where I oddly bought my daughter a Disney toy. It was a really fun and delicious morning and that’s my honest opinion. So there.

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