cookin’ up a storm in a teacup
Krakow, Poland
“When we get back” conversations emerge occasionally now, and on one particular occasion turned to chores. I was most excited to discover that my workforce has now reached such proportions that I find myself almost entirely in a supervisory role.
I’ll have a three-year-old setting the table, filing breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and taking the compost out. There’ll be a bunch of five-to-nine-year-olds to do the dusting, clean the downstairs toilet, prepare the lunch and tidy up the dishes, keep on top of vacuuming and sweeping, and maintain toy cupboard and bookshelf order.
The older four (by then aged 11-15) are going to try something new. For a week at a time they will take complete responsibility for a job or two. They will be able to call on me (or bribe siblings) if they’d like some assistance, but it’ll be *their* job to make sure things stay under control. The “areas of expertise” they will be working on are:
1) bake bread and cook dinner
2) prepare breakfast and do dinner dishes (includes shining the sink!)
3) washing (get it sorted, washed, hung out, brought in, folded, put away)
4) clean upstairs bathroom and supervise littlies’ bathing (this is a cushy number!!)
See? There’s really not a lot left for me to do – although, as anyone with children will know, CONSISTENTLY CHECKING UP is probably the most important job! And while cleaning the bathroom sounds simple enough for the big kids, I intend to use the opportunity to proactively work with older ones about how they talk to their smaller siblings, how to gently encourage, how to give instructions politely and respectfully (who would’ve thought that Parenting 101 could be held in the bathroom?!!)
With this new style of responsibilities in mind, the biggies spent this afternoon working on their first week’s menu. (Shopping lists yet to be completed).
Dreams of croissants for breakfast and dumpling dinners disappeared quickly when they realised how much work was involved in cooking Every Single Day for a week! I’m sure we’ll learn how to bake croissants some day, but for the moment, they are wisely keeping things simple. A few “trip foods” have made it on to the menus – egg in broth for breakfast, zapiekanki, steamed pau, noodle soup, moussaka, kremowka, fried rice with lots of mint….and even the homemade baked beans that allowed us to save money to take this trip have made a comeback.
| Kboy12 | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | for next day |
| MONDAY |
soaked oats + banana |
sweetcorn + fruit |
pizza |
*pop pumpkin in oven |
|
TUESDAY |
cinnamon porridge |
sandwiches + fruit |
pumpkin soup |
*make curry powder |
|
WEDNESDAY |
fresh fruit |
sandwiches + fruit |
curry + rice |
*soak porridge |
|
THURSDAY |
porridge + raisins |
sandwiches + fruit |
roast chicken + veg |
*bake 01/10 crackers |
|
FRIDAY |
soaked oats + plum |
sandwiches + fruit |
potato wedges + sausages + salad |
*soak oats |
|
SATURDAY |
porridge + peaches |
sandwiches + fruit |
baked beans |
*make zap. topping |
|
SUNDAY |
egg in broth |
bakery lunch |
zapiekanki |
*soak oats |
|
BAKING |
|
|
|
chocolate chippie bikkies |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Jgirl15 | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | for next day |
| MONDAY |
soaked oats + banana |
crackers |
roast beef + veg + peas |
*roast peppers |
|
TUESDAY |
cinnamon porridge |
sandwiches + fruit |
potato salad + green salad |
*prepare fruit salad |
|
WEDNESDAY |
fresh fruit |
sandwiches + fruit |
noodle soup |
*make lasagne sheets |
|
THURSDAY |
porridge + raisins |
sandwiches + fruit |
lasagne |
*soak oats |
|
FRIDAY |
soaked oats + plum |
sandwiches + fruit |
stirfry on rice |
*soak oats |
|
SATURDAY |
porridge + peaches |
sandwiches + fruit |
hamburgers |
*make 01/10 muesli |
|
SUNDAY |
muesli |
plaited herb bread |
frittata |
*soak oats |
|
BAKING |
|
|
|
gingernuts |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Jboy13 | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | for next day |
| MONDAY |
soaked oats + banana |
crackers + fruit |
potato salad |
*soak porridge |
|
TUESDAY |
cinnamon porridge |
sandwiches + fruit |
pumpkin soup |
*prepare fruit salad |
|
WEDNESDAY |
fresh fruit |
sandwiches + fruit |
curry + rice |
*cook extra rice |
|
THURSDAY |
porridge + raisins |
pancakes + fruit |
lasagne |
*make pasta |
|
FRIDAY |
soaked oats + plum |
rolls + fruit |
fried rice + pau |
*soak oats |
|
SATURDAY |
porridge + peaches |
toast |
macaroni cheese |
(*muesli made) |
|
SUNDAY |
muesli |
fancy bread |
mushroom + bacon pasta |
*soak oats |
|
BAKING |
|
|
|
carrot cake |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Kgirl11 (by then) | BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | for next day |
| MONDAY |
soaked oats + banana |
pancakes |
roast chicken + veg |
*make stock |
|
TUESDAY |
cinnamon porridge |
sandwiches + fruit |
moussaka + salad |
*bake bikkies |
|
WEDNESDAY |
fresh fruit |
sandwiches + fruit |
baked beans + salad |
*soak porridge |
|
THURSDAY |
porridge + raisins |
sandwiches + fruit |
pizza |
*soak oats |
|
FRIDAY |
soaked oats + plum |
sandwiches + fruit |
beef stroganoff + rice |
*soak oats |
|
SATURDAY |
porridge + peaches |
scones |
curry + rice |
*make kremowka |
|
SUNDAY |
muesli + fruit |
fancy bread + kremowka |
sweetcorn fritters + salad |
*soak oats |
|
BAKING |
|
|
|
iced bikkies |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They are following such guidelines as “we’ll make whatever we can from scratch” and “use produce that’s in season” and “we haven’t set the budget yet, but you can know for certain it will not be extravagant” and “if you’re going to heat the oven, make sure you make good use of it”.
They have already hatched co-operative plans:
“If you help me make a double batch of muesli when it’s my turn, you can use half it on your week”
”Let’s just do the same breakfast each week, so it’s quicker to plan”
”You’re making lasagne the week before me, so I’ll do moussaka instead”
Looks like we’re ready to hit the ground running.
I wonder if we’ll be in time to bottle peaches and make plum jam, not that I know where our preserving jars are any more! We have one experimental jar of tomato chutney hiding in a corner of Grandpa’s attic – hopefully, after two years it will still be edible. Everyone hopes so, coz they know there’s to be no buying what we could make ourselves. And they know when Mama makes such decrees, there’s no point creating a storm in a teacup over it <wink>
foodie picture of the day:
aaaagh we chopped it up before photographing – it was a 9kg pumpkin
that is one ENORMOUS pumpkin
it totally filled our GIGANTIC pot we are carrying with us!
and we’ll be eating it for two more days yet
Tags: 2008/09, children, food, learning, parenting, postcard: Poland
rayres
Hi there – we’re now back in the UK and can access the internet (broadband) without having to sit outside someone else’s house (usually in a strong draught!) trying to read Fernande’s laptop’s screen against the afternoon sun. We’ve been catching up with your very interesting blog and admiring the excellent photo montages.
We are somewhat bemused by some items on the menus. What are: zapiekanki, pau, frittata (bubble and squeak ?) and 1/10 muesli ?
All the best, Mike and Fernande.
What’s most amazing is trying to imagine how Mommy did so much of this on her own before her workforce was old enough to be so much help. Good job.
Oh, and actually, parenting tips in the bathroom seem somehow appropriate to me. Kind of down to earth where they belong. 🙂
Hope you will continue blogging the after trip progress.
It’s confusing innit!!!! Zapiekanki you could find on one of our previous Poland posts (using the search function would bring it up quickly). Pau are a steamed bun from Asia. Frittata, an eggy-vegetabley mixture cooked in frypan. And 1/10 museli is simply all the muesli we might want in January 2010!!!!!!
Now what’s this about a draught in France? Our memories are of glorious sunshine. We do, however, relate to hooking in to some kind soul’s wifi connection.
Enjoy your British winter! Cold innit?
Hi Rebecca
I’ve always had the philosophy that a child should do a job if they are able.
But I’m struggling to think what we’d write on a travel blog when we get back….yes, we will still be pilgrims progressing, but I can’t imagine our travel-readers are going to find pictures of our empty house and overgrown garden quite as exciting as lanterns on gravestones or grand castles and mountain vistas. How many days will you want to read “We stayed home today”? Coz it’s what we tend to do. As much as possible. Which might seem a contradiction, but it’s not really.
We’re planning on documenting the next year in our kitchen – in blogland, but not here – and beyond that, who knows? Would you read about the city family who takes to the country? How many simple living expositions could you stomach? Do let me know!
City family in the country? I could read a few books of it!!! Rach, you might have visitors too! Reading may not be enough 🙂
“How many days will you want to read “We stayed home today”? Coz it’s what we tend to do. As much as possible. Which might seem a contradiction, but it’s not really.” pfft!! do you know how many people you had avidly reading your “we stayed at home” blogs?!?!?!
*blush* i’m one of those 20-somethings whom your kids put to shame! can’t cook my way out of a paper bag, though my baking is improving & had NO idea about cleaning until i had a baby! so i think their menu is seriously impressive! go you guys! 😀
Ditto to Fiona!
I forwarded this day’s URL to my daughter of 6 who home schools. She has her children doing a lot but, if she finds time to read this, I believe it will be an encouragement and inspiration.
Grandpa Gene
PS
Here she and her seven – including husband – is a couple of years ago:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/pics/profiles/00/00/76/34/large/Poppies_2008_Whole_Family.jpg?v=C
I made croissants twice.
The first batch took a whole working day and half of them slightly resembled the (1970s) commercial product.
The other half were so soggy with butter that they were inedible by anyone under 13.
The second batch we made very quickly after reading the recipe several times.
Those were all edible but cost more each than those we could buy locally.
Nowadays we have Panetone pre-made croissants.
$11.00 for six,keep in the freezer and leave in a cold oven to proof overnight.
Remove ,heat the oven to 180c and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Sublime.
A great Sunday breakfast with black olive tapenade and goat feta.