SS makes tahini-yogurt sauce.

Typical Saturday morning with SS finding her way to our bed sometime after P has left for work. She started her day with a bagel with blueberry cream cheese (she has moved on from the strawberry kind), and as always, milk.

P is really good at finding new recipes, and I immediately liked the one we are making for dinner. However, the sauce has tahini (sesame seed paste), mint, and dill. SS loves mint flavor, but having Junior Mints is far different from tasting the herb. I decided to get her involved in the preparation, to perhaps get her to buy into the sauce.  That and I terribly miss cooking with the girl.

SS read the recipe (why my mini iPad is on the counter), diligently measured ingredients and added them to the bowl. A bonus is that SS inadvertently practices reading and math. By the way, I have had that Pyrex bowl since JJ was three years old, I was so upset when the lid shattered last year. But I'm keeping that bowl.

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SS mixed.

She folded.

And she is proud of the finished product.

The moment of truth...

Well, she declared it delicious, so we are safe.Wednesday night SS and P made a batch of excellent chicken strips. SS was very proud of her floured hands, face, clothes, etc. P was stoked about using his beloved deep fryer. There is no way I could have taken pictures of that process, let's say it took me two days to get the kitchen back to semi normal. But they had fun, and the strips are indeed excellent. They just need to learn my method of clean as you go along. I think I have a chance with SS, but it's just never going to happen with P. What matters is that they had a great time, and it's so good to hear laughter around here, because it doesn't happen often.

SS is on countdown to her birthday mode and we are afraid she is going to stroke out from excitement. The number one toy on her wish list is sold in Japan, so she will have to wait until a week after her birthday to get it, and that is with expedited shipping. We are not doing a birthday party this year, just don't have it in us. But we are going to our favorite all you can eat sushi restaurant for SS's birthday dinner. It's truly remarkable how much sushi the girl can put away. When it's just P and I, we are limited to how many types we can try. But we had no idea SS was our sleeper sushi eating weapon. She's developed such a love for sushi that I have had to put some in her lunch box for school. During a school trip last month she ate 10 California rolls, she was about to start on number 11, but it was time to pack their things and leave. Needless to say P is bursting with pride about this.