Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children's products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More » Kitchen

Duralex Glasses

Emilie in Paris — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 05:00:56 +0000

In a household of 3 clumsy girls (I can bank for the fact that clumsiness is indeed genetic), we need hardened utensils, that can survive a lot of rough and tumble. Thus, I am a big fan of Duralex, famous for making the same iconic hardened glasses for the last 60 years at least.

Have you ever been served a coffee in a little glass in a French café? Probably a Duralex Gigogne glass. Show any French person a Duralex Picardie glass and it will take them back to their school cantine days, where everyone got to drink out of Duralex glasses. I love their utilitarian chic and the fact that they are almost unbreakable (I say almost, as I will never forget my mother trying to demonstrate how unbreakable these glasses are by hurling one on the floor, where it smashed into a thousand pieces, much to her embarrasment!). They are perfect for families with young kids, especially if you are getting a bit tired of colourful plastic cups.

I picked my glasses up at Merci, but I also found them on this website which deliver internationally. Alternatively, you can find them in most French hardware shops. For our readers on the other side of the Atlantic there is a dedicated USA Duralex website!

-Emilie

Sweet summer bowls

Esther in Amsterdam — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:42:29 +0000

We’re vacationing in France at the moment, and I came across these adorable bowls in a store yesterday. Of course I just couldn’t resist — thinking they would just be perfect for breakfast in the garden, or for serving summery dishes like blackberry cobbler! They are available online through the online store of Comptoir de Famille, or in the UK at Divertimenti.

xxx Esther

Dinosaur Cookies (fun boys activity)

Esther in Amsterdam — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:00:11 +0000

My son Pim just started school (here in the Netherlands school starts at the age of four), and he’s still getting used to the whole ordeal. He’s really exhausted when he gets home in the afternoon, and I can see (and imagine!) that the whole thing is a big change for him. Getting used to the bigger boys, making new friends, learning to learn and behave…
Anyway, he needed a bit of special attention so he and I made fun dinosaur cookies when his big sister was away on a play date the other day. We got these cute dinosaur cookie shapes for him when we were in London last month, and we made and ate a whole batch of them. I used the sand-cookie recipe that I’ve written about earlier, and which is great because it’s easy and children can be very involved in the process. Similar cookie cutters are available on Amazon (UK or US)…

xxx Esther

TG Green Special Edition Mugs

Emilie in Paris — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:02:51 +0000

Some people spend their life searching for the holy grail. I spend my life searching for the perfect mug. I was brought up with the belief that a cup of tea is a remedy to anything from a common cold to a broken heart. All the politicians out there take note: sitting down with a good cup of tea will pretty much solve the world’s problems!

So as you might be able to guess, I have tea making down to a fine art and I reckon the receptacle of the tea is almost as important as the tea itself! I don’t like fussy, little china cups or mugs with silly logos on them. My mugs need to be substantial but not too big — the result is cold tea. Check out these mugs from TG Green: Perfect! I love the colour twist on the classic cornish blue pottery. I think having a good cup of tea out of the bright yellow strippy mug is going to make me happy!

-Emilie

Dala Baking Tins from Ikea

Mo in London — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:00:52 +0000

I have visited Ikea quite a bit recently — something I both love & hate. I love that you can fill a trolley, spend a £100 and really feel like you’re getting your home in order. I hate that every time I go I lose someone (last time I lost my Mum for 45 minutes — imagine, if you will, a thirty-something woman approaching the info-desk with the words “I’ve lost my Mum!”).

Anyway, are they stepping up their bakeware or am I just slow on the uptake? I was really impressed with their baking accessories, cupcake papers and doilies. I couldn’t resist these Dala horse (Mama & Baby) bake tins – so cute! I baked Courtney’s famous carrot cake in them over the weekend, which has become a favourite recipe in our household. However, my only problem was getting the cake out in the end — does anyone have a great cake recipe that is meant to be baked in a tin like this and therefore slips out?

-Mo. x

The Lunchbox

Esther in Amsterdam — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:00:27 +0000

Unlike the UK and France, where I’ve been told kids get a warm and nutritious lunch at school, here in the Netherlands we send our children to school with the traditional lunchbox. Every morning I find myself in the kitchen preparing sandwiches for Pim and Sara, with some cold sides like fruit, cheese or vegetables (or whatever I find in the fridge). We don’t traditionally eat warm lunches here, and anyway there’s no means to warm up food in the school.

Because I’m quite often stuck in the morning for original ideas to fill the boxes, I’m thinking of creating a (printable) list of ‘ideas for the lunchbox’. Now I only have 10 minutes for this in the morning, so creating fresh sushi or sandwiches in the shape of an octopus is not for me (yes I know, my poor children). Do you have tips for me? Whether food items, easy recipes, good lunch boxes or shopping tips, I’m interested to hear. To be continued.

xxx Esther

PS Unbreakable stainless steel Eco Lunchbox from GreenJump.nl

Retro-inspired Personalized Lunchboxes

Sara in Melbourne — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:28 +0000

These gorgeous personalised lunchboxes by Feterie are high on my birthday list for my children this year. With a bit of a retro-cool vibe, they are of lightweight tin construction and as functional as they are stylish. I think they’d be great for toting around paper and coloured pencils too, or whatever knick-knacks it is kids love to drag around (footy cards in my son’s case). I can also imagine them being great for keeping all my daughter’s hair paraphernaila together — those elastics, clips and ribbons crop up all over the house, yet when we need to tie her hair each morning for school, there’s never one to be found! Feterie ship world-wide.

- Sara

Snowden Flood Mugs

Emilie in Paris — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:00:09 +0000

I often get nostalgic for London — I spent 10 years there and it is one of my favourite cities in the world. I also like the look of London — it may not be as beautiful as Paris, but it’s much more interesting with so many different buildings from so many different eras. Paris is very homogenous, whilst London can surprise you at every corner you turn.

I found these mugs at the great shop Loulou Addict and could not resist getting a couple. They are designed by talented British designer Snowden Flood. I love the look of them — they are perfect for my morning coffee… and if I can’t come to London at least a tiny bit of London can come to me!

- Emilie

A quick word on Baker’s Twine

Sara in Melbourne — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:58 +0000

I have a bit of an obsession with baker’s twine. I ordered 4 huge spools of it a few months ago and I am looking around for more. Now I’m no crafty, but even I can think of a million uses. In fact, we seem to be using it in some shape or form at least once a day (yesterday my daughter used it to make some bunting for her dolls house). Great for gift wrapping instead of ribbon, just team with brown butcher paper… It is also beautiful for wrapping baked goods. It adds a nostalgic, rustic look that is simple and classic. Traditional red and white baker’s twine is perfect but I am totally smitten with these delicious, eye-popping colors from The Twinery.

- Sara

Lark in Dayelsford

Sara in Melbourne — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:18:08 +0000

One place I always recommend (sometimes even insist!) our visitors to Melbourne see is the picturesque town of Dayelsford. Dayelsford is a village in rural Victoria in the heart of the Wombat Forest; so pretty, so quaint, peaceful & dignified, just as a spar town should be, but with the hippest cafes, shops and restaurants you can imagine! There are several things you must do when visiting this adorable town — have your tarot read, take in the local markets, stroll through the forest, visit the mineral spas (the Shire boasts the highest concentration of mineral springs in the country together with an equally large array of therapists) AND stop by Lark to indulge in some retail therapy!

Lark is an emporium of everything gorgeous. Not only do they carry their own range of hand-knitted baby toys and vintage accessories but they also carry goods from around the globe. There is jewellery, homewares, stationery, beautiful art prints by London’s Belle & Boo, Cath Kidston (finally in Melbourne!), Japanese zakka and books, picnic sets from the ethical Danish label Rice, Sparrowkids from England (so divine, my favourite!) handmade children’s clothing, craft kits, zines and a host of handcrafted products from Melbourne designers including Beci Orpin, Victoria Mason, Cuckoo Nest, Little Shop Of and Twiglet. Whew! Yes, this shop is chock full of cuteness! And all this sweetness isn’t without substance, Lark’s ethical policies show a real concern for environmental and social responsibility…

So, if you are venturing out, anywhere near Melbourne that is, Lark is at:

4a Duke Street, Daylesford (behind the Op Shop) and only an hour’s scenic drive out of Melbourne.

And if you’re not in the area, you must visit Lark’s gorgeous online store here. Plenty of eye candy to drool over!

- Sara

MadeIt for unique handmade finds

Sara in Melbourne — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:00:21 +0000

Packed to the rafters with local designers and craftspeople, MadeIt is a virtual craft market containing a wealth of handmade housewares and goodies. It is my go-to source when I want something unique, affordable and hand-crafted. It is similar to Etsy but supports only local Australian talent.

What I love about the site, apart from the fact that everything is handmade and local, is that it brings you, in one spot, everything you can’t buy at your local shopping mall. It takes the legwork out of shopping for those unique, handmade goodies which I love to buy but can take me forever to look for. And of course there is something gratifying about buying a locally made gift, supporting your local economy.

Navigating it all can be quite overwhelming but as with Etsy, persistence definitely pays off. Currently I have my eye on these darling little bell anklets for my children by a designer called Lovestamp and I am considering this cute library bag for a friend’s little girl who starts school soon. This beautiful birth details print by Minimi for a friend’s newborn baby would be just adorable, as would this divine typographic alphabet print by Sweet William. I am also quite partial to this lovely highchair cover made for the Ikea highchair which will be perfect for my neighbour who complains over its bland appearance…I could go on forever!

I must forewarn, taking a virtual stroll down its aisles is rather addictive. I keep telling myself… one more page, just one more (early signs of internet addiction or shopping addiction….or, good grief – both?).

- Sara

Third Drawer Down

Sara in Melbourne — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:32 +0000

I do appreciate a nice tea towel… and I’m fussy with mine. Perhaps it relates to my textile obsession. Nonetheless, I like them to be made of good quality linen, aesthetically pleasing… and generally I find, the more use they get, the better they look. Now, because of this ‘pseudo fetish’, much to my husband’s amusement, and at times sheer frustration, I am always scouring the shops for tea towels.

Recently looking out of the car window at the lovely window shop display, waiting for the traffic lights to change…

Me in passenger seat: ‘Wow, is that…are they…my goodness I think they are tea towels!’
Husband in driver seat: ‘No, no darling, that’s just a painting…’
Me: ‘No husband, I really don’t think so… they look like linen… I’m sure they are tea towels. Yes, yes they ARE tea towels! Quick…STOP! I’ll be really quick!’
Husband rolls eyes and pulls over. And that was how I came to acquire 3 tea towels from Third Drawer Down.

This Australian company produces the most magnificent linen tea towels, so gorgeous, so whimsical and artistic that upon unpacking them later I decided that I could not bear to relegate them to mere dish washing status. They were, just as my husband had said ‘works of art’. So, I had them stretched over a wooden canvas and hung them on my kitchen walls (and duly thanked my husband for being so clever, forever igniting my creative fires).

Third Drawer Down reproduces artwork by contemporary Australian and International artists as limited edition screen prints onto 100% finest quality materials including tea towels, pillowcases, aprons and art-kerchiefs. Inspired by the ’60s pop art movement, Third Drawer Down believes that by placing art into domestic environments it creates an accessibility that may not exist with traditionally elite and often highly priced works of art. Each item is gorgeously packaged in an archival envelope with details of the artist’s provenance and the Third Drawer Down project. Not an expensive tea towel but — an affordable piece of art!! Creating art that’s accessible, functional, and affordable is in my opinion, pure genius!

Interestingly, the name ‘third drawer down’ refers to a statistic stating that 80 percent of households in the Southern Hemisphere keep their tea towels in the third drawer down! I must be in the minority then as I keep mine in a top drawer. So special, they are.

ps. the fabulous piece above is by famed Aussie artist David Bromley.

- Sara

Meri Meri Cupcake Kits

Dina in NYC — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:00:42 +0000

How cute are these cupcake kits!!!! What a simple solution to make you look like a baking rock star! Meri Meri has something for just about every occasion and the quality is just beautiful. Now that the coldest months are rolling into the city I like doing cooking projects in the afternoon to deal with those often painfully long hours between the “end-of-school” and the “start-of-dinner”. There are tons of other really adorable and creative things on the website as well — invitations, thank you cards and notepads. And speaking of cupcakes… I want one.

-Dina

A Hearty Breakfast for Valentine’s Day!

Esther in Amsterdam — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:00:54 +0000

With Valentine’s Day approaching soon, I couldn’t resist purchasing this amazingly cool heart shaped frying pan. I’m not yet sure whether I’ll serve the pancakes or the eggs, or maybe both… But I’m positive my family will love them (and me)!

I got mine from this shop here in the Netherlands, but it’s — among other places — also available from this UK website.

xxx Esther

Tess, a tasteful stool

Esther in Amsterdam — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:00:50 +0000

Like many households with children, we are the proud owner of an Ikea Bekvam step stool, which lives in our kitchen and is used all the time. It helps the kids reach the counter, it helps our Peruvian sitter to reach the upper cabinets (mounted extra high to accommodate tall Dutch genes), and it helps me to reach the upper, upper cabinets that even tall Dutch girls can’t reach!
A handy gadget, this Bekvam. It’s not, however, the most original piece of interior (hear the architect speaking?), and to be honest, mine is so much in need of a layer of paint that I hardly dare to display it in my kitchen!

Thankfully we now have the beautiful, modern, fresh, and well-designed Tess stool in the house. A lovely addition to our household! It’s being used in the bathroom to brush teeth, dragged to the kitchen when there’s a threat of a fight over the Bekvam, and used as a side table or stool where and whenever needed.

Designed by the two lovely Dutch ladies of NU (who share 5 kids between them), the Tess is well tested and proofed, and characterizes typical Dutch no-nonsense, practical modernism. My cup of tea! (And as soon as we have a house with a fireplace as in the photo, I WILL make sure I have three Tess stools in the house, lined up as pictured.)

Tess stools are made in solid oak and available plain or lacquered — just send an email to NU for information (go to the contact page of their website).

xxx Esther

Gift ideas for the Mini Master Chef

Sara in Melbourne — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:00:38 +0000

My family is in the grip of ‘Masterchef’ fever! My kids are so enthused by this reality television program that I practically have my youngest deriding me for not making the terrine for his school lunch. And while the downside for me is that the bar has been raised (my rather unspectacular cooking now looks even more… unspectacular), the show has reinforced the value of good eating, team-building and the importance of accepting constructive criticism. My daughter particularly has been caught by the cooking bug. This morning she made us a lovely, albeit slightly burnt dish of scrambled eggs, grilled tomato, and baby spinach — we devoured it… every char-grilled morsel!

A friend recently introduced me to a great children’s cooking website called Wholesome Productions which creates a fabulous range of children’s cooking kits. They also sell party cooking kits for those brave enough to host their own kid’s cooking party.

The Pizza Baking Kit (pictured) is particularly adorable because it comes in a genuine pizza box and includes an apron, chef’s hat, a pan, rolling pin and an easy-to-follow washable recipe book… a great present for this holiday season! I have also found a ton of kid’s cooking utensils and baking sets at Mini Whisk and these are worth a mention because they come in a range of cool themes (Australiana, love hearts, flying etc.) and they are really well-priced too. Alternatively, add a cute little recipe book to some mini-sized cooking tools, or a little chef’s hat to a pint sized rolling pin and there you have some practical and fun gift ideas for all the aspiring master chefs out there!

-Sara

Cookie Cutters

Mo in London — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:00:07 +0000

Cookie baking is big in our house, especially when the weather is grim like today, and as you can see from the picture we’ve started to collect quite a variety of cutters. My son loves picking out which ones to use (currently the bear and the lion are particular favourites). I pick cutters up from all sorts of places but I do find Cakes Cookies and Crafts Shop a corker — especially as they usually offer 4 for the price of 3. Cox & Cox also do some good ones (but more on them later as they definitely deserve their own post).
Today however we used our new kid-friendly cutters by Swiss cooking brand Kuhn Rikon. They are brilliant because they have handles for easy pressing, and the shapes are less fiddly for transferring from work-top to baking sheet. In fact the whole Kinderkitchen range is fantastic for young cooks and is a big feature in our letters to Father Christmas (I’m personally yearning after the Mouse Measuring Cups).

I’ve tried various cookie recipes that are suitable for using cutters on and I find most to be a bit bland and dry, so I usually stick to using Jane Grigson’s recipe for shortbread (see below), which is delicious, easy to ‘cut’ and particularly good splattered with melted chocolate. If you have a fab cookie recipe that works with cutters then please let me know!

Jane Grigson’s Recipe for Shortbread (taken from her book English Food):

-225g Plain Flour
-75g Corn Flour
-200g Butter
-100g Caster Sugar

Sift the flours together into a large bowl, add the butter (at room temp) and sugar mix to combine into a dough (a good 4 or 5 mins). Roll out, cut into shapes and then bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 12 mins (or until very slightly browning at edges).

How easy is that!

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

(NB1: if you do decide to take a look at English Food check out the Parsnip Cake on page 318 (of Hardback version) – it has become a firm family favourite in our house).
(NB2: Again if you do have a look at the book I must warn you it is not very glossy as there are no pictures but it is a fascinating history of English recipes and every recipe I’ve tried from the book turns out great!)

-Mo

Trip to Ikea

Esther in Amsterdam — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:00:46 +0000

I went to Ikea today to get some frames and came back with some frames (although I nearly forgot them), two Lidan laundry baskets, cute paper napkins, a plant for in the bathroom (Pogonatherum, an old favourite), two little stuffed mice for the children, a dish-washing brush, a set of three small wooden boxes with lids for in the bathroom (it desperately needs to be re-organized – as always), a selection of cool looking Swedish juices and knackerbröt, a wicker basket to keep my herbs on the balcony, and the apple slicer ‘Charm‘ (pictured), that I’ve already tested and I can truly recommend.
I kept myself from buying another Norrebo storage bench (on sale now), 4-for-the-price-of-one Daim chocolate bars, more hooded towels and the Plocka plates that have a space for a small bowl and would be super-cute for breakfast.

I might go back tomorrow…

xxx Esther

Bambu Give-away!

Esther in Amsterdam — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:21:18 +0000

An important factor in raising children is, as we are all well aware, teaching them to eat healthy and responsibly. Offering your kids a varied diet with fresh, organic ingredients (and trying to make them eat it too) is one of the big challenges of parenthood! These days however, we have discovered that ’eating healthy’ isn’t just limited to the food ingredients we use. No, the tableware we all serve it on is absolutely of equal importance!

The bowls and utensils from Bambu are completely toxic-free, extremely beautiful AND non breakable, which makes them very suitable for use with children. All the products are made from 100% organically-grown bamboo, and the bowls have a natural, matte lacquer in wonderful bright colours, derived from, who could have thought, the cashew nut tree. A safe bet, and cool looking too!

The very stylish Joslyn from the hip eco-boutique Shakshuka has kindly offered a complete Bambu set to one lucky Babyccino reader. The set will contain (as pictured): a mini-me bowl of your colour choice, a spork (we love it), one set of infant utensils and one set of kid’s utensils.

Just leave a comment below by Sunday, July 26th in which you give us your best tip for eating healthily (weather it’s a recipe, a trick or simply a product). The best tip will win, AND will be published on Babyccino!

Good luck!

xxx Esther

THIS GIVE-AWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Cooking by kids, no kidding!

Esther in Amsterdam — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:00:35 +0000

Although she says she´ll be a princess, I think my 4-year-old daughter might become a chef. She loves going to the supermarket, she loves helping me prepare the food, and she loves to eat (most of) it. When I brought home a few items from the Berghoff children’s cooking line the other day I must have nurtured this thought; I’ve rarely seen my daughter more excited!

The Berghoff children’s cooking line is one of the coolest kids’ products I’ve seen in a while. The concept is simple: there is a little induction stove, super-easy to use (on/off, high/low). There’s a selection of pans in different sizes, all with big, plastic handles that won’t get hot and with a big plastic Sheriff Duck knob. Very sweet. And there’s a selection of cook’s utensils, like a chef’s hat, an apron, a knife block (plastic) and more, all equally cute and decorated with the signature Sheriff Duck character. Now, of course the principle of induction is smart because the plate heats only the pan, not the plate itself (although it will be hot for a short while because of the heat of the pan above it). A parent should always be supervising, obviously, but I’ve been cooking with my daughter and she can do a lot herself! Yesterday for instance she made a salad of green peas (which she cooked herself), goat’s cheese, raspberries and basil, with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Very yummy, I must say!

I think this concept is so cool. We can teach our kids how to prepare fresh, healthy food in a fun and safe way. They have fun preparing food for us (my daughter is so very proud of her dishes), and they love eating their own creations. It’s a win-win situation for all of us!

If you’re interested in purchasing the Sheriff Duck cookware, I suggest contacting Rowela of Sheriff Duck, as her web-shop is still all in Dutch!

xxx Esther