Snackies

I have a lot to say about snackies.

First, this is one of probably a few too many "baby words" that I say to Lola. Snackies instead of snacks, tubby instead of bath, night-night instead of bed. They say you shouldn't do this. But I do it. I'm working on stopping.

Second, I'm a little obsessed with snacks for Lola. I find myself much more interested in brainstorming the snacks I feed her than the meals I feed her sometimes. I'm not sure why exactly this is but I have a feeling it's because I had some solid snacks growing up. My mom almost always had a special snack waiting for us when we got home from school. This time of the year, it was often ginger snaps with hot cocoa. I would sit at the counter with my snack and tell her all about my day.

A few weeks ago I was joking to her via text about how my brother always seemed to be available to come over if there was a free meal on the table. She texted me back and said "Food is the great seducer. Remember this when Lola comes home from school and you want to hear about her day." She's wise, my mom. Snacks can be very important.

Third, we have hit some sort of major growth spurt around here because Lola can not get enough to eat. She signs that she is hungry all of the time and polishes off big snacks multiple times a day. I can't seem to keep the house stocked with enough snacks for this child.

So, this week when my mom was here, we brainstormed some new snack ideas for Lola (thank god).

One of the ideas I got most excited about was these ham and cheese crepes. As most of you know, my mom is French. And a purist. So, she had a little bit of heartburn over putting ham and cheese in them, but knowing the appetite L is sporting lately, she turned a blind eye.

These puppies were a joint effort. Mimi lovingly made the crepes. I lovingly stuffed them and prepped them for the freezer. I can't wait to dig into them this week.

Here is the list of other ideas we came up with for anyone else that is in need of some new ones. (Caveat: we aren't doing nuts yet with Lola, so you'll see nut butters are not included...lord knows there are a thousand more ideas involving nut butters.)


Ham & cheese crepes (obvi)
Dips (nectarine butter, eggplant yogurt dip, hummus, veggie ricotta)
Crackers (this is our favorite homemade cracker recipe right now...our favorite store-bought are Bunnies)
Muffins (so many, many options)
Mini quiches, mini frittatas
Pancakes (whole wheat, cornmeal blueberry, pumpkin, apple cinnamon oat, veggie, corn)
Smoothies (with fruit, a veggie, yogurt, milk, and wheat germ)
Tea sandwiches
Graham crackers with honey sweetened cream cheese
Cheese & crackers
Rice pudding
Salsas (apple cinnamon, cucumber, pineapple)
Quesadillas
Pizzas (on English muffins, pitas, crackers), calzones
Toasts with spreads
Deli meat & cheese with brown rice cakes
Meatballs
Spinach ricotta bites (from Weelicious)
Clafoutis
Baked oatmeal
Zucchini coconut chocolate chip cookies
Fruity gelatin
Hard-boiled eggs
Cheddar & apple tartine
Avocado toast
Apple oat scones
Loaded baked potatoes
Chicken salad & crackers
Banana "splits"
Soft pretzels with dipping sauces
Pears baked in cream
Cheesy cornbread

One Last Hurrah

I never realized how much I love summer vegetables until this year. Maybe it's because I'm cooking at home more. Maybe it's because I know where my summer veggies are coming from. Maybe I've just hit the jackpot in picking recipes to use them in. But, I'm smitten. And sad that they are quickly coming to a close.

My favorites? The tomatoes. The eggplant. The corn.

My mom has an orchard a few miles away from her in Lancaster where she has been going almost daily to stock up on peaches and corn. I have been making fun of her because it's seriously ridiculous, the amount of peaches and corn they have been eating.

But I get it. And that's why I've been quick to accept offers from my farmer friends and my friends with farmer friends. The second I get a text asking if I could use x, y, or z, I quickly say "Yes! I actually have been wishing I had more of x, y, and z." I've become a summer vegetable hoarder.


These are a few of the recipes that have made me a vegetable hoarder. I thought I'd share. We probably have a couple more weeks? Make these recipes. Repeatedly. That's what we're doing.

Grilled Eggplant, Corn, and Bread Salad with Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette from Williams-Sonoma

Tomato Crostata with Honey-Thyme Glaze from The New York Times

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion from Food52

Eggplant Dip with Yogurt from Food52

At Long Last: A Local Pizza Farm

We did something pretty cool last weekend. We drove out to Long Lake (just the two of us!) and ate pizzas on a farm with some of our friends (and my brother and his gf).

The pizza farm in Stockholm has been on my radar for a while, but it's only on Tuesdays, and we just can't seem to get it together enough to go.

So I got excited when this one in Long Lake popped up--Two Pony Gardens.

Let me warn you: you have to sort of be on your a-game to have a good pizza farm experience. First, you have to make a reservation. No biggie.

Then, you have to plan what you're going to bring. Wine? Beer? Watermelon palomas?  What about dessert? (Not to mention, plates, bug spray, cups, napkins, a bottle opener...)

Third, if you want to eat in a timely manner (and score a cookie from the totally tempting piles displayed), you have to get there early. There seemed to be a jump from a 20 minute pizza wait to a 90 minute pizza wait within a five minute time span. If you're rolling w/o kids, I guess who cares, but still.

Let's see...you have to watch out for poison ivy, too. Despite multiple emails beforehand warning us of the stuff, our group ended up sitting right on top of a nice thick patch of it. But, luckily for us, the woman who runs the pizza farm came to warn us right away and give us extra blankets. Have no fear, I think most of us escaped unscathed.

So, if you can handle all of that, you'll be set for a solid pizza farm night out.

Two Pony Gardens offer two pizzas each night: one margarita-style and one more adventurous pie with seasonal ingredients (last weekend, it included beets, walnuts, and roquefort). They were both good, maybe mostly because they had just been handmade, had come from a wood-burning oven, and were eaten in the middle of a beautiful farm.

I was particularly smitten with the stunning flower garden. There were horse drawn rides for kids we learned as we were trying to leave, squeezing past one in the narrow driveway. Next time, we must explore more.

The next morning, I quickly reserved 8 spots for the first weekend in October. I think October could be particularly pizza-farm-perfect. The weather will be cooler, it'll get darker and cozier earlier, we can make the switch from rose to red, and maybe the poison ivy will be dead? I'll let you know.

P.S. Thanks to my bro for most of the pics. Somehow I got too beside myself to take any photos.