London based graphic designer and illustrator Jamie Wiek set out “to inspire some creativity in a wholly ‘domestic’ situation.” The result of his project was this pair of plates subtly embossed with smiling faces which are made more evident with creative food placement. Alas this grinning dinnerware is but a mere (albeit brilliant) concept, not currently in production.
Not feeling up to tackling trays of sugar cookies and bags of royal icing this year? Consider A. Bel Emporium’s tin of Holiday Kitsch for Christmas cupcake decorating. Packed with more than 40 topping miniatures, sanding sugar and baker’s twine for packaging this little kit is packed with retro charm. $24.50 including shipping.
The excitement elicited by this lovely little web site’s name was only temporarily tempered by the realization that a) they do not sell chocolate cake and b) it is not actually a chocolate cake eating club. However, you will find that they have a very nice selection of culinary tools to assist you and your kiddo in baking an entire dessert tray of goodies.
For starters there’s one of the most complete junior chef’s cooking kits I’ve come across - we’re talking everything from the apron to tools to laminated recipe cards to baking pans all housed in a clear vinyl backpack. $42.95
Considering you’re preparing meals for your kids at least three times a day, including them in the process makes allot of sense - so that eventually they’ll be able to make themselves a sandwich without screaming your name, and hopefully, down the road a ways will be able to prepare themselves more than raman noodles in college. One way to encourage their interest is with a recipe box of their own. This version, hand painted with the images of Fusilli Saly and Spaghetti Eddy cracks me up. $26.00
Once the food is prepared we move on to the table setting. Consider Crocodile Creek’s fun, mostly educational placemats. You figure if Junior sits in front of it multiple times a day perhaps he’ll learn something at least by osmosis. My genius nephew (biased?) actually learned all the of the US presidents off of his placemat. $4.00 each
It’s also nice to find children’s place settings that aren’t adorned with product driven cartoon characters. Their Dragon Fun Set includes a mug bowl, plat and placemat housed in a coordinating metal lunch box. $36.00
And finally for the adults is this smart binder with categorized dividers and splatter-proof sleeves to store the family’s favorite recipes. While this brand new blank binder this would make a swell gift for a new family, I also think the well-used and chock full version would make an even better gift for the older kid about to leave the nest. $24.00
Like many, I’m a sucker for Japanese cute. I know it’s borderline Hello Kitty, but even she’s gained some street cred in recent years, making ironic appearances on punk and goth clothing not to mention Fender electric guitars. Today’s obsession is the world of Aranzi Aronzo whose cast of characters are marketed to the hilt on everything from washcloths to tote bags to stationary to the following selection of glasses, cups, plates and canisters. I have no idea if the perspective is different in Japan, but from where I stand it’s nice to have the option of kiddo kitchenware that’s not plastered with the usual suspects. And I’m speculating that my coffee might actually taste sweeter in a smiling milk mug.
Birthdays are a big deal when you’re a kid. Although we all know that the first one is really a celebration for the adults who managed to keep their crying, colicky, peeing, pooping, hungry, helpless bundle of joy alive for an entire year - that and a photo op for the one time in the kid’s life when he’ll be permitted encouraged to dive into a piece of cake head first. And while Junior’s mugging for the camera with his frosting hair-do you may as well dress him in an outfit suited to the occasion - and what better than a shirt emblazoned with his birthday number (and coordinating number of cupcakes, if you so choose!)
Liliputians NYC boasts more than two dozen number shirts for your birthday boy or girl, and a great selection of coordinating pants and skirts. Big graphic numbers in celebratory prints are beautifully appliqued onto soft cotton tees, most of which are available for ages 1 through 8. And while it’s fun to have a new outfit for that special day, your kiddo will look great in these great shirts all year long.
And better still, our pals over at Liliputians are offering one lucky Junior Society member the opportunity to select any one of their birthday shirts in your choice of color and style absolutely free! Simply leave a comment on this blog post listing your favorite style Lilliputian birthday shirt by 11:59 pm this Wednesday, August 15th. I’ll draw one name at random and announce the winner on Thursday. (We won’t hold you to the style you list on your comment should you change your mind between now and when you win!)
And to put you in a party mood, I’ve compiled a sampling of cupcake images so lovely you’ll cry big sprinkle tears!
What a long way we’ve come from the gelatin mold craze of the 40s, 50s and 60s that produced such culinary delights as the Garden Salad Mold seen above. I love the photographs and the recipes make me giggle, but I can’t imagine serving what appears to be jelly encased barf at a dinner party. Visit the ridiculously funny Gallery of Regrettable Foods for such great pictorials as Knox Gelatin as Seen on TV! and Jell-O Confronts the Depression.
What got me started on this wiggly path was the fantastic personalized gelatin mold posted by the lovely ladies over at Cool Mom Picks. Come on, molded Jell-O with your name on it - how great is that! And then delicio.us featured the equally ingenious happy birthday molds, with each letter being it own, stand-alone dessert. Pretty cool for the kid that doesn’t care for cake (although personally I don’t know any of those kids). Both are from the great Brit shop urchin where you’ll find they’re called ‘jelly moulds.’
And then over at Moudlings they have a whole cavalcade of molds, a few of which strike me as having a kind of seventies feel to them. Super cute and sized for individual servings. Of course they’re perfect for Jell-O, but the shop also shows them being used to mold Rice Krispy Treats and I imagine they could even make charming mounds of rice - although you’d lose a little of the detail. At $3.00 a pop, how can you go wrong?
And lest you think gelatin molds are strictly for the short set, may I introduce the work of San Francisco based artist Liz Hickok. She describes her recent series San Francisco in Jello this way:
“This project consists of photographs and video, which depict various San Francisco landscapes. I make the landscapes by constructing scale models of the architectural elements which I use to make molds. I then cast the buildings in Jell-O. Similar to making a movie set, I add backdrops, which I often paint, and elements such as mountains or trees, and then I dramatically light the scenes from the back or underneath. The Jell-O sculptures quickly decay, leaving the photographs and video as the remains.”
Growing up, I was fed my pureed peas on the standard rubber tipped Gerber baby spoon - still a great option (slightly improved now with a silicone tip) and inexpensive at under $7.00 for a set of six. Beautiful vintage-style cutlery like the Rosendahl Foodpusher and Baby Spoon Set ($45. at Babygeared) are also still available, but there are now a whole parade of contemporary design contenders for you to fuss over (because as an adult with a child you have nothing better to do).
Flatware with legs! (AU$19.95 at Home Couture). Aside from the cute appeal this fork and spoon have the added benefit of not allowing the scoop and prongs that go in Junior’s mouth to touch the surface of restaurant tables.
Three simple, colorful and basic cutlery sets found at Mzuko, £12.95 - £14.95
Known for morphing even vegetable scrubbers into cute characters, the Alessi Bambino Cutlery Set ($16. at Babygeared) is no exception.
If we were to rate kitchen gadgets on their level of usefulness and frequency of use, the pancake mold would hang its head and take a seat between to the melon baller and the bread machine. That being said, they are considerably more charming that a shrimp deveiner and unlike the ceramic garlic roaster from Aunt Helen pancake molds can be hung on the kitchen wall as decor. And these reasonably priced widgets do make for a great looking breakfast platter and can be used for both pancakes and eggs. Admit it, they really are cute and kids love them.
Boy and girls, an internet sensation that made it all the way to Good Morning America, may I present the Pancake Song. While you may need to limit how many times Jr can hit the replay button, it will definitely put you in the mood for breakfast.
