Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Anna, my Amazing Niece

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating.  And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin 'Home Cooking'

I think one of the most important things a parent can do for their child is to cook with them.  Everything is a new experience, and they rely heavily on sight to determine if they "like" something or not.  If they are hands-on, helping out in the kitchen, those odd looking foods no longer look so strange and they will almost always be excited to taste whatever it was they had a part in cooking.  It is a wonderful way to try out new flavors with your family and also grow wonderful memories in the process.  So for this Fridays, Feasting with Friends I am featuring my favorite Big Kid, my niece Anna.  She just turned 7 years old the beginning of February, but has already been a regular in the kitchen since she was just a little peanut.

Anna is the most tenderhearted, thoughtful and loving little girl I have known.  Other people's feelings always come before her own, for she never wants anyone to feel hurt or left out of the fun.  She is an amazing sister and big cousin, always helping out and coming up with the absolute best games for the little one's to play at.  My son adores her with all his heart and even calls her "My Most Special".  We always tease that Jackson is the President of her Fan Club, but truthfully it just proves how wonderful their relationship is.  He will ignore all discipline and instructions coming from anyone else at family gatherings.  But when it comes from Anna it is gold.  He would fly to the moon if she asked him to- or at least try really hard to figure out how!  

Anna is a light in my life and I hardly remember what it was like before she was born.  I will forever remember the first time I held her in my arms when she was born, a dance we shared at my wedding, or her asking me for "snats" (snacks) up at the alter after walking down the aisle as my 2 1/2 year old flower girl.  She has already accomplished so much in her short 7 years of life, she is a beautiful artist, a brave performer, always putting on "shows", and an avid reader.  I am loving watching the beautiful young lady she is turning into.  So for today's segment of Friday's, Feasting with Friends I would like to introduce you to my niece and Goddaughter, Anna.  I love you honey!

Anna

• Do you ever help your Mom with the cooking?  And if so what is your favorite thing to help her make? Yes, I like to help my mom make cupcakes with chocolate chips. My favorite part to making the cupcakes is putting the frosting on them with sprinkles.
• What is your favorite restaurant? My favorite place to go and eat is McDonalds. I love to eat a cheeseburger dipped in honey mustard, french fries and a chocolate milk. 
• You are having your best girlfriends over for a super cool sleepover.  What music would you like to play while you are having a good time? Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus & Love Song by Taylor Swift
• What is your most favorite food in the whole world? Mimi's Soup is the bestest food in the world! I can eat a whole pot of it!
• What do you like to eat at school for lunch? Pizza dippers is my favorite school lunch. It's sort of like mozzerella sticks only it's pizza dough with cheese in it and you dip it in pizza sauce.
• What is your favorite thing to do with your family? I love Family Friday Camp Overs. You take a bunch of blankets and pillows and put them on the floor of the living room and watch movies and have a fire in the fire place with lots of snacks. Then you fall asleep there too!
• What is your Mommy good at? Cooking, I like her sloppy joes that she makes. 
• What are you good at? I like to write stories that I make up about Harry Potter. I also am really good at drawing pictures.
• Who is the best cook you know? My Mimi is the best cook ever!

Mimi and Anna enjoying Afternoon Tea at Miss Molly's

• What are your top 3 Movies of all time? Harry Potter #4, Parent Trap & The Goonies
• How are you and me the same and how are we different? We like to read stories and draw. What makes us different is that I go to school and you don't. Also you have brown hair and I have yellow hair.
• What is your favorite snack? Oreos with milk! You have to have a glass big enough to dip your Oreos in and swish around and if the cookie falls in the glass you have to have a spoon to scoop it out. Then drink the milk.
• Anna, you got a super special birthday present this year for your birthday.  Can you tell me about it.  My cousin Amy was going to L.A. for work so I drew a picture of Harry Potter for her to take to LA to give him. On my birthday, Amy brought the picture back  to me and it had his autograph on it with a Happy Birthday to my #1 fan, from Harry Potter! I was SO happy I cried and couldn't believe my eyes, I fainted and screamed. I wish I could meet him for real!  Yay!!!!!!!

A great recipe I like to make on my own is called 

a Banana Popsicle, here's how to make it.

-You take a whole peeled banana that is not to ripe and put it on a popsicle stick.
-Take peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) & cover the whole banana with it.
-Then you take granola crunched up into little pieces and roll the banana in it until all the peanut butter is covered.
-Then you eat it!
Tip: It Is Yummy!


**Amie's Note: You aren't supposed to freeze these bananas.  They are just called popsicles because they look like them, not because they are cold like them.  But I do assume they would be yummy tried out this way too.



Thank you Auntie Amie for interviewing me, I wish I had more to answer, it was fun. I love you!
Anna


Anna, I want to thank YOU for doing this interview for me.  I loooooooved reading it- you did an awesome job!  I just bought banana's at the grocery store yesterday and I am so excited to try your recipe for Banana Popsicles!  That sound super yummy.  I'll be sure to let you know what I think.  Love you too!

4 Generations Baking Babachi Bread (Anna was 2 1/2 here)