photography | marmite et ponpon

Tag Archives: photography

Veggie spaghetti with shrimps in olives and tomato sauce

Posted on September 9, 2019 | Leave a comment

Oh to those Back to school mixed feelings! Speaking my mind, i don’t know who is being more anxious; me or my kids! I guess i am more nervous. Thinking of them how they will face school related issues (as new teachers, meeting new friends or missing old ones, fitting in, being away from me…..) sparks a upswing in inquietude for me. But thank God seeing them coping easily every year and being happy kids vanish all these exaggerated (only in my head) feelings of unease! Welcome to moms world!

Today after dropping off my 4 year old boy, i head directly to my kitchen to do what i mostly like to do. I wanted to keep my mind busy and stop it from creating scenarios until i pick him up. (Please read the message at the end of the post)

Joud loves spaghetti, shrimps and prefers red sauce than white. So let’s go for this veggie spaghetti with shrimps in red sauce!

When i saw this type of wholesome spaghetti, felt like i found a hidden gem. Made of 25% puree from real zucchini and spinach!

Cook as per pack instructions, drain and leave aside.

Cook 500g of shrimps, peel, devein and keep aside to prepare this easy and delicious sauce:

1 medium onion finely diced
1 garlic clove minced
1 tbs celery chopped
2 cups of tomato puree
2 tbsp olive oil
a handful black or green olive pitted
salt to taste

Cook onion, garlic and celery in the olive oil until fragrant and translucent

Add tomato puree and cook all together until it starts boiling then add the olive and shrimps to cook all together for 5 minutes.

Can’t wait to have my happy soul back to see if he will like this dish!

There was a message circulating that says:

Special request to all you kids returning to school; if you see someone who is struggling to make friends or being bullied because he/she doesn’t have many friends or because they are shy or not as pretty or not dressed in the most “in” cloths, PLEASE step up, say hi or at least smile at them in the hallway. You never know what that person might be facing outside school. Your kindness might just make a big difference in someone’s life!

PLEASE do ❤

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts yet to come, stay tuned. Happy cooking!

Easter tree decoration – homemade clay recipe for kids

Posted on March 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

Hop in Easter mood with us and let’s start the decoration with this beautiful tree. Let your kids DIY the ornaments with a homemade clay recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Whisk continually until it starts to thicken. It will take couple of minutes to look like mashed potato in consistency, remove it immediately from the heat. Place it in a bowl and cover it with damp cloth until it’s cool.

Knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels a bit sticky, hand it to your kids and let the fun begin!

Cut out eggs and bunnies, using the cookie cutters and let them dry overnight. I am sure not all kids will have this patience, you can dry it in the oven for couple of hours on very low, so your kids can color them in the same day.

Don’t forget to make small holes (with a straw) before they dry, to be able later to insert a thread and hang it on the tree.

This year the fun is double, i am crafting with my two boys! Let me be honest and say it’s beautifully insane 🙂 i need to tame my 19 months old boy excitement who is still discovering, exploring and creating that artistic mess, so overwhelmed with colors and beauty, he doesn’t believe rules exist and everything for him is edible! While my 4 years old boy, my charming little artist, who’s been doing this for a quite time, doesn’t fail to show me his passion and innate artistic skills. They both have it actually and i am so happy about it!

Back to our decoration, and while the paint is drying, get some dry branches and fix them in a pot (fill it with sand or pebbles not to fall) to have a tree like shape. And let the kid enjoy hanging up their handmade deco when they are completely dry.

By the way, we prepared a lot more ornaments, but before having our final tree up, my little monkey dropped it 3 times and broke some! Well let me tell you this is part of the game, part of the fun and part of the learning. The most important is to be patient, and try to enjoy with them!

easter tree decoration | marmite et ponpon

Those cracks make it more beautiful and real, and they will tell you later million story and laugh. Crafting with kids is not about the final outcome, the least you care about is working for the end result, let them enjoy the creative process, be patient again and enjoy as much as you can those priceless moments.

If those bunnies and chick are striking your attention, they were made last year by my eldest son. You can check the link to that post.

If you like this post give it many likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.