Videos

The Three Little Monkeys and the Big Bad Bull (Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 5

February 23, 2016 // Esther Filbrun 2 Comments

Or in other words, season finale! Although we weren’t planning to have a season at all, and we probably aren’t going to do this again.

This particular movie was fun to make. As a family, we children had been kicking around the idea of doing a twist on the traditional Three Little Pigs story, but we hadn’t been able to figure out exactly what we should do or how we should go about it. But since I wanted a nice wrap-up to these recipe videos, and since everyone wanted to make another family movie (it’s becoming a tradition around here), we decided we’d give this a go.

It took a lot of work, much more than any of us ever imagined at first, but I think it’s ended up worth it. They still enjoy watching it, which means it can’t be too bad!

As my brothers and I were planning the movie—figuring out which part each of us would play, deciding on the final plot, etc, one thing I wanted was to make sure we were all in it somewhere. With eight children in the family, that has the potential to be difficult to do! However, we all have an appearance somewhere, and even little sister managed to get in—she was playing on the floor for 2-3 seconds in one scene.

This is by no means a professional movie, but I hope you enjoy it at least as much as we did creating it and watching it together!

There is a short recipe in the video, showing you how to make ants on a log if you didn’t already know:

Take prewashed slices of celery, liberally spread with peanut butter, and put raisins on top for the “ants”. This makes a quick, easy, yet deliciously healthy snack!

Have you ever been an actor in a video? If not, have you ever wanted to?

–Esther

(Depending on your answer, I have an idea for another post about how we make movies and some things we’ve learned along the way!)

Favorite Family Dessert: Fruit Ripple Recipe (Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 4

February 16, 2016 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

When was the last time you had something really fruity that gave you a melt-in-the-mouth experience? Something that was actually healthy to boot? Fruit ripple is the epitome of that, and our family loves this dessert on the rare days when my brother decides to give it to us!

Originally, this recipe came from an Usborne children’s cookbook. Mom got it out of the library for me back when I was 9 or 10, and I loved it so much that I ended up buying my own copy, even though $15 seemed like a huge amount of money at the time! Our version is changed enough, though, that we think it’s probably okay to share.

Fruit Ripple Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups of fruit (he used equal amounts of frozen bananas, plum halves, peaches, and black currants—we usually use whatever’s on hand at the time)
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup sugar, honey or a combination (we use a squirt or two of liquid Stevia)

Directions:
Pour fruit into a blender (may be easier to do in a food processor). Add the greek yogurt (may make the process a little easier if this goes in first). Add sweetener, and blend well—should end up with something resembling a very thick smoothie.

Whip the cream, adding a bit of sweetener there as well. Whip it to a good amount of thickness. (Maybe a little thicker than in the video—our cream wasn’t obeying!) Pour into a serving bowl, and then carefully fold the fruit mixture in with the cream.

Store in the fridge to set a little more, until you’re ready to eat it. We put it in the freezer most of the time, and usually it isn’t a problem—except when we forget about it, and then it turns into something like ice cream.

Ever had a dessert similar to fruit ripple before? What is your favorite kind of an easy-to-make dessert?

How to Make Eggnog (Recipe Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 3

February 9, 2016 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

There’s a bit of a story behind this one…my brother came up with the idea for sharing how to make eggnog one day, but for several days we couldn’t make it because I was working. Finally, we were able to do it—but due to poor planning, and acting-as-you-go, the first take turned out pretty terrible. (I laughed while videoing at one stage! Bad, bad videographer!)

For a while, he was okay with the result, but then decided it should be better if we were going to share it with anyone. Below is the second version, much better than the first.

Be warned: The first 4 min, 40 sec is slightly gross, so if you have a weak stomach I suggest you skip it. It’s not bad, but it does contain rotten eggs and other like disgusting stuff. Bear in mind that the first half is and was supposed to be a spoof, and you should be okay.

Eggnog Recipe (the good kind):

Ingredients:

1 egg (as fresh as possible—we use our own eggs, preferably laid that day)
pour in milk up to the 1 cup mark on your blender
1 tsp. sugar
a few drops of vanilla extract
a couple (slight) shakes of nutmeg

Directions:
Add together in blender, and blend well. Pour into glasses and enjoy!

We make this occasionally now that the boys have discovered how simple it is to make and how yummy it tastes! Usually, we replace the sugar with stevia, because that’s better for us. However, sugar works well too.

Have you had eggnog before? What was your impression of the drink?

Our Favorite Snacks (Recipe Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 2

February 2, 2016 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Hello, again! Today, I’d like to share our family’s two most favorite snacks. These are eaten a lot around here—as in, almost everyone has one kind or the other each day.

The nice thing about these is that they’re simple enough that with a little supervision, my six-year-old brother can make them himself! He thought he’d like to show you how to do it, too.

First, he shows how to make Cheese Bread.

Ingredients:

A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
Mayonnaise
Slice of cheese
Optional: Prepared mustard

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a thin layer of mayonnaise, lay a slice of cheese on top, and grill for a minute or two until the cheese has melted. Optionally serve it with prepared mustard—some of us like it that way, and others don’t.

Then, he shows how to make Cinnamon Toast.

Ingredients:

A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
Butter
Cinnamon sugar (we usually mix ¼ part cinnamon with ¾ parts sugar)

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a layer of butter (thickness depends on preference), sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, and grill for a minute or two until the butter has melted.

These two are super-easy, but very yummy! Sometimes, instead of putting cheese on the cheese bread, we’ll slice fresh tomatoes onto the mayonnaise and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. That, too, is a delicious, easy snack!

Over to you: Do you usually have a mid-afternoon snack? What are some of your favorite snacks?

Rice and Tomato Soup Recipe (Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 1

January 26, 2016 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Want a quick and easy, but fairly filling soup? This rice and tomato soup recipe is a great choice—and one our family loves!

A few months ago, a friend of mine reminded me of the attempted recipe video series I started about two years ago (in total, I made three videos). Since then, I’ve learned a little more about how I do things, and creating a recipe video every week is not one of those things I can continue very long.

However, since at the time I was planning a trip, I decided this would be fun to schedule while I was gone. The videoing was completed fairly quickly, the videos made—but I didn’t have time to write the blog posts. Sigh.

Here is the first installment now, made by yours truly with the help of my wonderful brothers.

Rice and Tomato Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked rice
2 cups of whole tomatoes, with the juice (we use canned tomatoes)
1/4 tsp. salt
several good shakes of black pepper
slight sprinkle of cayenne powder (or chili powder, if you have it—please don’t do as much as in the film, unless you like things very spicy!)
crushed medium-sized clove of garlic

Directions:
Add everything together in a pot, and stir well. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and serve with grated cheese. Enjoy! (And don’t burn your tongue!)

For our family (9 people, but some small children), we usually use about 6–8 cups of cooked rice, and about 2–3 quarts of tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients are put in according to the mood of the cook—some like it spicy, some don’t, some like a lot of garlic, some don’t, etc. It’s always a popular choice, often chosen for birthday meals around here!

As a way to add some quick protein to the meal, we’ll often bake sausages to go along with this. Maybe add a lettuce salad as well—usually does the trick to fill everyone up.

One interesting note on the origin of this recipe: We’re at least the third generation in our family to be making this. I showed this video to my grandma a while ago, and she said this is quite changed from when she had it as a girl. Her mom used to pull cold rice from the fridge, and dump some tinned tomatoes on top. So for her, simply heating it up is an improvement to the recipe! I’m not sure if I’ve even ever had it cold.

Hope your family will enjoy this simple, but delicious dish! And next week I’ll share another favorite family food!

Over to you: Have you ever had rice and tomato soup? If you have, was it made about the same way? If you haven’t, do you think you’d enjoy it?

Why Your Children’s Homemade Videos are Important

August 25, 2015 // Esther Filbrun Leave a Comment

Over the years, my siblings and I have made several short videos. Some were serious, others were goofy, and some were a combination. Those videos are precious memories for us to look back on.

One of the short “movies” my brothers and I have made.

I think the main reason homemade videos are important is that they are like time capsules—we were just watching one of the ones we took a year ago, and noticed that the one boy’s voice is a lot deeper now. Not only that, but many of the actors’ personalities show through—which will be fun to see in years to come.

There’s something about capturing the sounds, looks and individualities of our family now—when it seems so ordinary—and re-watching it down the road a bit. We can enjoy the present and each other’s company more, knowing that in a few more years it will probably be completely different again.

Videos are important ways to keep alive memories of the past. I hope my brothers and I can make many more in the years to come.

Take time, if you possibly can, to video your children. Or—better yet—let them get behind the lenses and do it themselves. Even if the results are shaky and of not much substance, they’re still priceless.

Hold tight to the sound of the music of living,
Happy songs from the laughter of children at play,
Hold them near, while they’re here, and don’t wait for tomorrow,
To look back and wish for today….

How do you preserve your homemade videos? An online service, your hard drive, cds, or something else?