The Kid Can Cook

Fried Green Tomatoes

2012-03-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Even though fried green tomatoes are a southern classic, I can't really claim them as a heritage food for me. I grew up in Texas but my people aren't from here originally - my parents both grew up in Oklahoma and their families had moved there from Arkansas and other parts further south. So while I grew up with plenty of Southern country food on the menu, fried green tomatoes were not part of it.
But, as it is with life and lemons, when your CSA bushel gives you green tomatoes, you make fried green tomatoes.

Fried Green Tomatoes
serves 6 - 8

2 green (unripe) tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup crushed crackers or breadcrumbs (Panko works too)
Kosher salt to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan or cast iron skillet, heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch canola oil. Slice tomatoes into thick slices and pat dry. Beat egg and buttermilk to combine. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine cornmeal and crumbs in a shallow dish. Dust tomatoes with flour and dunk into egg and buttermilk mixture. Coat with cornmeal mixture and fry in pan until golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle with kosher salt to taste and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Who's Your Edamame?

2012-03-05T08:24:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted about food discovery on the blog so this post is long overdue. And technically, it's not really a new food for the Kid at all - just a different presentation. Shelled edamame have long been a favorite for snack and lunch time. But I'd never offered them up in their unshelled form, until the other night.

Edamame, shelled or unshelled, are one of those "power" foods. Full of protein, calcium, and fiber, they pack a nutritional punch into even the simplest meals. And they couldn't be easier to make. For this dinner, I just steamed them in my stackable rice steamer along with the brown rice for that night's stir-fry. But they can be just as easily nuked in the microwave. You'll find them in the freezer section of your grocery store and I recommend buying only organic when it comes to edamame. They are soy beans, after all, and soy is one of those foods that has been mucked with plenty - so look for that "non-GMO" label before you buy.

It took a bit of practice but soon, the Kid was shelling edamame with the pros. You can serve yours up plain, with a little bit of sea salt, or do like we did and add a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil. They are a super fun hands-on food that kids, young and old, will love.

GIVEAWAY: It all started with a spatula...

2012-02-29T09:06:00.003-06:00

My good friend and fellow food blogger, Lauren of Fleur de-Lectable recently became a rep for Pampered Chef, one of my favorite sources of kitchen gadgetry and goo-gahs. She has kindly offered to sponsor a giveaway on the old blog here and I was more than happy to accept.
Let me tell you a little bit about what brought Lauren to Pampered Chef in the first place. For years, she worked in a major housewares retail store (not mentioning any names here but it's a big one) so she knows her stuff when it comes to kitchen goods. Her first experience with Pampered Chef was through this little spatula - it's a small thing but very special.

You see, it has a slightly beveled edge that is perfect to getting into tight spots. Just the thing Lauren needed when she was baking. And so she was sold!

Another of Lauren's favorite Pampered Chef gadgets is the spritzer (I have one as well and use it all the time). Lauren's tip - use it to dress your salads. Spritz a little bit of oil and vinegar on your greens, season with salt and pepper and you have a healthy and tasty side salad for the family dinner or a quick lunch. Brilliant!

Since these are two of her favorites, she'd like to give them away to one lucky reader. ~~Here's how to enter:~~

~~Visit Lauren's Pampered Chef page and browse their products. Come back and tell me what your favorite one is. Be sure to leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win!~~

~~Additional entries (leave a separate comment for each):~~

~~Sign up for Lauren's Pampered Chef Newsletter by filling out her contact form.~~
~~Tweet this giveaway and mention @thekidcancook (one tweet per day)~~

And we have a winner! Random.org has chosen comment #2 by 1tootiefoodie as our winner! Congrats and thanks again to Lauren for sponsoring this giveaway!

This giveaway is open to residents of the continental United States and Canada only and ends March 5, 2012. The Kid Can Cook was not compensated in any way to host this giveaway. The Kid Can Cook is not responsible for undelivered or damaged prizes. Winner will be selected via Random.org.

Eating Locally: South Austin's Most Kid-Friendly Restaurants

2012-02-27T09:27:00.001-06:00

If you read this blog, then you know that we don't get out much. "Eating in" is kind of a way of life for us - but we do occasionally venture out for breakfast, lunch or dinner with the Kid in tow. Whenever we do, we try to keep it local and show some love to the many great, locally-owned restaurants in Austin. Here's a few of our favorites for restaurants with a kid-friendly atmosphere:

Kerbey Lane Cafe - With locations throughout Austin and seasonal specials made with local ingredients, Kerbey Lane offers a casual dining environment with good food. The service can be a little slow at times but it's one of our favorite places for Saturday morning breakfast.

Galaxy Cafe - Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Galaxy is another of our "go-to" restaurants for take out or dining in. The relaxed environment and "real food" kids' menu have made it a favorite for our family.

Waterloo Ice House - The Waterloo at Southpark Meadows is adjacent to "The Grove," a playscape and public space shared by other restaurants and shops in the Southpark Meadows shopping center just off of Slaughter and I-35. With patio seating right next to the action, Waterloo offers parents pub grub choices in a kid-friendly environment. If you're looking for a place to grab a beer, burger, and fried mushrooms and other classic bar fare that also has something to offer the tot set, Waterloo is a good choice.

Doc's Backyard - Located in the Sunset Valley shopping district, Doc's Backyard is another playscape-adjacent option for days when you just want to relax with good food and your family. Doc's offers patio seating as well as picnic seating right next to the action.

Phil's Ice House and Amy's Ice Cream - The South Lamar location of these two Austin standards features a small enclosed play-yard.

Hat Creek Burger Co. - Located out in Bee Cave, the southern-most site of the Hat Creek Burger Co. features a play-yard along with their "burgers and fries" menu.

And if you're looking for a guide to all the best Austin has to offer, check out the rest of the AFBA City Guide - you'll find posts on everything from cocktails to dessert, dives to fine dining.

Giving Back at the Food Bank

2012-02-15T14:54:00.000-06:00

Last week, I joined my fellow food bloggers of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance in an evening of giving back. We met at the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas to spend a couple of hours sorting donations from the recent "Souper Bowl of Caring" donation drive. In one evening, we sorted through almost 10,000 pounds of canned goods - that's equivalent to nearly 8,000 meals! But there's still more work to be done. If you live in Austin and have the time, please visit the CAFB website to learn more about volunteering - their online registration system makes it easy to volunteer. Want to help out? Visit http://www.austinfoodbank.org/how-to-help/volunteer.html to learn more.

Photo courtesy Kathryn Hutchison.

And if you do volunteer, you'll get to add your name to this awesome 9 lbs. ball of name tags - that's worth a couple hours of your time, right?

The Kids Cook Monday: Flying by the seat of my pantry...

2012-02-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

The other night, I had one of those "what's for dinner?" panics. We had just gotten home from Florida and I hadn't had time to properly stock the fridge. Time snuck up on me and my last ditch attempt to order dinner out had failed (darn you, Groupon and your "dine-in only" fine print!) These are the moments that I'm grateful for a well-stocked pantry and a good imagination. You see, these are the times when I like to pretend I'm a contestant on Iron Chef. Tonight's episode: Iron Chef Pantry Staples!
After a few moments of scrounging, I found a bottle of seasoned olives (green and black), sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and whole wheat spaghetti. Just what I needed to make a quick but satisfying dinner without leaving the house.

Spaghetti Sorta Puttanesca
Serves 3

Whole wheat spaghetti (3 portions)
3/4 cup olives
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
3 cloves peeled garlic
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes

Cook spaghetti to al dente in boiling salty water. While the spaghetti is cooking, combine olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Using the food processor is a great way to get your kids involved in making dinner. I've never met a kid who didn't love kitchen gadgets and the food processor is a safe bet for engaging little kitchen helpers.

Add capers to the other chopped ingredients and wait for pasta to cook.
Drain the spaghetti and set aside. In the pan that the spaghetti cooked in, add olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the olive/tomato/caper mixture and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally so that the sauce doesn't stick. Drain some of the juice off the can of diced tomatoes and add to the sauce, cooking a couple minutes more before adding the cooked pasta and tossing to coat.

Serve immediately to your hungry yet patient family.

Where have you been?

2012-02-10T10:38:00.000-06:00

I don't know where you've been but I know I haven't been here, blogging at least, in a long while. So what have we been up to? Well, a little of this.....

And a little of that....

And some of this too....

Hope 2012 is treating you well. The Kid and I will be back in the kitchen next week with new blog posts and recipes (and maybe even an exciting giveaway!) so thanks for hanging in there and we'll see y'all real soon!

Pomegranate Know-how

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

How's that for putting a new twist on your old lemon juicer? That's a pomegranate, cut in half and this much-used kitchen tool now has a new purpose in life. Making pomegranate juice.

Strain out any stray arils and you're good to go. I used some in this year's New Year's day collard greens and then made a refreshing spritzer for my soda-free family.

Pomegranate Spritzers

Pomegranate juice
Sparkling mineral water
Ice

Add about 1/4 cup pomegranate juice to each glass before adding crushed ice and enough sparkling water (X calls it "sparkly water") to fill the glass. Enjoy!

Green with Envy

2012-01-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

One of my resolutions for our whole family was to eat more greens this year and we started off 2012 with a bang. This salad is my ode to all the dressing-drenched Chinese chicken and spinach bacon salads of my past. And it was so easy to prepare. The most difficult part - boiling the water for the eggs. Seriously. And if you make too much of the dressing, put it in the fridge to use as a marinade for chicken or beef another night.

Spinach Salad with Spicy Honey Soy Dressing

For the dressing:
1 part low-sodium soy sauce
1 part rice wine vinegar
1 part honey
2 parts olive oil
Crushed red pepper to taste

For the salad:
Baby spinach leaves, washed well
Shredded carrots
Clementines, peeled and sectioned
Sunflower seeds
Hard-boiled eggs, sliced

To make the dressing, whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and honey until the honey is dissolved. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing and then season with the crushed red pepper flakes to your taste.
If you've ever wondered how to boil the perfect hard-boiled egg, wonder no longer. Here's what I do: add eggs to a saucepan and cover with water. Place the saucepan on medium heat and bring the water to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes only and then turn off the heat. Leave the eggs in the water and allow it to come to just above room temperature. Then roll the eggs on a hard surface, like your counter top, crushing the shell as you do so. Then peel away.
To assemble the salad, toss a tablespoon or two of the dressing with the spinach. Add carrots, clementines, and sunflower seeds and toss to combine. Top with sliced hard-boiled egg and serve immediately.

I made this for dinner the Monday after New Year's and served it with some of the Dad's awesome cornbread that was still hanging around. It was a great, light, resolution-friendly dinner for the whole family.

P.S. If you're worried about younger kiddos and sunflower seeds, feel free to leave those off their salads.

Cooking for Three: Pizza Night!

2012-01-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

Somehow, it seems the world is not designed for the small family. Or at least, most recipes aren't. So I've had to adapt several of our favorite recipes so we can avoid either having 1) days and days of leftovers (boring) or 2) wasted food (even worse!). Today, I'm featuring our favorite pizza crust recipe modified to make just the right amount for three small pizzas.

Honey Wheat Pizza Crust for Three (adapted from the famous CPK recipe)

1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons olive oil
5 teaspoons honey

Dissolve yeast and honey in warm water. Make sure the water is not too hot - if it's above 110 degrees, it will likely kill the yeast. Set aside to proof for 7 minutes.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (a dough hook doesn't work well with this small amount of dough), add the flours and the salt and mix together to combine. Once the yeast has proofed, set your kitchen timer for 3 minutes and add it to the flour while the mixer is on the lowest setting. Then add all but 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the rest of the honey and mix on low until the timer goes off. The dough should be elastic and slightly sticky. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large bowl and coat the sides with it. Turn out the dough ball into the bowl and flip it to coat both sides with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a warm damp towel and let the dough rise for 2 hours.
After it has risen, punch it down gently and refrigerate it until 2 hours before you are ready to make your pizza (you could use the dough after the first rise but there's something about refrigerating it that makes the crust much much better - you can even make this the night before and it will be even better). Divide the dough into 3 equal dough balls and place on a cookie sheet. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap.
About 30 minutes before you want to cook your pizzas, turn on the oven to 495 degrees F*. Cut off three lengths of parchment paper, roughly 1 to 2 inches larger than you want your pizzas to be. Place each dough ball on its own sheet and shape into a round or oval pizza. You can roll it out or shape it with your hands - whatever works best for you. Dress it with sauce, cheese and all your favorite toppings before slipping each onto the pizza stone. After about 3 minutes, slip the pizza off of the parchment paper and place it directly onto the pizza stone and continue to cook until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Pull them out of the oven and let them cool slightly before cutting and serving.

*I cook my pizzas on a pizza stone. If you are cooking yours on a metal pizza pan, you're on your own - I imagine you'll want to turn the temperature down to around 475 degrees for best results.

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-02T06:00:00.019-06:00

Happy 2012, fair readers! It's safe to say that I'm not one for making (let alone keeping) New Year's Resolutions but this year, I thought I'd take stock of life and see where I could make it just a little better for me, my family and the planet at large. So here goes -

My 2012 Resolutions

Exercise more and make excuses less - I imagine this is on a lot of people's lists. I started walking a few months back in preparation for the Walk MS 5K in Round Rock and I was doing pretty good, averaging about 15 miles a week. And then it got cold and I got whiny. So I'm resolving to not let the weather stand in my way when it comes to exercise. Here's to wrapping up and enjoying a brisk walk in 2012!

Shop locally - we do a pretty good job of showing local merchants and farmers love and support but we could definitely do better. In 2012, we're keeping our CSA subscription and I'm hoping our increased green leafy intake (see below!) will get us out to the local farmers' markets each and every week as well.

Bring my own bags - I have the bags. Sometimes they are even in my car! And yet, at least 1 out of every 4 trips to the store, I manage to come home with my purchases in either plastic or paper and not my own bags. This year, I'm gonna change that. I just need to come up with a clever way of reminding myself to bring them...

Eat more green leafy vegetables - this may surprise you, but I'm the worst when it comes to eating my greens. I start out with good intentions but now it's time to follow through. In 2012, we're going green...er.

Drink more water and less caffeine - this is a tough one. Back in the fall, I gave up soda of all kinds (I am a reformed Diet Dr. Pepper addict) and it wasn't easy. But now, I find I don't even miss it. I wonder if I can do that for my coffee habit as well?

What are your resolutions this year? Do you make them? And more importantly, do you keep them?

30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Day 30

2011-12-30T06:00:00.006-06:00

This is the last post of those inspired by Jote's 30 Days with a Grateful Heart challenge, and really, I've saved the best for last. Of all the things in my life, I am most grateful for this man. I am grateful each and every day that we found each other, despite the fact that we lived in a ridiculously large and infamously shallow city (Los Angeles) when we met. And even if the way we met is the hokiest cliché of the modern age (via a dating website), I will always consider it more romantic than if our eyes had met across a crowded room, falling in love at first sight. I consider myself to be unbelievably lucky in most every aspect of my life but when it comes to having this man in it, I consider myself to be especially so. And after all, without him, I would have never met this little guy either.

30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Traditions

2011-12-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

I'm not a superstitious person by nature. You won't find a lucky rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover on me. But one thing I do every year, without fail, is prepare a meal that is so steeped in superstition and tradition that I wouldn't dare leave it off the menu. If you haven't figured it out, I'm from the south. My parents were both born and raised (for the most part) in central Oklahoma, both ate food that was pretty much grown or raised on their families' farm or plot of land, and they both made sure that my brother and I were brought up to respect the power of the PEA. Not just any pea on any day either - Black-eyed Peas on New Year's Day. It's a southern tradition, dating back to around the Civil War (though in other cultures, this lowly legume has been lucky for far longer) when Union soldiers stripped the fields of most edible crops, leaving only "field peas" and greens behind - food they considered suitable only for animals.

On New Year's day, ever since I can remember, my family has sat down to a meal of black-eyed peas (usually made with ham hock or salted pork), greens (usually collard but turnip or mustard will do as well), cornbread, fresh-sliced tomato and thick slices of sweet onion. The black-eyed peas promise prosperity for the new year and the greens are meant to symbolize wealth or money coming your way. And the cornbread, well that's on the plate because it's just plain tasty. I'm grateful for traditions like this - traditions that I can hand down to the Kid. It's food as history, legacy, and love. As a kid, I may have begrudged the one black-eyed pea I was required to eat each New Year's Day but as a grown-up I've come to cherish those peas and the tradition.

This year, I'm adding a new twist to our tradition and cooking my greens with a hint of pomegranate juice. Like the lowly pea, the pomegranate has long been considered a lucky fruit. Ancient Egyptians regarded it as a symbol of prosperity and fertility, with its plentiful juice-surrounded seeds or arils and colorful shell. Ayurvedic medicine uses not just the juice but every element of the plant in healing practices found in India and around the world. So I think it's only fitting to add this into the mix for our traditional New Year's meal.

Prosperous Pomegranate Greens
makes a good mess o' greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1 to 2 bunches of greens - collard preferably, washed thoroughly, dried and de-ribbed
2 cups water or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, add olive oil and sauté garlic and onion until soft. Cut the greens into 1-inch strips before adding them to the pot. Toss the greens in the garlic and onion and then add water or vegetable stock. Allow the greens to simmer until just tender, about 40 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and pomegranate juice to pot and simmer a bit longer, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper to taste and serve alongside your black-eyed peas.

I'm sharing this on Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It! Friday.

30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Christmas Gratitude

2011-12-26T11:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is a hacksaw hanging from my Christmas tree. And if you have any doubts about who is responsible for this special "ornament" the next picture should dispel them.

Yep, that's the Kid hanging his new toy hacksaw on the tree after trying (unsuccessfully) to saw one of the branches off. Construction stuff and fast cars are what draw his attention most these days. But his interest in cooking hasn't completely waned. He and I did get to spend some quality time in the kitchen over the holiday weekend baking cookies for Santa Claus and for moments like those, I am incredibly grateful.

Now, I got word from the big fella that he likes his chocolate chip cookies with a few butterscotch morsels thrown in for good measure, so that's what we made.

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies
Makes 1 dozen

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 large egg
1 1/8 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Cream together butter and sugars in a stand mixer. Once light and fluffy, add vanilla bean paste and egg and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt before adding it to the wet ingredients. Once combined, fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Scoop cookie mixture into lidded bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Scoop out cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls and place on parchment paper, about 3 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on rack before moving to a serving plate.

And judging by how clean Santa's plate was when we woke up Christmas morning, I'm guessing they were pretty darn good.

Thanks to Jote of Bless Her Heart for hosting this wonderful month of gratefulness. If you'd like to read what other Austinites are grateful for, head over to her blog - you'll find a blogroll of participants on the right hand side.

Giving Good Gift

2011-12-19T08:13:00.001-06:00

This season, I seem to be giving a lot of cookbook-y, kitchen-y kinds of things. A couple of weekends ago, I hosted our neighborhood playgroup's cookie exchange and because I am the Hostess with the Mostess (at least in my mind) I had a couple of door prizes in hand to share with our guests at the end of the cookie swapping madness - a mini-wine basket and this great holiday cookbook for kids.
In addition to the cookie crunching fun, I had another holiday party to attend the next day - this one was the first annual White Elephant kitchen gadget exchange hosted by the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (kudos to Rebecca of The Rebeccamendations and LocalizeAustin for organizing such a fun afternoon for us at Walton's Fancy and Staple). I went home with the most awesome unitasker ever...but more about that later.
For both of these fine events I found inspiration for my gifts - or at least the wrapping of them - on my favorite online timesuck - Pinterest. Now, the notion of wrapping gifts in cloth is nothing new - Korea has its bojagi, Japan has its furoshiki and now I have my new favorite way to wrap cookbooks and kitchen paper goods - Dish Towel-gami.
A word of warning - if you are one of the Kid's awesome teachers, look away now or you will spoil your Christmas surprise. Everyone else, keep reading for a quick tutorial on how to master this easy and eco-friendly wrapping method.

First, you place the thing you want to wrap - it helps if it's a square or rectangle shape - on the dish towel so that the fabric is wrapping around the gift on the bias (across the grain of the fabric).

Then fold over the top and bottom flaps, tucking in the towel to make a neat edge.

Draw the right and left triangle-shaped "ties" across the package and knot.

Slip an ornament or gift tag through the top tie and double knot. And you're done! You've done something nice for the planet by not using wrapping paper that will end up in a landfill and your giftee gets a bonus gift of a nice dish towel (which, let's face it, you can never have too many of). My final word of advice - choose a towel with an all-over pattern. Traditional dobby weave or jacquard tea towels are the best.

P.S. My white elephant gift - The Butter Cutter! For some reason, I think it is the most awesome gadget ever. Seriously.

::30 Days with a Grateful Heart::
As the holidays are swiftly approaching, I'm so grateful for our cozy home here in Southwest Austin. We love our neighborhood and the enthusiastic Christmas light displays put on all around it. I'm so glad we found such a great place for the Kid to grow up.

Linking up for Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It! post.

Nut-free Holiday Treats: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

This is by far the easiest holiday recipe I have ever made. You need a couple of special tools - a double boiler and a hammer to be precise...and if that doesn't pique your interest, I don't know what will.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
makes a bunch

12 oz. milk chocolate chips (I use Guittard brand - they are made in a facility that doesn't process nuts -very allergy friendly)
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
a handful of candy canes, unwrapped

In a double boiler, melt the two kinds of chocolate chips together. In between stirring, lay out your candy canes on a clean dish towel, wrap them up and then whack the heck out of them with a hammer (or meat tenderizer). You're looking for small but recognizable chunks.
When the chocolate is fully melted, take it off the heat and add about 2/3 of the crushed candy canes to it. Stir to combine.
Line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper and pour the chocolate/candy cane mixture onto it. Use a spatula to spread it out in one even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy canes over the top. Chill the bark in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Once it's set, you can peel off the parchment paper and break it into chunks.

By the way, it helps if you have a specialist in spoon licking to help you make these!
Happy Holidays!

::30 Days with a Grateful Heart::
Now's as good a time as any to say how incredibly lucky I feel to have such a cool kid. X makes my day every day. He's got a natural sense of humor, even at a young age he seemed to understand how to make people laugh. His enthusiastic "ooohs" when presented with something new make me smile. And well, every good cook needs an equally good spoon licker, taste tester and pot stirrer - I'm thankful that mine is the Kid.

Sharing the Love: Austin to Boston Food Swap

2011-12-12T04:34:00.001-06:00

This holiday season, the Austin Food Blogger Alliance and the Boston Food Bloggers paired up food bloggers in each of their cities to swap local goodies. I was lucky enough to be paired with Carrie of BakeaholicMama - just take a look at all those tasty photos of her food and tell me you aren't salivating.

I put my thinking cap on and started gathering some of my favorite Texas things. Here's what I ended up sending:

Diablo Sauce from Torchy's Tacos - Torchy's was one of the first trailers my family visited when we moved to Austin. I had the queso and the fried avocado taco and I knew I was in love. The Dad took one taste of their Diablo sauce and he felt the same way. Carrie - I hope your family likes it hot, because this is some serious hot sauce
BBQ sauce from The Wooden Spoon - One of the Dad's co-workers bought us a gift pack of this local BBQ sauce last Christmas and I love the music-food connection the owners have. Be sure to read the label, Carrie, for the full story
Dublin Dr. Pepper Syrup - Even though I have given up Dr. Pepper in all its addictive iterations (namely Diet Dr. Pepper), this soda will always mean "Texas" to me. I remember traveling through Dublin, TX when I was in college and having my first Dublin Dr. Pepper - sweetened with pure cane sugar, not HFCS - and it was amazing. Maybe Carrie will think up a clever brownie or cake recipe using this syrup as an ingredient? I hope so...
Salted Caramel Pear Butter from Confituras - Simply the best when it comes to Texas jams, jellies and preserves, Confituras is the winner of the coveted Good Food Award in Preserves for 2011. In a word: Yum!

I wrapped it all up with a Texas-shaped cookie cutter and threw in a couple of fun-with-food toys for her kiddos and it was off to Boston.

Happy Holidays to Bakeaholic Mama and family!

::30 Days with a Grateful Heart::
This post seems the perfect time to share how grateful I am for the wonderful friends and neighbors my family and I have met since we moved to Austin. From the moms and kids in our neighborhood playgroup to all the fabulous food bloggers in AFBA to my high school friends I've reconnected with since moving back to Texas, I'm so glad to have you all in my life.

Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi

2011-12-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

This isn't so much a recipe as a methodology. Gnocchi, or potato dumplings, are probably the easiest pasta to make. You don't need any fancy equipment or super special ingredients. And it is very kid-friendly from the making to the tasting.
Since we got a few more sweet potatoes in our CSA bushel than we were able to use for Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to make Sweet Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi with them. To start, simply bake two sweet potatoes in the oven until they are cooked through. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool slightly before removing the skins. I actually baked the sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving along with the ones for the gnocchi and stored the skinned cooked sweet potatoes for the gnocchi in the fridge until I was ready to make them later that weekend.
Once they have cooled completely, mash up the sweet potatoes in a large bowl - you can use a potato ricer but it's not necessary. Add one beaten egg and about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese. Mix thoroughly before combining with enough all-purpose flour to make a smooth elastic dough - even better, use tipo 00 (or superfine) flour if you have it. I had a small bag on hand so that's what I used.

Dust a little flour on a clean surface and turn out the gnocchi dough ball. To make it easy to handle, I divided the ball into quarters with my pastry scraper.

Like so. And then I divided each quarter in half and rolled them into snake-like logs before cutting them into dumplings.

There are small wooden boards with ridges that you can find at Italian delis or specialty stores for shaping the gnocchi. But for me, it's good enough to just leave them as is - it's rustic but charming. And honestly, the shape doesn't affect the taste.
I put the finished gnocchi on a cookie sheet and stored them in the fridge until I was ready to make dinner. Then I just popped them in a pot of boiling salted water until they floated to the top, strained them and served them with a maple bacon date sauce. And the gnocchi that didn't get cooked this go 'round were wrapped up and stored in the freezer for a meal somewhere down the road.

::30 Days With A Grateful Heart::
This week, I've been thinking of how grateful I am to have the opportunity to make things like this gnocchi recipe with and for my family. There was a time when I would have felt completely overwhelmed by the thought of making pasta from scratch and yet now, like many things I used to buy pre-made at the store, I have found that it just tastes better when we make it ourselves and it isn't that much more work. Plus I know every ingredient that is going into it and that makes me feel good.

I'm sharing this on Add a Pinch's Mingle Monday!

Look Ma - We Made Compost!

2011-12-05T08:29:00.001-06:00

Sometime after April of this year, we brought home this bad boy and started composting our table scraps. The Dad picked up a new hobby along the way - woodworking - and we've added the sawdust and wood chips from his projects too. A couple of weeks ago, we were out working in the back yard and decided to sift through the compost bin to see if things were going well.

Yep - looks like dirt to me! Since we aren't planting a garden this year because of the drought, this bucket of compost made its way to the rose bushes on the side of the house.

And speaking of drought - in the spirit of the Bless Her Heart 30 Days with a Grateful Heart challenge - I spent the weekend being incredibly grateful for the rains that have showered Austin for the past few days. Our local farmers (and our lawns) have certainly needed it. I've never been happier to hear the pitter patter of raindrops on the windowpane.

30 Days with a Grateful Heart - Day 1

2011-12-02T17:52:00.000-06:00

Fellow AFBA-er and Austin Bakes for Japan-er Jote of the blog Bless Her Heart set forth the challenge to blog for 30 days in December on gratitude. In typical fashion, I'm already a day behind but it's all good. Here goes:
I am grateful to live in one of the best cities I've ever lived in (and I've lived all over this great country of ours, literally from coast to coast). Austin is unique - the people who make up this city are extraordinary and I'm so grateful to call it home. Even when the weather gets a little crazy and the fence blows down...

Even when scary insects have the Dad running for the hills...

I love living in this city.

I Am (Not) Baker

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I started volunteering with an organization here in Austin - Bake A Wish. This past week, I delivered my first birthday cake and frankly, I may have bitten off more than I could chew. The birthday boy requested a Star Wars cake in red, blue, black, and white. What he got was this:

Is it just me or does something about this remind you of Wonder Woman's costume?

This was my first attempt at making a fondant-covered cake. I haven't taken a class on it yet (can't you tell?) but I thought I would give it a go.

Did I mention the light sabers light up?

I had leftover cake, butter cream, and fondant so the Kid got to try his hand at it as well. It's funny but we both had that same exhausted look on our faces when we were done with each of our cakes. Decorating cake is hard, people!

Baked Stuffed Apples

2011-11-30T06:00:00.001-06:00

Remember when I said I was done with apples? Well, I lied.

Baked Stuffed Apples
yields 4 apples

4 Gala apples, washed and cored
5 dried figs
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the cored Gala apples in a round cake pan or other non-stick lipped baking dish. In the food processor, combine figs, cranberries and brown sugar and pulse until they are chopped evenly and combined. Stuff each apple with as much filling as it can hold. Bake for 20 minutes or until apples are baked through.

Days and Days of Leftovers

2011-11-28T10:16:00.000-06:00

It's funny but when I think of Thanksgiving, I usually don't spend too much time thinking of the meal we serve on that last Thursday in November. Instead, my mind is mulling over all the possibilities for the leftovers. This year, we made the traditional Thanksgiving spread - you can see the Kid putting the finishing touches on our small batch maple sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping up there. And while a good turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce sandwich usually can't be beat, we decided to get a little creative with our leftovers this year.
First, there were Turkey Pot Pies:

As soon as the Thanksgiving meal was over, I asked the Dad to shred the remaining turkey breast and stow it in the fridge. Friday afternoon, I sautéed finely diced celery and carrots, added some turkey and frozen corn, tossed it all with a bit of Type 00 flour (superfine flour used for making pastas like gnocchi) and then added chicken stock. While it was simmering, I spread a layer of leftover sweet potatoes in the bottom of three small ramekins, then poured the turkey mixture in and topped it with some puff pastry I had hanging out in the freezer.

Since I had puff pastry to spare, I whipped up a few amuse bouches from some more leftovers. Just a bit of cheese and cranberry sauce in a puff pastry shell, baked in a mini muffin pan. They were super good.

On Saturday night, the Dad took his turn with the leftover turkey and made his delicious Cream Cheese Green Chile Enchiladas. This was one of the first meals he made for me while we were dating. Word to wise, fellas - learn how to cook if you want to win a girl's heart. He usually uses chicken in his recipe but I convinced him to use the turkey - and it was so good. Unfortunately, we dug in before I had a chance to snap a photo.
By Sunday, we were ready to make our final turkey dish - Turkey Mole Tamales. It's been years since I've made tamales so this was a bit of a re-learning experience. Our neighbors came over to give us a hand (and brought along something sweet - Pumpkin Spice Truffles made from this recipe I think).

They came out pretty good - and now I'm in the mood to make some more tamales!

What did you do you with your T-day leftovers?

More Apple Goodness

2011-11-23T06:00:00.001-06:00

I promise, this is the last of the apple posts, but it's such a simple snack idea I had to share. Cinnamon-spiked agave-sweetened whipped cream cheese layered between two apple rounds and dusted with freshly-grated cinnamon. My, that's a lot of hyphens but it is so worth it. Served with hot apple cider, it's a great nut-free way to break the snacktime routine.

A Pearl of an Apple

2011-11-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know Apple Month was in October but I have all these apple recipes and discoveries that I never got around to posting. Like this one - the Pink Pearl apple. Isn't it beautiful? We'd never tried or even seen it before this season and it was such a special surprise. Very tart in flavor, the pink-hued flesh beneath that blushing skin was almost too beautiful to eat. But we overcame that - try these pearls with a creamy, nutty cheese such as gruyère.

Carnitas for All Seasons

2011-11-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

With the way the weather has been here in Texas, I wonder whether we'll ever have a true autumn this year. But the leaves are falling (the Dad and the Kid can attest to that - they spent part of the weekend raking and bagging ours) so it must be fall, right? Here's a fall-themed, weeknight-friendly twist on a Texas favorite - carnitas!

Autumnal Apple Carnitas

Serves 12

1 lb. pork loin, trimmed

2/3 cup + 1/4 cup unfiltered apple juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed and skinned

1/2 a large red onion, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

3 canned chipotles en adobo

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup crushed Fuji apple chips

1/4 cup dried cranberries

12 corn tortillas

queso fresco to taste

cilantro to taste

In a crockpot, add pork loin, apple juice, garlic cloves, onion, and cinnamon stick and cook on medium for about four hours or until pork is fork tender and easily pulled apart.

In a blender, combine apple sauce and chipotles and blend until smooth. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and lightly roast ground cloves and pepper until fragrant. Add apple sauce and chipotle mixture and cook until color darkens slightly. Remove cooked pork from crock pot and shred, using two forks to pull pork apart. Add remaining 1/4 cup unfiltered apple juice to the sauce before adding the pulled pork, apple chips and dried cranberries. Stir to combine. Scoop into corn tortillas and garnish with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro before serving.

* Editor's note: I submitted this recipe to an apple-themed recipe contest - sadly, it did not win. But don't let that deter you - this smoky/spicy/sweet take on carnitas is worth making even if it's not prize-winning!

Funny thing about food blogs...

2011-11-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Here's the thing about food blogs, or blogs of any kind for that matter. Sometimes people come to your blog for all the wrong reasons and sometimes you get some really strange comments...

Do you notice anything unusual in this picture? Like 20,307 pageviews in one day? I admit, I don't keep too close an eye on my blog "stats." I'm not really doing this to make money (hey, we can't all be Pioneer Woman, right?) so I don't obsess over how many people are checking out my blog on any given day but the other day I noticed there had been a huge increase in traffic and when I went to investigate a hilarious tale unfolded.
After noticing the influx of traffic, I saw that I had a comment awaiting moderation*:

If you can't read the tee-tiny print, let me sum it up for you. This was a comment posted on my friend Kira's recipe for Sea Glass candy. Historically, it's been a popular post - I've seen it pinned on Pinterest a few times - frankly, it's pretty awesome (and I can say that without a hint of humility because I didn't come up with the recipe or the photos - it was all the work of my friend Kira who agreed to let me share it on my blog). The comment goes on to suggest that if the previous commenter wants a "tee-nth of the blue" then she's "gotta pay for it like everyone else."
Okay. Well, that's strange - it's not so much about Sea Glass Candy or even Kira's awesome photos - it's referencing Meth and believe me, I was confused. So I poked around a little and realized that 99% of the traffic was coming from one website. I followed the link to a discussion page on someone's Halloween costume - not just any costume, though, a costume for the main character from "Breaking Bad." If you've never seen the show, it's all about an out of work science teacher who starts a meth lab. And here's the kicker - the folks over there talking about this guy's costume had posted a link to Kira's candy because it looked just like the stuff they use on the show to simulate crystal meth. Um...yeah. So thanks "Breaking Bad" fans for all the hits, I guess, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

À la Recherche du Temps Perdu: French Breakfast Radish Tartines

2011-11-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

No elaborate recipe for this post, my friends. This is culinary simplicity defined. Organic French Breakfast Radishes, fresh from our CSA bushel, sliced and served on buttered crusty bread. To drink - a little sparkling mineral water with a twist of orange, an ode to the Orangina I drank non-stop during my first work trip to France back in the day.
If you've never had them, French Breakfast Radishes are sweeter than the standard radish. They are great braised or roasted or served simply as you see here. And I never would have thought to try them if it weren't for our CSA membership - in fact, the very first time I had them was during our first year with a CSA in 2008, when we lived in California. On a friend's recommendation we prepared them just so - simply on bread and butter - the only splurge was a baguette that I snagged at La Brea Bakery while I was doing research at LACMA.
A wonderful simple lunch or snack, but when you call them tartines (French for "open-faced sandwich"), they are fancy enough to serve to company. If we were still in California, I would invite my friend over, spread out this Vera tablecloth and serve these to her on this plate which she gave me for my birthday last year. Isn't it amazing what memories even the simplest foods can recall?

What was I doing again?

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-06:00

When I started this blog, I had a very clear idea of what I would be posting about. Cooking with kids, my Kid, specifically. At the time, he was two and a half and very eager to be helpful in the kitchen. His interest in cooking was what brought me to blogging in the first place and as the last year has progressed his interest has wained while I have continued to enjoy writing about the food we make and eat. So what is a mom to do? Natanya (the president of Austin Food Blogger Alliance) shared this great post by Joy the Baker in our member forum and it lit a fire in my brain (not literally, of course) and I've been ruminating ever since about where to go with this blog since the Kid, who is its namesake, is not spending as much time in the kitchen as he was*.
Joy's first tip - "only blog if you love it, only make it if you want to eat it" - is a good one and one I really took to heart, especially as posting had begun to feel like drudgery and I found myself really reaching for things to post about when it came to cooking with my kid. I do love to write and I do love food (sometimes a little too much). But I don't always want to write about kid-centric food topics. Let's face it - I have a life outside of my role as mother and food is often a big part of it. So how to reconcile this without scrapping almost a year's worth of work, a really cute logo and blog design (if I do say so myself), and still remain true to my loyal following of readers and Twitter/Facebook followers. Obviously, you came here because I was writing about something you wanted to read - cooking with kids - will you stay if I write about something different? We'll still have regular appearances from the Kid and definitely plenty of family-friendly food talk. I hope you'll stick around because I've really enjoyed hearing from all of you out there in the interwebs!

__________________
*Don't get me wrong - we still make cooking together a regular part of our lives and always will. X helps out when he shows an interest but I don't think it's right to force cooking on him when he doesn't just for the sake of having material for the blog. After I started this blog, I made a promise that X would only be a part of it if he wanted to and right now, it's just not something he's that interested in. Maybe the occasional cameo... but only on his terms.

The Kids Cook Monday: Pretzel Dogs

2011-11-14T06:00:00.009-06:00

Oh the much-maligned hot dog! The epitome of "bad" kid food, the bain of nutritionists who seek to steer kids clear of processed foods, the go-to food when time is short and mom is in need of easy, no-fight food. In recent years, we've seen 'dogs dressed up, dressed down and even celebrated on Public Television. But one of my favorite kinds of hot dogs is a mall-food staple - the pretzel dog! If you were to pick one up at your local mall, it would likely be a little greasy and a little too salty. When we decided to make pretzel dogs in our house this week, we decided it was time to shape these dogs up a bit.
We started with the dough. Ours is a honey wheat pretzel dough that uses just a touch of honey and only a little bit of salt for flavor. Then we picked out a healthier, organic version of this American classic (we like Applegate Farms hot dogs). And we ended up with a fun food memory for all of us.

Pretzel Dogs
makes 16 dogs

1 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water
1 tbsp honey
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
16 organic nitrate/nitrite-free beef hot dogs
kosher salt

The first step is to make the pretzel dough. We consulted one of our favorite kid cookbooks - Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen - on the proper method for assembling a yeasted dough. Her kids' books all have illustrated recipes, showing step-by-step what to do so even kids too young to read can follow along. Though our recipe differs from hers slightly, the Kid was still able to use the images to put his dough together. Here's what you'll need to do:
Add the yeast and honey to the warm water and allow it to proof for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the flours and salt to a stand mixer with either the paddle or dough hook attachment and stir to combine. Once the yeast has proofed, add it, along with 1 tbsp of olive oil, to the flour mixture and mix for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Pretty much all of the kneading will be done in the machine but it never hurts to let the kids knead a little before allowing it to rise. Just sprinkle a little flour on a clean surface (like your kitchen table) and let 'em go at it. We're not making baguettes or puff pastry here, so don't worry too much about over-handling the dough.

Place the kneaded dough in a metal bowl that has been brushed with the remaining olive oil. Turn the dough to coat it and allow it to rise for about one hour (cover the bowl with plastic wrap while it's rising).
When it's time to make the pretzel dogs, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a low boil. Divide the dough into quarters. One quarter is enough to make 4 - 5 pretzel dogs. Since we only wanted to make that many, we put our leftover dough in plastic bags so that we will have them in the freezer for the next time the urge hits.

We fashioned the dough into long snakes to twist around the dogs. Once they were twisted, we placed them gently in the boiling water. It will only take a couple of minutes for them to pop up to the surface, then quickly remove them and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt if you are so inclined (the Dad and I were, the Kid was not).

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow them to cool slightly before serving. Serve with spicy mustard and plenty of veggies for not-from-the-mall meal!

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Editor's note: The yield amount was updated when I realized I can't do math - the full recipe of dough should be enough for 16 hot dogs, not 12.

Giving Feels Good

2011-11-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

How did it get to be November already? And what is it about this time of year that makes time fly so quickly? Oh yes - the holiday season is upon us and with it, a million little and big things to do. Personally, I've been wrapped up in work/life projects that are not necessarily holiday-related but are just things I must get done before the full onslaught of the Xmas season begins in December. As for Thanksgiving, I've already written it off - this year, we've decided to do our first ever Turkey Trot and the Dad and I just can't wrap our minds around cooking a full Thanksgiving feast on the same day that we walk/run five miles (yes, we are more than a little out of shape to say the least). So we'll be dining out this holiday and feel incredibly blessed that that is an option for us. It's a reminder that not everyone in our community is so lucky.

It seems that around this time of year we are all reminded of this fact. The Kid started preschool this year and his school is participating in a canned food drive for the Capital Area Food Bank. When we went shopping yesterday for the cans he would donate, I remembered what Lisa Goddard of CAFB shared with us about donating during the AFBA/CAFB Blogger Challenge this past year:

Food should be unopened and within the sell by date (remember, a food drive is not the time to clean out your pantry of all those expired canned goods)
Canned goods should be in good condition (no dented cans)
Look for healthy pantry stocking items like whole grain cereals, rice and pastas
Think healthy and hearty - beans (canned and dried), soups and canned meats such as tuna are excellent donations
Check with your local food bank to find out what they are in need of most

So when I asked the Kid what he thought a family would enjoy eating this time of year, he picked out canned corn, green beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans. What can I say? He's a pretty quick study and as a parent, it's awesome to see him thinking of others.

In other 'giving' news, I'm very excited to share that I've been appointed to the position of Philanthropy Chair of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. We've got some great opportunities for our members to give back to the community and I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of it! Stay tuned...

Apple Brown Betty Pie

2011-10-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

I guess I've got apples on the brain lately - it is that time of year, after all. Here's a new twist on two apple classics - Apple Brown Betty and Apple Pie.

Apple Brown Betty Pie
serves 8-12

6 - 7 medium apples, any combination
1 tablespoon turbinado or raw sugar
Pinch of each: ground ginger, ground cloves, freshly grated cinnamon
Pre-made whole wheat pie shell or enough pie crust for 1 8-inch pie
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup rolled oats (not instant)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and peel apples. Core and slice them into wedges, placing them in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and spices and toss to coat the apples. Place apples in the pie shell which has been placed on a cookie sheet (it's best to do this at the beginning - in cooking, the pie filling will definitely ooze over the sides and the cookie sheet just makes it all easier to get the pie in and out of the oven).
Prepare the topping by creaming together butter and brown sugar. Stir in the oats and knead the mixture until it is almost pastry dough-like. Spread this in a thin-ish layer over the top of the apples. It's not quite a crumble and not quite a crust.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the apples are cooked through and the top is crisp and golden brown. Allow it to cool slightly before serving.

I'm sharing this on Add A Pinch's Mingle Monday!

Cooking Up a Story: Johnny Appleseed

2011-10-26T06:00:00.008-05:00

Source

It's apple season, if you haven't noticed, and the Kid and I have been knee deep in apples for the better part of this month. Our local supermarket has such a wide array of apples that we couldn't resist buying a bunch and taste-testing to see if we have a new family favorite. With apples on the brain, it seemed like the perfect time to introduce X to the story of Johnny Appleseed, the American folk/food hero who helped spread this healthy fruit from Massachusetts through the Midwest. We found this version of the classic on Amazon, written by Jodie Shepherd and illustrated by Masumi Furukawa. And I bet you can guess the main ingredient of our "Cooking Up a Story" recipe this week! Apples!

A fellow foodie suggested we give cider-making a go (you can read about her experiences with making cider on the blog Kitschn Calamities) and since we had plenty of apples, the Kid and I did. First we washed, cored, and roughly chopped a variety of apples - everything from Fuji to Zestar! to Pink Pearl.

We popped them into the food processor and let it whirr.

It took quite a while to get these apples processed but the Kid and I didn't mind. The colors spinning in the Cuisinart were pretty!

Once they were as sliced and diced as they could be, we got out our potato ricer, fine mesh strainer, and a bowl and set about "pressing" our cider. Fair warning: if you are serious about making cider, this is definitely not the way to go but it made for a fun afternoon's project. We quickly discovered that, while the potato ricer was pressing out some cider, it wasn't doing enough. So I grabbed a spoon and made an ad hoc French sieve out of our mesh strainer.

Once I had pushed as much juice out of the apple mash as possible, I strained it through a finer sieve before serving it up. Bonus: at the end of it all, we had apple cider AND apple sauce for our afternoon snack!

The Organic Family Cookbook

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Source

The Organic Family Cookbook: Growing, Greening, and Cooking Together
by Anni Daulter
Photographs by Alexandra DeFurio
Published by Sellers Publishing, 2011
ISSN: 978-1-4162-0638-5

We were first introduced to the work of Anni Daulter this summer. ICE POP JOY was a welcome relief to our sweltering Texas summer. Chock-ful of inventive ideas as well as simple tips for making sweet treats naturally so, it quickly became one of our family's favorite cookbooks. When we received our review copy of Anni's new cookbook, The Organic Family Cookbook, I wondered whether it could ever live up to our expectations after such a homerun of a cookbook. After all, do you really NEED a cookbook for organic cooking? I mean, isn't it all in the ingredients?
Flipping through this latest work, my assumptions were quickly discarded. Simply stated, Anni Daulter never fails to disappoint. Offering recipes for every meal of the day plus snacks, beverages, and desserts, her latest cookbook is a compendium of great cooking ideas for making the most of organic food.
But what I love about Anni's books most of all is that I always learn something new. With ICE POP JOY, it was an introduction to a wide array of natural sweeteners that packed a sweet punch without a high glycemic index. And in her latest book, I learned how to make my own aluminum-free baking powder. There is something so thrilling about learning to make something that you've always thought you had to buy - and learning to make it without unnecessary and potential harmful ingredients - that can't be beat.

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*A Word About Recipe and Cookbook Reviews

Taste is a subjective thing. Just because we liked something doesn't mean that your family will. And vice versa. This review is based on our own experiences and how each of our family members reacted to the recipes prepared. Take it, ahem, "with a grain of salt."

Disclosure: We were provided with a review copy of this cookbook by the publisher. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and I received no compensation for this post.

Gypsy Picnic: I Heart Trailer Food

2011-10-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

Armed with $30 and a hunger for culinary adventure, the Dad and I arrived late to the Gypsy Picnic this past Saturday. If you are wondering what in the world the Gypsy Picnic is (and if you don't live in Austin, then I imagine you are), it's a gathering of one of the city's most unique attractions - food trailers. And these aren't your standard, run-of-the-mill, taco trucks and roach coaches. See, here in Austin, Trailer Cuisine is taken to a new level. Scattered around the city, you'll find food trucks alone or in "trailer parks," lots where three or four food trailers have converged, offering a wide array of culinary fare from Korean BBQ-influenced tacos to small-batch artisanal chocolates. Once a year, they gather at the city's Auditorium Shores on the banks of Lady Bird Lake and Austinites have the opportunity to sample the best they have to offer - all for $3 and up. It's simply the cheapest tasting menu I've ever had and it was awesome.

We started the night by hitting Gourdough's - home of the biggest, craziest doughnuts you'll ever find. We picked up a "Flying Pig" (pictured at the bottom - maple glazed doughnut sprinkled with bacon) and a "Son of a Peach" (at the top - this one was given the sweet Southern treatment and dressed with peach pie filling and cream cheese frosting). Before we settled down on our picnic blanket, we also picked up the Banh Mi Dog from Man Bites Dog. Banh Mi seems to be the hot trend in food right now - traditionally, it's a Vietnamese pork sandwich dressed with a spicy/sweet cucumber relish. This iteration of the trend was okay - the hot dog overpowered the taste of the relish but it wasn't bad.

The "Flying Pig" was definitely our favorite from that round of trailer hopping. Next we moved on to Chi-lantro and Mmmpanadas - two trailers we have been dying to try since we first moved to Austin.

We picked up a Korean BBQ burrito from Chi-lantro and an empanada, of course, from Mmmpanadas. The traditional Argentinian empanada with hard boiled egg was the best meat empanada I have ever had (I'll save my best empanada accolades for the plantain and black bean empanadas from Santa Monica's Border Grill - I miss them so!)
Before we knew it, it was time to head home. But we made sure to swing by the Coolhaus truck on our way out for custom-made ice cream sandwiches. Our picks: Dirty Mint Chip ice cream in a Fudge cookie and Fig and Mascarpone in a Snickerdoodle cookie.

Yum! (And isn't the Dad such a good husband to let me take his picture mid-bite? Plus he shared all these great trailer treats with me! Best. Date Night. Ever.)

Life, (un)Sweetened

2011-10-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to start making some changes in the way I've been living. The first thing to go - artificial sweeteners. I know, I know. You can call me a hypocrite if you like, but while I would never dream of feeding the Kid Splenda, aspartame and the like, I had no trouble gulping them down myself. For me, it seemed like the lesser of two evils - consume the practically empty calories of sugar or guzzle down artificial, chemically sweeteners? I chose the latter. Well, if I won't feed it to my kid, why am I feeding it to myself? But what could I use instead (keeping my mind that my ultimate goal is to reach a healthy weight that I can maintain)?
And as if by magic, a bottle of Xagave was delivered at my doorstep. Okay, it wasn't really magic - I had been contacted about trying out this product quite awhile ago but somehow it managed to arrive just as I was looking for ways to sweeten up my life without using sugar or artificial sweeteners. The family and I were happy put it to the test. You can read more about Xagave on their website but basically, it is an organic natural sweetener made from a blend of two different kinds of agave - somehow this eliminates the bitter aftertaste you can sometimes get with agave. Or at least that's what the makers claimed - we put it to the test!
Over the course of a week or so, I used Xagave to sweeten my morning iced coffee (meh - not bad but not quite as sweet as I like it), my iced tea (y'all, it tastes just like true Southern Sweet Tea! I was amazed), in baked goods (those are whole wheat shortbread Halloween cookies you see in the photo - sweetened only with Xagave and they were good), and the true test - lemonade. This is where the pessimist in me expected Xagave to fail, and if you've ever made lemonade with a traditional agave, you're probably right there with me. The Kid and I squeezed five lemons, added a liter of cold filtered water and stirred in about 2/3 cup of Xagave and guess what?! It was AWESOME! Sweet and tart, crisp without a hint of bitterness. Color me (and the Dad and the Kid) impressed!

When I was contacted about trying out this product, they also promised to give a bottle away to one of you lucky readers* so here goes:

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment with one way your life could be a little sweeter with Xagave. What recipe would you do the old switcheroo to with this sweetener? Be sure to leave your email address or have it enabled in Blogger so that I can contact you if you win.

WE HAVE OUR WINNER: vegAnn - check your email and get those pancakes ready!

*The Fine Print: One winner will be chosen using Random.org. Contest open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Ends October 25, 2011. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new entry is chosen. The product will ship directly from the manufacturer. The Kid Can Cook is not liable for undelivered or damaged prizes. I was not compensated for this post however I was provided with a free bottle of Xagave to try out. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.

Jam-tastic!

2011-10-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Image courtesy steph chows

So, you may remember me telling you about signing up for the Jam Exchange awhile back? No? Let me refresh your memory... The deal was this: blogger Steph Chows asked canners and jammers everywhere to send in their information and be paired up with an exchange partner. People from all over the world participated! I was lucky enough to be paired with April, a fellow Texan and here's what she sent me:

Beautiful strawberry jam made with honey and apple pectin (very much appreciated as I am trying to cut down on sugar in our house) and a lovely lime curd which will be going into some shortbread sandwich cookies come Xmas time. Thanks April for being a great Jam Partner!

I was probably the worst Jam Partner in Jam Exchange history - it took me so long to finally send her my jams but I wanted to wait to include something special-

A jam from the Austin Bakes for Bastrop bake sale. Now, I didn't make that particular jam so I'm not sure it was strictly within the rules. The other items I sent: cherry jam and my peach habanero chutney (you'll find the recipe here).

Taking the Trick out of Treats: Planning a Nut-free Halloween

2011-10-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last year, Halloween wasn't so scary. You see, this time last year, we hadn't yet learned of the extent of the Kid's peanut allergy. We were actually pretty care-free when it came right down to it. Even though we knew that he had had an allergic reaction to peanut butter, our pediatrician had made such little fuss about it that we didn't think it was such a big deal. I mean, he hadn't even prescribed an Epi-Pen for X so it couldn't be that life-threatening, right? Well, all of that was before we saw a pediatric allergist and learned how bad his allergy to peanuts was. While his allergy test result was not the most severe the good doctor had ever seen, it is enough to warrant a more careful eye and an Epi-Pen on hand at all times. He breaks out in mild hives if his skin comes in contact with peanut butter (a fact I embarrassingly learned early on when I planted a kiss on his cheek after having a bite of peanut butter and celery earlier in the day - the peanut butter residue on my lips was enough to cause a mild reaction).
This year, I've been debating whether we should even try to trick-or-treat. When we accepted goodies from our neighbors last year, X managed to sneak a chocolate while we weren't looking. What if it had been something with peanuts? I'm sure our Halloween would have had a scary conclusion indeed. And though the Kid is a year older, I'm not entirely convinced he gets this whole "no peanuts" concept. The Nut-free Mom has great suggestions for handling the trick-or-treat question with older kids but I've been wondering what to do with our precocious preschooler. Obviously, we'll be accompanying him door-to-door through the neighborhood but is that enough?
So I've been doing a little shopping for some trick-or-treat gear which might help inform others of his peanut allergy while allowing him to still enjoy the holiday without feeling stigmatized. Here's what I've found so far:

Zazzle has lots of designs for people with peanut allergies. This bag, with the frowny-faced peanut, is a bit of a downer though - and a bit pricey. At $29.95, I'm not sure that's the direction to go in.

And while this t-shirt definitely gets the point across, I'm not sure. It seems a little off-putting. Might as well strap a traffic cone to the Kid's head, wrap him up in caution tape and call it a day.

But this pin - this pin, I like! The message is clear (you can't get any clearer than "No Peanuts!", right?) and yet it's upbeat and child-appropriate (kind of the opposite of this Death + Jelly t-shirt). I can see pinning this to Kid's costume or his treat bag OR even wearing one myself so that we get the message across without having to explain ourselves every time we have to refuse a nut-laden treat.

Ultimately, I just want the Kid to enjoy the fun of Halloween - the anticipation of wearing a much-loved costume (this year, X has decided to go as an airplane!), getting to enjoy the fun of collecting treats from friends and neighbors, and spending time in our community.
If you have a preschooler with food allergies, what kinds of strategies do you use when trick-or-treating? I'd love to hear them!

Cooking Up a Story: Sunny Days in Texas

2011-10-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

Image courtesy Lazy Smurf's Guide to Life

Today's Cooking Up a Story isn't so much about A recipe for A book. It's about a collection of recipes that tell a wonderful story of love and concern for our animal friends. The cookbook, Sunny Days in Texas, is a compilation of vegan recipes benefiting the Sunny Day Farm Animal Sanctuary. Sunny Day Farms has been rescuing and providing sanctuary for farm animals in Central Texas for over ten years now. Now, you all have probably guessed that the Kid, the Dad and I are not vegan but we are concerned consumers. The meat and animal products that we do consume are chosen carefully because we believe, as I know many of you do as well, that our food should have had a good life before it is consumed. Respect for our food and the people who grow and care for it are paramount. Humane treatment for farm animals is something that is important to us and it is the reason we buy the foods that we do. It may seem strange to hear a meat-eater sticking up for the animals and I hope that those of you who are vegan and vegetarian will not be offended. I don't think there's a disconnect between being a meat-eater and being passionate about the humane treatment of animals.

Oatmeal Cream Pies by Kristen Davenport of SugarSkull.com, is one of the many tasty vegan recipes you'll find in the Sunny Days cookbook!
Image courtesy Lazy Smurf's Guide to Living

I ran across this cookbook through one of the many acquaintances I made during the first Austin Bakes bake sale back in April. Stephanie, also known as @veganlazysmurf on Twitter, was our site captain and her passion and concern for both humans and animals is inspiring. This month she is dedicating her blog, Lazy Smurf's Guide to Life, to cooking from the Sunny Days cookbook and I hope you'll check it out.

"Nice Ass" Greens with grits and vegan sausage
Image courtesy Lazy Smurf's Guide to Living

And if you like what you see (and I think you will - I mean just look at that comfort food!) be sure to pick up a copy of the cookbook. Here in Austin, you'll find it at MonkeyWrench Books at 110 E. North Loop and soon, it'll be on the shelves at Book People too!

Little Monsters Cookbook

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

This review of the Little Monsters Cookbook is from our archives - enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Little Monsters Cookbook

by Zac Williams
Published by Gibbs Smith, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4236-0600-0

When we were given the opportunity to review food photographer Zac Williams's Halloween-themed cookbook, we jumped at the chance. You see, he's the photographer behind many cookbooks by our favorite authors, like Barbara Beery. And since I can see Halloween becoming a big deal in our house as the Kid gets older, I knew I would need to add some creepy treats to my arsenal of fun and frivolous party foods.

"Vampire Bites" are one of the healthy yet spooky snacks to be found in Little Monsters.
Image courtesy Gibbs Smith, copyright 2010.

And Williams's book provides just that. The recipes are inspiring - with spooky names such as "Full-Moon Howlers" (mini meatball subs) and "Vampire Bites" (sliced apples styled to look like lips with fangs) - and, as you can imagine, the photography is excellent and detailed, showing just how you can style these scary treats in your own home.

If I have one complaint about this cookbook it would be that many of the recipes require processed or pre-fab food items - things like refrigerated dough or sugary candy - or rely on artificial food coloring for their spooky effect. But there are plenty of recipes in this book that don't include these types of ingredients - and well, the clever cook could certainly find a way of making those that do more nutritious by making a couple of simple substitutions.
How about using natural food colorings to create the colorful effects of the more ghoulish goodies? Or, in the "Mad Scientist Mix-up" libation, substitute sparkling water, lime juice and agave syrup for lemon-lime soda?
Ultimately, this cookbook provides great visual inspiration and I'm looking forward to using it (coupled with some sound nutritional substitutions) come October to create some ghoulishly wholesome goodies.

_________________________________________

*A Word About Recipe and Cookbook Reviews

Taste is a subjective thing. Just because we liked something doesn't mean that your family will. And vice versa. These ratings are based on our own experiences and how each of our family members reacted to the dish prepared. Take them, ahem, "with a grain of salt."

Disclosure: We were provided with a review copy of this cookbook by the publisher. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and I received no compensation for this post.

The "No Kids Allowed" Restaurant Debate

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Kid joined us for breakfast at Bouchon
The Venetian, Las Vegas

A couple of weeks ago, the Austin food world was all abuzz over the fact that three restaurants closed their doors in one week. Some are wondering whether this is an omen of more closures to come, that our otherwise vital food scene here in the music capital of the world is faltering. Certainly, the restaurant biz is one that is difficult to predict and fraught with risk - especially in the current economy (though here in Austin, we remain relatively unscathed by the economic turmoil seen throughout the rest of the country). For me, it was a timely counterpoint to another hot foodie topic (at least in the world of foodies who also happen to have little foodies) - the fact that more and more restaurants are closing their doors to families with kids. It seems a strange choice to make in an industry which has been hit hard by the recession. After all, eating out is usually one of the first expenses people cut when faced with economic uncertainty. So why alienate a whole market by essentially banning them from consuming your product?

As someone who eats out only occasionally, dining out for me is usually an event. My husband and I will budget our money so that we can sample a chef's tasting menu - we linger over our food and have come to expect a certain ambiance while enjoying it. We want to be able to hear the server's explanation of the chef's choice of flavors, we want to have a deep and involved conversation with the sommelier. Yes, we are those people - the nerdie foodie types. I'd like to think that the other guests would be there for the same thing. Ideally, all this enjoyment of taste and time should occur in an ambiance that is conducive to thought and conversation. That ambiance shouldn't include disruptive behavior by the other guests in the restaurant, whether they be kid or grown-up.

While we were in Vegas, the Dad and I took X to one of our breakfast standards - Thomas Keller's Bouchon. The wait staff were incredibly nice to us. They brought out coloring sheets for the Kid. They engaged him in conversation. And the Kid behaved better than some adults I have seen in restaurants of the same caliber. He said "please" and "thank you." He ate his food and sat in his chair until we were ready to leave. All of this was, of course, not by accident. We've taken great pains to teach the Kid proper restaurant etiquette. That is our responsibility. We also took him to breakfast, a time when there are fewer patrons in the restaurant, and not dinner - this was a conscious choice as well.

And so I come to my point. I think the restaurant owners who are now banning kids under the age of 6 from their restaurants are reacting to a problem that they ultimately cannot control. It's not the kids who are the problem, I would say to those parents who are up in arms about these policies. It's the adults who are in charge of them as well as a handful of adults who seem to have forgotten that good behavior is expected of everyone, not just kids. Would I choose to take the Kid to dinner at 8 at Olivia? No. But I might take him to brunch or, as we saw one family do on one occasion at Olivia, an early dinner seating before the crowd rolled in. And if his behavior wasn't appropriate for the location (he is 3, after all, and believe me, he's not always well-behaved) then we would leave immediately. I would also ask to be re-seated if the party at the table across from us was behaving disrespectfully (as I have witnessed in some other fine dining establishments). But restaurants can't interview each prospective guest to determine how they will behave in their restaurant and whether they will take responsibility for their children's behavior. Or their own for that matter.

Do I think it's right that restaurants are choosing to make these policies to maintain the atmosphere of their establishments? I don't know - ultimately, it is their business and it is they who will have to live with the consequences of their policies (both good and bad). Would I reconsider patronizing a restaurant with a blanket "no kids allowed" policy? Again, I don't know. After all, I believe that adults and children should move in separate spheres at times. Children have the right to environments where they are free to be, well, kids. Loud, boisterous, fun-loving, messy kids. And adults have the same rights. I think it is symptomatic of a far larger problem - the fact that proper etiquette and good manners are increasingly thought of as passé and elitist. I was not raised in a wealthy home, with the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth, but I was raised to respect others and that the best manners are those which make others around you feel comfortable and welcomed. And that is something I hope we are passing on to the Kid. More and more I see people forgetting the common decencies and frankly, be outright rude to others without reason. This is the behavior that is being modeled for an entire generation of kids. If we, as parents, want restaurants (or any privately run establishment for that matter) to welcome us with open arms then it is our responsibility to be good guests and model that behavior for our children.

Cooking Up a Field Trip: Lied Discovery Children's Museum

2011-10-07T16:22:00.000-05:00

This past week, the Kid and I joined the Dad on a work trip to Vegas. If you're thinking there's nothing for a 3-year-old to do in Vegas, you'd be wrong. Though I have to say Las Vegas is still not the tops in family-friendly destinations (and really, is it supposed to be after all?) we did find a few fun things to do while the Dad was working. Like the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.

They had two exhibitions which were of particular interest to me as a food blogger. In their "Green Village" - devoted to teaching all things green or eco-friendly - you'll find this little grocery store. Granted, the signage is a little above the Kid's head at this time - both figuratively and literally (it was hung at about my shoulder level so I'm not sure what kid would be tall enough to read it):

The message is still good. But maybe it's more about teaching the parents to shop for greener groceries than the kids. After all, it's us parents who do the shopping most of the time, right?

Upstairs, they had an exhibition entirely devoted to nutrition. "You Decide" features interactive games designed for kids in elementary school but interesting enough to engage the younger ones with a little parental help.

One game tallied the calorie totals throughout a day's worth of meals, making suggestions for healthier options while another game tracked the journey of a lowly potato from field to plate.

In Cleaning Out the Fridge, kids get to sort the foods in the fridge by type - milk, meats, vegetables, fruits, etc...

Ultimately, the Kid's favorite exhibition wasn't food-related at all - for a kid who got to ride three airplanes in two days during this trip, X was fascinated with the airport play center, complete with security check point and kid-size airplane that he could fly. If you're in Las Vegas, be sure to check out the Lied Discovery Children's Museum!

Talking the Talk but Not Walking the Walk

2011-10-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

A very unflattering reality check...

I normally talk about healthy, home-cooked meals for toddlers and preschoolers on this blog but today I want to talk about something else. Still food-related but less about the food we feed to our kids and more about the lessons we teach our kids when we feed ourselves.

I was flipping through the photos of this past weekend's Austin Bakes for Bastrop bake sale and came across this rather unflattering view of me, from the back. It got me thinking - what kind of example am I setting for the Kid when I'm at least 50 lbs. overweight? What kind of example am I when I guzzle cans of diet soda? Ultimately, it isn't enough for me as a parent to merely say "Do as I say, not as I do." So I've decided to make some big changes in my life, starting with how I feed myself, not just my family. It's time I started modeling the kind of healthy lifestyle I want the Kid to have as he grows up!

You might be thinking, "why is this photo such a wake-up call for you?" It's true, I've known I needed to lose a few pounds to be at a healthy weight for awhile. I have a family history of obesity and weight-related Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. You would think that that would be enough to motivate me to make some changes. I'll confess, I've been a yo-yo dieter most of my life, possessing the kind of eating habits and relationship to food that I would hope my son would never inherit. But this photo, captured by a complete stranger and stumbled upon while looking at photos of an otherwise happy event, really took me by surprise. I don't know about you, but I'm quite oblivious to how I look sometimes. Yes, I do own a scale and believe it or not, I do step on it pretty regularly. My mantra (read: excuse) has been "at least I don't weigh over [insert weight here], it's not that bad." But after looking at this photo, I visited my scale only to realize that it was not reflecting my weight properly. I actually weigh a couple of pounds OVER my worst case scenario weight.

So, I've decided to break a few bad habits this time around. This time I'm not going on a diet, I'm changing the way I eat for good. I'm not trying the latest fitness fad, but I will increase my regular exercise that it's, well, more regular. I will not just seek the advice of a nutritionist, this time I will actually take it to heart and and make some permanent changes in how, what, and why I eat. Stay tuned...my goal is to lose 50 before 40 so from time to time I'll let you in on how my journey is going!

Thank You for Making It Happen!

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy NathanRussell Photography

Once again, I have been humbled by the generosity of the people of the city I am so proud to call home - Austin, Texas. This past Saturday I joined over 100 volunteers across the city in selling baked goods for a great cause. Disaster relief for the recent Central Texas Wildfires is what brought us all together - pastry chefs, home bakers, food bloggers, and Austinites who just wanted to lend a hand to their fellow neighbor. The impact of what we were doing was really brought home to me when I met someone who was directly effected by these fires. As we stood at our bake sale stand, a member of the Whole Foods staff from the Gateway location approached the table and told us how grateful she was for what we were doing. She had lost her home in the Bastrop fire and had to rebuild her life from scratch. As she told us her story, we all got a little choked up. She said it meant so much to know that so many people cared and were willing to do something for their neighbors in need.

This weekend, the people of the city of Austin helped raised over $12,500 for the Central Texas Wildfire Relief Fund. Over $2,200 of that was raised at our bake sale site alone! I worked with some amazing volunteers that day - Megan of the blog stetted.com, Tien, who runs Sweetpop Shop and also volunteers for Bake a Wish Austin along with Jan. Kathy and Gordon of Dell Computers, Betsy, and Julie were with us all day, working the tables and selling delicious goodies thanks to all the bakers like my friends Emily, Dana, and Lauren (who runs the delicious blog Fleur De-Lectable) who brought amazing things for us to sell.

It's not too late for you to contribute if you are so moved - please visit the First Giving site for Austin Bakes at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Austinbakes/austinbakesforbastrop. And you can learn more about the amazing people who made this all happen on the Austin Bakes blog.

Cooking with a Nut-free Kid: Granola for a Good Cause

2011-09-29T09:10:00.001-05:00

This Saturday, I'll be at the Whole Foods Gateway on Research Boulevard helping out with the Austin Bakes for Bastrop bake sale. And these crunchy little beauties are some of the treats I'll be bringing. I hope you'll stop by and help out this great cause - we're raising money for the families who have lost their homes in the recent Central Texas wildfires. If you can't make it out this Saturday, please consider donating online through our First Giving page at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Austinbakes/austinbakesforbastrop.

Nut-free Maple Granola (adapted from a recipe in Too Many Cooks by Emily Franklin)
makes about 3 1/2 pints

1/8 cup canola oil
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup maple syrup
splash of vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 1/2 cups Grape Nuts or other nut-free bran cereal
Dried fruits (we used Just Blueberries and Just Cherries brand freeze-dried fruits)

Combine the wet ingredients in a small saucepan and stir together til warm over low heat. While they are heating up, preheat your oven to 300 - 350 degrees (the temperature really seems to vary depending on the amount of humidity or the type of oven you have). Combine the oats and the bran cereal in a very large bowl and pour the canola, honey, maple syrup mixture over them. Stir to combine (you may need to use your hands!)
Spread in a thin layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. About half-way through the cooking time, it's best to move the granola around a bit on the pan. Once the granola is browned to your taste, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down completely. It will be crunchy once it has cooled down so don't panic. Once it cools, add desired amounts of dried fruits to the mix and store in an airtight container.

The Kids Cook Monday: Quick Fix Chicks

2011-09-26T08:55:00.000-05:00

Some nights you feel like cooking a three-course gourmet meal. With dessert. And appetizers. And some nights, you don't. The Kid and I tend have more nights of the second variety and these chicken tenders (inspired by a recipe by his Auntie L) make a great quick fix meal. Served with a little steamed broccoli and fruit, you've got a pretty nutritionally-balanced meal in about 20 minutes or less.

The Kid's Quick Fix Chicken Tenders

1 chicken breast, sliced into "tender" size pieces
a squirt of Dijon-style mustard (We used Grey Poupon, but of course)
a squirt of honey (local is best - this is a proven allergy beater plus you help out your local beekeeper)
Enough Panko or Japanese-style bread crumbs to coat both sides of the chicken tenders

The Kid's Dipping Sauce:
1 part Dijon-style mustard
1 part mayonnaise
1/2 part honey or to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and get out two bowls and a glass baking dish. One bowl will hold your honey mustard mixture and the other is for your Panko. Add the mustard and the honey to one bowl and mix together with a whisk.

Dredge the chicken tenders through the mustard sauce before coating them with Panko. Place them in the glass baking dish.

Bake the chicken tenders for about 18 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. While they are cooking, you can prepare the Kid's dipping sauce if you are so inclined. But these little chicken tenders are so crunchy and flavorful on their own, you really don't need a dipping sauce.

Unless you're the Kid, of course!

Making a Difference: Austin Bakes for Bastrop

2011-09-23T09:07:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week, Austin Bakes for Bastrop announced the locations for the bake sale fundraiser for the victims of the recent Central Texas wild fires. There will be seven locations on Saturday, October 1st, so no matter where you are in Austin, it will be easy to make a gift to the Central Texas Wildfire Fund and enjoy some great food! Here’s where you can find delicious baked goodies for a great cause on October 1st:

Northwest Austin: Whole Foods Market Gateway9607 Research Boulevard, #300, 78759

I'll be co-captaining this site so please drop by and say "hello!" Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be outside the storefront.

Central Austin: Foreign & Domestic306 E. 53rd Street, 78751

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be set up in the restaurant parking lot.

Central Austin: The Flying Saucer at The Triangle815 W. 47th Street, 78751

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be at the Triangle Park. Special thanks to The Flying Saucer’s 4th annual Outdoor Beer Festival for sharing their park space!

Downtown Austin: Whole Foods Market Lamar525 North Lamar Boulevard, 78703

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be on the northwest side of the storefront, in the outdoor dining area.

Round Rock: Old Settler's Park

3300 E. Palm Valley Boulevard, 78665

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be in the city parking lot near the Dell Diamond.

South Congress: Hotel San Jose1511 South Congress Ave., 78704

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be on the grassy area at the entrance of the Hotel parking lot along South Congress Avenue.

Sunset Valley: Community Renaissance Market6800 Westgate Boulevard, 78745

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be immediately inside the market entrance.

All seven bake sale locations will be open from 10 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, October 1st. Proceeds from sales at all locations will go to the Austin Community Foundation Central Texas Wildfire Fund. Austin Bakes for Bastrop is also accepting donations online through their FirstGiving page before, during and after the sale.

Cooking Up a Story: The Planet Hunter

2011-09-21T08:59:00.000-05:00

Source

One of the Kid's favorite books is Elizabeth Rysch's The Planet Hunter which chronicles the adventures of Mike Brown as he looks for new planets in our solar system. In the process, he and the rest of the scientific community begin to question what a planet really is and in the end, little Pluto gets the axe. It's charmingly illustrated and so very engaging. One of the opening scenes has Mike Brown flinging rocks into mud puddles to simulate the process of meteorites hitting a planet's surface to create craters. It's one of X's (and the Dad's) favorite parts of the story.
So one weekend we decided to give crater making a go and since Texas is still in the grips of a pretty bad drought, I knew we'd be using a different method to make craters than Mike Brown. We found this great video by JPL on kitchen crater making and we were off.

What you'll need:
Round cake pan
Flour
Cocoa powder
Meteorites (in our case, we used dried cranberries that we squished together to form meteorites of different sizes)

As you may have guessed this isn't so much a recipe as a fun activity to do with baking ingredients. First, pour a thick layer of flour into the cake pan. Shake the cake pan gently to even it out.

It was at this point that we realized it would be a good idea to lay some towels down for easy clean-up. You might want to do that first instead of learning the hard way like we did.

Then sift a layer of cocoa powder over the flour. This will be the "crust" of the planet - the first layer of soil that the meteorite touches as it collides.

Then it's time to start flinging meteorites. By far, the Kid's favorite part.

A few of our best craters. But by the end, the Kid really just wanted to get his hands in there...

So crater-making quickly became cocoa and flour hand mixing. All in all, a good time was had by all.

Some Really Good Recipes - Make It Yourself Round-up

2011-09-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

When we launched this little blog of ours, the way we (as a family) eat and cook changed. I found that I wanted to make more and more of our "staples" from scratch...and so I have. And I wouldn't have been able to do it without a little help from the interwebs. Here's some of my go-to recipe links for things we used to buy in the store or from restaurants:

English Muffins (from the King Arthur Flour website) - I have made these many, many times and they always come out good. I've even subbed in 1/2 white whole wheat flour and they were just as "nook and cranny"-y as ever.

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough (from California Pizza Kitchen) - You can find this recipe online, however I don't know if it was reprinted with permission from CPK so I'm not keen to include the link here. You can also find it in the CPK cookbook (follow the link to purchase it from Amazon). This is our go-to pizza crust and it is so good.

Cheese Crackers (from Oh Hey! What's up?) - I first encountered these at April's Austin Bakes for Japan event and they were a big hit. I've since made them for play dates, other bake sales, and just to have around for good snacking. And Corrin - if you're reading this, I really hope you'll be making these again for the Austin Bakes for Bastrop event October 1! Oh hey, did you hear they announced the locations earlier this week? Visit the blog to find the one closest to you!

Taste This!

2011-09-19T13:37:00.002-05:00

X tasting ricotta, parmigiano reggiano and honey in his tasting dish

Editor's note: This is one from the archives but worth sharing again. Start this cooking tradition with your kids and they'll be more likely to try new things in the kitchen.

As X has spent more time in the kitchen cooking with me over the past few months, I've developed a few techniques for integrating him into my own cooking routines. A couple of things that are important to me are that he always feel welcome in the kitchen and that he try new things. Of course, a 2 1/2 year old doesn't come equipped with the same kind of impulse controls as an adult - say, the ability to stop oneself from diving head first into a bowl of whipped cream or dipping one's finger into the cocoa box.

So to keep X engaged in what we are doing and include him as much as possible in the cooking process, I came up with the brilliantly simple idea of always have a tasting dish on hand. It's nothing fancy, just a little ramekin that's the perfect size for bite-sized morsels of whatever we're cooking with. And as far as tasting is concerned, almost nothing is off limits. No raw meat or eggs, for obvious reasons but just about everything else is up for grabs. So far, X has tasted olive oil, raw flour, baking soda AND powder (not so tasty in my opinion), honey, and lots of different veggies and fruit along the way.

It's a small thing but something that can be done easily to encourage him to stay in the kitchen and cook.

Cooking Up a Party: Keeping It Green Part II

2011-09-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

And finally, as I promised many weeks ago, here is my list of great green party resources. Just so you know, I haven't received any compensation for mentioning these stores in the blog nor have I received any free products in exchange for singing their praises.

Green Party Goods
A nice little online retailer with greener solutions for most of your party needs. They even have a good selection of green toys for kids.

Cuptainers
Visit the Eco-Friendly section of the Cuptainers store to find compostable, recyclable, and party goods made by Greenware at fairly reasonable prices.

Branch
Offers a wide variety of compostable party ware, sold as kits or in bulk. Features the stylish Wasara line as well as Veneerware by Bambu.

Green Planet Parties
An adorable online store which features cloth tablecloths and handmade, reusable party decorations.

Some Really Good (Cook)Books: Foodie Kid Reading List

2011-09-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

Before we left for our trip back east a few weeks ago, I ordered a couple of books for plane/beach/train reading. And then quickly forgot to pack them. Oh well - the best laid plans, right? Today's selection of books comes from that book buying bender and I must state upfront that I have yet to read them. I just think that they look really interesting/informative/provocative and would love to hear from any of you who have read them.

via HungryMonkeyBook.com

Hungry Monkey
by Matthew Amster-Burton
Published by Mariner Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-15-101324-1

With rave reviews by some stellar culinary "celebs" (such as Dorie Greenspan and Anthony Bourdain), this book chronicles "a food-loving father's quest to raise an adventurous eater."

My Two-Year-Old Eats Octopus
by Nancy Tringali Piho
Published by Bull Publishing Company, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-933503-17-2

This offering by Nancy Tringali Piho is structured like so many parenting manuals but with topics like "Teaching vs. Tricking" and a couple of chapters on taking kids to restaurants. Reading the table of contents has me wondering, though, "are we over-thinking this whole food and kids thing?"

What do you think?

Save The Date: Austin Bakes for Bastrop

2011-09-12T13:28:00.000-05:00

Me and the amazing Kathryn at April's Austin Bakes for Japan event

She's at it again! The fabulous Kathryn H. of Austin Gastronomist and her friends are organizing a city-wide bake sale to raise funds for those affected by the recent wildfires in Bastrop. If you haven't heard about these devastating wildfires in our drought-ridden state of Texas, know that almost 500 homes have been lost and scores of residents have been evacuated. It will take years to rebuild this community and lots of money to help these residents get back on their feet. And so enters Kathryn and her amazing baking friends! Back in April you may recall I volunteered with another bake sale spearheaded by Kathryn - Austin Bakes for Japan. We raised over $11,000 in one day selling home- and professionally-made baked goods to the very generous people of Austin. I hope we'll do as well if not better this October 1st and you can help!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 1 and stay tuned as the locations will be announced soon (you can stay abreast of the latest Austin Bakes details by liking their Facebook page or visiting their blog)
Volunteer your time or baking skills or both - you'll find an email link on the Austin Bakes blog with the required information.
Donate goods if you are a professional baker or caterer. There is no better way to get your name out to our food-loving community than through your good works. The vendors I met back in April have a special place in my Rolodex - when I need a baker with heart, I know who to call (I'm looking at you Kathy Phantastic and Objects of Confection!)

I will keep you updated as to where I'll be volunteering on the day of the event. I hope you'll stop by and help out our neighbors by buying some baked goodies! Stay tuned...

Nothing and Everything

2011-09-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

Just warning you now: This post has almost absolutely nothing to do with cooking with your kids. I try to stay on topic here on the blog but this post, well, you'll see...

Nothing

I was going through my posts, looking for something to share on a recent link-up party when I realized that I had only written seven (seven!) entries for the month of August. I got to thinking about how that could have happened. Here I've been blogging steadfastly five days a week, cooking with the Kid and coming up with new recipes and then August rolls around and WHAM! Only seven posts. What happened?
Well, here are a few of the things I was doing instead of blogging about cooking with my kid:

Planning a rocket-themed, earth-friendly birthday party for a three-year-old
Taking care of said three-year-old when he became sick for a week and half and we had to cancel his party
Laying in bed once I got the sickness the three-year-old so generously shared
Trying to stay cool during one of the hottest months in Texas history (okay, I don't know if it was officially the hottest month but it sure felt like it)
Feeling uninspired in the kitchen
Trying to decide where I want to take this blog now that the Kid's interest in cooking is lagging (he still cooks with me but he's become more interested in other things like rockets and Matchbox cars)

This week I had every intention of posting something everyday - I had pictures and recipes lined up and everything...only to be thwarted by tech issues in the home office. So it looks like September is shaping up to be another August. And you know what, I think I'm okay with that. I'm still here, we're still cooking, and I'm still writing this blog - just not as regularly. So hang in there with me, okay? I promise you'll still find great recipes, wonderful new cookbooks and brilliant (ahem...if I do say so myself) ideas for getting your kid more involved in the kitchen.

Everything

On a wholly different but much more important note, I wanted to share with you some of the ways you can help out with the Central Texas Wildfire Relief Effort. The Capital Area Food Bank is collecting food for families effected by the fires and is still in need of a few things. If you live in the Austin area, please consider dropping off a donation. And if you're not within driving distance, please consider making a monetary donation. Here's what they still need:

Water and enhanced water such as Gatorade
Ready to eat meals preferably with pull-up, pop tops or foil packets such as chili, stew, canned pasta w/sauce
Single serving snacks such as protein or granola bars
Single serving foods that do not require refrigeration such as Lunchables
Diapers
Baby formula

You'll find a list of drop-off locations here. You'll find information about where you can find mobile food pantries supporting the relief effort over the next few days there as well. If you, or someone you know, have been effected by the wildfires and are in need of food, please know that the Food Bank is here to help.

And if you'd like to donate to the Capital Area Food Bank, please visit their website donation page at http://www.austinfoodbank.org/how-to-help/donate-funds.html.

We Can Cook Giveaway

2011-09-06T08:13:00.001-05:00

We Can Cook by Jessica Fishman Levinson and Maja Pitamic

A couple weeks ago, we reviewed a new cookbook by Jessica Levinson - you may have read it? If not, let me sum it up for you - we LOVE this book! And, thanks to Barron's, we have been given the opportunity to share a copy with one of you lucky readers!

How to Enter*:

We have a winner! Random.org has chosen comment #2 by T @ The Happy Clipper! Congrats and check your email!

~~Mandatory Entry:~~

Visit WE CAN COOK at http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/0764164341.html. Come back here and tell me one recipe mentioned on their site. (And if you don't win a copy through this giveaway, you can BUY a copy there too!) Be sure to leave me your email address or have it enabled on Blogger. If I can't get in touch with you, you can't win!

~~Additional Entries (leave a comment for each completed - you MUST complete the Mandatory Entry before doing any additional entries):~~

~~Like the WE CAN COOK Facebook page and tell them "The Kid Can Cook set you"~~
~~Post a link to this giveaway on Facebook (be sure to include a link to your post in your comment)~~
~~Share this giveaway on your blog (be sure to include a link to your post in your comment)~~
Follow The Kid Can Cook on Twitter and tweet this giveaway - sample tweet " Enter to #win WE CAN COOK at http://thekidcancook.blogspot.com/p/giveaways_12.html @thekidcancook @barronseduc @jlevinsonrd " (once per day)
~~Follow Barron's Educational and Jessica Levinson on Twitter~~

*The Fine Print: Contest open worldwide. Ends 9/16/2011. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to contact The Kid Can Cook or a new winner will be chosen. Book will ship directly from publisher. The Kid Can Cook is not liable for undelivered or damaged books.

The Dad Talks Soda

2011-08-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Recently, Jarritos asked if I'd like to taste test their line of Mexican sodas. Now, I'm not going to lie to you - I do drink soda, and even worse (health-wise, at least) I drink diet soda. But I'm not a fan of soda with real sugar. But when I mentioned Jarritos to the Dad....well, I'll just let him tell you:

Hi! I'm the Dad and welcome to my first official guest blog post: "The Dad Can Drink". Wait ... that doesn't sound right at all. Maybe I should explain...

About a month ago, Emme received an invitation from Jarritos to review their product line. What is Jarritos? Jarritos is a Mexican soft drink that comes in eleven different flavors. Each soda is sweetened with good ole-fashioned sugar. Depending on the flavor you're drinking, it may be "100% natural" (whatever that means) or there may be artificial flavors added. This is clearly not a post about nutrition or cooking with your kid. But the Dad has a sweet tooth so he is up for this taste challenge. And when Emme mentioned the word "Jarritos," I jumped at the chance to review their product.

I have a little history with Jarritos. In college, some friends and I would make late night trips to a dive of a restaurant in Chicago called Maravillas. They served steak burritos, ground beef burritos, pork burritos, chicken burritos, chorizo burritos, cabeza burritos, and lengua burritos. I always got "steak". And I always ordered a Jarritos - either Mandarin or Lime. Sadly the original Maravillas no longer exists though a new one has opened. But when I heard about the Jarritos tasting, I became nostalgic for all those late nights at Maravillas.

And then the realization hit me. There are eleven flavors! I had only tried two. Here was an opportunity to educate and thereby improve myself, right? So, without further ado, here are the results:

Jamaica- Before tasting, I had no idea what "Jamaica" would taste like. Ask me now what it tastes like and I still don't know what to say. My first reaction when I tried it was "tamarind and molasses". It's very strong and sweet with a hard to identify flavor. Looking online, the flavor turns out to be "Hibiscus". It's different and might not be for everyone. I don't think I'll be drinking Jamaica again.

Tamarind - Yes, Jamaica tasted like this. It does in fact taste like tamarind ... if you know what tamarind tastes like. If you don't, it kind of tastes like very sweet raisins. I've cooked with tamarind but it's not a flavor I really enjoy on its own. Still, it was an interesting drink.

Mexican Cola - I figured this would be the most boring flavor but it's actually quite interesting. Have you ever had cola flavored candies ... bottlecaps or hard candies ... and thought to yourself "this tastes nothing like cola"? Well, they taste like this cola. I really enjoy alternatives to the "big 2" colas and this is a good one.

Lime - What can I say? My 1st true Jarritos love. I'm a big fan of lime soda. When I say "lime soda", I'm not talking "Sprite" or "7-Up". I'm talking "Green River" ... a soda that M describes as "lime jello soda". Jarritos lime soda is on par with Green River but it's more refreshing and not as cloyingly sweet.

Fruit Punch - As far as fruit punches go, kind of strawberry-ish. It's a lot like Tahitian Treat fruit punch if you've ever tasted that. Very delicious.

Mandarin - An excellent orange soda. I would choose this over Fanta or Nehi any day. There's a little edge to the orange flavor that tells you that it is indeed Mandarin orange soda.

Strawberry - It was okay. I'm not a big fan of strawberry soda but this was passable.

Mango - I had a lot of high hopes for the mango Jarritos. I had plans of incorporating it into a recipe and creating a Mango Cheesecake topped with a dash of Red Savina Habanero Powder. Unfortunately there was not enough time, so I drank it as is. I was a little disappointed as the mango flavor was very subtle.

Toronja (Grapefruit) - A very refreshing palate cleansing drink. It seemed a little over-carbonated but other than that, it was delicious. It reminded me a lot of Fresca.

Pineapple - An excellent alternative flavor. If you like fruity sodas but want to try something new, this may be just the ticket.

Guava - This was the biggest surprise for me. I'm always getting "guava" and "papaya" confused in my head. I don't like papaya but I do like guava. Guava Jarritos is a great fruity soda flavor. The flavor is easily accessible to your everyday soda pop enthusiast and still a little bit out there. I chugged this one down awfully fast. If you like fruity sodas like orange or citrus, guava Jarritos is a tasty tropical alternative.

So, the big winners for me were:
* Guava
* Lime
* Toronja
* Mandarin
* Mexican Cola
* Fruit Punch

Salud!

_____________________________________________________

*A Word About Product, Recipe and Cookbook Reviews

Taste is a subjective thing. Just because we liked something doesn't mean that your family will. And vice versa. These reviews are based on our own experiences. Take them, ahem, "with a grain of salt."
Disclosure: We were provided with a case of eleven different soda flavors by Jarritos to taste test but were not otherwise compensated for this review. The opinions expressed here are 100% the Dad's and he received no compensation for this post.

Hatch a Plan

2011-08-25T06:00:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year again - Hatch chile pepper season! It's a pretty big deal where I'm from but if you don't hail from the Southwest United States then you may be in the dark as to this pepper's attraction. Sweet, spicy, and slightly smoky, Hatch chiles come from, well, Hatch, New Mexico and they are usually found in stores, roasted and canned. But once a year, here in Austin, you can get them fresh and whole, unroasted or roasted. I picked up a bag of roasted mild Hatch chiles at the store this week and hatched a plan.

Hatch Chile con Queso Cornmeal Scones
makes 8 scones

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Hatch chile, roasted and diced (or about 1/2 of the canned variety, all liquid drained)
1 cup colby cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream
1 egg
Oil or butter to grease the skillet or baking dish

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Measure out flour and cornmeal and add them to a large bowl. Add the chile, cheese and salt and toss with clean hands to combine. In a small bowl, gently beat the egg and cream together until combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, just until mixture is moist. Knead the mixture until it comes together, making a soft dough, about 1 minute. (Note - I was able to knead it in my mixing bowl but if your bowl is not big enough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface to knead).
Shape the dough in a round shape, slightly smaller than the pan or skillet you'll be baking it in. Cut the dough into 8 triangles, like this:

And place the wedges in a lightly oiled cake pan or cast-iron skillet. I used my grandmother's cast iron skillet - the same one she used to make cornbread in when my family would visit - and they came out wonderfully crisp on the bottom.
Bake on the middle rack of your oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
I made these to serve alongside a light salad of butter lettuce, pear, strawberry, and Gorgonzola dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette but I think they would also make a great addition to any brunch buffet or could be served as a savory breakfast pastry. The whole family loved them!

Cooking Up a Party: Keeping It Green

2011-08-24T10:41:00.000-05:00

Photo by Angie Knost, used under license by iStockPhoto

Since we've made it our personal mission to green up the scene at the Kid's birthday parties, I thought I'd take a moment to share my favorite tips for making kids' parties a little more eco-friendly. And if you have some more ideas, please share them in the comments or on our Facebook page - I would love to add to my green party arsenal for next year!!!

Give the trees a break and cut down on your party paper consumption. The easiest way to do this is start with your invitations. Electronic invites (like Evite) are a great way to go greener but I must confess that I still cling to the old-fashioned mailed invite for X's birthday parties. One way to make printed party invites a little greener is to find a great printable party source (like my friend Abigail's at paper&CAKE) - that way you won't be adding to your carbon footprint by having them shipped (since you receive a digital file instead of printed goods) and you can conserve paper by printing only the invites that you need.
Plan a menu that is good for the kids and good for the planet. Balance out traditional birthday sweet treats like cake and candy with healthier menu options like a fruit kabobs, veggie dippers or a cheese tray. And if you can get organic and/or local produce for your party, even better!
Ditch the juicebox and serve beverages in reusable cups. This idea is really a win-win-win - you'll save money by buying your beverage of choice in a larger container, your party guests will head home with a cup they can use again, and the earth wins when you reduce the amount of waste created by your kid's party.
Think long-term when picking out party favors. One of my favorite things about X's party this year was the goodie bags we put together. I found a fantastic deal on yellow canvas bags at our local Michael's and was able to customize them for our rocket theme. We filled them with a mix CD of the Kid's favorite space-themed songs, a rocket-ship bottle of bubbles and a MoonPie - and voila! The kids got some sweet treats AND a bag they can use again and again.
Get creative with your party decor. I found some great used items to decorate the Kid's rocket-themed party at our local Goodwill. I also picked up some color-coordinated paper lanterns on the cheap at our local Hobby Lobby. Then I made a shabby-chic bunting using scraps from the cloth napkins I made for our guests. The paper lanterns and bunting are going to be re-used to decorate X's play room and bedroom.

Next week, I'll share some of the other great green party resources I uncovered when planning the Kid's party this year.

We Can Cook

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Source

We Can Cook: Introduce your child to the joy of cooking with 75 simple recipes and activities
by Jessica Fishman Levinson and Maja Pitamic
Published by Barron's, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7641-6434-7

When we received We Can Cook, I wasn't expecting to be blown away by anything revolutionary. After all, we've all seen countless cookbooks teaching our kids how to cook healthy, real food...or have we? I think I may be able to count on one hand the number of cookbooks designed for cooking WITH (not just for) kids that focus on healthy, consciously nutritious foods. Michelle Stern's The Whole Family Cookbook is one, The Supernatural Kids Cookbook by Nancy Mehagian is another. Too often kid's cookbooks take the easy route when teaching kids to cook - simple snacks that rely on processed foods, sweet desserts and cutesy foods that are more about presentation than nutrition. But We Can Cook is an exception. And it is exceptionally good.
The recipes are divided into the five food groups with a small offering of healthy treats at the end. Interspersed among the recipes are fun food activities that introduce kids to cooking and food topics such as fruit ripeness, where food comes from, and table manners. The recipes themselves are easy to follow and offer suggestions on how parents can involve themselves in the production of the food without stifling their child's independence.
One afternoon, between our family's various illnesses, the Kid and I whipped up a batch of the chocolate pudding that you'll find on page 116 of the cookbook. It was the first time X had ever had pudding (I don't do Jell-o as a rule and make desserts so infrequently that it never occurred to me to make pudding from scratch) and he loved it, from start to finish. I'm looking forward to cooking more with him from this cookbook and tackling more of the activities as the year goes on.
This cookbook is definitely a keeper!

________________________________________________
*A Word About Recipe and Cookbook Reviews

Taste is a subjective thing. Just because we liked something doesn't mean that your family will. And vice versa. These ratings are based on our own experiences and how each of our family members reacted to the dish prepared. Take them, ahem, "with a grain of salt."

Disclosure: We were provided with a review copy of this cookbook by the publisher. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and I received no compensation for this post.

Kitchen Miss-Adventures

2011-08-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

We've had a rough end to the summer. Between one thing and another every member of our family has been sick for at least a week or two in the last month or so...including the dog! So X and I haven't spent as much time together in the kitchen as we normally do. And I really miss it! Especially after reading this book:

Source

Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, and 102 Recipes

by Emily Franklin

Published by Hyperion, 2008

ISBN: 978-1-4013-4083-4

This is something I bought way back at the beginning of the summer. It was meant for our trip back East but it never made it into the bag. Instead, I found myself finally cracking its pages when it was my turn to be sick in bed. And I devoured it (not literally, of course, but if you made some of the recipes Emily provides in this book, you almost could!) This work of non-fiction chronicles the "kitchen adventures" of Emily and her four kids. With a background in professional cookery (she cooked for some very rich clients on their yachts back in the day) and writing (she writes YA books as well as cookbooks and non-fiction), Emily draws you into her kitchen and her family with her frankness and humor. Every meal she serves isn't a success, her kids aren't all ideal eaters who are eager to try every new thing and she admits it. But with every failure there is at least three times the success.

Here's what I loved about the book:

Emily and her husband's healthy approach towards feeding their kids. Despite her husband's history of being a picker eater, they seem to be on the same page when it comes to feeding the kids - opinions on food, good, bad or indifferent, may only be offered after tasting. This is the same approach my husband and I have taken with our kid and I think it's a healthy one. After all, we don't all like the same things, our taste buds aren't identical so it's okay to not like something - but you have to try it first to know!
Her stories of celebrating and creating food memories for her children. Emily manages to make even a simple yogurt parfait for dinner and turn it into a happy memory for her and her kids.
Her carefree approach to cooking and recipe making. Emily and I seem to have a lot in common and this is probably why I identified with this book so much. One feature we share is the aptitude for cooking on the fly. Before beginning this blog and taking a stab at cookbook reviewing, I rarely followed a recipe and this is something that Emily also shrugs off. My husband on the other hand (also like Emily's) is someone who is more likely to cook by rote than improvise.

I simply loved this book and it really lit a fire under me to get back in the kitchen and cooking with and for the Kid. If you find yourself in a similar kind of slump, cooking-wise, I highly recommend this book for shaking the cooking blues.

I love this book so much, I'd love to share it with you. So I'm giving away a copy! ~~Just leave a comment telling me your favorite cooking memory and be sure to leave me your email so I can contact you if you win*.~~

WE HAVE A WINNER - Dana, enjoy your copy and let us know what you think?

*Fine Print and Disclosure: I purchased this book myself and did not receive any compensation for this review and giveaway. It's just a great read I wanted to share with you all!
Contest ends August 31, 2011. Open to US/CAN residents only. Book will be mailed via USPS and The Kid Can Cook is not liable for undelivered prizes. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to notice with mailing address before a new winner is chosen.

Cooking Up a Party: Rocketship Run

2011-08-17T12:19:00.000-05:00

The theme for the Kid's birthday party this year was going to be rockets. I found these great invitations on Etsy by Simplicity Papers and had them printed in our color scheme: Aqua and Yellow.
Then I started cool hunting using one of my favorite internet sites - Pinterest. It's amazing how much easier it is to find inspiration and plan parties now that Pinterest is in my life. Ah Pinterest, how I love you! And if you're planning a rocket party right now, check out my rocket-themed party pin board here.
Anyway, through Pinterest I found these great plastic French bottles sold by Etsy shop Quaintly Amusing. She was even able to make a waterproof label with our rocket theme and color scheme.
I also discovered the delightful Etsy store, Hey Yo Yo in my party planning searches. The striped paper straws and yellow and white polka dot cups were too cute to pass up. (I also got my Divine Twine in aqua from Hey Yo Yo - love this stuff!)
Each year, we've tried to make the Kid's birthday party as environmentally friendly as possible. This year, for the first time, I made lined cloth napkins for each of our little party-goers. These would serve a dual purpose really - great for cutting down on paper use at the party and a cute little eco-friendly party favor for the kids to take home and use in their lunch boxes.

Disclosure: I was not provided with free merchandise, discounts or payment of any kind for including the names of the above listed stores in this post. I'm just happy to pass along some great vendors to all of you out there!

Meatless Monday: Veggie-ful Croissants

2011-08-01T09:13:00.002-05:00

What do you do when you have a bit of puff pastry in the freezer, a bag of stir-fry veggies and some cream cheese? In my house, you make veggie-stuffed croissants!

Veggie-ful Croissaints
makes 4

1 sheet prepared puff pastry, thawed per directions on box
1 cups washed fresh mixed veggies (we used broccoli and carrots)
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg yolk plus 1 teaspoon water, beaten

Allow the puff pastry to thaw per the manufacturer's instructions. In your food processor, add mixed veggies and red onion and pulse until finely chopped. Dump into a bowl and fold in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay out your puff pastry and cut into four equal squares.

Scoop a heaping spoonful of the veggie mix in one half of the dough and fold the other half over, creating a triangle shape. Seal the dough by pressing along the sides with your fingertips. Turn the corners towards the center of the croissant.

Once all the croissants are formed, brush each with the egg yolk and water mixture and place the cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Carefully remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Serve with a salad for a light summer supper!

Spicy Pepper Glaze

2011-07-28T20:19:00.001-05:00

Spicy pepper jelly is a southern tradition. During the holidays, you'll find it spread on cream cheese and served with crackers as an appetizer. Personally, I'm a fan of my pepper jelly cheese thumbprint crackers. And you can't make them without having some deliciously spicy jelly around.
Since we've been getting lots of jalapenos and other spicy peppers in our CSA bushels, I decided to make some for the Food Swap a couple of weeks ago. Since I only had powdered pectin on hand, that's what I went with. And boy, did that go wrong - or did it?
I was telling my friend Lauren (of the delectable Fleur De-Lectable) of my jelly woes and she made the best suggestion - if life gives you jelly that won't set, make it a glaze!
(By the way, this recipe is a bit of a "CSA blues buster." You can use up all of your peppers and make a couple of batches for eating, gifting and, well, hoarding for those cold winter nights to come.)

Spicy Pepper Glaze
makes about 9 half-pint jars

2 habanero peppers, stems removed or 10 peppers of a less spicy variety
4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
7 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup white vinegar
two packets of dry pectin

Place peppers and cranberry juice cocktail in blender and process until peppers are pulverized. Place strainer over large pan and strain the mixture. Add sugar, vinegar and pectin and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce temperature and spoon the mixture into prepared jelly jars* and top with lids and rings. I don't process the jars in boiling water but be sure to check that the little "button" on top of the lids is depressed to ensure that the seal is good.

To use as a glaze on chicken or meat, simply brush on before grilling or roasting. I've also added this glaze to a bit of hoisin, soy sauce and red wine vinegar for a tasty, Asian-inspired dipping sauce for breaded tofu and egg rolls.

* If you are new to canning, it's not a bad idea to check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation's site. You'll find information on sterilizing jars, processing times and other good stuff.

Cooking Up a Story: Stop That Pickle!

2011-07-27T10:09:00.000-05:00

Source

Stop That Pickle by Peter Armour is a story we were first introduced to via Between The Lions, a show you can find on PBS. It immediately caught my attention because it's all about food - specifically food on the run. Even more specifically, it's about a pickle on the run, which just tickles my funny bone (and the Kid's too). When we first saw the episode featuring this story, X and I incorporated the pickle chase from the book into our pretend play. We took one of his pretend food pickles and retold the story using all of the other food items featured in this tale. It was a lot of fun. Now, all you have to do to get the Kid and I laughing is yell "Stop that Pickle!" and we're rolling on the floor!

After reading the book some more, it occurred to me that we had just the right recipe to cook up with it - Barbara Beery's Polar Bear Pickles (you'll find the recipe in her exceptional Sensational Snacks). So when our CSA bushel arrived with some pickling cucumbers, I got right on it.

These are refrigerator pickles so you don't have to worry as much about the canning process. Once you have the sliced cucumbers in the brine, you can leave the jar in your fridge for about three days before they are ready to eat. One substitution we made was to use white vinegar instead of the apple cider Barbara suggests. The pickles came out very tart, so if you are a fan of sweeter pickles, go with the apple cider vinegar.

And if you haven't already, check out Sensational Snacks - it's one of our cookbook favorites (and no, this is not a paid endorsement - we just love this book!)

Fun with Star Wars Cookie Cutters

2011-07-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

You know the saying "it's the thought that counts"? Well, if you looked it up in the encyclopedia, a picture of this cake that I made for the Dad's 39th birthday would probably be the illustration accompanying it. The Dad had asked for a Star Wars birthday so I took my best shot. I will tell you this though - even if it didn't look so hot, this cake tasted great!

And the Yoda on top - that's a piece of fondant cut and impressed with the Star Wars cookie cutters I found at Williams-Sonoma way back in the spring. They are the greatest - we've used them on cookies, sandwiches, even to cut pancakes into fun shapes. And now this - fondant cake decorations!

And if you're wondering where I got the Dad's rad Star Wars-centric gift - check it out on Etsy!

The Kids Cook Monday: Pita Pizza Snackers

2011-07-25T10:27:00.000-05:00

We've recently re-discovered one of our true loves - whole wheat pita bread! My romance with this pantry staple began way back in the day when I was a starving single girl who wanted to eat healthy on a tight budget. Pita bread is incredibly versatile - you can make it into a pocket sandwich, stuff a couple of slices of cheese in it and make a tasty toaster grilled cheese or you can do what the Kid and I did for snack time last week - make Pita Pizzas!

Use a round-ish cookie cutter (we used one of our fancy scalloped ones) and cut out a couple of circles of pita. Spoon on a little marinara sauce and cover with grated cheese.

Then top with your favorite toppings and into the oven the pita pizzas go. These bake up real quick if you cook them under your broiler so keep an eye on them. Not too shabby for a quick and tasty after nap snack.

CSA Know-How: Game Plan

2011-07-21T00:00:00.004-05:00

Our family has belonged to a CSA (community-supported agriculture) or farmer co-op off and on for the past three years or so. In that time, I've had a kind of love/hate relationship with our weekly box or bushel. The joy of eating seasonally means that you get produce at its best. We have really tasty dinners but sometimes planning a menu that makes the most of our weekly share can be a little bit overwhelming. And of course, the argument I hear most from people who aren't in a CSA is "I'm just afraid most of the vegetables will end up in the trash before we get a chance to eat them!" But it doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning and some veggie savvy, you can make the most of your CSA share. So for those of you who are feeling the CSA blues (or for those of you who don't think you can do the CSA thing), I'll let you in on a little secret: I have a no-fail* CSA game plan.

Here's my list of tips for making the most of your share:

Plan your menu for the week AFTER you pick up your bushel. Almost every CSA we've belonged to has published a bushel or box list before pick-up but inevitably some items will be changed at the last minute. So wait until your box arrives and you know just what and how much of it you got before you make up your menu. For us, this means our week's menu runs from Wednesday (the day our bushel is delivered) to the following Tuesday. This also means that I run to the store on Wednesday to pick up anything we need that won't be in the bushel or at the Farmers' Market (which is on Saturday mornings) - things like juice, soda (yes, I know but Diet Dr. Pepper is my one vice), milk, flour, cheese, pantry staples...
Use the most perishable items in your box first. Things like lettuce, greens, herbs - these all have a relatively short fridge life so I always plan a salad meal for the day we get our box and use up the other items in dishes by the weekend. My basic rule of thumb when planning our menu is Salad Wednesdays, Stir-fry Thursdays (you can always throw in some greens), Pizza Fridays (a good use of herbs).
Process what you can. This means cut and freeze those items which you don't consume before they go bad. If canning isn't your thing, then process (cut up, steam, shred, etc...) the veggie in question and freeze it for use later. Be sure to label and date your frozen goodies! Most items will be good in the freezer for about three months or so. Bonus tip - set aside a dedicated time for doing this each week. I usually set aside some time on Monday nights to process the veggies I know we won't get to before the next bushel arrives. And if we don't have any veggies to process - bonus! Extra time for reading, knitting, playing!
Share what you don't like. Belonging to a CSA gives you and your family a great chance to try new things, to break out of your food comfort zone. But if you get something in your bushel that your family just won't eat (or is allergic to - we got mangoes in one bushel, for example, and the Kid can't do mangoes), then pass it on to a neighbor, friend or co-worker. Believe me, you will be very popular if you do this! I have a couple of foodie friends who are very happy when we find ourselves with more than we can handle veggie-wise - you probably have someone like that in your life too.
Compost what you can't salvage. If all else fails, compost the remnants of your weekly share (and hopefully, if you follow my game plan you won't have to!) Your garden will thank you. But here's the thing - you don't even have to be composting on your own to get in on the compost game. Many cities are now composting as part of their regular trash service.

*Just a little disclaimer here - I should say it's "almost" no-fail since inevitably the head cook (i.e. me) or her assistant (i.e. the Kid) will get sick or have something come up unexpectedly and our plan will be thrown out the window. But usually this works pretty well for us.

Cooking Up a Story: The Stolen Bread Smells

2011-07-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Source

We continue our cook-through of Jane Yolen's Fairy Tale Feasts this week with a story that exists in many versions around the world. According to Yolen, the tale that The Stolen Bread Smells is based on probably arose in the Middle East as a kind of jest but variations on the theme can be found in over five different languages. A beggar waits by the door of the shop of a grumpy baker, enjoying the smell of his freshly baked bread. The baker notices him and, since he is so grumpy and hard-hearted, has the police arrest the beggar for "stealing" the smells of this bread. The judgement he receives is too perfect - in exchange for the bread he has smelled, the beggar pays the baker with the sound of coins jingling in his hand. "The sound of coins as payment for the theft of smells."

The recipe which accompanies this story is Sweet-Smelling Cinnamon Bread and it was too, too good. We made a big mess making the bread but we got to use a couple of our favorite kitchen tools in the process - the KitchenAid and a rolling pin.

After the dough was rolled out, X sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and I rolled it up and put it in the pan to bake.

Baking yeast bread with kids is definitely a lesson in patience. You must wait for the dough to rise and then you must wait for it to bake.

But it is so fun to pat the lovely soft dough and get your hands all messy with flour! We had a great time.

We ended up making French toast with the leftovers and it was so good!

Some Really Good Cookbooks - Chop Chop

2011-07-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

There are a lot of food magazines out there and many, many, many of them are all about cooking for your kids. But if you are looking for a magazine that is all about cooking WITH your kids, you must check out this week's featured "cookbook" - Chop Chop Magazine.

Chop Chop Magazine is the production of a non-profit organization (Chop Chop Kids) headquartered in Massachusetts whose mission is to help America's children avoid or overcome obesity. Their food philosophy reads like a manifesto for every mom who wants to see their kids eat healthy, be healthy and have a healthy attitude towards food. From their website:

"We believe in the simple values of cooking together as family and sharing healthy meals.We don't do calorie counts or post nutrition content, but everything in this publication is reviewed and approved by our medical and nutrition advisors.We don’t demonize any individual foods.We believe that consuming healthy, wholesome meals is a vital step toward a resolution of America’s obesity epidemic."

Inside their pages you'll find kid-tested recipes cooked by, well, kids! I can't tell you how inspiring it is to see a magazine dedicated to kids' cooking which actually features kids cooking.

Kid cooking zucchini ribbons in the Summer issue of Chop Chop Magazine

And the recipes are really wonderful and well-thought-out. One issue I have with most of cooking magazines which include recipes "for kids" is that they usually rely heavily on processed ingredients or lots of sugar. Not in Chop Chop! And since the magazine is published seasonally, we consult it when we're considering what to do with our CSA bushel each week.
They also have a great website with plenty of resources and recipes. You should go check it out and get a subscription for your kid cook.

The Kids Cook Monday: Lunchtime

2011-07-18T12:32:00.000-05:00

This summer has been one of the hottest in recent memory here in Texas. And there's nothing like hot weather to kill the urge to cook. Lately, the Kid and I have been looking for ways to keep cooking without heating up the whole kitchen and last week, we looked to one of our featured cookbooks for the answer. When lunchtime rolled around, we heated up the waffle iron and made grilled cheese, Toddler Cafe style.

First we made a cheese sandwich with some home-made whole wheat bread (and yes, that is a tiny bite taken out of X's slice of bread - he was hungry!). Then we brushed the outside with a little olive oil.

Into the waffle iron went our sandwiches. We played for a bit while these were grilling away. It was so nice not to have to stand around babysitting a hot pan!

And then when they were done, we took them outside for a little lunch al fresco. We enjoyed some of the tasty cucumbers and plums from our CSA bushel. It was a delightfully fun and easy meal to make!

Sharing the Love with Food Swapping

2011-07-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Steph Chows JAM Exchange

This Monday, I'll be attending my first ever food swap event hosted by the ATX Swappers. If you've never done a food exchange before, it's really quite simple. You make up a bunch of good food - things like jams, jellies, breads, pastries, etc... seem to be big hits at these things - bring it to the swapping party and swap one of your home-made items for something delicious brought by another party-goer. What could be better than getting together with a bunch of people who love food! You get to know your neighbors and enjoy good food - I just love the idea of building a community through food.

To that end, I also just signed up for my first ever Jam Exchange. This is an event hosted by Steph Chows and it pairs jammers up throughout the United States so that we can swap two 1/2 half pint jars of jam with each other and spread the jam love.

If you'd like to learn more about the Jam Exchange, please visit Steph Chows's blog here. As the time for the Jam Exchange nears, I'll post my jam recipe so you can make some too!

Independence in the Kitchen

2011-07-14T00:00:00.005-05:00

If you've been a fan of ours for awhile then you know what fans we are of the Montessori method and its applications in the home. Montessori is all about empowering kids to make their own choices and do for themselves. By instilling a sense of confidence and independence, children are able to creative problem solve for themselves and studies have shown that most Montessori kids go on to become creative and successful adults. That's why we encourage X to be as hands on in the kitchen as is safe for his age and abilities.
This summer, X has been asserting his independence even more. He has an opinion on everything - from what he wears to what he eats (nothing new there!) to what order he wants to do things in. It's so great to see this kiddo taking charge in his life and as parents, the Dad and I feel like we're watching this little person blossom into a creative and engaged individual.
To help the Kid take more control of his environment, I decided to create a dedicated shelf for him in our pantry. Here, we store all his snacks that don't require refrigeration (the juice, milk, fruits, cheese, etc... are in the fridge) along with his plates, napkins and utensils so that he can help himself when he's hungry. With his plates, cups and cutlery on this lower shelf, he is also helping to set the table each night for dinner (he's been clearing his plate on his own for months but now he can help with dinner from the cooking, to setting the table to clearing up).

X gave me the cue that he was ready for this shelf in a very direct way - when snack time would roll around he would say, "Let's look in the pantry!" and open the door. It was just a matter now of putting the snacks where he could get them and he was off and running!

On X's snack shelf this month:
Homemade cheese crackers (here's the recipe we love from Oh Hey! What's Up?)
Honey wheat pretzel rods
Fruit leather (still trying to master making this from scratch so if you have a recipe you love, please share!)

Cherry Limeade Scones

2011-07-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks there have been organic cherries at our local grocery store and I just can't pass them by without grabbing a bag. Of course, this means we've got a lot of cherries at our house. Driving home from the store today, it dawned on me that a cherry limeade scone would be a very good thing to do with them. So here goes....

Cherry Limeade Scones
makes 1 dozen small-ish scones

1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 cup Greek-style yogurt
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons limeade (I used Santa Cruz Organics Limeade - it was on sale!)
3/4 cup fresh cherries, washed, pitted and quartered

Glaze
Powdered sugar
Limeade

Heat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flours and sugar and stir to combine. Cut in the butter (I like to use my hands but you could also do this in your food processor with a few pulses). Add the limeade and fold in the yogurt and beaten egg. The mixture will seem very dry but that's okay. Gently fold in the chopped cherries and turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to knead the dough slightly, patting it down into nice square or rectangle shape, about 1 inch thick. Use a square cookie cutter or glass to cut out the scones. If you use a square cutter like I did, then you will need to cut them again diagonally with a knife to create neat little triangles.
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.
When they are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack. When cool, mix up the glaze. Now, you'll notice there are no ingredient amounts listed for the glaze - that's because every time I make a glaze I end up using different amounts of liquid to dry. I think it's a humidity thing. If you start out with about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and a couple of teaspoons of limeade and whisk them together you should get there eventually. Just whisk in more limeade if it is too dry, more sugar if it's too runny. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones and enjoy!

Chilly Cherries

2011-07-12T13:38:00.003-05:00

It's no secret that Texans have a real casual relationship with the English language. Take one of my mom's church potluck staples for example - "Snowball Salad." This is a recipe she would make for holiday get-togethers and church lunches and it was always a big hit. But don't let the name fool you. This dish was by no means a salad. Her recipe was a melange of canned fruits and nuts mixed with a non-dairy whipped topping (rhymes with "tool dip" if you catch my drift), served frozen and cut into squares. It's one of my fondest food memories from childhood - the whimsy of having a "snowball" with dinner, the ridiculousness of calling it a salad. But let's just say it - the processed nature of the ingredients leave a lot to be desired. So, for our entry in the Whole Foods' Kid-Friendly Cherry Recipe contest, I present a refreshing frozen dessert that will satisfy your kid's sweet tooth with a little fresh fruit and coconut milk.

Chilly Cherry "Salad"
makes 1 dozen squares

1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp light Agave nectar
1 cup fresh sweet red cherries
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

Chill the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least 1 hour and place the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer in the freezer to chill. While the milk is chilling, wash and pit the cherries. Dice them into small chunks, and then peel and dice the banana into similar size pieces. Dice the fresh pineapple in a similar fashion.
Once the coconut milk has chilled thoroughly, pour it into the chilled mixing bowl and add the Agave nectar. Whip these together at high speed (using your stand mixer) until the milk is light and fluffy. We're not looking for stiff peaks here - we just need to incorporate a little air into the coconut milk.
Turn off the mixer and gently fold in the remaining ingredients.
Line an 8 inch round cake pan* with plastic wrap, making it as smooth as possible. Pour the mixture into the lined cake pan and put it in the freezer for at least 3 hours or until it is frozen.
Use the plastic wrap to pull the "salad" out of the cake pan and cut it into squares or triangles. Serve immediately.
*Alternatively, this recipe could be made into tasty ice pops by pouring the mixture into ice pop molds and freezing.

Some Really Good CookBooks - Little Foodies

2011-07-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

Source

The Gastrokid Cookbook
by Hugh Garvey & Matthew Yeomans
Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-47028645

Written by the dads behind Gastrokid.com, this cookbook challenges you to stop thinking in terms of kid food vs. adult food and features the kinds of recipes we love - whole food featuring fresh ingredients. Unfortunately, photography is pretty spare in this cookbook - I know I sound like a broken record, but I really appreciate photos of the finished product when I look at a cookbook. I like to know what I'm shooting for when I'm cooking and a picture is, well, worth a thousand words. This is also not necessarily a book of recipes for cooking WITH your kid, though I think you could easily incorporate your kid into the production of most. There are also some recipes in this cookbook which will really challenge your kid's palate and if that's not what you signed up for, then I would steer clear of this cookbook. But if you are in the market for a cookbook to whet the appetite of your budding foodie (and we are!) - this is the one!

Source

The Toddler Café
by Jennifer Carden
Photography by Matthew Carden
Published by Chronicle Books, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-81118-5927-1

On the other hand, if you are in the market for a cookbook which caters to the cute (as well as tasty) side of kid cuisine, then The Toddler Café is for you. Jennifer Carden took the old adage "one eats with their eyes first" to heart when she created the recipes in this book. Because, really, this is a book all about presentation and making food fun. And while I wholeheartedly agree that food should please the eye as well as the palate, this book provided more inspiration for the Kid's lunch menu than our family dinner table. It really is geared towards cooking "kid" foods for your kid and features recipes like waffle grilled cheese (where you use your waffle maker for a surprising twist on a lunch-time classic) and "lord of the apple rings," one of the tastiest meatballs this side of Hobbiton. If your lunchtimes are in a slump and you're looking for some simple yet inspiring recipes, then I would highly recommend this book.

Cooking with Friends: Pizza Play Date

2011-07-05T00:00:00.004-05:00

Last week, we invited a few friends over to cook with us. Believe it or not, it was a relatively easy and fun play date to put together. Here's how we did it:

The Crust

Make it easy and choose a pizza dough that can be kept overnight in the fridge. I picked the Honey Wheat Crust recipe in The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook. It tastes just like what they serve in the restaurant and is an easy dough to handle (and you can buy the cookbook on Amazon.com for cheapsies!)

The Toppings

We kept it simple on the toppings too. We asked our friends to bring one of their favorites and we provided the sauce, the cheese and pepperoni.

The Set-up

Our table was big enough to allow for four "work stations" so we made our pizzas in two shifts. This also helped when it came time to bake them since only four crusts fit on my pizza stone at a time. I pre-rolled each crust and then placed it on a small square of parchment paper.

Each station was set up with some sauce and toppings in silicon baking cups (another great use for these!) After the kids dressed their pizzas, I used a pencil to write their names on the edge of the parchment paper. This made it super easy to get the right pizza to the right kid when they were done baking.

We had a great time cooking and playing with our friends! Definitely try this at home!

The Kids Cook Monday: Apple Curry Chicken Skewers

2011-07-04T00:00:00.002-05:00

Food on Sticks - it's nothing new but hey, it sure is fun! (By the way, I'm dying to add Matt Armendariz's cookbook to my collection but fear it will be the final undoing of my attempts at achieving a relatively healthy weight) We made these chicken skewers for dinner the day our CSA box was delivered. I've found that planning a grilled/broiled chicken dish for that day is a fool-proof way to use up the most perishable of produce items - lettuce. We served these skewers with the Boston lettuce we got that week - delish!

Apple Curry Chicken Skewers
serves 3

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb (or so) chicken tenders
Bamboo skewers

For the salad:
Dressing: Diced apples mixed with a fresh batch of the marinade ingredients and a little bit of stone-ground mustard
Diced roasted beets (also from our CSA box - I roast them as soon as we get them)
Raisins
Boston lettuce

Prepare your marinade by pouring the first four ingredients into a resealable plastic bag (not the most eco-friendly idea but the Kid really loved shaking the bag around to mix it up). Add the chicken tenders and let them marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so.

With clean hands, skewer the chicken tenders onto the bamboo skewers. I kept a spray bottle of water next to our work station so that we could spritz our hands between skewers. Dealing with raw ingredients like chicken does make me nervous when I'm cooking with the Kid but with a little diligence you can instill concepts like safe food handling at an early age without freaking your kid out about it. (This is coming from someone who never handled a whole raw chicken until I was well into my late 20s - I was completely freaked out by raw meat for most of my life.)

We placed our skewers on a broil pan and cooked them in the oven under the broiler, set on high. Keep a close eye on them and turn them as they get done on one side. Total cooking time was probably around 12 minutes or so.

This was one of those summer meals that I just loved from start to finish. The kitchen didn't get blazing hot while we were cooking and the end result was light and flavorful.

Baking Before Nap: Brioche

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Brioche is one of our family's favorites, especially when it comes to making French toast. But it's not always available in a loaf form...until now! This past weekend, I amazed even myself by making a pretty fine loaf of Brioche.

Brioche (adapted from a recipe in Great American Home Baking)
makes 1 large loaf

1 cup milk
2 stick of butter (unsalted)
1/4 cup water
4 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1/4 cup turbinado or raw sugar
4 - 4 1/2 cups of bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
Glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Melt butter in a pan with milk and water over low heat. Cool to a temperature around 95 to 105 degrees F. Pour into bowl of stand mixer outfitted with a dough hook and add the sugar and yeast. Stir gently to dissolve and allow it to proof for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is nice and bubbly. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add 2 cups of flour and then the salt (do not add the salt first as this may kill off some of the yeast). Add each of the eggs to the mixer, one at a time, mixing until smooth. Slowly add the remaining flour until it forms a stiff dough (depending on your altitude and the humidity you may need more or less flour).
Knead the dough in the mixer for another 5 or 10 minutes or until the dough is nice and elastic. Rub a bowl down with oil and place the dough ball in it (turning once to cover both sides with oil) and allow it to rise in a warm place covered with a damp towel for about 45 minutes (it should double in size during this time).
Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and place the dough in it, shaping it to fit. Cover with a damp cloth and allow it to rise again for another 30 minutes or so.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and mix up the glaze of egg yolk and water. When the second rising is complete, brush the dough with the egg wash and place the loaf pan in the oven to bake for about 40 minutes. I baked mine on my pizza stone.
When the bread is baked, turn it out on to a cooling rack to cool before slicing and serving. Bon appetit!

The Kids Cook...ummm...Thursday?: Pizza Pizza

2011-06-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for a new recipe for pizza crust or sauce, you won't find it in this post. This "The Kids Cook Monday" (yes, yes, I know-it's Thursday!) isn't so much about what X was cooking. It's all about who he was cooking with - his Auntie L.

While we were visiting Rhode Island, Auntie L invited us over for dinner and asked X to help her out in the kitchen. Together they made pizza dough (in her bread machine - which started my new obsession with bread machines by the way. I want one so bad!).

Auntie L had X measure and pour the ingredients - flour, oil, yeast and water - into the bread machine.

Then they turned the bread machine on and X was transfixed. It mixed, kneaded and warmed the dough as it rose.

When it was ready to be made into crust, the Kid and Auntie L built two delicious pizzas and a memory that will last a lifetime was made.

Cooking Up a Party: Thomas and Friends

2011-06-29T02:00:00.001-05:00

If you have a little boy, chances are you can name all the trains on the Island of Sodor. Thomas was (and still is) a big part of X's playtime life as he approached his second birthday so it seemed a natural pick for his party theme. Little did I know what I was getting into when I tackled this train-tastic party theme. There is SO much to choose from when it comes to train parties. I started planning his party a couple of months out from his actual birthday and began by creating a mood board of different cakes, invitations and decorations I liked. Here are a few of the links to train parties that inspired me:
Modern Train Party by The Well-Heeled Hostess
Modern Train Party Recap on The Hostess with the Mostess
Vintage Train Party
Train Party

We ended up using the Modern Train invitations designed by The Well-Heeled Hostess. These invitations provided the jumping off point for the color scheme for the cake and party favors. I really wanted the party to be recognizably Thomas but to have a flair of its own.

We ended up with three types of desserts for the party. A custom cake from a local bakery in California - I took in a photo of the Thomas and Friends logo for inspiration. The chocolate cake is one of the big chocolate cakes you can find in most big-box warehouse stores (rhymes with Roscoe) and the chocolate cupcakes were gluten- and sugar-free (one of X's friends is diabetic and on a gluten-free diet so we wanted to make sure she could join in the dessert fun safely).

I'm not sure which X is looking at more longingly - the chocolate cake or the trains. As always, he had a wardrobe to match the theme. The shirt was made by Alm Designs and you can find it in their Etsy store.

We did favor bags again, and since we were high-tailing it out of California the week after the party, I felt I could get away with slipping in a train whistle. (I didn't, by the way - if you want to hear a lot of complaints from parents after your party, be sure to include a whistle in your favor bag. Oh well - it was a cute idea!) I easily customized these with full-sheet label paper and clip art from the Modern Train party collection.

We also included a couple of cookies in the favor bag - these I also found on Etsy. They are made by Batches and we were really pleased with both the appearance and the taste of these treats! Again, I used clip art from the Modern Train collection to make a bag topper for the cello bags. Easy Peasy.
The menu was simple - tea sandwiches cut with a train cookie cutter, fresh fruit, and a vegetable platter. We had plenty of bottled water and juice boxes to keep the kids hydrated, as well.

As for activities, we came up with a simple ball toss game by applying a wall decal to a large sheet of foam core board and then building a wood frame to support it. The Dad built the frame and in my rush to get packing for our move to Texas, I gave it away on Freecycle. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have found room on the truck for this! It was really well-built and we could have used it year after year, just changing the foam core board to suit the theme of the party. We also had a "pin-the-number" on Thomas game and a Thomas pinata. Oh - and a HUGE bouncer. And a craft/art table. No, we didn't go overboard on this party at all. Luckily, I had the assistance of one of X's great babysitters and a couple of her friends. They kept the party moving and all our little guests had a great time!

Giveaway! paper&Cake Printable Partyware

2011-06-28T00:00:00.006-05:00

Since the Kid's 3rd birthday is rapidly approaching, I've got birthday party planning fever! And the only cure for it is more....paper&CAKE!

Remember the Kid's French Circus-themed 1st birthday play date? Well, Abigail over at paper&CAKE is responsible for the printable cuteness that inspired it! And this week, she is sponsoring a giveaway on our blog - we couldn't be happier!

One of the reasons I love paper&CAKE is that they seem to have something for everyone. This year, there are three themes in the running for the Kid's birthday and Abigail has a printable party to go with each of them. Like most years, I've picked the themes based on one of X's favorite books.

A space theme:

A construction theme:

And a theme around the children's classic, The Very Hungry Catepillar:

Abigail has also perfected the art of the photo booth prop. Check these collections out:

Fourth of July

Carnival Printables

And she has so many more online in her Etsy.com store.

Would you like to win a $50 store credit or one of Abigail's fabulous printable parties? You would?! That's great because we're giving away a store credit and a printable party collection on this blog! Two winners will be chosen: The first wins the $50 store credit and the second wins a printable party from paper&CAKE. Here's how to enter*:

~~Mandatory:~~

Visit the paper&CAKE website or the paper&CAKE Etsy.com storefront, come back and tell us which collection you like best for entertaining (by the way, she's got some great grown-up parties in her store so it's not just kids' stuff!). Be sure to tell us your email address or we won't be able to tell you if you win!

~~Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each):~~

~~Follow paper&CAKE on Facebook and/or Twitter (leave a comment for each if you do both)~~

~~Follow The Kid Can Cook on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (be sure to mention @thekidcancook and include a link to the giveaway!)~~

~~Blog about this giveaway and leave us a link to your post (worth 3 entries)~~

We have our winners:

Comment #11 is the winner of a $50 store credit at paper&CAKE

Comment #24 is the winner of one printable party download from paper&CAKE

*The Fine Print: Two winners will be picked via Random.org. The first will receive the $50 store credit and the second will receive one printable party download. Contest open worldwide, ends July 5. This contest is sponsored by paper&CAKE. The Kid Can Cook did not receive any merchandise or compensation for hosting this giveaway. The Kid Can Cook is not responsible for unfulfilled prizes.

Muffin Tin Monday: Grand Ole Flag!

2011-06-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

A patriotic muffin tin for breakfast this weekend, using our favorite blue star muffin cups (from Cost Plus World Market). In this tin:
Blueberries and bananas
Flag toast with strawberry cream cheese, raspberry and strawberry compote, blueberries and banana stars

No Fast-Food Friday: Spicy Eggplant and Squash

2011-06-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

We got a couple of great-looking eggplants in our CSA bushel this past week, so I decided to try to recreate a spicy Chinese dish I once had at one of the national restaurant chains. I definitely think mine tasted better (and it was so easy to put together)!

Spicy Eggplant and Squash
serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small eggplants
Simmering Sauce
   1/2 cup sweet red wine (I used Brix Sweet Shiraz)
   1 tbsp soy sauce
   3/4 tbsp corn starch
   Salt and Pepper (about a pinch each)
2 small summer squashes (I used yellow crookneck and zucchini from our local Farmers' Market)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp sugar

Prepare the eggplant and squash by washing and chopping into large-ish chunks. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat and add oil. When searing hot, add eggplant and stir-fry for a bit. Mix together the wine, soy sauce, corn starch and salt and pepper to make the simmering sauce and pour over the eggplant. Allow the eggplant to cook, stirring frequently. Once the eggplant is softened, push it one side of the pan and add sesame oil, crushed red pepper and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (you know, that delicious smell of garlic and pepper - yum!). Add the squash and mix together. In a mason jar or small lidded container, mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the eggplant and squash. Stir and cover, cooking until the squash is tender. Serve with steamed brown rice.

Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.