Small Slice

During dinner, the older kids and I ate while my youngest chattered away.  She picked at her dinner - brown rice, chicken breast, green beans, kidney beans, corn and carrots with sliced apples.  The older kids and I finished and left the table, and still my youngest stayed at the table, picking at her food.  I left her there for a few minutes, and set my daughter up with her homework at the other end of the table.

The dryer buzzer went off, and I went to switch loads.  As I pulled open the lid of the washer, my four-year-old shot past me, feet pattering down the hall.  She skidded around the corner into the bathroom, and leaped up onto the toilet.

I joined her in the bathroom.  "What are you doing?"  She was staring at her face in the mirror, and then she turned to me and said "Don't you see my sparkles?"

I bluffed.  "Oh yes, there they are."

She beamed at me.  "I just ate a carrot, and I'm so sparkly now.  Look at my eyes!"

I encouraged her to return to the table and eat another carrot.  She leaped down from the toilet and sped into the kitchen.  I shot a questioning look at my oldest daughter, and she grinned. 

"See, I told you.  Carrots make your eyes sparkle!" 

My youngest couldn't wait to finish each and every carrot on her plate.  I provided a small hand mirror to save her from dashing the length of the house after each bite.

Posted by Jenny at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Today is my day on the Mother Talk Blog Tour for Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook - a charming cookbook inspired by the stories of Dr. Seuss.  From the back cover:

Award-winning cookbook author Georgeanne Brennan has joined photographer Frankie Frankeny to whip up the very first cookbook inspired by the wildly outrageous food references that abound in the Seussian oeuvre.

Well, then.  With its bright orange cover and large, glossy pages, it is quite a visual treat.  Throughout, the classic artwork and verses that inspired various recipes are prominently featured.  I sat down with the kids and had them check it out, and help me choose what we should try to make for this review.

I was gratified to recognize plenty of recipes (over 40) for kid-friendly foods, without dumbing down the process, eliminating herbs and spices, or relying on packaged foods.  The focus is on creating a delicious meal, not on special effects, although the suggested presentations are quite clever. 

You'll find a recipe for ricotta stuffed noodles "Cat's Mac and Cheese" - a multi-bean chili made with several canned ingredients "Zans' Cans Chili" - assorted charming snacks, and lots of recipes that my kids eat anyway,  hot dogs with baked beans "Nook Hook Cook Book Dogs," crispy fish and coleslaw "Finney's Freshest Fish" and more.  The process for most of the recipes is not difficult, but would obviously require adult supervision and assistance.

Last night, we chose to make Schlottz's Knots - which involved a  package of refrigerated bread-stick dough and some salt.  These were fun and easy to prepare, and were a great accent to our other dish, Hoop-Soup-Snoop Group Potato Soup.  A basic, creamy potato soup (made from potatoes, onion and milk) topped with your choice of cheddar cheese, bacon, croutons and green onion.  It was quick to prepare, and delicious. 
Behold:
If you are a fan of Dr. Seuss, you'll smile with recognition as you flip through these clever interpretations.  If you like to try jazzed up recipes for some of your everyday staples, this is a great book.  If I had one wish, it would be that the finished foods would have been more prominently featured in the artwork.  The food photography got lost amongst all the Seussian goodness.  This is a minor complaint, however. 
Georgeanne Brennan and Frankie Frankeny have created a fun, inventive addition to family-friendly cookbooks with the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook.  You can check it here.

To see what other Mother-Talk Tour guest have to say, visit the Mother-Talk blog.

Posted by Jenny at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

Oh, I left you guys hanging!  I've got updates on the recipes we've tried this week!

Let's see - Monday's dinner is chronicled over in the Small Slice album.  The ravioli lasagne was delish.  The kids loved it.  The husband loved it.  I loved it. 

Tuesday was Chicken Soup with Rice night... my son had requested this one.  Apparently, they made it in 1st grade after reading the story by Maurice Sendak.  I used chicken broth - his teacher used bullion cubes.  The kids liked the school version better.  But they still enjoyed tossing the ingredients into the pot and using the ladle to put soup in their bowls.  I didn't get photos of the process this time.

Wednesday, we had planned on Turkey with Broccoli in a cheese sauce. The kids rebelled, and I ended up making homemade macaroni and cheese with steamed broccoli, and then tossing in a can of turkey meat.  It was hearty and good - but the kids didn't cook it.  Wednesdays are hard, because we are at the horse barn most of the afternoon.  I should have Wednesday be crockpot dinners.

Thursday was mini-pizza night.  I would normally make homemade pizza crust and give the kids individual crusts to decorate, but last night, we just used regular sandwich bread.  I put out dishes with pesto sauce, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesean cheese, and a shredded cheese blend with cheddar and other cheeses.  I also chopped some fresh basil and put it out.  Surprisingly, the kids actually used it.  I gave them each two slices of bread, and let them have at it.  They spread on their own choice of sauce, added way too much cheese, and I baked them on a cookie sheet at 350 for about 8 minutes.  The bread got a nice crunch to it, and the toppings were bubbly.  It was pretty good - not as good as real pizza, but easy for the kids to do. 

Friday night - tonight... we've got mini-meatloafs on the schedule.  Here's the plan:

I'll make sure to get photos of these for Small Slice.  I keep misplacing my camera.  Aaargh.   

Continue reading "Kids Cooking - Update" »

Posted by Jenny at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

You know what?  I'm tired of coming up with good meals, only to end up having the kids reject what I've cooked because they see a visable chunk of tomato.  I'm sick of painstakingly preparing a meal that they assure me that they will eat, only to have them lick their fork three times and blow bubbles in their milk.

So.  This week, the kids are cooking dinner.  I'm going to help, obviously.  But the bulk of the meal is going to be prepared by their little picky-eatin' hands.

I'm enlisting the help of a few cookbooks this week, so that the kids can read the recipes and do the measurements themselves.  Has anyone noticed how many of the "kids" cookbooks out there focus on weird food?  Lots of garbage food, with the assumption that kids won't eat it unless it has a face made from M&Ms or something. 

I'd love your recommendations for great kids' cookbooks - and I'll be putting together this week's menu with the help of the kids, and posting it this afternoon.  Check back!

Posted by Jenny at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)