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Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking (and What’s Cooking Weekly), offers inspiration for introducing ethnic food to kids (beyond typical favorites like Chinese and Mexican), including a recipe for Slow Cooker Indian Braised Chicken and tips to get your kids involved in the kitchen.
I have this thing about cake, and if you’re interested in creating a showstopper for Easter, try this bunny cake (also fabulous for a baby shower or birthday party). The construction actually is very straightforward (plus, think about all the sculpting experience you have via Play-doh).
Today, Jules offers creative ideas for livening up leftovers:
“My husband and I recently realized we were in a food crisis. I love to cook and he loves to eat, but neither of us is too hot on leftovers; we were wasting too much. I just have this thing about them - I don’t enjoy them and am marginally freaked out by them. In reality, I know that anything I cook or eat fresh is good for another 3 days (beyond that, leftovers really do begin to collect bacteria). So I decided that what I needed to do was come up with creative ways to use leftovers for another entire meal. It turns out I do like leftovers…so long as they’re served in a totally different way than the night before.
Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice offers ideas to fuel the family:
“I realize that bagels are popular and convenient (at Whole Foods I often see babies chewing on bagels as big as their heads...), but the truth is, they aren’t terribly nutritious. The below ideas may lack the on-the-go convenience of bagels, but getting a good start on the day is well worth the extra 10-15 minutes.
Today, Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking (and What’s Cooking Weekly), offers up a great way to warm up winter – both through the soup itself, and by getting your kids moving in the kitchen:
“This winter, try this delicious Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup) recipe. And don’t forget – kids make great helpers! See the Call The Kids section towards the bottom of the recipe to guide you on what your kids can do to help.
And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:
Moms’ Buzz offers pointers to help parents help their kids develop self-control. Clever Parents features Rachael Ray’s classic Bayou Fat Tuesday feast. MomFinds highlights a collection of politico tees and bodysuits for the tiniest citizens. One Chic Mama has raves for the hooded personalized bath towel from Alex Casey Baby. Healthy Bump reviews the Fun To See room makeover kit. And Classy Mommy takes a sneak peek into the 1st birthday gift bag for Patrick Dempsey's twins.
Weekend Reading: Car & Caboodle features an LA dad who tells of his road to becoming a minivan owner. Healthy Bump chats with former nanny Deborah Smith, who offers advice on how to search for a nanny. Moms’ Buzz offers 10 tips to help parents encourage children to eat right and maintain a healthy weight. Clever Parents highlights an easy, cheesy cauliflower pasta recipe from Rachael Ray. Coochicoos features the ultimate Batman home theater set up.
Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice encourages healthier eating for kids in 2008 (and beyond!). She shares 10 tips for change, and a couple of recipes for kid favorites that can be knocked together easily, and without all the salt and preservatives of typical processed goods:
The time couldn’t be more right for this winter soup recipe from Michelle of What’s Cooking:
"When the weather outside is frightful, nothing appeals more than a simple, delicious hearty bowl of soup. This recipe is ideal when you are winding down from a long week, and tastes wonderful when served with warm buttered whole-wheat pita bread. To give the barley a richer flavor, toast it in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally until golden brown. While this recipe calls for ground beef, you could substitute ground turkey or chicken. If you prefer your soup to be on the thick side, omit one cup of water, and you will have a more stew-like consistency. Don't forget to Call The Kids into the kitchen to help you prepare this family meal.
Let your holiday baking season begin with this masterpiece by Jules:
"I realize that the holidays are a tough time for those trying to watch calories, but I fully believe in indulging on special occasions, which include snowstorms and cozy Sunday afternoons. This bread pudding is a must-try; a comforting, heady dessert that will satisfy your wish for something rich, creamy, tart, crunchy, and seasonal. You can use egg substitute if you are watching your cholesterol, and I have swapped the classic whole milk and cream for mostly skim milk with some heavy cream to save a few calories. As with most of my desserts, I think this is served best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, but fear not, this dessert is bold enough to stand on its own.
Following installments I and II, here’s part III of our series with nutrition expert Elizabeth Ward, featuring tips and menu ideas to help parents squeeze in breakfast:
“Pancakes, eggs and bacon not tempting your family’s taste buds or hectic schedule? Non-traditional breakfasts and even last night’s leftovers like chicken or a whole wheat dinner roll spread with peanut butter pack the nutrients your family needs to get the day started right. Getting fuel in the morning is important as research shows eating breakfast every day contributes to increased attention and performance at work and school. Here are a few non-traditional breakfast ideas:
Today, Little Lettice's Sara Cabot goes to bat for the humble potato, including recipes for the whole family:
"A mom of an 8-month-old baby came up to me the other day while I was doing a demo and said, “I’ve been doing the 4 day rule for each new food" [i.e., feeding your infant a single food for 4 days to check that there is no reaction], “but I’m a bit scared of potatoes.”
Following our first installment, here’s part II of our series with nutrition expert Elizabeth Ward, featuring tips and menu ideas to help parents squeeze in breakfast:
“Half the battle of eating a nutritious breakfast is having healthy ingredients on hand. Make breakfast a snap by stocking your kitchen with healthy, convenient ingredients for the morning meal. For balance, incorporate choices from three of the five food groups below. Shop on a regular basis for healthy, convenient foods such as these:
Amidst fall and winter’s carb-laden comfort foods, it’s easy to forget about the roughage. Thankfully, for a Thanksgiving potluck with friends this past weekend, our pal Nooshi brought this fabulous Bibb Lettuce Salad with Persimmons & Candied Pecans. The salad offered a refreshing, welcome contrast to the table.
And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:
Good to Know: Clever Parents offers up a great recipe to sneak in the spinach. One Chic Mama discusses items worth the splurge, and those to get discounted. Moms’ Buzz features tips on how to spot an online donation scam this holiday season.
It’s almost as if Michelle knew I was on side dish duty this Thursday. Today she shares two tasty Thanksgiving recipes – Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples – along with her typical fabulous tips on how to involve kids in the cooking process. I hope your little helpers look as happy as these cuties!
For busy families – especially those with school age kids who need to be out the door in a timely manner – weekdays often feel chaotic and uninspired food-wise. I have yet to meet parents who haven’t hit a food rut at some point or another so I’m pleased to report that today and over the next few weeks, we’re partnering up with nutrition expert Elizabeth Ward (author of The Pocket Idiot's Guide to the New Food Pyramids
Perfect for cool weather, here’s a recipe from Jules that will satisfy your sweet tooth while keeping the calories in check:
"In my house, the onset of fall means comfort food; autumn and winter are our prime time for cooking heady, comforting meals with hearty desserts. But cool weather weight gain happens for a reason; hearty meals and treats are often rich, laden with calories. These reduced fat peanut butter chunk cookies are perfect served warm with a tall glass of milk. Or if you’re looking to add some richness, top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
As fun as Halloween will be with a preschooler who loves dress up, I am dreading negotiating the candy bonanza. And while it will be difficult to control what lands in Laurel’s bucket, I plan on managing intake on our end by preparing a good dinner before trick or treating, and by passing out alternative goodies (thanks for the lead, Moms’ Buzz!). If you’re hosting a Halloween gathering, Michelle offers a few spooky party recipes (lower in sugar and fat than typical recipes), as well as a tasty inspiration to recycle your pumpkin after the fact.
Apples were my favorite food as a kid, and my mom is convinced that I bypassed teen acne because I consumed apples every day (sometimes 3 a day) from grade to high school. Today, Sara Cabot of Little Lettice offers a great feature on the nutritional content and farm processing of this fruit staple, as well as apple recipes for babies to adults (click here for the printable PDF of this feature):
We at Boston Mamas love food, so I’m thrilled to introduce new guest contributor Michelle Stern of What’s Cooking. Michelle will provide content on healthful family eating, including recipes and tips on how to engage your kids in the kitchen (click here for her first contribution). And for more meal ideas, check out What’s Cooking Weekly, Michelle's family menu subscription service that includes recipes, printable grocery lists, nutrition information, and tips on getting kids involved in meal prep.
Want to win a 6-month WCW subscription? Email us by midnight EST tonight (with “WCW” in the subject) and name a fab sample WCW meal.
This summer I found myself in need of cake, and lots of it, and a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa became my go-to cake for a crowd. Listed as serving 20-24 people, I found that this cake easily serves 30 or so (and our family and friends are not shy about dessert). I made this cake four times over the past two months, most recently for Laurel’s color party (shown; click all images to enlarge). Here are execution and variation tips, and photo examples.
Fall means school's in, leaves are down, and it's time to crank the oven back on. Today, Little Lettice's Sara Cabot shares some easy ideas for how to prepare butternut squash for the whole family:
"Now that the local butternut squash is here, we need look no further for a wholesome, delicious, and nutritious vegetable to grace our table. And how much better the local gourds taste than those shipped over from the West coast. Farmers’ markets are full of all kinds of winter squashes, all of them pretty similar in terms of nutrition. I like the butternut as it is large (good for large families like mine), easy to peel, and tasty.
For baking enthusiasts, leisurely long weekends no doubt represent a call for treats; this weekend, consider trying out Jules's original Walnut Cake recipe (click photo thumbnail to enlarge). For the reduced fat version, just bake the cake; to up the sweet ante, add the chocolate ganache and sweetened walnuts topping:
Little Lettice’s Sara Cabot and I are well aligned in our food philosophies, and our families similarly share a passion for popsicles. Today, Sara shares information on sugar content in commercial popsicles as well as tips for homemade popsicles. I add comments at the end of her feature regarding popsicle molds and homemade chocolate pops:
When I was pregnant with Laurel I carried a bag of trail mix wherever I went, lest the hungry beast emerge (my mom warned Jon before we got married to never, ever let me get to a state of hungry delirium). Today, our resident foodie Jules offers a snack recipe to suit both sweet and savory cravings:
We have visitors in this weekend so I’ve been browsing my recipe binders (yes, I have binders for my clippings) for simple, yummy food to prepare. I was reminded of Martha's panzanella; easy to knock together and great for summer (especially when the stores or your garden get overrun with tomatoes and basil).
A few comments: 1. The recipe has a typo - the amount of garlic you need is one clove. 2. Toasting the bread works fine if you don’t want/know how to grill or broil. 3. If you want to tone down the onions a bit, slice then soak them in a bowl of cold water (pat dry before including in recipe). The oil and vinegar also will take the edge off a bit.
And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:
Get your little one squeaky clean and squealing with delight with these fun bathtub essentials for comfort and safety, colorful towels to stave off the shivers, and water toys sure to entertain (from MomFinds). One-pot meals can be the solution to quick and easy cooking when no one really has the time to cook (from Clever Parents). Birthdays Without Pressure offers up suggestions to simplify birthday celebrations (from One Chic Mama). Angelina Jolie is one stylish mom and now she's passing her favorite jean style down to daughter Zahara (from The Stylish Child). And Jennifer Garner may be an A-List celebrity mom, but she still has her insecurities (from Celebrity Moms).
There’s a lot to love about summer, and we're especially keen on the arrival of vibrant, seasonal fruit (Laurel can make disturbingly quick work of a big bowl of summer strawberries.) Today, Sara Cabot shares some good facts about strawberries and rhubarb, as well as her recipe for English Rhubarb Crumble:
When I first learned about turducken, I became convinced that every culture thrives on developing dishes where food is stuffed inside of more food (dumplings and empanadas are more common examples…). Today, Jules brings us a visually impressive yet easy chicken roulade recipe (shown; be sure to have the butcher pound the chicken into cutlets - I’ve always found that to be tough work). This dish stuffs the veggies inside of the protein, and would do well with brown rice or pasta. Click here for the printable recipe PDF.
If you’re looking to shake up your Memorial Day BBQ, consider adding this Asian inspiration. My brother-in-law loves bulgogi (a popular Korean marinated beef dish), and when he was in town last weekend I developed a new, easy recipe that won raves around the table (shown, marinated bulgogi; click thumbnail to enlarge). This marinade also can be used for Korean kalbi (short ribs). It was pouring last weekend so grilling wasn’t an option (we pan fried instead), but bulgogi and kalbi always makes me think of my Dad, who used to transform our standard grill into a Korean BBQ by covering the grill with tin foil and poking holes in the foil with a chopstick so the thinly sliced meat wouldn’t fall through the slats.
Click here for the printable recipe PDF. Cold bulgogi makes for fab sandwich fixings the next day; if you have any leftovers, that is.
We have yet to encounter allergies with Laurel, so we’re thrilled that guest contributor Tracy is willing to share some of her knowledge, tips, and tricks from parenting a son with severe food allergies. Today, Tracy writes on the (lovely yet simple) birthday party she recently held for her younger son, inspired by If You Give a Pig a Party
It’s an amazing milestone to get beyond nursing and solid food purees to the stage where your kids can eat whatever you’re eating. But then the challenge shifts to figuring out healthful and easy meals for the whole family. Today, guest contributor Jules (our resident professional foodie) offers a recipe that packs a nutritional and visually vibrant punch. Click here for the printable PDF of Jules’s Fast & Healthy Mexican Stuffed Peppers (shown; click thumbnail to enlarge). Enjoy!
If you plan on enjoying Mother’s Day brunch at home this weekend, put in a strong hint for a batch of these fantastic scones (click here for the printable PDF), created by guest contributor Kate and her husband Jonathan. When Kate and I last met up for dinner, she brought me a small fleet of the crystallized ginger variety (shown; crystallized ginger) and they were fabulous; buttery, crunchy on the outside, and the sugary ginger added the perfect kick. Even Jon, typically a pillar of resistance against late night snacking, couldn’t resist sampling when I arrived home with the goods.
If ginger isn't your thing, Kate & Jonathan's recipe offers other fruit substitution suggestions.
UPDATE: We learned of a typo in the recipe. The curry powder (previously listed in the ingredients but not the recipe) is mixed with the dry ingredients in step 3. We have corrected the PDF. Thanks!
Pursuant to our earlier Community Cookbook post, our friends at MothersClick have rolled out their Cookbook for Moms ($27.95), and today is the last day to purchase the book in time for Mother's Day delivery. Including a special collection of over 50 family recipes voted as the best submissions by moms, and a foreword and special family recipe by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, 100% of the book sale proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
When I was toiling away at my Ph.D., I coped with academia’s absence of short-term gratification by baking. I tried all of the basics as well as the most ridiculously complicated Martha Stewart recipes to reward myself for surviving statistics, comprehensive exams, the pain of losing months of work at the hand of a well-meaning research assistant, and the writing process itself. And while early parenthood made culinary endeavors above 10 minutes obsolete, now that Laurel enjoys helping in the kitchen (she’s learned what the rewards are), basic baking is back.
Spring is a season replete with surprises. This morning, guest contributor Sara Cabot shares her new knowledge about parsnips' potential for the whole family:
"After a long winter’s silence, I recently received an email from Brian at Hutchins Farm in Concord. Instead of talking about the first asparagus or arugula of the season, to my surprise he mentioned parsnips. I had always thought (wrongly, as I now know) that parsnips were a winter vegetable. According to Brian: “Over-wintered parsnips develop incomparable sweetness and tenderness and are at their absolute best when dug just before they begin to grow again in the spring--here's your opportunity to find out what a parsnip is supposed to taste like.”
I went and tried some, and Brian was right; if you like parsnips, that is. It seems as if Americans nowadays have a bit of a love or loath relationship with this sweet, nutty tasting root vegetable. But the fact is that parsnips - a good source of potassium, fiber, and vitamin C - are a versatile vegetable that can be given to babies and the whole family.
If you love to cook and share recipes with friends and family, check out this Mother’s Day idea from our friends at MothersClick. Now until April 16, submit your favorite fabulous recipe to the Cookbook for Moms project; moms then vote for their favorites and the top vote-getters will be published in a professional quality, hardcover cookbook that will include a foreword and recipe by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson. The cookbook will go on sale in time for Mother's Day and 100% of the proceeds will benefit The Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Click here to submit your favorite recipe and good luck! We’re looking forward to seeing who has the culinary goods to hang with Nigella! (And if you are a Boston Mamas reader who ends up in the cookbook, be sure to drop us a line to let us know!)
And now, pursuant to our announcement about our impending regular guest contributors, here is Sara Cabot, with a feature on the power of peas (including recipes for babies up to adults!). Welcome, Sara!
“Early spring is a funny time for produce. The stored winter apples, squashes, and root vegetables are over and we find ourselves waiting impatiently for the first fruits and vegetables of summer.
In this ‘betwixt and between’ time, frozen fruits and veggies are always an option. They are easy to store and use; they are picked and frozen at source so are sometimes actually fresher than ‘fresh’ produce which may have sat around in a warehouse for weeks; they are reasonably priced too.
I realize that multiple cooking posts in the span of a few days makes clear my obsession with food, but a recipe this easy must be shared with my fellow mamas.
For our gathering yesterday with some of Laurel’s BFFs, we made vanilla cupcakes but subbed the vanilla frosting with this incredibly easy chocolate frosting recipe from our trusty Baking Illustrated. Bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Place 8 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate (chips work great and lessen cleanup) in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Cover the bowl with foil and let it stand 5-10 minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth and velvety brown. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool and slightly firm, about 1 hour.
Avocados have long been a staple in our household, and after naptime today we’ll up our daily consumption by serving some friends the easiest and best guacamole recipe ever.
This recipe comes from The Border Cookbook
These days, weekend gatherings with our friends and their kids tend to zone in on the brunch window; the timing works for various nap patterns, the prep is simple, and the food suits kids and adults. One easy and yummy go-to recipe in our brunch arsenal is the Sour-Cream Banana Coffee Cake from Real Simple
My only revisions include not bothering to chop the chips (forgoing the extra step and associated cleanup with extra chips), and dispersing the chocolate-nut sugar and batter more loosely than by thirds (to better spread around the good stuff). Also, using ripe, frozen bananas in this and other banana bread recipes improves the taste. Just let the frozen bananas thaw in a dish, or defrost them in the microwave, before use.
Following installments