Kids Dish

This will be our third year participating in a local CSA. CSA stands for community supported agriculture. In late January/early February I sent a farm a check to pay for half a year’s worth of fresh vegetables. Starting the first week of June we’ll receive a box of vegetables every week, a small share of fruit every other week, and a dozen eggs every other week. I’m looking forward to our first box of fresh vegetables.

But this year we’ve gone a step further in eating local. Instead of just winging it, buying a few vegetable plants from the garden center, throwing them in pots and hoping for the best, we built three Square Foot Garden boxes. Square Foot Gardening is supposed to be easier and less wasteful than regular gardening. By using a special mix of soil in raised beds sectioned off into square foot plots SFGs are supposed to eliminate weeds, and increase garden productivity.

Our three boxes add up to 48 boxes, half of which have been planted with early spring vegetables. We planted strawberries, peas, spinach, lettuce, and broccolini and started some other seeds indoors. I have a few green bean plants waiting to be transferred outside, basil seeds that have sprouted, and I threw caution to the wind and planted some carrot and onion seeds outdoors, despite the warning to wait until after the last frost, which could be as late as May.

I haven’t figured out what else I want to plant when the summer planting season starts. I know we’ll have some tomatoes, green beans and spaghetti squash but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I don’t want to plant anything I know we’ll get a ton of through the CSA so chard and kale are out. If all goes well it looks like we’ll have plenty to eat and freeze for next winter.

Sam, our three year old, is having a great time digging holes, planting seeds and watching them sprouts. Even if the garden doesn’t work out as well as I hope, I know he’ll have learned about where food comes from and how plants grow.

The first episode of Food Network Canada’s 100 Mile Challenge starts April 5th. Based on "The 100-Mile Diet” by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon and hosted by the authors, the show challenges the citizens of Mission, BC to live for 100 days eating only foods that originate within 100 miles of their home.

Episodes will be available online the day after they air in Canada (which is good for me because 1. we don’t have cable and 2. even if we did, I don’t think Food TV Canada airs in Philadelphia). I’m curious to see how the show plays out and if the network shows that eating locally is not only possible, but pleasurable. Because it is reality television, not reality, the six families that sign on for the challenge are forbidden from eating household staples like beer, coffee, tea, chocolate, olive oil, pepper and most spices. (Notice where my priorities are- no beer!)

While that makes for great television, I hope that at some point it’s made clear that eating locally isn’t an all or nothing proposition. Supporting the local economy and local farmers is ideal, but it is not necessary to deprive your family of coffee or bananas simply because they don’t grow in a 100-mile radius of your home. We eat locally as often as possible. Aside from the occasional tropical fruit, just about all of our produce is local from May through November. The majority of our milk, yogurt and eggs (and beer!) are local and I only buy locally pastured meat.

But the rest? I buy locally when it makes sense. Olive oil is a pantry staple and while the shore is definitely within 100 miles I have no intention of harvesting my own sea salt. It would be a fun challenge, but with two small children and very little patience when it comes to shopping with them, I’m not ready to fully participate any time soon. We still do more to support the environment and local economy than most families and I’m proud of our level of participation even if we’re not 100% locavores.

In addition to bits about the 100 Mile Challenge show, the show’s blog features recipes and tips as well as information about different vegetables.

Sam’s third birthday was on Sunday and once again I decided to bake him a train cake. Last year I baked two train cakes. One was a chocolate cake in the shape of a generic steam engine, the other was vanilla in the shape of Thomas the Tank Engine. I borrowed two different cake pans for the jobs and learned rather quickly that decorating cakes with ziploc bags and butter knives isn’t easy.

This year I knew I’d be baking the Thomas cake again since Sam’s obsession with the blue engine has only gotten worse. But I also saw a cake pan at a friends house that made a little steam engine with train car cupcakes. I borrowed the pan with the bright idea to send the little cakes home with the kids as party favors.

The cake pan looked terrifyingly intricate. The directions called for using a brush to grease the pan and specified Wondra flour to flour it for easy release. I decided to give it a trial run well before the party. Despite the fact that I followed the directions exactly, the first batch of train cupcakes was a total disaster. The batter overflowed and spilled all over my oven and the cakes were essentially glued to the pan. I scraped out as much as I could with a spatula and used my fingers to get out the rest. Washing the pans required bottle brushes and toothbrushes, both wet and dry. It was a trainwreck.

But I couldn’t let it go. I bought a can of Pam for baking, a formula that combines grease with flour. It smelled disgusting and made me gag, but I sprayed the pans until they were dripping. It worked. The cakes fell right out of the pan.

Sadly I saved the second batch for the night before the party. I was tired and handed over the majority of the decorating duties to my husband. He’s not much of an artist but he did a reasonable job, especially considering it was 11pm and we were both a little bit buzzed.

To be honest, last week’s menu plan didn’t really work out for me. I sort of stuck with it, but instead of actually cooking the meals I planned every night we ended up eating the leftovers the following night instead of freezing them as planned. So the week looked like this:

Monday: Homemade cheese pizza
Tuesday: Bean, cheese, and sweet potato burritos
Wednesday: Leek and potato soup, sourdough baguettes
Thursday: Chicken and white bean stew, baguettesLeek and potato soup, sourdough baguettes
Friday: Garlic chicken( the other half of Thursday’s whole chicken), asparagus, mashed potatoesChicken and white bean stew, mashed potatoes
Saturday: Pepperoni bread (making one for Sunday), leftoversChicken and white bean stew, mashed potatoes
Sunday: birthday party food (I’m making macaroni and cheese, lots of cold appetizers and everyone else is bringing the rest)

This week probably won’t be much better. With all of the food we still have from the birthday party this week is going to be leftover heavy. It looks like I won’t have to go grocery shopping or actually cook anything completely from scratch until Saturday.

Monday: Chicken and white bean stew, mashed potatoes (yes, again.)
Tuesday: tomato pie, green salad
Wednesday: asparagus risotto, pepperoni bread
Thursday: chicken quesadillas, broccoli, leftover risotto
Friday: appetizers- cheese and crackers, hummus and pita, crudites, chips and buffalo chicken dip
Saturday: crockpot brisket, mashed potatoes, broccoli
Sunday: brisket sandwiches, oven fries

And of course we still have plenty of birthday cake in both chocolate and vanilla. For your entertainment, please enjoy a video of me preparing the Thomas the Tank Engine cake. I am not a professional.

Yes, it’s Tuesday, and by the time I get around to actually posting this it will most likely be Wednesday, but I need to get on the ball and start doing this before I lose my mind.

You may have noticed that posting around here has been even lighter than usual. It’s not because I’m not cooking, it’s because I am cooking badly. I stand around and stare and pull out cookbooks and rummage through the pantry and dither and dather and come up with nothing except for meals that I am not proud of.

I’ve done several things I’m not proud of recently, including a meal of leftover pasta (two kinds!) heated on the stove top with a can of tomatoes, a bunch of leftover chopped green beans and a handful of mozzarella cheese. It was the most disgusting thing I think I’ve ever cooked, not because of the ingredients, but because of how last minute it was. I couldn’t bring myself to actually eat any of it.

So I’m done. From here on out I’m planning meals to avoid being completely disgusted with myself.

Monday: Homemade cheese pizza
Tuesday: Bean, cheese, and sweet potato burritos
Wednesday: Leek and potato soup, sourdough baguettes
Thursday: Chicken and white bean stew, baguettes
Friday: Garlic chicken( the other half of Thursday’s whole chicken), asparagus, mashed potatoes
Saturday: Pepperoni bread (making one for Sunday), leftovers
Sunday: birthday party food (I’m making macaroni and cheese, lots of cold appetizers and everyone else is bringing the rest)

It’s a start. Now I just need to stick to the plan.

Tonight I made pepperoni bread for the third time. It’s the best batch I’ve made so far. This is a recipe I came up with myself. None of the recipes online looked quite right so I decided to wing it and it’s worked out pretty well.

Pepperoni bread is like a stromboli, only not quite as heavy. I took the basic ingredients of a pepperoni and cheese stromboli and scaled them down so it wouldn’t be quite as greasy. You can start the dough the night before to cut down on the total time for the recipe.

1 recipe pizza dough
2/3 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 lb thin sliced sandwich pepperoni
2 tsp coarse ground mustard
olive oil

Make one recipe of pizza dough, adding a tablespoon of Italian seasoning or a combination of dried herbs before mixing. Let rise for an hour or overnight.

Stretch the dough into a thin rectangle, about 14×10″ on a half sheet of parchment paper. The parchment will keep it from sticking and help you transfer the bread in and out of the oven. Brush coarse mustard evenly over the dough. Sprinkle about a third of a cup of shredded mozzarella over the dough. Add a thin layer of sandwich pepperoni. Sprinkle with another third of a cup of cheese. Roll it the long way, jelly roll style, using the parchment to help. Turn the bread seam side down and cover the bread with lightly greased plastic wrap.

Preheat the oven and the baking stone to 425 degrees. If you don’t have a baking stone turn a large baking sheet upside down. Spray the top of the bread with a mist of olive oil. Using another baking sheet, slide the parchment onto the preheated stone and let the bread bake for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned and a little bubbly. Let cool on a rack. Slice into rounds and serve warm or at room temperature.

This is one of the only bread recipes I’ve used that is impossible to screw up. Whether I knead by hand or with the stand mixer, whether I use all whole wheat flour or a mix of white and wheat, whether I forget ingredients, let it rise too long, don’t let it rise long enough, or put the kids to bed while it’s in the oven and miss hearing the oven timer so it overbakes by a good fifteen minutes the bread always turns out okay. But for the record, I recommend not letting it bake for 20 minutes too long. The color isn’t nearly as attractive and the crust is a bit crunchier than a sandwich bread should be.

This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze one or give it to a friend. The bread toasts well and is great for sandwiches, especially peanut butter and jelly. It’s a kid favorite. You’ll need two loaf pans.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread
adapted from Gourmet
* 2 cups milk- whole milk is best but 2% or skim are fine too
* 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats plus additional for topping
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (3 packages)
* 1/2 cup mild honey
* 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for buttering pans
* 3 cups whole-wheat flour
* About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (you can use white whole wheat flour instead if you want an all whole wheat loaf)
* 1 tablespoon salt
* Vegetable oil for oiling bowl
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water (to brush the tops of the loaves- you can omit this and brush with milk or melted butter instead)

Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.

Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal.

Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached (or white whole wheat) flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough will be slightly sticky.

(If you want to use a stand mixer, stir all the ingredients together in the mixer bowl on low, then knead with a dough hook on medium for 5-10 minutes. Don’t add too much of the additional flour.)

Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. I just use the bowl I mixed the dough in. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Lightly butter loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash (or milk or butter)and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.)

Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

There are many reasons to shun anything made with high fructose corn syrup but the newest study shows it contains Mercury. From the Washinton Post:

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

You can read the rest of the article at the Washington Post.

I’ve posted this recipe before, and I’m reposting a slightly modified version now. The toddler wanted noodles with butter and cheese again for dinner so I decided to see if I could trick him into eating something a bit more substantial. Carbonara, aside from the obvious chunks of bacon, doesn’t look all that different from just plain butter and cheese. It didn’t really work but I can’t tell if it didn’t work because he wasn’t hungry or because he feared it.

Spaghetti Carbonara

When the pasta is still slightly firm (al dente) drain in a colander, first reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Leaving the pasta slightly wet, add it to the pan and toss it with the bacon and reduced wine. Add in the egg and toss with tongs until well combined. If you didn’t add the olive oil earlier you can add some now. Transfer to warm serving bowl, add fresh parsley if using and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and serve hot.

I get my eggs from a farm so not cooking them doesn’t phase me, but if you’re sketched out by the barely cooked eggs, this recipe from Emeril calls for cooking them slightly.

One more trick. I made some kale as a side dish. Personally I like kale best when it’s been boiled then sauteed. I boiled it for a few minutes in the pasta water then removed it with a slotted spoon. I added the pasta to the kale water. While I don’t really know that it makes a huge difference, I like the idea that the nutrients that leach out from the kale while boiling make their into the pasta.

This is an oldie, but someone linked to it today and I couldn’t help but post this list of The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating from the New York Times. The list is theirs, but my comments are in italics.

1 Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.

How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power. I’ve never tried them raw, but cooked they are delicious. Try beet and beet greens risotto to ease your way in, or bake a chocolate cake with beets to please the kids.

2 Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.

How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches. I throw it in soup.

3 Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.

How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil. We are chard lovers in this house, thanks to my CSA. Use it as you would spinach. I like this recipe for a leek and swiss chard tart

4 Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal. Toast with butter and cinnamon sugar is always a winner if you don’t have it in you to bake fresh cinnamon muffins.

5 Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.

How to eat: Just drink it. Delicious with vodka. Give it to the kids straight.

6 Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.

How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked. If you’re thrown by the idea of prunes chop them and add them to your granola or bake them in muffins along with some chopped raisins and other dried fruit.

7 Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.

How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad. They’re great as a crunchy topping on soups too.

8 Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.

How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread. Sorry. I’ve got nothing on this one. We don’t eat sardines.

9 Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish. I use it most often in curries

10 Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.

How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds. Sam just eats them frozen. I thaw them and add them to granola.

11 Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. A great base for cakes, cookies, muffins, and soups.

After several overly dense loaves, loaves that did not rise, loaves that were raw on the inside, loaves that tasted cardboard, and rock hard balls of dough I just had to throw out, I’ve finally become confident in my ability to bake bread. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t so much practice that made it happen as it was advice from others. Here’s the advice that has worked for me.

1. Use good flour. If you can’t get freshly milled flour use King Arthur Flour. There’s something about the protein content that makes it far superior to the generic supermarket brand or Gold’s.

2. If your house is freezing cold like mine is, preheat your oven to 175, turn it off and let the bread rise (tightly covered in plastic wrap, not just covered by a kitchen towel) in the warm oven. It will rise.

3. If you want to make 100% whole wheat bread buy some vital wheat gluten. A teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half added to each cup of flour will help your bread’s texture and height.

4. Make sure you’re using the correct yeast and make the necessary changes if you don’t. If a recipe calls for instant yeast and all you have is active dry make sure you mix the yeast with some of the liquid the recipe calls for and let it dissolve before adding the rest of the ingredients. I always add a pinch of sugar so it gets bubbly and I can make sure it’s active.

5. Use the least amount of flour the recipe calls for, adding a little at a time. If a recipe calls for 5-6 cups of flour start with 4 1/2 and work your way up. It’s better to add more flour than it is to end up with a dry dough that’s hard to knead.

6. Skip the stand mixer and knead by hand. It was only when I started kneading with my hands that I figured out I’d been over-kneading with the mixer. When you use your hands you learn what dough should feel like and you can start to really understand the terminology, for example what a “shaggy” dough is, or “puffy but not doubled in bulk.”

It really is easy for me now. Aside from last week when I accidentally used a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon, I haven’t had any casualties. Good luck!

Many snack products made with peanut butter have been recalled due to a Salmonella outbreak. In my area the most popular come from Kelloggs:

* Austin® Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter - all sizes
* Austin® Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut ButterSandwich Crackers – all sizes
* Austin® Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter – all sizes
* Austin® Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches – all sizes
* Austin® Quality FoodsSuper Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
* Austin® Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
* Austin® Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter – all sizes
* Austin® Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
* Austin® Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
* Austin® Quality FoodsCookie/Cracker Pack
* Austin® Quality FoodsVariety Pack
* Keebler® Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
* Keebler® Toast & PB’n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
* Keebler® Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
* Famous Amos® Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)
* Keebler® Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)

Other brands recalled include Hyvee, King Nut, Perry’s Ice Cream and Little Debbie snack crackers. Full lists of recalled products can be found here.

From the FDA:

January 17, 2009: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting a very active and dynamic investigation into the source of the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. At this time, the FDA has traced one likely source of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination to a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA), which manufactures both peanut butter that is institutionally served in such settings as long-term care facilities and cafeterias, and peanut paste—a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts—that is distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an ingredient in many products including cakes, cookies, crackers, candies, cereal and ice cream.

Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating peanut butter-containing products until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.

I made graham crackers today. They were much crispier than the store bought variety and the next time I make them I may use a bit more butter and sugar (I know, all the stuff I shouldn’t add more of) but they were still pretty good. I made a few impromptu s’mores with some chocolate chips and mini marshmallows and the crispness of the graham crackers worked pretty well. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to the store bought variety with the high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils this recipe is worth a try.

1 cup (4 ounces) Whole Wheat Flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) butter, melted
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
2 to 3 tablespoons (1 to 1 1/2 ounces) milk (approx.)

Cut dough into 3-inch squares, prick each square several times with a fork, and place on parchment covered cookie sheets. 15 to 20 minutes, or until crackers are lightly browned. Remove crackers from oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack, and cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen graham crackers.

By the way, I am an idiot, and in writing out the directions I realized that I baked the graham crackers five to ten minutes too long. That probably accounts for the crispness.

It’s national delurking day! Leave a comment and say hi.

This was one of those recipes that I sort of thought was beneath me. But then it was late and I had a meeting to go to and I wanted to cook something healthy and easy and I needed to cook the chicken legs in the fridge and even though I didn’t like the idea of it I went for it. And honestly? It tasted pretty good. And even though the leftovers aren’t the prettiest it didn’t look too bad either. Even the almost three year old who is too picky to eat pizza these days ate it.

Basically, you brown some chicken parts in a dutch oven, remove the chicken and cook some onions in the leftover fat, add rice, liquid and the chicken and simmer until it’s all cooked. Then you add vegetables and cheese and maybe beans and cook some more until it’s all heated through. There’s plenty of room to mess with the recipe and omit what you don’t have and add what you do.

2 tablespoons oil
2 split skin on chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
2 cups frozen (or fresh) vegetables (I used green beans and carrots)
1 can beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for about five minutes until brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the onions to the fat in the pan along with some salt and pepper. Cook until browned, about five minutes more. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about thirty seconds. Add the rice and stir until the edges are translucent, about 3 minutes more. Add the liquids and chicken (skin side up) to the pot, bring to a simmer, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and add the vegetables to the rice. Cook until heated through then stir in the cheese. You can either remove the skin, shred the chicken and mix it into the pot or serve the chicken breasts on top of the rice.