Kids Dish

My toddler has discovered popsicles. He can’t get enough of them. He wants popsicles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks in-between. I’d love to be able to just buy a box and hand them out liberally, but I just can’t bring myself to feed him high fructose corn syrup and food coloring on a stick. The popsicles that are made with real fruit and no added sugar aren’t cheap so I’ve been forced to make my own.

The easiest way to make them is to buy popsicle molds (I like the ones from Ikea pictured- they cost a dollar, the handle is sturdy and the pop is easy to remove from the molds)and freeze fruit juice. At first I mixed it with water- the same way I serve him juice- but the juice and water had a tendency to separate and the juice would end up on the top and the water would end up untouched and melting on a countertop. Now I just serve him straight juice popsicles.

Sometimes I’ll get fancy and make something special. If there’s smoothie leftover I’ll freeze it. If there’s watermelonade leftover I’ll freeze it too- minus the gin, of course. Fresh fruit blended with yogurt or fruit juice makes great Popsicles too. Just remember when you blend it that you want things to be a little bit sweeter than you’d think since freezing may make it lose potency. A little simple syrup or honey goes a long way.

If you don’t have plastic popsicle molds you can use Dixie cups or ice cube trays with wooden craft sticks. Pour your popsicle ingredients into the cups, cover with wax paper, foil or plastic wrap, and poke the stick through the “lid”. Covering the cups with wraps will help keep the stick centered before freezing.

Watermelon is the perfect summer snack. It’s sweet, it’s juicy and since it’s mostly water it’s an excellent thirst quencher on a hot summer day. Watermelon is also packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene which is also advertised as being present in ketchup, so it must be good.

Watermelon has been on sale lately at the supermarket, and though I do my best to stick to local, seasonal fruits I haven’t seen any watermelon yet and I haven’t been able to resist the allure. Sadly, my inability to resist has led to the purchase of some mediocre watermelon. It’s not bad, but it’s not good enough so we eat it plain, but not with enthusiasm. I needed to do something with half of a largish watermelon. I’d used half for watermelon salsa which was also sadly mediocre and couldn’t figure out what recipe wouldn’t be hindered by not so great watermelon. Then I found it: Watermelonade.

This recipe requires some prep but once the prep is done you’ll have enough on had for a large pitcher and then some. This is a delicious pink drink that kids will love. Add gin for the parents and have a nice cocktail hour.

7 cups cubed, seeded watermelon (about half of a medium sized watermelon)
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup simple syrup*
3 tablespoons grenadine
3 cups ice
1 cup gin (optional, but recommended for those of age)

Combine ingredients and blend until slushy. Serve with lemon wedges and sprigs of mint.

Alternately, puree the watermelon in a food processor and strain over a fine mesh sieve. Combine watermelon juice with other ingredients and serve over ice.

*Simple syrup is usually one part sugar to one part water. For this recipe I used two parts water (2 cups) to one part sugar(one cup) so it wouldn’t be overly sweet. There was plenty leftover for more watermelonade. To make it combine in a pot over medium heat. Stir sugar and water until sugar dissolves and boil for 2 minutes.
refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before using.

My neighbor gave me a huge bunch of parsley that she wouldn’t use and didn’t want to go to waste. She splits a CSA share with a friend who was on vacation, leaving her with more vegetables and herbs than she can use. It was nice of her to pass it along, but I have a ton of parsley in my garden. Most recipes call for small amounts of parsley, not several cups worth, so it sat in my fridge for close to two weeks before I decided to suck it up and just use it all at once. I figured a pesto would be the quickest and easiest way to go.

I found a great recipe in my Bon Appétit cookbook for roasted potatoes with a parsley-based pesto, but my sister in law stopped by with my niece right when I started getting dinner ready. By the time they left I was running out of time if I wanted to make it to yoga. So I skipped the potatoes, boiled up some tortellini, and made a quick parsley pesto using just parsley, lemon juice, garlic and toasted pine nuts. I tossed it all with some fresh fava beans.

It was good, but the cheese tortellini wasn’t quite right with the flavor of the pesto. It’s not like a basil pesto- it tastes fresher, brighter if that makes sense. If I were to do it again I’d use regular spaghetti and add zucchini ribbons.

I had entirely too much parsley for my mini food processor to handle, which means I still have time to make the potatoes with parsley pesto another night.

This time of year there’s always too much zucchini. Here are a two delicious ways to use it. Both recipes come together pretty quickly and don’t heat up the kitchen too much.

Zucchini-Bacon Fritters
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 spring onions, chopped, including 1-inch of the green parts
Six slices thick cut natural bacon or 10-12 slices regular bacon
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 and 1/2 tbs. maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in the microwave between paper towels to soak up grease, for about five minutes or until crisp.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Crumble the bacon into the mixing bowl adding the other ingredients. Mix to combine. Mixture will not seem like it would hold together, but it will.

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat, sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon batter into the skillet about a tablespoon at a time for small fritters. Flatten slightly to cook. Cook each batch about 2 minutes per side, til golden and cooked through. Makes about 10 small fritters, 6-8 medium, or four if you just like them that much. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Zucchini Feta fritters
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (or more) all purpose flour
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup (about) olive oil
1/2 cup (about) corn oil

Toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to sieve. Press out excess liquid; place zucchini in dry bowl. Mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 cup flour, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in parsley, onions, and dill. If batter is very wet, add more flour by spoonfuls.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons corn oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into skillet. Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side, adding more olive oil and corn oil as needed. Transfer to paper towels.

Can be made 1 day ahead. Place on baking sheet, cover, and chill. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven 12 minutes. Serve with sour cream or yogurt.

I have mayonnaise issues. I just don’t like it. I can deal with a homemade aioli or a dip that contains mayonnaise, but my aversion precludes me from eating most deli type salads. I won’t touch tuna, egg, chicken or potato salad. The idea of all of that mayonnaise makes me shudder. This potato salad recipe caught me by surprise. Instead of mayonnaise or vinegar (which in my opinion just doesn’t do potato salad any favors) the new red potatoes are tossed with Tzatziki, a Greek cucumber and yogurt dish.

Tzatziki is a cool, no cook dish that can be eaten alone, with bread, or as a sauce for meats. Tossed with potatoes it makes an unusual and mayonnaise free potato salad- tangy, creamy and perfect for a hot summer night.

Tzatziki

· 2 cups plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
· 2 cucumbers - peeled, seeded and diced\
· 2 tsp salt divided
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1/2 lemon, juiced
· fresh ground black pepper to taste
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
· 3 cloves garlic, peeled

Drain the yogurt in a colander lined with coffee filters for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Skip this step if using Greek yogurt which is already thickened.

Toss cucumbers with 1 tsp salt in a colander and drain for an hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Squeeze as much water out of the cucumbers as possible and dry completely with paper towels.

Mash garlic and salt into a paste.

Add olive oil, lemon juice, dill, mint, garlic paste and fresh ground pepper to thickened yogurt mixture. Refrigerate for an hour.

For potatoes:
Cover two pounds of scrubbed red potatoes with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender but firm. Drain and let cool completely. Cut into bite size pieces. Toss with tzatziki. Serve cold or at cool room temperature.

So far this is shaping up to be the panini summer. Rather than slave over a hot stove I’ve been using my Griddler to make delicious sandwiches without heating up the entire kitchen. I’ll be honest and admit that I can’t just throw a bunch of stuff on bread and let the panini do the work. I prefer my onions caramelized and my greens sautéed so I do a bit of prep work beforehand. But the prep is worth the effort, and caramelizing several onions and sautéing a bunch of greens all at once can leave you with enough for two days worth of sandwiches.

Making a panini (the word panini is pretty much Italian for sandwich) is simple enough. Build a sandwich with your favorite ingredients, brush both sides with butter or olive oil, and grill it until it heats through. If you have a griddler, panini press, sandwich maker or George Forman grill, use that. If you have none of the above, grill it like you’d make a grilled cheese but if the sandwich has a lot of ingredients, weigh down the top slice of bread with a heavy pan so the sandwich heats evenly.

To make a good panini you’ll need a good loaf of ciabatta, focaccia, French or Italian bread to stand up to the ingredients, especially if you’re using sautéed greens or caramelized onions. Paninis are a good vehicle to use up leftovers from the grill. Think flank steak, chicken, peppers, zucchini, or even leftover hot dogs and hamburgers to start. If you don’t have leftovers, lunchmeat will do just fine. If you don’t eat meat (or your kids won’t) try cheese, fruit, and condiments to make a quick healthy dinner- nutella and banana sandwiches are always a crowd pleaser, or thinly sliced apples or pears can add flavor and nutrients to a simple grilled cheese.

The panini of choice these past few weeks has been a winner: roast beef, cheddar, caramelized onions and sautéed greens with raspberry mustard on ciabatta or whole grain Italian.

I like the idea of bananas because they are portable, filling and healthy, thus they make a great snack on the go. They are also cheap, and while I prefer to buy local produce in the season, we’re not quite at the height of fruit season yet and while the berries are plentiful, the cherries require pitting now that Sam has gone ahead and eaten several pits, resulting in a rather uncomfortable night. There’s not much else around yet so supermarket fruits it is. Of course Sam has decided against bananas again.

He ate half of one last week but the rest of the bunch has been sitting in the fruit basket getting riper and riper. I thought about making some smoothies, but of course I never got around to it. I moved the almost completely brown bananas to the fridge and figured I’d make muffins or banana bread. But I was uninspired by the thought of banana quick bread and remembered a recipe I’d seen online for Elvis cake- a peanut butter banana cake with chocolate chips.

I made it last night and it’s fantastic, but the icing was overly sweet. Here’s the recipe slightly modified- I plan on making it again.

Elvis Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
1 cup milk
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2-3 mashed bananas
1/2 tsp banana extract
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips, more for sprinkling on the finished cake

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating just to combine. Stir in vanilla, mashed bananas, and banana extract. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly between two greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Frosting
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 cup of smooth peanut butter.
2 cups of powdered sugar
Up to 2 Tbs milk

In an electric mixer cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth and fully incorporated. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time and use milk to adjust the consistency to your liking. Using natural peanut butter will result in a frosting that’s not quite as sweet but it may be a little grainy.

We went berry picking last week at Linvilla Orchard, a local pick your own that has a wide variety of fruit available throughout the year. Last week was the end of strawberry season, the height of raspberry season, and we missed blueberries, which were closed for ripening after the first of the season were picked out.

This was Sam’s third trip to the orchard- fourth if you count a trip when I was pregnant. Last summer we picked blackberries, tomatoes, and peaches. In the fall we went with a group of friends and skipped the apple picking but we went for a hayride, drank apple cider and walked through the pumpkin patch. Sam remembered the place and kept insisting that he was picking strawberries in the pumpkin patch.

We got there later than we’d hoped and ate lunch at a picnic table before taking the hayride out to the strawberry patch. It was hot and humid and Sam hadn’t had a nap. Ben was strapped to my chest in a wrap with built in SPF. The rest of us were slathered in sunscreen and sweaty. Sam didn’t know where to find the strawberries so I picked up the leaves and showed him how to find them. We got to work with our separate boxes. Sam preferred to “pick�? strawberries from mama and dada’s boxes, transfer them to his box, and eat them immediately. He was soon covered in strawberry juice.

Three quarts (and about a thousand strawberries consumed later) we took the hayride back to the raspberry bushes, adjacent to the parking lot. Sam was still in good spirits but he was tired. The raspberry picking appealed to him because the raspberries were at a good height where he could pick them without bending or searching. He ate a ton and ran up and down the rows before asking to go home. We got about two quarts of raspberries before paying and heading home.

It’s been a week and we’ve consumed all five quarts of fruit. I planned on freezing some of it, but I never got around to it and it was so good we just kept eating it. I’ve been eating granola with yogurt and berries every morning for breakfast and eating berries every time I open the fridge.

A few ideas for berry storage:
Berries should be washed before storing. Rinse them in 3 cups of water mixed with 1 cup of vinegar then run under fresh water from the tap. Drain in a colander. Line a salad spinner with several layers of paper towels and spin the berries until dry.

Store the berries loosely covered at the front of the refrigerator. They are cold sensitive and will last longer.

To freeze, put the berries on a baking sheet in rows so they’re not touching. Freeze, then transfer berries to freezer bags for storage.