Kids Dish

Last night I picked up the turkey, did the grocery shopping and spent a good three and half hours in the kitchen accomplishing… Well, I don’t even know what I accomplished. It doesn’t seem like a whole lot.

I cleaned out the refrigerator and discarded all of the expired condiments. We somehow had a fridge full of salad dressings I’d never buy since I make all of my own. I guess my mother-in-law must have brought them here for some meal or another and forgotten them. I also discarded an ancient jar of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is one of those things I won’t touch unless I’ve made it myself (well, I’ll eat some restaurant aioli, but only sometimes.)

So the refrigerator is cleaned out, the shelves are clean (except for the two drawers that I just didn’t have the energy to deal with) and some of the prep work is done. I still need to figure out how to make the green beans and I haven’t decided if I want to make multigrain dinner rolls or buttermilk biscuits. I bought the stuff for both. I was pleased to see that the turkey (unlike the chickens I’ve bought from the farm) was pretty well cleaned. The giblets and neck were actually detached and stuffed inside the cavity and I didn’t have to scrape out any nasty, gooey innards. Nothing like fresh from the farm animal goo.

The menu:
roasted butternut squash and garlic bisque
turkey
extra stuffing (aunt bea)
mashed potatoes (aunt bea)
cranberry sauce (aunt bea)
roasted potatoes (I have close to five pounds. Will people eat two kinds of white potatoes?)
candied sweet potatoes
green beans
balsamic glazed carrots
rolls or biscuits
cheesecake (mom)
apple pie
chocolate chip oatmeal pecan cookies

Completed prep:
Butternut squash and veggies roasted and pureed
Stock made for soup and stuffing
Onions and celery chopped for stuffing and gravy
Turkey ready to be brined
Giblets removed and liver discarded
Green beans trimmed
Sweet potatoes scrubbed
Refrigerator cleaned
Cookies baked

Today
1. Prepare brine
2. start bread dough? Biscuit dough?
3. make pie dough
4. make sweet potatoes
5. blanch green beans
6. cut herbs from the garden: thyme, chives, rosemary
7. clean up
8. bake bread
9. make herb butter for turkey

Thursday:
1. rinse and dry turkey
2. make stuffing
3. stuff turkey, and start roasting
4. start gravy
5. assemble pie
6. make carrots
7. reheat sweet potatoes and bread
8. finish green beans

I know I’m missing plenty from the lists. I have to set the table at some point and get all of my serving dishes labeled and ready to go. I don’t know if I’ll do that today or tomorrow though.

Epicurious.com is the best place for me to find new recipes. (Allrecipes is great too, but the recipes on Epicurious are just a bit more gourmet, and when I’m hosting ten for dinner, I’d rather err on the side of classy.) Aside from the fantastic search function, where you can search by course, by ingredient, and even by kid-friendliness, you can sort by user reviews. I only ever bother with recipes that have been reviewed multiple times and have high ratings. In many reviews the reviewers post modifications they’ve made and some of the modifications become the standard- in some cases almost all of the reviewers follow the advice of one person and rave about the recipe.

Today’s search was for sweet potatoes. I make sweet potatoes pretty regularly and have cooked them a variety of ways but never for Thanksgiving. The last two years my mother-in-law has made and brought them to my house, but this year I’ve got a good 6lbs of sweet potatoes left from my CSA and I’ve got to use them. Rather than reinvent the wheel (new, interesting recipes got me nowhere last year) I’m going for tradition. I know I don’t want anything with marshmallows on top (yuck!) and I know I don’t want pureed or mashed because my aunt’s bringing mashed potatoes. (I wish I was making the mashed- I have a ton of potatoes from the CSA and I make phenomenal roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Another time.) After browsing by rating for a while I came across two contenders.

Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping and Candied Sweet Potatoes. After reading the reviews, Candied Sweet Potatoes was the clear winner. I’ll make them a day in advance and reheat them while the turkey rests.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Simmer brown sugar, butter, water, and salt, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bourbon to taste. Drizzle syrup over potatoes and bake in middle of oven, basting occasionally, until syrup is thickened, about 1 1/4 hours.

I’m still planning some Thanksgiving recipes. At an outing to Costco to stock up on paper goods (I only buy food there if we’re having a huge party) I ended up buying a 10 lb bag of organic baby carrots. It was a silly purchase, considering I needed 2 carrots for a specific recipe and didn’t feel like stopping at another store to buy a smaller amount, but since I’m having 10 people for dinner on Thursday, so I’m sure I’ll be able to cook through most of the 10 lbs of carrots then.

The question is what to cook? Some people don’t like the texture of cooked carrots and some people don’t like the sweet. I usually make an awesome roasted carrot soup when I find myself overloaded with carrots, but since I’m making the Butternut Squash soup (which only calls for about a cup of carrots) I’m out of luck with that. What I need is a recipe that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the carrot crunch and isn’t overly sweet at the same time. Curried carrots are out, because the apricot glaze is a little much. Balsamic glazed carrots will probably be better. The acidity of the vinegar balances the sugar nicely and they’re not cooked for so long that they get soggy. The last time I made them Sam couldn’t get enough. Let’s hope he still likes them.

Carrots Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar
recipe and photo from epicurious.com

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 1/2 pounds peeled baby carrots or regular carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces, halved lengthwise
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Cover and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Cook uncovered until carrots are tender and glazed, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chives and toss to blend. Transfer to bowl and serve.

This recipe can be made in advance and reheated just before serving if necessary. But it’s also quick enough that you can cook the carrots while the turkey rests which is my plan.

Thanksgiving is only a week away and I still haven’t done much planning. I did decide that this year I’m serving soup. I’ve got 4 butternut squashes, and though they store pretty well they won’t last forever so this recipe should use up at least two of them. Sam seems to like sweet, roasted vegetables so if he doesn’t touch anything else I can set aside some of the veggies pre-puree and he can eat some of them.

Instead of peeling and cubing the butternut squash uncooked, which is a huge pain, I’ll roast all of the vegetables with the garlic. I’ll definitely make this a day in advance so the flavors have time to meld and then if it seems a bit bland I can add extra seasonings. I’m thinking an apple or two might be a nice addition to the soup as well. I may omit the cream since Thanksgiving dinner is heavy as it is. And I made a huge pot of chicken stock the other night in preparation for the holiday. Homemade is almost always superior to canned.

Butternut Squash and Roasted-Garlic Bisque
Bon Appétit | November 2000

2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon olive oil 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to reassemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool garlic in foil.

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skin into small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth.

Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon cream.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sage.

Holy crap, how did Thanksgiving get to be two weeks away? This year it looks like the crowd’s going to be significantly smaller than years past. Right now it looks like we’ll have just about a dozen people, though my brother-in-law and his wife (and baby) usually arrive late and have already eaten Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the day. Not that it stops them from eating more, but they don’t eat as much as everyone else. My mother-in-law is working this year and I’m not sure if my sister-in-law and her fiance will eat with us or her fiance’s parents. The smaller numbers means I pre-ordered an enormous turkey when a large turkey would have sufficed. *problem solved! I called and changed the order and the farm was accommodating*

Aside from the turkey which I already know will be brined, stuffed and roasted, it’s time to start planning the menu. I’d like to keep the menu as local as possible, using vegetables bought from local farms. The potatoes and sweet potatoes should be easy. Pumpkins or other winter squash and apples are also easy. I slacked on preserving green beans, eating them instead, so I don’t have any of those and I know from last year that my family doesn’t love Brussels sprouts. Broccoli should still be available, so that’s an option for a green veggie. Everything else is up for grabs. Cranberries should be around and I know I’ll have no trouble getting local bread for stuffing.

Based on previous years I know there’s no point in trying any new, interesting recipes. No one in my husband’s family cares too much about the sides as long as they are warm, sweet or salty and filling. Last year I tried a few new vegetable recipes and they were practically untouched, so I’ll keep it simple this year. I’m still missing my chest freezer. I don’t know how I’m going to manage cooking in advance with no place to keep everything.

Frugal Mania is trying to feed a family of five for $30 this Thanksgiving. I have a feeling my expenditures will easily quadruple that. It’s a good thing my dad’s bringing the wine!

If you didn’t like any of the other ideas for getting rid of Halloween candy, here’s a few more.

1. Donate the candy to a local children’s hospital or children’s ward. Sick kids miss out on trick or treating and will greatly appreciate your treats. Make some phone calls and see if the hospital will take your donations. You may want to avoid donating candy with possible peanuts so it’s best to call first. Some peanut safe choices include:

Tootsie Rolls
Tootsie Pops
Dum Dums
Saf-T-Pops
Jolly Ranchers (some of the suckers have peanut warning.)
Smarties (like sweet tarts)
Sweet Tarts
Mike n Ikes
Blo pops
Peeps
Kissables (if no shea listed)
Nerds
Hersheys (regular size)
Candy Corn

If you know of any other common candies to add to the list please leave it in the comments.

2. A local orthodontist is sponsoring a Halloween candy buy-back program. Dr. Brogan will pay two dollars for every pound of candy turned in. One dollar is paid to the child and one dollar is paid to Philabundance, a Philadelphia food bank. Your area may have similar programs. Look at your local paper to see what’s been advertised.

3. Support the troops. Whether you’re for the war or against it, American soldiers could use a taste of home. If you’re overflowing with candy put together a care package and send some Halloween cheer. Chocolate may melt before it gets there, so you may want to stick to the interesting lollipops and candy corn. To be honest, I’m not above sucking melted chocolate off of a wrapper when I want it badly enough. A homesick soldier may feel the same way about a melted Snickers.

Halloween candy, what to do with leftover Halloween candy

Last year, despite my bizarre candy system*, we ran out of candy before the last trick or treaters came by. This year, knowing the weather would still be warm and there’d be an extra hour of daylight, I bought an extra bag. Of course we didn’t have nearly as many trick or treaters as we usually do and now I’m left with an obscene about of full-size (for the kids we know) and snack size (for everyone else) candy. What on earth are we going to do with it all? If I can dig up the receipt I’ll return the one un-opened bag, but as for the rest, who knows.

I found a great article about tips for using your extra Halloween candy. Here are some of the good ones.

Peanut butter cups: Mitchell suggests using a double-boiler or microwave to melt Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for a sauce over cake or ice cream. Werner presses the mini cups into the middle of cupcakes or on top of thumbprint cookies (in place of the jam).

Snickers, Baby Ruth, Heath toffee bars, M&M’s and other chocolate candy: There are so many options you may never eat these candies straight up again. Use a food processor to quickly chop bars into bits, then fold them into cookie dough in place of chocolate chips. Or use them to top brownies and other baked bars.

And my personal favorite: Save it for a birthday party pinata.

Maybe I’ll even drop some into my next batch of pancakes. Who needs chocolate chips when you’ve got M&Ms?

*I wrote the following about my candy system last Halloween. At the time I was sad I didn’t stash any candy. Now I know better.

Children with good costumes, handmade or store bought get a few more snack size bars than those wearing street clothes and a hat dressed as a race car driver. Children with good costumes who say “trick-or-treat� usually get a handful of candy. Children under three only get one piece of candy, regardless of manners or costume, because they don’t need all the sugar and their parents and older siblings are going to eat all of the good stuff anyway. Teenagers in their own clothes who say they’re high school students get two year old tootsie pops, classroom prizes I’d originally purchased for a school-wide activity that was cancelled.

Halloween, candy, what to do with leftover Halloween candy

I posted a bit about bento meals months ago, when I wrote about Vegan Lunchbox. I love everything that the mom at Vegan Lunchbox does, only I’m not vegan. I love eating vegetarian meals and I definitely don’t eat meat every day, but I have no interest whatsoever in cutting all animal products from my and Sam’s diet. Then I found something in between.

I seriously just spent more than an hour staring in awe at the Kid Eats group pool on Flickr. Holy Popsicle sticks, Batman, most of those lunches are unreal. What I like about the meals pictured in the Flickr pool is that there’s a total variety. Some moms are vegan and others are vegetarian, but there are just as many moms who pack their kids bologna sandwiches. You’ll see meals where everything’s homemade and healthy and meals that are almost entirely prepackaged. Some of the moms who seem to pack mostly prepackaged stuff use mostly organic, sugar-free, low-sodium snacks. Others pack all cheese-its and m&ms.

What the meals in the pool have in common is that all of the mothers have put some effort into making their kids lunches into something special that their kids will actually eat.

Here are a couple of Halloween-themed meals.

The first is a creepy Halloween lunch with ramen noodle guts, hot dog worms, ketchup blood, sweet potato and maple jack-o-lanterns with some candy on the side. The original photo page can be found here. This mom’s other lunches are awesome.

This preschoolers lunch looks like a great time to eat. It has mini carrots, apples with almond sliver teeth, Shrek cheese-its, jello jigglers with Halloween sprinkles, Halloween candy, fruity cheerios, witches brooms made from pretzel sticks and fringed fruit roll-ups, and peanut butter and fluff sandwiches on wheat cut into pumpkins. The original photo page is here. Again, the mom makes awesome lunches.

I’m sure I won’t say this in a couple of years when I have to, but right now I’m really looking forward to making Sam’s lunches. Since I already make Bob’s lunch every day I may have to invest in a couple of bento boxes now.

I’ll be spending all day in the kitchen, preparing for tomorrow night’s Rosh Hashanah dinner. On Rosh Hashanah we traditionally eat sweet foods for a sweet new year. I’ve got about a dozen people coming for dinner. Here’s what’s probably on the menu

Braised Beef Brisket I have about 9 lbs of brisket divided into four hunks and already cooked one using an America’s Test Kitchen recipe I’ve not used before. I didn’t love it, though I also didn’t add the vinegar the recipe called for since you’re traditionally supposed to stay away from vinegar on Rosh Hashanah. Maybe it would have helped but I’m going back to my old standby recipe for the rest of the brisket. I’ll post the recipe at the end.

Honey Mustard Chicken for the the non-beef eaters. This is incredibly easy to make and has been a hit every time I’ve made it. I use this recipe but remove the skin from the chicken and cut the butter by half. It’s way too greasy as is.

Corn, Tomato and Basil salad. I’ve got a ton of tomatoes from my brother-in-law’s garden to use, corn from the farmer’s market and no shortage of basil from my own garden. This recipe might be okay but based on the reviews I’ll definitely have to modify it a bit.

Green beans. I don’t know how I’ll make them. Roasted maybe, just so I can serve them cold? Or just steam them right before dinner?

Red bean and tomato salad. I soaked the beans thinking I’d use them last night but never got around to it. Another salad with fresh tomatoes might be a nice side

Roasted cauliflower with honey. I don’t have any cauliflower but I’ve been itching to roast some. This recipe from the Expatriate’s Kitchen looks easy and appealing, though I do like the idea of using high heat, like this recipe from the Grub Report calls for.

Apples with honey. Traditional, for a sweet year.

Challah

My aunt’s bringing dessert, but I’m thinking I should buy an apple cake just in case. My mother said she’d bring fruit, but that’s another just in case.

Braised Beef Brisket

5-6 pound brisket
4 onions
4 potatoes (optional)
1/2 pound of baby carrots (optional)
large can beef broth
2 cups of red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325. While heating a large pan on the stove, salt and pepper both sides of the brisket. When the pan is hot, add the oil. After the oil is heated, sear the brisket for a few minutes on each side. While the brisket sears, chop the onions and potatoes and place them with the carrots around the edges of a dutch oven large enough for the brisket, or a deep roasting pan. Leave a few pieces of onion in the middle and rest the brisket on the onions in the middle. Mix the liquid ingredients together and pour over the brisket. Cover tightly and roast for 4 to 5 hours, adding more liquid if necessary.

Remove the brisket when the edges fall away easily when prodded with a fork. Wrap the meat in foil and let it cool completely. Set aside the onions, potatoes and carrots. Leave the gravy in the pan, or if letting the brisket cool overnight, refrigerate. When the brisket has cooled, slice on an angle against the grain. Add three cups of water to the gravy and heat until hot. Pour over the sliced brisket and vegetables in an oven-proof pan and cook for 30 minutes.

recipes, menu planning, brisket, braised beef brisket, Rosh Hashanah dinner, holiday meals, Jewish holidays, sweet new year

What kid doesn’t like ham with pineapple? This dish is especially festive looking with the addition of cherries and is often served at Christmas and Easter.

Baked Ham with Pineapple

1 FULLY COOKED smoked picnic shoulder ham, about 5 pounds
1 can (15 oz) pineapple slices in juice
1/4 c light brown sugar, packed
1/4 c honey
few Maraschino cherries (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on a rack in a baking pan, fat side up. Cover loosely with foil; bake for about 2-1/2 hours (or 30 minutes a pound) until internal temperature registers 140 degrees on meat thermometer.

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 c of juice. Combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, and honey in a saucepan; cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Using a brush, baste ham with about half of the mixture (*). Arrange pineapple slices and cherries on ham. Glaze again. Bake for additional 30 minutes at 325°, basting occasionally.

(*) If you want to skip the honey and brown sugar, many recipes in the South substitute a can of cola.

Kids probably cook more on Mother’s Day than any other day. In honor of moms everywhere - and kids that cook - Kids’ Dish is hosting “The Amazing Mother’s Day Dish Contest!”

From now until May 7, I’m inviting children ages 18 and under to submit their favorite Mother’s Day recipes for any the following categories:

The winning entry in each category will be published on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 13) and the Grand Prize Winner out of all entries in all categories will receive an amazon.com gift certificate for $20. Free money, just like that.

Here’s more info:

1. Entries must be posted in the comments below or sent via email by the deadline.

2. In addition to the recipe, include the following:

3. The contest is open to children age 18 and under. Parents or friends can enter on a child’s behalf, so long as you include the required submission information.

4. If you enter the contest, you agree that I may post any part or all of your submission (your email address excepted) as part of my contest announcements or promotions. All submissions become the property of Kids Dish.

5. Entry deadline is 11:59p.m. EST on May 7, 2007.

6. The winning entry will be determined by me, in my sole discretion. Like Judge Judy, my decision is final.

Good luck!

Mother’s Day, recipes

My kids love breakfast foods but it’s tough to get them to sit down and spend a moment or two enjoying their breakfast. That’s why I was psyched to run across this recipe from Kraft Foods. I made a few changes, but it’s still fairly close to the original recipe. Cute and nutritious! It’s especially appropriate just after Easter when the kids are still thinking about bunnies (of course, my kids are still playing “Jingle Bells” too, but they’re a little odd that way).

8 slices wheat or multi-grain bread
4 tsp. butter, melted
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 eggs
Suggested decorations: 8 green peas, 4 small triangles of red pepper and 8 fresh scallions

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Cut out hole in center of each of 4 of the bread slices with a 3-1/2 inch egg-shaped cookie cutter. Cut each cutout lengthwise in half to make the “bunny’s ears.”

BRUSH remaining 4 bread slices with butter; place, butter sides down, on ungreased baking sheet. Cover each with 1 cheese slice; top with 1 of the bread slices with the hole. Carefully break 1 egg into center of each hole. Decorate each egg with 2 peas for the “eyes,” a red pepper triangle for the “nose” and scallions for the “whiskers.”

BAKE 15 min. or until cheese is melted and egg is set but slightly runny, adding the ears to the oven for the last 5 min. of the baking time. Arrange 2 of the ears at the top of each bunny’s head just before serving.

Vote in our online poll here.

Just curious? You can view simply results here!

We’re big meat eaters at the house - especially pork. How can we not be? My husband’s family is Pennsylvania Dutch/Polish and I’m originally Southern. So, it’s not surprising that around Easter time, dinner necessarily means ham.

Chris and I differ on how we enjoy our ham. He despises anything sweet when it comes to entrees. I love the taste of sweet and salty together. So, this is a simple and delicious recipe that represents my heritage. If you enjoy a honey ham, you’ll love it.

Coca-Cola Country Ham

1 10-12 pound cooked ham
1 liter Coca-Cola

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham in a shallow roasting pan. Baste the ham with Coca-Cola, and allow the extra Coca-Cola to pool at the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover the ham with foil. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes per pound of ham, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Continue to baste with cola about every 30 minutes during cooking.

And if you’re more like my husband, and you want a spicier ham, try this version:

Coca-Cola Country Ham

1 10-12 pound cooked ham
1 cup spicy golden mustard
1 cup brown sugar
1 liter Coca-Cola
fresh black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mix mustard and sugar together and slather on the ham. Place ham in a shallow roasting pan. Baste the ham with Coca-Cola, and allow the extra Coca-Cola to pool at the bottom of the roasting pan. Season with black pepper. Cover the ham with foil. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes per pound of ham, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Continue to baste with cola about every 30 minutes during cooking.

Easter, ham, Southern cooking, Coca-Cola

So. This is what the cake that the girls and I are making this weekend is supposed to look like (as determined by Wilton, who makes the pans). I stress supposed because the girls make lots of interesting color choices from time to time. And frosting the cake with a four year old and a two year old is not terribly easy. Lots of splotches of icing and licking of spoons. But also lots of fun.

Happy Easter!

Easter, cake, Wilton