Chefs Move to Schools, my time at the White House abbreviated

When I was young every night at the dinner table my mom would say, "Would you behave that way at the White House?"She was referring to our manners, it's like we were groomed to sit at a long fancy table with the president and all the dignitaries. We never took her seriously but maybe we should have. Of the three kids I was voted least likely to be invited to the White House, artist, free spirit, and I live in California to boot! My brothers are the "professionals" the doctor, the historian and then there is me, artist/chef. Well I did get invited, my culinary group IACP was invited and I jumped at the chance. I never got to sit at the long table with the president, which is a good thing because my manners are surly not up to par. I did get to be very close to the First Lady though, just close enough to see her beautiful skin.

So a plan was hatched, go to DC, take the family and make a vacation out of it. Life did get in the way, we had a family tragedy, so we diverted to LA and then to DC. This is why I am so behind on my blogging, I have not read any other posts or done much of anything but the everyday regular stuff. I'm going to tell you about DC in an abbreviated form, so forgive the lack of details. If I don't just write something now I never will. I am not going to explain the politics, or how we are supposed to go about this huge task because you can read all of that here .

The Let's Move Initiative was set in motion by Michelle Obama when she planted the White House Garden last year.

This is how it went:

On Friday morning, Sam Kass, White House assistant chef and and Education Secretary Arne Duncan told about 600 of us how we can make a difference in schools at a Share Our Strength breakfast.

After breakfast we all walked over to the White House to pass through, not one, not two but three security screenings. We all had to be pre-screened prior to getting there, I guess they were just checking up on us one more time for good measure.

Once on the lawn we had free regine to walk down to the garden and take photos.

There were photo ops with big cooking celebs like, Cat Cora, Ellie Krieger, Aaron McCargo, Jr. and Anne Burrell, Tom Colicchio, Marcus Samuelsson, and Lidia Bastianich. I think Rachel Ray was there although I did not see her. I was lucky enough to get a photo with Jose Andre

and Tom Coliccho, Carla Hall just to name a few.

Let me set the stage, it's 95 degrees, about 100% humidity, close to 1000 chefs, in whites are bouncing with excitement. Cute as a button the First Lady steps on to the South Lawn and we stand an cheer, soggy as we were! The call to action has been heard and we are motivating, like a small army, different backgrounds, different skill levels but all for the same cause, the kids. Help us get our kids back on track, healthy eating, playing outdoors and the main goal changing school lunches!!

I love this photo of the first lady, she looks like a warrior, the queen of fennel!

(Photo by Marvin Joseph /The Washington Post)

If you are a chef or culinary educator and want to get involved go here and sign up.

For a creative look at Washington seen through the eyes of Renegade Kitchen click here.

SUMMER, IT'S IN THE BAG

It's hard to believe a year has gone by since I wrote my first article for Edible Magazine. I really love writing Stone's Soup Corner, I get ideas from my editor and we form fun stories for our readers. I never know what I will write about until I find out the "theme" of the magazine, and I like it that way. So I hope you have enjoyed reading these as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I also added some fun photos here that were not used in the magazine, so enjoy.

It's a typical summer play date and the kids are in the kitchen eating juicy strawberries we brought home fresh from the farmers' market. They are loving them, drippy and bursting with strawberry flavor–pure joy. At that perfect moment, we hear a dim jingle. As it gets closer, the kids' ears perk up. It's the ice cream truck! They run to the window as he zooms by, the jingle fading away.

Instantly I get two sad looks, big puppy dog eyes that mean "why can't we have that?" I curse that truck under my breath for distracting the kids from a lovely moment with nature and attempting to convince them that treats only come in cellophane wrappers containing gumballs and blue dye.

In that moment I knew I wanted to do something special for the kids. My first thought–let's make homemade ice cream! On second thought–homemade ice cream is delicious, but it does take a long time with cooking the custard, waiting for it to cool, and making sure the machine is frozen or packing the churn with ice and rock salt. Too much time and effort I decided–the kids want instant gratification anyway, the truck is long gone and they now have sugar on the brain. I've lost them. So, I thought, do I use this as an opportunity to talk to them about the importance of knowing where your food comes from and what is in it, or just try to have a good time with them? No one wants to be told that the ice cream truck is a bad thing. Then I remembered that there was a way the kids could actually "hand churn" the ice cream themselves, using a very simple, but delicious, ice cream recipe! So, I say "geez, he always drives so fast down our street, we'll never catch him. How about we make our own ice cream? Let's use those strawberries!"

After all the cheering subsided, I gave each of them an egg slicer and a bowl of strawberries and set them to work slicing while I measured the rest of the ingredients. They would do the actual churning themselves!

This is where we live today, in between two worlds. One full of fresh, natural foods and the other full of processed, manufactured foods. How do we strike a balance, educating our kids in the joys of the summer garden and still allowing them the rush of excitement they receive from the ice cream truck? Making treats like this ice cream at home is a great way to start. It doesn't really matter what you make, what matters is that you are spending time together. Teach them the process of transforming a raw ingredient into a finished dish. That is a gift that will last them a lifetime.

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM . . . IN A BAG

Use any fruit you have on hand. Soft fruits like bananas, strawberries and peaches work best if you want the kids to be able to do the slicing using an egg slicer. This is a great use for all those gallonsized zip top bags you've been rinsing out and saving.

Makes 1 serving

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup organic half-and-half, soy milk, goat's milk or whole cow's milk
1/4 cup fresh orgnic fruit (peeled, diced or chopped, as needed)
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 sandwich-sized zip top bag
1 gallon-sized zip top bag
3 cups crushed ice
1/3 cup rock salt

TO PREPARE

Place the first four ingredients in the smaller zip top bag and seal. Make sure it is tightly closed! You may want to double bag here for extra insurance against spillage.

Place the ice and rock salt into the larger zip top bag and then insert the small bag with the ice cream mix, snuggling it down inside the ice and salt. Seal the large bag.

Once you have assembled the bags, squeeze and knead the bags together until the ice cream has frozen–about 10 to 15 minutes. If you are making this with at least a couple of kids (or even one child and yourself), it is fun to stand across from each other and toss the bags back and forth – gently – to get the "churning" process started. They will need to complete the freezing process with the squeezing and kneading. Once the ice cream is frozen, remove the small bag, wipe off the water and salt, unseal it and eat your delicious, homemade ice cream straight from the bag. No need to even dirty a bowl! (Warning:do not empty salty water onto the lawn, it will kill it.)

FUN FLAVORINGS TO MIX IT UP:

Chopped nuts, fresh cherries, chocolate syrup, chopped basil or mint, almond extract, crushed cookies, mini chocolate chips, shredded coconut, chopped dates, a spoon full of jam or jelly, 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, a spoonful of peanut butter or sunflower butter

Here is a list of some great camps in edible Marin & Wine Country where your kids will learn where their food comes from – and have fun doing it!

Making Faces

Kidlet turned 7 this week, hard to believe seven years have gone by. Most of it has been spent eating, photographing, growing and playing with our food. Kidlet is a good sport, she likes helping me develop recipes and helping her dad take photos of food. (please excuse my non- professional food pictures here) It was four years ago that we started writing The Toddler Cafe and she was just as much a part of it at age three as she is now.

Her dad picked up a very cool gift having to do with food, of course! Food Faces, is a very inventive brand of plate that kids can use to play with their food.

For dinner I made Pork chops with Cherry Balsamic glaze, sauteed kale, steamed broccoli and homemade creamed corn. I was sure she would reject the sauce but she ended up using it as "hair color" and loved it. We also had some potatoes that kidlet helped harvest so I knew she would eat those.

It was one of those tossed together meals, I was trying to use up what I had in the house.

Once she started decorating the plate she was hooked! The only thing left on her plate after was a scrap of food, she ate everything! I was thrilled and she was full. I am very proud of my adventurous eater, she tries anything once and that is all I can ask.

If you can't get a plate like this I suggest buying a few cheap clear glass plates, from the second hand store. Use a Sharpie marker on the back and draw an outline of a face. Turn the plate over and your kids can decorate the face just like we did! Make sure if you draw on a plate it is on the underside so no marker comes in contact with the food. To remove the marker wipe with rubbing alcohol.

Have fun and stay creative.

After spending a week in Portland, at IACP (The International Association of Culinary Professionals) My time was spent with, chefs, writers, cookbook authors, activists, entrepreneurs, photographers, stylists, food historians and many more. I have finally gotten time to digest what I saw, learned and how to put it all to use.

The connections I made are invaluable, it seems as if we all have a mission and a cause and that creates a giant energetic wave that ran through the conference. You could feel the energy and drive from the presenters to the organizers and the participants. Small change, one step at a time is all some of us can do, but when you get almost 1000 of us together there is no telling the outcome.

Not only did we learn from professionals like Michael Rhulman, Ruth Reichl, Brad and Adam Farmerie and Deborah Madison we also got to talk with them and share our ideas, everyone was accessible and open to a conversation. With new friends like Bryant Terry author of GRUB and Vegan Soul Kitchen and Vanessa Barrington author of Heirloom Beans and soon to be released DYI Kitchen how could I go wrong! I met so many amazing people too many to name (you know who you are) I am looking forward to next years conference.

And then there was the laughing...not only did I get a creative jolt at IACP I got a good spoon full of laughs. Us foodies like to have a good time and we certainly did. My friend Dan and I got a little wild but all in good fun. Don't miss his web shows at Renegade Kitchen he's all about cooking for allergies you can get great ideas for your kids on his site. And then there was the eating...Pok Pok with its spicy sloppy noodles and delicious crispy fish was a lunch treat. Higgins was another amazing meal, the food in Portland is fresh, seasonal, handled and grown with care. It showed in all the food we ate that people care and want their product to be the best it can be.

One of the most amazing events I was involved in was Kids Cook for a Cause workshop that the Kids In the Kitchen This was planned by the committee but proposed by Michelle Stern of What's Cooking. Everyone worked incredibly hard to make this happen. Local kids were paired up with IACP members and cooked a great meal of Soup, pasta and turkey meatballs. We sat and ate with the kids, parents and people in need of a hot meal. It was so touching and rewarding and I cried.

So to wrap up here I am inspired and feeling the love from my community. I will be bringing you some recipes soon to inspire you and your kids to be creative in the kitchen.

Summer is Just Around the Corner!

We just announced the dates for our farm-to-table summer adventure camp, called Dirt-to-Dine Adventures, which we created last year in collaboration with Connolly Ranch in Napa.

This year, we are pleased to be offering three one-week sessions in July, available for children who are kindergarten ready through age 11.

Additionally, Connolly Ranch also offers its popular Life on the Farm camps all summer long.

Below is a short description of

Dirt-to-Dine, with full details and registration information available online:

REGISTER HERE TO MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD GETS A SPOT!!

Hope to see your children there!

Dirt Made My Lunch

Dirt made my lunch,
Dirt made my lunch.
Thank you Dirt, thanks a bunch,
For my salad, my sandwich
My milk and my munch 'cause
Dirt, you made my lunch.

Dirt is a word that we often use,
When we're talkin' about the earth beneath our shoes.
It's a place where plants can sink their toes;
In a little while a garden grows.

A farmer's plow will tickle the ground,
You know the earth has laughed when wheat is found.
The grain is taken and flour is ground,
For making a sandwich to munch on down.


A stubby green beard grows upon the land,
Out of the soil the grass will stand.
But under hoof it must bow,
For making milk by way of a cow.

I learned this song last summer at our Dirt To Dine Summer Camp. Before the kids went onto the farm they sang this song with the farm educators and they loved it. Well, we are getting ready for camp again, this summer we are doing three one week sessions in Napa. We have a new web page describing how it all works right here.

A few weeks ago My partners and I held a one day Dirt to Dine event at Frogs Leap Winery. Here is how it went: The kids got to tour the garden, get fresh eggs, study bees and chickens. They chopped, whipped, squeezed, emulsified, baked and sauteed

while and working with Michael Chiarello and myself in the kitchen. We wound up with a Spanish torta, granola, honey lemonade, herbed homemade mayonnaise and the kids served a huge feast for all the parents.

They also left with fresh eggs, granola and a jar of mayonnaise each.

It was perfect.

THE LITTLE DIPPER

SEEDS TO STARS

BY JENNIFER CARDEN

Feeding the birds is a nice thing to do, but feeding your

kids can be even more fun!

If you missed the new Spring issue of Edible Marin Wine Country you can still read my article right here.

Do you remember when you were in grade school

and you made pine cone feeders for the birds?

Picture this—the teacher gave out a paper plate

with a bit of peanut butter that you spread onto a pine cone

and then rolled the whole thing in birdseed. IF it made it

home in one piece, you hung it up in a tree, and, if you were

lucky, the birds came to enjoy it and you got to watch them

feed at your very own creation.

For some, seeds are strictly “for the birds.” I have noted that

this is particularly true for children. Getting kids excited

about any food can be a real challenge, but texture seems to

be a particularly important component in whether a child

will embrace a new food. Kids can be picky about certain

things like large pieces of tomato or onion in sauce, and

nothing can be too gritty, too slimy, or too green—just to

mention a few. Seeds definitely fall into this texture category:

seeds in their bread, on bagels, in rice or in trail mix.

But, it is spring and a time for renewal and attention to

healthy eating. The seed family, which includes nuts, beans

and grains, contains fiber and essential fatty acids which are

vitally important to growing bodies and, especially, brains. In

addition, they can add great dimension and flavor to foods.

To make sure your child is getting his or her seeds, and

liking them too, try making this yummy protein powder to

have on hand to sprinkle over a variety of different foods—

we think it is exceptionally delicious sprinkled on a sliced

banana, drizzled with honey and served with thick Greek

yogurt. They should too!

SEED PROTEIN POWDER:

1 Tbsp. Flax seeds

2 Tbsp. Sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. Sunflower seeds

Grind all three seeds together in a coffee grinder or blender.

May be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

The most nutritious seeds in the world:

Flax Seeds

The protein in flax seeds is easily digested and contains all

the amino acids needed for building a strong body.

Sunflower Seeds

These little gems are packed with nutrients. In fact, they are

considered by many to be the most perfect in nutrients, supplying

all the body’s needs except vitamin D, which can be

easily obtained by standing in the sun. Birds at a feeder will

pick through all the other seeds to get to the prized sunflower

seed. Birds are smart!

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seed oil contains omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids

making them highly nutritious. Pumpkin seeds are also a

great source of vitamin A, calcium and iron.

Sesame Seeds

Sesame seeds contain 19% protein, compared with 13% in

eggs. They are also an excellent source of B vitamins and

other minerals.

Because seeds contain such a large amount of oil, they can go

rancid fairly quickly. Their shelf-life will be extended by roasting

them in the oven or toasting them on the stove top. This will also

change their flavor, however. Additionally, raw is the most healthful

way to eat seeds (and most nuts) because the essential oils in

them may be damaged by the heat. You can tell if seeds are rancid

because they will have an acrid or “off” odor. Try a taste test with

your kids, raw vs. toasted, to see which they like better.

Lil' Dipper

Be a Star and Connect the Dots.

This is a fun way to learn about the stars and eat healthy

at the same time. If you have a peanut allergy or would

just like to try something new, use sunflower butter or

another alternative butter.

YOU WILL NEED:

• A plate with a rim

• Zip top bag

• 1/4 cup peanut butter or sunflower butter, at room

temperature

• 1/2 cup assorted unshelled seeds (sunflower, flax, sesame,

and/or pumpkin)

• Celery or carrot sticks and crackers

Fill the bag with the nut butter, seal and squish down to

one corner. Snip a very small tip off one corner of the bag.

Make dots on the plate in the configuration of the Little

Dipper. (See photo on page 44.)

Have your child use the peanut butter baggie to connect

the dots making a “Lil’ Dipper” shape. Fill in the “ladle”

of the dipper with peanut butter.

Sprinkle the seeds over all the peanut butter lines, letting

him or her decide on the colors and sizes of the seeds they

want to use. Shake off the excess seeds and use the celery,

carrot and crackers to scoop up the seed-y masterpiece!

Recycling is Good, Valentines Treats Revisited

As most of you know I usually try to talk about recipes with some nutritional value. I recently have been talking about healthy school lunches. Well, Valentines Day is upon us and I look the other way for one afternoon. I originally posted this during summer as an activity to keep Kidlet busy, but I have been swamped and thought I'd recycle it for Valentines Day. So remember it is recycled but still fun and easy and not terribly horrible for you, if you eat just one!

Last week I was out shopping and needed a bag of marshmallows. (yes we do make our own marshmallows but not all the time) I immediately grabbed a bag because of the great shape of the puffs inside. The marshmallows were longer and thinner than the ordinary ones from the store. I was pretty excited and was probably muttering to myself about how cool they were. Of course I brought them home with me, I prominently displayed them in a jar to admire them and show off their great lines. The next day Kidlet had a play date and they were looking like they needed something to do so, we came up with these pretty gems.

Here is what we did:

Each child got a paper plate and a few marshmallows. We stuck a lollipop stick in each marshmallow, then gently melted some chocolate (chocolate is delicate and will burn in the microwave if not watched carefully)
We dipped each marshmallow stick in the melted chocolate halfway, and then dragged a fork down the sides to create the grooves.

Place them in the freezer for 5 minutes only to set the chocolate. We slipped our sticks into the ends of frozen waffle boxes. (The gap on the sides where the flaps are glued together.) they stood up just right.
Optional:

Sprinkle with sour candy powder, this was an attempt to use up something we had laying around the house.

A more healthy choice would be crushed nuts, pistachios, almonds or peanuts.

Finally Taking Control

Processed and sugary snacks at school, this topic has bothered me for a long time. A few years ago I met Ann Cooper our local shining star, whose life’s work is to transform how we feed our children in school each day, from highly processed to highly nourishing food. She is so inspiring and hard working and she cares about our kids. Now the government is taking and interest, well let's hope it works. The truth about what our kids are eating in and out of school has had been plaguing me. I believe everything in moderation, we make cake, we eat candy but starting school each day with a healthy nutritious breakfast is key. Most schools have taken away high sugar breakfast foods, but still have highly processed snack foods available. Anne has been working her hardest to change what our kids are putting in their bodies because she knows that kids need healthy food to think and concentrate. If she can feed a district of 10,000 with a tiny kitchen and one stove then it can be done. When all that is required in a school kitchen to make lunch is a box cutter and microwave, something is wrong. Don't even get me started on the physical aspect of what the junk the kids are eating is doing to them. A candy bar and a soda for lunch will not give you nourishment or brainpower.

The reason I bring this up is because yesterday in the New York Times there was an article called, A Federal Effort to Push Junk Food Out of Schools

"The Obama administration will begin a drive this week to expel Pepsi, French fries and Snickers bars from the nation’s schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who get fat during their school years." Finally it is being paid attention to like smoking or drinking....it is dangerous and America is killing itself one bite at a time. The sad truth is that most parents are not leading by example. We can't expect our kids make the right choices if we are not. If you want your child to sit still, to pay attention to be focused try starting with their diet. Our kids are the future and we need to teach them to respect themselves and take care of themselves. The fact that they can buy crap in school is just sending the wrong message. Thank you Mrs. Obama, I appreciate your focus and I hope people will start to listen.

Here are some healthy lunch ideas:

Soup in a thermos is a great healthy warm lunch. Send some whole grain bread and a soup. Add fruit for that sweet ending or child wants more food buy or make organic healthy muffins.

Beans and soups

Can Food Save Your Life?

Dave Grotto thinks so, in his new book 101 Optimal Life Foods he discusses the benefits of eating healthy to stay alert and keep your insides and outside shiny and new.

"For the millions of Americans tired of hearing about 'what not to eat,' this book is a refreshing and enlightening guide to improving your health by adding delicious foods to your diet. Dave's simple explanations for why these foods are potential 'life savers' makes the book enjoyable to read, and the recipes bring the science to life on your plate."—Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Nutrition Director, Prevention Magazine

Dave asked me to submit two recipes to his book and I gladly accepted. One of them is a Cocoa Encrusted Salmon with Blueberries. It was fun trying to pack as many antioxidants into the recipe as I could. Check out the book for more great suggestions. He also has included menus for great skin and alleviating the mid day nap attack.

Here are a few great ideas from this book, who knew?

• Chocolate, tea, and dried plums reduce the signs of aging skin.
• Combining walnuts and cherries can lead to the best sleep of your life.
• Artichoke leaves bring relief from common stomach ailments.
• Oysters can alleviate the effects of crippling migraines.
• Wasabi helps treat bad breath.

So check my recipes and try some out, maybe your kids will like them too.

HAITI RELIEF EFFORT

DONATE FOOD TO HAITI NOW

Nu Skin's Force For Good Mission Help earthquake victims in Haiti with a VitaMeal donation -- all VitaMeal purchases through the end of the month will be directed to disaster relief in Haiti. Already, 6,000 bags are ready for immediate shipment. VitaMeal is a nutrient-dense rice and lentil preparation that will provide nourishment during this difficult time.

You may need my ID# US9663231 to donate

Malnourished children are missing KEY NUTRIENTS in their diets, which can hinder brain, bone, and immune system development. Most humanitarian food aid is grain, such as corn, which may lack certain essential nutrients for HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT.

VitaMeal is SPECIALLY FORMULATED FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN or family use

VitaMeal is vegetarian and non-dairy, and allows for the easy addition of ingredients to fit every taste and culture. Each VitaMeal package contains 30 child-sized meals, or enough food to provide a child with one nutritious meal each day for a month.

VitaMeal provides:

· A balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber

· Essential fatty acids required for normal brain development, skin health, and immune defense

· Electrolytes necessary for maintaining normal fluid balance and muscle function

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nutrients for normal growth and skeletal development.