Bite Into Summer with a Sweet Activity

As most of you know I usually try to talk about recipes with some nutritional value. Well, let me tell you, summer is here and we are already looking for activities to keep Kidlet busy.  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 one

I gently melted some chocolate (chocolate is delicate and will burn in the microwave if not watched carefully)
We dipped each stick in the melted chocolate halfway, and then dragged a fork down the sides to create the grooves.

Optional:

Sprinkle with sour candy powder

This was an attempt to use up something we had laying around

The more healthy choice would be nuts, Pistachios or Peanuts

Place them in the freezer for 5 minutes only to set the chocolate.

We slipped our sticks into the ends of frozen waffle boxes, they stood up just right.

Camps that whet the appetite, summer cooking camps your kids will love

Another great listing from Edible Magazine... Stone's Soup column.

Summer Cooking and Farm Camps and Clubs for Kids

There are wonderful opportunities around Marin and Wine Country to get your kids out into nature and into the kitchen this summer, learning where their food comes from while getting their hands dirty!

Check out the newest project I am working on, this farm to table camp should be lots of fun at Connolly Ranch.

Dirt to Dine Adventure Camp for Budding Chefs,

Connolly Ranch (in collaboration with Chef Michael

Chiarello of Bottega/NapaStyle)

Napa, ages 5–11

Camp dates August 3–7

Connolly Ranch.

For more on this camp e mail me

What’s Cooking Cooking Classes for Kids

San Rafael ages 6 and up

camp dates - July and August www.whatscooking.info

Slide Ranch Camp, Muir Beach 5 & up June-August www.slideranch.org

Devil’s Gulch Camp Nicasio 6 & up June-August www.devilsgulchranch.com

Children’s Garden Co. Organic Farm Club, Sonoma for the whole family, year round www.childrensgardenco.com

“Eat Draw and Be Merry,” Napa, grades 1-8

call or email for Summer 2009

andrapaints@comcast.net or 707.333.1641

Summerfield Farm Camp, Santa Rosa 4 thru 12 June and July www.summerfieldws.org

Pine Point Cooking School, Sausalito grades 5-10 June–August www.pinepointcooking.com

Operation Chef, San Rafael 7 thru 18 June–August www.operationchef.com

Apple Blossom Day Camp, Sebastopol K-5 June-August 707.823.3463

Sneak Peek at Stone's Soup Corner

Announcing Edible Marin Wine Country Magazine Premiere Issue (drum roll please)

We here in Marin, Napa and Sonoma are thrilled to be contributing to a great new magazine. Read Stone's Soup Corner my kid centric foodie column. See The fabulous cover that Matthew shot, and find out about seasonal foods and recipes. Grab one at your local natural foods store or farmers market, you can always subscribe. We hope you enjoy it!

Because peas are coming into season I changed this recipe to accommodate fresh peas but if you are unable to get them use frozen.

On the searing summer days of my childhood, I spent

long hours outside with other kids, playing hide

and seek, getting dirty, and making mud pies. The

moment we heard the bells of the ice cream truck, our ears

perked up in unison and we raced off to get our ice cream treat.

Now, 30-something years later, I hardly ever see an ice cream

man. Maybe it's because grocery stores today are stocked

with so many more ice cream choices, or maybe it's because

kids play indoors more. Whatever the reason, the summer

school break presents a great opportunity to spend time with

your kids, cooking with them and teaching them about food

and family. It should be easy to entice them into the kitchen

to help create these unique and deliciously cooling Minty

Pea Pops and Veggie Corn Pops.

They may not get to chase

the ice cream man, but they will be having fun, enjoying

their dessert, and eating their veggies, too!

Sweet Veggie Pops

A New Twist On an Old Treat

By Jenifer Carden

Minty Pea Pops

Peas on a Popsicle stick? Just tell them it tastes like mint–chocolate

chip ice cream—but these are not quite ice cream and not quite vegetable.

They are now a staple in our house—a great dessert, snack, or

treat on a hot day. Have your kids help shop for and shell the peas.

You'll love it when your child asks for a Pea Pop!

Makes 6 cube-shaped pops

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup shelled sweet English Peas

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/8 to 1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

6 Popsicle sticks or wooden craft sticks

Place the cream cheese, peas, and sugar in a microwave-safe bowl

and microwave on high for 20-second intervals until the cheese is

softened to room temperature.

Using a blender or food processor, puree these first three ingredients

into a smooth paste. Add the extract and mix again, scraping the

bowl frequently. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Place the mixture into a food grade plastic bag and cut about 1/2 inch

off of one of the bottom corners. Squeeze the puree into an ice cube

tray or mini muffin tin, place 1 Popsicle stick into each serving and

freeze until solid, about 1 hour. You may also spoon the puree into the

molds. Depending on your freezer, you may have to let them freeze for

up to 4 hours. For best results, make and freeze these overnight.

Once the pops are frozen, remove them from the molds by twisting

just like ice cubes. You may need to go around the edge with a warm

knife if you used a muffin tin. Sealed in an airtight container, these

will keep for up to 1 month.

Variation: Sprinkle a layer of graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the ice

cube trays or muffin cups and place the corn puree on top; the result will look and

taste similar to a mini cheesecake on a stick.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

As a kid we always had a small garden, it started out as just a few tomatoes and eventually we had about 6 rows of corn. Being small I always thought the "corn field" was endless, I spent lots of time in there, weeding with my mom. Even though we lived in the suburbs, as a kid I was aware of the farms just a few miles away cultivating delicious veggies (none of which I'd eat as a kid). Growing up in upstate New York there were lots of apple orchards and corn fields to play in we took it for granted.

I have never thought of myself as a gardener although I have have had a few in my time. Matthew suggested we grow food instead of just watering all that grass. So we decided to rip out some of the lawn, it makes sense, how many times have I been caught with out parsley or thyme or an onion, why not expand out little growing area? Now we are older and wiser and have moved the garden to triple the growing space. We have three planting areas other than the main veggie patch, one for herbs, one for squashes and beans and one for tomatoes.

As my daughters tastes grow so does our garden, it all goes hand in hand, the more she tastes the more she likes. Last year we had a nice garden, I let kidlet plant, pick and generally abuse the garden in her own cute way.

Last September I showed you some of our beans and flowers from our small garden.

I think we will have so much food this year, melons, squash, greens, berries, onions, herbs, if we do we can put it in our red wagon and take it to the neighbors. The first photo here is before the rain and the second is after a few days of rain, the garden exploded!

Kidlet loves helping in the garden, sneaking sweet peas and strawberries, and pointing out the good and bad bugs. She has already eaten 5 ripe sweet strawberries, I don't think we will be making a pie!!

You don't need a large patch to grow veggies, even a window box will do. Just grow something for your kids to explore, taste and care for, it gives them such a sense of accomplishment.

You could make a pizza garden by growing herbs and tomatoes for making their very own pizza!

Now when I am stressed I go out to the garden and water, weed or just admire the strength of the emerging plants, maybe that is what my mom was doing in our little garden when I was a kid and just playing in the corn?

Toddler Café Tuesday - Where Glop Tastes Good!

It's Toddler Café Tuesday. Our book has been out about a year now and I thought it was time to start sharing more of the recipes with you, my loyal readers. If you read my blog you know I love to use up the stragglers in my pantry and fridge. This recipe is no exception, have a forgotten fruit cup hanging around? This recipe is so simple and it is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies.

Tropical Glop

Dips are fun and interactive for toddlers. They can scoop it up with cut pieces of veggies and fruit or spread it onto slices of bread.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

8 ounces cream cheese

One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

Two 4-ounce fruit cups, tropical or peach, drained

1/2 cup diced or shredded carrots

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup toasted unsweetened desiccated coconut

Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 20 seconds to soften. Add the fruit, carrots, and salt to the bowl and use a stick blender to blend for 2 minutes, or until combined.

To toast the coconut, place it in a dry sauté pan on medium heat and watch closely. When you see it starting to turn light brown, stir the coconut around constantly to brown the rest evenly. Then pour it onto a plate to stop cooking.

Sprinkle the dip with the toasted coconut. Serve with apple slices, carrot, celery, or pretzel sticks.

Toddler Tip:

Have your child “draw” shapes on their plate using the veggie as a pen and the dip as the ink.

Tool Talk

As a busy working mom I am always looking for ways to cut my meal preparation down.  Even though I am a chef and I love to cook, after a long day of standing around in the kitchen the last thing I want to do for dinner is chop, mince, and  zest. 

These three kitchen helpers are things I love and use almost everyday and make my life easier.

Narrow Measuring Spoons: I love these because they fit into small spice jars easily.  They stay nice looking after lots of uses and nest well.  Trying to get a round spoon into a small jar is not something I need to be wasting my time on.  before I got these, I seemed as if I tried all of my toddler spoons trying to get the spices freed from their jars, not anymore!

Safety Chopper: When my friend Michelle over at What's Cooking suggested this tool for our kids cooking classes I was sceptical. Well, never say never I love this tool!  I distinctly remember saying, "Oh I have knife skills I will never use this in my kitchen." (eating words) Now I use it all the time, not just with my 5 year old but on my own for nuts, onions and so on. The kids do get a kick out of using it and it gives them confidence.  I tell them to wind up and hit it with all their might, the silliness gets everyone laughing and having a good time.

Micro Grater: I use this for everything!!!  This particular one has a long slender surface with small grater holes. Its ordinary purpose is for things like zest or grating Parmesan cheese but I like to use it for things like apples to make "applesauce," and finely grated carrots.  The thing I  love it for the most is grating frozen ginger. I keep chunks of ginger in the freezer for adding to tea and stir fries, it glides easily along the grater when frozen.  I just take the frozen ginger and grate the desired amount right into the bowl or pot give it a bang and all the ginger I need is deposited!!  

When someone in our house is sick they get ginger tea here is how I make it:

Spicy Feel Better Tea

1 mug hot tea temperature water

A few shaves of ginger root (frozen)

2 T honey

1 good squeeze lemon

1 pinch Cayenne pepper (for the grown ups)

Mix and drink.

Toddler Café Tuesday - Put Your Buns to Good Use

It's Toddler Café Tuesday. Our book has been out about a year now and I thought it was time to start sharing more of the recipes with you, my loyal readers. 

With summer on it's way  I thought I'd give you some ideas for leftovers. Last week it was using up all the crumbs in your pantry, this week how to use up buns!  You are sure to have a stray hot dog bun hiding in the back of the fridge after a fun weekend of cooking out. Put it to good use, try this recipe.

Banana Hot Dog

 

In a pinch, a plain old banana can become a hot dog! This is a funny and different way to serve this fruit. Put it in front of your child and watch their reaction. Let your kids help add the “mustard”—it may be messy, but it is sure to get them interested. And it’s a great way to use up your old hamburger or hot dog buns. Serve with banana chips for the ultimate tropical experience.

 

Makes 1 serving

 1 banana, peeled

1 whole-wheat hot dog bun

Jelly

Creamy peanut butter

Place the peeled banana in a bun. Fill 2 zip-top baggies, 1 with jelly and the other with peanut butter. Cut a tiny hole in the corner of each bag, and squeeze out onto the banana as you would mustard and ketchup. Eat and enjoy.

Variations:

•            Add crushed pistachios for a crunchy relish look-alike.

•            Cereal and dried fruit make great additional toppings.

 Toddler Tip:

•            Let your toddler have some fun squeezing out the peanut butter and jelly in crazy patterns on their plates.

 Recipe Note:

•            If you are weary of peanut butter, try soy nut or almond butter for a change.

 

 

 

"I Can Make Can Cakes, Can You?"

I never thought I would, really I didn't. Should I tell you?  OK, while browsing the isles of Whole Foods as I do (really it is for work I just have to spend long hours wandering around the grocery store.) How do you think I get most of my ideas?  Mostly I just walk around in a daze while my brain and eyes take in the plethora of ingredients.

I saw a new product called Batter Blaster, at first I walked on by ignoring it's draw.  It's shiny yellow label, it's tall canister filled with pre- mixed organic pancake batter. My better half knows this is over packaged and that mixing up pancake batter takes all of about... 3 minutes. But on the other hand we are planning to go camping and a spray batter would be so easy!   See where I am going here I really wanted it, and I bought it, and....the family loves it.

I don't think I'd buy it all the time, but for once in a while convince food, I can see it. I do love the idea that kidlet wants to make her own breakfast and with this and some supervision she can. She has named them Can Cakes, I can't decide if that is cute or scary, as long as she knows where the ingredients came from I am OK!

It really is the perfect camping breakfast, you only need a pan, some butter and a spatula to make them.  It would be so great if they could come out with a Gluten Free version so mommy can enjoy them too.

Pros:

These are very easy to make

The batter tastes really good, not overly sweet

The cap and bottle are recyclable

The ingredients are all organic

You can draw cute shapes with it

It makes waffles too

The price is right @ 3.99 for 28 pancakes

Cons:

A bit over packaged

Cakes are pretty light, very airy and less hearty than other cakes.

I have to go to Whole Foods or Costco to get them.

Toddler Café Tuesday - Double Dippin’ Cheese Sticks

It's Toddler Café Tuesday. Our book has been out about a year now and I thought it was time to start sharing more of the recipes with you my loyal readers. 

Do you have lots of little bags of cereal and nuts in you pantry? It drives me crazy when I end up with rolled up bags of crumby stuff taking up room in my already too small snack cabinet.  This "recipe" is a great way to use up all those crumbs you will probably end up tossing in the garbage!

Double Dippin’ Cheese Sticks

 String cheese is not usually a food we need to convince our kids to eat, but this is a fun way to enjoy it. It teaches the kids about different textures, colors, and tastes—and they can double dip all they want! Choose some of the dips from the list below or create your own ideas.  Remember to teach them only double dip if it is your food, not shared!

 

Makes 1 serving

 

1 piece string cheese

 

Choose 4 of the following ingredients:

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon applesauce

1 tablespoon crushed pine nuts, almonds, or peanuts

1 tablespoon crushed tortilla chips

1 tablespoon crushed crackers or goldfish crackers

 

Put the dipping ingredients in separate small dishes on a plate with the cheese. Have your child dip the string cheese into each dish and discuss the different tastes. Take a bite and dip again.

Eating Our Way Through Japan Town

(Again the photos were taken with my phone...)
If I could eat only Japanese food I probably would. One of our favorite things to do in San Francisco is to go to Japan Town it is all things Japanese, between the food and the great products it is a perfect half day trip.  We went to the city to get some items for more exciting bento lunches. We came home with so much more.....
As you can see we have a new member of the pack called Choco Kitty. Sanrio is a dangerous place, I pretty much wanted everything I saw and of course kidlet and hubby did too!  

Hello Kitty travel mugs, Domo everything...even DH was loving it!  As you can see in the photo Choco Kitty is enjoying one of our favorite drinks, tapioca bubble tea, also called Boba Tea. Read about bubble tea in a prior post.
Kidlet had mango @food_is_art and I had Thai iced tea. We love to slurp up the gelatinous balls of tapioca!
Kidlet's favorite lunch place is the Sushi restaurant that has the little boats that float around with sushi on them. I assume the sushi is removed after 10 times around but you never know, it makes me feel like I am living on the edge. It may not be the best Sushi around but the little boats that go around and around are a real crowd pleaser. Kidlet likes Tobiko the little tiny fish eggs, it is pretty hilarious to watch her eat the rice and Tobiko with chopsticks. She does a fairly good job if the chopsticks are rubber banded together!

We saw so much great food that day including these funny fish shaped cakes with fillings like sweet bean and chocolate.  They are cooked on a cast iron molded griddle, they are spongy and only slightly sweet.

The other thing we saw that I really wanted to taste was Spam Sushi, but I didn't. Growing up in a kosher household Spam was not on the menu, so in my adult life I have developed a kind of strange love for all things SPAM. My MIL gave me a can of SPAM one Christmas about 7 years ago, I am still not sure why, maybe she likes the graphic tin too! I do still have it, how long does it last anyway?
The original reason for our trip was to get the bento supplies and boy did we get bento supplies....Egg shapers, soy sauce containers and cute little rice molds.

Keep an eye out for some new bento box posts using our cool new stuff.