Growing Up Gourmet

Baby Barnes Gets Gifted!

2010-01-21T17:26:00.000-08:00

It's so exciting to be a mom-to-be!

Of course, I am surrounded by kids and moms every day, sharing my love for healthy kitchen fun in schools and homes throughout LA. But somehow everything feels just a little bit different now as I make my way into the final month of pregnancy. I find myself looking at the world of baby and mommy gear in a whole new light!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of experiencing the Boom Boom Room celebrity gifting suite, presented by Jayneoni and promoted by Melissa Rappaport and Mikey Glazer. The Kitchen Kid team met fabulous vendors and sampled innovative, chic, and beautifully designed gear for every mom and mom-to-be!

Our favorites..
...The beautifully knit and comfortable baby sling from Serene Sling. Despite my baby bump, I loved testing it out with the 8lb teddy bear! The fabric is lovely and immacuately designed and developed by a 90 year Japanese man!

...Bright Starts' InGenuity automatic bouncer that features the softest fabric and yes, an ingenius bouncing mechanism that mimics mom's natural movement.

...Reusable pocket diapers by Happy Heinys that are soft, eco-friendly, economical, and adorably cute! They are even "dad approved", something my husband will no doubt appreciate when he begins to change BB's diapers 10 times a day!

...Go GaGa's gondola diaper bag is ideal for the active, busy, and practical mom and dad. The ergonomic, sleek design holds everything from the included changing pad to a 14" laptop, and features two insulated side pockets for water or bottles.

...We also loved the piggy knee pads for crawling around the house, made by Bare Bottoms. Audrey, our 11 month old tester loved them so much she tried to escape and make a 'crawl for it'. Fortunately we just followed the oinks!

Other great finds included the lovely Baby Silk lotions for moms and babies from MD Moms, which were a huge hit with Kitchen Kid's non-mom legal team! We also liked the made-from-corn silverware and organic baby toys from Dandelion earth friendly goods. I can't say I look forward to recovering from childbirth, but I am looking forward to wearing the Abdomend to help me get my jeans back on quickly! Kitchen Kid's art director loved the non-toxic Treasure Dough filled with hidden goodies. The stylish diaper clutch from the Patchwork Bear boasts the most colorful and fun designs. And Baby Audrey just loved playing in Red Mohican's gym box.

Many, many thanks to all who sent us home with these fantastic goodies!!! Just a few weeks until Baby Barnes arrives, and then I can actually put our awesome gifts to use!

A Tasty Tribute to Sheila Lukins

2009-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was filled with great sadness upon reading that Sheila Lukins had passed away this week. She was 66, and had been diagnosed with brain cancer just 3 months ago.

Lukins' most famous cookbook, the best-selling and hugely influential Silver Palate Cookbook, sits prominently on my bookshelf, an original edition "borrowed" from my mom. Its pages are dog-eared and worn; hand-written notes from the early 80's fill the margins.

Tonight, a few friends will gather at my house for dinner and to watch Top Chef. I've been contemplating what to make... and now, having read Lukins' obituary, it seems only too obvious.

The always delicious and timelessly classic chicken marbella.

Fortunately, Lukins' recipes are forgiving and adaptable, as I'll have to make some changes. I won't have time to marinate it overnight, which is a marbella essential. And, since it's nearly noon and I haven't gone grocery shopping, I certainly won't have time to follow my mom's notes from 1983: "better warmed over next day. Very good at room temperature." (And speaking of mom's notes, I wonder if prunes will still be 32 cents... as she has fastidiously penciled-in.) no doubt, when my oven is set to 400 degrees for an hour in this smoke-filled Los Angeles heat, I'll certainly wonder why I didn't fire up the grill instead.

But, as we sit down to watch America's future culinary leaders compete for the title of Top Chef, I really can't think of any better way to honor such an influential cook who transformed America's palate during the last three decades. A scrumptious bite of moist chicken, salty olives, and sweet, melt-in-your mouth prunes is the tastiest tribute I can image.

Eating-In on Labor Day

2009-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Are you attending the National Day of Action to Get REAL FOOD in School Lunch?

You should!!

And chances are, there is a local Eat-In happening in your community.

The Time for Lunch Campaign is a national project sponsored by Slow Food USA, to encourage support for dramatic change to the Child Nutrition Act, which is up for re-authorization by Congress this fall. Rather than feeding kids USDA commodities (tator-tots and canned corn), Time for Lunch is built on this comprehensive platform:

1. Invest in children's health.

2. Protect against food that puts children at risk.

3. Teach children healthy habits that will last through life.

While encouraging President Obama and Congress to

1. Give schools the incentive to buy local.

2. Create green jobs with a School Lunch Corps.

You can read the complete platform here.

Show your support for changing the way American school children eat lunch, by sharing good food with new friends at an Eat In this Labor Day. A map of national locations is available here.

At the very least, sign the petition to get REAL FOOD in school lunch. They are searching for 6,000 more signatures before September 7.

LIVE, from Santa Monica TV!

2009-08-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Kid on CityTV Santa Monica from Kitchen Kid on Vimeo.

Kitchen Kid TV!

2009-08-19T18:25:00.001-07:00

Santa Monica residents... don't miss the chance to see Kitchen Kid on TV!

Four adorable young chefs have a blast cooking up quiche cupcakes and rainbow salad. But in the kids' own words, the best part of class is "eating!"

The show, Get Out! airs daily at 11am, 5:30pm, and 10pm on Channel 16 and 99 in Santa Monica.

We will also be posting the segment here, and at kitchenkid.com soon.

Farmers' Market Iron Chef Challenge!

2009-07-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Kid Summer Camp is deliciously underway at the First Presbyterian Church Kitchen in Santa Monica! The highlight of each week includes a farmers' market field trip and Iron Chef Challenge.

Week one: Peaches! The kids were inspired by the market's sweet, juicy, and freshly picked peaches. Tasting many varieties throughout the morning, kids brought back pounds of donut, white, and bright yellow peaches to cook up:

~Peach Gazpacho

~Flank Steak Sandwiches with Peach Chutney

~Arugula Salad with White Peaches

~Peach and Nectarine Crisp

Week two: Summer Squash! Zucchini is in abundance, and the kids met this challenge in true Bobby Flay and Cat Cora fashion. After an introduction to the market by Dara Adler, Education Coordinator for the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, the kids hit the stalls with all five senses. Tastes included citrus fruits, avocados, fruits, figs, honey, and pistachios! Persian limes and wild strawberries were new discoveries for these eager chefs.

Back in the kitchen, Farmers' Market Coordinator Laura Avery joined us while the kids created a zucchini feast! We enjoyed:

~Zucchini Risotto

~Curried Zucchini Couscous

~Baked Zucchini Fries

~Grilled Vegetable Paninis

~Zucchini and Market Veggie Mini Frittatas

~Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs

~Zucchini and Ricotta Farfalle with Herbs

~Warm Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Freshly Whipped Cream

Next week's camp theme is All Day Buffet, so we'll be cooking up breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! And look for us Wednesday at the Farmers' Market for another great culinary adventure.

A Summer Angelenos Can Be Proud Of

2009-06-10T15:39:00.001-07:00

No sooner did I walk out of my doctor's office, boasting my healthy ways, and proudly admitting "I don't eat junk food" did I find myself staring at my guiltiest pleasure in the world.

Unfortunately that was at Costco. And now my family has the daunting task of eating 24 ounces of these:

Our 4th of July picnic can't come soon enough.

This is the quintessential chip of my childhood. These crispy, light, perfectly salted chips taste of beach picnics, BBQ's, and poolside lunches. Each bite is filled with memories of salty summer air, from dockside picnics with Food Buoy sandwiches in Woods Hole, to birthday parties at Amelia's house in Cambridge, and fresh mozzarella and Kathleen's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies at Kate's in Bridgehampton. These are the chips of good friends and great memories. The chips even filled our guests' welcome bags at our wedding last summer. And that was no small feat. We got married in Utah. (Indeed, as the boxes of chips arrived on my mom's doorstep, shipped dutifully from my mother-in-law straight from Hyannis, I began to ponder my life as a bootlegging importer of all things delicious.)

I've lived in LA now for 4 years. And each year I wonder, desperately, "how on earth will I make it through another summer without my beloved Cape Cod Potato Chips"? If they can import water from Fiji to every continent around the globe, and turn San Francisco sourdough into an American staple, why, on earth, aren't Cape Cod Potato Chips sold in SoCal!?

Thus, every summer I return to the East Coast for weddings and reunions, each time happily gorging on Cape Cod Potato Chips from the moment I land at Logan. (Eventually, I eat so many chips it seems like a good thing they aren't sold in LA.)

But that's all about to change. Armed with 24 ounces of my favorite summer snack, this summer I'll be making new memories, one crispy chip at a time, right here in sunny Santa Monica.

May...?

2009-06-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Indeed, that month is inexplicably missing from my recent blog posts. But I assure you, it wasn't for lack of activity. Just a massive lack of time.

In May... Kitchen Kid took it's first official vacation, and I found a terrific new culinary coach to teach my classes while I was gone. We spent a week in St. Barth's celebrating our good friend's wedding. A Caribbean island with French flare, the food in St. Barth's was incredible. Mahimahi tartare, beef carpaccio, lightly grilled squid with intense aioli. All over looking a sparkling blue sea in 85 degree sunshine.

In May... we had a Sunday Funday BBQ for my birthday and served Gourmet Magazine's Ancho and Cocoa Carne Asada for the nine-hundredth time since it appeared in the March magazine. Copy down this recipe and cook it tonight. You too will make it nine-hundred more times in the next 2 months. Yes, it really is that good.

In May... Kitchen Kid was touted in Pregnancy Magazine for helping Charlie Sheen's daughters, Sam and Lola, make personalized lunches and mash their own guacamole at the baby shower for his new twin boys, hosted at Adrienne Maloof's home.

(photo courtesy Spantman Photography)

In May... I was filled with energy, excitement, and enthusiasm after hearing Alice Waters speak at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. It was a true pleasure to meet her and be part of an audience filled with encouraging hope. Moreover, I was blown away by 16-year old Sam Levin who spoke with the charisma, professionalism, and ease of a natural-born orator committed to the belief that "better school food is not a privilege, it's a right". He kinda stole the show. The message of the night: edible education is essential to raising healthy, happy children.

In May... we were VERY busy teaching our Classroom Cooks After School Enrichment Programs. Books for Cooks was taught at Camelot Kids Preschool in Silver Lake, and Grant Elementary and Edison Elementary in Santa Monica. We were also piloting our Global Eats enrichment class at Webster Elementary in Malibu and Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica. Some of our newest recipes include Thai spring rolls and handmade tortillas. Delish!

In May... I went to Palm Springs for my oldest friend's bachelorette party. Good food, good fun, good friends, and great stories -- but not really for Growing Up Gourmet!

In May... we went camping at Boulder Basin Campground in the San Jacinto Mountains, and gorged on campfire food. Really, isn't car camping all about the food? Still dreaming about St. Barth's, I stuck a Trader Joe's pre-marinated frozen mahimahi fillet in the cooler. By the second day it was perfectly defrosted, and wrapped inside some foil and set on top of raging campfire grill, came out beautifully flaky.

In May... my mom came to visit from Park City to celebrate her birthday! She requested a second-annual birthday trip to Pizzeria Mozza, which I was all too happy honor! Dining on the chicken liver bruschetta, tomato & burrata salad, and pizza with English peas, cream, and guanciale has simply got to be the best way to grow another year older.

What a relief, May is finished! On to June!

What's Growin' On Around Town

2009-04-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

I was pretty excited when SlowFood LA announced yesterday that Alice Waters would be speaking about edible education and school gardens here in Santa Monica on May 19. The event, which benefits Canyon Charter School will include a presentation, book signing, and Q&A with Ms. Waters and 15 year-old Sam Levin, who founded a sustainable garden for his public school in Western Massachusetts.

Tickets and complete information available here.

Watch a sneak preview of Alice's new book, The Edible Schoolyard, a Universal Idea:

AND

Get your edible garden groove on the weekend before the celebrated Berkley chef comes to town, with Gardens of Gratitude's 100 Garden Challenge! The goal: plant 100 victory gardens and transform LA's Westside to an edible paradise of fruits, berries, nuts, veggies and flowers!

For more information about Gardens of Gratitude, and to find out how to participate in the event May 16-17, visit the 100 Garden Challenge, here.

I can't think of a more perfect activity do with young foodies, eco-friendly families, and anyone Growing Up Gourmet!!

Foodie Family Wife Swap

2009-04-22T17:48:00.001-07:00

Want to swap lives with a junk-food-gorging, TV-dinner-feasting, un-foodie family? Here's your chance!

I occasionally get contacted by casting producers about upcoming shows featuring kid chefs. (I can't wait to actually see one on TV...)

Most recently, this came across my desk:

CASTING SEARCH:
Kid Chefs and their Families!

Casting Directors for ABC TV’s hit reality show, “Wife Swap,” are now conducting national searches for fun, dynamic, outgoing and interesting families to star on Season 5 of “Wife Swap”.

· Do you have a child that’s a chef?
· Do you consider yourselves Foodies? Do your kids like to prepare and eat exotic foods?
· Would you like to share your passion for gourmet food with another family?
· Would you be excited about the chance to change the life of a deserving family or improve your own?

If so, we’d love to consider you for prime time!!!! In order to apply you must have at least one child between the ages of 7 and 17.

To apply or get more information contact us today:
(TEL.) 646 747 7947
(EMAIL) jessica.jorgensen@castingrdf.com

And please be sure to mention Kitchen Kid!

FEATURED FAMILIES RECEIVE $20,000

What I want to know: what kind of food does the other mother feed her family?

White House Hosts Kids Kitchen for Easter

2009-04-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Easter was all about... get ready... kids in the kitchen. Okay, there may have been an egg roll and some food dye. But with the theme "Let's Go Play!" that emphasized physical activity and healthy eating habits, the Kids Kitchen activity station really took the cake.

White House executive chef Cris Comerford demoed healthy recipes for kids, and celebrity chef Jose Andres was accompanied by his daughters for a hands-on demonstration of gazpacho and mini olive pancakes.

Kids who attended the event donned presidential paper toques and made fruit lollipops.

Complete coverage of this exceptional event can be found only at Obama Foodorama. Pictures courtesy Obama Foodorama.

No, Thank YOU!

2009-04-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Awwww. Two of the best thank you notes I've ever received. My favorite part was that after Natalie gave me the card, she quickly took it back to add "it was the most fun party ever!".

And how about Alexandra's note. Is it cuter that she signed it "with cooking skills," or that she may be the first 8 year old ever to illustrate an immersion blender? And by the way, we did "do it again". Alex celebrated her last 2 birthdays cooking with Kitchen Kid!

Cooking: Not Just for Mom & Dad

2009-03-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

Still looking for more reasons to get cooking with your kids???

Our friends at gastrokid.com posted a great Top Ten today. (Perhaps the introduction to their forthcoming book?)

My favorite is right in-line with Michelle Obama's remark last week.

1. Feed Them Perfect Produce
Buy the best, ripe, in-season, local produce you can find, whether at a grocery store or farmer's market. Asparagus in spring to teach your kids the essential less of eating seasonally and locally. Strawberries in summer. Apples in fall. Citrus in winter.

Perfection. Perfection. Perfection...

Read the rest of Gastrokid's Top Ten here.

In These "Difficult Economic Times", Save-Up for the Dentist

2009-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

It sounds totally crazy to me that candy stores are reporting sales that are up by as much as 80%. And that candy makers, like Nestle, Cadbury, and Hershey are seeing double-digit increases in sales and production.

People complain about the rising cost of food and paying too much for a dozen cage-free eggs, but they are perfectly willing to walk into NYC's Dylan's CandyBar and pay $3.85 for a small bag of gummy worms. I love those things, don't get me wrong. But that's $12 for a pound of high fructose corn syrup in it's chewiest adaptation yet.

They say that the Three Muskateers, Mars Bars, and Wrigley gum kept people smiling throughout the Great Depression. Maybe so. But I want to know, who had a bigger house come 1942? The guy who spent his last few dimes on a Tootsie Pop, hoping the sugar high would melt away his worries? Or the guy who bought his family some bread, hid his extra coins in a piggy bank, and waited for the government to bail out AIG and GM?

A Victory for the Victory Garden!!

2009-03-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited!

When was the last time the First Lady and President of the United States actually acted on something you were totally and completely passionate about? I mean, an issue you've read about, petitioned for, fervently supported, and written about? Yeah, it feels pretty darn good!Oh, and the icing on the already sweet cake? (Or rather, sugar beets to top the arugula?) Local elementary school children will be hoeing, sowing, and watering these seeds of change. Fitting, as Mrs. Obama recently noted,

“When you grow something yourself and it’s close and it’s local, oftentimes it tastes really good... And when you’re dealing with kids, for example, you want to get them to try that carrot. Well, if it tastes like a real carrot and it’s really sweet, they’re going to think that it’s a piece of candy. So my kids are more inclined to try different vegetables if they’re fresh and local and delicious.”

Sustainable foodie Bloggers are all abuzz with the latest news about the Obama's vegetable garden on the White House lawn. Get the full scoop here in the New York Times or here in the Washington Post. Inspiration is growing already. Families can now get planting with the list of "10 Easy-Grow Veggies for Your Kids' Obama White House Garden".

A Day for a Dog

2009-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. Today I ate a hot dog. I haven’t done that in like, oh, maybe forever. That’s because I don’t like hot dogs. Of course, I love the idea of eating Fenway Franks and Dodger Dogs as much as I love baseball itself, so it’s not without great shame that I forgo the American icon and order a pretzel at the ballpark. My aversion to the hot dog was a particular disadvantage as a child (back then, I didn’t like peanut butter either). So when lunchtime came at a friend’s house, I prayed for grilled cheese! But today, I ordered a slender, gently steamed hot dog wrapped in a delightfully airy bun. The Wonder Bread kind that is stark white and packed with more bad carbs than you can count. And I drenched it with yellow mustard and watery green relish squeezed from tiny plastic pouches. I liked it. In fact, I may have liked it a lot.

But wait. That’s not all. I have another confession to make.

I also ate a bag of Cheetos. This may not seem like such a big deal either, but if you know me, and you know my philosophy towards food, you know I’ve been railing against Cheetos now for a long, long time. Even before I began my cooking school, Kitchen Kid, I made Chester the Cheetah the scapegoat for all things bad in our nation’s children’s diet. But the hot dog “deal” (it was $6.99) came with a bag of chips, and when that dashing cheetah winked at me from behind his seductive black shades, I figured what the heck. I’d already crossed over to the dark side with the hot dog, there’d be no going back. In minutes my fingers were stained neon orange – the telltale mark of a Cheeto fanatic -- and I was in some kind of junk food euphoria. They were so good I had a hard timing sharing just one. It wasn’t until my family threatened to take a photo of me gorging on those crunchy bits – blackmail for the next time I blogged about the sins of the Frito-Lay company – that I realized just what I was doing. I had suspended my idealism about what food should look like, how it should taste, where it should come from, and what it should be made of. I was eating like the average American kid.

Let me back up.

My in-laws are visiting from New Hampshire, and we decided to spend the day at Universal Studios after my mother-in-law got wind that Terri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman would be filming on Wisteria Lane. And like everyone else who goes on death-defying 4-D rides and moves through lines at a sloth’s pace, we got hungry. As anyone who has ever been to a theme park, or a ball park, or a mall, or an airport, or a road-side rest-stop knows all too well, our options were far from healthy. Pepperoni pizza. Romaine lettuce swimming in dressing. Cinnabon. Chicken fingers. Hot dogs. Cheeseburgers. Churros. Cotton candy. But I anticipated this! I had been toting around a granola bar, some peanuts, and a bottle of water in my purse, waiting for this very moment to strike. But what was I going to do, nibble my organic snacks while my family ripped into a heart attack of saturated fat? It was while I surveyed my predicament -- my devotion to kids’ healthy cooking, the growing movement to bring an organic garden to the White House lawn, and a genuine concern for the future of our national food supply – that my craving for a hot dog overcame me. That’s when I ordered up 6 inches of “all-natural” beef and some MSG laced “cheese” puffs. They didn’t tell me the $6.99 combo deal came with a side of guilt.

But, um, I wasn’t that guilty. Really. It’s probably been, I don’t know, 5? 10? years since I last ate a Cheeto. Maybe a lifetime since I finished a hot dog. And while I wouldn’t choose to eat this way every day, (like many school children in cafeterias across America -- schools may ban soda, but bags of chips have been for sale at lunch in every school at which I’ve worked) today I learned it didn’t kill me.

Even as Wal-Mart markets its new line of organic produce, sustainable eating is still considered an expensive luxury fit only for the Prius-driving culinary elite. It shouldn’t be. (And considering the prices of theme park food, I honestly believe healthy food is accessible to all.) But those of us who live and preach the world of healthy, sustainable, deliberate eating sometimes forget that it’s okay to have a little transgression here and there. We spend a lot of time at Farmers’ Markets, turn our noses up at ingredient lists cluttered with preservatives, and have been known to walk down grocery store aisles like a great-grandmother listening to rap music -- totally aghast at the products for sale. Just last week my mom, recently diagnosed with osteoporosis and determined not to let the disease get me, handed me a chocolate calcium “chew” and ordered I eat one each day. “But mom,” I cried reading the label, “These are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and dyes. Why would I EVER get my calcium that way?!”

Today I ate a little outside my comfort zone, and not only did I learn something from it, I found I liked it a tiny bit, too. The culinary elite could take a page from this. Rather than pine for local bok choy, dreaming of watching kids run around school gardens instead of the Simpsons ride, and judging the families wearing “All You Can Eat!” passes around their necks, once in a while it’s okay to embrace the experience and culture of being an American kid and lick orange Cheeto crumbs from your fingers.

Cute as a Caterpillar

2009-03-18T10:20:00.001-07:00

Kitchen Kid was delighted to be a part of the Storyopolis community on Saturday! The delightfully inviting bookstore is a perfect place to curl up with good children's book or enjoy their wonderful weekly activities including story hour, yoga, and chess! Check out the staff's favorite reads each month and meet the Storyopolans themselves.

A special thanks to Theresa for organizing our terrific Very Hungry Caterpillar event! We were thrilled to see over 30 children designing chef hats, munching on just-made caterpillar snacks, and decorating butterfly treats that were ever so sweet!

Click here to download a copy of our Hungry Caterpillar and Beautiful Butterfly Recipes!!!

A VERY Hungry Caterpillar

2009-03-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar is turning 40...
and he is VERY hungry indeed!

Come celebrate this special anniversary with us at Storyopolis!

Enjoy story time, decorate chef hats, and cook up fun!
We'll be making tasty butterfly treats and crunchy caterpillar snacks.

Join Us!

Saturday, March 14
11:30 am
Storyopolis
14945 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks

School Food That's Worlds Away

2009-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Oh to be a kid in Paris. To play along the banks of the Sienne and wander in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. To ride the carousel at the Jardin du Luxembourg and play peek-a-boo in the narrow streets of the Marais.

And to eat cauliflower gratin, braised lamb with rosemary, and stinky soft cheese. For lunch. At preschool. As reported Monday on NPR, this is precisely the kind of menu served at the 270 public day-care centers throughout the city. Along with homemade applesauce, local and organic produce, and even tomato garnishes in the shape of a rose.

Sign me up. These kiddos even get an afternoon nap. It would be erroneous to pretend our country's culinary heritage is even remotely in line with the French. And yet I can't help wish our national conversation was about feeding school children asparagus instead of the newly developed peanut butter recall widget:

FDA Product Recall List

Was it by coincidence that just days after NPR's story about school-foodie paradise, the New York Times today featured an op-ed by Alice Waters? She implores Washington to do away with the National School Lunch Program, the inefficient and unhealthy emphasis on government commodities, and the school food that hardly constitutes food at all. Calling our current lunch program a "junk food distribution system", Ms. Waters suggests a complete overhaul that would cost about $5/child for wholesome, nutritious, and freshly-cooked school food. (A bit more than the $2-$3 per child cost as noted by NPR in this story, and one that appeared in July, where the French chef serves 800 high-schoolers ingredients from within just 30 miles of the school in Salon de Provence.)

A tasty proposal that sounds tres bien to me.
Meanwhile, gourmet food isn't the only thing the French are serving up. Cookbook author Deborah Madison spent some time in France's lunchrooms, observing not only what was on the menu, but how it was dished up: in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere, with a 2 hour lunch and exercise period, on real plates with real silverware, and in a comfortable, nurturing, colorful "cafeteria". Her report is available here, at culinate.com.

Since I work in schools teaching cooking to children, and see the enthusiasm and curiosity parents, kids, and educators have displayed for our exploratory culinary curriculum, I think there is a possibility that our school cafeterias may begin to look more like France's. But without the kind of sweeping change Ms. Water's demands, with cooperation, funding, and support from bureaucratic entities like the Departments of Agriculture and Education, as well as a commitment by local school districts, I worry it won't happen any time soon. And in California, where public schools are again taking a multi-billion dollar budget cut, I worry even the most well intentioned schools will struggle to serve up something good.

Mr. Kass, head to the kitchen. It's time to get to work.

Oh, Trader Joes

2009-02-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

For better or worse, I find myself at Trader Joe's at least 3 or 4 days each week. Sometimes I think I'm there enough to pick up a few part time shifts. While I'm shopping. They wouldn't even need to train me -- I'm pretty sure I know all the secrets. Like that Thursday evenings are the quietest nights, and Wednesday around noon is the calm before the storm. Or that the fastest checkout line is always on the far right. Or that parking on the street is a good option if more than 5 cars are waiting at the side entrance -- unless it's street cleaning. Which is 11-1 on Friday. I know that TOS means Temporarily Out of Stock, and that too often the product that's TOS is exactly what I need. I know that they recently discontinued dried mushrooms, and that one year ago they stopped making a chocolate-hazelnut spread that beat Nutella at its own game. I know that fresh squeezed Florida orange juice for $2.99 is the best price you can find on quality orange juice, anywhere, that the $4.99 Pizza Parlano is the best way to fill your freezer for nights you absolutely can't cook, and that their St. Andre brie is a delicious bargain... so long as you don't eat it all on the car ride home.

My list could go on. And on. And on. My kitchen is a walking Trader Joe's. In fact, when I cash in my Skymiles this summer, I'll have Trader Joe's to thank. Exclusively. That's how many times my Amex is swiped at my favorite grocery store.

Ahh... the trials and tribulations of a cooking teacher and avid home-cook.

At any rate, thanks thumbbook, for sharing this video with me.

If you don't shop at Trader Joe's quite as often, this video may not excite you. You'll probably think it's a bit odd. My husband did. But for me, all to familiar with things "you can't find anymore"... the mini coffee samples before noon... the friendly staff... the "strange little snacks you end up buying instead"... the bananas for 19 cents,... and yes... "the cars that don't fit in the parking lot", for me, this video really made me chuckle. A lot.

Not to Be Picky...

2009-02-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

The other day I was reading Oliver's Fruit Salad to hungry tot-chefs in my Kindergarten Books-for-Cooks class at Franklin Elementary School. The story is about a boy named Oliver, who -- having recently helped his grandpa harvest juicy grapes and delicate pears from a backyard garden -- refuses to eat the fruit his mom serves for breakfast. Nothing from a can, thank you very much. No jams either. And please, no juice. So off Oliver and his mom go to the supermarket, where they ooh and ahh at fresh fruit from pineapples and melons to oranges and apples. At home, mom empties the grocery bags onto the kitchen table.

"Now," said Mom. "You can eat an apple. Or a pear. Or a plum.
It's not in a jar or a can. It's all fresh, so help yourself."
Oliver shook his head. "No thank you," he said.
"I just helped Grandpa. I didn't eat any of the fruit. I don't like fruit."

Sound familiar? Sure. The very particular mandates and quid-pro-quos of a picky eater.

Perhaps you know one. Perhaps she prefers her noodles plain with a touch of butter and as much cheese as you'll allow -- NO SAUCE, EVER! She likely prefers her carrots raw and PLEASE DON'T LET THEM TOUCH THE CHICKEN FINGERS! Perhaps she'll begrudgingly eat her peas, but ONLY with a side of promise… of chocolate decadence cupcakes and vanilla ice cream. Your picky eater might even prefer, in fact DEMAND, frozen dino nuggets over your labor intensive, free range, organic, perfectly cooked famous chicken dish.

That afternoon I asked the kids in my class if they happened to know any "picky eaters" like Oliver. Lacey -- who just last week meticulously removed every trace of vegetable from her Wild Things Bagel Creature -- thoroughly contemplated the question with a scrunched up forehead and proclaimed, "I've heard that word before but I can't remember what it means."

Yeah, right. I bet you've heard it. And I bet you know exactly what it means.

That's because it seems like "picky eater" has become a variety of diet. There are vegetarians, vegans, locavores, and now, picky eaters. Google “picky eater” and you’ll get results from the Mayo Clinic, support groups for adult picky eaters, tips from youth nutritionists, and endless books on Amazon.com. I talk to plenty of moms each day who tell me right off the bat, "my son is a VERY picky eater" and then divulge the numerous ways Jonny shows-off his habit as if it were a badge of honor.

Since when did being a picky eater become a legitimate way to describe someone's food habits? Are we too accepting of this ‘condition’? Do parents enable the behavior by becoming the preferred caterer for the Picky Eater Club? And if kids aren't picky at age 2 or 3, what makes them outrageously picky by 5?

Take Felix here. Happily chowing down on guacamole straight from his backyard avocado tree. Will it be just a matter of months before he utters his very first complete sentence, which also just happens to be "YUCK! I WON'T EAT THAT!! I HATE GREEN FOODS!"

I’m not suggesting children everywhere should be happy eating tuna casserole for dessert and Brussels sprouts from their lunch box. But I do think at some point we crossed the line in how we view and embrace children’s eating habits. Picky eating is very likely an acceptable phase in a toddler’s development. Sometime after the age of 2 or 3 kids may even decide the foods they once loved, often the very same food their parents eat -- Indian curries, snap peas, goat cheese – now make them kick and scream and gag at the table -- even foods they've never even tried. But by the time the child is going to school, picky eating should become a diet meant to be broken.

I bring this all up, because I recently came across The Yummy Mummy. She doesn't hold back, and she's pretty hilarious. A few months back she posted a piece at Imperfect Parent, the dead-on, sarcastic, "The 10 Ways to Have Your Very Own Picky Eater". At Number 10:

Remind your kid what a problem eater he is. Kids love that. In fact, tell him in front of guests. Call him “picky”, fussy”, “difficult at dinner time” or say things like, “He’s like this because he’s adopted,” and my personal favorite, “He’s just like his father,” and then, roll your eyes dramatically. You will only have to label him a few times before he sullenly looks at his plate of food, pushes it away and demands to be hand-fed McDonald's French fries.

If this works, you can go the next step and tell him he is “bad” or “a demon seed” and remind him that he was an “accident”.

You can read the rest of the article and learn how to create your very own picky eater, here.

Okay, so back to Oliver and his fruit salad. As the title suggests, the story ends with Mom, Grandpa, and Oliver slicing and dicing all sorts of wonderful fruit for fruit salad. And of course, a surprised Oliver proclaims, "I like fruit salad!" And after three helpings... "YUMMY!" he says.

So I asked the kids in my class if there was a moral to this story. Without any prompting, 5 year-old Lacey, the prime contender for the picky eater club, perked right up: "It's like when you don't like a food, but your mom makes you try it. And then you actually like it after all, but you don't want your parents to know. So you make a face."

Hmmm.... just what I thought.

The best ways to wean a picky eater?
1. Cook with your kids. Get them involved in the process and they’ll crave the product.
2. Offer choice. Choice is empowering, so give your kids options rather than forceful mandates.
3. Choose healthy, colorful ingredients with tasty preparations.
Think roasting, homemade vinaigrettes, stir-fries, and veggie-art.
4. Set a good example. Why would your daughter ever eat tofu if you won’t try it either? Still picky? Dr. Sears offers loads more tips here.

Valentine's Cooking Fun!

2009-02-09T16:15:00.001-08:00

As promised, we cooked up lots of love yesterday at Harper Lane! Nearly 40 children spent their afternoon in Harper Lane's delightful courtyard, making Valentine's luv bunnies, dipping fresh strawberries in decadent dark chocolate, and decorating adorable chef hats.

Harper Lane recently launched their online store, so if this rainy deluge is keeping you inside, why not do a little online shopping? After all, your tot-chef will have to trade his apron for more proper clothes at some point...!

It's not too late to cook something special with your sweetheart! Download our Valentine's recipes for Luv Bunnies and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. For inspiration... enjoy these photos from yesterday's event!

Felix with his chocolate strawberry pop.

a very proud chef

decorating chef hats

Making chocolate covered strawberries with Chef Kate and Chef Seth

a luv bunny

All photos courtesy of Harper Lane. Thanks Stacey and Ryan!

"Inevitable" Change for School Lunch

2009-01-29T16:13:00.001-08:00

After much ado about converting the White House lawn to an organic garden; a sustainable foodie outcry for a new breed of White House chef, led by Alice Waters; and a call among devoted fans for Michael Pollan to lead our nation as Secretary of Agriculture, it is safe to say that one week into the President's new term, little talk of our food supply has graced the lips of Washington's movers and shakers.

Or has it?

Though Mr. Obama may be spending much of his time working out bailouts, sending George Mitchell to the Middle East, and questioning Sidwell-Friends' response to the snow, he did have some time to give the green light to bringing Sam Kass, the 28 year-old chef who cooked for the Obamas in Chicago and founded Inevitable Table, into the White House kitchen.

A spokeswoman for Mrs. Obama indicated that Kass is passionate about local, sustainable, healthy food. A good sign for anyone dining at the White House -- and for our nation as a whole. It's a little too early to predict what effect Kass' cooking and philosophy may have on American school children. But there is promise. As reported on several New York Times blogs today, including The Caucus and Tara Parker-Pope's Well , Mr. Kass is committed to re-thinking what the National School Lunch Program serves up. (Few veggies, a lot of fat, and a hefty dose of HFCS.) The full text of a recent talk Kass lead about school lunch reform is available here.

Mr. Kass, you and I have got a lot in common -- with the same first names, the same age, a similar passion for eating and cooking, and an equal devotion to changing the way we feed America's children. The new presidency is all about hope. And boy have I got high hopes for you.

Growing Up Gourmet Goes to Print

2009-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to share that Growing Up Gourmet will be appearing on a regular basis in our local paper, the Santa Monica Daily Press.

You can check out my new column every other Thursday on the food page.

In fact, you can read it online too, at the SMDP's new user-friendly website.

Love Bites... and tastes so good

2009-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

Join Kitchen Kid and Harper Lane for a fun and delicious workshop! We'll be decorating chef hats and cooking up Valentine's treats!

Who: Curious young cooks of all ages
What: Valentine's Day Cooking Workshop
When: After the Farmers' Market on Sunday, February 8 at 12 noon
Where: Harper Lane, the adorable children's boutique at 2665 Main Street, Santa Monica
Why: Forget conversation hearts and doily cards, this Valentine's Day your littlest chef will win your heart with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries and Luv-Bunny Snacks.

If You Build It...

2009-01-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

If the youth vote for President-elect Obama, and the enthusiasm his powerful election generated among young people, is any indication of how kids will be motivated and influenced by the 44th president, I feel good about the future.

If President-elect Obama accepts the call to lead by example (see video below), plants the nation's most important organic vegetable garden on the White House Lawn, and the children of America clamor to till the soil, water seedlings, and pick tomatoes from their own school and backyard gardens, I feel REALLY good about the future. (And the future of our citizens' health and the country's food supply.)

Back in October, in response to Michael Pollan's now famous article, Farmer In Chief, I wrote about the brilliant idea to turn the White House Front Lawn into a sustainable fruit and vegetable garden, and give school children on their annual field trip to the Capitol the chance to till the Presidential soil.

It looks like this idea really has, (sorry) germinated.

As described on http://www.change.org/ -- the website soliciting the top ten ideas for change to submit to the president:

Thousands of Americans and people from the around the world are asking the Obamas to lead by example on climate change, health policy, economic self-reliance, food security, and energy independence by replanting an organic food garden at the White House with the produce going to the First Kitchen and to local food pantries.

The many successes(1) of the first Victory Garden movement were the result of effective public policy, bold leadership(2) at a time of national crisis, and the commitment of millions of citizens who were ready to roll up their sleeves for the greater good. There' s no better, more symbolic place for launching a new National Victory Garden Program than at the White House, "America’s House". There's no better, more urgent time(3) than now. And there's NOTHING that can beat the fresh taste of locally-grown, home-cooked foods.

(1) Victory Gardens (behind homes, schools, in vacant urban lots, etc.) produced 40% of the nation’s produce at their peak, helped conserve food and natural resources at a time of crisis, resulted in the highest consumption rates of fruits and vegetables our nation has seen, and helped keep millions of Americans physically fit and active.

(2) First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden on the White House lawn in 1943 over the objections of the USDA, inspiring millions by her example.

(3) The UN estimates that 1 billion people will go hungry in 2009 while climate scientists predict this year will be one the five warmest years on record.

So please cast your vote for Victory Garden 2.0 today here: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/green_the_white_house
Learn more about the movement here: http://www.eattheview.org/
And certainly don't miss the video which might turn you, and Mr. Obama, into a green thumb.

This Lawn is Your Lawn from roger doiron on Vimeo.

Dexter v. the "Other" 4-Year Old

2009-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Before you get too excited about New York Times' dining editor Pete Wells' new magazine column, "Cooking with Dexter" -- the culinary adventure of his 4-year old foodie son -- be sure to read Larissa Phillips' fabulously funny and dead-on response, available on her blog, Mothership Meals and Satellite Saucers.

An honest reminder that Growing Up Gourmet isn't always as easy as it sounds.

(But nevertheless, worth trying... Larissa's son allegedly ate arugula last night.)

Extreme Pantry Makeover

2009-01-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

Once again, Mark Bittman hit a home run with his article in yesterday's New York Times. The champion of minimalism in the kitchen, the father of "less is more", Bittman gives the kitchen a clean and healthy makeover for 2009. With his "hot" or "not" list, Mark is officially the Joan Rivers of the pantry.

And he's right. There is a lot of room for improvement in the American pantry. On his "out" list: That green shaker of "cheese". The overly processed "bread" crumbs. Minute rice and Aunt Jemima. Out. Out. And out. For quick and satisfying meals, Bittman promotes using frozen veggies, homemade dressings, hunks of bacon, quality nuts, and dried fruits. I'm proud to report these are ingredients that shine in most of my family's weeknight dinners.

But what about the canned beans and organic boxed chicken stock he suggests we do away with...except, he notes, in emergencies. These two ingredients caused much controversy among the 250+ reader comments that were posted of the NYT site. While I do soak dried beans overnight (easy, yes) and cook-up batches of stock with leftover veggies and chicken, the ready-to-go pantry staples are shortcuts I -- and many excellent family cooks -- have come to rely on. (note photo!) They taste good, provide comparable nutrients, and require little more effort than lifting them from the grocery store shelf into your shopping cart.

Forget earthquakes. Forget terrorist strikes. As far as I'm concerned, when you've got a hungry 7-year old exhausted from a soccer game, or a growing teenage boy scrounging for a snack, you've got yourself the very emergency Mr. Bittman must be talking about! Indeed, a well stocked pantry or fridge can be the source of culinary inspiration. But it can also be a solution to a busy weeknight -- a source of nutritious staples (alongside the frozen peas Bittman touts) that you know, undoubtedly, will be there. Regardless of whether you soaked any beans last night, froze any vegetable broth, or stopped at the greengrocer for fresh-picked peas.

And speaking of quick dinners and canned beans, why not try the "Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw" that appeared in Bon Appetit's column, "Fast, Easy, Fresh" this month. In fact, it's a perfect recipe to start your New Year's Resolution of cooking with your family one night each week. Thanks to the canned organic black beans, my carnivorous husband really loved helping make this quick, tasty, and meatless taco.

You can cook up the recipe here.

(photo courtesy epicurious.com)

Nadda Frittata: a culinary road map for leftovers

2009-01-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what it was I made for dinner the night before we left for Christmas vacation. In the past, clean-out-the-fridge night, as my family knows it, usually features pasta or pizza dough on the main stage. But not this night. No, this particular night I very much wanted our 1-dish supper to be something egg-straordinary. To use up some leftover potatoes, a piece of pork, some languishing spinach, I was craving the creamy, rich, protein-dense platform of eggs. The problem, however, was the discovery --- half-way through my creative cookery, and with a successfully emptied fridge --- that we had just 3 eggs. Thus, dinner was not quite quiche, certainly no tart, and only vaguely frittata-esque. It was, however, amazingly and surprisingly, delicious.

I told the story -- and offered the "recipe" -- to my friend Beth. She's a fine cook, when cooking means following clearly defined steps and utilizing explicitly listed ingredients. (Which, you will soon see, neither of which my recipe provides.) "WHATever did you do? Go to the store for more eggs? Get take-out?" wondered Beth. She was horrified by the idea of cooking without a recipe, of cooking without all the integral ingredients pre-accounted for in a grocery cart days beforehand, and most of all, of beginning to cook without -gasp- having any idea what the outcome might be. Truth be told, I rarely follow recipes. And while I don't always know exactly what I'm making when I enter the kitchen, I usually have a pretty good idea by the time a pan is heated. But this "Nadda Frittata" as my family dubbed it, was truly a case of some destiny-deprived leftovers quickly tossed together in a desperate attempt for reincarnation. Until that is, it was presented on a plate. And eaten. Every. Last. Bite.

While I don't recommended cooking by the seat of your apron every night, I think we all have a lot to learn from such renegade methods. Discovery. Trial and error. Mistakes from which to learn. Curiosity. Surprises. Risks. These are the kind of experiences we encourage our children to have when they are at school, when they are making friends, when they are finding themselves in the real world. Yet so often parents describe their own kitchen experiences with precisely the kind of anxiety we don't want our children to confront. Stressed. Ruined. Boring. Same-old, same-old. Fear of failure. Lack of trust. Self-consciousness.

Sure, I could have gone to the corner store and gotten a dozen eggs. Or decided that spinach, pork, a mere 3 eggs, heavy cream, cheese, and potatoes might not exactly comprise a family dinner. In fact, I could have given up all together and picked up for the phone and dialed Thai take-out.

But I believe in kitchen adventures. Like any adventure, there are good times and bad, twists and turns, unknowns and uncertains. But the spirit of the adventure is what cooking -- and eating -- is all about. A while back in Food and Wine, famed chef and cookbook author Daniel Patterson wondered, "Do recipes make you a better cook?" Though I read the article nearly 3 years ago, his metaphor of recipes as culinary road maps still resonantes with me daily, and I implore you to read the article in its entirety.

"Good cooks rely on recipes – to a point… [they] make mistakes all the time. They take wrong turns and end up in strange places. Their attention sharpens as they try to figure out where they are and how they got there. Eventually they either reach their original destination, or discover that wherever they stumbled into is really the best place to be. Sometimes it’s important to get lost…. The journey is what a recipe is all about."

Anyhow, on this particular journey, I got lucky. The nadda frittata was light, airy, comforting, and delicious. So delicious, in fact, I suggest you try it the next time you're faced with some stray leftovers and a little need for culinary adventure.

Nadda Frittata
Of course, in attempts to clean out our entire fridge, these are the ingredients I used. I'm sure the next time I make nadda frittata a whole new set of ingredients will fill our plates. So please use this recipe as a culinary road map and adjust for your fridge's leftovers. One further note: the airy but rich flavor of this recipe no doubt came from the heavy cream. I would have probably used milk -- had we any -- but can say the addition of cream was worth every calorie and certainly worth keeping.

1. 2. 3.

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, saute a few cups of fresh baby spinach with a little olive oil. Remove as it begins to wilt and set aside. Heat leftover (pre-cooked) potatoes and onions in pan. Top with sauteed spinach. Add additional leftovers, such as sliced pork tenderloin. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, some heavy cream, a dash of nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over pan mixture. Top with cheese. I honestly can't remember what I used. Mozzarella maybe? Get in frittata mode: stir lightly with a spatula until the eggs begin to set on top. Transfer pan to broiler... in full disclosure I think mine just went into a very hot oven. When eggs are just still fluffy and just set, and the top is ever so lightly browned, remove from oven. Slice and serve straight away.

This nadda frittata would sure be good with some peasant bread, or a cup of tomato soup. Or even, if you're lucky, a salad of crisp greens. But assuming you enter this kitchen adventure on leftover night, as I did, you'll be perfectly content letting nadda frittata fly solo on your plate.

Make a New Year's Kitchen Resolution!!!

2008-12-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

For many kids, New Year’s Eve means chowing down on pizza and soda while watching movies with the babysitter.

But my childhood tradition on December 31st was very different. For me, New Year’s Eve meant driving 2 hours into New York City to shop at the specialty market, Zabars. It meant donning my fanciest dress-up clothes, costume jewelry, and experimenting with Mom’s make-up. New Year’s Eve had little to do with balls dropping or resolutions, but had everything to do with my favorite, once-a-year gourmet goodies from the Upper Westside “Epicurian Emporium”. We’re talking imported caviar on fancy rye toasts, smoked salmon with dill and marinated mushrooms, pickled herring, cured black olives, and (shhh) a few sips of champagne. Earlier in the day, I’d carefully prepare a hand-drawn menu of the evenings’ specialties and help my mom polish our proper silver and fine china. For our tiny crew (me, my mom, our dog Penny, and my stuffed animals) this was a very fancy occasion.

Admittedly I wasn’t the first child with such extravagant tastes (a six-year old in one of our after-school cooking classes lists escargot as her favorite food!). But today we tend to hear more about childhood obesity and picky eaters than kids who gorge on fancy fare.

Most American kids could use a few lessons on expanding their palate (and I don’t mean force feeding sushi to fish-hating first-graders). With busy schedules and over-worked parents, the temptation to serve chicken fingers instead of homemade pot-pie and frozen French fries as opposed to baked sweet potatoes is too great for many families. Family mealtime as Norman Rockwell would recognize it has become a long-forgotten American pastime. And in turn we are raising a generation of picky eaters who think peaches come from cans and have little interest in eating a nutritionally balanced meal.

The solution? Cook with your kids. It has been proven time and again that kids who help out in the kitchen are much more likely to become adventurous eaters. Kids with culinary instruction not only cultivate a more diverse palate, but also experience increased self-confidence, discover the important role nutrition plays in our physical and emotional wellbeing, and build the foundation for healthy life-long skills. Here are some other great reasons to cook with your kids.

In the spirit of the New Year, there’s no better time to change the way your family eats. This January, resolve to cook dinner with your family one night a week. If families that eat dinner together raise smarter, safer, and more secure kids, we can only imagine what will happen when families start cooking together! Regardless of your culinary prowess, or your tolerance for mess, this shouldn’t be as daunting as it sounds.

Here’s the plan:
Join me in making a New Year’s Kitchen Resolution! Commit to a Family Kitchen one night each week when soccer practice and PTO meetings won’t have you eating in the car. Earlier in the week, decide on a menu theme (Greek? Comfort food? No-silverware-required finger foods?) and plan and shop for the meal. On the night of Family Kitchen, make sure each family member lends a hand. Remember, this meal is much more about the process than the product. So take time, have fun, and enjoy your too-crowded kitchen. There are appropriate kitchen tasks for every family member, young and old.

With a happier, healthier family, Family Kitchen is one New Year’s resolution you’ll be grateful for well into spring. And maybe by next January when your kids watch the ball drop, they’ll trade roasted vegetables and baked salmon for those infamous chicken fingers and boxed mac and cheese.

"Point, Blast, and... Cook!?"

2008-12-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a perfect case of "just because it's organic, doesn't mean I want to eat it."

In a recent dedicated email, Daily Candy recommended the next time my kids offer to help make breakfast, I "get [my] brood involved sans hassle with Organic Batter Blaster Pancake and Waffle Mix."

I'm usually pretty favorable towards the products and services Daily Candy recommends. But just because this pancake batter is organic, doesn't mean I can endorse a food product whose marketing slogan is "just point, blast, and cook!"

The promotional video really says it all: "for years and years, people have made pancakes and waffles the same old-fashioned way. With milk, eggs, flour, mixing bowls, measuring cups, and all that mess..."

WAIT just a minute! Since when weren't pancakes made with milk, eggs, and flour? Isn't that what makes a pancake a pancake? Sure, our grocery stores are filled with fake foods -- non-dairy cheese. Meatless hamburger patties -- but I'm a pretty big proponent of the "real thing". (Sorry soy.)

I'll admit, it does look like fun to squirt the CO2 cartridge. And it's true that the potential for mess is non-existent. In fact, the simple ingredients probably taste better than other store-bought pancake mixes. But if a child asks to help make breakfast, chances are they want to break the eggs. They're eager to show off some math skills and measure 1/3 cup flour. And they're literally starving to whisk it all together until it's smooth. So what if you have to wipe a little flour off the counter. That is precisely what cooking's all about!

Thanks Organic Batter Blaster, but I'll save my pointing and blasting for other things. Like paintball, perhaps.

Mark Bittman's Everyday Pancakes

(nb. I chose this recipe because he writes, "pancakes are made from a simple, forgiving batter...everyday pancake batter whips up in no time and can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days..." Preservative-free, it sounds like a better Batter Blaster to me.)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2-2 cups milk

2 tbsp melted butter, + more un-melted butter for pan

mix-ins (frozen blueberries, ripe bananas, chocolate chips, etc)

And, you guessed it, REAL maple syrup. (Even organic Aunt Jemima belongs with the Batter Blaster.)

Heat non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1 1/2 cups milk. Stir in melted butter. Combine dry ingredients with milk mixture. Mix gently until flour is just moistened, adding more milk if batter seems too thick. Add desired mix-ins. Place a little butter on the skillet, and when it foams add a spoonful of pancake batter. Cook about 2-4 minutes each side, flipping when small bubbles appear in the center of the pancakes. Serve warm with syrup.

Weather Report: Soup's On

2008-12-17T14:02:00.001-08:00

It's raining in LA.

In fact, it's been raining in LA since about Friday. Wet. Cold. Rain. As a New England-er I shouldn't be so put out by this. (Especially since my in-laws are on day 5 without electricity toughing-out New Hampshire's ice storm.) But let me assure you it is quite easy to get accustomed to 70 degree sunshine 12-months of the year.

In truth, I love the rain. But I prefer the kind that comes in the depths of summer, that stirs-up the musty smell of dirt and just-mowed grass, that makes you want to run through puddles barefoot. Today's kind of rain -- the windy, damp kind that brings 45 degree temps to my coastal street, and heavy snow at 2000 feet -- is the kind of rain that makes you want to pull on your favorite sweats, curl up on the couch with a good (cook)book, and make soup.

So, I did just that. The best thing about making soup is that you really don't need a recipe at all.

1. Grab a nice big pot.

2. Saute some onions and maybe some carrots in a bit of olive oil.

3. Throw in whatever you've got hanging out in the pantry-- beans, potatoes, pasta, squash. (I was recently delighted by the variety of Trader Joe's 17 Bean and Barley mix.)

4. Now see what's lying around the fridge-- tomatoes, zucchini, greens, some herbs.

5. Add some liquid -- stock's nice, but water will do.

6. Let it simmer.

7. Depending on the ingredients, smooth it out with an immersion blender -- but only if you wish.

8. Serve it up in deep bowls, maybe topped with a little olive oil and some nice grated Parmesan.

9. Dust off an old movie, a favorite book, or round up your kids and re-tell the tale of the two beggars in Stone Soup.

10. Savor every moment of the comfort and warmth this little bowl provides you and your family. And don't be surprised to discover it's even better tomorrow.

And when the rain stops, soup may still be your family's security blanket. As Ad Age reports, selling soup is the number 1 recession-proof marketing strategy.

And the Economist Says...

2008-12-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

...Wake up your kitchen!! Plug in the blender, dust-off the mixing bowls, and GET COOKING!

Today's lead story in at least two of the nation's best food sections is enough to make restaurateurs, butchers, and gourmet artisans cringe:

"From Dining Out to Cold Turkey", headlines the New York Times. "Food Lessons from the Great Depression," writes Mary MacVean for the LA Times.

In the LA Times, we read about depression-era recipes that encouraged families to make do with the little they had. Nothing says government bailout like sour grass soup and water cocoa. In the NY Times, we learn that 60% of Americans are cooking at home more and dining out less. And Ball canning supplies are up a whopping 92% from this time last year. It was also bleak a month ago, when the Times reported that the packers at a Minnesota Spam factory were practically working 8-days a week to keep up with demand for the infamous recession meat. Meanwhile, grocery stores continue to see double-digit increases in sales of inexpensive mainstays like rice and beans.

Okay, so Americans might have made some mistakes when they signed up for those variable rate loans, but it seems like they might be on the right track when it comes to nourishment. The one glaring difference between the Great Depression (1.0) and our current economic crisis? The role children play in the family meal.

Take, for example, Hattie Adkins, now 76, who recalls being a locavore before it was cool. Her family ate whatever was cheapest and closest, including wild rabbits from the nearby woods. As MacVean reminds us, this was a few generations back when "cooking was a family affair, with children sent to pick food from the garden or shell peas. With SAT prep classes or soccer or ballet, many families are lucky to get their kids to the dinner table at all."

(AGH. PLEASE don't get me started.)

Fast forward to 2008. Meet Tracey Gist, the Pennsylvania resident quoted in the NY Times article. She used to take her family to restaurants for dinner most nights of the week. But with the economy as it is, she's cutting back. And her kids are not pleased. In fact, they actually complained about a recent home-cooked roast chicken their mom served, and opted for canned ravioli instead! (I'm sure Ms. Adkins would have been delighted at the mere prospect of such a feast.) Ms. Gist mimics her daughters' fickle tastes: "it doesn’t matter what it is [I make] if it doesn’t come on a menu." Well you know what I have to say to this mom? TOO BAD. Get a menu. Put dinner on it. And if they don't eat it, well, that's what we call depression-era cutbacks.

In these uncertain economic times, it seems one thing is certain. Your kids will probably starve before they skin a wild rabbit or eat sour grass soup. ("Is that real grass? EWWW!!!")

But cooking at home is healthier, and it is cheaper than going out. (Barbara Kingsolver proves it on every page in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.) And does it really take that much more time? Many say no. Before economists turn cooking into a depression-era-only activity, let's also remember all the joys that come from a home-cooked meal. And it gets even better when kids actually help with the cooking. Schedule cooking dinner into your kids' lives -- right before SAT class and after soccer practice -- and teach them the kitchen skills they need.

That way, when they are parents themselves, and Depression 3.0 hits, they won't be one of the millions trading take-out for a nice can of Spam.

DeeDee, Meet Nintendo DS

2008-12-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

My great-grandmother DeeDee was born over a century ago. In the 90+ years of her life, she witnessed everything from the Great Depression (that'd be 1.0), and the golden years of Ford (not 2008), to the proliferation of telecommunications and the personal computer. She nearly saw Al Gore invent the Internet.

But if there was one thing in the 21st century that would have really surprised her -- I mean blown her out of the water -- it'd be the Nintendo DS Personal Trainer: Cooking.

You see, before Nintendo, DeeDee was the original "personal trainer of cooking". DeeDee was an unbelievable cook. Her apple pie was the kind of dessert that could bring a dueling family together. She spent decades coaching my mom on the secrets of perfect pie dough, buttery ruggelah, moist roast chicken -- and there was nothing she cherished more. Some of my earliest kitchen memories are of DeeDee, my mom, and my cousins, gathered in her yellow kitchen tasting and laughing away. She embraced the true spirit of the kitchen, sharing the love and adventure that went into each recipe, and it showed in her food and in the memories that were created. It's been over 15 years since DeeDee passed away, and the smell of a perfect apple pie can still bring my mom to tears.

The problem of course, is that Nintendo-generated cooking "lessons" (and in fact there are others -- over 30 cooking apps on the iPhone alone!) are actually setting out to eliminate the priceless moments I shared with DeeDee in her kitchen -- the very human experience that is cooking! The conversations, the friendships, the tasting, the sharing, the mistakes -- the highly cherished passing down of family recipes from generation to generation!!! Can a computer take this away?

I can almost hear it now:

"So, Chef, where did you learn to cook?"
"Well, my first "real experience" was playing Cooking Mama, the absurdly popular cartoon game that pre-dated Personal Trainer, when I first used a chefs' knife. Next, I learned to use a can-opener in that very same game! Before I knew it, I was working with real knives, and I stir-fried some chicken with my GameBoy guiding me every step of the way. I scored a thumbs-up, moved onto quiche 101, and I've been the executive chef at Le Cirque ever since."

Sigh.

It's as if the makers of Nintendo have already heard my complaints and have their defense ready. A page on the website for Personal Trainer: Cooking, features 3 different videos showing 2 friends, a family, and a couple, all cooking together with their Nintendo DS coaching their every step. (And I mean literally, Every. Single. Step.) The videos are painful to watch. The young couple acts like they've never been to a grocery store or made a grocery list, never held a knife, never boiled rice. (Which, by the way, they do with a rice cooker, so we're not exactly talking brain surgery here.) It takes them 6 long and slow steps just to cut a cucumber.

While I realize not everyone has a DeeDee to help coach them through the basics of cooking, I just can't accept that learning from Nintendo is a substitute. There are neighbors and grandmas, uncles and aunts, who are eager to share their love for homemade goodness. Families who cook together share experiences that can't always be had outside of the kitchen. DeeDee passed on her passion and enthusiasm for cooking to my mom. And my mom gave me that very same gift. Would I really be excited about cooking dinner 7 nights a week if I had learned to cook from an electronic machine?

My favorite line of the video is when the young man remarks, "Wow, I can't believe Nintendo is going to tell us what to eat for dinner!"

Me neither.

Video Insight: Edible Schoolyard

2008-12-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

If you've ever wondered how Alice Waters' Schoolyard really works, watch these kids transform seeds into dinner.

Read the full story that appeared in edutopia, or visit the Edible Schoolyard's website, here.

Petite Criticism is No Small Thing for Kid Food Critic

2008-11-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

Kids are known for their honesty, especially about food. "Gross..."; "{gasp} it had peas in it"; "OMG the best ever!!!"; "too hot/spicy/salty/green/peppery/insert any other adjective that could possibly ever be used to describe food".

So it's no surprise a 12-year old food critic has jump-started his professional calling, dishing out praise and neighs on New York's culinary scene.

The New York Times has the full story of this young foodie critic, here.

The Ruth Reichl's and Jonathan Gold's of the world better watch out...

Same ol' Veggies + Fun New Twist = "More Cabbage, Please!"

2008-11-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

Some may call the combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded lettuce, sprouts, and carrots a salad. But paired with a bagel in Kitchen Kid's after-school enrichment "Books for Cooks" class, it's aptly called a Brown Bear Bagel Face. (Even if these bears look more like a team of crazy bearded clowns with whiskers.)

After an animated reading of We're Going on a Bear Hunt, this class of kindergartners got right to work adding cabbage eyebrows, egg yolk eyeballs, and shredded carrot beards to their sprouted whole wheat bagels. The 5-year olds loved being so creative with these unlikely art supplies.

Better yet, they loved eating them. Every. last. bite. Even a mom told me, "I never knew bagels with vegetables could taste so good." This was the perfect after-school snack for these budding young chefs, who discovered red peppers really are sweet, and how kids can be real chefs 'chopping' them up with tiny craft scissors. The bagel's complex carbs boosted their energy level, and the kids were well on their way to eating enough fruits and veggies to meet the recommended 5-a day.
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But don't worry, kids don't need to create artistic masterpieces every time you want them to eat their vegetables. It only takes one delicious Bagel Face for them to discover how tasty and crunchy veggies can be. The next time, your kids might be plenty content eating them straight from their plate...

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Recipe: Brown Bear Bagel Faces

1 whole wheat bagel, halved

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 hard-boiled egg, sliced or crumbled

Assorted crunchy, tasty, and nutritious vegetables, (chopped into appropriately-sized facial features) such as: shredded carrots, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, purple cabbage, and black olives

My Dog Eats Better Than Your Kids

2008-11-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this isn't true. (Though I did just poach some chicken thighs for our dog...)

But it is the title of Australian scientist Dr. Peter Dingle's new book. Dingle believes that the over-processed, chemical-packed foods that go into the average child's diet are far worse than what we feed most animals. I wondered about this. The brands at my pet store include: Nature's Logic, DogsWell, Halo For Pets, Party Animal Organic, BG (Before Grain) and Wellness. And the ingredients on Auggie's food are all easily pronounceable, all natural or properly fortified, and include familiar items like "duck, lamb, sweet potatoes, corn, and zucchini". I wanted to compare the dog food label to those darned spicy cheetos... but you won't be surprised when I tell you there just weren't any in our cupboard.

Nonetheless, Dingle might be on to something. Dogs are eating better than kids. Except when they're not:

Last year Americans were outraged to learn dogs and cats were becoming sick from contaminated dog food manufactured in China. The FDA scurried to create new federal positions to inspect imported goods, pet food recall lists swarmed the Internet and pet store shelves, and veterinarians treated many an ill dog.

It's a well known fact that four of the top six leading causes of death in the United States can be attributed to our Western Diet. Chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are literally killing us as we continue to eat, well, "contaminated food". But unlike the contaminated dog food scare, there's not enough outrage. The FDA, happily in cahoots with big agribusiness, scurries to do nothing. And there's certainly no "recall list" posted on supermarket shelves reminding us to skip the trans-fat fries, Olestra-laden bbq chips, and Splenda-ridden "sugar" cookies. Unfortunately, the only similarity between the dog food crisis and our nation's current food crisis, is the increased number of visits to medical professionals.

Cookbook author and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman is outraged. Listen to him call for a dramatic change in the way Americans eat, in his talk:

What's Wrong with What We Eat:

Having trouble viewing it? Click here to go to see the video on ted.com.

Other Things I'd Like to Vote For

2008-11-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

I've managed to live in two of the few states that put propositions on the November ballot. With confusing wording and lengthy legalese, it can leave even the most informed citizen baffled. Let alone your average Joe. (Plumber or not.) Californians today cast their vote for a wide range of topics, from constitutional amendments about same-sex marriage, the rights of a chicken, renewable energy, and parole rehabilitation. In Santa Monica, we also weighed in on traffic congestion, rent control leadership, building development, and a cell-phone tax.

I don't mean to disparage our great civic duty, or dismiss the truly electric energy that buzzed through my polling place today. But after waiting in line for 20 minutes, and spending many more inking my voice in nearly 35 different bubbles, I realized that there were actually a few more things for which I'd like to cast my vote in favor. Here's my list. Feel free to dream yours.

Prop EAT: A Provision for a Healthier, Happier America:

School Lunch Reform
Stricter Cafeteria Standards
Nutrition and Culinary Education
Junk Food Consumption Limits
Massive Reduction in Global Warming and Fatal Diseases Currently Attributed to Agriculture and Livestock Production
Teaching Kids the Value of a Good Meal Enjoyed with Friends and Family Teaching Those Same Kids How to Cook It
Elimination of "Ingredients" like Hydrogenated Oil and Red No. 40 in the Food We Feed Our Children
An Opportunity for Kids to See How Food Grows and Where It Comes From with the Likes of a School Garden
Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for All, Regardless of Economic or Geographic Restrictions
Dramatic Increase in Fruit, Vegetable, and Whole Grain Consumption
Limits on the Distance a Tomato Should Travel
A nation that Eats Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants

I'll keep dream voting... but that first poll is closing and it's time to see the real changes that will be made today.

What Happened to Home-Ec?

2008-10-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

Our dog goes nuts for kids. Babies in strollers, toddlers with mom, awkward teenagers -- they're all Auggie's best friend. For a real treat, some mornings I take him on the "school tour" in our neighborhood. We pass 1 middle school, 3 pre-schools, 1 elementary school, and a community college. We also encounter numerous treat-bearing crossing guards. Auggie gets more pets and attention in that 45 minute walk than your average mutt does in a week.

This morning we passed several groups of middle-schoolers ambling towards class. And most of them were still working on 'breakfast'. (You know, the most important meal of the day.) Hot cheetos. Caramel popcorn. Jolt, Vault, Monster. (Engery drinks, in case you weren't sure.) Chicken nuggets. I was so appalled I think I would have been relieved to see some breakfast junk food of yesteryear. Think Pop tarts, Egg McMuffins, and breakfast sausage Hot-Pockets.

In reality, I guess I wasn't too shocked. In fact, it was watching too much consumption of hot-cheetos before 9am that propelled me into the kids' cooking and nutrition business anyhow. As a middle school teacher, I was all too accustomed to the sugar highs and lows these junks foods caused, especially during first and second period. The implications for students who start their day with a healthy breakfast is astounding, from test scores to type 2 diabetes to behavioral and attention disorders. And by now, it seems teachers, nutritionists, doctors**, and (some) parents all know this.... so who's telling the kids???

The lack of health-education (it's not just sex-ed) and life-skills classes in our schools is devastating, and is no doubt one of the many factors contributing to our nation's growing obesity rate. When I was a kid, I was taught the difference between Fruit Loops and fruit salad. Sure, I loved my annual birthday box of Fruit Loops. But I understood why I ate fruit salad the rest of the year. Kids today are simply not receiving the requisite nutrition and culinary education to make good choices about what they eat. Not only are schools not teaching it, they're not serving it either. Nearly 80% of US school cafeterias do not meet the USDA nutritional guidelines for school lunch (how can they when they get just $1.00/child?), and many offer items from Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Kids aren't dumb; they probably know that a Double Whopper isn't the best thing for them. But I don't think they realize the lifelong ramifications of the food choices they make.

With a quick search on google for "home economics in schools today", I could hardly find an article or website that discussed cooking and health education in American schools. (The most relevant was from 2001.) Of course, there are some exemplar school district programs, like Alice Water's-influenced Edible Schoolyard in Berkley. And there is excellent curricula for interested teachers, such as Dr. Antonia Demas' Food Is Elementary. But we've yet to come close to anything as radical as UK's recent mandate which requires secondary schools to teach health education and cookery to all the country's children.

In previous political campaigns, I've gotten pretty fired-up when the candidates debate education reform. During Wednesday's final debate, it got barely a sound bite as the last topic posed by Bob Schieffer. And you can be sure that building kitchen classrooms, planting school gardens, improving the nutritional quality of cafeteria food, and home-economics classes weren't in either of the candidates' responses.

**In fact, only 40% of medical schools require doctors to take a nutrition course, and 6 of the top 16 US hospitals have fast food in the cafeteria.

School Lunch Reform and Victory Gardens

2008-10-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

"Changing the food culture must begin with our children", writes Michael Pollan, in his article "Farmer In Chief", which appeared in Sunday's New York Times' Magazine.

Using his typical compelling and poignant prose, Pollan implores our future president-elect to direct his energies towards our nation's rapidly deteriorating food system. If the man sworn in next January heeds Pollan's advice, even the most pessimistic political and cultural cynics at the table will find hopeful promise in America's new food system - one that is based on sunshine.

In case you haven't got the time to read Pollan's latest manifesto (though I really suggest you do), here are two significant changes which would make it easy to be Growing Up Gourmet with Michael Pollan as Secretary of Agriculture.

Lunch will become a mandatory part of the school curriculum, from planting a seed and watching it grow, to creating, following, and preparing a recipe, and to enjoying a meal shared with friends and teachers. Coupled with endless teachable moments, countless math, science, reading, and social lessons, and a healthy portion of Superfoods, lunch will become the "Super-Class":

"On the premise that eating well is a critically important life skill, we need to teach all primary-school students the basics of growing and cooking food and then enjoying it at shared meals."

Children will visit the White House not only for the chance to see the Oval Office, but the opportunity to till the Presidential soil. After devoting five acres of White House lawn to an organic fruit and vegetable garden, Pollan hopes to redefine the way Americans view farming, quite literally from top-down. With reminders of Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden of 1943 that inspired 20 million home gardens and supplied 40% of the nation's produce (!!!):

"The president should throw his support behind a new Victory Garden movement, this one seeking “victory” over three critical challenges we face today: high food prices, poor diets and a sedentary population... ...Making this particular plot of American land productive, especially if the First Family gets out there and pulls weeds now and again, will provide an image even more stirring than that of a pretty lawn: the image of stewardship of the land, of self-reliance and of making the most of local sunlight to feed one’s family and community."

As the most basic aspect of human existence, and historically one which has created cultures and defined nations, food and it's supply is an issue every world leader must be discussing. Thank you, Mr. Pollan, for reminding us that our nation's security, health care, economy, and future depend on it.

Lessons in Gnocchi and Life

2008-10-09T16:47:00.001-07:00

I spent the last 2 weeks eating my way through Paris, France and Piedmont, Italy. From steak tartare and moulles frites to fresh Genovese pesto and melt-in-your-mouth Barolo braised lamb, we ate some of the best meals of our lives. The trip was a gastronomic delight.

When we arrived at our rustic agriturismo (a working farm turned bed-and-breakfast) just outside of Alba, Italy, our hostess-extraordinaire met us with hands covered in flour. Alessandra -- inn-keeper, mother of 3 (including an 11-month old), cook, goat-milker, jam-maker, and wife to accordion playing, wine making, farm managing husband, Batista -- was busy making fresh gnocchi to feed nearly 60 people that evening. (Their family serves an 8 course dinner to hungry locals 4 nights a week, featuring cheeses, jams, eggs, meats, vegetables and wine, all straight from their farm. Dinner often begins with several antipasti dishes, followed by multiple pasta and meat courses, and after sipping the farm's own grappa, ends with Batista leading the guests in song and dance well after midnight.)

Make fresh gnocchi in a beautiful Italian farmhouse with an experienced cook? I was only too happy to help.
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With my hands now covered in flour, and through my poor Italian and her excellent English, Alessandra and I managed to discuss the things most important to us both: food and family. When I told her that I made my living teaching children to cook, she didn't understand. And it wasn't the language barrier.

"You mean like a nanny?" (Nope.)

"Well, why would you need to teach kids to cook?"

I didn't need to give her my usual talk on the benefits of kids' cooking. We had a different misunderstanding. Though home to Slow Food, and the University of Gastronomic Sciences, in Italy, kid's cooking classes are a pretty foreign concept.

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"Why wouldn't the parents and grandparents simply teach their kids to cook?"

It was true. Hadn't recipes and techniques been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years in Italy and elsewhere? Why had so many parents in America misplaced the know-how, or ran out of the time, to pass down one of life's most important skill sets?

You can blame it on McDonald's or the microwave, 12-hour work days or Applebees. While I don't have the answer, I may have the solution. A lot of American families are busy, hungry, and kitchen-challenged. And yet the children's culinary market continues to grow. By encouraging this impassioned surge of interest that so many children have shown in the kitchen, and by indulging them in culinary lessons, we might just be changing the way the next generation thinks about food. I say, let's give kids the framework to appreciate the joy of feeding their family! Let's teach them to saute, shell a bean, and make soup from scratch! Let's make gnocchi!

And in 20 years these kids' kids might just learn to cook alongside their mom and dad. Just as Carolina and little Giovanni do at Casa Scaparone.

They'll Even Eat Radishes

2008-09-15T09:46:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of research lately which suggests children involved in preparing their own meals are far more likely to cultivate a diverse and nutritious palate.

Of course, those of us who cook with children don't need fancy studies to prove this. We see it every day. Like when a self-proclaimed salad hater devours his "Let-Us Rap" romaine leaf, stuffed with dried fruits and nuts, and quickly makes a second.

Today's New York Times has gone ahead and called "sending children out of the kitchen during meal time [to be one of] the most common food mistakes parents make". In fact, parents who choose to make dinner in the cloak of secrecy are actually doing their children a considerable disservice. In this latest study from Teachers College, children who learned to prepare their own whole grains and vegetables were even more likely to choose those same foods in the cafeteria. Yup, bitter radishes included.

So don't get stuck as a short-order cook, get cooking with your kids today.

Whole Foods Venice

2008-09-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, I've never been a Whole Foods shopper. I've subscribed to the "Whole Paycheck" theory, and I'd much rather buy local than 2000 miles-away-organic. I'm pretty loyal to high-quality, cost-effective Trader Joe's, and the local farmers' markets.

But I'm afraid that's all about to change. Well, I'll at least have a new stop on the grocery circuit. The 48,000-square-foot Whole Foods Venice opened yesterday, and I was there.

What blew me away wasn't the impeccably organized fresh produce, the fish smoker, or 2 counters of domestic and imported cheeses. (Though the hand-pulled mozzarella demo and tasting was pretty neat.) The prepared foods section was like a gourmet global buffet in Vegas on steroids. I was overwhelmed by such things as a rice pudding bar. A chocolate fountain surrounded by dozens of fancy dessert creations. A taqueria. Learning that every egg used in on-site food production was laid by a cage-free chicken. A Korean BBQ and sushi counter. Did I mention the wine bar with a tapas menu? The gelato bar? Or the local artisans' area next to the shoe wall? Indeed, I get overwhelmed in a store of this caliber. Too many choices; too much variety! Can you imagine finding in Italy, a country made for foodies and locavoires, an entire grocery wall devoted to yogurt? I also worry about the corporate effects: how will the mom and pop bakery fare, the local taco truck, the pizzeria?

And the prices? $4.99 for a custom made burrito isn't bad. $2.49 for a cup of soup. $3.49 for a gallon of milk. 1 1/2lbs. of Fair Trade organic coffee beans for $9.99. Not bad. And while it might just be a marketing ploy discussed recently in the New York Times, I was impressed with the 24 page newsletter, "the Whole Deal", which emphasizes budget friendly ways to prepare healthy, gourmet food for your family. Whole Foods even offers a weekly Value Tour, which walks the savvy shopper through the store on a best deal mission. (Though I probably won't be starting date night as the publication suggested: gorging on appetizers at home, so I can save money on dinner out.)

For take-out and bulk grains, little can compare. I'll need to make a few more trips to really evaluate our new culinary show-stopper for groceries. But with such variety and eco-friendly values in my backyard, it's certainly something I look forward to doing.

If you've got little ones Growing Up Gourmet...
check out the Whole Foods' Mommy Mixer for new moms on Thursday, September 11 featuring organic baby food samples and cooking demos. Back to School Kid's Day, Sunday, September 14, 12-4pm. Value Tours are schedule for Sundays at 11 and 3. More info here.

Meals Made Together Taste Better!

2008-08-29T12:32:00.001-07:00

Resolve to cook dinner with your family or friends one night each week! Pledge your support to change the way American families eat dinner. Sign the petition for a Kitchen Resolution today!

A Kitchen Resolution

2008-08-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the world has to sit around and wait for January to start things anew, families are lucky. Back to School season is a time for all things new: new shoes, new locker combinations, new books, and New (School) Year’s resolutions. And I propose one resolution to start right away: cook dinner with your family one night a week. If families that eat dinner together raise smarter, safer, and more secure kids, we can only imagine what happens when families cook together. Regardless of your culinary prowess, or your tolerance for mess, this shouldn’t be as daunting as it sounds. Chances are your kids are already eager to unleash their inner-chef, and after a summer in front of the Food Network, they’ll jump at the thought of feeding their family.

The plan: commit to “Family Kitchen” one night each week when soccer practice and PTO meetings won’t have you eating in the car. Earlier in the week, decide on a menu theme (Greek? Comfort food? No silverware finger foods?) and plan and shop for a few recipes. On the night of, make sure each family member has a hand in all of the recipes. (Click here for some kid-friendly kitchen tasks.) Remember, this meal is much more about the process than the product. So take time, have fun, and enjoy your too-crowded kitchen.

What can you expect from this family adventure around the stove? Maybe something you can’t find at the table: An extra bite of middle school gossip? A surprised “mmm” from a 5-year old sneaking broccoli? A covert opportunity to test your 4th-grader's division skills? The Family Kitchen is one New Year’s resolution you’ll be keeping well past February..err... October.

What I Did on Summer Vacation

2008-07-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's almost August... you've been to the beach, the park, the fair, and to see Grandma. Twice. Your kids took horseback riding lessons and learned to write HTML at computer camp. You've picked them up and dropped them off from more places than you can remember and more times than you can count. And yes, they are driving you crazy. And yes, there are still 42 MORE DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS!

Who's idea was this staycation anyhow?

But wait... there's a way to keep your kids busy AND have fun AND learn a thing or two along the way. (Oh, and in the process they may even help you make dinner -- and a margarita.)

The Unofficial Guide to

Getting Your Kids Cooking During the Dog Days of Summer

Teach your kids to...
juice limes

salt glass rims (see where I'm going here...)

zest lemons
tear basil

cut mint
wash veggies

wash lettuce

tear lettuce

spin lettuce

peel veggies

remove herb leaves from stems

slice cucumbers with a plastic knife

chop zucchini with a plastic knife

make pizza

dry-rub a steak for the grill

remove the seeds from red peppers

make hamburger patties, and wash their hands after

whisk a marinade

break eggs

pound chicken breasts
measure ingredients

taste-test the spice cabinet

make popsicles

make a salad dressing

blend smoothies

grate cheese

and....

Take a field trip to...

a u-pick farm for blueberry season

the Farmers' Market

a local dairy farm

the grocery store for an A-Z scavenger hunt (hey, it is air-conditioned!)
the grocery store for a global foods scavenger hunt

an ethnic neighborhood's market

a different Farmers' Market

On back-to-school-night, how pleased will you be to read your son's essay hanging on the classroom wall: "This summer vacation was the best ever! I helped make dinner for my family."

and for when you don't feel like chocolate...

2008-07-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

...try fruit popsicles, or Mexican paletas.

Or as Mark Bittman writes, "Mexican summer on a stick".

Try his tasty combinations for these refreshing icy pops, like berry and lime, banana, and pineapple.

Summer's Candy Bar

2008-07-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm hardly against kids eating sweets. Nor do I think chocolate should be relegated to their annual birthday bash. But candy bars, filled with trans fats and other unrecognizable ingredients, are an unsatisfying source of nutrition-less calories.

In a Kitchen Kid Cooking Class this week, I watched 5 kids descend on their just-made creations of chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate-dipped bananas like seagulls flocking to a bag of chips left unattended at the beach.

Now this recipe is hardly complicated, and I'm most definitely not the first to make it. But the act of melting 6 ounces of pure, dark chocolate (no additives, no big words) gave these budding chefs such genuine and unequivocal joy, made me really question the appeal of a Twix. Not to mention the process in and of itself brought almost as much pleasure as the tasty treat (albeit rich in vitamin C and yes, those antioxidants hiding in dark chocolate).

Sure, it would be great if every kid reached for fresh fruit sans the chocolate. And many do. But adding just a touch of something as forbidden as pure chocolate, and watching the kids lick it from their fingers and their lips, surely makes a case for chocolate covered strawberries, and frozen banana pops, being Summer's Best Candy Bar.

Recipe:
Melt 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Indulge by dipping 1 pint of strawberries and Popsicle clad bananas. If you crave a more sophisticated taste, stir chocolate into 6 ounces of near-simmering heavy cream. Even a 3 year old can do it: watch Mark Bittman's Mini Minimalist make this simple ganache.

Three Scoops, Please

2008-07-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

A running joke in our house involves the headless overweight shopper on a busy Manhattan street corner. You know him? Perhaps you'll recognize him better as the headless overweight beach goer carrying a cooler of coke and cheese puffs. Before the housing crisis took over the nightly news, the waistlines of these headless men and women played a key role on American television screens nearly every night.

Now, the headless and overweight are kids, seriously at risk of developing lifelong health problems and type II diabetes. Time Magazine's special health issue in June was dedicated almost entirely to the juvenile obesity epidemic, reporting the staggering statistic that the percentage of 6-11 year olds classified as obese has tripled in the last 25 years. This summer, the growing BMI of American kids has piqued the media's interest. In the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope writes about how summertime and summer camp leads to long days of (wiffle ball? flashlight tag?) cheese fries and ice cream sundaes. A CNN blog posted tips for parents to help their kids order-up a healthy plate and active lifestyle this summer.

Providing kids with nutrition education and accessibility to fresh fruits and vegetables are the single most important steps in changing the course of this national health crisis. Unfortunately school districts continue to face budget cuts in areas such as physical and health education. Worse, it was announced this week that the cost of school lunches will rise 12% this fall. With such a price increase it seems even the best intentioned districts will struggle to put local fruits and fresh veggies on the menu. What does this mean? Moms and dads, friends and family, coaches and teachers, community leaders and clergy... YOU need to make a difference in the lives of America's overweight kids.

Nutrition 101

2008-05-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

I am just days away from completing my first graduate-level course in nutrition. Throughout the semester, "Nutrition for a Healthy Lifestyle" reminded me just how complex the human body is, and how important it is we nourish it with the right foods. I've still got lots to learn, but the overview -- from antioxidants to zinc -- will serve as a solid foundation for understanding what we eat and why we eat it. Now that I'll be spending less time pouring over my textbook, I hope to share more ruminations about nutrition for kids on this blog. But after all the tests, and all the lectures, the most important take-away message is something I've known at heart all along: eat fresh; eat balanced; eat variety.

As a final project, I developed an informal website for kids: "Eating the Alphabet: the kids' guide to the WHY of nutrition". If your kids are tired of being scolded to...

"Eat your carrots!"
"Finish your milk!" and
"Don't eat those cookies!"

...and would like to learn why they should -- or shouldn't -- eat those goodies, this site is for them. It's a work in progress, but kids will learn about protein and carbs, iron and vitamins. Also, you'll find lots of links to other resources on kids' nutrition, including KidsHealth and MyPyramid for Kids.

The Kitchen Classroom

2008-05-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

When the editors of Tastybaby.com contacted me about writing an article for their fabulous site, I was happy to accept. Perhaps you've heard of Tastybaby's exquisite line of natural, delicious and organ ic baby food like "Peas on Earth" and "Hip 2 B Pear". Did you also know their website is bursting with tasty and touching articles, too?

At any rate, I thought the most fitting story to share with health-conscious moms who want the very best for their children, would be about turning the family kitchen into a global classroom:

I’ve taught children in lots of fabulous places: three year olds on the ski slopes of Park City, Utah, high schoolers from a working-class suburb of Florence, Italy, hormonal adolescents in a public school classroom. But I founded Kitchen Kid, a Los Angeles-area culinary school for kids, because I think the best place to teach kids is in the heart of every family’s home: the kitchen.

So I’ve composed the top 10 reasons why you should stop cooking for your kids, and start cooking with them.

10. They call it culinary arts for a reason. Cooking is a tasty and tangible way for kids to express their creativity. Children experience success, independence, and increased self esteem when they put dinner on the table, all by themselves! And quite simply, cooking is a fun adventure for all the senses!

9. Kids love the prep work you hate. Washing potatoes? (Fun with water!) Trimming asparagus? (Snap off that 3rd grade aggression!) Chopping herbs? (Meticulous results with craft scissors!)

8. The kitchen is a classroom, and school becomes delicious! Kids hone skills like… Geography – find the Mediterranean Sea when you make hummus; map out the Silk Road when you stir fry. Language – steak frites anyone? Farfalle with prosciutto? Math – cups are in thirds and tablespoons in halves way before fractions are introduced at school. And science. Consider the chemistry of egg whites and whipping cream post electric mixer. Not to mention reading comprehension, sequencing, and one of my favorites, following directions.

7. Healthy snacks and yummy meals have thankfully begun to replace vending machines and drive-thrus. With the help of your tiny chef, roasting chicken and making snack bags won’t seem like such formidable tasks.

6. Kids are empowered to make their own wholesome choices when engaged in honest dialogue about nutrition. Teach them to eat a rainbow of colorful foods each day. They’ll be glad to know sweet potatoes fuel their brains, bananas boost their energy, milk makes them grow strong, and strawberries fight a cold.

5. An appreciation of where food comes from fosters an interest in local, sustainable, and organic ingredients. Long after they forget the nursery rhymes of barnyard animals, kids clamor to track the journey from farm to fork.

4. Your child’s palate will expand well beyond the limited fare of nuggets and buttered pasta. Children are much more likely to eat – and enjoy – foods which they had a hand in creating. In countless Kitchen Kid culinary classes, I’ve seen picky eaters chow down happily on foods they previously feared. Vegetables, fish, and funny textures included.

3. Dinnertime becomes family time once again. Kids and parents who cook together dine together. Norman Rockwell rests in peace.

2. You might just score a really delicious breakfast in bed this Mother’s Day.

1. Watching five year olds mix, mash, and measure is pretty entertaining! As one toque-touting tot-chef explained to me during cooking class, “I love to be shoe-chef!”

Dinnertime Challenges for Mom, Top Chef Style

2008-05-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or was the elimination challenge on Bravo's Top Chef last night hardly, well, a challenge? The task: cook a nutritious, simple, and kid-friendly dinner that American families would be happy to re-create. Oh, and spend $10 or less. If this seems an impossible feat, as Chef Andrew quipped, it's worth noting these astounding figures reported in Chef Tom Colicchio's blog: 10% of Americans rely on food stamps. Food stamps allocate just $1/meal per person. That means cooking a simple, nutritious, and kid-friendly dinner for your family of 4 for just $4. And the cost of food continues to rise...

Anyhow, it seems this 'challenge' -- or should I call it a 'regularly nightly task' for most American moms -- really stumped these talented chef-testants. So I've decided to critique each of the chefs so they'll be ready when they have hungry kids of their own.

Mark: I agree with the judges on this one. Your sweet curry entree lacked essential carbs and protein. Gail was right, sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamins, but a dinner of "just vegetables" doesn't work on the family table. How about mashed sweet potatoes with turkey burgers?

Dale: Good thinking. Pre-cooked sausages are a quick, inexpensive staple in the family kitchen. But your kids may find brats and cabbage to be the 'worst'. How about smoked chicken and apple sausage instead? Or an Italian turkey sausage kabob with sauteed red peppers and broccoli, with a side of brown rice?

Spike: Few kids get excited about olives and capers. But pasta with red sauce will always be a quick, inexpensive, and nutritious family meal. Jessica Seinfeld's been known to sneak some unique vegetables in there, too. I loved your idea for carrot soup -- I wish more American moms knew how easy and rewarding it is to make homemade soup.

Nikki, Richard, Stephanie, and Lisa: Lots of roasted chicken. Definitely a healthy, delicious way to feed a family. Think outside the BSB (boneless, skinless breast): it's a lot cheaper to buy whole chicken, thighs, or even bone-in breast. I liked Nikki's easy clean up plan and wished more chefs had considered using just 1 pan. Richard did a nice job introducing hot pink beets. Kids love the sweet taste and bright color when they are roasted. But left whole the texture is intimidating. Try running the beets through a food processor and toss with pasta and cheese. Though Stephanie's dish was deservedly on the bottom, whole wheat couscous is a great, quick kid-friendly grain. Mixed with some leftover chicken, chickpeas, and snow peas, it's one fast dinner.

Andrew: I loved this take on a 'kid classic': chicken parm. Your salad of fennel, orange, and apple was sweet and full of vitamin C. But Spike, no dad in his right mind would dare serve it on top of the chicken!

Antonia: How fitting that you, the single mom, knew how to "stir-fry" up a healthy, tasty, inexpensive kid-favorite. It's no surprise that this includes whole wheat pasta, chicken, and sweet veggies like bokchoy and edamame. I'm sure your daughter is proud!

I applaud Top Chef for inviting kids into the kitchen to help put dinner on the table: note to viewers, try this at home! And I know moms across the nation smiled in victory last night, confident their "Wednesday night chicken" or "surprise pasta bake" would have earned gushing praise from the Judges Table in this "challenge".

30 Meals in 30 Days

2008-04-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Cookie Magazine's online community really is "all that's best for your family." From baby strollers to beauty tips and exercise to entertaining, it's a one-stop, content-rich source for all things family. Though I am easily distracted by the "Do-Everything-Better Guides" (who wouldn't be lured by such a claim?) I of course visit the site for creative new ideas in the kitchen.

A must-read for any mom in the "What's For Dinner???" or "Feed My Family.. NOW!" slump, is Jenny Rosenstrach's article 30 Meals in 30 Days, where: "A mother of two sets out to expand her kids' palates, break out of a rut, and ultimately rediscover a small part of her old self."

My favorite part of the article is the week-by-week analysis and links for each new recipe. Rosenstrach offers helpful tips for advanced preparation, heads-up on the number of dirty dishes, viable substitutions for picky-eaters, and provides her family's report-card style rating.

If you're family's been gorging on grilled cheese, instead of Growing Up Gourmet, this is one article to read before your next trip to the store.

Eating the Most Out of College

2008-04-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

There's no reason your Kitchen Kid should stop "growing up gourmet" when he heads off to college. In fact, perhaps he should choose his college precisely with the interest of becoming a teenage gourmand.

In loco parentis, the Bowdoin College dining hall in Brunswick, ME gives students a taste of culinary ingenuity that, sorry moms, just can't be beat, even in your own kitchen. How about homemade potato-leek soup, freshly baked rosemary bread, and bananas foster? How about a wheatberry salad with dried cranberries and fresh herbs, Maine shrimp cakes with spicy remoulade, and eggs benedict florentine? Still not convinced? Don't forget the annual Thanksgiving dinner under candlelight or the treasured fall lobster-bake complete with steamed clams and corn on the cob. Oh, and no one can resist that hot fudge...

The New York Times today notes that Bowdoin College's Dining Hall uses Fair Trade coffee, organic herbs and vegetables grown on campus, and an in-house butcher to create an ever-rotating menu of homemade recipes. They incorporate student requests and create genuine ethnic meals that respectfully honor traditions and holidays. But as any Polar Bear will tell you, it isn't just the food, but the experience of sharing meals with friends. In the Times, Mary Lou Kennedy, Bowdoin’s dining director, notes that the students, “love the community of food. They were Slow Food 10 years before it became a movement. At dinner, they come and stay for an hour and a half.” That's a good 85 minutes more than most American families spend together at the table. One alumna recalled "feasting from 5pm until we trekked to the library at 8, brains alert and satiated on good food and good conversation." This month, College Prowler named Bowdoin, "school of the year" thanks in part to its tasty treats, and the Princeton Review rates the College's dining hall #1 in the country.

Of course, the revelation in today's Times and these noteworthy publications is no surprise to me, or my dozen very best friends who reminisced about the "DH" over emails all day. Some of my happiest, funniest, most-memorable, and most special college memories (including my first kiss to my future husband) all happened in the Thorne and Moulton Dining Halls, thanks to a wise decision to follow my heart -- and my stomach -- to an unbeatable college in Maine.

No Bones About It

2008-04-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Having dinner with my 27-year old friend the other night reminded me of one of my biggest (and silliest) 'food fears' as a child: chicken bones. My friend hesitated to order the roasted chicken, asking our waiter if it would be 'on the bone'. While I was hardly a picky eater as a child (fond of sushi and caviar by 5), I was quite picky when it came to eating chicken on the bone. Thankfully, I've come to realize just how much better chicken actually tastes when it is on the bone.

In two of my recent kids' cooking classes, we have roasted bone-in chicken breasts. Rib bones intact, the meat has been roasted with cherry tomatoes and thyme, or lemon and rosemary. The pan sauce is rich and flavorful; the meat moist and tender. This chicken was no match for it's boneless, skinless brother. Having hesitantly confronted the bone in the kitchen and tasted the results at the table, both groups of children readily admitted bone-in chicken simply yields a more complex and delicious meal. And discovered they had no problems working around the bone.

Aside from the far superior taste of chicken on the bone, my family came up with a list of other benefits last night at dinner, over you guessed it, roasted chicken.

1. It's quick. Okay, well, a 4 lb bird will take about 1 1/2 hours to roast, but it is sure quick to prepare. I was lamenting the fact I'd be roasting such a behemoth after a long day at work. But I mixed up an herb, lemon, and mustard marinade, smoothed it on my chicken, and halved some potatoes, onions and carrots to go in the roasting pan, all in less than 10 minutes. With a side of spinach sauteed in 30 seconds when the bird came out of the oven, I spent less time actually making this dinner than I would have seasoning and sauteing 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and some sides.

2. It's cheaper. Much cheaper. Last night's whole chicken was $1.59/lb for a free-range, organic, grass-fed bird. The boneless, skinless version would sell for nearly five times that amount.

3. It's healthier. Well, I can't promise more vitamins and minerals, but it certainly has seen less commercial processing equipment than the pre-packaged chicken tenders.

4. It feeds a family. With leftovers -- chicken sandwiches... chicken soup....chicken salad....

5. It's an age-old tradition. Roasting a whole chicken has been a culinary adventure since... no joke, the Babylonian times. Your grandma would be proud.

6. Your house will be filled with wonderful aromas that will make you feel like Julia Child.

So next time you're family is in the "chicken-rut", grab a whole bird and give it a roast.

Local Foods Meet Federal Foes

2008-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

It's discouraging to know the federal government is getting in the way of feeding your family fresh, local, and organic produce -- which is typically much healthier and more nutritious than the mass-produced varietals.

If you were disturbed and dismayed to read farmer Jack Hedin's editorial "Forbidden Fruit (and Vegetables)" in the New York Times earlier this month, you won't want to miss Evan Kleiman's interview with him this week on KCRW's show Good Food. You can listen online with their new media player, Tuned In. Despite the fact that the local foods movement is growing, and the demand for pesticide-free vegetables increasing, the government would much rather support the monoculture farmers who reap rows and rows of corn, while your zucchini is trucked in from a thousand miles away.

But there's hope. Read the Fresh Mouth blog, which chronicles "a family of 5, with 1 mission to eat only fresh food or processed food with 5 ingredients or less for 30 days". This Mom's mission:

We're an average American family trying to eat better and enjoy it more. We'll convince our three little kids that fresh food is about pleasure, rituals and family - and not about red dye #40, high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.

Boxes of Fun Straight from the Farm

2008-03-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

A tightly sealed package filled with wonderful goodies... euphoric aromas seeping from the kitchen...

No, it's not Christmas. It's your CSA box arriving weekly with freshly harvested local bounty!! But with spring's sweet treats like green peas and asparagus, it sure does seem like Christmas in March.

Community Supported Agriculture is one of the best ways you can inspire your tot-chef to chow down on mysterious vegetables and juicy fruit. And is there a better opportunity to discuss where food comes from (Albertson's? the can?) than when your delivery arrives straight from the local farm? Anticipation and wonder will radiate from your kids as they peel open the box to see what will be on the menu this week. And with truly the tastiest produce at their finger-tips, they'll be clamoring to help you cook up new recipes for carrots and beans.

If you live in the Los Angeles or San Diego area, sign up for a CSA box from J.R. Organics. The Escondido based family farm is committed to providing its members with the freshest, most nutritious vegetables around. Try them out by picking up a few veggies from their stand at many local Farmers' Markets.

Coming soon... kid-friendly recipes inspired by the weekly harvest.

Free Range -- Not a Cash Cow

2008-03-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

No doubt you've noticed it takes a few more greenbacks to buy things these days. With gas prices soaring past $3.50 gallon, the mortgage crisis heating up, and unemployment rates rising, it's no surprise that groceries are becoming gastronomical too. The cost of eggs were up 40% in 2007; milk and coffee are 26% more expensive than they were just 6 months ago.

You may be thinking that the rising cost of living is one more reason to skip Whole Foods (deemed Whole Paycheck by many) and head to the 99 Cent Store. In fact, the LA Times offered advice last Sunday for really eating on the cheap with a review of the new 99 Cent Store "gourmet" cookbook.

But as it turns out, this might just be the best time to appreciate the free-range, organic, cage-free, grass-fed and typically more expensive goodies from organic farmers and green grocers. Why? On many organic, natural, and local farms that depend less on corn products, operating costs such as feed are staying fixed. What does this mean to the consumer? Grass-fed chicken may still cost a few cents more than their corn-fed brothers, but the price gap is most definitely shrinking. Higher-quality organic produce may not cost more for long. Similarly, industry experts are predicting that the rising price of whole foods -- those in their most natural form like eggs and milk and apples -- are beginning to peak and perhaps drop. Whereas processed foods -- those foods that require economically volatile products such as corn syrup, extensive packaging, and long-distance travel from farm to factory -- are most definitely going to be hit by price inflation throughout 2008.

You knew your heart would thank you for choosing fresh spinach from the produce aisle over a spinach and sausage Hot Pocket from the freezer section. And you knew your conscience would be thankful you chose eggs from free-range birds over those that were cooped-up.

Finally, your pocketbook is beginning to appreciate both.

Hey, It's Pizza Night! (Or How to Clean Out the Fridge)

2008-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

A few slices of prosciutto... a handful of aging mushrooms... some leftover grilled zucchini... last night's rotisserie chicken... cherry tomatoes... pesto... pasta sauce... feta...

What's calling to you from your fridge, begging to be eaten instead of wasted and thrown away?

If you think your kids won't get excited for pizza unless it's covered in grease and hails from a take-out box, think again. In our house, pizza night is nearly once a week and rarely planned. Instead, it's a quick solution for using up leftover veggies, meats, cheeses, and sauces. With a side of arugula tossed with parmesan and pepper, it's a perfect and delicious dinner. I usually have fresh pizza dough in the fridge or freezer -- Trader Joe's can't be beat -- just be sure to defrost it in the morning. If you don't have dough on hand, whole wheat pita bread and flour tortillas make even quicker pizzas when you're in a pinch.

The secret to such kid-friendly leftovers? 1) Melted cheese is always sure to please. (Mozzarella and fontina melt fabulously. 2) Your kids release their inner Iron Chef; your home is transformed into Kitchen Stadium. Have the kids help roll the dough for individual pies. Take out the topping options and let them get creative!

Be the super-mom tonight and serve pizza. Don't worry; your clean-out-the-fridge secret is safe with me.

No Super Supper Tonight

2008-02-20T17:44:00.001-08:00

Silly me. I was under the hopeful impression Americans were pining away for Norman Rockwell-style family dinners, when the whole family enjoyed mom's homemade roast chicken, and kids actually responded with engaging answers to the time-worn question, "so what'dya learn at school today." Studies even purport that family meals dramatically improve academic performance and reduce drug-use and other at-risk behavior amongst teens.

But Wednesday's story in the New York Times tells us that even when moms are given every opportunity to put a home-cooked dinner on the table with ease and convenience, they'd just... well, rather not. The Times reports that meal assembly stores, the fastest growing trend in small businesses and franchising during the last three years, is on an unexpected steady decline. Companies such as Dream Dinners, My Girlfriends' Kitchen, Super Suppers, and Dinner by Design seemingly provide the busy mom's perfect answer that harkens back to more family-oriented times. In under 2 hours and with little cash, even a self-proclaimed 'bad cook' can pull up to a mini-mall storefront, prepare 24 meals with her closest friends and a glass of merlot, bring them home in freezer-ready packages, and sleep happily knowing her family of five will be eating healthy, delicious dinners for the next 3 weeks. But as the industry experiences a sharp decline in revenue and charts store closings across the country, it seems mom just isn't motivated enough. As the Times explains, last-minute convenience (think Wendy's on the way home from soccer practice and those ready-in-2-minutes dino nuggets) is about all busy families have time for.

As obesity rates in children continue to rise, and edible food-like substances overwhelm our grocery store shelves, it's unfortunate that more Americans aren't taking advantage of the easiest and quickest way to get home-cooked meals on the dinner table.

Veggies: How Many are Too Many?

2008-02-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how disappointed I was to still see Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, on the bestseller rack in Barnes and Noble this week. I've long maintained that sneaking food is merely a recipe for distrust -- one that will yield even more picky eaters who harbor an illusory relationship with healthy foods.

Thankfully, two outstanding food writers continue to remind us that the anti-sneak dialogue is resounding loudly. In this month's Bon Appetit column, "Health Wise", author Mark Kurlansky compares the veggie-laden diet of China's youngsters to the "eat your spinach... or else" rhetoric echoed by desperate moms in many American homes. He considers Missy Chase Lapine's (The Sneaky Chef) and Seinfeld's cookbooks to be "the worst possible response" to the problem of kids refusing to eat their vegetables. Kurlansky poses worthwhile solutions which "foster an appreciation for vegetables," such as growing a vegetable garden. (Think Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard on a household scale.)

And yesterday Mark Bittman wrote on his new blog Bitten, that "the funniest thing about these two books is that the public uproar wasn’t over their approach to cooking but over which author had the idea first."

With the Bon Appetit article titled, "Eat Your Broccoli", and Bittman begging "Eat you veggies", I can't help but be optimistic that the next food-fad in kids' health will be "Veggies: How Many are Too Many?"

Food For Thought

2008-02-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

I think I am addicted to rice. Not jasmine. Not basmati. Not even brown. Free Rice. As in, www.freerice.com. The vocabulary building game has two simple goals noted on the website: 1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free. 2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. And the game is pretty simple too. Simply choose the correct definition of an English vocabulary word (there are increasing levels of difficulty -- the website remembers which one you're on each time you play), and 20 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations to help end world hunger.

You get smarter. Hungry get fed.

But watch out. The game's addictive. You might find yourself obdurately playing Free Rice while you somnambulate.

To Sneak or Not to Sneak?

2008-02-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Is that really still the question?!

With the controversy surrounding Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, tricking kids into eating spinach and sweet potatoes sure piqued the media's attention recently! As you might guess, I am a firm member of the "DON'T SNEAK" camp! Why hide foods that are already delicious? You'll find my argument furthered in last month's 805 Living Magazine, where I up against Missy Chase Lapine, author of the popular cookbook, The Sneaky Chef.

If you still need a reason to roast broccoli with parmesan instead of blending it up for pasta sauce, tune in to Bon Appetit's pod-cast with editor and gastrokid.com founder Hugh Garvey, and family cookbook author Lauren Bank Deen. Listen online, or read more about an "honest kitchen" in this Boston Globe article.

It's All About the Color!

2008-02-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

We all know green is good. And it seems like everything is 'green' these days. Lunch boxes, toilet paper, cars, lightbulbs, even fully furnished homes. Green foods are good too: spinach, broccoli, asparagus, avocados, lettuce, and peas are all rich in antioxidant vitamins, follate, and iron.

Being eco-friendly is great. But green isn't the only color your kids should be learning about. Red and pink foods (peppers, grapefruit, watermelon, tomatoes, strawberries) are filled with nutrients such as beta carotene, lycopene, and powerful cancer-fighting carotenoids. Orange and yellow foods (carrots, squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, apricots, melons) are high in beta-carotene, and citrus fruits are full of vitamin c. And dark blue and purple foods (blueberries, grapes, blackberries, figs, plums) are also packed with cancer and disease fighting antioxidants.

Snack time is a great time to make sure your kids are eating through the rainbow. Keep baggies -- or in the spirit of being green -- small containers in your fridge stocked with fruits and veggies of different colors. Throw a "green snack" and a "red snack" into your daughter's backpack for a pre-soccer pick-me-up, and grab a "blue snack" and an "orange snack" for nibbles in the car. At the grocery store, choose by color: assign each child a color and see what nutritious fruits and veggies they bring back to the cart!

Me-Oh-MY Minestrone

2008-01-25T18:54:00.000-08:00

This quick minestrone is a perfect Saturday afternoon kitchen adventure. Even the youngest chefs can exercise ownership and make choices about what they are eating -- a very powerful concept indeed!

On the stove, heat 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth with a can of diced tomatoes. Season with herbs like rosemary or oregano, if desired. On the counter, place heaping bowls of delicious "toppings" like frozen corn, kidney beans, alphabet pasta or orzo, shredded carrots, green peas, tofu cubes, spinach leaves, and Parmesan cheese. Invite your tot-chef to top their bowl of broth with the yummy vegetables. Children will help themselves to their favorites, and may even be motivated to try something new. With a little encouragement, I've seen the most hesitant bean-eater be enthusiastic about stirring in at least 1 bean! Top with a little Parmesan and a touch of olive oil to make the soup sophisticated enough for mom and dad. Make floating “croutons” by cutting-out fun shapes of whole-grain bread with cookie cutters. Brush the bread with olive oil and bake until crispy.

Your kids will love this simple cooking adventure, perfect for a winter's day. You’ll love knowing their bellies are full of healthy nutrients. And the whole family will love spending time together in the kitchen!

Healthy New Year!

2008-01-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

The New Year is the perfect time to bring your family together and enjoy healthy and delicious meals together! Everyone wants to start 2008 on the right foot… and there’s no better way to do it then by cooking with your kids. For many parents, dinnertime is a full-fledged battle, and the only winner is the family dog. Thought Caitlin liked carrots? She did, on Friday. But today’s Tuesday, and she’d rather injest poision before chewing one more bite of the vitamin rich vegetable. Thrilled that Jake finally loves peas? Got so excited you made fresh pasta with peas and a delicate parmesan cream sauce? No doubt you were devestated by your wasted efforts upon discovering that Jake only loves peas when they are piled up plainly, all alone on his plate. And ‘brushing off’ the sauce just isn’t possible.

If these dinnertime battles have turned you into a desperate short-order cook with little regard for nutritional balance, and defrosting dino nuggets Monday thru Friday, try the only sure-fire way to encourage your kids to become more fearless eaters. Invite your kids on a delicious kitchen adventure; cook with your kids

Children who participate in preparing a meal are much more likely to enjoy the final product than those who don’t help out in the kitchen. Every chef wants to taste their creation, and yours will be no different. Even a child who helps make “icky” veggies or “stinky” fish will feel a sense of pride and success when dinner appears on the table. Encourage your kids to taste throughout the cooking process, introducing them to new textures and ingredients in small quantities along the way. When you give kids lots of heatlhy options, you empower them to make good decisions about what to eat.