Kitchen Vignettes

Can you grill dairy foods? That’s a dilemma (sort of) this...

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:01:54 -0400

Can you grill dairy foods?

That’s a dilemma (sort of) this weekend as we celebrate two holidays at once! For Jews, it’s Shavuot. For all Americans, it’s Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the grilling season.

As far as the food stuff goes, Shavuot is the “dairy” holiday. When we eat all things cheese (as well as other dairy products), especially cheesecake.

But, except for a few items, like grilled halloumi cheese, which is quite delicious (cut the cheese into strips, coat them with olive oil, stick them on a skewer and grill them until they’re crispy on the outside), we don’t grill most dairy products.

However, we can grill fish and eat them with other dairy products.

Or grill meat and eat some wonderful side dishes (and save the cheesecake for another time during the holiday).

This wheatberry salad fits perfectly into both holiday meals. It is a substantial side dish, you can make it ahead and it can be either dairy or non-dairy (leave the cheese out, substitute nothing or some other vegetable of tofu). You can make this into a meat-based salad too — add some cut up grilled chicken or beef, etc.

Matter of fact, this is a good, healthy salad choice for the entire summer.

My kids love when I make this kind of salad. This is the young generation’s way to eat now. Less meat, more whole grains and veggies. You can use this salad as part of a vegetarian meal.

Also, just as you can leave out the cheese, you can make this dish with a different grain (like barley or quinoa). Use different herbs. Play around with the recipe and invent on your own. Cook the grain according to the directions on the package. The rest, as the great sage Hillel said, “is commentary.”

Wheatberry Salad with Tomatoes and Olives

1 cup wheatberries

3 cups water

1 15-ounce can (drained) black beans

1 large avocado, cut into chunks

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 cup chopped cheese or meat (optional)

1 fresh serrano pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vingar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the wheatberries in a large saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 50-60 minutes or until the wheat is tender. Drain any remaining liquid and place the wheatberries in a bowl to cool. Add the black beans, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, cheese or meat if used, serrano pepper and oregano and toss to distribute ingredients evenly. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, wine vinegar, mustard and cumin. Pour over the salad and toss the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the salad stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings

Kale is king these days. I’ve been reading all about...

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:13:49 -0400

Kale is king these days. I’ve been reading all about things such as crispy fried kale and kale chips and braised kale and of course, kale soup.

All delicious. And it’s healthy too. Calcium. Vitamins A, C and K (sounds like New York subway lines). Also one of those cabbage descendants that may have anti-cancer effects.

I never heard of kale, growing up. The only cabbage we ate was in Aunt Goldie’s special soup and also the sauerkraut we put on top of our hot dogs.

But now, as I said, kale is king. Like other cabbage cousins, it can be acrid so you have to treat it right. If you overcook it, it can smell up the entire kitchen. But if you undercook it it doesn’t taste right.

I buy kale a lot because I like to experiment with recipes, especially with ingredients that weren’t familiar from my childhood.

But Ed has always hated my kale concoctions.

Until this one: Kale Gratin. It looked so appealing to him he actually asked for a piece (I was saving it to be rewarmed for another meal). And then he asked for seconds!

A miracle.

We finished the rest the next day (10 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven).

Enjoy this, kale lovers!

Enjoy this, everyone celebrating Shavuot. It’s the cheese dish I will be serving instead of my usual Spinach Pie this year.

Kale Gratin

1 large bunch kale

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 cup half and half cream

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons plain, fresh or dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut off and discard the hard stems from the kale. Discard discolored leaves. Wash the leaves carefully and cut them into 3-4 pieces. Place the leaves in a large saucepan, add about 1 cup water and cover the pan. Cook on medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the leaves are soft and wilted. Press the water out of the leaves. Chop the leaves into small pieces and place in a lightly greased baking dish. In a bowl, beat the eggs and mustard until combined. Stir in the cream and blend ingredients thoroughly. Stir in the Swiss cheese and some salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the kale and stir to distribute the kale evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top. Cut the butter into small pieces and use them to dot the surface of the gratin. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is crispy and golden brown. Makes 4-6 servings

Is this any time to be eating cheesecake? I mean, just when the...

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:18:00 -0400

Is this any time to be eating cheesecake? I mean, just when the weather is grand and we are beginning to think about what we will look like in a bathing suit soon?

Well, yes, if you don’t eat the whole cake and maybe you cut down on other high-calorie items or maybe work out a little longer. Indulgence is fine, IMHO, as long as it doesn’t get to be a habit.

And yes, if you will be observing Shavuot next weekend. This Jewish holiday celebrates the giving of the law (Torah) to the Israelites after the Exodus from Egypt. But somehow, for celebration sake anyway, there’s usually a cheesecake involved. Scholars say it may have to do with the Israelites’ flight from Egypt to the Holy Land, which is described as the land of “Milk and Honey.”

I think this year I will serve a different kind of cheesecake: Brownies with Cheesecake. In fact, they are already in my freezer for the company I am expecting.

Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

1 cup butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2-1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

Lightly grease a 13”x9” baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large saucepan set over low heat (or in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water). When the butter and chocolate have melted, blend them and stir in 2 cups of the sugar and 3 of the eggs. Whisk ingredients thoroughly. Add the flour, salt, nuts (if used) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir in the ingredients with a large wooden spoon. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until thoroughly blended. Spoon blobs of the cream cheese mixture on top of the chocolate batter. Cut through the cheese, making swirls in the chocolate mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool. Cut into bars with a sharp knife dipped into hot water. Refrigerate. Makes 24-36 pieces

Marshmallows are the hot trend of 2012. According to...

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:13:13 -0400

Marshmallows are the hot trend of 2012. According to this article, anyway.

And the folks at the Food Channel apparently agree.

Frankly I have no clue why marshmallows would be any more popular now than some other time. I thought they were always popular.

For example, my Dad’s hot chocolate was considered the best in history, primarily because he heated the milk with a couple of marshmallows in it (and then capped off the drink with more marshmallows).

My Mom made an ice cream pie with chocolate ice cream mixed with nuts and cut up marshmallows.

And don’t thousands of people top mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows every Thanksgiving? And make S’mores with marshmallows during the summer?

Of course, the simplest way to enjoy a marshmallow is to toast it over a fire to crispiness and eat it, ashes crumbling and insides oozing. Like my grandson Zev is doing in the photos.

But there’s lots more you can do with marshmallows. Try this version of Ambrosia. Really just fruit salad with some added coconut, marshmallows and honey. Simple, easy to make. Light and refreshing.

Ambrosia

1 large peach or mango

2 navel oranges

1 cup cut up bite size pieces fresh pineapple

1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half

1 cup cut up strawberries

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup cut up marshmallows

1/4 cup honey

2-3 tablespoons orange, pineapple, mango or other fruit juice

whipped cream or sorbet, optional

Peel the peach or mango and cut the flesh into bite size chunks. Place the chunks in a bowl. Peel the orange and cut it into thick slices. Remove the white pith and cut the orange into bite size chunks. Add to the bowl. Add the pineapple, grapes, strawberries, coconut and marshmallows and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Pour the honey and juice over the fruit and toss ingredients. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream or sorbet if desired. Makes 4-6 servings

Is Tumblr down? Check status and report outages at downrightnow

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:12:22 -0400

Is Tumblr down? Check status and report outages at downrightnow:

thepoliticalfreakshow:

According to this website, Tumblr is having widespread technical difficulties.

It’s not just me, thank goodness.

Hope it gets fixed really soon!!

yes, which is why my blog post got posted twice today

Healthy and delicious all in one dish? Some say it can’t be...

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:47:05 -0400

Healthy and delicious all in one dish?

Some say it can’t be done.

But I have found out differently over the years.

Take sweet potatoes and coconut oil. They’re both “good for you” according to most recent findings. Put them together and what have you got? More than bibbedy bobbedy boo, that’s for sure.

Like this recipe I tried yesterday. These sweet potatoes are lightly sweet — I added just one tablespoon of maple syrup — they don’t need more really. I remember my Mom made candied sweets using an entire stick of butter and about a half box of brown sugar for a large can, including liquid, of cut up sweet potatoes. Yes, it was dee-lish. But also loaded with fat and calories. So if you are looking for a recipe that’s lighter, healthier and with lower fat and calories, try this one.

It’s pretty too, don’t you think?

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil and Maple

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into julienne

2 scallions, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or parsley or use thyme leaves

sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about one minute or until the coconut oil liquefies. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the scallions, garlic and herb on top. Pour the coconut oil-maple mixture over the vegetables and toss the ingredients to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 22-24 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and lightly crispy. Makes 4-6 servings

Healthy and delicious all in one dish? Some say it can’t...

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:35:00 -0400

Healthy and delicious all in one dish?

Some say it can’t be done.

But I have found out differently over the years.

Take sweet potatoes and coconut oil. They’re both “good for you” according to most recent findings. Put them together and what have you got? More than bibbedy bobbedy boo, that’s for sure.

It’s pretty too, don’t you think?

Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil and Maple

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into julienne

2 scallions, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or parsley or use thyme leaves

sea salt

Chocolate chip cookies are like politics. You get stuck on a...

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:40:51 -0400

Chocolate chip cookies are like politics. You get stuck on a point of view and most of the time you don’t change it. I always sort of knew this but the idea was reinforced recently at our annual family cookoff. Everybody liked different recipes for all sorts of personal reasons.

I like crispy chocolate chip cookies but my sister-in-law Eileen likes them soft.

Ed and his sister Barbara insist that their Mom’s recipe was wonderful. But her chocolate chip cookies were so lumpy and dry they crumbled like sandcastles.

Jesse likes a variety of chips and also other stuff in chocolate chip cookies — the chips are just one diversion for him.

Is there such a thing as the “best” chocolate chip cookie?

As I said, it’s like politics. It depends on your point of view.

Recently, Felicity Cloake wrote a very informative article in The Guardian, explaining all the ins and outs of chocolate chip cookies. Like why some are chewy, some crispy, whether you should let the dough rest and, of course, a discussion on the chips. She also gives a recipe.

She says that the original Toll House Cookie recipe is a good basic recipe.

But I say, it’s not perfect. A tweak here and there to suit your tastes is okay.

BTW, so far, despite Jesse’s great Chocolate Chippers with all Sorts of Other Stuff and the other three cookoff recipes in our family event, all of which were good, the family universally agrees that nothing we’ve tasted thus far surpasses the Grand Finale cookies from my book, Hip Kosher.

Grand Finales are crispy and contain dark chocolate chips, nuts and raisins. Nothing beats them. So, do try them.

Or try the recipe below, a bit more caramel-y because there’s more brown sugar and less white sugar than standard versions. These are soft but moist, neither crispy nor chewy. Vaguely coconut-y because I’ve used some coconut oil and coconut flour.

BTW, this may sound like heresy, but I never use Nestle’s chocolate chips. I think they are way too sweet and not chocolatey enough. I usually buy Ghirardelli but sometimes I use bar chocolate and chop it into pieces.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Flour and More Brown Sugar

14 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add the eggs and beat the mixture until well blended. Add the flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and blend them in thoroughly. Stir the chocolate into the dough. For each cookie, mound balls of dough (about 3 tablespoonsful) onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each mound of dough. Flatten the mounds slightly. Bake immediately or refrigerate for 2-24 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 24-28 cookies

fridayreads: This week’s #FridayReads giveaway is Ellen...

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:08:04 -0400

fridayreads:

This week’s #FridayReads giveaway is Ellen Feldman’s Next To Love -

Synopsis:

“When their men go off to war, Babe, Millie, and Grace, three childhood friends in Massachusetts, live on letters, and in dread of telegrams that can bring only bad news. But as the war drags on, and when peace breaks out, they experience changes that move them in directions they never dreamed possible. The women lose their innocence, struggle to raise their children, and find meaning and love in unexpected places.

And as they change, so does America—from a country in which people know their place in the social hierarchy to a world in which women’s rights, the Civil Rights movement, and technological innovations present new possibilities and uncertainties.

Yet Babe, Millie, and Grace remain bonded by their past, even as their children grow up and away and a new society rises from the ashes of the war.

A story of war, loss, and the scars they leave, Next To Love depicts the enduring power of love and friendship, and illuminates a transformational moment in American history.”

Praise:

“The ‘Greatest Generation’ and the battles to defeat Germany in Europe during WWII have received generous and much-deserved attention. Ellen Feldman turns our attention to the home front in a moving and insightful story of three young women in a small New England town, two of whom lose husbands on the Normandy beaches, and one whose returning husband is haunted by what we now know as PTSD. How they attempt to rebuild their lives is a story beautifully told. Feldman’s narrative also encompasses the racism and the anti-Semetism of those years as well as the nascent women’s movement without ever seeming didactic. A brilliant book!”

— Marian Nielsen, Orinda Books, Orinda, CA

Links:

The author’s website

Indiebound

I’m reading Indomitable Will, LBJ in the Presidency, by Mark Updegrove. All about LBJ from different perspectives of the people who knew him

Gillian’s new App, Lalalunchbox, is a big hit. Kids all...

Thu, 17 May 2012 12:07:00 -0400

Gillian’s new App, Lalalunchbox, is a big hit. Kids all over the world, it seems, and their parents, are using it to help them pick stuff for lunch. (And the App also sets a shopping list up for you.)

Naturally, I’m thrilled for her. And happy for all those people out there who use it and have a chance to talk with their kids about the food they bring to school. And the App is fun to use too.

It also prompted a conversation about lunch with my trainer this morning because while I’m working out, as I’ve mentioned here before, Robbie and I talk about food practically the whole time I am doing pushups, squats and running up and down the stairs.

We talked about “retro-lunch.” You know, the kind of stuff we took to school or ate at home (I walked home from school at lunchtime) when we were kids. His Mom sent things like meatball sandwich (two of them) plus an apple or other fruit, “something crunchy,” like Doritos, and something sweet, like chocolate chip cookies.

My Mom made a sandwich, like salami or cream cheese and jelly or leftover roast beef. But my favorite was her Toasted Cheese, hot if she was home, cool and waiting for me on the counter if she wasn’t. No fruit as I remember. Or anything crunchy or sweet. Snack was for when I got home at the end of the day at 3:30, always milk and cookies.

I still make Toasted Cheese the way my Mom did. Two or three slices of American cheese on each of two pieces of bread, then broiled (these days in the toaster oven of course). Eaten open-faced.

Very often she left the sandwich in the broiler a few seconds too long and burn bubbles appeared on top of the cheese. I didn’t complain about that. In fact, I thought it added to the flavor.

Still do.

Here’s how I make the Toasted Cheese, which, by the way, you can put in a kid’s lunchbox as a sandwich (I’ve done that for my grandchildren), by slapping it together like a regular sandwich.

Toasted Cheese

2 slices whole wheat or multigrain bread

1 tablespoon butter, optional

4-6 slices, approximately, American cheese (or cheddar slices)

tomato slices, optional

Slather the bread slices with butter, if desired. Place 2-3 slices American cheese on each slice of bread. Top with a slice of tomato if desired. Toast in a toaster oven until hot and bubbly, or longer if you like blackish-brownish burnt bubbles on the surface. Eat open-faced or place the centers together for a traditional closed sandwich. Makes one sandwich.

Is apple cider vinegar healthy? Or is that a myth? Honestly,...

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:23:24 -0400

Is apple cider vinegar healthy?

Or is that a myth?

Honestly, I’ve always wondered about all those studies that tout this, that or the other thing to try to prove a point. One day we’re supposed to stop drinking coffee because it’s harmful, then another study comes along and says no, coffee is good for you.

Ditto chocolate. And coconut oil.

And other stuff.

Are these really scientific studies or generational shifts, like theories about child-rearing?

I guess, like a lot of life — it depends.

It depends on the study, how many people are study subjects, who is sponsoring the study and so on.

Obviously, findings made in unbiased settings with no corporate sponsors done over a long time with many subjects are worth paying attention to.

So I was happy to read this article which cautions people to beware of the “apple cider vinegar can speed up fat loss, lower your cholesterol and help with diabetes” notions. Apparently, the studies that have been done are way too small and don’t actually prove anything of the kind.

Which is not to say there’s no use for apple cider vinegar. I always have a bottle on hand. It’s a good choice for basic vinaigrette when you don’t want something quite as powerful as Balsamic vinegar or as harsh as wine vinegar. It’s nice as a liquid, in small amounts, to deglaze a pan of sauteed chicken. You can use it to give some extra flavor to caramelized onions.

And so on. Like this recipe for Vinegar Pie. Don’t laugh. It’s true, it may sound weird but adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to custard makes a hugely delicious difference. Like the sweet-and-salty thing with chocolate covered sea salt caramels. The apple cider vinegar cuts the sweet just enough. You actually don’t taste the vinegar.

This is a quick, easy and light-on-the-stomach dessert that’s terrific for summer. Or anytime really. You can add some sliced almonds if you wish.

Vinegar Pie

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

sliced almonds, optional

whipped cream and/or fresh berries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place aluminum foil over the pie crust and weight it down with pie pellets or dry beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove the crust and let it cool. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Mix the eggs, sugar, melted butter, cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Blend ingredients thoroughly and pour the mixture into the prebaked crust. Sprinkle with some sliced almonds if you wish. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until filling is set. Remove the pie, let it cool and serve it garnished with whipped cream and or fresh berries. Makes one 9-inch pie

We have a winner! Last week I blogged about our annual...

Mon, 14 May 2012 11:24:17 -0400

We have a winner!

Last week I blogged about our annual Mother’s Day cookoff.

Ed baked the cookies from the recipe in that post. And everyone else (except me) made their own versions, including some that had to be prepared the night before so the dough could “firm up” in the fridge.

The kitchen smelled so good on Sunday during the baking that no one wanted to go out even though it was such a beautiful day here in Connecticut. (But we did).

After dinner we judged The Contest! That was dessert.

You can see that this is a Grand Event, meant to be Earnest and Solemn. Take a look at the form Jesse made as a judging tool (except that my grandson Zev used his own method, as you can see from the yellow pad in his hands at The Contest).

I am the serious looking woman in the Wonder Woman apron (a really cool Mother’s Day gift!).

We cut up each of the four different kinds of cookies into halves and ate them in the same order. Nibbling, tasting, cooing, humming and making all the other noises people make when they are eating something delicious.

And then of course (because the Event was so Serious) we all had to eat more and even a bit more, just to make sure we had the tastes and textures right and we had made up our minds what we liked (or didn’t) about each cookie.

And then we scored the cookies.

And all and all, Jesse’s Chocolate Chippers with All Sorts of Other Stuff got the most points.

And he was very modest about it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of him dancing around the kitchen.

Actually we all had different favorites. For different reasons. Which is one of the reasons we all love our annual cookoffs. They are very unserious and so much fun and we can all appreciate each others’ efforts and creativity and every year all of us eat everything.

But Jesse did get the most points and so here is his smashing and wonderful recipe, based on an original formula for Compost Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar.

Jesse’s Chocolate Chippers with All Sorts of Other Stuff

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup large Ghirardelli chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Fairway chocolate covered sea salt caramels
2 whole Graham crackers, broken into pieces
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2-1/2 teaspoons ground coffee (not instant)
2 cups Cape Cod potato chips, slightly broken
1 cup broken pretzels
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup corn flakes

Combine the butter, sugars and corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer (use paddle attachment or regular beaters if you don’t have one) and beat the ingredients on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat for 7-8 minutes at medium speed. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat at low speed just until a dough forms. Add the chocolate chips, caramels, graham crackers, oats and coffee and mix on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated. Add the potato chips, pretzels, coconut and corn flakes and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Place mounds of dough (about 1/3 cup) onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room for the cookies to spread. Pat the tops of the mounds slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to 1 week). Be sure to bake the cookies when they are cold, not room temperature. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes, or until browned at the edges and beige-yellow in the center. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet. Makes about 20-24 cookies

On Mother’s Day we always have a family cookoff. I really...

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:38:00 -0400

On Mother’s Day we always have a family cookoff. I really really don’t like going out for brunch to a crowded restaurant. I find it is actually easier to just cook something at home instead of expecting four grandchildren of various ages to sit there and behave themselves for what would be an enjoyable amount of time to eat but the grownups wind up eating fast before anyone gets too restless.

I’m not really a cranky old grandma. Just ask my grandchildren!

It’s just easier at home.

So, we’ll have an early Sunday dinner but before that we will be cooking for the cookoff. This year’s theme is “Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

That could mean anything. The only rules are that the recipe must contain chips and CANNOT be the original Toll House cookie and CANNOT be Grand Finale cookies from my book, Hip Kosher.

I am going to try the variation here. Ed always almost comes to tears when he remembers his mother’s chocolate chip cookies. But she never left a recipe. I remember those cookies as being drier than most and also they looked lumpy, not flat. So I included more flour in this recipe than most standard chocolate chip cookie recipes. I am also adding sea salt at the end because, well, because I think sea salt and sweet chocolate cookies are a swell combo.

And because I am experimenting with coconut oil these days, I added a little of that too.

Also, letting the dough chill out in the fridge gives a firmer texture, if you like your chocolate chippers that way.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter almost at room temperature

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

12-14 ounces chocolate, chopped

sea salt

Beat the butter, coconut oil, brown sugar and white sugar together with a mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat them in thoroughly. Mix the flour and baking soda and add to the butter mixture. Blend into a uniform dough. Fold in the chopped chocolate. Chill, if desired, for 2-48 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment on cookie sheets and scoop golf ball size balls of dough and place them on the parchment. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cool the cookies for 2-3 minutes, then remove them to a cake rack to cool completely. Makes about 48

FridayReads: Our FridayReads

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:53:22 -0400

FridayReads: Our FridayReads:

fridayreads:

Here at Team FridayReads, we are practicing book addicts. Because we suffer from this contagious and life-saving malady, we often read multiple books at a time. This means our hair is extra shiny, we walk with extra pep in our step, and our #fridayreads won’t fit in one Tweet!

Here’s what…

I’m reading Binocular Vision, a collection of short stories by Edith Pearlman.

Are granola bars healthy? When they first became popular, back...

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:09:31 -0400

Are granola bars healthy?

When they first became popular, back in the 1980s when my kids were little kids, I thought so. And in my efforts to be a “good mother” who tried to give my children healthy food, I bought what was available then. Granola bars were frequent snacks in the house and for school.

I later learned that many of those so-called healthy snacks weren’t.

Just because something is called granola doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

Like if the bars are loaded with trans fats, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, marshmallows, chocolate, artificial color and so on.

Here’s a recipe for Honey-Oat Granola Bars. Yes, they have chocolate. And honey is a sweetener. And there’s a little brown sugar in there. Still, there’s oats and dried fruit and nuts. You can add some sunflower seeds if you wish.

And they taste good. These are rich, so you just eat a little and feel snack-full.

Honey-Oat Granola Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, letting a few inches hang over the side of pan (to help you lift the bars out of the pan). Brush the paper with vegetable oil. Place the oats on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-6 minutes, mixing them once during the baking process, to toast them slightly. Mix the vegetable oil, honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until blended, smooth and hot. Combine the toasted oats, almonds, chocolate chips, cranberries, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Pour in the honey mixture and stir until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toasty brown. Let cool in the pan. Lift the square out of pan using the overhanging paper. Cut into squares or rectangles. Makes about 2 dozen

I think it’s possible, when you work out, even with a...

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:03:29 -0400

I think it’s possible, when you work out, even with a trainer, and all you talk about is food the entire session, that you can gain weight just from the conversation.

I suffer through “squats” and some awful exercise called “mountain climbers” (I HATE those!) and my trainer yaks about not eating carbs but then we frequently wind up our session talking about all the wonderful pasta dishes his mother and grandmother used to cook.

Robbie is from an Italian family so he also mentions the braciole, the broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic and olive oil, the cheesecake.

But, I digress from the no-carb thing.

Robbie recently mentioned that his grandmother made a spaghetti dish and topped it with breadcrumbs. He told me that a lot of old timers did that because grated cheese was so expensive and breadcrumbs were a good substitute.

I had to try it.

This dish is really good. Also cheap. Also easy to make for a quick dinner.

I’ll have to do even more mountain climbers to keep the pounds off I guess.

Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs

1 pound spaghetti

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

optional: mashed or chopped anchovies or 2 tablespoons rinsed capers

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook briefly. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and toasty. Add the parsley and lemon zest stir and cook for another minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, but reserve about a 1/2 cup of cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the breadcrumb mixture and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and enough cooking water to moisten the pasta. Add the cheese and some salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and serve. Makes 4 servings

amotherisborn: Maurice Sendak has died, at age 83. Above* is a...

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:05:04 -0400

amotherisborn:

Maurice Sendak has died, at age 83. Above* is a clip of my daughter, then age 2, singing Alligators All Around.

He was one of my favorite parenting writers.

Wait, you thought his books were for kids?

Chicken Soup With Rice is a brilliant “Playful Parenting” approach to living with a picky eater.

Pierre is one of the best descriptions I’ve read on how (not) to deal with defiant behavior. (I have read it aloud, front to back, to a roomful of adults taking my parenting workshops).

Where The Wild Things Are shows us how children’s destructive impulses can find a home in fantasy, and lets us see an example of how you can both send your child to bed without supper and also make sure he gets fed.

Bears — oh how many of us have been in that frantic search for the all-important stuffed animal who’s gone missing again! That book is like a tiny treatise on how to play with separation anxiety and loss.

Each book is like a nugget of wisdom, showing us playful ways to cope with all that’s weird and challenging and complex when you live with little ones. You close each one with a new idea of how to proceed. Even poet Rita Dove famously used Sendak as an inspiration in a beautiful poem about mothers and daughters and body talk.

I love when children’s books are also for the parents. Because reading is like nursing: you hold your child close, you use your body and your mind to offer to your child a multi-sensory experience essential to his growth and development. You use intimacy, touch, rhythm and warmth, to expose him of the best that the world has to offer. It is so, so important to your child that you hold him and read to him.

And all too often, just like nursing, we look at reading as though it’s *only* beneficial for your child, as though it’s not equally profound for mom. But that’s wrong. When it works, it’s for both of you — the content of the books, the experience of holding each other and sharing the art of the written word. You’re in the milk and the milk’s in you. He’s in the milk and the milk’s in him. There you are, learning the world together.

Read good books with your child.

*Note: Somehow you can only see the video if you view this site through tumblr! Well, what better reason to join tumblr and follow me (amotherisborn) there …

Beautiful in every way!

Here’s an oldie but goodie. My Mom’s Marble Cake,...

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:14:29 -0400

Here’s an oldie but goodie. My Mom’s Marble Cake, which she would bake whenever there was leftover sour cream that was about to get the heave-ho. It’s a moist cake and she served it plain, as a snack or coffee cake. But sometimes she’d frost it with a thick, fudgy icing.

Well, I’ve read so much lately about the benefits of coconut oil, that I wanted to see if I could make various dishes using that instead of the dreaded hydrogenated vegetable shortening (coconut oil is solid at room temperature). The recipe calls for only 1/4 cup shortening so I thought it might be a good place to start.

It was. There is a definite coconut flavor to the cake (although when I served the cake no one was quire sure what that “new” flavor was). Because of that it has more of a sweet quality about it.

I also substituted non-fat plain yogurt for the sour cream.

Maybe that makes this cake a bit of a healthier snack.

But it’s the same old, same old Mom’s Marble Cake. For traditionalists, use vegetable shortening instead of the coconut oil and sour cream instead of the yogurt.

Mom’s Marble Cake with Coconut Oil

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup plain yogurt (non-fat is fine)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Melt the chocolate and set it aside. Cream the sugar and coconut oil together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients until well blended. Sift the flour and baking soda together. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in thirds, alternating with the yogurt. Beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Divide the batter in half. Mix the melted chocolate into one of the halves. Either drop blobs of alternate batters into the prepared pan or spoon in one batter, add the second and swirl it into the first. Smooth the top. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Eat plain or frost with fudge frosting. Makes one cake serving 8

Kids’ lunch? It’s the talk of the town. And the...

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:14:15 -0400

Kids’ lunch? It’s the talk of the town. And the country. Because what our children eat is important to their growth, to their health and to their future.

One way to help them eat healthier is to let them have some choices. And learn to make good decisions. Feel a part of what’s going on around them.

That’s what Lala Lunchbox is for.

Confession: this is my daughter Gillian’s new App. It launched last week and kids throughout the world from Omaha to Oman are using it already.

First the kid picks a really cute monster avatar (mine is bright orange with jagged teeth). The food choices are in categories including fruit, vegetable, protein and snack (parents can limit what’s available) so children learn about what a balanced lunch has. They plan their lunch choices for a week and that translates into a shopping list for Mom or Dad.

Another bonus: the decision has been made so you can prepare the actual lunch (maybe even the night before) without the arguing and the rushing in the morning when you are rushing to do everything else in your life.

This App is so simple that even grandmas like me can understand how to use it.

Your youngsters will figure it out in no time.

Go to the LaLa Lunchbox site and sign in.

Get the App directly here.

And use it!

Mother’s Day is coming — this App is a good, inexpensive gift for mothers of young children.

FridayReads: Our FridayReads

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:23:03 -0400

FridayReads: Our FridayReads:

fridayreads:

Here at Team FridayReads, we are practicing book addicts. Because we suffer from this contagious and life-saving malady, we often read multiple books at a time. This means our hair is extra shiny, we walk with extra pep in our step, and our #fridayreads won’t fit in one Tweet!

Here’s what we’re…

#fridayreads I’m reading The Falls, by Joyce Carol Oates