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 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

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.

When I’m developing recipes for an article I’m writing I need to experiment, so my family gets to be the guinea pigs (also my neighbors and friends and sometimes any repairman who happens to be in the house).

This past weekend, being Mother’s Day and all, my children and grandchildren were here so I tried this frittata recipe on them and it got good reviews. It makes a good hors d’oeuvre if you cut it into slim slices, but can also be a good vegetarian dinner item. I like it hot but it’s also good at room temperature and even cold.

Asparagus and Feta Frittata

12 medium asparagus spears

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

8 large eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven broiler with the rack about 6-inches from the heat. Cut the tips from the asparagus and set them aside. Cut the remaining part of the spear into 2-inch chunks and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cut asparagus spears and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook for another minute. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Mix the eggs, milk and parsley in a bowl. Heat the butter in the saute pan. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, return the vegetables to the pan. Scatter the feta and Parmesan cheeses on top. Pour in the egg mixture and turn the heat to low. Stir once or twice then cook undisturbed for about 8 minutes or until the bottom has set and is golden brown. Place the pan under the broiler and cook for up to a minute or until the top of the frittata is puffed and golden. Season to taste with black pepper. Makes 4 servings

So on Mother’s Day, when my grownup children come with their families, do I cook what they like or what I like? 

We eat at home. Call me cranky but I can’t handle the Mother’s Day brunch service at a restaurant.

But I digress. So about the food. I like turkey, but my daughter Meredith doesn’t and anyway we have turkey so often you’d think it was always Thanksgiving around here.

Mer and my other daughter Gillian don’t eat beef, but my husband Ed and son-in-law Jesse (and I) like it.

We all eat lamb, except it really isn’t Ed’s favorite and so he eats it obligingly.

Chicken — well, okay. Chicken is the kind of food that almost serves all purposes but you have it enough and so often that you wouldn’t choose it as a must-have for a special get-together.

We all like Mujadarrah, a vegetarian bulgur wheat, lentil and onion casserole, but it doesn’t seem as spring-like as I would like on Mothers Day.

Even dessert can be problematic. I like vanilla and so does my grandson Zev, but the others like chocolate. Which means I would love love love a white vanilla-y cake with White Mountain Frosting and coconut, but my son-in-law Greg would want chocolate cake and fudge frosting.

I like pie but my daughter Gillian doesn’t. However, my grandchildren, Lila (age 5), Nina (age 4) and Zev (age 10) do like pie — so maybe I’m on to something here.

So here’s what I’ll do. I’ll probably grill some stuff if the weather’s good, and make a bunch of grain and vegetable salads and side dishes and then everyone can pick and choose what they like and undoubtedly I will have some leftovers to eat on Monday. As for dessert, I still have an apple pie in my freezer, from the pile I made last November during apple season, and I always have Grand Finale Cookies there too — those are the fabulous oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies you can find here and in my book, Hip Kosher. So maybe I will make a vanilla cake too or just let it rest at vanilla ice cream. 

Here’s a recipe for one of the side dishes I’m going to cook.

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Apricots and Pistachio Nuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

pinch cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the bulgur and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Pour in the stock and add the salt, pepper, fresh herb and apricots. Stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the pistachio nuts, parsley and cinnamon or lemon peel. Makes 6-8 servings