by Macki on Nov 3rd, 2011 // Dinner, Healthy, Sides
This Cooking With My Kid is really starting to pay off! My daughter made smooshed (her description) rainbow potatoes, roasted green cauliflower and our version of healthy chicken nuggets (all while dressed in her fancy dress). I may have helped with the chicken and cutting and removal of hot items from the oven, but she came up with all the ideas not only for the actual menu, but also the execution. The recipe for the potato and green cauliflower are all her. It was so good, too, seriously, restaurant quality! I’m so proud of my budding chef. Get the recipes for this delicious dinner that’s easy enough for a 5 year old to make and the story of two kids eating vegetables over at the Family Kitchen.
by April the Gluten Free Girl on Nov 2nd, 2011 // Desserts, Gluten Free
When the Amish invented this amazing recipe for chocolate chip pie they probably were thinking it would feed several people, and did not imagine that one family of four lacking in self-control could polish this off in less than 24 hours. But guess what? That totally happened. Just because you can’t eat gluten does not mean you can’t over indulge in ridiculously delicious sweets that combine two of the best foods in the world: chocolate chip cookies and pie.
The Amish probably also make their own pie crust, but since I’m still quite scared of that prospect, I picked up a pre-made gluten-free pie crust from Whole Foods and man, was it delicious. Which also gives this recipe the benefit of being incredibly easy, as this is all you need to create one of the most decadent desserts you’ll have all year.
See? My kid is all, “Yawn, mom. I was just whipping up a souffle and now this is all you got?” You put all of these basic ingredients together and this is what your pie looks like pre-oven.
And this is what your children look like fighting over who gets to lick the spoon.
(Although, I don’t recommend this on account of the raw egg factor.) Here’s how you too, can gluten-free a chocolate chip pie. Read more after the jump…
by Macki on Oct 30th, 2011 // Swell Suppers
Days before Halloween the kids already have a ton of candy from the school carnival and trick or treating at the local stores. Now I need to offload most of it before the big day! Maybe I should have given it away, but I decided to convert it all into a cookie recipe and feed them a hearty meal beforehand. Not only is this meal delicious and healthy for the kids, I added a little adventure by making Fruit Boat pirate ships. We call the Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies our pirates booty. For the main course we’re serving Baked Chicken and Cornbread (don’t let the photo scare you off, this dish is absolutely divine!) and Grilled Garlicky Green Beans and Carrots.
Begin this meal by scavenging through your kids Halloween candy and finding as many mini peanut butter cups as possible for the peanut butter surprise cookies. If you are limited on these, then just grab any other mini chocolate – like snickers, milky way, M & M’s, reeses pieces, you get it. Make the peanut butter surprise cookies, place the candy on top and bake according to the recipe. While the cookies bake move on to the baked chicken and cornbread by making the cornbread and placing it in a 9 x 13 pan.
When the cookies are ready remove from the oven, turn the temperature up to 400 degrees F and pop in the cornbread when it reaches the temp. Debone the chicken and prep the rest of the ingredients for the baked chicken and cornbread. Remove the cornbread from the oven and follow the recipe for putting it all together and place it back in the oven. Meanwhile prep the grilled garlicky green beans and carrots (say that five times fast!) and pop them in the oven along with the baked chicken and cornbread (we are skipping the grill).
Time for the fruit boat pirate ships, my kids favorite! We make all kinds of people and boats and we sail around the world (the table) finding treasure and getting into boats wrecks. Let your kids keep playing while you remove the baked chicken and cornbread and green beans and carrots from the oven and serve. After dinner bring out the pirates booty (peanut butter surprise cookies) for a fun dessert. Now doesn’t that sound swell?
by Macki on Oct 27th, 2011 // Dinner, Veggie Friendly
Do you want to know how good this butternut squash with sage brown butter and tortellini is? I am eating it right now while I type and literally pushed my computer out of the way so I could devour the remaining leftovers, and they’re gone. It was not a pretty sight I tell you. This dish is just so perfect this time of year, fall vegetable, fall weather, warm and comforting with that something sweet to make your insides smile. To top it off my kid had so much fun mushing up the butternut squash. Head on over to the Family Kitchen for the full recipe.
by Macki on Oct 23rd, 2011 // Swell Suppers, Uncategorized
My daughter loves the book ‘How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World’. It’s about traveling the world to get all the ingredients needed for the pie – like Italy for semolina wheat, Sri Lanka for cinnamon from the bark of the kurundu tree, and a Jamaican sugar from a sugar plantation. We wanted to make this pie and a couple other recipes from around the world. For this weeks swell supper we are cooking up Tofu Channa Masala(or sub the tofu with chicken), Cucumber Carrot Dill Salad, and of course, Easy Apple Pie for dessert.
Start your cooking travel adventures with the easy apple pie. We have an apple peeler corer which not only reduces the amount of time it takes to prep the apples, but also gets my kids excited to use a fun gadget. When the pie is prepped place it in a preheated oven. Now begin on the Tofu Hanna Masala. I cooked up some diced chicken breasts and used those in place of the tofu. Other than that I followed the recipe.
Once the Masala dish is simmering, move onto the cucumber carrot dill salad. This salad is super easy and fun for kids to prep. Your pie should be done so take that out and serve the rest of your meal while the pie cools enough to eat. Make sure to serve it with some vanilla ice cream! We took some breaks along the way to talk about where in the world Masala dish came from (India) as well as the Persian cucumbers (Iran). It turned out to be one of best evenings I’ve had cooking with the kids. Now doesn’t that sound swell?
