Brenner
There is a period of childhood, between the age where your parents make you what you ask for and the age when you can drive yourself to get a burrito right before dinner if you don’t want what’s being served, where you are pretty much stuck with what your parents have planned. For me, that was usually not a problem. There are still memorable nights where my mother would try something crazy (ostrich burgers that she tried to pass off as turkey, for one), but for the most part, I usually ate my dinner without a fight (unless she served escarole). That does not mean, however, that I didn’t value certain novelty dinner nights.
I always liked “Fiesta Chicken” night or, of course, pizza night, but my favorite special dinner was always Brenner — breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast, and I love eating breakfast at breakfast time. But nothing is quite like eating breakfast in the evening.
It’s silly, really, that something as mundane as pancakes past 10 am could work us into a tizzy, but my siblings and I all unanimously agreed — we loved Brenner.
Even now, as an adult who plans out her own menu and cooks her own meals, I still very rarely serve Brenner. We keep it as once in a while treat, but boy oh boy when it goes on the white board, the excitement in our house is unreal. Bacon! Bacon and Eggs! Bacon and Eggs and HASH BROWNS! For DINNER! I guess it’s the little things like maple syrup after a hard day’s work that brings the child out in all of us.
Red Pepper Hash Browns
1 potato
1 red bell pepper
2 slices pepperjack cheese (or ½ cup shredded)
Salt & pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
Dash of cayenne Pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
If you have a cast iron pan, you’re going to want to make this dish in that.
Begin my peeling your potato. Then, using a box grater, grate the potato into the biggest slices.
Slice your red pepper into quarters, and combine with the potato in a mixing bowl. Add in the spices and mix together while your oil heats in the pan.
Cook all together (not the cheese yet) until the pepper and potato are soft, about 20 minutes. Just before you’re ready to serve stir in the cheese, allow to melt, and remove from heat.
Summer Food Fun Hot Off The Presses
This week while we were out grocery shopping, my son suddenly dashed away from me 
and made a beeline toward a check-out several feet away. I ordered him to stop, and he did, but then he continued on until he arrived at the checkout stand where the usual display of magazines were there to tempt shoppers into purchase. He was tempted, all right! He promptly picked up the issue of Fun Food magazine from the fine people at Taste of Home headquarters. On the cover is a fun display of monkey cupcakes and banana cookies, along with a headline across the top displaying 150 family friendly recipes inside. I was sold by the cover alone.
The magazine came home with us, and just a few pages in, my kids have a list of foods they want to make that basically utilizes the whole magazine. We could be cooking for months off of this one issue! This issue cost us $5.99, and states that it should be kept on display until September 21, 2009, so there is plenty of time for you to track down your own copy. The magazine is divided into five themed sections. Sensational Party Fare; Pizzas, Burgers & Campfire Food; Round Food=Fun; Stick Up For Good Food; and Kids Love To Cook all promise to keep your kids cooking and eating for as long as possible. At $5.99, this magazine is a bargain! There are so many recipes inside, it’s like getting a full size cookbook for a real steal. Some of the recipes with catchy names include Bubble Pizza, Breadsticks Jenga, Rack ‘em Up Cheese Balls, and Aloha Burgers.
As for us, we’ll be trying out the Chocolate Popcorn Balls to take this weekend on our Fourth of July adventure. The kids and I will make them together, and then package them individually to hand out to all the cousins this weekend.
Project Teen2Eat #5: Tuna Spaghetti
One of the foods that I gave my mom fits about as a kid was tuna. It didn’t matter what she did; I wasn’t having it. I am better now that I am older, but I still look for recipes that won’t bring back tuna memories from long ago. Another pasta recipe in my lil’ teen series, the tuna is masked a bit by the other ingredients. Just my style, which is why I am making it number 5 in Project Teen2Eat.
Tuna Spaghetti
A recipe by Phoebe from CosmoGirl
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1 can drained tuna
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound spaghetti
Parmesan cheese
Sauté the garlic in the olive oil at medium heat for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice, mashing them all together with a wooden spoon. Once they’re well mixed, add the olives, tuna, parsley, oregano, and pepper flakes to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, boil the spaghetti in a separate pot. Once the spaghetti and sauce are done, serve the spaghetti with the sauce on top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Manners 101
Teaching children manners can sometimes be tricky… especially older children with disabilities like autism and Down syndrome. Leading a group of twenty high school students with varying abilities, I am often limited on kitchen possibilities as well. But one of the students in my class made a perfect suggestion, “Ms. Murray, let’s have a tea party!” I jumped on this not only because I enjoy a nice cup of tea, but because I saw it as a perfect opportunity to practice good manners.
For the food: the day before the party some of the students and I made small cookies called haystacks (recipe to follow). We made them bite size so that they could be served on our buffet. This way each student felt that they were a part of creating the upcoming tea party. These cookies are no bake, which makes them perfect to whip up with a group of adolescents with short attention spans. In addition to the cookies I purchased butter mints and other small candies to be served in bowls at the buffet.
For the table: the students, with some guidance, pushed our tables together and set them for all twenty of the students in the class to participate. Napkins, silverwear, saucers, and cups were placed at each seat. The student then set all of the finger foods out on another table as the buffet. They formed a line and gathered the goodies they desired with prompting not to take too much, as there would not be enough for all of their classmates if they did. A good life lesson for all buffets: no overindulgence. As they took their seats, I walked around to each student as they held out their faux china cups to be filled with strawberry tea.
For the manners: each student used this opportunity to practice good manners. We coached each student to ask their neighbor to pass the cream or sugar, use their napkins, and say please and thank you. From no yelling across the table to not shoving all of their food in their mouth at once, each student behaved surprisingly well! They all knew that this was a special occasion that we had taken time to prepare. Their involvement in the cooking and setting up of the event caused them to have a sense of pride: no one wanted to ruin it with poor manners!
While the tea itself was not the biggest hit, with only about half of the students actually liking it, the outcome of the party was impressive. All students cleaned up their places at the table, threw away their trash, rinsed and placed their dishes into the dishwasher, and helped wipe down the tables and chairs after. Making an event special and getting their input made them want to make the event a success.
Haystacks:
2 cups butterscotch chips
2 cups chow mein noodles
Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place butterscotch chips in microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, stir, repeat for 30 seconds and stir if needed. Continue heating in 30 second increments until chips are melted. Stir chow mein noodles to butterscotch and stir until coated. Spoon by tablespoonful onto cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm (1 hour).
I Found My Children At The Farmer’s Market
Today was an exciting day for our family, as this afternoon marked the opening of the long-awaited farmer’s market for the season. This year’s market is extra special for us because for the first time ever, we don’t have to hop in the car and drive at least 15 miles away to find fresh produce. Today, we could walk a mere three blocks and discover what local vendors had been working on. As we came around the corner and spied a few awnings, our paces quickened, and we started to get excited — what would we find at this new local farmer’s market? We each had visions of what we were hoping to find. Zander was hoping to find some fresh sugar snap peas, Abigail was on the lookout for fresh berries, and I was really hoping for any fresh produce that my garden was not already producing for me — I was looking for dinner.
I will confess to being a little disappointed with our first run to the market. Clearly, the growing season is on a cusp, ready to break open, because there was very little there. There were meat vendors and a stand with garden plants ready to go into the ground. I felt disappointed, and at first debated just turning around and heading for home, when my son spied the broccoli. We had picked the tiniest head of broccoli from my garden yesterday, and the kids devoured it, so when he pointed to the small head of broccoli and asked if he could have it for a snack, I turned over a mere 75 cents for his dose of daily happiness. We then stopped at a bake sale stand, where we purchased some homemade cinnamon rolls and some seasoned pretzels. Emboldened by my purchases, the kids then took over and strolled carefully past each stand, eying up the goods offered when they saw the little honey bears.
My daughter begged for a honey bear, which I was only too happy to buy, as it came from just a few miles down the road. Then, someone else asked if we would like to sample some cheese. I looked up, and there we were, at a goat farm’s stand. Both kids eagerly grinned and held out their hands for a taste. I thought about warning them, as I am not a fan of goat cheese at all. One taste, and they both looked at me, proclaiming it the best cheese ever, and could we please get some to take home?
Seriously? Who are you and what have you done to my children?
The Pinkest Cupcakes - Ever!
It’s that time of the year again - time to recognize the star of the week in preschool. Also known as my daughter.
Here she is.
Tomorrow, we visit her class and help her celebrate. We’ll bring in a favorite story, talk about her pictures that are pasted on the classroom star board, and share a special treat.
My son had his star week in December, and I was hoping to do a repeat performance of the strawberry mice I made for him since strawberries are everywhere these days… nice and healthy, quick to put together.
“No.” She said.
“Mommy, I want pink. Pink cake. No really - pink.”
Pink cake. Like pepto-bismol pink? Like boxed mix called “strawberry?” with pink frosting kinda cake? Like Barbie pink? I mentally shuddered.
And then I thought to myself - there’s only so many years where I’ll have a chance to make her so happy, with something so simple.
Pink it is.
After consulting various sources, I finally decided to settle on this recipe. I could use that for the cake. Or in our case, cupcakes. I played around with frosting ideas, and decided to settle on a modified glaze, with a sprinkle star and a raspberry. There - now it’s healthy. Ha ha.
Project Teen2Eat #4: Tortelloni Toss
I don’t know many children who don’t like pasta. Well okay, my experience is limited to those students in my school. But, I see what they eat in the lunch line! Maybe I am a bit biased since I am Italian and pasta was a staple in my home growing up. I’m convinced G. will enjoy pasta as much as I do, which is why is it the fourth meal in my Project Teen2Eat series!
Tortelloni Toss
A Cooking with Kids Recipe
1 bunch swiss chard or spinach, washed (I used Spinach)
3 cloves garlic
1 pound fresh or frozen tortelloni (I used Spinach & Cheese)
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil (optional)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Conversations at the Table - Saying Goodbye to Dinner.
This clip has been making the airwaves for a week now, and I’ve watched it numerous times. Personally, I think it’s just God-awful parenting in action and disturbing on so many levels. I used to be a fan of the show, but I’ve sworn it off now because I think this train wreck needs to end.
Unfortunately, I had my own Kate Gosselin moment tonight, and I don’t mean I went and had my nails done with the American Chopper guys, or got a free tummy tuck, or hairplugs for my husband.
Jordan was in rare form at dinner tonight. Both he and Mina feed off of each other, instead of the food, once they get on a bad behavior roll. This night was no exception. We employ the “three strikes and you’re in time out” routine. It usually works. But after both of them got two strikes within minutes of each other, I realized things were escalating to the point of no return way too fast. So I threw in an added consequences, issued with a stern warning:
“If you get three strikes tonight, you will get a time out, and dinner will be OVER. No more dinner. I will take it away.”
Cue the barely disguised chuckles and smirks behind the cups.
Now here’s how I know women are just biologically designed to outlive men. We’re smarter, have better sense, and actually possess the basic survival skills needed to outsmart threats to our well being. Mina — who has the capacity to be just as fresh as Jordan — immediately shut up and quickly began eating her food. She also worked on getting on my good side, and asked for some extra soup. She sat there calmly, sipping on the soup and not making another sound. She knew I had reached the boiling point.
Jordan, on the other hand, has no survival instincts to speak of. He kept acting up — little, annoying things done just for the sake of attention. My repeated warnings fell on deaf and deafer ears… until finally, I just got up, picked him up and put him in the naughty chair. While he screamed away, I cleared away the rest of his dinner, leaving only his milk.
He finally quieted down from time out, we discussed why he was sent there, and he returned to to the table. Where all hell broke loose once again. Seeing that his plate was cleared, he lost it. Completely. He began screaming and begging for food. Begging! Like this kid has ever shown an interest in food before.
He cried, and screamed and sobbed. Naturally, our kitchen windows were wide open, so the neighbors got a good earful. I kept wondering what I would think if I heard my neighbor’s kid begging for food. Especially since Mina and I continued to sit at the table and eat our dinner. He just stood there next to me, sobbing.
Yep, there we were, eating. I sat there eating my dinner while Jordan cried away for his. The whole time, I sat there thinking about Kate Gosselin. Every bite I took felt bitter and painful, as I debated whether to give in and just make him another plate of dinner. Or whether I should hold my ground this once and see if it made a difference.
I held out. He calmed down and climbed onto my lap. While he was quiet, I tried to explain in four sentences what the issue was. (a relative gave me this rule over the weekend, and I thought it was brilliant. Make each explanation only as long as their age.) So I said:
“This is our house.”
“In our house we have rules.”
“If you break the rules, there will be a consequence.”
“You were naughty at the table, so no dinner.”
He looked up at me, eyes still wet from crying and said,
“Next time, I’m giving YOU a time out.”
Sigh.
Creative Cooking For Kids- Perfect For Summer Camping
Every summer our family disappears for at least one family camping vacation. We vanish from civilization for an entire week, calling the remote woods of Wisconsin home for a few days. One of our favorite activities while camping is, of course, eating. This year, as we prepare to hit the woods, I’ve been on the lookout for a few new kid-friendly camping recipes. Normally, our meal routine consists of the usual suspects, burgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, etc — basically, anything that can be prepared quickly and easily over a raging fire. It’s time to find something new and exciting, something to tantalize the tastebuds, while being easy to prepare.
I found the very things at a new-to-me website called Kids Cooking Activities. Let me say up front that this website is a complete treasure trove of kid-friendly recipes. They have recipes for every occassion and every season, all meant for little fingers to prepare. The Kids Campfire Cooking section is fun to read and easy to understand. Even better, the recipes are no-fuss and require minimal ingredients — a must when cooking in the middle of nowhere. As I read through the recipes, I also really appreciate and applaud the campfire safety tips.
With recipes such as Apple Pie On A Stick, Mini Campfire Cakes, and Campfire Meatloaf, there are plenty of recipes to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Taco Salad in a Baggie? That sound incredibly fun, and like something that my little ones would love to prepare for the whole family. I can just see the proud looks on their faces as they pass the individual salads out to each family member. Maybe your family isn’t a camping family — then you’ll want to click over to the Picnic Ideas and Recipes and give your children some ideas for planning a family picnic, all on their own. Have you ever thought of having a breakfast picnic? Now you can, with a recipe your children can prepare for Waffle Sandwiches.
No matter what the occasion or situation that comes up this summer, Kids Cooking Activities has something for everyone.
Project Teen2Eat #3: Po’ Boy Sandwiches
Project Teen2Eat is still going strong! Nothin’ says good ol’ southern cooking like a Po’ Boy, which is the third of my teen meal series.
It also offers opportunity for dinner conversation. This history of where food comes from can be and is fascinating. As far as the Po’ Boy, it is believed that the Po’ Boy sandwich was invented by Clovis and Benjamin Martin, brothers and former streetcar drivers, in 1929 at their Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant on St. Claude Avenue in the French Market.
I have seen the sandwich served in various ways, which is really indicative of how diverse New Orleans is. While the recipe here is with ham, other modifications an be made according to taste. For instance, fried oysters, shrimp, fish, crab, crawfish, roast beef/pork and gravy, or smoked sausage are all possibilities.
How do you like your Po’ Boy?
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