Many of our berries will be stashed in the freezer for future use of course, but there is one particular use that we are dying to give a try — Blueberry Soda.  It sounds too good to be true, but when a recipe like this comes along, we simply have to give it a try.  Even better, food whiz Alton Brown came up with the recipe.  Although it specifically calls for blueberries, I suspect any fresh berry can be substituted for the blue variety.

Blueberry Soda

• 20 ounces fresh blueberries, approximately 4 cups, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups water
• 7 ounces sugar, or approximately 1 cup
• 1 lime, juiced
• Carbonated water

Directions:
Place the blueberries and the water into a medium saucepan, set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth that is set in a large bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the skin and pulp. Return the blueberry juice to the saucepan along with the sugar and lime juice. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof glass container and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until completely cooled.

To Serve: Combine 1/4 cup of the liquid with 8-ounces of carbonated water and serve over ice.

Thanks to the June issue of Eating Well magazine, though, broccoli is getting star treatment at our dinner table, and we’ve found this recipe for Broccoli-Bacon Salad to be a home run for the whole family.  The smaller pieces of broccoli make it manageable for small mouths, and the addition of bacon and craisins really pleased both children.  The crunchy water chestnuts add a fantastic texture contrast to the softer broccoli flowers, while the creamy dressing adds just enough tang without smothering the whole salad in a pool of dressing.  In a word, delicious, and we think your family will enjoy it too.

Broccoli-Bacon Salad

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups finely chopped broccoli crowns
• 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
• 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl.  Add broccoli, water chestnuts, bacon, cranberries, and pepper.  Stir to coat with the dressing.

Makes 6 servings, 1 scant cup each. To make ahead, cover and refrigerate for one day.

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.

Chocolate Popcorn Balls

• 4 quarts popped popcorn
• 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup water

Place popcorn in a large heat-proof bowl; keep warm in a 200ºF oven.  In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate.  Stir in sugar and corn syrup.  Add water.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Continue to cook until a candy thermometer reads 250ºF (hard ball stage).

Pour over warm popcorn and stir until evenly coated.  When mixture is cool enough to handle, quickly shape in 3-inch balls, dipping hands in cold water to prevent sticking. Cool; wrap in plastic wrap.

Yield: 1 dozen

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?

It was my turn to taste this freshly made goat cheese, so I put my best smile on and popped a piece in my mouth.  As it turned out, this cheese was delightful! It had very little of the punky goat flavor that I just don’t care for.  The whole while, the farmer was just grinning at us, and then offered my kids a sample of goat yogurt.  Oh, I knew they wouldn’t like that — I tried goat yogurt once not that long ago.  And once again, they proved me completely wrong.  Both kids loved the vanilla goat yogurt that was poured for them.  This local farm makes their yogurt without additives, so it is more of a European style and more runny than the traditional yogurt we’re used to.  We left that stand with our honey, some goat cheese, and a promise to return next week for some freshly made yogurt. I suspect we’ve made some new friends.

On the walk home, the kids finished up the remains of their yogurt and then both proceeded to tell me that this goat yogurt was way better than any other yogurt they’ve ever had.  They thought it was so much more creamy, and had a better tart flavor than the yogurt they’re used to.   My daughter then proceeded to tell me that I could buy goat dairy products for them, and that she’d really like to try to drink goat milk sometime, to see if it’s better than her favorite organic cows’ milk.

While my first impression of our new farmer’s market could have been a bad one, I’m already looking forward to next week.  By spending the little we did at the places that were there, we were telling them how glad we were to see them.  We were asking them with our purchases to please come back next week.  I learned that even with the smallest experiences, there are things that will always surprise me about my children, and I think they even surprised themselves.

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.

Enter the vegetable.  To be specific, vegetables that have been pre-cut and stored in the refrigerator.  Last week, I took cucumbers, peppers, carrots, celery, and broccoli and cut each one into pieces, and then put them individually into bags in the fridge.  These bags lined the bottom shelf like glistening jewels, and when the first cry of “I’m hungry” struck, I directed both children to the refrigerator, where I told them they could help themselves at any time to the vegetables they see there.  I also showed them where the dip and peanut butter were, in case they wanted them.  At first, they seemed disappointed, but as the weekend went on, both kids could be found choosing from the selection of vegetables, instead of whining about their impending starvation.  Whether it was late morning or early evening, the vegetables actually started to seem welcome.  I watched in amazement as a bag of carrots made it’s way outside, or a bag of cucumber slices found it’s home on the sofa with a good book.  I’ve actually had to replenish the vegetables already, and both kids have expressed interest in other varieties of veggie — specifically, we’ll be adding cauliflower and snap peas to next week’s offerings.

The best part of this solution is that we all win! I am not worrying at all about what my children are putting in their mouths, and they’re happily munching on their vegetables.  I really think the secret is that I put no restrictions on them.  At any time, they are allowed to reach in and help themselves- I could be putting dinner on the table, and I will permit them to snag a pepper or two.  At first, I was concerned about them eating so many vegetables that they wouldn’t want to eat their dinner, until I realized exactly what I was saying.  If an afternoon of vegetable munching meant less food disappearing off the dinner plate, I was going to be happy with that — it’s vegetables! Which we all could stand to eat more of.  Interestingly enough, the opposite has been happening, they’ve been eating more at dinner time.  They’ve also opted, for the most part, to eat their vegetables without dip, as the dip makes them a less convenient snack.  As summer goes on, I anticipate adding a few fruits as they come into season, but for the most part, it looks like this summer is shaping up to be a great one as far as the snack police goes.

A Crock-pot, or a slow-cooker, is a seldom used tool in my kitchen.  Despite the appeal of having dinner slow cooking for me all day long, I just don’t think to pull it out, dust it off, and load it up with ingredients.  Recently, though, I had an epiphany of sorts, as one afternoon I pulled out my crock and a handful of ingredients and my son walked into the kitchen.  He asked what I was doing, and when I told him, he asked if he could help.  Well of course he could!  Why hadn’t I thought of that before! Usually, with crock pot recipes, it’s a matter of simply dumping and mixing together a handful of ingredients - — perfect for my little guy to cook “all by himself”.

We made these Easy Barbecued Beef Sandwiches together in just a few minutes.  I cubed and dropped the beef in, while together we measured and poured the rest into the pot.  Zander really was bemused by the idea of ketchup and Pepsi going into dinner, but he was really happy to be helping.  Even better, later on at the dinner table, he took one bite of his sandwich and declared it a huge success, sharing his thoughts that Pepsi is a great ingredient and we should use it more often.  I have to admit myself, this barbecued beef turned out much better than I’d anticipated.  It was a touch on the sweet side, but I think that could easily be remedied with a little less cola, or at least a brand that tastes a little less sweet to begin with.  Overall, I was very pleased with the dish, and we’ll certainly be making this one again.  At least, one of us will be making it again- it may not be me.  Don’t let the odd combination of ingredients scare you away, for an effortless meal, this one is a keeper just as it is.

Easy Barbecued Beef Sandwiches

Yield: 24 sandwiches

Prep time: 15 minutes (Ready in 6 hours, 35 minutes)

Directions:
Arrange beef in a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker.  Add all the remaining ingredients, except buns.  Mix well.

Cover.  Cook on high setting for 5 to 6 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, shred the beef with 2 forks — remove it from the pot if needed to do this, then slide it back into the juices.

With a slotted spoon, spoon about 1/3 cup beef mixture into each bun. Mixture can be kept warm for several hours on low setting.

This past weekend, though, while we were on a mini vacation for the weekend, something unexpected happened.  As we were on our way to The Mall of America, both kids turned to me and expressed their interest in having Chinese for lunch.  Abigail wanted to have some chicken and noodles, and Zander was really interested in trying out chopsticks with his lunch. (Thank you Kung Fu Panda!) We did that very thing at lunch time!  We bypassed all the familiar, all the kid friendly, and went straight for the restaurant selling the noodles with chopsticks.  Both kids looked over the selection carefully before making their choices, and then they asked for chopsticks.  Can I just say how shocked I was when my kids then proceeded to clean their plates?  Abigail’s selection even turned out to be quite spicy, but armed with those chopsticks, she ate every piece.

Later in the weekend, we went to an authentic Mexican restaurant where there was no such thing as cheese quesadillas.  Abigail quickly decided to order a burrito the size of her head, and Zander ordered a chimichanga, smothered in a delicious spicy red sauce.  Both kids  managed to put a great deal of their lunch away before succumbing to fullness.  My son, who normally loathes meals of things mixed together, ate his saucy steak and rice chimichanga with his eyes closed, it was that good.  Another time we tried out a new burger joint, and we all ordered the french fries that had been tossed with fresh rosemary, and again, Zander surprised me.  He leaned over, smelled those fried and said they smelled absolutely delicious. Then he tasted, and told everyone that “they go down easy” with his eyes half closed in delirium.

The whole point here today is to just keep trying.  Just when you think your kids are never going to break out of the chicken nugget mold, they do something absolutely crazy, like downing an authentic Mexican meal — chiles included.  This last weekend my eyes were opened to the possibilities as I watched my daughter order from the adult menu with confidence, and I watched both children ask for tastes of everything at the table.  Have we arrived?  I hardly think so, as on the way back home the familiar drive thru called their names.  Still, I think the progress is amazing, and it gives me great hope for the meals of the future.  Whether at home our out and about, their tastes are evolving and maturing, and I have great hope that someday those picky tendencies will be all but eliminated.  It’s a great hope to have.

I will say up front that this little treat really didn’t taste much like the orange creamsicle it was named after.  However, it was quite tasty in it’s own way, and is something we will definitely be making again as the heat of summer is just beyond the horizon.

Orange Creamsicle Slush

Ingredients: