My youngest, 3, loves mushrooms and even asked me to sauté him some the other day for lunch. Just mushrooms, nothing else. But my middle child would often say, “I don’t like mushrooms unless they’re in your cream sauce.“ The last few times I’ve served mushrooms in anything besides the cream sauce, he exclaims that he “does like them!“
Actually most dinners are accompanied by a whine (from him) of “I don’t want this” and/or “I don’t like …” but every dinner he sits down with the rest of us and eats. And tonight was no exception, “But I don’t want mushrooms, I don’t want chicken, I just want plain pasta.” He ate everything on his plate. He did try to sneak a piece of broccoli onto his brother’s plate so he could have dessert faster, but I caught him before it could happen.
So my tip here is don’t pay any attention to those whines. I’m not saying don’t ever feed your kids what they want, just that it has to fit in with what is good for them as well. I am not going to stop what I’m making and cook them something they’d rather eat instead. And I am not going to cook 2 separate meals, one for me and my husband and one for them. (Exception is when we’re having something extremely spicy and it is just too hot for their palates.) My children get to make recommendations for what they’d like, just not after the meal is made. My eldest is craving sushi lately and it even got into a story he wrote today about a raccoon trying to steal his picnic dinner. After the sword fight he tossed some sushi to the raccoon who had a great meal. So, I’ll be making or buying some sushi soon. Oh, and some seaweed salad too because he loves it and likes to bring the leftovers to school as a snack.
A friend asked me recently what chicken nuggets I’d suggest because she wasn’t sure the brand she was buying was “real” chicken or at least good cuts. I didn’t know one because as I stated before I don’t really buy them. I have bought some from Trader Joe’s and I have purchased some from the supermarket, but it’s so rarely and not at all in the past 6 months so I just can’t tell anyone what/who to buy. Instead I told her about my homemade ones and how delicious they are and how she and her husband would enjoy them as well. Then she went on to tell me she doesn’t have time to do that. After I told her how quick they were, and pointed out that she’d save time by not making 2 different meals (which is what she does daily), she agreed but said she won’t change. Oh well.
I digress. Often. So, chicken with mushrooms in a white wine cream sauce.
I got d’Artagnan organic chicken thighs with the bones and skins. You can buy boneless and skinless or remove either, but I didn’t. You’ll need one container of mushrooms, sliced. (I prefer baby criminis and/or shiitakes for this dish.) Fresh thyme, 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock or base, 2 cloves garlic, shallots (optional), salt and pepper. Sauté garlic and shallots in tsp olive oil, then add chicken (if it’s skin is on) until browned, add white wine and chicken stock, reduce heat to med-low and cover (stirring occasionally). (If it’s boneless/skinless you can add the chicken after the liquids.) In a separate pan sauté the mushrooms with tsp olive oil and butter. Add some fresh thyme leaves (strip at least 2 stalks and crush in fingers or chop to release aromatic), salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat when cooked through. Cook chicken for 25-30 minutes in liquids, add mushrooms, black pepper to taste and heavy cream, stirring well. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Check for doneness especially with thigh bones. Taste it before adding more salt as stock or base can be salty.
I served mine tonight over fusilli pasta, but you can use rice, other pastas, noodles, or grains. And my kids loved it! I served a side of fresh broccoli, which I steam and shock (run cold water over it to stop it from cooking) then reheat with pat of butter and tiny bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper (Trader Joe’s organic butter is my favorite— and there is NO margarine in this house, ever).
I do recommend everyone watch Food Inc and Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and sign the petition for healthful school lunchesI want to get people to pay attention to what they’re feeding their kids and see that it’s doable to feed them well.
©2010 MyKidsReallyEatThis.com
