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Sugar Snap Peas Kids love them for their sweetness and crunch. They’re fabulous raw as a snack or lightly steamed with a touch of butter for a side. Slice them for salads. Throw them in a stir fry. These … Continue reading
My kids love bacon. I love bacon. But we don’t eat bacon often.
This was my cross of a BLT and a Margherita pizza. It’s made on the Middle Eastern Flatbread I’ve used for pizza before. Of course it’s got bacon…
I used up some left-over spinach, mixed shredded cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar, jack, queso blanco, fontina), sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and a side salad.
I also cooked the bacon on parchment in the oven. Came out so evenly cooked and yummy!
This one came out fuzzy— my camera’s been acting up again. 🙁
Yes, the kids loved it. Well, they all loved the bacon. My youngest one didn’t want to eat the pizza— just the bacon off the top. We compromised (over an hour later) with him eating all the salad and I gave him some left over chicken from the night before.
Since it’s the Memorial Day weekend and the start of outdoor party season, thought I’d repost this recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp which is perfect to bring to friends’ barbecues!
http://www.mykidsreallyeatthis.com/strawberry-rhubarb-crisp/
This idea is so simple. Take some favorites and combine them into an awesome meal. I can practically guarantee that your kids will eat it. I suggested dinner’s ingredients to my husband because I knew we would all like it. Of course, I don’t have to tell him how to make it, but I also know it will be great— and different than the way I’d make it. (Actually when we discussed the recipe, I found out how differently I would have made it!)
I was off dinner duty as there was a typical huge mound of laundry to fold/sort and my husband was luckily not disagreeable about cooking (sorry, I mean, I didn’t feel guilty about asking him to cook dinner when he’s off work from cooking). He’s usually always agreeable about cooking, I just don’t want to have him regret it.
Chicken Mushroom Bacon Pasta
Boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
5 bacon strips, diced
1 quart shiitake and/or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
pasta of choice (we used fusilli)
Salt and pepper
Sauté the bacon until about halfway done. Add leeks until the leeks are soft then add the garlic until done. Leaving fat behind, take out bacon, leeks and garlic. Add wine to fat and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add the cream and reduce until thicker. Add chicken, stock and mushrooms— cook until mushrooms are soft. Add tomatoes. Cook another minute then set aside. Cook pasta and drain. In the larger pot add spinach in with pasta then throw in rest of mixture. Toss until well coated.
So, the dinner was delicious and the kids loved it! I love getting a meal where they all like it, eat it all and not one complains. Pasta, chicken, bacon, leeks, mushrooms, cream…as my eldest said “Everything’s better with bacon”. Funny thing was that my middle son said at one point, “But I don’t like mushrooms” so I reminded him that he’s said before that he likes mushrooms when in a cream sauce with chicken. “Oh, yeah.” He continued to eat it all… mushrooms included.
So little time these days to spend time in front of the computer to actually get it all down. This past week was Thanksgiving and my youngest son’s 5th birthday. I co-chair a charity event for the library that Mark Twain started a hundred years ago which is happening this Friday. About 500 people are expected to come to the champagne gala and buy fabulous art by many local artists. Then the following week I’m co-organizing a holiday party for 75-100 people. Then several days later I’ve got our cooking club going to a demonstration by a local chef in a neighboring town.
Ok, so then I also work from home, have 3 kids with growing homework expectations and a teething puppy. I am not doing so much come next year! I won’t be doing the library gig. I will try to turn over some of the other event planning stuff to others (it’s not like I’m getting paid for any of this). And then I will give more time to my family, my house and getting my business off the ground.
Well, the one thing that has really suffered is my attention to this blog. I have wanted to take the time, because I love to write and I always hope by sharing that I will inspire others to cook.
One thing I created this past week (besides a wonderful turkey feast on Thanksgiving) that I was very proud of was the cake I made for my son’s birthday. 
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I am working on my list of healthier nut-free snacks to contrast what the kids’ school nurse sent home. In the meantime thought I’d share this awesome ravioli my husband made on the boys’ first day of school at my suggestion. It’s funny sometimes:I buy all the ingredients and just have to tell him what I have in mind. Then he cooks it. He cuts faster, cooks and knows what to do better than I do, so it works well. I just help whatever he needs help with. And he loves to cook.
He used wonton skin wrappers that I buy in the grocery section of supermarket. They make wonderfully thin raviolis so you get more taste of the fillings. Poach chicken breast in water for 5 minutes (until done but not tough). Sauté ½ small onion, minced and then 2 cloves garlic, minced both in olive oil. Add pound of spinach until wilted. Blend in food processor with chicken, tsp porcini powder and salt & pepper. Mix in ½ cup of ricotta cheese. Spoon in dollop onto center of a wrap, moisten edges and press another wrap on top gently squeezing any air out before sealing. Press edges with a fork. Keep on cookie sheet dusted with corn meal until ready. When nearly time to serve put in gently boiling water for about 5 minutes and remove with straining spoon. 
Served with a simple cherry tomato sauce. Take several handfuls of cherry tomatoes (we used orange cherry tomatoes) cut in half, Tbsp of fresh basil chopped, 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and ¼ cup of chicken stock. Cook until tomatoes are tender, stirring often. So easy and delicious! 
We served ours with a green salad. The boys weren’t too keen on trying the sauce but I finally got my eldest to try it. His aversion is to the seeds. My middle son was a bit easier but my youngest flat out refused. They all loved the ravioli but next time asked for it without sauce. Oh well. Different sauce for them next time or just butter!
My son loves to spike & color his hair for first & last days of school.
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In less time for you get a pizza delivery you can make these yummy personal pizzas using Middle Eastern flatbread. I got mine from Trader Joe’s. For these I used farm fresh heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, mozzarella, and basil … Continue reading
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It’s my middle son’s birthday party/campout tonight. I made a S’mores cake for our camping theme! Used TJ’s chocolate cake, marshmallows I softened in microwave, my own recipe vanilla cake and meringue frosting. Then topped it with graham cracker crumbs.
When I was back in New Zealand last year I was lucky enough to be treated to some fabulous food at some of NZ’s premier restaurants— Logan Brown, The Mattahorn, Martin Bosley. While we were eating at Logan Brown (yes, I had the Abalone Ravioli and loved them!) we were served a dry spice dip with bread and olive oil. I was so enamored of the dip and when I inquired about it, they gave me the recipe! Score!
Dukkah is an Egyptian nut and spice dip, and this one also has dried olives. It is so scrumptious and I’ve been wanting now for the past year to make it; and finally I did. And I am so glad I did. My kids loved it (it’s very salty and quite intense) as did my friends. It also got me to experiment with a new spice blend for another recipe.
This began as Logan Brown’s recipe but I had to change it a little because I didn’t have any hazelnuts but I did have Filbert (hazelnut) oil. So I roasted the almonds in the oil. Continue reading
