Feed Your Kids

Milk-Chocolate with Malted Cream

2009-05-07T15:22:37Z

Milk-Chocolate Cookies with Malted Cream from Food & Wine magazine

Holy cow! These were perfection. Delicious, with wonderful consistency. I have had problems in the past with making sandwich cookies and having the filling be too soft for cookies that were too hard, so that filling squished out in the middle, but there were spot-on. The filling had the EXACT consistency of Oreo cookie filling and stayed put exactly as it was supposed to. Definitely have a glass of milk handy. Be really careful with the way that you roll the dough out - I should have rolled mine a little thinner to have thinner completed cookies, but these were still pretty fabulous.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken (two versions) Gallo Pinto (Congri)

2009-05-07T14:23:16Z

Jamaican Jerk Chicken, from Food & Wine magazine
click here for recipe

I recently bought Food & Wine's new "Quick from Scratch Chicken" magazine/cookbook (there are lots of versions of this cookbook available from different years, some are hardback and some are magazine-style, but this is BRAND NEW and can be found at a magazine stand - it has an olive green cover with chicken and corn-on-the-cob on the front....I can't find an online photo) and have been making all sorts of yummy things from it (Chicken with Avgolemono, Pad Thai and I'm planning to make Fusilli with Chicken Sausage and Rustic Garlic Chicken soon).

Well, last night was my brother and sister-in-law's anniversary and since, due to 2.5 week old Baby Jack Henry, they're still not back into full-fledged "going out" mode, I offered to make them a nice dinner over here (with the stipulation that they MUST bring the baby, of course!) It wasn't really 100% intentional (Boy had already seen the recipe in the book and had requested that I make it, so it was already in my "make soon" folder,) but I decided to make this, because Little Brother and his wife went on a cruise to Jamaica (and other destinations) for their honeymoon, so I thought this was fitting for their anniversary.

Boy, was that ever a great idea. This stuff was lip-tinglingly DELICIOUS. It was saucy and moist and flavorful without being butt-kicking spicy. I didn't do the leg quarters, but instead did some whole, boneless, skinless breasts and some boneless, skinless thighs. I wasn't sure what the baking time should be, so I just used a thermometer and pulled them out when the temperature registered 175 degrees. Man, oh, man... I sliced the breasts up so that we could all taste a little bit of everything. The thighs absorbed more of the sauce and were a little spicier than the breasts. The allspice flavor was very strong, but not overpowering. If it's not a spice that you really love, you might want to dial that down just a tiny bit. Boy, this was easy, too. Just blend it all up and then pour it over the chicken and bake. Simple and definitely do-ahead. Perfect if you're having adventuresome dinner guests. I marinated for 24 hours for maximum flavor and I doubled the sauce, because I was cooking extra chicken pieces. If you don't want it to be extra saucy and spicy, then I would pour off any excess marinade before baking, or simply remove the chicken pieces to another pan, and then I think the sauce would be more like a glaze, as is in the Food & Wine photo.

For the Congri/Gallo Pinto, I basically followed this recipe, but cooked the beans myself, and added a little epazote and, if you ask Little Brother (although he was polite about it), a bit too much cilantro (to me, there is no such thing as too much cilantro...)

All in all, a delicious and fairly simple dinner. Will definitely be a repeat, although I'll need to tone down the cayenne for the little people that live with me...

For another kid-friendly Jerk Chicken variation, try this.

Fresh Orange Sorbet

2009-05-05T18:56:19Z

This recipe from Cooking Light magazine is a HUGE winner. Big hit with all four of us and pretty simple to make. I had a hard time getting the sorbet to freeze very firmly in my ice cream freezer, but I got it to be at least slushy and then just put it in a Tupperware in the freezer and gave it a thorough stir about every 15 minutes for the next hour or so, until it was at the right consistency. Another hint: use a vegetable peeler to get the orange rind strips off the orange.

Lemon Cream Spritz Cookies

2009-05-05T16:58:17Z

It seems that I've been having some trouble with recipes lately. I hadn't thought of it that way until I actually started typing up the last few things that I've made and I realized that I've done a lot of "Plan B" cooking lately (as in, "Oh, that didn't work so well...let's go with Plan B.") These cookies are not an exception. When I first saw them on the amazingly beautiful website Cannelle et Vanille (that's Cinnamon and Vanilla for you francophobes,) I knew that I had to try them. Citrus desserts (orange, lemon, lime...I'm not picky) are my absolute favorite. I can pass up any kind of chocolate VERY easily, but offer me Key Lime pie and I'll NEVER say no.

Well, it didn't seem that this cookie recipe would make very many cookies, so I tried to double it, but when I did and tried to load the (VERY STIFF) dough into a pastry bag, it was too hard to squeeze out into the spritz shapes. It's also possible that my metric-to-standard conversion attempts were incorrect and I added too much flour, but, what did I do? You guessed it. Plan B. I rolled the dough into logs about 2 inches in diameter and then wrapped them in wax paper and refrigerated them until they were firm enough to slice, and then I baked them as little "coins" instead of spritzes. They were easy and they tasted delicious. The only problem was that the cookies were pretty firm (kind of a shortbread texture?), so the filling had a tendency to squirt out the sides when you eat the cookies. I will definitely try to make these again, but will need to play around with them a little.

The very best thing about this recipe is that it gave me an excuse to buy some lemon oil. This substance is the best thing on the planet. Now that I have some in the house (refrigerate after opening,) I will be finding all kinds of new reasons to use it.

Conversions, for anyone that might be interested in trying this recipe, as-is (I'll post an updated version if I figure out how to make these work a little better):

For cookies:
110 grams of butter = 1 stick
90 grams of sugar = 1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp
180 grams of flour = 1 1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp
2 grams of salt = 1/2 tsp'

For buttercream:
75 grams egg whites = about 2 large egg whites
150 grams sugar = scant (not quite full) 3/4 cup

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

2009-05-05T16:40:49Z

Mmmm...we were recently introduced to canned orange rolls. I had never bought them before, but recently succumbed (if you hadn't noticed, I am an absolutely sucker for anything orange...) and tried some. They were tooth-achingly sweet and delicious and filled with tender, creamy saturated fat goodness. They were pretty amazing, but not something that I am likely to EVER buy again; they were just a jumping-off point, an inspiration; I knew that I could do better, so I went searching for recipes and came across this one that looked promising.

Mmmm...pretty darned good. I think that it would be impossible to get the canned-roll texture (sort of a combination of white bread and marshmallow fluff?), but the flavor of these was fantastic. I will DEFINITELY be making these again. They were, of course, more trouble to make than the canned version, but not too bad. I made them a day ahead, because of all of the rising time, etc, and then reheated them in the morning. I think that they would be better fresh out of the oven, but I'm not willing to wake up early enough to have them that way.

Panuchos Yucatecos, sort of...

2009-05-05T16:21:24Z

We love making tostadas around here. We always seem to have some extra lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro and maybe a bit of leftover grilled chicken or taco-seasoned meat and some refried beans and cheese. All you have to do is fry some corn tortillas until they're crisp and then augment them with your choice of the above toppings (the kids love any opportunity to "build" their own dinner, buffet-style). If you have a little sliced avocado or sour cream, you're golden. So, when I saw this recipe for Panuchos Yucatecos on Serious Eats, it looked so good, I knew we needed to try it. I mean, really, the beans INSIDE the tortilla? how cool is that? Then you'd have the top completely free to add all kinds of things.

The problem is, though, that when I fried the tortillas, they didn't puff up and create a "cavity" like the ones in the panuchos recipe, so we ended up pretty much just having our standard tostadas (or chalupas, or whatever you call them in your neck of the woods...) Still tasty, but not exactly the original plan. Contributing further to the failure of this experiment, I made up the pickled onions in advance, but forgot to get them out to serve with the dinner...they were very tasty, but we got about as far away from this original recipe as possible (even though what we did make was quite good), so will definitely have to try again. I'm wondering if the tortillas that I had weren't fresh enough and if maybe some fresher ones might puff better? I'll keep you all posted...

Baked Blueberry French Toast

2009-05-05T16:05:06Z

This is a recipe that I came up with when I had some leftover French bread on hand and wanted to use it up. It turned out pretty well as it was, but I will probably adapt it the next time that I make it to make it a little more flavorful. I also wasn't super crazy about the texture, so I will probably lightly toast the bread cubes before mixing them with the custard next time. All in all, though, a pretty good recipe and definitely something that I will try again.

Baked Blueberry French Toast

1/2 pound French bread, cut into into bite-sized cubes
(I buy the "French Sticks" from HEB frequently and each "stick" is about 1/2 pound)
4 oz cream cheese (half of a "brick"), cut into small dice (about 20 pieces)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half (or an additional 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream)
1/4 tsp Cinnamon Spice Blend
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp sugar
Cinnamon Sugar (Cinnamon Spice Blend mixed with sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a medium-sized (7" by 11" inches?) baking pan with cooking spray. Layer half of the bread cubes into the pan, then sprinkle with half of the cream cheese and half of the blueberries. Repeat layers: bread, cream cheese, blueberries. Whisk together the remaining ingredients (except the cinnamon sugar) and pour over the bread, cheese and fruit. Sprinkle the top generously with the cinnamon sugar. Bake until a knife inserted into the casserole comes out clean (eggs are cooked through) and the top is lightly golden browned (start with 20 minutes and then just watch it; I don't remember exactly how long it took to cook). If the top starts to burn, cover it lightly with foil.

Enchilada Casserole

2009-05-05T15:50:59Z

Enchilada Casserole from Cooking Light magazine, recipe here.

Meh. This was OK. Just OK. Hubby actually liked it, but it was a little "cafeteria" for my taste. Probably won't make again, but I might try to adapt it into something else and try again. It is as easy do-ahead and can be made in the Crock-Pot, which I suppose can be helpful and it's meatless (so it's healthy and environmentally friendly), but I think there are other recipes that are probably faster and better. There are some other Crock Pot ideas in this article that might be better options.

The Greatest Waffle Recipe Ever?

2009-05-05T15:28:06Z

Click here for recipe.

When I saw this recipe billed on Serious Eats as the "Greatest Waffle Recipe Ever," I knew that I had to give it a try. There are quite a few steps to preparing the batter, and I wasn't crazy about having to dirty three mixing bowls to make it (one for the wet ingredients, one for the dry and one for the egg whites,) but you really can't argue with results; they were delicious. They were rich, but light, crisp and tasty, the perfect foil for your choice of syrup and/or topping (powdered sugar for Girl, birch syrup for Boy, boysenberry syrup for me and maple syrup for Hubby.)

I added a bit (1/4 to 1/2 tsp?) of McCormick's Vanilla, Butter & Nut extract and a shake or two of Cinnamon Spice Blend to the batter, just to punch up the flavor a little. If that's not your style, then a tiny bit of plain vanilla would still be nice, I think. The batter is VERY thick and must be evenly spooned onto the waffle iron; it will NOT pour. At all. In fact, you almost have to spread it a little to get it on over the whole thing. Worth the effort, though.

Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki

2009-05-05T14:47:28Z

Yummy, yummy...

Another great recipe from my new favorite food website, Serious Eats. Click here for the recipe.

I used my ow (VERY garlicky-spicy) tzatziki recipe, instead, but, otherwise, made this recipe as-is and it was wonderful. Definitely will be a repeat, and it was very easy, too.

Cara Cara cocktail

2009-05-05T14:40:36Z

I know, I know...Step AWAY from the Cara Caras, Lara...but we LOVE them and they're just so yummy. I had a bit of extra juice the other day leftover from making sherbet and decided to throw this together. It's basically just a screwdriver (OJ and vodka), made with Cara Cara juice, but it was delicious and isn't it pretty?

Chicken Breasts with Orzo, Carrots, Dill, and Avgolemono Sauce

2009-05-05T13:30:41Z

Chicken Breasts with Orzo, Carrots, Dill and Avgolemono Sauce from Food & Wine magazine
(click here for recipe)

Another dinner that I brought to my brother and sister-in-law, who have a brand new cutie patootie baby.

I actually tripled the recipe that night and also brought dinner to my friend, S., and her family, as S. has been ill. We also had it for dinner at our house. I was looking for something that would be kid-friendly and fairly universally appealing (nothing too strange, unfamiliar or exotic), since I was making it for so many different people. It was a big job (cooking for 12 people!), but this recipe was actually simpler than it seems.

The only modification that I made was to toast the orzo (in a large skillet, over medium-high heat with a TINY bit of olive oil, just until golden-toasty brown, stirring frequently so that it browns evenly) before cooking it. Doing this adds a wonderful, nutty flavor to the finished dish. I really can't imagine why the instructions skipped this step, because I always do that when I cook orzo. In my mind, it's not optional. Oh, and I also cut the carrots into "coins," rather than matchsticks. Here's a photo of the orzo, pre and post-toasting:

This dinner was quite yummy and definitely something that I will make again. It was a hit for all of the recipients, as well. The avgolemono (basically, just Greek lemon sauce, thickened with egg) sauce was delicious and would be good over asparagus, too. My only issue with the recipe is that because the chicken is simmered for a while in a covered pot, it was a bit difficult to judge when it was done. I have a digital thermometer with a probe that can be attached that will beep to alert you when your food has reached the desired pre-set temperature and it was very helpful in cooking the chicken. When I make this again, however, I might brown the chicken in the pan and then finish it in the oven (again, with the assistance of the thermometer,) just to be sure that the chicken doesn't overcook and get tough or stringy.

Dorie Greenspan's Ricotta-Berry Muffins

2009-05-05T04:00:56Z

These muffins are absolutely delectable. They are a tiny bit "fussier" than regular muffin recipes (some very specific batter-mixing instructions, no liquid, such as milk), but the tops are crusty and buttery, while the insides are moist and tender. They have delicious, rich flavor and are a great way to use up the rest of a container of ricotta that you might hve on hand from something else. Yum. I will definitely be making these again. I used lemon zest, instead of lemon, because was what I had on hand at the time and I also sprinkled about 1/4 tsp of coarse sanding sugar on top of each muffin before baking, to add a little extra sweetness and crunch. The batter, at least for me, turned out VERY thick (almost crumbly), so I just sort of packed it into the muffin tins and hoped for the best, but they turned out great.

Martinez Cocktail

2009-05-05T03:15:00Z

I gave this cocktail a try recently. It looked appealing, because I ~~am developing an unhealthy fascination with~~ really like gin. The maraschino (I used Luxardo brand) liqueur was a little difficult to find, but I eventually found it at Spec's. This was okay, but it didn't dazzle me, in fact, I didn't even finish it. I'm discovering that, for me, gin isn't meant to be sweet. I like it with really good quality olives as a salty, savory drink and haven't really found a sweet gin cocktail that I like yet. This cocktail may be enough to finally convince me to stop trying. If, however, you like gin and you like sweet drinks, this might be just the thing for you. I did find the history of the drink interesting (click recipe link to read it); it's hard to imagine this drink as a martini precursor/namesake (since, in my opinion, the martini is vastly superior), but interesting, nonetheless.

Placebo Mocktail

2009-05-05T00:55:00Z

Before my brother and sis-in-law's baby shower, we had my brother and sister-in-law over for dinner one night and printed out a bunch of "mocktail" recipes, got a bunch of different juices and ingredients and had a great big taste test. The kids had friends over that night, so everybody got to join in the taste-testing fun. I wanted the Mom-to-be (and any other non-dipsomaniacs) to have something tasty and fun to drink (without alcohol, of course), so I let her choose which one she liked best. She ended up choosing this drink, which we served at the party (it requires a bit of prep, but can easily be made up ahead of time, so is great for a party, just add the seltzer at the last minute), but there were lots of others that we didn't end up trying on our "taste test" night that I've had (set aside in my ever-expanding "Make Soon" folder) ever since. I decided to make this one for the kids tonight, in part to assuage my guilt at turning down Boy's incessant after-school Jamba Juice requests*.

So, anyway...we decided to try The Placebo mocktail tonight, as a special treat for Boy. The kids LOVED this and it was pretty easy. The only hitch is that you have to have the Monin Granny Smith apple syrup on hand; I don't really think there's a substitute (except possibly another flavor - orange? pomegranate? of Monin syrup). There are lots of restaurant supply places and larger grocery stores that carry the Monin syrups, so you might be able to pick it up, depending upon where you live (don't know if you can get it in Korea, Trish, but I'll send you some if you want), but I ordered it (in preparation for the taste test) online.

* It's not that I really have anything personal against Jamba Juice, but there are a few things that bug me about the place:

1) The smallest size drink that they offer is 16 ounces. That's just ridiculous. No one should be drinking that much super-sweetened juice/yogurt/whatever in one sitting. If you do, it should count for a meal, in my opinion. C'mon...couldn't you offer an 8 ounce size for kids or people with smaller appetites? My kids never finish a whole one (not that I would want them to!), but I feel so guilty asking them (as I do sometimes) to agree on a single flavor, so that they can split one. It's not the money that I mind so much when I buy two whole ones, but it just seems so wasteful to buy two whole drinks, knowing that each of them will only be half-consumed.

2) Styrofoam cups? Really? It's 2009, folks. I know that "styrofoam keeps them colder", etc, but if you are drinking it in a timely fashion, you can drink it out of a paper or recyclable plastic cup and it will stay cold enough for plenty of time...

3) I can make my kids a smoothie at home (I *always* have plenty of frozen fruit, juice, milk, yogurt, etc. on hand) in minutes, with better (and organic) ingredients, for MUCH cheaper, with a washable glass. Just kinda irks me to buy it, knowing that I have ripe bananas (individually wrapped, thankyouverymuch) in my freezer at home.

Hmmm...in reading this, maybe I *do* have something personal against Jamba Juice...but, the kids love it and so I sometimes cave...