umommy

Valentine's Day Heart-Shaped Strawberry Shortcakes

2012-02-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Before kids, I could take or leave Valentine’s Day. Cheesy cards, overpriced meals and a second mortgage for long-stemmed roses – no thanks. Chocolates, strawberries, champagne – yes, please! And now that I have kids, I adore homemade valentines and look forward to making special treats with my boys. And yeah, chocolates, strawberries and champagne are still up there.

So when I found out there was going to be a “Friendship Day” Party (is this a sign that Valentine’s Day is going the way of Christmas Trees?) at my son’s first-grade class, I started to search for food ideas that were delicious but not overloaded with sugar (I do like my son’s teacher after all). That’s when I found a recipe for heart-shaped strawberry shortcakes. Festive? Yes! Healthy? Yes (with some tweaks). Delicious? Oh yeah! Check out the recipe after the jump.

Strawberries in February?

I used to buy strawberries in New England only during the summer months. But after attending “Paint Boston Red with California Strawberries” event hosted by the California Strawberry Commission and MommyNiri, all my preconceptions were thrown out the window. Some quick facts*:

California’s unique coastal environment, western ocean exposure and moderate temperature are the perfect conditions for growing strawberries year-round
All California strawberries are hand-picked for the highest quality berries, then rushed to coolers within 24 hours
Flavor is influenced by growing conditions, stage of ripeness and variety. Size is not a factor in determining flavor

Heart-Shaped Strawberry Shortcakes

Adapted by Joanne Chang’s Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into 12-14 pieces
3 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
2 pints strawberries
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons sugar
Whipped cream (canned or fresh)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat over to 350 degrees F. Using stand mixer (with paddle attachment), mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed until combined (10-15 seconds).

2. Scatter butter over the top and beat on medium-low speed for 30 seconds, until butter is broken down and the mixture becomes mealy.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and cream. On low speed, pour in egg mixture all at once and beat for 10-15 seconds, until dough comes together.

4. Dump the dough onto a floured work surface and press it out into a circle about 10 inches in diameter and 1-inch thick. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts, re-rolling scraps until dough is used up. Place them on a ungreased baking sheet several inches a part. Makes about 2 dozen hearts.

5. In small bowl, whisk remaining egg and brush tops of dough hearts with the egg.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until light golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.

7. While shortcakes are in the oven, stem and cut strawberries. In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with lemon zest and sugar.

8. Top each heart shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries with their syrup and enjoy!

What are your favorite strawberry recipes? Are you a fan of Valentine's Day?

*Source: California Strawberry commission. I was not compensated for this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products or services mentioned. Opinions are my own.

Restaurant Review by My 6-Year-Old: Little Q Hot Pot (Arlington, MA)

2012-01-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

Here's another restaurant review through the eyes of my kid. This time, we visit his new favorite restaurant: Little Q Hot Pot on Mass Ave in Arlington, MA. All pictures were taken by my son using my phone (as I sweat bullets while he held my fancy phone over the bubbling cauldron of broth).

6-year-old: First we wait for our food. This restaurant is nice. Because they have a stove connected to where the hole is in the table.

Little brother trying to decide if he should launch his car into the 'pit' as we wait for our food.

6-year-old: First the peanuts and other spicy stuff come. And carrots. They taste good, except for the spicy stuff.

Condiments of peanuts and spicy cabbage. Plastic bowls, cups, and spoons are ideal for feisty kids.

6-year-old: Finally the soup comes and they put it in a little hole in the table. They don’t let it splash on us so we don’t get hurt.

Complex and delicious Black Bone Chicken Broth equipped with ladles and basket.

6-year-old: This is the spring roll and dumplings you can order from the menu. It tastes so good. And we don’t have to cook it – they cook it for us. You can’t cook this in the soup bowl.

Large menu includes traditional Chinese appetizers and entrees for those that do not want hot pot.

6-year-old: You can order meat. It looks like they are ground. They come to the table cold. You have to cook these foods in the soup bowl.

Paper-thin cuts of raw pork, chicken and beef.

6-year-old: You cook it by dropping it inside. And when you think it is ready, you take it out and try it. It is fun cooking the food. Grownups cook it – it is dangerous for kids. But I like to watch.

Chinese fondue - cooking chicken in savory broth.

6-year-old: The vegetables taste good. Some of these are super foods I think.

Chinese broccoli, carrots and watercress.

6-year-old: This is my soup. There are some noodles in it. You can cook the noodles. Kids can drop the noodles in. It is fun touching the noodles!

Cellophane noodles with pork, chicken, Chinese broccoli, and carrots in broth. The boy had two helpings.

6-year-old: If you feel a little sad, like if you were crying and bumped your head, someone that works here can bring you a lollipop. But it is a only for a special treat if you finish your dinner or lunch. I’m not sure if they serve breakfast.

(note from umommy)

In my quest to raise my boys to be adventurous eaters, we dine out a lot as a family. We try to avoid ordering the boys the typical kid fare (chicken fingers and fries for example) whenever possible. We seem to have the best luck introducing our kids to more exciting foods when we go to places that have "family-style" dishes. So what better place to get our kids to be adventurous than Chinese hot pot? Bubbling cauldron of broth set in the middle of your table for cooking raw meats and vegetables. Seconds later you get to fish out your food using chopsticks. Exciting? Yes. Healthy? Yes. Tasty? YES!

Year of the Dragon and Chinese Almond Cookies

2012-01-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year with this year being the Year of the Dragon. Chinese New Year is the most important Chinese holiday. It is a celebration of change - out with the old and in with the new. And hopefully with newness comes an abundance of good health, happiness and prosperity. Who couldn't use some of that?

As with many things in Chinese culture, there are some *basic* superstitions you must adhere to that will bring good luck and ward off bad luck:

Sweep away any bad luck from your home by cleaning your house BEFORE New Year's Day
Wear something new (and red) on New Year's Day to bring good luck
Place a pair of tangerines in each room to bring good luck
Do not wash your hair on New Year's Day (!)
Serve food with auspicious characteristics
Give kids gifts of money in red envelopes

We're a little lax on some of these (yes, I did shower this morning), but I am trying to start our own family tradition of a big feast to introduce my boys to some traditional Chinese dishes I grew up eating on this holiday. To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, I'll be busy in the kitchen making the following:

Steamed whole fish: the Chinese word for fish is Yu, which sounds like the word for abundance.
Chinese broccoli: broccoli symbolizes blossoming flowers
Dumplings: symbolizes wealth
Lion's Head: Lion = strength and roundness = togetherness
Almond Cookies: symbolize gold coins and wealth

Wishing you good fortune and happiness - or GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

Chinese Almond Cookies
Adapted from Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups of almond flour, lightly packed
1 cup of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
Pinch of kosher salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
Sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the almond flour, salt, and butter into an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for three minutes. The mixture will become course and chunky looking.
Add one of the eggs and the almond extract. Mix on low speed until just incorporated.
Sift together the flour, sugar, and baking soda then add to the butter mixture at low speed. Mix until just combined.
Take the dough and flatten it into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for two hours to chill.
Place other egg in bowl and whisk
Take pieces of dough and roll them into balls about a half-inch wide. Place them on the sheet about and inch apart and then press them down slightly with your palm to make a coin shape.
Place a slivered almond onto each cookie and lightly press it into place, then paint the surface of the cookie with some of the beaten egg using a pastry brush.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges just being to tan. Cool on the sheet on a wire rack.

Upcycling Christmas Cards and Apple Snacking Spice Cake

2012-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Apple Snacking Spice Cake

Confession: It's January 12th and our Christmas tree and lights are still up. We are typically not this delinquent when it comes to dismantling our Christmas decorations. I swear! I will shake my head in dismay if I see a Christmas tree out on someone's curb any day past January 2nd. Yeah, yeah. Glass houses and stones - or however that saying goes. So in an effort to not be a total slacker, I've begun by gathering up all the holiday cards for a quick afternoon craft activity with the boys.

Around this time of year, we find ourselves staring at the pile of holiday and photo cards from friends and family near and far, wondering what to do with them. I feel guilty throwing away pictures of our friends' kids and/or pets. So for the past few years we've trimmed and saved photo cards and file them away in a photo album, only to be taken this time the following year to marvel at how big everyone is getting.

With the holiday cards, I got the boys to work and had them make gift tags for next year's gifts. Got the idea from good 'ol Martha of course. Other ideas include ornaments, gift bags and garland to name a few. The kids love any craft involving sharp tools (yay). And it resulted in a glorious 20-minutes of peace and quiet as they snipped away, turning old Christmas cards into funky-shaped gift tags.

The afternoon of upcycling (my new favorite word - thanks Etsy!) worked up an appetite. Can I introduce you to the a tasty, oh-so-delicious hunger buster courtesy of Joanne Chang? The boys didn't even complain about the good-for-you ingredients in this Apple Spice Cake. It is so good.

Apple Snacking Spice Cake
Adapted from Joanne Chang's Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temp)
2 eggs
4 cups peeled, cored, and chopped green apples
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan
Sift together the flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar and butter to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 minute with paddle attachment (stopping the mixer a few times to scrape the bowl to make sure butter is mixed in). Add eggs and mix on low for 10-15 seconds. Then turn mixer to medium-high and beat for one minute until batter is light and fluffy.
Fold in apples, raisins and walnuts. Note: the batter will be stiff and thick and it will look like there is not enough batter. This is what it is supposed to look like. Scrape all the batter into prepared pan and spread it evenly to fill the pan.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until cake feels firm and top is golden brown. Let cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Invert the cake onto a serving plate, then invert again so it's right-side up. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

The Good: Easy to prepare. Loads of fresh apples and raisins. Boys could not get enough.

The Bad: None!

Grade: A. Have made this several times now. Great for breakfast, snack or dessert (or lunch and dinner too if you're like me).

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Boy and cheese pie (Santarpios, E. Boston)

Proud moment: baby boy eating pizza like a big man (folded in half) at favorite old-school pizza joint.

Top 5 Things I Ate in 2011

2011-12-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time again. There are lots of retrospectives and “Best of 2011” right about now. In my case, here is my annual round-up of all the top recipes I tried over the past year (drum roll please):

#5: Monkey Bread French Toast

We made these on a snow day during an especially cruel New England winter. This is the ultimate french toast recipe in my humble opinion. There's something about the eggy, buttery brioche with swirls of cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins that elevate the ordinary french toast to a whole new level.

#4: Lion's Head

2011 was the year of the meatball at our house, having tried multiple different meatball recipes in search of the perfect meatball recipe. Surprisingly, this traditional Chinese pork meatball topped them all. We had this as part of our Chinese New Year feast, but this can definitely be a quick weeknight meal.

#3: Brown-Butter Crispy Rice Treats

In an attempt to overcome my fear of baking, I bought Joanne Chang's Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe to challenge myself to bake more. My first (and most successful) recipe I tried had to be these bad boys. Takes a childhood favorite to new culinary heights. This has been a go-to treat at parties and hostess gifts.

#2: BBQ Chicken

It was an epic celebrity chef cook-off... in my imagination at least. I tested two different BBQ chicken recipes - one by David Chang and a second one by Martha Stewart. They were both pretty amazing but the ultimate champion was Martha. Pantry staples and kid-approval made this the recipe the winner of the BBQ Throwdown.

#1: Lamb Potstickers

I had the opportunity to debunk all those crazy Chinese myths about lamb when I decided to compete in Boston’s first American Lamb Pro-Am. The challenge: create a dish using leg of lamb. The result: pretty darn amazing Moroccan inspired lamb pot stickers. This dish challenged me both as a blogger and a home cook. And it was honestly the most satisfying both as a food blogger and home cook. It pushed me to be creative and to stand out. And gave me the opportunity to meet some fabulous food bloggers and top Boston chefs. I continue to be amazed by how supportive and talented the food blogging community can be. And how supportive and patient my family has been throughout the year. And this, my friends, is why I look forward to continue blogging in 2012.

Happy New Year!

Top (Last Minute) Gift Ideas for the Foodie Family (Part 2)

2011-12-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

There's only four days until Christmas. Or six days left of Hanukkah. Gulp. And there's one or two people (or more if you're really behind) you still need to shop for. Here are my top last-minute holiday gifts for the foodie family on your list:

Subscription to ChopChop Magazine: My boys and I are huge fans of ChopChop Magazine - a quarterly food magazine for kids. It is full of great kid-tested recipes, tips for parents, colorful photos and fun games. Both kids and parents will be inspired to cook as a family.

Subscription to Cooks Illustrated: A must-have for any serious foodie. Each recipe is tested to perfection. Line drawings, scientific rationale and exhaustive testing tells you they're not fooling around when it comes to food.

How to Cook Everything App: From New York Times Food Journalist and legend Mark Bittman, this app is the first full cookbook adapted for an app. Besides the ginormous recipe collection, you get recipe timers, shopping lists, Bittman's voiceover and ability to make notes (for iPad). How cool is that?

CSA share: For the green-minded foodie family, a membership to a Community Supported Agriculture program is a gift that keeps on giving. Members receive anywhere between a few pounds to 15-20 pounds of local produce on a regular basis. It's all about Farm-to-Table.

The greatest gift of all... a gift certificate to a couples' favorite restaurant and free babysitting for the night. Need I say more?

Off to check my list twice and figure out some last-minute gifts of my own. Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Spinning soccer ball cakes by Duff Goldman

Everyone was charmed by ace baker Duff Goldman at a private event. I was simply in awe.

My Top 5 Cookbooks for the Foodie Family (Pt 1)

2011-12-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

If you're like me (world-class procrastinator), you may still be looking for some holiday gift ideas so you can start checking off everyone on your "nice" list. Here are some of my favorites - proven by the dirty, well-worn pages with crumbs caught between pages.

For busy families: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast This is our go-to cookbook for weeknight meals. Organized by season, this cookbook has a recipe for everyone. Simple and delicious meals - 250 to be exact.

For the baker: Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe I have always been timid when it came to baking. But Joanne Chang has changed that with these amazing - or spectacular - recipes. The photographs are drool-worthy. Best Christmas gift I bought for myself last year.

For anyone who hates doing the dishes: Simply Ming One-Pot Meals Every recipe we've tried so far has been a winner with the whole family. Organized by cooking technique, Ming's Asian-inspired recipes are easy to follow, including quick tips and wine pairings that this mom really appreciates. The fact that all of these can be made in one cooking vessel is a bonus.

For the anyone that likes to entertain but without all the fuss: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics This cookbook has a crowd-pleasing dish on every page. What I really love about this cookbook is how Ina is able to breakdown a dish to be truly simple yet still be sophisticated to make you look like you slaved in the kitchen all day.

For the adventurous home cook: Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean Organized by spice, this cookbook is a master class in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. This has to be the most beautifully designed cookbook in my collection. A must-have for any cookbook lover on your list.

Stay tuned for Pt 2 of "My Top 5 Cookbooks for the Foodie Family" - all new cookbooks I currently covet (and have conveniently left room for on my bookshelf (hint, hint Santa)).

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

After over-indulging this holiday season, go on a family hike (and thank me later).

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Natick, MA)

Last Minute Thanksgiving Day Prep

2011-11-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

Turkey Trots/Thanksgiving Day road races are almost as popular as pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I've often thought about running in one, but decided I'd rather be running around in the kitchen than on the pavement. I will definitely need some running shoes in the kitchen this Thanksgiving seeing how I am way behind in all matters of Thanksgiving.

So for anyone hosting this year's feast and looking for some last-minute tips, look no further than this known-procrastinator and time-starved (and just plain starved) mom.

Saturday & Sunday:

Plan menu and make shopping list. Here's our menu this year with design help from my kids.
Ask guests to bring something. We like asking folks to bring a dessert or appetizers - one less thing to stress out about!
If you are of the brave sort, shop for non-perishables. I avoid grocery stores the weekend before Thanksgiving at all costs. I'd like to keep my sanity before the holidays... before I lose it again a month from now.
Make sure there's room in the fridge.

Monday:

Shop like the wind. I will go first thing in the AM after I drop-off the kids at school. Everything will be fully stocked and crowds will be less ornery.
Prep linens, platters, centerpiece, place cards, etc.

Tuesday:

Make cranberry sauce. The sauce will benefit from being in the fridge for a couple of days where the flavors can develop.
Cut and cube bread for stuffing and leave out in a single layer on baking sheets.
Caramelize onions for green beans dish.

Wednesday (Eeek!):

Make stuffing.
Peel carrots and parsnips and store in zip-lock bag wrapped in moist paper towels.
Peel potatoes and refrigerate in a pot of cold water.
Wash and trim green beans.
Pick up turkey and brine turkey if you plan on using a brine.

T-Day:

11am: Set table
12pm: Remove turkey and allow it to sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours
1pm: Preheat oven, prep and stuff turkey

2pm: Put turkey in the oven and cook at 500 degrees for 30 minutes

2:30pm: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for 2-2.5 hours for a 14-16lb turkey. Roast carrots and parsnips at the same time.

3pm: Take cranberry sauce out of fridge and bring to room temperature. Remove parsnips and carrots.

**More than half way there - pour yourself a drink.

3:30pm: Make mashed potatoes and keep warm when finished.

4pm: Make green beans and keep warm when finished. Bake stuffing.

4:30pm: Take out turkey and let it rest (thickest part of the breast should be 161 degrees F). Remove stuffing from oven. Reheat carrots and other sides as necessary.

5pm: Chow time!

Last bit of advice: Make sure you delegate as much as you feel comfortable doing. And the most important piece of advice (next to enjoying this time with family) - make sure your dishwasher is empty Thursday morning!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

1st Annual Lamb Pro-Am

2011-11-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

A month ago, I was invited to compete in the first-ever Lamb Pro-Am (as you probably already know thanks to all my tweets and facebook updates for votes - sorry!). I embraced the challenge and made lamb pot-stickers two ways. Unfortunately I did not advance to the finals. But I did get the opportunity to attend the Lamb Pro-Am Event last weekend at the Hotel Marlowe.

The Lamb Pro-Am featured four blogger/chef teams serving up samples of the final four lamb dishes to a horde of lamb-loving attendees. Each attendee was given a wooden coin to cast their vote for their favorite lamb dish. Samples of beer from Brooklyn Brewery, J. Lohr wines, the most delicious Pierre Ferrand cognac punch, and tasty bites from Bambara were also enjoyed. I was in foodie heaven.

Fan of the Lamb
This was the chance for the pro-am teams to show off their cooking chops (haha - couldn't resist). It was a true collaboration with chefs working with bloggers to refine their lamb dishes and offer it up to hundreds of hungry people.

I drooled reading the original blog posts and recipes. It truly was satisfying to actually get to taste my fellow competitors creations. I had an impossible time deciding who to vote for.

Congrats to the Team Doves & Figs/The Russell House Tavern for winning the first Lamb Pro-Am. Their lamb & apple sausage wrapped in lamb belly topped with apple pear cranberry conserve and cranberry mustard was out-of-this-world-good. A big thank you to BostonChefs.com, American Lamb Board, and all the sponsors of the Lamb Pro-Am. I can honestly say I'm now a fan of the Lamb. And thank you, thank you, thank you to all who voted for my lamb potstickers. You guys are the best!

One last word: If you're in Cambridge, check out Flavors of Fall fundraising event tonight. Great food, great chefs for a great cause. And all-star line-up that any foodie would swoon over. Tickets are still available!

How To Pack Lunch with ChopChop Magazine

2011-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

We have had about two months of school and school lunches under our belt at our house. Here is what a typical week looks like:

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: PB&J

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Oatmeal with fruit & nuts

Friday: School Lunch (Pizza)

Thankfully, my oldest almost always polishes whatever I pack in his lunchbox. It's 50/50 with my 3-year-old. Okay, who am I trying to kid? It's 25/75 with the little bugger. So we're already in a rut and it's only November. *Gulp*

So when I heard about a "Lunch Boot Camp: How to pack a lunch that will be eaten" with ChopChop Magazine held at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and hosted by Mommy Niri, I was giddy with excitement... like the day I got my first Hello Kitty Lunch box.

ChopChop Magazine
ChopChop is a quarterly food magazine and website for kids. ChopChop's mission is to educate kids to cook and empower them to make healthy choices. Think Cook's Illustrated meets Highlights Magazine. It is awesome. Here are some reasons why:

Recipes - simple and healthy recipes that are easy to follow with fun photos of kids making the dish. I love how, at a glance, you know how much adult help is suggested, kitchen gear, ingredients and prep time is needed.

The Sally Challenge - Kids challenge Sally to come up with a recipe that will get them to enjoy an ingredient they typically dislike. If Sally can turn Cate into an eggplant fan with her Roasted Eggplant Ratatouille, then maybe my boys will love it too.

Fun & Games - (my son's favorite part of ChopChop) mazes, word finds, puzzles and other games are peppered (pun intended) throughout each issue. It keeps kids engaged about nutrition and exercise while having fun.

Kids love it too! My boys get excited to try the recipes in a given issue. And they love having a magazine geared to them.

Lunch Boot Camp
I had the good fortune of joining a handful of other local bloggers at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts to hear Sally Sampson, Founder and President of ChopChop, bestow pearls of wisdom on how to pack a lunch that will get eaten. We got more tips from Chef Instructor Dot Jacobson as she gave us a cooking demo on how to make a carrot & apple soup and pasta salad. And lunch boot camp could not be complete without a luncheon.

Founder and President of ChopChop sharing lunch-packing strategies

CSCA Instructor Dot Jacobson giving a cooking demo with Laura Reid, Kim Grenon, Julia Magnusson, Sheri Gurock, and Sally Sampson looking on.

Sandwich and yogurt bar = perfect lunch!

Delicious penne and roasted veggies

Check out the recipes for the Penne and Vegetables with Lemon Dressing and Carrot Apple Soup - perfect for your kids or your own lunch box.

How to pack a lunch that will get eaten

Involve your kids: Not only should you ask your kids to choose what they want for lunch, but have them help shop, prepare and pack it. The more you involve your kids, the more invested they will be and likely to try new foods.
Pair new ingredients with favorites: Does your kid hate peas but love tomato sauce? Try adding peas to tomato sauce. Even if they don't gobble up every pea for example, there's a good chance they are trying a few and will slowly realize peas aren't so bad.
Texture is key: Kids' palates are not as mature as adults, and textures can make or break a dish in their mind. My boys will gag if you try to give them anything mushy like overcooked vegetables. Dice or puree and combine with other ingredients. My knife skills have never been better!
Make it personal: Most kids love to make it about them. A personal-sized pizza, mini pot pies, kebabs. It's the right size and they get to control what goes in it.
Don't give up: Experts say it could take up to 15 tries for a child to get used to and even like a new ingredient. I try to expose my kids to one new ingredient or dish a week. They might not like bitter melon right now, but at least they can pick one out now and remind you it's not their favorite.

Thanks Mommy Niri for organizing Lunch Boot Camp!

Thanks to ChopChop, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and Mommy Niri for hosting a great event. Packing lunch has never looked so appealing!

CitySprouts Festival

2011-11-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

One of the things we love about Fall are all the harvest festivals. Nothing says Fall like pumpkins, apple cider and caramel apples, right? Then I heard about the CitySprouts Festival: Hands-on cooking and crafts for kids, Iron Chef style cook-off, live music and info on school gardening. We were on our way to Cambridge faster than you can stuff a scarecrow.

What is CitySprouts?
As stated on on their website:

"CitySprouts is a school and community program that integrates academic, health and environmental education in the public schools and in the neighborhood through school gardens... Based in Cambridge, MA, CitySprouts school gardens ensure that hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and the experience of growing and eating food becomes part of the public education all children receive."

Who can argue with that? Check out their Facebook page too to learn more.

Annual CitySprouts Festival
This year's festival was held at the Fletcher-Maynard Academy in Cambridge, MA. There were plenty of things to keep even the most skeptical kid (namely my youngest) busy - pumpkin decorating, apple cider press, games and prizes just to name a few. And the CitySprouts mission of inspiring schools and families with a hands-on connection to the food cycle, sustainability and the environment came through in a fun and unassuming way.

Here are some photos of our day at The CitySprouts Festival:

The cider press was a popular attraction. Kids got a chance to make fresh apple cider using a cider press and some elbow grease.

No juice boxes here!

The Stone Soup station offered kids a chance to prep vegetables grown in the school garden and add them to the pot to make "Stone Soup".

CitySprouts volunteer demonstrating prepping greens for the soup pot.

Kids were able to decorate flags using stamps made from vegetables. Will need to steal this idea!

Volunteers helping kids create works of art using vegetables grown from the garden.

Leeks, potatoes and and radishes make great stamps!

Connect 3 kept festival goers moving with some upbeat tunes.

Jamming in the streets of Cambridge.

Older kids competed in teams for a Dip-off in which teams created dips and salsas top-chef style.

Future top chefs in the making.

Fun and games that kept kids busy and introduced them to a variety of fruits and veggies.

Bean/straw game: pick up dried beans using a only a straw.

How many beans can you drop into this glass cylinder?

The playground was a huge hit with my oldest. He proclaimed it to be one of the coolest playgrounds ever. And a good reminder for everyone to keep moving.

Playground at Fletcher-Maynard Academy

Ended the afternoon decorating pumpkins using vegetables, sticks, and toothpicks.

Decorated pumpkins

Of all the festivals we had been to this year, this was one of our favorites. My only beef I had was the lack of food. There were limited slices of Stone Hearth pizza available for purchase, and samples of fresh pressed cider and stone soup. Lack of food spurred us to travel a couple of blocks to grab lunch at Flour Bakery and Cafe. Okay, maybe I shouldn't complain!

The CitySprouts Festival reinforced how important school gardens are to schools and the community for me. So much so that I've joined a steering committee to create a school garden at my son's elementary school. Maybe one day my son's school will host the next CitySprouts Festival.

Asian & Moroccan-Inspired Lamb Potstickers

2011-10-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Click here to vote for your favorite Lamb recipe in the American Lamb Pro Am. And please vote for me!

Confession: I have never cooked with lamb. I’ve had lamb, but only on a rare occasion. This could have to do with my upbringing. Lamb is rarely part of Cantonese cuisine. And according to Chinese superstition, eating lamb while pregnant was said to cause your unborn child to have acne or worse, epilepsy. It was also believed using glue while pregnant will bring about a difficult labor. But I digress. I’ve never purchased lamb or made a lamb dish for my family. Ever. Until this week.

American Lamb Pro-Am

I’ve been invited to compete in the American Lamb Pro-Am, in which 10 local food bloggers will compete by creating an original American Lamb recipe and blogging about it. Readers will vote for their favorite recipe/post, with the top four vote getters moving on to round 2. The final four bloggers will each be paired with a local top chef to collaborate on their dish and serve it to 100 attendees at the American Lamb Pro-Am event for a chance to be crowned winner of the American Lamb Pro-Am.

This was my chance to debunk those crazy Chinese myths and create a unique lamb dish that my whole family would enjoy.

This lamb is your lamb. This lamb is my lamb.

I decided to take a quintessential Chinese dish and lamb-o-size it. I wanted to make traditional potstickers but prepare them two ways - Asian and Moroccan style lamb potstickers. But first I had to prepare the lamb.

Step 1: Butcher

Having never cooked with lamb before, I did some research on leg of lamb (the cut we were given). It is a versatile cut and is very tender and flavorful. Since I needed ground lamb, butchering was going to be fairly straightforward. I first had to remove the fell – an impermeable layer between the skin and fat layer.

Next, I chopped the lamb into 1-inch cubes for grinding.

Then the fun part: put the lamb through the meat grinder. I used a food grinder attachment for my trusty KitchenAid mixer and ground the lamb twice through the meat grinder.

Step 2: Prepare the filling

First I wanted to create a traditional Chinese potsticker, the kind I grew up eating and the kind my kids inhale. The mixture includes a typical mélange of Chinese ingredients: scallions, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sugar, egg, pepper and cornstarch. I added napa cabbage for added moisture and extra texture.

For the Moroccan potstickers, I wanted to pay homage to the traditional flavor pairings of lamb and spices. I created a “Moroccan” spice mixture consisting of garlic, ground coriander, pepper, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, paprika and salt. I added onions, scallions, napa cabbage and raisins for added moisture and texture.

The kitchen smelled like a bazaar straight from the Silk Road.

Step 3: Assembly

Due to time constraints, I used store-bought dumpling wrappers (time savers for those families looking for a quick weeknight meal!). My oldest was more than eager to employ his little fingers to the task. This quite honestly was my favorite part of the challenge.

Step 4: Pan-Fry

You can cook the potstickers by steaming, boiling or pan-frying. I prefer pan-frying for the crispy bottoms and overall pot stickiness. Check out the recipes below for directions.

Step 5: Dip and enjoy

I complimented these with two different dipping sauces – a traditional Turkish butter sauce with paprika and hot sauce and a soy and rice vinegar sauce.

Lambtastic!

My early memories of my first taste of lamb was that it was gamey and greasy. These little pockets of deliciousness was everything but. My boys loved the Asian-inspired potstickers best. There is just the right amount of sweet lamb flavor but was at times overpowered by the soy and vinegar sauce.

Umdaddy and I were big fans of the Moroccan-inspired dumplings. The Moroccan spices complemented the sweet lamb taste perfectly. And the raisins gave the filling an extra sweet, juicy bite. The butter sauce provided them with an extra savory, sweet and smokey pairing. This was finished with a clean refreshing taste of mint, which I used as garnish. Awesome.

Thanks BostonChefs.com and American Lamb Board. I am now a fan of the lamb!

Asian-Inspired Lamb Potstickers Recipe

(Makes about 44 dumplings)

INGREDIENTS

Potsticker Filling

2 teaspoons Shaoxing
1/4 head of napa cabbage, roughly chopped
1 pound ground lamb
3 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Store-bought dumpling wrappers

Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 scallion (green part only), thinly sliced on the diagonal

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Place 1 tablespoon of filling in each dumpling wrapper, wet the edge with water, fold over, pressing firmly to seal.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat . When hot, add as many dumplings as will fit and cook for 1 minute. Add enough cold water to cover the dumplings half way, cover and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until liquid is evaporated and bottoms of dumplings are crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.
Repeat with remaining dumplings.
While dumplings are cooking make the sauce by combining all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Moroccan-Inspired Lamb Potstickers Recipe

(Makes about 44 dumplings)

INGREDIENTS

Moroccan-Inspired Filling

2 pounds ground lamb
1 egg
1/2 medium onion
1 bunch scallions, washed and finely chopped
A few leaves of washed napa cabbage
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 ½ teaspoon Moroccan spice mixture (see below)
¼ cup raisins
Store-bought dumpling wrappers
Fresh mint, shredded, for garnish

Moroccan Spice Mix

(makes about 1/4 cup)

1 tbs minced garlic
½ tbs ground coriander
½ tbs ground black pepper
½ tbs cumin
½ tbs ground fennel seed
¼ tbs cinnamon
¼ tbs paprika
¼ kosher salt

Dipping sauce

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon fine quality sweet paprika
coarse salt to taste
4 dashes of hot red pepper sauce, or more to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Parboil half an onion for one to two minutes, until the layers of the onion have just turned translucent but are not soggy. Let cool; then finely chop.
Parboil a few leaves of Napa cabbage for thirty seconds to one minute, until the vegetables are slightly softened but not yet translucent. Finely chop.
Follow directions 1-4 above in Asian-inspired potstickers recipe
While dumplings are cooking make the sauce: In a small skillet over moderate heat cook the butter until it is a very light brown, remove the skillet from heat, and stir in the paprika, coarse salt to taste, and the hot red pepper sauce.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I was given the lamb courtesy of the American Lamb Board and BostonChefs.com. Opinions are my own.

Meal Planning Tool Review #2: Everyday Food "Grocery Bag"

2011-10-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

I can always count on the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living for simple yet delicious recipes that my whole family will love. So when it comes to meal planning tools, I knew I had to try "Grocery Bag" meal plans by Everyday Food.

In each month of Everyday Food and online at www.marthastewart.com, there is a feature called Grocery Bag. Grocery Bag is a set of five weeknight menus with a ready to print or tear grocery list. The Grocery Bag meal plan promises one trip to the grocery store at the start of the week resulting in a week's worth of dinners. I've seen meal plans like this before, but never have I followed one so faithfully as I done had last week. I decided I would follow the meal plan exactly as it appeared, using the shopping list and recipes to help me "sail through dinner from Monday all the way to Friday with our editors' time-tested strategies for ease." So was it smooth sailing?

Monday: Sirloin Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

This was an okay dish. It didn't blow us away - but this could have been due to the fact that we had a cheap cut of meat. This was pretty easy to whip up (gotta love oven-roasted veggies). The no-cook marinade paired nicely with the veggies but was over-powered by the steak. May try it with pork or chicken next time. Grade: B-

Tuesday: Half-Hour Chicken Gumbo

This was my first time making gumbo. But as promised, we had a hearty stew on the table in less than 45 minutes. I was not a fan of the okra (got too slimy for me). The kids surprisingly ate a lot of it, even though there was quite a bit of heat to this dish. Grade: Umdaddy gave this an A+. I would say a B+.

Wednesday: Broiled Soy-Glazed Pork with Rice and Asian Vegetables

This was by far the easiest dish to prepare for the week. It helps to have a rice cooker BTW. And if you don't own a rice cooker, get one. Now. And this was hands down my boys' favorite meal of the week. They could not get enough and as a result, there were no leftovers for lunch the next day. Grade: A-

Thursday: Penne with Shrimp, Feta and Spring Vegetables

I was not such a faithful student of Martha on this one. I marinated the shrimp in garlic, EVOO, salt and pepper and sauteed them separately rather than boil them with the pasta and veggies. I just couldn't get myself to do it. I also changed up the veggies - opting for late Summer/early Fall veggies that I knew my kids would like. This was pretty tasty. My oldest loved the shrimp but was not a fan of the feta. Grade: B

Friday: Mediterranean Veggie Burgers with Mint-Yogurt Sauce and Carrot Salad

I was excited to try making another veggie burger. Except this dish called for lentils, which I could not find for some odd reason at all five stores I frequent. I decided to try Trader Joe's 17 Bean & Barley mix. It did include some lentils (and 16 other varieties of beans and barley), so why not? I soaked the beans overnight and substituted this bean mixture for canned lentils. The result? Beany deliciousness. Grade: A-

The skinny: I wasn't sure how I would feel about relinquishing all creative control over a full-week's worth of dinners for the family. But can honestly say this helped with the stress level of deciding what to make for dinner on any given night. This works for us since we don't have to factor in any dietary restrictions. I also liked how this pushed us out of our comfort zone. Okra and veggie burgers would normally not be part of a weeknight meal at our house.

As for the "one" bag meal plan? Not so much for us. Since I normally shop at 2-3 different grocers (I prefer to get my produce from Russo's v. Trader Joe's for instance), it was more like a three grocery bag meal plan.

So short of hiring a personal chef and someone to do your shopping, it doesn't get any easier than this.

Not Your Everyday Asian Chicken Noodle Salad

2011-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Sesame Chicken Cucumber Noodle Salad

What do you bring to an end-of-summer potluck? On a man-made island, capped off by excavated dirt from the Big Dig? To celebrate your child's friend's half-birthday and his mom's (ahem) birthday? I wanted to bring something different befitting of the day's festivities. And it needed to be a crowd-pleaser. That's when I turn to Ming Tsai.

In one of my favorite cookbooks, Simply Ming One-Pot Meals, Ming starts of by saying, "Just about everyone loves sesame noodle salad, including me." I knew I had to give this a try. Click here for Ming's recipe in Eating Well.

The Good: It was a big hit with everyone. And pretty easy to prepare. Ming was right - again.

The Bad: While this is not a complicated dish, it does take some time in terms of prep. Love that the dish is packed with veggies, but prepare to do a lot of chopping.

Grade: B+. Will definitely be making this again. Will experiment with ways to make this even lighter.

A couple of tips if you are preparing this for a crowd -

I doubled the recipe and there was enough to feed a small army (8 adults, 8+ kids)
There was way too much peanut dressing - but okay if you plan to set some aside for salad dressing later in the week
Wait to dress the salad just before serving
Splurge and use some good quality toasted sesame. I used Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning by Victoria Taylor's Seasonings.

View of Boston from ferry to Spectacle Island. Boston Harbor Islands is a must-see!

What is your signature dish for a potluck? What are some tips for keeping meals fresh while traveling?

Meal Planning

2011-09-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

We're two weeks into our Fall routine - dragging the boys out of bed, packing school lunches, shuttling kids, soccer practice, etc. Our days are pretty jammed and if I don't have a meal plan for the week, chances are we're having frozen pizza or take-out at least once for dinner. With two young kids, I don't have time to make last minute trips to the store. I'm a planner. I need recipes and shopping lists (and a glass of wine doesn't hurt) to get me through the week.

I've discovered there are a TON of websites and apps out there offering to help make meal planning simpler. So I thought I would test-drive some meal planning sites and apps over the next few weeks and share my thoughts on what worked and what didn't.

Planning Tool Review #1: Real Simple's Weekday Meal Plan and Shopping List

What is it: download and printable list to organize dinners and shopping list

How it works:

Decide on your weekday dinners and write them in the menu column on the left. I find menu ideas online, cookbooks and magazines. Real Simple suggests planning dishes that rely on perishable groceries (fish, chicken, fresh basil) at the start of the week and sturdier foods (pasta, eggs, frozen shrimp) at the end. I'll be blogging about some of my favorite sources for menu inspiration.
Write down the ingredients you’ll need to buy for each dinner in the appropriate columns to the right. Use the miscellaneous section for other purchases, like lunch supplies and paper towels.
Grab your list and head to the store.
If you're like me and can't remember what you actually planned, hang on to your list throughout the week.

The Skinny: It doesn't get more straightforward than this. This has become my go-to tool for planning and organizing meals for the week. I only wish it was an editable PDF.

Click here to download.

Beach Bum, I mean Peach Plum Salsa

2011-08-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is it. The last days of summer. I knew this day would come. But I think I was pretty successful in living in denial last week while on vacation. A week on the Cape with abundant sunshine certainly helps. We also made sure our meals featured seasonal produce - corn on the cob, grilled zucchini and caprese salads just to name a few.

When I came across a recipe for Peach Plum Salsa, I was excited to test this summer fruit salsa out on my favorite beach bums.

Peach Plum Salsa
Adapted from Cook's Country Backyard Barbecue

INGREDIENTS

1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded & minced
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ripe peaches, pitted and chopped fine
2 ripe plums, pitted and chopped fine
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Whisk jalapeno, shallot, vinegar, honey, and oil in a small bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to combine.
Combine peaches and plums in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cupe of fruit to bowl with jalapeno mixture and mash with potoato masher until smooth.
Add mashed fruit mixture and basil to bowl with cut fruit and stir until combined.
Season with salt and let sit until flavors combine (15 minutes).
Serve with grilled meat or fish or with favorite corn chips.

The Good: Easy to whip up. The boys loved, loved it. Even got them to eat their pork chops!

The Bad: Fruit will become mushy after half a day. Wasn't a problem though since the fam devoured it.

Grade: A. Solid.

Restaurant Review: Clover Food Lab

2011-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

Dining out with kids is always an experiment. So we thought it was appropriate to take our pickiest eater to Clover Food Lab.

Clover Food Lab is Food-Truck-Turned-Restaurant located in Harvard Square. Labeled "food lab" for its constantly evolving menu, Clover is known for its fresh, high-quality, vegetarian breakfast and lunch options. I had been hearing about their “amazing veggie sandwiches” for some time. I was excited to check it out and hopefully get some veggies in my two year old with the "white-carbs-only" diet. So we headed over to 7 Holyoke Street on a Wednesday just before noon.

Entrance to the "food lab"

In true Harvard/MIT fashion, you are greeted at the door by "new-school-meets-old-school" -- Clover staff equipped with an iPod Touch, takes your order, emails it to the kitchen, and makes change using a good old apron/change counter.

Order-taker taking orders via iPod Touch and credit card machines tucked behind sandwich boards

The menu changes daily, which is smartly captured with these electronic sandwich boards. Besides just looking cool, want to know what the best thing is about these sandwich boards? The wait-time for each item is listed next to the menu item and gets updated in real-time based on how busy the kitchen becomes. How long will it take to get the BBQ seitan sandwich? 2.8 minutes. When you have hungry kids pulling on your clothes asking when the food will be ready, this is huge.

Electronic sandwich board with up-to-the-minute menu items

Clover has an open, cavernous kitchen manned by hipsters-turned-food-scientists crafting sandwiches, sides and the most delicious iced coffee I have ever had.

Open kitchen kinda looks like a lab

Coffee by Melittas

The dining area is simple, bordering on sparse, keeping to the laboratory theme. Stark white walls are interrupted by price list for merchandise or signs for plates/placemats/canvas and crayons. Clover is all about sustainability, which is reflected in pretty much everything you see, including their packaging (compostable) and their food trucks are fueled by recycled cooking oil.

No plates, just paper.

The restaurant seats 80, anchored by gorgeous wood tables with rosemary plants for centerpieces. We grabbed a table in the back and spread out a blank canvas for our little ~~devil~~ Picasso as we waited for our name to be called.

Fresh rosemary on communal tables

We were warned when we placed our order that our food would arrive at various times as soon as it comes off the line. Yet I still found myself surprised with the workout I got running up to the counter multiple times. First I heard my name called when the chickpea fritter sandwich was ready for pick-up. Then the other two sandwiches, followed by coffee and then fries. I can appreciate wanting to get you food piping hot, but this could be inconvenient if you are dining with a young child or on the upper dining area. Another annoyance if you are placing a large order – they don’t have trays. I was able to convince them to spare a combo-platter to-go container so I could carry our food in fewer trips – but only after getting the stink eye.

Egg and eggplant pita sandwich

The food: it met our expectations (thankfully) – which were high to begin with. Everything was fresh and flavorful. And a great value. Where else can you get a pita pocket overflowing with awesomeness for only $5? My only two complaints on the food are: 1) our eggplant sandwich assembly was a little lackluster – instead of an even distribution of ingredients, all the egg was placed on top so the flavors didn’t come together as I think it was originally designed.

The other complaint is on the tomato cheddar sandwich on the kids menu. Cheese was not in the slightest melted (huh?). If I knew this would be nothing like a grilled cheese, I would have tried the peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich (wait-time: 0.0 minutes!). My picky eater wanted nothing to do with it and instead feasted on the rosemary fries, which were really good – just the right amount of crisp with rosemary and salt.

Oh yeah, the chickpea fritter sandwich (which by the way can we all agree it’s a falafel sandwich?) – really, really good. It *almost* convinced us we could be vegetarians fulltime if every meal tasted like this.

Falafel - I mean Chickpea Fritter Pita Sandwich

Clover must be doing something right. The place was packed only moments after we found a table. And now with five food trucks scattered around Boston, this food experiment seems to be a success. As for our dining experiement with our picky eater – we will need to rethink our hypothesis and try again.

"I've Got Enough Gazpacho For Everyone!"

2011-07-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

From one of my all-time favorite The Simpsons episodes. "Lisa the Vegetarian" is about Lisa becoming a vegetarian after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo. However, she gets ridiculed by her schoolmates and family (of course) for her beliefs. But after meeting Paul and Linda McCartney via a secret passage to the roof of Apu's Kwik-E Mart, she vows to vegetarianism. I'm smiling just thinking about how absurd this storyline is. But it is oh so funny.

[Homer fills the grill with lighter fluid and prepares to grill]
Lisa: Wait Dad! Good news, everyone! You don't have to eat meat! I've got enough gazpacho for everyone.
[Crowd murmurs]
Lisa: It's tomato soup, served ice cold!
[Crowd laughs out loud as Lisa growls and stomps off]
Barney Gumble: Go back to Russia!

If Lisa can enjoy gazpacho, my boys surely can, right? It was worth a try. It's been too damn hot to cook, and great way to get some veggies in.

Shrimp Gazpacho
Adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast from The Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped, jarred roasted red bell peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped sundried tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat, swirling to coat bottom of pan. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add half the shrimp; cook until browned on both sides and opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining shrimp (reduce heat if browning too quickly).
In a food processor, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, cucumber, and half the roasted peppers; process until combined. Add tomato juice and vinegar; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, divide tomato mixture among bowls; top with shrimp and remaining roasted peppers.

The Good: Quick and easy to prepare. The boys loved the shrimp.

The Bad: Shrimp with gazpacho flavor combo had me thinking I was eating shrimp cocktail. Not necessarily a bad thing I guess!

Grade: B+. Totally refreshing, clean dish for the summer. The boys tolerated the shrimp but wanted nothing to do with ice cold tomato soup.

Food Blogger's Photo Journal: Weekend on Martha's Vineyard

2011-07-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

My family and I had the good fortunate to have spent a long weekend on Martha's Vineyard recently. I've had the opportunity to visit several times before and was looking forward to introducing the boys to "The Vineyard" as it often called. Of course they got to experience some homemade island ice cream, The Flying Horses, the Gingerbread Houses, the sun, sand and surf of course. What we didn't expect was the amazing produce and creative food from a surprisingly large number of local producers for such a small island. It was like a mini photography retreat for me - the photo opps were too numerous to count.

So here is just a small selection of some of my favorite pics from a food blogger's perspective. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Morning Glory Farm Strawberry Festival - live music, games, activities and great food.

Strawberry cupcakes

Strawberry lemonade and Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Walnuts and Parmesan

Strawberry Salsa and Chilled Cucumber Soup

Farm hands working the grill

Festival Menu (one of each please!). Everything was outstanding.

West Tisbury Farmers Market was THE place to be Saturday morning

Garlic scape aplenty

This season's favorite ice cream parlor based on the crowds

What are some of your favorite farmers markets? How do you like to spend your summer vacation?

BBQ Chicken Throwdown: David Chang vs. Martha Stewart

2011-07-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Is there anything better than BBQ chicken on the grill in the summer? The more napkins the better, right? Gotta love leftover cold chicken for a picnic the next day (or breakfast in some cases - ahem). There's usually a bottle of store-bought BBQ sauce in our house for emergencies. But I recently decided to test two very different BBQ chicken recipes from two of my favorite chefs: David Chang and Martha Stewart.

So join me in my fantasy "East meets West" BBQ Chicken Throwdown between David Chang of Momofuku fame and Martha Stewart, domestic goddess. Who will prevail? Read on to find out.

Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken
Adapted from David Chang, Men's Health

INGREDIENTS:
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp sriracha hot sauce
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, plus more for cooking
1/2 cup apple juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Japanese shiro (white) miso
1 tsp minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped scallions

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. In a medium bowl, mix together the sriracha, oil, apple juice, honey, miso, ginger, garlic, and salt. Add 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly; mix in the onion and scallions.

Pour half the marinade mixture into the plastic bag with the chicken, seal, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a day. Refrigerate the remaining marinade in a small covered saucepan.

2. When you're ready to eat, remove the chicken from the fridge. Place the saucepan with the reserved marinade on medium heat and simmer until the mixture is thickened and saucelike, about 20 minutes.

3. Brush a grill or grill pan with grapeseed oil and set the heat to medium high. When the grill is ready, cook the thighs until the undersides have charred grill marks and release easily from the grill, about 8 minutes.

4. Flip the thighs and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle reads 165°F, about 8-10 minutes more. Let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes, and serve with white rice and grilled vegetables like scallions, mushrooms, or bok choy. Makes 4 servings

The Good: Unique combination of flavors - sweet, spicy, earthy, salty - makes this stand out. Easy to whip up.

The Bad: Went light on the sirarcha sauce since I wanted to make sure this was not too spicy for the boys. The end result was good if not a little tame. Will dial up the heat next time.

Grade: A-. This was a big hit at our backyard BBQ. Serve with grilled scallions and this is a knockout dish.

Brown-Sugar BBQ Chicken
Adapted from Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds chicken drumsticks, patted dry

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat grill to medium. In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Set aside for basting.

2. In a large bowl, toss chicken with vegetable oil; season well with coarse salt and ground pepper.

3. Lightly oil grates; place chicken on grill. Cover grill; cook, turning frequently, until chicken registers 165 degrees (160 degrees for breast) on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover grill; continue cooking, basting frequently with sauce, until chicken is glazed thoroughly, 3 to 4 minutes more.

The Good: Essentially there are only five ingredients to this dish. So simple yet so delicious.

The Bad: Even with the oiled grates, left such a mess on the grill.

Grade: A. A HUGE hit with all my boys. And even better the next day. Never buying store-bought sauce again.

This was a tough battle. But the win ultimately goes to (drum-roll please...) Martha. Basic ingredients found in any pantry plus ability to please even my protein-adverse 2-year-old makes this a winner.

Kicking off the Summer at The Cottage

2011-07-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

If this first week of summer vacation is any indication of what the rest of the summer will be like, then it it going to be a fun, fabulous and boozy one. I was able to join several fellow Boston Parent Bloggers for a Mom's Night Out at The Cottage Chestnut Hill. Here's a quick recap:

The Cottage Overview
I've heard great things about The Cottage in Wellesley so was excited to hear a second MA location opened five weeks ago in Chestnut Hill. Owners John and Laura Wolfe brings their upscale, casual, SoCal dining concept to the East Coast, focused on light, fresh and local ingredients.

The Location

After some confusion as to the restaurant's location (we were told they were at the Chestnut Hill Mall, only to find out they are down the street next to Legal Seafood on Route 9), we were greeted by friendly staff and brought to a private dining room. The place just exudes atmosphere, transporting you to a sophisticated beach side house. And the place was slammed on a Monday night. Off to a good start.

The Booze

(left to right) Rosemary infused pomegranate margarita, Thai basil sangria, spa drinks (non-alcoholic), summer ale by Pretty Things Beer

Amazing summer cocktails served with charm by the bar manager and servers. All the drinks went down way too easy. *Hiccup*

The Food

Servers brought samples of their signature bites:

Sesame Ahi Tuna Nachos

I'm a sucker for seared ahi tuna so practically stalked the server to get a taste of the Sesame Ahi Tuna Nachos. The tuna was prepared perfectly. Not sure how I feel about the "nacho" chip. I don't like my raw fish to be too busy with other flavors and textures.

Fried California Avocado

The Cottage's take on potato skins, the Fried California Avocado is breaded and fried, served with Vermont jack and cheddar cheese, spiced sour cream, applewood bacon, and pico de gallo. It was pretty tasty, but was on the rich side for me to go back for more.

Fried Calamari

The Fried Calamari Strips was my favorite app of the evening. Instead of frying up the typical tentacles and rings, The Cottage batters and fries the filet. The calamari is tender and not at all chewy.

Aloha Chicken Tenders with pineapple salsa

The Aloha Chicken Tenders takes a nice exotic twist to the traditional buffalo chicken wing. Boneless chicken tender is served with papaya-buffalo bbq sauce, pineapple salsa, and all-natural blue cheese dip. Yum!

Cheese platter

Pretty local cheese platter served a selection of local cheeses, fruits and honey, toasted pistachios, artisan bread.

Raspberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding

The evening ended a sweet note with some signature desserts. I went with the highly recommended Raspberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding. It was dense but not too sweet.

Family-Friendly
The Cottage is touted as being family-friendly, offering a kids menu, crayons and wikisticks to keep small fingers busy. Lunch/dinner options for kids are the expected fare - Hot dog, grilled cheese, PB&J, chicken fingers, mac and cheese. I was disappointed (but not surprised) to see such items as I would have loved to have seen smaller portions of some of their popular entrees on the kids menu (my kids would love Ale Battered Haddock + Chips). But chef Todd assured us parent bloggers that offering kids healthy, balanced sides, along with consideration for allergies, was a high priority.

Overall, it was a great night and fun to catch up with fellow Boston Parent Bloggers. Everyone at The Cottage was friendly and attentive. I'll be taking the family sometime soon and hope to see the same attention to service, food presentation, and addictive cocktails when we go!

Boston Parent Bloggers (photo courtesy of Laura Reid of @BeingLoopy)

2011 Boston Dragon Boat Festival

2011-06-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

king of all street food sauces

Things we look forward to in the summer: Sun. Surf. Sand. No school (sometimes). Street festivals. Yup. It's the only time of year I'll brave crowds to sample a variety of morsels out of chafing dishes and sterno. My kinship for this type of event started with my family's booth at the Taste of Hartford during the summers of my childhood. It was at this food festival I got to try everything from Jamaican patties, soul food, pub fare to steamers.

dragon parade to kick-off festivities

I was excited to take the boys to the Dragon Boat Festival earlier this month and introduce them to some "street food," culture and competition. Touted as N. America's longest running dragon boat festival, the Boston Dragon Boat Festival featured 50 race teams, performances, martial arts demonstrations and Asian food vendors on the banks of the Charles.

The festival was just the right size in terms of number of attendees and exhibitors. The only thing I wished there was more of were food vendors. There were less than 10 food vendors limited to typical Chinese-American fare, traditional Chinese "snack" food, Korean, Indian and Thai. Here is a sampling of some of the food we tasted:

bah-chang: Asian Tamale

We started out with Zongzi or bah-chang. Kind of like an Asian tamale, bah-chang is a traditional snack served at Dragon Boat Festivals. Bah-chang is a sticky rick dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves filled with pork, shrimp, chicken, chinese sausage, mushroom, egg and peanuts. We also tried the non-meat bah-chang filled with sweet red bean paste. These were pretty good, but did not hold a candle to my grandmother's. I'm dying to try this recipe from Tiny Urban Kitchen as it seems closest to how my grandmother made hers.

There was also Mandoo, Kimchee Pancakes and teriyaki sticks grilled on site:

makeshift kitchen by Choi's Food

Koren Food Options

Our best bite of the day was from Harvard Square's Cafe of India. We ended up getting a meat/veggie combo of saag paneer, chicken tikka masala and naan. Man was it good!

Too much yummy-ness to choose from!

samosas

Tandori Chicken

The boys ate very well that day. And even seemed to enjoy the entertainment. We couldn't get close enough to the dragon boat races however. Overall, it was a great way to spend a Sunday. Scoping out the next street fair (click here for a listing). St. Anthony's Feast anyone?