English Muffins

My goal for this school year has been to accustom Abby to eating a real breakfast.  If it were up to Abby, she would have a single slice of toast and a glass of water in the morning.  Over the summer, I let that go - after all, we were home, I could feed her as needed.  But now that she's one year away from kindergarten, and in preschool now, I want her to get used to anchoring her stomach and her brain with a real breakfast.  This has forced both of us to change our habits - her to try some new things, and me to actually make something besides toast or cold cereal!

I've been really happy with how the first few months of this school year have gone.  One easy change has been to introduce Abby to homemade English muffins.  They are a little heartier than toast, and they make an excellent base for breakfast sandwiches.

English Muffins

1 1/2 cups skim milk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

2 3/4 tsp bread machine yeast (a.k.a., rapid rise yeast)

cornmeal (for dusting the work surface)

Pull out those bread machines!  Mine now sits out in my kitchen full-time.  I love that thing.

Place all ingredients (except for the cornmeal) in the bread pan and program for the dough cycle.

When the cycle is finished, turn the dough ball out onto a work surface dusted lightly with cornmeal.  Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.  Using a 3- or 4-inch biscuit cutter, cut out muffins.  Roll the trimmings and repeat.  (If you try to re-roll a second time, the muffins get pretty tough - but if you don't to waste any dough, go for it!).  

I use a lightly greased electric griddle heated to 350F to cook them.  If you don't have a griddle, use whatever you use when you make pancakes.  Place several muffins on the griddle and cook for about 8 minutes.  Turn them and cook about 8 minutes more - until they are quite brown on both sides.  They will swell and be very puffy while baking!  Let them cool on a rack.

To eat them, puncture the perimeter with the tines of a fork and pull them apart. 

Flax-Wheat Rolls

It's been a while!  My cooking obsessions over the summer trended to things like learning how to make my own sausage, and my kids were good eaters all summer - they love the simple fare that a summer night calls for.  Now that we're back to school and entering the dark times at the grocery store (as produce in New England is sadder and less kid-friendly), I'm back to working hard for my kids.  Darn!

The other night was soup night, much to the girls' chagrin.  I've been serving soup once a week all year, and they still hate it.  They will now at least take little bites of the components they can recognize.  To compensate, I've been making these rolls to serve on soup nights - something hearty, with ingredients I feel good about.  Plus, these rolls are fantastic with scrambled eggs for breakfast the next morning!
 

Flax-Wheat Rolls

 

2/3 cup milk 

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

4 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup flax seed

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast (also called instant yeast)

Place all the ingredients in a bread machine pan and program the machine for the dough cycle.

When the dough cycle has ended, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough in half, then roll each half into a cylinder with about a 2-3 inch diameter.  Cut each cylinder into eight pieces (so you have 16 rolls all together).  Shape each piece into a nice roll shape (ignore the shape in the picture - I was trying something different and didn't like how they turned out!)  Cover with a clean towel and let rise for about 40 minutes, until about doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 375F.  (Optional:  brush some melted butter over the tops of the rolls.)  Bake the rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm - that's the best part!

* * * * * 

I'm going to try to be around a bit more - I've had some other ideas rolling around, and I've made a few kid-friendly dinners that have been big hits lately.  I've tasked myself with taking charge of our family's breakfast this year (i.e., not just having cereal and toast every morning!), and I have some make-ahead waffles that we are all crazy for.

Banana-Oatmeal Bread

I've tinkered with this recipe over the years, and it is currently our favorite toasting bread (needless to say, it makes great pb&j, too!). It's got this lovely hint of banana flavor, and it tastes fabulous toasted and buttered. Mmm. This recipe is for the bread machine - I've made bread by hand a few times, but I honestly don't see a difference in the final outcome, and the bread machine allows me to be so wonderfully lazy!

Banana-Oatmeal Bread

1 cup ripe banana, sliced
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/3 cups milk
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups bread flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp gluten
1 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast

Add ingredients according to your bread machine's instructions (I add mine in the exact order listed here). Set for the whole wheat cycle. This is a 2-lb loaf, if your machine requires that info. Walk away while the bread machine works its magic, and then take all the credit and glory when people compliment the yummy bread.

Perfect Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

I have always adored Pepperidge Farms' Cinnamon-Raisin Bread, and I wanted to come up with a recipe to make it myself at home. I've been tinkering, and I have finally perfected it - my family is in love with this bread, and we're going through about half a loaf a day! It's delicious toasted and buttered, and it makes an awesome PB&J.

Perfect Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

Dough:

1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 tsp rapid-rise yeast or bread machine yeast
1 cup raisins

Swirl:
6 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp unsalted butter

Add all of the dough ingredients, except for the raisins, to your bread machine pan according to your bread machine's directions (mine calls for wet ingredients first, then salt, then dry layered on top, and yeast on top of it all). Set the machine for the dough cycle.

Add raisins during the knead, either when your machine calls for it (my machine beeps) or about 15 minutes into the knead.

When the dough cycle is complete, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Set one half aside; use the palms of your hands to pat the other half into a rectangle, roughly 9" x 13".

Prepare the swirl: in a small bowl, use a fork to mash together 3 Tbsp of the brown sugar, 1 tsp of the cinnamon, and 2 tsp of the unsalted butter.

Spread the swirl mixture all over the dough rectangle, but leave about 1 inch uncovered at the top of the rectangle, like so:

Tightly roll the dough - I find it helps to slightly stretch the dough with each roll to get a very tight spiral.

Set the rolled dough into a greased 9"x5" loaf pan.

Repeat the process (and make up a second bowl of the swirl topping) with the second half of the dough.

Set your loaves aside to rise, covered with a clean dish towel. They should look like this:

Let rise for about 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the loaves of bread for about 30 minutes, until they are browned on top and sound slightly hollow when tapped.

Curried Chickpea Stew with Pan Garlic Naan

We've been indulging in a lot of fall flavors lately and needed a little getaway from root vegetables, apples and the like. This meal satisfies that desire for warm and hearty but with flavors of curry and ginger. The naan, of course, makes a great utensil for mopping up the stew juices. Neko gobbled it up which is great because its filled with protein and vitamin packed veggies! I think this is a great "Intro to Curry" for toddlers because the curry flavor is very mild.

These recipes made enough for the 3 of us to have dinner AND a couple lunches during the week. I'm going to bet that this stew will be even better tomorrow.

Curried Chickpea Stew

(makes approx 8 servings)

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 white potatoes, peeled and chopped
1-1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. grated ginger (fresh)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 c. vegetable stock
2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 vine tomatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3c. spinach, chopped
1 can coconut milk

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent.
2. Add the potatoes and 2 tsp. of the salt and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the curry powder, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently to incorporate flavors.
4. Add a generous splash of the broth and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
5. Add mixture to crockpot along with the cauliflower, chickpeas, remaining broth, tomatoes and remaining salt.
6. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high.
7. Just before serving stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Let cook covered for another couple minutes until the spinach is cooked. Serve!

Pan Garlic Naan
(makes 12 4" round pieces)

Ingredients:
1c. warm water
1/4c. sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. salt
3-1/2c. bread flour
2-1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4c. butter, melted

Instructions:
1. In your bread machine pan combine in order the water, sugar, milk, egg, salt, bread flour and yeast.
2. Set machine to dough cycle and run (an hour and 40 minutes on my machine).
3. When the dough cycle is complete, punch down the dough (I did this right in the bread machine pan) and begin to pinch off small (approx 2"), round balls of dough.
4. Arrange the dough balls on a cookie sheet leaving room in between for them to rise.
5. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise. I set my oven to 200 degrees while I was making the balls. When I was halfway done I shut it off and opened it to let a little of the heat out. Let rise until doubled in size (for me this was about 45 minutes).
6. In a small, microwave safe bowl melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the minced garlic.
7. Brush the bottom of a large skillet with a little bit of the butter/garlic mixture and heat to medium heat.
8. Flatten the balls to form little dough cakes (approx 4"). Add to pan.
9. While the first side is cooking, brush the other side with the butter/garlic mixture. Cook until brown spots appear and flip. Cook the other side until brown spots appear. Remove from heat. Repeat until all the dough is cooked. Serve!

Raspberry Applesauce Muffins

As promised....

Raspberry Applesauce Muffins
(makes 1 dozen muffins)

Ingredients:
1c. whole wheat flour
1c. rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1c. buttermilk
1/2 c. raspberry applesauce
1 egg

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with papers or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in the oats.
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, buttermilk, raspberry applesauce and egg.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until JUST combined. Do not over stir.
5. Divide batter amongst muffin cups.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Serve!

French Dinner Date! Ooh la la!

Summer is over and autumn is here (almost officially). The lazy days of summer had Kara and I feeling lazy (I was lazy...Kara was moving) with our blogging but with fall and return to the routine we are feeling a renewed excitement about getting back to it. I find when I'm consistantly blogging for IBB it usually means my family is also eating healthier and more creatively. This is motivation enough to get back to it! Hopefully we haven't lost you forever in our hiatus!

There was a two part inspiration for this dinner date.

1) The French food episode of Top Chef from a couple weeks ago...all that French food had my pregnant brain longing for some French flavors. I also realized that I haven't really cooked many truly French foods so I thought it would be fun to channel my inner Top Chef and see what I could come up with!

2) I came across this recipe in a recent copy of Women's Day magazine that came to my house. I felt it NECESSARY to recreate a version of it asap. In the end I came up with something decadant but felt like it didn't really fit the 'for toddlers' bill so I made it for Kara and I and opted for a more tot friendly treat for the girls. Win/win!

Ratatouille over Quinoa

(serves 6)

Ratatouille seemed like an obvious choice when looking through class French main courses. Its a very "fall-like" meal and any toddler who has seen the movie Ratatouille would have some frame of reference (and hopefully excitement) about the dish.

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tsp. Herbes de Provence (or a similar herb combo)
1 bay leaf
salt (I prefer kosher salt because I am very Top Chef) ;o)
1-1/2c. quinoa
3c. chicken stock
3/4 c. parmesan cheese flakes (shredded would work too)

Instructions:
1. Place a large colander over a dinner sized plate. Add the eggplant and zucchini. Toss with a few generous pinches of salt. Let sit for about 20 minutes to draw some of the moisture out of the veggies.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Add the olive oil to a large saute pan. Heat over med-high heat.
4. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
6. Add the eggplant, zucchini, herbs de provence, bay leaf, balsamic vinegar and another pinch of salt. Toss everything together until well combined. Remove from heat.
7. Add the mixture to a roasting pan. I used a glass 9x13 pan. Bake in preheated oven for at least 1 hour. I did an hour at 350 and another half hour at 250 to get a good roasted veggie flavor.
8. With 15 minutes left in the ratatouille baking time, rinse the quinoa, combine with the chicken stock in a med. saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
9. Serve the ratatouille (make sure you took out the bay leaf) over a scoop of the quinoa and top with Parmesan cheese. (I totally forgot to add the parm when I served the food...grrr!)

I tried to be very fancy and chef-like by scooping a little of the quinoa into a heart shaped cookie cutter and topping it with the ratatouille. It actually worked and looked very cute!

Mini French Loaves (using a bread machine)
(makes approx. 12 loaves)

Ingredients:
1c. warm water

1-1/2 tsp. salt
3c. bread flour
3 tsp. bread machine yeast
cornmeal
1/2 c. cold water
1 tsp. corn starch

Instructions:
1. Combine the warm water, salt, bread flour and yeast in your bread machine. Set machine to dough cycle and run. (On my machine this took an hour and 45 minutes.)
2. When the dough is done, turn out onto a lightly oiled surface (I sprayed Pam on my counter top). Cover with a tea towel or saran wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Tear off small balls of dough (about the size of an apricot). Flatten the ball into a flat circle.
4. Fold up the bottom half and fold down the top half.
5. Using the edge of your hand make a crease down the center...
6. Bring the edges together and pinch the seam closed.
7. Dust a cookie sheet with cornmeal.
8. Slice 3 diagonal lines across the top of each loaf using a sharp knife.
9. Arrange the loaves about 2" apart on cookie sheet. Cover with towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
10. While the loaves are rising, combine the cold water and cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, whisking constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
11. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
12. When the loaves are done rising, put them in preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Open oven and brush each loaf with the cornstarch mixture. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool. Serve! These were crusty on the outside and chewy (in the best way possible) on the inside. Yum!

Langues de Chat (or Langues de Gato) aka "Cat Tongue" cookies
(makes about 18 cookies)

While in search of a more child-friendly French dessert for the girls I Googled "French cookies". These came up a lot in the search and I found many variations...plain, with chocolate, orange flavored, lemon flavored, etc. I didn't have and citrus fruits on hand so while digging around in my spice cabinet I came across coconut extract. I knew I also had actual coconut so I decided to give this chocolate/coconut version a whirl. They came out great!

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar (I realized I was out of powdered sugar so I cleaned out my coffee grinder and added some granulated sugar, gave it a good grind and voila! powdered sugar!)
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/8 tsp. salt
2 ROOM TEMPERATURE egg whites (or, as I learned, your butter will reharden)
1/2c. flour
1c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1c. flaked coconut

Instructions:
1. Beat the butter, sugar, coconut extract and salt on medium high for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the egg whites one at a time.
3. FOLD in the flour.
4. Refrigerate mixture for an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
7. Fill a pastry bag or (what I used) my beloved Pamperd Chef Easy Accent Decorator with the dough. I used a star tip.
8. Pipe 3" tubes of dough onto the lined cookie sheet about 2" apart (you might need 2 cookie sheets)
9. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
11. Microwave chocolate chips in small, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on high(100%) power for 1 minute; stir. Chips may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10 to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. I got these chocolate chip melting instructions from the Nestle site. I just winged mine in the microwave and the chocolate got a pasty consistency that would have been impossible to dip anything in so I ended up spreading my chocolate on the cookies. I think dipping would be better.
12. Dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate. Place on a sheet of wax paper, sprinkle coconut on the chocolate part. Let cookie rest until the chocolate hardens. Serve!

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (for the grown ups!)
Boo! Hiss! We gobbled this up so fast I forgot to take a picture!
(serves 5)

I liked the concept of the Woman's Day recipe but not the actual ingredients so I crafted my own version.

Ingredients:
3 day old croissants (the giant ones)
1c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4c. sugar
1-1/3c. half and half
2 Tbsp. cold butter, diced
Whipped cream

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium casserole dish or 5 individual baking dishes, tear small pieces off 1-1/2 croissants and place in bottom of dish(es)
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips over layer of croissant. Top with the remaining croissants (also torn into small pieces).
4. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar and half and half. Pour evenly over croissant/chocolate layers.
5. Top with diced butter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes (or until the custard mixture firms up).
7. Top with whipped cream and serve!! Yum! Yum!

A Bun in the Oven Dinner Date!

I first conceived of this idea a few months ago. I have been anticipating the day when I could post this. This meal was a lot of work, but it was a labor of love.

Celeste is having a baby!! I could not be more thrilled for her and her family (or for me, I can't wait to cuddle a tiny little newborn without the inconvenience of night wakings! hee hee). Celeste is an awesome mom, and she is gestating one lucky baby!

What better way to celebrate Celeste's "bun in the oven", then by baking up some literal buns in my gas-fired oven?

Steamed Chicken Buns

I love Chinese steamed pork buns (Char Siu Bao), and wanted to try something like that. I did my chicken filling in the crock pot because, well, it's so much easier than bbq'ing or slow-roasting or what have you!

Chicken Filling:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker; cook on low for 6-8 hours, until chicken is easily shredded apart.

Buns:

1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp bread machine flour

Add ingredients to bread machine; set on "dough" setting.

When bread machine is done, remove dough (gently!) onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two pieces. With your hands, roll each piece of dough into a 2-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 12 pieces.

With your hand, flatted the pieces into small circles. Scoop some chicken filling into the middle. Pinch up the edges, forming a little packet. Let buns rest for about 30 minutes.

Set a steamer pan over a pot of briskly boiling water. Lay each bun on the steamer for about 10 minutes, covering the pot, until the bun is puffed and the dough is slightly firm to the touch. Serve.

Pain au Chocolat

These are fantastic for morning playgroups - the dough should be prepared the night before, and the rolls don't take long to roll out, fill, and bake in the morning. And then the other mommies will adore you.

2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

8 ounces chocolate (semi-sweet, dark, milk all work well - heck, even toffee bits and peanut butter chips work well!)

Place all ingredients except chocolate in the bread machine. Set on the "dough" cycle.

When dough is finished, turn the dough into a deep, greased bowl. Cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Turn the dough onto a work surface dusted with flour. Divide the dough into 16 portions. Roll each portion into a (rough) square. Place 1/2 ounce of chocolate in the middle. Fold up each corner to form a packet. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the buns for 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let them cool a little, but they are best eaten warm!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So now you have some idea of what's been going on here! I have moving trucks pulling up to my house tomorrow (eep!), and Celeste is baking a baby. We are both preparing to send our first babies off to preschool in a few weeks (sob!). Once we are back in the swing, we hope to be much better about cooking new things for our kids and updating!

Summer Favorites Dinner Date

Why yes, I am still alive! Lizzy had a raging virus for most of the last week, which put a complete damper on my cooking. But I pulled it back together for dinner date last night! The original theme was going to be more centered on grilling, so naturally, it was 50 degrees and raining yesterday. Summertime in New England!

I worked with two of my favorite things to have in the summer - burgers and lemon squares. I've been making my own hamburger buns for a while now, on nights when I have the time to plan ahead, and they are such a treat - it's hard to go back to store-bought burger buns! If you have a bread machine, you have to try these. (If you don't have a bread machine, you need one!) I love lemon squares, but Abby hates how gooey and messy they are, and my traditional recipe is loaded with sugar. So I made lemon blondies - lower sugar, less messy, but still with a nice lemon flavor.

I simply must give a shout-out to LaDue & Crew's Pomegranate Sangria. Drooooool. I made a batch for the mommies last night and it was fabulous. I subbed in 2 cups of Diet Sprite for the white semi-sparkling wine both to cut down on calories and alcohol content. Celeste and I thoroughly enjoyed it - if you like sangria even a little try it out!

Zesty Turkey Burgers on Homemade Burger Buns

Zesty Turkey Burgers

I've been making these for years - there's nothing easier, and they're full of flavor

1 lb ground turkey
1-2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Mush the turkey, horseradish, and mustard together. Form into patties and grill. Easy!

Homemade Burger Buns

1 1/4 cups water
1 egg
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp instant potato flakes
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp wheat bran
1 Tbsp gluten
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast (or rapid rise yeast)

Place ingredients in the pan according to your bread machine's instructions. Program for the Dough cycle.

When the cycle is complete, turn the dough onto a clean work surface. For normal-size burger or hot dog buns, divide the dough into 12 equal portions (you can subdivide some of those portions to make little slider buns for kids). Flatten a portion out into a rough circle:

(dividing and flattening)

Next, pinch the edges of the circle into the center, like so:


It will end up like this:


Place the roll pinched-seams side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with all of the dough balls. You can also make hot dog rolls - make your dough ball into a long oval and tightly roll from a long end, like this:


Cover the buns with clean tea towels and let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F; bake the buns for 15-20 minutes, until golden and lightly browned.

These buns freeze really well and are delicious with butter and jelly for breakfast, too! Mine never ever ever turn out really pretty and perfect (especially my hot dog buns, they always look uneven), but that's the charm of homemade buns :-)

Lemon Blondies

(the big girls were a little excited for dessert...)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
zest from 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" square pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and salt.

Melt the butter in a large glass bowl - set aside to cool slightly. In a food processor, process the sugar and lemon zest together until the zest is well-chopped and the sugar smells lemony. Stir the sugar-zest into the melted butter until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the lemon juice and the egg. Stir the flour mixture in until just combined.

Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the blondies are set in the center.

St. Patrick's Day Dinner Date!!

I realize St. Patrick's Day isn't until next week but I thought it wise to put something up this week in case you would actually like to make this FOR St. Patrick's day. ;o) This meal was scrumptious and even both toddlers devoured their meals!

Crockpot Corned Beef with Potatoes and Carrots
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
Approx. 1-1/2 lb. corned beef brisket cut into stew meat sized chunks (I left the fat on for flavor)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 med/lg. carrots, peeled and cut in big chunks
1 can beef broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped

1. Don't let this confuse you. I know it sounds complicated. Add all ingredients to crockpot, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve! ;o)

**warning** Do NOT add salt. Corned beef is salty on its own. You definitely don't need to add any.

Irish Soda Bread
(serves 8)

Ingredients:
3/4 c. light sour cream
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. golden raisins
3 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and olive oil until well combined.
3. In a larger bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.
4. Stir the raisins into the dry mixture.
5. Stir in the sour cream/oil mixture until dough comes together.
6. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute.
7. Shape into a 6" round loaf. Score an "X" into the top of the loaf with a sharp knife.
8. Bake on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray for 40 minutes or until the crust starts to turn golden brown.
9. cool on a wire rack. Serve with Irish butter!

Potato Candy
(makes 12 pieces)

Are these not the cutest things you've ever seen?? These little potatoes are not potatoes at all. They are sugary balls of deliciousness! However, they are NOT very good for toddlers as it turns out. :o(

Ingredients:
4 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (1/4 c.) butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 c. flaked coconut
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
2. With the mixer on med. speed, add the vanilla and powdered sugar until well combined.
3. Stir in the coconut until well combined.
4. Using your hands, shape little potato shapes out of the mixture. Mine were about 2" in length.
5. Put the cinnamon in a small bowl. One at a time, add the "potatoes" and shake the bowl to roll the potato around and coat it in the cinnamon. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
6. Using a small, blunt tipped object (I used the end of one of my daughters watercolor brushes) make"eyes" in the potatoes.
7. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve!

**Notes***The plain cinnamon was way too spicy for toddlers. I should have known. Kara had the idea of cutting the cinnamon with dry cocoa mix next time. Great idea Kara!

So since the planned dessert didn't work out I ended up throwing some refrigerated cookie dough (a gift from my FIL) into the oven. It was a toddler approved substitute!

Boston Baked Franks and Beans

Boston Baked Franks and Beans

(serves 6)

I thought a nod to Boston was in order after my Minnesota tribute. Nothing says Boston like Boston baked beans, right? To make them a meal I added some non-nitrate beef hot dogs and rounded the dinner out with Kara's Boston brown bread. My toddler gobbled up this sweet and salty dish!

Ingredients:
1 package (1lb?) dry pinto beans
1 can organic tomato sauce
1/4 c. blackstrap molasses
1/2 lg. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
5 non-nitrate beef hot dogs

1. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl of water.
2. In the morning, drain the beans and rinse well.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add the beans. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
4. Drain and rinse.
5. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
6. Cut the hot dogs lengthwise and then into bite sized chunks. Add to the crockpot for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Serve!

Tea Party!

Abby and I hosted a tea party for Neko and Celeste last night! This dinner date was a big hit, if for no other reason than the toddlers loved using the tea set. The food went over pretty well, too! We rounded this menu out with cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, but I'm not including a recipe - they're pretty self-explanatory! (neither girl really liked them, anyway)

Scones and Finger Sandwiches

Roasted Vegetable Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter (cold and cut into pieces)
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk (skim worked fine)
3/4 cup diced roasted vegetables
(I diced up some peppers, onions, carrots, and squash - tossed them in a little olive oil and roasted at 400F for about 20 minutes. What I didn't need for these scones, I scrambled into eggs for breakfast. Yum!)

Preheat oven to 425F. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top and pulse about 20 times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the flour-butter mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the egg, milk, and vegetables until a dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smoother dough forms.

Split the dough in half; shape each half into a 6-inch disk. Cut each disk into 6 wedges and place each wedge on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until scones are beginning to turn golden.


Peanut Butter Bread
(for making the ultimate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!)

7 oz milk, slightly warmed
2 oz water, at room temperature
1 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup natural-style peanut butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, stir together the milk, water, and yeast. Whisk in the peanut butter and brown sugar until the peanut butter is fully mixed in. Stir in the salt and flour with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough comes together.

Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding tiny amounts of water or flour as needed (if your dough is too sticky, knead in flour, about one teaspoon at a time. If your dough is too dry and stiff, wet the palms of your hands to knead in a tiny amount of water. A little goes a long way!).

Grease a large bowl with non-stick spray. Put the kneaded dough ball inside, rolling it around to grease the dough lightly. Set aside in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours. Punch down and shape the dough into a loaf. Set inside a loaf pan and let rise for about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, until it sounds slightly hollow when tapped and is nicely browned on top. Add peanut butter and jelly for the yummiest pb&j in town!

Banoffee Bars

(these couldn't be easier or more delicious!! No sugar needed in the crust or whipped cream - the toffee center is sweet enough!)

14 oz can condensed sweetened milk (fat free worked great!)
5 sheets of graham crackers
1/2 cup rolled oats
4 Tbsp butter, melted
bananas
1 cup heavy cream

Caramelize your condensed sweetened milk: Preheat oven to 425F. Pour the milk into an pie pan and cover tightly with foil. Set the pan inside a larger baking dish, and fill the larger dish about halfway with hot water (creating a water bath). Bake for about 45 minutes, until the milk has caramelized and turned thick. Let cool a little.

Lower the oven to 325F. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and oats together until finely ground. Pour crumbs into an 8-inch square baking dish. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir together, then press the crust evenly across the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for about 5 minutes, until golden.

Pour the toffee filling over the hot crust. Top the toffee with thinly sliced bananas. Refrigerate until chilled. Whip the heavy cream and top each bar with a little whipped cream.

Guest Post at Kid Appeal!

Abby and I made turkey-rosemary meatballs in white whole wheat pitas and blogged about it for Kid Appeal. The sandwiches were tasty, but my main focus was finding ways to have Abby help me with every step of the dinner prep - even with the meatballs!

Kid Appeal is a great blog of recipes, ideas on getting kids eating, and tons of great information! If you're in the Houston, TX area, check out the information on Jenna's "Kid's Nutrition Class"!

Sloppy Joe Pie

I don't know why I'm always trying to turn things into pie but I seem to attempt it alot. This was a great attempt if I do say so myself. It is basically a turkey sloppy joe mixture with a whole wheat biscuit on top.

Sloppy Joe Pie

(makes 6 servings)

Turkey Sloppy Joes
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. BBQ sauce (Check your labels because a lot of BBQ sauce is mostly HFCS. I found something in the natural foods section.)
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar or turbanino sugar
3 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large saute pan brown ground turkey over medium heat with the onions and garlic.
2. When meat is browned add the ketchup, BBQ sauce, sugar, vinegar, mustard and pepper.
3. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes over med heat.

While sloppy joes are simmering move on to biscuit makin' -

Whole Wheat Biscuits

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. honey

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. butter

1 c. milk

1 Tbsp. butter, melted (optional to brush on top)

1. In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.

2. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife until coarse crumbs form.

3. Stir in milk and honey until JUST moistened. (You will still see chunks of butter which I think you can see in my picture below).

4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 seconds.

5. Roll to 3/4" thick.

6. If you are just making biscuits: use a biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Bake in a 45o degree oven until lightly browned (about 10-12 minutes). Brush tops with melted butter. Serve!

7. If you are using in Sloppy Joe Pie: Using the dish you will be baking your pie in cut out your biscuit shape. I used individual pyrex ramekins.

8. Fill ramekins half full with sloppy joe mixture.
Top with biscuit and bake in 450 degree oven until biscuit is lightly browned (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from oven, brush tops with melted butter (optional) and serve!

"Make Your Own Darned Dinner" Dinner Date

Don't you just daydream about saying that some (or, most) days? Last night, we made Neko and Abby responsible for making their own dinner! (you know... within reason!) The girls had a blast constructing pizza and painting cookie masterpieces.

Super Easy Pizza Dough

(seriously - it's super easy)
Makes four 6-inch pizza crusts

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 envelope rapid-rise yeast (or 1/4 oz)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cold water

Pulse the flours, cornmeal, salt, and yeast together in a food processor. With the processor running, add the olive oil and then water in a steady stream. Process until dough just comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times, until it is smooth and elastic. Place it in a resealable bag. Let rise until about doubled - either about 2 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.

Divide the dough into 4 balls. Cover them with a clean towel and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes.

Stretch the dough balls into 6-inch pizza crusts. Top as desired (set out bowls of toppings for the kids and let them have at it!) and bake at 450F for about 10 minutes.

Cookie Paintings
(can you guess which one Celeste painted and which ones the girls did?)

2/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg whites (save the yolks for your "paint")
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
separated eggs and food dye for paints

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir in baking powder, salt, and flour until combined. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until a smooth ball forms. Divide dough into four balls and shape each into a disk. Cover the disks with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm (at least an hour, or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 375F. Roll out the dough and cut out squares (your "canvasses"!), re-rolling the scraps as needed.

Separate eggs into ramekins, using one yolk (or white) for each color. Whisk each yolk (or white) with 1 Tbsp of water and desired dye until a smooth, watery paint forms. Using clean (let me stress CLEAN) paintbrushes, let your kids use the paints to decorate each cookie.

Transfer painted cookies to greased cookie sheets. Our cookies were about 4"x6" and baked for about 9 minutes, but watch them carefully (baking time will vary by the size of your cookies).

Chili Cause its Chilly Dinner Date

Its COLD out there! To warm us up I made a crock pot of Chili. I almost did an "Immunity" dinner date highlighting foods that boost immunity but my friend Jen helped me realize how boring I was being so I scrapped that idea however I did think about immunity boosting foods when making my chili.

Chili Cause its Chilly
(makes 8 servings)

1 lb. 90% lean ground beef (beef is naturally high in zinc which is good for immunity)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 med/lg yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 orange pepper, diced (orange vegetables are immunity boosters)
1 large sweet potato, diced (again, orange)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish)

1. In a large saute pan brown ground beef. Drain and set aside.

2. In the same pan heat up the olive oil. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

3. Add the ground beef back to the pan and combine with the onions and garlic. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

4. Put this mixture into a crock pot. Add the tomatoes, beans and orange pepper.

5. Cook in crock pot on low for 4 hours. Add the sweet potato and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender (about an hour and a half longer).

6. Garnish individual servings with cheese. Serve!

For some reason this ended up being too spicy for the girls. I guess I underestimated the kick to chili powder. If you are making this for your kids you might want to cut it back by half. The Mommies liked it. I actually ate the leftovers during the week and it just got better each time. Definitely a great one to have around for this cold weather! ;o)

Whole Wheat Corn Bread
(makes 8 servings)

1 cup of whole wheat flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or honey)
1-1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
4 Tbsp. melted butter (salted)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Grease a 9" square baking pan.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just moistened.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve!

This was a nice alternative to cornbread that has refined sugar and flour. It was not as sweet as I am used to cornbread being but it was still really good, especially with the chili. The girls had theirs with a little honey drizzled on top.

Hot (Warm) Cocoa
(serves 2)

1-1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. agave nectar (or sugar)
whipped cream

1. Combine all ingredients except whipped cream in a small sauce pan. Heat over med/high heat stirring constantly until desired temperature. I made it warm and not hot to suit the girls.
2. Divide between two mugs.
3. Top each with a dollop of whipped cream. Serve (with a straw if for toddlers)!

Pumpkin Pie Pretzels

These are a bit of a project, but if you have a kid who loves to help bake, you'll have fun making these. I sacrificed a bit of dough for Abby to "shape" as her own pretzel and it kept her entertained while I did the rest! These are lovely and yummy and soft - a great snack.

Pumpkin Pie Pretzels

1 tsp rapid rise (or instant) yeast
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup warm (about 110 degrees) milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch cloves
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt

Using a dough hook, mix all of the ingredients together in a stand mixer for about 5 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. Add extra flour, a tablespoonful at a time, if the dough is too sticky. Turn the dough into a bowl coated with oil (I sprayed mine with Pam) and cover with plastic wrap. Set it to rise in a warm room for 1 1/2 hours, until nearly doubled in size. Punch the dough down to deflate, recover it, and let it rise for another 30 minutes, until nearly doubled again.

Make up a baking soda bath: in a large pot, combine water and baking soda (1 tsp baking soda to 2 quarts water) and bring to a boil. Preheat the oven to 450F.

Divide the dough into eight equal chunks. Roll each portion into a long rope, about 15 inches long, 3/4 inch in diameter. Twist it into pretzel shape; repeat with the other portions. Carefully slip each pretzel into the boiling baking soda bath; boil for 30 seconds, flip, and boil another 30 seconds. Remove pretzels with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.

Transfer the boiled pretzels to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. They won't get much bigger in the oven, so they can be fairly close together. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

I wondered how much it would matter if I skipped the baking soda bath, so I did some pretzels in the bath and some I just baked after shaping. The bathed ones (like the pretzel on the right, below) had a crispy, shiny exterior, like you expect from a pretzel. The baked ones (pretzel on the left) were just kind of like dinner rolls. So, I say, give your pretzels a bath!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

We use tortillas all the time, for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and wrap sandwiches. I finally tried making my own yesterday and was so happy! These are perfect for a toddler to help with - they're messy but not that hard, a great way to practice rolling pin skills!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup water
olive oil spray (or other oil cooking spray)

Preheat the oven to 325F. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl; add the water and stir until the dough forms one ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or two, adding flour as needed if the dough is too sticky. Divide the dough into 4, 6, or 8 even balls (depending on how large you want your tortillas to be). Roll each portion into a circle about 1/8" thick. You will need lots of flour for the rolling pin and board!

Lightly coat two baking sheets with olive oil spray. Transfer your tortillas to the baking sheets, and spray the top sides of the tortillas with olive oil. Bake for about 10 minutes, to yield a soft, pliable tortilla (longer if you wanted a crispy tortilla).

We had these with ground turkey tacos last night and were all pleased! They were fun and easy to make, and a great cooking project for Abby.

Real Deal Banana Bread

Real Deal Banana Bread

(Makes 2 loaves)

1-1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3/4 c. oil
2 c. sifted flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
2 large bananas, mashed
1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix sugar and eggs until creamy
3. Mix in oil
4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice
5. Stir dry mixture into creamed mixture until well combined but do not over stir.
6. Stir in bananas and chocolate chips.
7. Divide batter between 2 greased loaf pans.
8. Bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

So the Moms at playgroup (including me) have gotten a little off track with our dieting. While contemplating what to bake for playgroup last week I got it in my head that I wanted REAL banana bread...the kind my Mom makes. I've been doing so much baking with whole wheat flour instead of white, applesauce instead of oil, etc. that its been a long time since I've had a slice of the banana bread I grew up on. This is the real deal and boy did it deliver. I plan to return to healthier baking immediately but this was a nice treat.

Cuban Dinner Date!

Total disclaimer: I know nothing about Cuban cuisine. As part of our project, I've been checking lots and lots of cookbooks out of the library, looking for inspiration. One Cuban-American cookbook had so many dishes that intrigued me and seemed like they could become toddler-friendly, so I just knew I had to do a Cuban night. Experimentation paid off - this was a yummy dinner!

Sweet Baked Pork and Beans
with Fried Plantains

Sweet Baked Pork and Beans
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
1 Toddler Smile (2 Mommy smiles!)

1 Tbsp oil or butter
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
3 cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp cide vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 lb pork chops (or pork tenderloin)

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small pan, heat the oil or butter over medium heat. Add the chopped carrots and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until carrots are crisp-tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the beans, brown sugar, molasses, ginger, vinegar and dry mustard. Stir gently until well combined. Pour the beans into an 8x8" baking dish. Sprinkle the carrots over the top of the beans.

Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and scatter on top of the carrots and beans. Bake for about 30 minutes, until pork is cooked through and the sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Fried Plantains
Total time: 15 minutes
2 Toddler Smiles!

2 large, ripe plantains
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
lemon juice
salt

Slice the plantains diagonally into rounds. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the plantains and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until crispy on both sides. Sprinkle lemon juice and salt over the plantains and serve.

Papaya-Raisin Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 55-60 minutes
2 Toddler smiles!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk (or soy milk)
1 cup chopped ripe papaya
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and milk until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Gently stir in the papaya and raisins. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

* * *

Dinner went over pretty well! Abby would not try the sweet baked pork and beans, which hardly surprised me (beans are, after all, Abby's arch nemesis), but Neko and Celeste and I all really liked it. Both girls liked the fried plantains, though the plantains that I had were not quite ripe enough. Everyone enjoyed the papaya-raisin bread - I made up a coconut cream cheese frosting to make it more dessert-like, but although tasty, the frosting did not have the right consistency so I'm not listing it here. The bread would be an excellent snack and breakfast bread as well.