DESPERATE FOR A LITTLE TRICK-OR-TREATING, we hosted our own Halloween party for ex-pats this weekend. The result: 13 kids, 15 adults and countless cupcakes. Costumes for the Mathews crew included one garden gnome (and if you’ve never heard a 2-year old try to say “gnome” I highly recommend it) and one flower. Monster Mash played…
Archives for October 2011
Oatmeal-raspberry mini muffins
WE’RE GOING FOR COMFORT FOOD. Both babies have nearly gotten over their colds and Phoebe’s pink eye is basically behind us but there are still lingering coughs at night, sometimes waking up the whole household. My own scratchy throat isn’t helping but it was this exchange with the two-year old that pushed me into yesterday’s…
Homemade chicken noodle soup with extra veggies (plus baby food version)
WE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS AROUND HERE. Two nasty little colds were followed by one awful case of pink eye and own throat-scratching, coughing in the middle of the night cold. A trifecta of germs! Making matters worse, our babysitter is MIA with a stomach virus all her own. That said, a little (maybe a lot…
Cauliflower your kids will eat, plus easy roasted chicken
THIS IS A SECRET. Roasting cauliflower makes it delicious. Just cut up an entire head and assemble on a baking sheet. Slather on the extra virgin olive oil and use your hands to coat each piece…
Pureed carrots for babies
AS MARK BITTMAN ONCE SAID, “IT’S NOT THE BETA CAROTENE, IT’S THE CARROT”. There’s just something wonderful about this sweet, crunchy and super healthy food. Easy to cook, versatile and best of all, simply to puree for babies. As with most baby food purees, a “recipe” isn’t really in order. It’s more of an idea…
Grilled chicken salad with peppers two ways: one for toddlers, one for adults
IT’S AN INDIAN SUMMER IN ITALY. So we’re still into salads here and they come in two versions. One for adults and one for toddlers (aka, one that will not be spit out.) The culprit? Lettuce. So Phoebe’s version is simply a deconstructed salad. Hers is all toppings and no filler, which is basically a…



