AS PART OF OUR SEMI-DELUDED PLAN to have friends over this weekend, we served homemade rolls along with two pastas, including this one that I learned how to make when we lived in Italy. Our wonderful guests brought veggies and desserts including a chocolate layer caked called “Tall, Dark and Handsome”. And yes, we’re inviting them…
The Cutest Way to Make Rice Krispies Treats for Easter
THERE ARE TONS OF ELABORATE EASTER IDEAS FOR KIDS OUT THERE, but this isn’t one of them. These are basic Rice Krispies Treats tucked inside plastic eggs. They’re so simple, so sweet and you know what, just as tasty as I remembered them being.
bread machine whole wheat rolls with yogurt & oats
WELL, WE DID IT AGAIN. And I actually can’t believe it. After a week that included 1-2-3 then 4 and 5 different household members succumbing to the nastiest little tummy virus in the South, we had another dinner party this weekend. It sounds counterintuitive (and a little crazy) but the house needed a good scrubbing…
Beef & vegetable roll-ups with balsamic glaze made a little simpler
I CAN’T LIE TO YOU. THESE DELICIOUS BEEF ROLL-UPS WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE WILL NOT BECOME ONE OF YOUR GO-TO WEEKNIGHT DINNERS. But you’ll love making them once in a while. With a tangy, sweet sauce plus a built-in veggie and playful presentation, there’s a lot to like here. The only trouble is the number of steps it…
baked banana chips, a sugar-free snack for kids
LIKE OUR FAVORITE BAKED APPLE CHIPS, this is one snack that smells amazing as it bakes. And it bakes for a long time. Two hours for chewy rings, 3 hours for crispy. But if you’ve got the time, these baked banana chips only require two ingredients and neither one is sugar.
4 fresh strawberry recipes for kids
EVEN THOUGH WINTER IS OVERSTAYING ITS WELCOME like a cigar smoking houseguest who just won’t take the hint, here comes the sweet taste of spring itself: strawberries. These juicy little beauties are hitting stores now, ice storms or not. And they couldn’t have arrived sooner because if there’s one spring ingredient that most kids devour…
better-for-you double chocolate banana muffins, a “smitten kitchen” makeover
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WHO LOVE MUFFINS. And we’ve made a lot of them. Banana muffins with millet, banana oat, chocolate zucchini and more. But none, not a single mini muffin, bug-shaped muffin or big ol’ muffin in the bunch compares to these. I have a toddler who now cries at the sight…
foodlets’ 10 most pinned recipes for kids
SOME RECIPES HAVE MORE THAN ONE LIFE. Thanks to our Foodlets boards on Pinterest, some of my favorite recipes from the last few years are suddenly new again. Just looking at the list is like a foodie photo album. There’s the era of baby #1 (Oh, this is so nice. I think we could do…
spinach wraps 2 ways for st. patrick’s day
WHO KNEW THE EASIEST WAY TO RING IN ST. PATRICK’S DAY was found in a package of spinach wraps? I bought a simple bag of 6 sandwich wraps from the grocery store then made two things today. The first was lunch. My preschoolers (ages 4 and 3) were surprisingly thrilled with their green roll-ups. “Ooooh, it’s…
cheese tortellini recipe idea with spinach and bacon
This cheese tortellini recipe idea without red sauce is one of my favorite easy dinners for kids. And we made it out of need on one very, very cold night. (And then kept making it and making it!) There was an ice storm. Way before the cheese tortellini recipe idea came in. I don’t have…
tropical green smoothies
ROUNDING OUT OUR FESTIVE IDEAS FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY is another simple, healthy recipe. It’s also green and according to munchkins around here, very good.
a new spin on white bean hummus: add avocado
IN HONOR OF LITTLE LEPRECHAUNS EVERYWHERE, and the parents who just wish they’d eat a few more veggies, we turned our new favorite dip a new shade…green. Faster than you can say, “Is that food coloring?” we simply threw a ripe avocado into the mixer as we ground up our white bean hummus with lemon….
very small shepherd’s pies (a step-by-step recipe)
WE’VE MADE THESE MINI SHEPHERD’S PIES TWICE NOW, once at a kiddie cooking school here in North Carolina, and once at home, both for St. Patrick’s Day. This version is our own recipe, which is really just layering all the flavors you’d expect–but simplified. We cheated a bit with store-bought biscuit dough, which really puffs…
super spinach cupcakes
THAT’S RIGHT, NOW I PUT SPINACH IN THE CUPCAKES. They’re festive for St. Patrick’s Day but so full of yummy vanilla goodness that the kids love them year round, and I don’t think twice about rounding out lunches with one (or even two).
very green broccoli mac & cheese
YES I PUT BROCCOLI (AND SPINACH) IN THE MAC & CHEESE BUT HEAR ME OUT. When Estelle turned three she actually asked for this dish to be served for her birthday lunch with friends. Despite a pretty serious invasion of vegetables, this stuff is very tasty. Downright company-worthy. Especially when you’re two going on three….
a new spin on chocolate chip cookies: add mint
THIS ONE’S SIMPLE. To make mint chocolate chip cookies just follow two steps: 1. Take your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and add two things: 1 teaspoon of pure mint extract plus a few drops of green food coloring OR 1/3 cup pureed buy valtrex rx shop spinach (and boost the flour by 1/4 cup)….
kid-friendly mini reuben sandwiches (a step-by-step recipe)
IT’S NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT HOLIDAY, BUT ST. PATRICK’S DAY can be really fun. Especially if you’re four, three or even one–and there’s special food on the menu. Bonus, these mini reuben sandwiches aren’t limited to leprechaun season so you can make them, and kids will love them, any time. The ingredients might surprise you, especially the sauerkraut,…
strawberry jam bars with oats
THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO MAKE THESE–one involves chocolate while the other is packed with chia seeds, flaxseed and dried cranberries–and believe it or not, both are delicious. We’re focusing on the second option here, but you can zip right over to eHow to get our chocolate version too. In a long line of yummy…
maple syrup sweetened chocolate cake & 5 things I learned about throwing kids’ parties
WHEN I ASKED ESTELLE WHAT SHE WANTED for her 3rd birthday, she said, “chocolate cake with chocolate frosting”. Okay, then I explained that she could ask for presents too, like at Christmas time. “Oh!,” she said. “And a chocolate bear.” That’s what she got in her stocking, apparently making quite an impression–more so than the…
baked eggs, an easy dinner the kids cheer for
MY MOTHER-IN-LAW is a very good cook, and this easy egg dish, like zucchini lasagna, whole wheat jam tarts and these good-for-you cookies, is one we learned from her. With three grown kids and six grandchildren of her own, she knows all about cooking for a brood. She made it for us on a recent visit to…