The only thing better than raising kids who love good food is kids who cook that food themselves! My nine-year-old has tested every one of these recipes and these are her specialties. From breakfast in bed on weekends to snacks and the occasional dinner, here are five starter recipes for tiny cooks: Honey-Mustard Chicken With…
What If I Didn’t Put Myself Last?
It came out of nowhere, as wakeup calls often do. My seven-year-old’s playdate was over. The little girl’s dad and I stood in my living room chatting while shoes were gathered and teary goodbyes said. That’s when small talk turned into a very humbling Q and A. “Hey, who’s that woman?” he asked, pointing to…
Whole-Wheat Cheddar Biscuits With Bacon
The idea for these Whole-Wheat Cheddar & Bacon Biscuits came from one of my favorite women in the world, Joanna Gaines. In her gorgeous book, Magnolia Table, she’s got a different version. Instead of white flour and gruyere, our biscuits are whole-wheat and full of sharp cheddar. Better for you and easier to come by,…
Shortcut Tomato Pie Made Miniature
I’ve been working on a tomato pie recipe all summer and guess what? Our Shortcut Tomato Pie is it! My friend Liz manages the kitchen at Weaver Street Market, our local co-op, and she lead me to this masterpiece. “Use biscuits as the dough!” she said. So we did and man, what a hit. Naturally…
How to Cook Baked Potatoes on the Grill
I finally did it. I bought a grill and I already learn How to Grill the Perfect Steak, now is the turn of the potatoes, just make sure you take advantage of propane sales so you have enough to get the grill started, you can even ask to get a propane delivery. Does is surprise…
Shortcut Tomato Pie
When I posted a picture of the VERY HARD TO MAKE tomato pie the other day, my friend Liz shot me an email immediately. “Try this shortcut version!” she cheered. We did. It was a little spicy. So we tried a second version and here’s what my kindergartener said: “This is SO good and so…
Welcome to Plain Pasta, Can I Take Your Order?
I saw comedian Tom Papa read this excerpt on Conan and laughed so hard I nearly cried. Because who hasn’t nearly cried when trying to feed their kids? It ain’t easy, all this trying to instill values and habits of good nutrition, but at least today it’s hilarious. From his book, “Your Dad Stole My…
Chicken and Bell Pepper Pasta Bake
There’s nothing I like more than a yummy dinner that can be made from the leftovers of ANOTHER yummy dinner. Cook once, eat twice, cheer, relax and repeat. Tonight’s dinner started with our awesome lemon chicken earlier in the week. This time I cooked it on the grill but you could certainly throw your chicken…
What to do with Eggplant: Ratatouille 2 Ways (Your Kids Will Love Them Both!)
For the first time ever, I planted eggplant in my garden. And guess what? There’s now an Eggplant Situation out there. So you can guess what’s going on in here. All the eggplant recipes. I’ve experimented with Baked Eggplant Parmesan in summers past but this new idea is even simpler. Put a whole bunch of summer…
I’ve felt fat my whole life. Here’s what I’m telling my daughters so they can skip that.
“You’re looking pretty fat, Charity!” My grandpa used to say this when I came to visit as a kid. That was his actual greeting. A scrappy little girl with skinny legs and a poochy tummy, I looked like Eloise. Just substitute a mobile home on a tiny farm for the Plaza hotel and there I…