Here they are! The healthy pumpkin mini muffins every kid loves. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Barefoot Contessa. But today’s makeover recipe from Paula Deen looked so good — and had so many amazing reviews (766 and counting!?) — on Food Network.com that I couldn’t really resist. They’re both big ladies with…
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Peanut butter & jelly bars (PB & J Bars)
WE’RE BACK TO TOAST around here. Every morning it starts around 6am. I hear murmurs from the next room, Phoebe’s ready to get out of bed and can I please make her some bekfist? On the plus side, she’s nearly two and a half and stays in her toddler bed until someone comes to help…
5 great kids’ books about food
IT’S NEARLY GIFT GIVING TIME and if you’ve got a picky eater, or a great little eater for that matter, on your list, maybe one of these could make its way into a stocking. 1. I Like Vegetables. As though the title alone weren’t enough to sell a gal like me, the images are just…
a sweet shop birthday party theme: happy 8th birthday, rian!
NOTHING COULD BE SWEETER than a candy store birthday party. “Rian’s birthday is the day before Halloween,” says mom Amber Schotemeyer from her Virginia home. “She wanted to do a sweet shop party so we tied it in with a sweet Halloween theme.” Here’s how they pulled off the best bash of the year.
Toddler-friendly Asian noodles with vegetables
IF I’VE LEARNED ONE THING SO FAR, it’s this: figure out what works and do more of it. We’re all about spin-offs here, and this dinner is the Laverne & Shirley of pasta. We know Phoebe devours spaghetti with red sauce, white sauce, cheese, or really any topping. Today’s challenge: introducing Asian flavors. It sounds…
a Halloween party menu plus healthier Halloween cupcakes
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…
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…