Trying to move toward more home cooked meals and less processed food? Worried about time? What about going to the trouble of cooking only to have the kids give your meal a big thumbs down? Well if you are looking for classic and modern party recipes, Richardsons Smoke House provides the inspiration for the same…
no-cook dinner: antipasto with ham, cheese, breadsticks, melon and more…
IT’S BEEN OVER 90 DEGREES EVERY DAY in Rome for weeks. This is a normal summer in Italy but that doesn’t mean we’re not melting! Particularly those of us from the Pacific Northwest where it simply doesn’t do this. Ever. My Floridian husband, however, is soaking up the sun, humidity and all the heat for…
BBQ pork & cheese quesadillas
IT DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER. And in my condition (insane 36 weeks pregnant with number 3), there’s nothing better. Using leftover pork roast, plus a little cheddar cheese, I diced my way to a simple dinner for four.
Heart-shaped carrots and zucchini
CUTE, RIGHT? Didn’t matter. I could whittle these carrots into the shape of Phoebe’s smiling face and it wouldn’t make a difference. She doesn’t like carrots. Or zucchini. And the only thing that coaxed her into eating one of each (as is our family rule at dinner time) was the promise of “cake” afterward.
Green eggs and ham
YOU KNOW HOW TODDLERS BECOME OBSESSED with something and want it over and over? We’ve been in a Green Eggs & Ham bedtime rut routine for a while now and I’ll tell you what. It’s not awesome. But inspired by Phoebe’s unwavering passion (Is there anything that I like this much?), combined with a little…
How to make a brownie mix healthier in seconds
IF YOU’VE GOT A BUSY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE this one’s for you. This weekend we had a Christmas party for the playgroup that Phoebe used to attend (and love). For the fun of seeing old friends plus 30 others who just speak English, we baked up four dozen mini brownies and headed out. On the bus,…
Healthy Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins
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…
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…
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, really
I DIDN’T MAKE IT FOR PHOEBE. This was a parallel lunch last week; I made her some nice fluffy eggs with cheese and planned to top mine with smoked salmon, a decadent treat I got hooked on during my NYC days.