petitappetit.com Blog

So Sorry…With Sugar on Top

February 1st, 2010

I find myself sometime wrestling with my parental guidelines. You know those things you tell yourself you’ll never do with your kids. These seem to be set before you even have children (and don’t know what you’re in for). It could be something you don’t want to repeat your parents did with you (licking your finger and wiping child’s face) or something you see your friends doing (giving in to tantrums) or even a situation you witness at a park (ignoring crying child while on cell call). There’s always something we tell ourselves will never happen at our house and then it does. At that moment, three things could happen…1. You look around and wonder “did anyone else notice I did that?” 2. You tell yourself “O.K. just this once”. 3. You realize the parental guideline needs to be revisited or ammended on a case by case basis.

So here’s one of my guidelines… do not reward, discipline or comfort with food. Sounds good enough. We reward at our house with priviledges (child gets to pick an activity or outing, such as miniature golf) when things go well. We disclipline by taking away priviledges or discussing why we won’t be getting more freedoms, choices and priviledges. However I am finding times where the priviledge (choice, freedom) is tied to food. Child picks favorite restaurant when given the choice of where the family should eat. Child wants to go for ice cream as a “treat” for doing a good deed (helping in the yard, etc). Child (and mom) want to make hot chocolate together, after hiking in the rain. Here the experience and choice of priviledge is related to food and that’s o.k. with me.

Here’s last week’s example. I took my son to a great (everyone said) day camp at a place where kids build (using real tools) in a woodworking studio or create a craft (beading, jewelry etc). Trouble is, for my son it was not so great. After being there 1 1/2 hours I picked him up expecting smiles and got sadness. For him it was a bit overwhelming (too many kids and not enough structure). We decided to have lunch just the two of us, at a favorite lunch spot (La Boulange – that’s another story) before picking up my daughter so we could talk about the camp.

Feeling sorry for my son, I told him he could have whatever he wanted. I figured he’d have a sandwich and want a cookie or croissant after. However taking full advantage of my guilt he ordered the most decadent (and delicious) sandwich ever… banana and Nutella with cream on toasted brioche. Really, they make that? That’s what you’d like for lunch? There was no going back. It came with a side of fruit, which made me feel a bit better. But this was quite a sandwich, even if it had come on a bed of spinach – this was quite a sandwich (yes, he shared a bite with me). My son thoroughly enjoyed every messy bite and couldn’t wait to tell his sister and dad about “the sandwich” when he got the chance. He also confided in me about the camp (for him it was a bit overwhelming with too many kids and not enough structure/assistance).

By the time his dad got home my son was more relaxed and even left room for the possibility of trying the woodshop again. My guilt was lessened and the lunch experience was fun.

I guess I covered the pain in Nutella. Will it happen again? I’ll go with #3 above – it will be on a case by case basis (but the cases need to be spread out).

Tags: banana, Nutella, sandwich
Posted in Lisa Barnes Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Snack Attack

January 26th, 2010

I belong to a large mom’s group that posts a variety (everything from baby gear tips to restaurants for a date night and anything in between) messages, questions and comments. Someone shared this article in the New York Times about kids and snacks. It is a great read and hits home for many parents – myself included. When does snack time end?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/dining/20gusti.html

Some days it seems I’m in the kitchen all day preparing meals and then snacks between. And like the writer, I too am faced with all the requests for snacks to bring to occassions. However I don’t mind, most of the time, because it means something healthy will be there. If left to someone else, I don’t know what my kids will snack on. Yes, it’s a control thing for me. Knowing there are dietary restrictions and allergies, I have an arsenal of appropriate snacks. But I also get lots of questions for ideas for snacks and know it’s hard to get creative (that’s pretty much why I wrote my latest book).

However I understand the writer’s frustration with snack time being all day long for some kids. Because of this I have started to limit things I have to eat in my own bag. (No need for nuts and dried fruit and apple slices and cheese and mini sandwiches) . I too want my kids to play and engage, not sit on the sidelines and eat snacks. But I see the triggers. When my kids are at the park and see other kids eating they’ll ask for something. Food is social. Food can also be comforting for kids (adults too), and they’ll ask for a snack if in a new surrounding and are not yet ready to join in a play. It can also be a distraction or help with boredom (especially when they ask for food in the car). So if we’re only out for an hour or so, or if they’ve just eaten, I only bring water.

This brings me to my next point. They won’t starve. I meet so many parents that say “but they’re hungry”. This gets out of hand as some parents give snacks after dinner (and even dessert) or get manipulated into becoming short order cooks because kids don’t want what’s offered for dinner. That’s the way it goes. As my mom would say “like it or lump it”. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

I try not to think of “snack” as a bad word. The connotation of snack has somehow become a bag or box of something eaten on the run, when I like to think of it as a mini meal – fuel to help kids going thru their active lives. If I can find time to cut an apple and spread it with sunflower butter or peel a banana, why can’t another parent. Why always go for prepackaged snacks with additives, preservatives and empty calories? And yes, the billions of dollars spent on marketing unhealthy snacks is appalling. But let’s stand our ground. If eating healthy is something that’s important to your family, teach kids about healthy food choices and bring something healthy, that they like. Go ahead and pass by the vending machine and other offerings. No, it’s true you may not be the most popular parent, and believe me it does sometimes get uncomfortable.

But if you offer a healthy snack then does it really matter if dinner is spoiled? When my kids say “I’m hungry” and I’m in the middle of making dinner, I pull out some carrots, edamame and hummus. If they truly are hungry they’ll eat it. But if they’re bored and just looking for something from the pantry (i.e. crackers, rice cakes etc) they’ll say “Nevermind, I’ll wait for dinner”. And if they fill up on the veggies and don’t eat much at dinner, they had some good food.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

I Say Granita, She Says Benicia

January 19th, 2010

While on the way to school this morning my daughter exclaimed “I didn’t get Benicia!”. Benicia? I had no clue what she was talking about and neither did her brother (he’s usually pretty good at deciphering). She continued to kind of talk to herself about falling asleep early the night before. She moved on and forgot about the question.

Tonight when I was making dinner my daughter asked ”Do we still have Benicia?” Again with the Benicia. When I told her we were having salmon, veggies and rice she got quite irritated with me and said “for dessert!” It took me a minute. “Ohhhhhh.” I said ”Do you mean Granita?!” She laughed and said “It’s not called Granita, that’s silly. You know that blood orange stuff.” Okay, Got it.

I’ve been getting a head start on making some of my favorite Chinese New Year recipes so I coul d get some photos for articles and blogs and had made the granita a few nights ago. Granita is an icy dessert; made quite simply with juice, water and simple syrup. It’s a light and refreshing finish to a meal by itself and can also be served over vanilla ice cream. You can make this with any citrus, although I usually use tangerine because of the good luck factor during Chinese New Year. This time I couldn’t pass up the blood oranges. I love them and they’re not always in season. It was delicious and so pretty (fun pink for Valentine’s idea too).

Citrus Granita

This recipe was inspired by pastry chef Andrea Mautner of Restaurant TWO in San Francisco (such a bummer it’s closed). While attending a cooking class she prepared a wonderful dessert with this as one of the “elements.” I thought this simple icy treat would be perfect for a Chinese New Year celebration, because one of the symbols for luck is tangerines, which are given to children during the holiday.

Makes 8 (1/2-cup) servings

Juice of 5 to 6 blood orange or other citrus (about 1½ cups)

¾ cup Simple Syrup (see note below)

¼ cup water

Combine citrus juice, Simple Syrup, and water in a bowl. Pour into an 8-inch-glass baking dish or pie dish. Freeze for about 2 to 3 hours, until frozen.

Once fully frozen, scrape granita into flakes with a fork. They may melt easily and be a bit slushy. Granita can be eaten as a slushy now or refreeze for another hour. It will become icier.

Spoon into tall, old-fashioned ice cream glasses or mini ramekins. Serve immediately or return to freezer until ready to serve. Fluff with a fork again before serving.

Tip. Clear the Freezer. Be sure you have a level space to set the granita to harden before walking over to the freezer with the liquid.

Kids Korner

This will melt quickly. If kids aren’t eating it fast enough, serve along with straws to get all of the juice. Or spoon over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt for an old-time Creamsicle reminder.

Note to Make Simple Syrup:

Heat equal amounts (1 cup each) of turbinado (raw) or white sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Tags: blood orange, chinese new year, granita, Recipe, tangerine
Posted in Lisa Barnes Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Slow Cooker: Need it or Not?

January 13th, 2010

slow cooker

All this cold weather makes me think about hot, comforting food like chili, soups, stews and others. It also reminds me that I don’t have a slow cooker. I’ve never really gotten over the crock pot foods of the 70’s. My mom was a single parent and used the crock pot quite a bit. It was easy, even at age 10, I remember sometime I was asked to put the ingredients in, which hours later yielded the family dinner. But I remember it all tasting the same. Meat that after 8 or so hours was hard to identify, but fell apart easily and a sauce that was also a bit of a mystery (not bad, but boring). We had everything from ham hocks and saurkraut (yes, really) to pot roast with veggies – but there was always a sameness.

After seeing so much about slow cooking, the ease of slow cookers (I am a busy mom after all) and some tasty looking recipes (always handy for a potluck), I recently mentioned being ready to purchase a slow cooker. Of course now I learned of the debate over which ones are safe, because of the possibility of lead. Here’s an interesting blog article about such research if interested and want to know which brands fess up to what’s in their product. I can’t believe this is another product with safety issues.

Then just when I thought I was going to embrace new foods from a slow cooker I was faced with more of that 70’s taste at a family gathering. Hmmm.

Between the blandness, texture and safety issues, maybe I’m better off wth one less appliaance. You never know. I may get there, but not a priority. Please feel free to tell me I’m wrong and share some of your favorite slow cooker makes/models and recipes to help nudge me to the slow side.

Posted in Lisa Barnes Blog, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Snow or Bust

January 4th, 2010

snowman

We made it to the snow! Every year we have plans to go, but someone gets sick or we’re not brave enough to make the drive in a storm (my husband and I have many stories of getting stuck in the snow). My six year old was excited from the get go. He was up for it all sledding, learning to ski, eating icicles, catching snowflakes, etc. My daughter, age three had never seen snow. I thought it would be quite interesting. She only wears ballet clothes (whether it’s dance day or not) and does not like long sleeves, outerwear and cold. I had a feeling I’d be inside with her while my husband and son snow enjoy the great outdoors.

I planned on a game marathon with her and cooking some hearty slow foods. Whenever I think of snow I think of chili and soups. Yum! However, she proved me wrong. She loved the snow – after the initial shock that it is cold and turtlenecks and snow suits are made for a reason. She even wanted to go to ski school like big brother. And we all had too many hot chocolates in the lodge not to have fun. I have a feeling we’ll be heading up again soon.

I made and brought my white bean and chicken chili for this trip. It’s an easy make ahead dish for transporting in an ice chest and makes enough for hungry people for lunch or dinner after snow play. You can make this without the chicken too for the vegetarian skiiers.

White Bean and Chicken Chili (from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)

The origin of this recipe is from San Francisco Flavors, by the San Francisco Junior League. The original is great, but not many parents with small children have two hours to allow a stew to cook, let alone remember to soak dried beans overnight. The prep time is reduced in this recipe by using canned beans and sautéing the cooked chicken in the spices to soak up additional flavor that would come out from the slow-cooking process. You can reduce your time further if you have leftover chicken on-hand or buy pre-cooked chicken and pre-shredded cheese. This version for busy families takes only 35 to 40 minutes from start to finish.

Makes 12 cups

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ (4-ounce) can chopped mild green chilies, or 2 fresh chilies, roasted, seeded, and chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 pounds cooked boneless, skinless, organic free-range chicken (can be left over or purchased pre-cooked)

2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

2 cups shredded Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese (rBGH free)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Transfer 1 cup of the broth to a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch mixture. Stir cornstarch mixture back into pot, cover, and cook another 5 minutes, stirring, to thicken.

Add 1 cup of the cheese to the pot and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cheese.

Tags: beans, chili, family, Healthy Recipe, organic recipe for children, slow cooker
Posted in Lisa Barnes Blog | No Comments »

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

December 28th, 2009

The only way I could stop myself from baking cookies this year during the holidays was to leave the house. If I was at home I was baking. From Thanksgiving until Christmas if I had a spare 20 – 30 minutes I was thinking “hmm. I have time to make some dough” or “I can bake one more batch”. This also counted starting a batch at 11:30 p.m. (more on that later) You name it I baked it. All our family favorites from “kissed” peanut butter cookies (photo above), molasses sugar cookies, snickerdoodle biscuits, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate sliced cookies – just to name a few. I don’t ever need an excuse to bake cookies. I have cookie cutters (about 100) for every occassion and no special day at all (think octopus, train, lighthouse, football, etc). But this year, I seemed particularly driven. The funny part is that I discovered I was not alone…

This year more than ever when I got together with friends and family they all had similar cookie baking stories. Whether they were making them for the school gingerbread decorating, the family potluck or gifts for the neighbors, everyone was baking. Was this because it was so cold? My aunt (who rarely bakes, and gave us a beautiful container full of homemade sweets) thought so. We really had our share of cold and rainy days in the Bay Area and yes, I prefer baking cookies with my kids in a warm house in the late afternoon, over bundling and braving the weather at the park, again. Another reason could’ve been the economy. People tend to bake and eat comfort foods more than in the past. What is more comforting than homemade cookies with milk? My final reason is because it’s thoughful and a gift of time. There seems to be a return to homemade gifts. All the magazines talked about “green” gifting and things to make from the heart. This year not only did we make cookies to send to relatives, we also make cookie gifts for neighbors, friends and teachers. Here are a few of the packaging ideas that we used or received that are inexpensive and also green and fun to do with kids especially (and can be remembered for any time of year):

flower pot – filled with baked good and tied with a ribbon. Kids can even decorate the pot with paint, stickers, glitter.

glass jars – Ball, cookie, canning, french – in all shapes and sizes. I found them for as little as $3.99 at the Container Store

dish cloths/tea towels – cookies or breads wrapped in pretty fabric that can be reused for dish or hand drying

china plates and bowls – scour flea markets, estate sales and china outlets for single, one-of-a-kind plates for unique presentation

With all the baking, gifting and shipping of cookies, I actually got burned out on cookies mid-way between Hannukah and Christmas. Even my kids were a bit tired of helping mom and asked “why are we making more cookies?” However at this point I had already committed to bring cookies to a few events and a friends’ house for the kids to decorate. Starting a batch of cookies at 11 p.m. after a long day and evening of holiday shopping, wrapping and merriment did not produce my best results. See below. I was impatient and put the butter in the microwave to soften. I knew it had gone too soft, but used it anyways. As you can see the cookies spread and the results were more plump than pretty – although still just as tasty. I already had some gingerbread men as well as other sucessful cookies to bring, so I brought them for the kids to decorate anyways. They didn’t care. It’s amazing what some frosting, sprinkles and raisins can do to transform the “failed” cookie. Here’s a tip when decorating cookies, or really anything with kids – use a muffin tin lined with muffin cups. This works great to hold a variety of small objects, in this case sugars, sprinkles, raisins, currents, marshmallows, coconut, died fruit, and candy cane pieces. It makes it easy for kids to share, there’s less waste and mess than diving into separate bowls and clean up is quick and easy. oops! too

oops! The plump cookies (before)

decorating tray

sugar and gingerbread after kids' decorated

plump cookies with gingerbread people after decorating

Since I was getting tired of cookies I wondered about others. Think of the teachers, who while appreciative of homemade sweets probably get overwhelmed by sweets at the holidays. I’ve always been meaning to make cookie dough mixes in jars and this year I tried it. I liked the idea of short cutting the recipe and not shaping and baking more cookies. I also liked the idea that the recipient could bake their cookies whenever they had a craving or wanted to share with others. However I learned there is an art to creating the cookie mix and making it look presentable. My first attempt, didn’t look as neat as my third. Those pretty layers were tough to see. I went online and found some tips that really helped. The most important being : flour and white sugar seeps down to other layers of ingredients, so layer those at the bottom and on top or between packed brown sugar. Common sense, but easy to forget, again when you’re working late at night - it’s easy to layer before thinking (and there’s no going back).

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Tags: children, christmas, cookies, family, food, hannukah, Lisa Barnes Blog
Posted in Holidays, Lisa Barnes Blog | No Comments »

O’ Hannukah with Latke Recipe

December 15th, 2009

Our Impromptu "Lights"

So it’s a bit confusing around my house with all the holiday festivities and celebrations. Anytime you have a 3 and 6 year old there’s bound to be questions and comedy. There’s been lots of talk and queries about God, Santa, Hannukah, presents, the North Pole, etc. Everything from “Why don’t all kids get presents since Santa can make as many toys as he wants and gives them for free?” (good point) to “We’re Jewish right?. You make latkes and we go to a party and play dreidle”. (that’s true, but…)

Like many I like to use food as a way of celebrating and teaching different holidays, cultures, and history. There’s always a story and a food for most of life’s tradition, beliefs and gatherings. However now my son thinks our family is all religions, cultures and ancestry because I cook it all. Not necessarily a bad thing, but he (and I) needs some guidance. I ordered a book (not a cookbook) entitled One World, Many Religions by Mary Osbourne to hopefully give me some more educated answers about religions, faith, and beliefs around the globe. I need something more than the simple story about the oil lasting for 8 days and now here’s a latke.

Thankfully other children in my son’s school and circle of friends are noticing different ways family’s celebrate too. I hear them ask ”Why don’t we have a Menorah/Christmas Tree?” So we’ve been able to share in some friends’ candle lighting and dreidle games (and note our impromptu “lights” above) and also have ornaments for those to put on our tree that don’t have one at their home.

Here’s the latke recipe that launched a thousand questions.

Potato Latkes

(from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)

Wanting to reduce the amount of oil and frying in traditional latkes, I developed a version that’s finished in the oven to give extra crispness without extra fat and grease. These are great accompanied by applesauce and sour cream.

Makes 12 servings

1½ pounds (about 2) organic russet potatoes, scrubbed and shredded (4 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, shredded (½ cup)

2 medium shallots, minced (1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large cage-free organic egg

2 (6-inch-squares) whole wheat matzo, broken into pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Toss potatoes, onion, shallots, and salt together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a sieve set over a large bowl and let drain for about 15 minutes. Squeeze potato mixture by handfuls over a glass bowl to release excess moisture (some moisture should remain) and put potato mixture in a separate bowl. Potato liquid will have a pasty-white sediment (starch) in the bottom of the glass bowl that you can see. Carefully pour off and discard top liquid and add starchy portion to the potato mixture. Stir in egg.

Put matzo pieces into a food processor (or see below) and process to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs and pepper over potato mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until matzo is softened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with oil.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir the potato mixture. Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, scoop potato mixture and add to pan without crowding. Press with a spatula to flatten to about a 3-inch cake. Cook until crispy and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to prepared baking sheet. Continue cooking, using additional oil to prevent sticking, if needed. Once all are cooked and on baking sheet, transfer to the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Kid’s Help vs. Processor. Instead of using the processor to make matzo crumbs, put matzo in a plastic bag and have kids roll with a rolling pin to break and crumble. Of course the project takes longer, but is more fun.

Tags: children, family, hannukah, holiday, latkes
Posted in Holidays, Lisa Barnes Blog | No Comments »

O’ Christmas Tree with Apple Crisps Recipe

December 8th, 2009

measuring a sapling

We talked about a tree quite a bit this year…a big tree, a living tree, just a kids’ tree? I was thinking a big living tree that we could have outside with lights and be able to plant in the yard and watch it grow year after year. My daughter, being 3 doesn’t remember much about the previous years of trees (or the holidays for that matter) so she thought planting a tree sounded good. However when my son realized this would be no ornaments on the big tree he was dissappointed. He really enjoys unwrapping the ornaments every year. And I must admit, I would miss this ritual too.

We do not have a stylized or as I say “Pottery Barn” tree. A few years ago I was taken back by friends who had an amazing tree of all silver matching ornaments. It was beautiful, but there was no story or history. Ours would not be in a magazine or catalog. By this I mean our ornaments are a hodgepodge. When I was little my mom always put individual little trees in my sister and my bedrooms. Each year we would carefully select a new ornament and add it to our collection. The collection is quite eclectic (although I chose many mini wooden angels) and international (ornaments made from all over the world vs. today’s all made in China). These ornaments now hang on the big family tree, as well as some of them were handed down to my kids for their own trees. Hoping they too will enjoy collecting. This makes some of the ornaments 30 – 40 plus years old. There are even a few my grandmother beaded from the 1950’s.

This year we decided to go to a sustainable Christmas tree farm in Petaluma and cut our own. My husband grew up in the mountains where you’d always cut your own (no lot or farm needed). However we’d always gone to the local school or tree lot. I like the idea of cutting one tree and knowing another will be planted. I’m also hoping it’s going to last and not turn brown too quickly.

Our family had a great time on our tree outing …hiding in the trees, measuring up the perfect tree, seeing farm animals, visiting Santa, collecting “tree cookies”, using a saw, etc… I must admit though I had to remind myself that more trees would be planted. I heard a dad comically yell “Timber” at the top of his lungs and thought of the truffala trees. If you have little ones you know about the Dr. Suess book entitled “The Lorax“. When seeing the stumps of the pine trees, I kept thinking of the poor Truffala trees which were hacked down to make thneeds (which of course nobody needs). But I kept telling myself this was different. True, no one needs a Christmas tree. But they bring great joy and memories to children and adults alike. Plus these would be recycled (make into mulch) and new seeds planted in their place.

Truffala Stump RemindersThe Lorax

We got the tree home, after many miles of hoping the tree rope was tied well enough to the top of the car. We made hot apple cider and snacked on apple chips (see recipe below) and carefully unwrapped the ornaments one at a time and told the history of each ornament. It was all going so well, until I realized my 3 year old was unwrapping (aka ripping and destroying) a paper Santa head ornament. It’s hard to explain to a child that the ornament was wrapped in paper, but also made of paper (35 year old paper) and shouldn’t have been unwrapped. So there’s one less in the collection.

Simply Heat: apple juice, orange wedges, cinnamon stick, and clove

apple chips ready for the oven

Apple Crisps

(page 47 from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)

An alternative to boring potato chips, this simple treat satisfies a child’s need for crunch. Using a mandoline provides convenience and accurate cuts for even baking. However a careful, steady knife works as well. The apples crisp in the low heat, which dries out the moisture. Once in the oven these need no attention (just remember to turn off the oven overnight), until it’s time to pack them (or eat them) in the morning.

Makes about 48 apple crisps; 4 (12-chip) servings

2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 large organic apples such as Fuji or Braeburn

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Stir together evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.

Using a mandoline or a steady hand and a knife, cut the apple vertically in to 1/8-inch-thick rounds. You do not need to core or peel the apple. The seeds will fall out or can easily be removed from apple slices after cutting.

Place apple slices on prepared baking sheets in a single layer and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours. Rotate pans and cook for 1 hour more. Turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight if apples are not dry and crisp. Loosen chips with a spatula to remove from parchment paper.

Kids Korner

Shake it Up! The easiest way to lightly and evenly sprinkle sugars and spices is to transfer to a spice shaker. Having a specially marked shaker for cinnamon and sugar saves time when making other snacks such as cinnamon toast or spicing up plain yogurt. This is also a “neat” way to get children to help with decorating and flavoring tasks.

Tags: apple chips, apple cider, children, christmas trees, Recipe
Posted in Holidays, Lisa Barnes Blog, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Mystery of the Dissappearing Kale…

December 2nd, 2009

Someone’s been eating our kale…and it’s just about gone. We have a container garden on our deck. I’ve been amazed by how much we’ve been able to eat and enjoy from this experiment – lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, peas, beans, herbs, etc… Once the peas were done, we planted some kale and chard starts. It was all growing well, about 6 – 8 weeks in, until we noticed the leaves of the kale dissappearing. Take a look…

eaten kale

The reason we have the plants on our deck is because of our deer friends and other critters that live around the house. My daughter found a colorful caterpiller on the radishes one day and said “He (the caterpiller) can have the tops and we can have the bottoms. We need to share”. This was a very nice sentiment and acceptable because there was only critter. Of course the garden is organic (no spraying or funny stuff) so I suppose anyone is welcome.

the investigator

But the kale was different. And why is this creature just have a taste for kale? What’s wrong with the beans and chard? My son went out and examined more closely and found the culprits. Many of them. Over 40! They are cute little looping caterpillars that blend right in to the kale leaves. My son was so proud and just kept pulling more and more off the plant. We decided on a relocation program to the park below our house. My son assured me it would take them a year to get back up to our house. We’ll see…

the culprits

Tags: children, Kids
Posted in Lisa Barnes Blog, gardening | No Comments »

Thanksgiving Lessons…

November 29th, 2009

So I survived Thanksgiving. But I must say it was more stressful than I would’ve liked. First, I kind of burned myself out with all the school actvities (see “feast” post) and recipe testing the week prior. Yes, I loved seeing the school kids eat my little sandwiches, muffins, etc., but sometimes I wish I was the parent who doesn’t cook and can just bring something premade (gasp!). No, of course I would never. However I notice the parents who pick up something lovely at a bakery or restaurant often look much more rested and happy at some of these functions than I do after baking until midnight.

I was a bit worried about my sister’s new diet too (see post about ”A Vegan”) . I’m not the person that could serve someone a plate of crudite veggies and call it Thanksgiving dinner. So I welcomed the challenge and did lots of recipe testing (and pie eating) prior. Thankfully the dishes turned out pretty well and everyone (especially my sister) was very appreciative. I adapted the dressing and sweet potatoes to vegan by using the vegan sticks instead of butter. (Thankfully wine and brown sugar come in handy). My sister made a really good butternut squash rissotto (see recipe here on care2.com) and last minute (I ran out of time) a saute of brussels sprouts in thyme and white wine. The apple cranberry pie recipe came from the cookbook I gave my sister. It was tart but tasty. Although it didn’t totally set up like other apple pies I’ve made in the past. I question the use of tapioca over flour for the apple filling. Flour isn’t an animal product.

Greens with Persimmon and Pecans

Butternut Risotto

Walnut, Crestnut, Sausage, Sage Stuffing

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Ginger

Apple Cranberry Pie

Of course we roasted chestnuts and peeled them. This started as a tradition at my house growing up. My mom would roast chestnuts to make her mother’s stuffing on Thanksgiving morning. Then my mom, sister and I would peel them. Of course it’s easiest to do when they’re hot, so we’d be peeling and scalding our fingers, and complaining. But somehow that became the tradition. Later when I was an adult hosting Thanksgiving I bought preroasted chestnuts for chestnut soup. The soup was great, but it seemed a little sacreligious not to peel them ourselves. So this year my kids wanted to peel too. My mom was proud to have “three generations peeling together”. My recipe adds water to the chestnuts in the oven which steams them and makes them easier to open. But some of them are still tough to do – especially if cooled.

Merry Thanksmas 2009 029

Very A-peeling

So you may be wondering about the turkey. We almost didn’t have one and went completely vegan. Not because I didn’t order (2 weeks prior) or pick one up (fighting the crowds at Whole Foods at 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning), but because it wasn’t thawed to cook. I ordered a “fresh” Diestel organic turkey, so I was surprised when I picked up my bird and it seemed hard and frozen. I was assured that it was just “flash” frozen and simply has a thin crust of ice so that it could be transported and would be ready for cooking or brining in the morning. Huh? I took it home and put it in the fridge. Thanksgiving morning I made my brine (this was a first for me) and then unwrapped the turkey and it was still rock hard. Yikes! I was mad. What now? This seemed a big set-back to me. (What are we going to eat with the two kinds of cranberry sauce/relish with?)

Luckily my mom and sister were calm and said to take it back to Whole Foods. I figured they’d say too bad or run water on it for the next 4 hours. I was wrong. Going to the store on Thanksgiving at 8 a.m. is much more civilized than going the day before. The people at the store couldn’t have been nicer. The customer service was worried and perplexed at first, and called the butcher. The butcher came out with 3 thawed turkeys (cancelled orders) which I could choose from. Hooray! So the bird was brined and quite moist and flavorful.

Merry Thanksmas 2009 046

All and all, the meal and visit with my family was a success. Whew!

You can cook all day, and days before, but it all really comes down to the last half hour. This is the time when everyone is busy, helping and more than ready to eat. It was pretty fun. My mom and kids were decorating the table (we had been using it for board and dice games much of the day) with final touches such as fancy folded napkins and handmade placecards. My sister and brother-in-law were stirring risotto. I was carving the turkey and heating gravy. My husband was using a new video camera to capture it all and interview all the guests/family.

Aside from the visiting and food, another highlight of the day was leaving the kitchen and everyone taking a walk on Richardson Bay. The weather was sunny and brisk and I especially needed some fresh air. I waivered about going, as the turkey would go in late, but I gave myself a reprive from getting the dinner out on time (we had established 4 p.m.). Dinner at 5:30 was just fine.

Tags: butternut, chestnuts, cranberry, family, food, holiday, pies, thanksgiving, turkey
Posted in Holidays, Lisa Barnes Blog, Uncategorized, organic | No Comments »