Sweet Tooth Friday - No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I have decided to kick off Sweet Tooth Fridays with a 'no bake' cookie. These cookies are great when you have a hankering for something sweet and just don’t feel like pulling cookie trays in and out of the oven for an hour. It is also really hard to mess them up so if you love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate (who doesn’t???) then you need to give these a try.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 Tbs cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups old fashion oats
Parchment paper

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat, mix the milk with the butter. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Let the mixture boil for 3 minutes and then, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, add the peanut butter and oats. Mix furiously until all is combined. Remove from heat.
Place small balls (a tablespoon full of the mixture) on parchment lined cookie sheets. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes until hardened.
You may never “bake” again…

Sweet Tooth Fridays - An epiphany

So I decided the other day that even though I have alot to say...all the time, my posts have become alot more words than recipes. And although I love the sound of my own voice (see, at least I'm self aware) the whole point of this blog is to get my recipes written down for myself and all you crazy kids out there that follow this adorable little html. Ergo, the creation of Sweet Tooth Fridays.

I always bake on Fridays because my husband loves to spend the weekends snacking on 'sumthin sweet.' Therefore, I try to have something of the dessert variety made before he gets home. Wow, aren't I wife of the year?

Not sure if every Friday will have a post because lets face it, that's just a tall order for this mama of two, but, I'm going to try.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll provoke one of you to put on an apron and pretend to be Betty Crocker every once and a while. Ok, see ya Friday, I promise....(don't you just love the suspense?)

Child's Play - Easy cooking for kids

When it comes to raising children, each day brings a new obstacle. When you first bring a new baby home, you worry about feedings, diapers and SLEEP. After the blur of the first six months, you move on to motor skills; so stairs, doors and sharp objects become the focus of attention. By year one, you finally have a little “person” on your hands that starts developing likes, dislikes and a growing opinion of everything around him or her. One of the fast-developing opinions of your little one is the sense of taste. Some love apple sauce, others hate it. Some can eat a plate of broccoli while others swiftly throw them on the floor. I remember, with my first daughter, feeling as if I ran a diner. She would take a few small bites and then quickly push the food away, so I would run back to the kitchen and try something else. It was so frustrating, all I needed was a hair net and a name tag that read Flo. However, I refused to give up. I wasn’t going to raise my daughter on yogurt and apple sauce. She had to learn to eat what we grown-ups were eating and most importantly, I wanted to teach her, early on, that each meal needs to include protein, vegetables and grains. Enough of this, mommy do what baby want. Who was the adult here anyway...me! (I think)

Anyway, the reason Jamie Oliver is one of my culinary idols is not because of his cuisine. It’s because his dedication to the idea that we should not raise our kids on French fries and pizza, and his social commitment: his willingness to go out in the field and change the way American children eat. We’re a FAT country and the saddest part is that we don’t become FAT, we are raised FAT. Childhood obesity is out of control and the kids are victims of this fast-food culture. Children cannot drive themselves to McDonalds. We do. A four year old doesn’t order chicken fingers and fries when at a restaurant. We do. We put in place a culture when we set the wheels in motion that fast, fried foods not only taste good but are readily available. Can I get an AMEN?!?

Now I need to come off my pedestal because as a new mom, there were times I caved. I remember at one point, I was working a lot and coming home and throwing the Mickey Mouse chicken pieces in the oven just seemed the quickest and easy way to a meal. Then one day, as I was standing in front of the toaster oven waiting for the “chicken” (in parentheses because is it really chicken?!?) to come out of the oven I started thinking. I pride myself on all the things I can cook. I can make most anything I put my mind to so why the hell am I afraid to cook a good meal for my daughters? The worst thing part was they didn’t eat the pre-prepared stuff: they compared it to the family meals I would cook on weekends, and decided that chicken tenders just did not meet their standards. Yes, I was creating culinary snobs and thank God for it!

So I laid a few ground rules (for myself). Here is what I do. Look the list over and pick and choose, even ONE, that you will commit to. Even one will lead to a better fed toddler. I pinky swear!

1. When in a restaurant, my kids DO NOT eat off the children’s menu. I can recite them because they are all the same. Processed hot dog, greasy chicken fingers and fries, mac and cheese (most likely KRAFT) and grilled cheese. Lots of calories, fat and bad eating. Instead, I order a regular meal and my girls split it. The best part is adult meals almost always come with salad or a vegetable, imagine that!

2. They eat ORGANIC (for the most part). Now this rule gets broken because not everything comes in an organic variety and I’m not going to be the lame mom that doesn’t let my kid have snack at school or misses birthday party cake. We ALL remember those poor kids! Forbidden fruit always tastes better, so prohibiting things just makes children want them more (and, sooner or later, they’ll get them; behind your back). I just make sure all their dairy, meat and veggies are organic so at least 80% of their diet is from organic food. I KNOW organic is expensive but even if you start with a few items, you're making progress.

3. No processed food if I can make a better version at home. So, if they want fries, I cut up a few potatoes and bake some. If they want bagel bites, I buy mini bagels and get to work. If they want a pop tart (on a rare occasion) they eat a pop tart. Sorry, I don’t know how to make those. So I don’t think a little processed food is bad, but again, MODERATION! As I said, fanaticism is counter-productive. You'll end up finding a box of candy and twinkies under the bed...although that's probably better then some of the other things you'll find...yikes!

4. The one unbreakable rule (no choosing here) is they have to eat fruits and vegetables every single solid day. This one I don’t break. However, since I have force fed them all kinds of fruit and veg since they could eat solids, my kids now eat them happily. If yours do not, do not give up. If they are hungry enough, they’ll eat it. And, develop a taste for them, I promise. Just keep putting it on the plate and eventually, you’ll get there. So, back to eating healthily and happily. Sorry, I’m no Jessica Seinfeld here. I’m not going to purée cauliflower and call it frosting. I just don’t buy into that. I’m honest with my kids. I will roast some cauliflower with olive oil and bread crumbs and say, THIS is cauliflower and you will are going to try it. It’s a vegetable and it will make you big and strong. We don’t want our kids to trick or lie to us, so why should we lie to them? They need to understand that not everything tastes like dessert and that’s ok.

So, I guess this is my longest (winded) post to date but I think it’s also my most important one. 1 in 4 children in the USA go to bed hungry every night. Can you just imagine going to bed with your stomach growling? That just breaks my heart. So, for those of us that who are fortunate enough to feed our children every day, we have an obligation to them and to ourselves to do it right. Here are some recipes the two most important taste testers in my life, Alessandra and Veronica, enjoy. They are easy, healthy and get the “Mommy, this is yummy, may I have some more” seal of approval. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

I LOVE this recipe (if I do say so myself)! I was inspired by Chuck Hughes' recipe. He deep frys them though and its just not necessary. My recipe is much easier and healthier. Also, it makes alot so you can freeze them!!! I PROMISE you will have to make extra for yourself!

8 pack of organic boneless chicken thighs

3 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper

1 cup of flour 1 egg beaten

2 cups bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian)

olive oil, for greasing baking sheet

Get out the food processor, it does all the work. First, I trim all the excess fat from the thighs and rough chop them. Throw em in the processor with the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper and pulse until you have a chicken "paste" Then, roll them into small meatballs and toss each on a flat plate covered by flour. Gently pat down so you get a small patty, i.e. a nugget shape. Toss so that they are covered in flour. Beat one egg with 1/8 cup of water. Drop each nugget in to get the flour all wet. Move em over to the bread crumbs and lay them in rows on the baking sheet. You can now move them into the freezer. In the morning, I portion them out, 6 to a sandwich bag and put them back in the freezer until I need them. Or, you can cook them immediately. Oil a baking sheet with some olive oil so they don't stick. Just enough to get them moist on the bottom side. Then drizzle more olive oil on the top. Again, you just need enough to get them wet to crisp up. Put them in a 400 degree oven until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Check one to make sure it isn't pink on the inside. They are juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside! DEEEEE lish!

Orange Juice Veggies

Roasting vegetables bring out all their natural sugars so they taste sweet. With a little orange glaze, they are just divine...

24 baby carrots

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrots and squash into a bowl with the olive oil and salt. Drop them on a baking sheet and spread them out so that you have a single layer. Roast them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. They should have brown tips and be nice and soft. Take them out and drizzle the orange juice all over the HOT baking sheet. Shimmy the tray back and forth to deglaze the pan. Not only will all the veggies release to make clean up easier, but they are now all covered in a sweet sauce. Umm Umm Good!

Wok With Me! Fried Rice

Being that I love to cook, I have a lot of kitchen equipment. For me, Williams Sonoma is like a personal mecca. I love walking through and looking at all the gadgets and gizmos that can make the cooking experience easier, faster and more enjoyable. Last year, I bought an ice cream maker and have had so much fun making homemade ice cream with my girls.

However, just like my children’s playroom, when you have a lot of “toys,” after a while you get bored with one and move on to the next. So now that the summer is over, the ice cream maker is collecting dust in the cabinet. Recently, as I was digging through my pots and pans, I noticed my Wok at the bottom of the drawer. Immediately, I decided it was time for my WOK to come out to play. I haven’t used it in a while and I figured it was time to get it some, much deserved attention. I LOVE Asian food; stir frys and soy based dishes just taste better hot out of a wok.

On a night that I just don’t want to cook (yes, it happens) I always seem to reach for the Chinese takeout menu. I try to be adventurous but always seem to choose the same old favorites. And, since I always order when I’m really hungry, inevitably, I order way too much. So, the next day I have lots of leftovers. I HATE leftovers so I have to get creative so all this food doesn’t end up in the garbage.

As we all know, every dish you order from a Chinese restaurant comes with a side of rice. So you always have a ton of rice left over. You also have loads of soy sauce packets. Here comes the immediate inspiration for FRIED RICE. I never order it because I know I will make my own the next day. With Fried Rice, you are supposed to use day old rice so it’s just what you need to make an incredible dish without stepping out to the grocery store. In my recipe, the ingredients are constantly changing (depending on what’s sitting in the fridge) so use mine as a template and get creative with veggies that you love. Leftover steamed vegetables or meat work great here. Just chop em up, and throw em in! Add or omit each time, as you like, remember, YOU are the chef!

Pork Fried Rice
1 tablespoon and ¼ cup of canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cooked meat cut in 1/2-inch cubes, pork, chicken or beef (I love using boneless spare ribs from the night before!)
4 scallions (entire stalk), sliced thin on the bias
1 large clove garlic, minced
pinch of Red chile flakes, if you want to add heat
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
½ cup low sodium soy sauce (less if you prefer less salt, more if you like the dark color and more salt)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 cups cooked leftover rice
Directions
Heat about a tablespoon of canola oil in a wok or large non-stick pan and get it screaming hot. Pour in the eggs and make some scrambled eggs. Once it’s cooked, remove it from the pan.
Now, take the meat you have chosen and chop it up into bite sized pieces. Get it in the wok and move it around until its cooked through. Remove it and set aside with the eggs
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the rest of the oil over high heat. Add the scallions, garlic, chile flakes, ginger and and stir-fry for about a minute, until fragrant. Then add the veggies; mushrooms, peas, and carrots, stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the rice and sesame oil and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Get in there with the spatula are move it all around. Now pour in the soy sauce gradually until you get the color and salt level you like. Keep tasting! Then add back the reserved egg and chopped meat. Stirring until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure rice is no longer hard and cold. Serve immediately.