adventures in family-friendly cooking

so last week i was in las vegas babysitting my niece and 2 nephews in the afternoons while their regular sitter (a.k.a. grandma) is out of town. i decided it would be fun to be their personal chef for the week (or "auntie chef" as the kids are now calling me), but it has been more of a challenge than i thought it would be cooking for 3 kids and 2 adults that don't necessarily eat the same way i do. i had some success... and some failure and just thought i'd share my adventures with you.

first of all, a quick bio on my eaters last week:

jeremy: my brother, definitely a picky eater, a very finicky palate, often tough to please, spent most of my summer cooking trying to figure out how to do just that
melissa: my sister-in-law, good eater, not tough to please
jacob: nephew, 12, likes plain noodles, plain rice and chicken - as long as you don't season it wrong
emma: niece, 7, can "pound the sushi", a more adventurous eater than i, unless you venture into the realm of "healthy" (which i often do!)
abe: nephew, 4, funniest kid you'll ever meet, prefers hotdogs and doughnuts above all else

next, my menu with reviews (recipes will be last or click links for recipes):

monday: easy baked pasta
jer, mel and jacob: m.i.a.
emma: loved the meat, got sick of the noodles 1/2 way through her plate
abe: hilarious. kept telling me he wouldn't eat it because "i tried it 20 times" and "i don't like it". i promised him i'd make him something else as long as he tried it. he tried it, admitted that he liked it, then caught me in my own promise by reminding me i only said he had to take one bite and then opting for the previous night's pizza in the fridge. funny kid man.

tuesday: turkey chili and corn bread (thanks to abe for "making" the corn bread. he's the most fun cooking buddy i've ever had) (yummiest corn bread ever. seriously. email me for recipe if you're dying for it. it can't go on skinny bovine because it is not... i repeat, not, good for you. :) )jer: liked the chili, loved the corn bread
melissa: loved both
jacob: m.i.a.
emma: loved both - even had seconds of the chili!
abe: loved his corn bread. wouldn't touch the chili. he's 4. what do you expect?

wednesday: chicken tacos and quesadillas
jer: loved them, even raved about them you might say - surprised me and opted for quesadillas, though
melissa: loved them. doesn't usually like chicken, but she loved this chicken. opted for tacos. jacob: m.i.a.
emma: loved the quesadillas. had 2.
abe: talked about the upcoming quesadillas all day, devoured his when it finally came and discovered a new love for sour cream

thursday: orange chicken (click here for recipe on previous post)
jer: m.i.a.
mel: liked it okay
jacob: really liked it
emma: liked it for the first 5 minutes and then changed her mind. haha.
abe: said it was the "best chicken i ever eat". :)

friday: homemade pizza (a frequent request. they love my pizza.) lots of variation is easy with this one to please different eaters - andouille sausage and kalmata olives for jer, chicken pesto for mel and i, and simple cheese for the kids
jer: has since declared this his "favorite food right now" and said he wouldn't hesitate spending another $250 bucks to fly me in if i made the pizza for him again
mel: loved it - "what did you put in that crust?"
jacob: loved it
emma: loved it
abe: loved it - and even had seconds despite the fact that he'd been begging me to make him "shells and cheese" for dinner

simple turkey chili

simple turkey chili (click here to read kid reviews)

1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (less if you're extra sensitive to spicy)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. brown turkey and onion in large pot until done.
2. pour water into the pot. mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. season with chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper.

3. bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

crockpot option: brown turkey and onions. combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook for however long you desire.

recipe and picture from allrecipes.com - with a few variations, of course!

easy baked pasta

easy baked pasta (click here to read reviews)

ziti noodles
mozerella
parmesan
your favorite pasta sauce
ground turkey browned with fresh garlic, salt and pepper

bake at 350 for 30 min

easy as that and it's a sure fire hit with almost any crowd!

homemade pizza

homemade pizza (click here to read reviews)

thanks to my friend jessica for the delicious dough recipe (with a few changes of my own...):

1 tablespoon quick rise yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup very warm water (as hot as you can get it from your tap)

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white flour

a little bit less than 2 cups whole wheat flour

a teaspoon or so of olive oil (or none if you prefer)

1. combine yeast, sugar and water in large bowl. stir until it starts to bubble.

2. add salt and flour (and oil if you wish). knead just until combined.

3. cover and let rise - minimum 1 hour, but it's better if you let it rise for 2 hours.

4. roll out dough. top with desired toppings. cook in oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

makes crusts for 2 pizzas (i make them on large cookie sheets)

pizzas i love:

chicken pesto (see picture): pesto sauce, mozzerella, parmesan, chicken, olives, tomatoes

bbq chicken: 1/2 bbq sauce and 1/2 low fat ranch for the sauce, mozzerella, parmesan, chicken, green peppers, olives, tomatoes

tomato basil: your favorite pasta/pizza sauce, mozzerella, parmesan, tomatoes, spinach, dried basil

chicken tacos

chicken tacos (click here to read reviews)

1. marinate chicken breasts overnight in a little bit of olive oil, lots of lime juice, fresh garlic and cilantro

2. sprinkle lightly with garlic salt, black pepper and cumin and grill on grill (george forman or pan grilling will work too!)

3. slice chicken into thin strips

serve as tacos: pan heated/toasted corn tortillas, cheese, cilantro, salsa, sour cream

serve as quesadillas: cheese and chicken in a flour tortilla, crisped in a pan on the stove

or serve in any other mexican-style dish!

recipe of the week: yummy banana muffins

here's another way to apply the principle of "waste not, want not" (see previous post). i love these muffins and they are a great way to use up over-ripe bananas and of course, they don't have any oil or butter in them. if you're not into whole wheat yet, try using 1/2 white flour and 1/2 wheat flour. ease your way in. :)

yummy banana muffins

makes 12 muffins

1 egg (or 1 egg white if you want to eliminate a few more calories)
1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (a little bit less is still yummy if you want to make them extra healthy)
1/3 heaping cup applesauce (or plain fat free yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (expensive and definitely optional!)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. lightly grease one 12 cup muffin pan.
2. in a large bowl, combine egg, banana, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. in a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. gently stir flour mixture and oatmeal into banana mixture. fold in walnuts (optional). pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
4. bake in preheated oven or 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack to let cool before serving.

up next - my adventures in cooking for a family of 5 for a week! lots of recipes and just good plain fun (a hilarious 4-year-old, sous-chef was involved - how could it not be fun?)

recipe is a modified version of "seminary muffins" from allrecipes.com. photo is from the same.

the incredible, edible egg

since i'm nursing a baby, exercising and am a generally insatiably hungry skinny bovine, a quick, protein-rich snack is a must in my day. for me, that protein/energy fix is usually a hard-boiled egg (salted, of course!). here are just a few reasons eggs are skinny bovine-worthy:

• they are good fat, high-quality protein and not as linked to bad cholesterol as researchers used to think. (for more on the health benefits of eggs click here.)
  
• soooo cheap! on average they are less than $0.20 per egg - on sale they're even less!
  
• so many different ways to eat them - hard-boiled, scrambled, over easy, etc, etc, etc. keeps it interesting so you don't get bored of them.
  

make a batch of hard-boiled eggs to try for a quick snack at your house. my mom taught me how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. here are the steps:

1. arrange eggs in the bottom of a large pot.
   
2. add cold water just above the top of the eggs.
   
3. bring to a boil on the stove and then turn down so it is barely at a rolling boil.
   
4. leave at rolling boil for 15 minutes.
   
5. remove from heat, drain hot water and run cold water over eggs. let eggs sit in the cold water until they are cool.

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i don't particularly like the usual "breakfast for dinner" scenario, with syrup, orange juice and the like - something hearty is better in my book. that's another fun thing about eggs - they are hearty enough to eat for dinner. when i was a freshman in college my best friend maggi taught me to make "cheesy waffles". she liked to top them with syrup, but i like to put eggs on mine and eat them like a sandwich. so in honor of my maggi, we'll call this recipe "cheesy waffles and eggs" and a bonus of "quick breakfast cobbler".

cheesy waffles and eggs & quick breakfast cobbler

cheesy waffles and eggs
2 eggs - cooked your favorite way
waffle mix, made as per directions
cheese (sharp cheddar is yummiest, but whatever you have will work!)

1. pour waffle batter into waffle iron (the thinner the waffles, the better!). top with cheese as seen in picture below. (top with cheese before you close the waffle iron.)
2. while waffles are cooking, make your eggs as desired.
3. top waffles with eggs. cover in syrup, more cheese, eat with a fork, eat like a sandwich - whatever you'd like!

quick breakfast cobbler (1 piece of fruit serves 2 people as a side dish)
1 ripe peach or nectarine
3 tablespoons oats
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

combine all ingredients. heat in microwave for 1 minute.