Picky Eaters

So, got kids?

One of the great pleasures in my life is teaching teens and tweens their way around the kitchen. It is a total charge for me. The best part (aside from the fact that they constantly crack me up)? I loooooove when they try something new. Unusual. Out of their comfort zone. And I'm not necessarily talkin' sushi for 8 year-olds here. I'm talking about any dish they haven't tried before, be it chicken potpie, blueberry pie, or a crazy salad.

But...

Every so often, I get one. A picky eater. And sometimes, just sometimes, they are really proud of the fact that they are indeed, picky eaters.

I don't get it.

I didn't always like what my mom served for dinner. Ham & green beans. No thanks. Broccoli in any form? Double no thanks. Some of it was ooky. But I didn't really have a choice. It was what it was and that was my only option.

Nowadays, folks tend to eat out - a lot. I was thinking about it driving home today (don't ask me why). Have you noticed that children's menus include basically chicken fingers (bonus points if it's real chicken and not pressed and extruded), hamburgers, cheeseburgers, noodles, and lots and lots of fries.

Hmmmm.

How can we expect our kids to make wise decisions as they grow, if the only options we give them are chicken tenders and noodles? All. The. Time. At home or out to dinner.

What happened to eating the dinner that was made for you.

Most of the kids I know aren't going to starve anytime soon. A meal that's not a fave won't kill them. Skipping one won't either.

When I personal cheffed for a living, I often cooked for parents only. The kids would eat macaroni et al every night while mom & dad dined on whatever I had prepared.

When did things change, and why did we let them?

Just so you know, I'm not thinking of any student or child individually here, more thinking about the state of dinner as a whole.

If I remember correctly, it takes seven times to know whether or not you really like something. I don't know if I believe this, simply because I have never, not once, liked beets and I knew that one right off the bat.

But hey - I didn't like sushi the first time I had it. Or liver/pate. Or asparagus. But I like them now. Woo boy, do I like them now.

So do this for me.

Make dinner. And have your family eat it. Without options. Just dinner. And if you go out, don't let the kids order from the kid's menu. An appetizer usually costs about the same as a meal off the kid's menu, and the options are usually cooler.

It's time to take a stand and take responsibility for children's taste buds around the world. Just try it, 'k?

Just my opinion.

Simple Summer Salad

Last night was one of those evenings where everything just comes together. The friends, the food, the Proseco...

I got home a little late from summer camps, but had a pork tenderloin I had thawed overnight ready to do something to (quick balsamic, rosemary, & garlic marinade, then popped it on the grill). We invited a few folks over to enjoy dinner with us and surprise of surprises, they all said yes!

I had a few more guests than I had originally planned for (which is almost never a bad thing) so I knew I had to whip something up that was fast, filling, and didn't require a trip to the store to stretch out the pork. Salad was the first thing I thought of. Here's what I used:

• 5 ears of leftover corn-on-the-cob which I cut off and then milked the corn ears
• 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (smallish dice)
• A nice handful fresh basil from the garden, washed and cut into a chiffonade (long, thin strips)
• half a box of Ditalini (I thought it would "match" the corn)
• a good tablespoon Dijon
• a couple of tablespoons of Cider Vinegar
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

That's it. I combined the corn, diced tomatoes, basil, and cooked ditalini in a big bowl and stirred them all together, then I made a quick vinaigrette with the Dijon, cider vinegar and olive oil. I seasoned that with salt and pepper, then tossed the whole shootin' match together and seasoned it again. The acidity of the cider vinegar was balanced nicely with the sweetness of the corn. Ahhhhhh. Really, really good.

One quick note on vinaigrettes: A classic vinaigrette includes 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. I tend to like mine a little more tart, so I usually go 2:1, oil:vinegar. Combine the Dijon and vinegar, then drizzle in the oil while you whisk. It should keep everything together so that you don't need to re-whisk or worry about it separating. Also, I like things saucy, so I made around a 1/2-3/4 cup dressing for the salad. It was plenty, and it was delicious the next day too. When I ate it for lunch. And didn't share. Bad me. ;)

Grilled Pizza in a Snap (Almost :)

I hit the Baughman's Lane farmer's market on Saturday (almost like a contact sport this time of year!) and was struck by the urge for a little grilled pizza. How the two are related (it's too early for my favorites, eggplant & tomatoes), I have no idea except to say that is where the urge struck.

So what did I do? Well, I raced home and started the dough. It's super simple, even if you're dough-challenged.

Just take 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast:

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (yeast food):

Then add 1 cup of warm water (not hot or you'll kill the yeast - it should feel warm on the inside of your wrist) and let set in a warm place for 5 minutes:

until it's foamy.

Throw in 1 T. of olive oil and a good pinch of salt, then stir in 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour or so (you may need a little more if it's really humid outside) until it forms sort of a ball.

I used the stand mixer with the dough hook and let it work its magic for about 5 minutes or so (it takes a little longer if you're doing it by hand).

Then I gave it a good knead by hand for a minute or so(because I like to feel the dough), then threw it back in the bowl to rise until doubled. On Saturday it took about half an hour, and I covered it and put it on the back porch.

After about 30 minutes (but it could take as long as 45), Anna punched it down.

We scooped it into a flatish ball and let it rest for 5 minutes before trying to roll it (otherwise it will just keep springing back every time you try to roll it out. It needs a little r&r before you can really work it. It's just like you when you get out of bed in the morning, right? You need a few minutes to gather yourself after the harsh reality of your feet hitting the floor. Yeast doughs are the same way. But I digress...)

Once the dough has rested, I cut it into 4 pieces and patted them out.

Then, because patting wasn't really working for me, I rolled them. That's better.

Then I took them out to the grill. Now here's the trick, and please bear in mind that I am working on a hundred dollar grill here - nothing fancy at all - but it does have two zones for heat. This is muy importante.

Preheat your grill so that it's nice and hot. Leave one side hot hot hot and the other, well, nice and low, maybe even off, but we'll get to that.

Place the dough on the hot side of the grill - don't worry, it won't slip through the grate. This is a nice, firm dough.

Look at that! It puffs up almost immediately. Let it get a little crispy, then flip it over. Brush it with a little oil (I made some quick garlic oil) and top it with whatever you like.

I used some tomatoes, fresh basil from my garden, and some fresh mozzarella. I also added some chopped, grilled eggplant, mozzarella, ricotta, and fresh basil. I'm the only one in my family who likes eggplant so yeah, that worked for me.

Then slide the pizza to the low side of the grill and shut it up tight. You want all of the cheesy stuff to melt, which is awesome. If the heat is too high, you'll burn the crust. You need to work with the residual heat from the other side without over-caramelizing the bottom. Keep in mind though, this isn't really going to cook your toppings so much as melt them and warm them and make 'em yummy, ok? So if you're looking for roasted tomatoes, you'll need to do that beforehand.

A couple of minutes and you're done.

Looks like Anna liked it. :)

Iced Coffee Lovin'

Coffee shops are one of my serious vices, and I love going to get a little caffeinated every morning. Of particular love is iced coffee, but it costs a fortune and just between you and me, I am watching every penny this summer.

I'm not one to just give stuff up, and let me tell you my friends, walking the dog and going to get my grande 4 pump double shot with my husband almost every morning during the summer is seriously one of my highlights. But at almost 6 bucks for 2 beverages (iced grande chai for him), well, you can do the math and see that this will quickly add up to, ummmm, a lot ($30+ per week for 8 weeks = too darn much).

So I did some research, and here's what I found:

The New York Times, a couple of years ago, came up with a recipe for cold-brewed coffee. Now this stuff is supposed to be mellow and lovely without the bitterness that you get from forcing the hot water through the grounds. I'm mellow (not!), and thought I'd give it a try. Here's what you do (and these proportions come from the Times, so I take zero credit for that):

• Take 1/3 cup coarse ground (important!!) coffee and put it into a container (I did this the first time with a medium roast coffee and it was way too weak for me. This time - I brought out the "extra bold" and amen sister, it was!) .
  
• Add 1 1/2 cups cold water (based on the size container I have, I triple the recipe each time, so 1 cup coffee grounds to 4 1/2 cups cold water).
  
• Let set, uncovered (I go for overnight +, which ends up being 12-24 hours, based on when I remember I want to get the party started.)
  
• Strain out the grounds (I go with 2 strainings and get the really chunky stuff the first time)

• Place the coffee concentrate into a container and store in the fridge for a couple of days (do you love that I totally am busted with a jar of sauce in the background? Umm, it's for JVB and the kids when I'm working. I swear. Pinky swear?).

• I add fat-free half and half (I usually hate fat-free and reduced fat stuff, but I am getting way too fat to go with regular at this point, so I have to make an exception somewhere -- sorry) and a bit of simple syrup, then shake the heck out of it (you can stir if you like). This stuff is pretty daggone strong, so you'll need to dilute it by half and then mellow it out with milk, water, carrot juice, heck, I don't care, but it's potent, so be warned.). Viola!

There's a certain mellowness to the coffee, but still with zing. In fact, my oh-so-extensive research has pointed out that the coffee concentrate is roughly twice as caffeinated as the usual stuff, just so you know. Maybe now you can see why I like it milky and sweet (we called that "light and sweet" back in NYC).

Note to self: Do not try to pour the coffee while looking through the camera lens, because there's a good chance you'll spill it all over the counter/stove and have to clean-up a big mess and waste some of the precious elixir. Just sayin'.

So there you go. Simple? Duh. Worth it? Totally. Economical? Absolutely. Super-caffeinated? Shazam!! I. Can. Do. ANYTHING!!!

Maybe next time I'll have a smaller glass.

Keep It Simple

Quick post today before I'm off on my adventures here and here, because I just have to know why oh way you aren't using Simple Syrup.

You know what I'm talking about, right? Ok, for the uninitiated, simple syrup is a sweetener that you make yourself right at home. This of course begs the question, why would I want to do that when I've got sugar and Splenda, and all that other fake junk laying around?

Simply because, my lovelies, that stuff doesn't melt in cold drinks. Y'know when you dump the sugar into your iced tea and stir your little heart out and it STILL all stays on the bottom? Simple syrup doesn't do that. Simple syrup integrates itself into your drink. Sure, it may get a little bottom-heavy sometimes, but it's easy to diffuse into your drink with a quick little stir, if at all.

I usually make some once every week or two during the summer and keep it in my fridge for my iced coffee deliciousness. Splash of milk and a splash of syrup in my travel cup and I'm good to go.

I mention this because I was at The Standard Baking Co. in Portland, Maine (no website!) yesterday and there it was, just waiting for me and my coffee. **sigh** Please don't let anyone ever tell you that it's not about the little things, because it totally, totally is (at least in my book). FYI - They also do this at The Tasting Room with iced tea, and it even comes in a sweet little pitcher.

So how to make, how to make? So easy:

Place equal parts pure cane sugar (white sugar) and water into a pot (ex: 1c. ea)

Bring up to just under a boil, just so the sugar melts, then let it cool off and pour into a little Rubbermaid container and store in the fridge.

That's it.

Seriously, how easy is that? Just use it the same way you would regular sugar. 1 T = 1 T.

Try it today - you'll thank me. :)

A Taste of India: Rajni Hatti

Did I mention that we have a new instructor at TKS? Rajni Hatti of Simply Indian out of (of all places) Charles Town, WV, is going to teach a beginning Indian cooking class for us on July 9 from 6:30-9. Rajni teaches a wide variety of Indian cooking classes and has been featured in newpapers, magazines, and on television in Charles Town.

I am so thrilled to have Rajni join our roster of new instructors and can't wait to try the deliciousness that she's going to teach everyone to prepare, including Mango Lassi (one of my favorite International beverages!), Keema Matar with Naan (Spiced Ground Meat and Peas), Dal Tarkari (Lentils with Zucchini), & Palak Pulao (Spinach Rice Pilaf).

I mention all of this because Rajni has a fantastic article in today's Frederick News Post written by one of our favorite food writers, Rochelle Myers. You can check out the full article here.

We've even had a few folks register today already, so if you're interested, visit our web site here. Tell 'ya what: Use the code CLASS5 when you check out and save 5 bucks on your registration. Just do it before June 30, ok? See you there!

How 'bout a Cooking Birthday Party??

When I opened The Kitchen Studio 4 years ago, I knew that I really wanted the focus to be on teaching cooking classes and offering a high quality meal assembly service. Kids were going to be involved somehow, but I just wasn't sure how much fun it would be on that end of things. You see, at that point, my own kids were 6 & 9 and as any parent knows, your own children affect you in a way no one else's ever could. So I started out slowly offering kid things. A class here or there. Build some gingerbread houses, make some noodles, just something to get them interested. Then a funny thing happened...

I liked it. I mean, I really liked it. The kids were fun. They wanted to learn. They wanted, oh my stars, they wanted to try new foods. And somewhere along the way, it got to be fun. Cracking up fun. Learning how to communicate at exactly their level fun. Really teaching them fun. So much fun in fact, that we started offering summer cooking camps. The first year, just 3 weeks. The second and third years, 4 weeks. This year, 5 weeks. And may I let you know that even in this super-sucky economy, we are 86% sold on all of our camps this year, with 5 completely sold out. How do 'ya like them apples? Perhaps an expansion of services smack dab in the middle of a recession wasn't the smartest idea, but it seems to be working out so far...

But wait a minute you're saying, didn't she title this post something about birthday parties? Why yes, yes I did. Because a few months ago, we started offering kid's hands-on cooking birthday parties, and they have been, AMAZING. Check this out:

(smelling herbs & spices)

• We set a date for the party (they last 2 hours)
  
• You show up with your kid and up to 9 guests
  
• We cook
  
• We clean


• The kids eat what they make & take the recipes home

Does it get easier than that? I don't think so. We even provide all of the papergoods etc. Parties have been so popular, that we have had Saturdays where we're going from 10am to 6pm (plus tack on set-up and clean-up time on either end) and don't want to see another pot of fondue as long as we live! We even have parties booked as far in advance right now as September! Can you believe it??? I can't.

Right now we're offering 4 menus, but I'm working on a few new ones (ideas anyone??) to keep things fresh. Here's what we've got:

• Fun with Fondue (grape jelly meatballs, pizza in a pot & chocolate fondue)


• Spaghetti & meatballs, garlic bread, cupcakes


• Mexican Fiesta (soft tacos, salsa, dessert nachos, Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes)


• Pizza, smoothies, & Cupcake

Did I mention that we only charge $250 for up to 10 kids? Compared to what else is out there, even in this day and age I think you're definitely getting your money's worth. We've had so many parents raving about how easy it is and how affordable, not to mention that the kids had a fantastic time, that we're having a trouble keeping it up with it all the compliments! FYI -We also create custom menus, but charge a little extra for that.

(look at those knife skills!)

(sometimes we just get silly)

So, know a kid with a birthday coming up who just looooooves to cook? We're here for you. And your kids. And their friends. Really? Come Play with Your Food. Your whole family will be so happy that you did. :)