Whining and Dining

Toddler Test Kitchen: Edamame Pesto

Pesto can really make pasta sing. Pestos can be made of all sorts of ingredients -- one of them being edamame. It's another great way to get some veggies into your little one and weave a little soy into their diet. My parents love to serve this as an appetizer on toasted slices of baguette with a light, crisp white wine like Viognier, Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.

Most importantly, our daughter loves this stuff as an appetizer or on her pasta.

Servings: 4

Note: Edamame, green soybeans, are available fresh and frozen in well-stocked markets like Trader Joe's.

1/2 pound pasta

1 cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/4cup pine nuts

3/4 cup  extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon minced ultra-fresh garlic

Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

*Sometimes I add about a 1/4 cup of fresh paramesan to this, also.

**If desired, add 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped for a different spin. 

***To be really fancy, my dad adds a dribble of truffle oil to give it a more refined taste.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

2. While the pasta cooks, combine the edamame, nuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper.

3. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and return it to the pot. Add the pesto and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper liberally to taste. *You can top with fresh chopped mint.

Even the lactose-intolerant can scream for ice cream!

Hi. Remember me. I took a bit of a blogging vaykay over the past 10 days. Having too much birthday fun, I guess. But here I am, refreshed and ready to bring you and your kids all of the wonderful deliciousness that exists within our world. So back to the business at hand.....

Hoooorray! Those with lactose issues will rejoice over LaLoo's Ice Cream. Made of goat's milk, these gourmet ice creams come from Sonoma and are as rich and creamy as ever. Did you know that a goat's milk ice cream has less fat than cow's milk ice cream? Oh yeah. It also doesn't contain growth hormones, which is a big plus in my book. Bring it on.

Especially when it comes to the flavors: Black Mission Fig, Pumpkin Spice, Meyer Lemon (pictured), Deep Chocolate (made with Scharffen Berger cacao, Capraccino (made with Italian espresso) and Strawberry Darling. Have I convinced you, yet?

If so, you can find LaLoo's at Whole Foods Market, Bristol Farms, Wild Oats. But first, you may want to check the store locator just to make sure.

Your little lactose-intolerant one will thank you.

*Cool Mom Picks tipped me off on this product. Here's the link to more of the story from them.

Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

Suzanne, you had us at "prosciutto." That's right, the celebrated Lucques and AOC chef, Suzanne Goin, led us on to this new family staple. We made her Prosciutto and Grilled Asparagus with Whole Grain Mustard from her Sunday Supper cookbook recently for dinner. Loved, loved the flavors! Doesn't bacon (or its cousins) make everything better? Absolutely!

The best part of all is the Whole Grain Mustard sauce, which happens to be delicious with a variety of veggies. My daughter and I also had fun dipping long string beans (green or yellow) into the sauce for a snack.

To make it healthier, we swapped the creme fraiche for plain yogurt (see pictured).

1/2 cup of plain European Style yogurt (or creme fraiche). You just want to make sure that it is not the lumpy kind of yogurt. European Style is smooth and creamy.

3 Tbsp. of whole grain mustard

To make the whole dish: Get your grill fired up about 30 - 40 min before you are ready to cook. (You can also saute here instead). Snap the ends off the asparagus to remove the tough woody portion. Toss the asparagus on a baking sheet with olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and some pepper.

Stir the mustard and yogurt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

With the prosciutto, you have one of two options. You can drape it on the plate as is (as Suzanne suggests) or you can saute it first until it starts to get a little brown and crispy (my preference, esp. since I am pregnant). Our daughter sure took to the prosciutto!!

Grill the asparagus for 2-3 minutes until slightly charred and tender. Arrange the asparagus on the prosciutto and drizzle the mustard sauce on top.

Try This: Mini-Burgers

It's not just the kids that love mini foods. Grown ups really dig them, too. The slider (mini-burger) craze has been sweeping the nation and has landed on many a menu as an appetizer or small plate at trendy restaurants.

I must admit that I love it when my dad gets excited about a new culinary find. (He's actually quite good at finding the latest kitchen gadgets). And I'll give him full credit here for discovering the Mini-Burger Press at Williams Sonoma.

Ever since he bought the press, sliders have been one of his go-to dinners for entertaining friends and family on game days, beach party weekends, etc. And that's what we did on the 4th of July -- picked up a load of hamburger meat from Costco, a large package of Hawaiian rolls (of course, you can find these at your local grocery store, too) and whala....mini-burgers to celebrate our nation's b-day. Delicious and a cost-efficient way to feed a lot of people. But most importantly, it's something that both kids and adults alike can enjoy!
 

Crunchy and Cheesy Kari's Potatoes

When you're cooking for the masses, it's good to go with simple dishes. This was the case when we cooked for 16 people for our friend's recent birthday. We grilled pork tenderloin, panzanella salad, grilled asparagus and "Kari's Potatoes." With the exception of the late dinner service (it was almost 9 when we got dinner on the table) and an asparagus shortage, our customers were pleased with the meal overall. Whew! Glad we pulled that one off!

I thought you'd like to get the scoop on the potatoes, which were a big hit. Also, this is a great recipe to make with your budding Emeril. Your little one will love crunching up the corn flakes and spreading them on top of the potatoes. So fun!

Warning: This dish is OBVIOUSLY not so healthy. And the ingredients are, quite frankly, appalling. But it's delicious for that party or special occasion, for a little splurge.  The big bonus is that  recipes don't get easier than this. So turn a blind eye to the ingredients and enjoy.

Kari's Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 8oz. sour cream

1 t. salt

½ small onion, chopped

2 c. corn flakes, crushed

1 can undiluted cream of chicken soup

½ c. melted butter

12oz. cheddar cheese, grated

32oz. shredded hash browns, thawed

 

Directions:

Place potatoes in 9” x 13” dish. Mix ingredients together and pour over potatoes. Top with corn flakes and drizzle melted butter over.

 Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Morning Sickness Blues

Morning sickness....bleh....it just really sucks. There's really no other way to describe it. Since I'm pregnant at the moment, it's something that's been on my mind and stomach for the past 20 weeks. Thankfully, most of it has subsided, but it does rear its ugly head every now and then.

This time around, it was much harder with having to tend to a lively toddler. And the worst part was feeding her in the morning. Just the smell of my fridge would turn my stomach upside down. ICK!

So, for all of you pregnant mommies or soon-to-be preggers I thought I would post some ideas on curbing your queasies. Here's what helped me....

1) Frozen grapes - When it was hard to eat anything other than crackers, frozen grapes were a nice treat for me and seemed to soothe my tummy.

2) Pucker up - Sucking on a Preggie Pop or lemon Jolly Ranchers or a lemonade popsicle seems to help some really fight off the vomit when the going gets tough. I kept sliced lemons in my fridge. When the fridge would put me over the edge, I'd quickly grab a lemon slice, suck on it and smell it.

3) Try ginger - Trader Joe's Crystallized Ginger Slices - The Chinese have always treated nausea and morning sickness with ginger. And ginger does help many ladies. Also, ginger tea, ginger ale, etc.

4) Don't forget the protein - Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Pretzels Oh my favorite! Since protein helps keep you from being hungry, I keep a little baggie of these guys in my purse always. At the slighest hunger pang, I would pop one in my mouth. Any ol' peanut butter and crackers will do!

5) Baskin Robbins' Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream  - For some reason, this flav really hit the spot when I had the urge to purge.

6) Sparking water or club soda with a slice of lemon, lime or orange (or all of the above) - This seemed to work better for me this time around. During my first pregnancy, I got so sick of Ginger Ale, Sprite and Gatorade.

7) Seasickness bands - OK, not a food, but a very necessary suggestion. These really help!

8) Peppermint - Whether you go with Altoids or peppermint tea, a good dose of peppermint seems to aid the nausea.

Of course, I'm not a doctor here so you obviously need to discuss with him / her about what is best for you.

What worked for you? Feel free to add to the list in the comment section!!

Going Gluten-Free? Check out this blog...

After years of tummy woes, my friend Amber and Aunt Susan have recently discovered they've got gluten issues. Amber has expressed the trials and tribulations in kicking the wheat habit. Ugh. Seems like it's in everything.

In honor of my peeps and all of you folks  (or your kids) who have gluten problems, I wanted to tell you about Gluten- Free Girl. It's a great blog all about gluten-free recipes and thoughts and musings about a life sans wheat. So, check it out and hopefully you'll find some new recipes for your repetoire.

Yogurt- Covered Fruit Kabobs

It's wicked, wicked hot today in Los Angeles. We ventured out this morning for music class, but have been shut ins (in the AC) for the remainder of the day.

So, I was looking for a yummy snack with several requirements: there is to be no cooking in this house today; we need ingredients that I have kickin' around; and I'd like it be on the healthy side (after our week of having chocolate chip cookies around - see last post). I discovered the below recipe on Kids' Health.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1/3 c. red seedless grapes
• 1/3 c. green seedless grapes
• 2/3 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup nonfat yogurt
• 1/4 c. dried coconut, shredded 

Utensils:

• knife (You'll need help from your adult assistant.)
• 2 wooden skewer sticks
• large plate

Directions:

1. Prepare the fruit by washing the grapes, washing the apples and cutting them into small squares, peeling the bananas and cutting them into chunks, and cutting the pineapple into chunks, if it's fresh. Put the fruit onto a large plate. 
2. Spread coconut onto another large plate.
3. Slide pieces of fruit onto the skewer and design your own kabob by putting as much or as little of whatever fruit you want! Do this until the stick is almost covered from end to end.
4. Hold your kabob at the ends and roll it in the yogurt, so the fruit gets covered. Then roll it in the coconut**
5. Repeat these steps with another skewer.
6. Chill for 30 min. - 1 hour.

**Roll your kabobs in something besides coconut. Try granola, nuts, or raisins, or use your imagination.

The Award-Winning Chocolate Chip Cookie

In my book, nothing is as good as the chocolate chip cookie. Or how about a warm cookie a la mode or a cookie sandwich like from LA's own Diddy Reese. Oh yeah. It's the stuff I dream about.

Since I am about to enjoy one of these delectable cookies, I thought I should share the recipe with you. Because you are my friend and faithful reader, of course.

Honestly, I don't know what award this recipe has won, but I do know that about 5,000 people have rated this a top notch cookie on Allrecipes.com. And that's good enough for me. So, here goes....

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1.             Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

2.             In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3.             Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Yield: 72 servings

Tip: Since this makes A TON of cookies, unless you have the Cookie Monster at your house, you may want to consider freezing the extra dough for later. After you bake the cookies that you want, stick the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes to harden the dough. Roll remaining dough into balls and stick them in tupperware and back in the freezer. Then, you can have a hot, fresh cookie anytime you want. My husband also likes that it kind of serves as a portion control. Bake just 1 cookie for yourself, and you won't have the temptation to eat half a dozen of 'em.

Tomatoes Gone Bad??

Tomatoes gone bad?? Yes, that is the word on the street and just in time for tomato season (one of my very favorite seasons of the year.... oh those heirloom tomatoes have my heart). But this year, we'll have to keep a watchful eye on tomatos that we buy due to the recent salmonella outbreak.

After attending a work event, I swung by Fatburger to grab a turkey burger for the road. Not even thinking, I ordered tomato on it. The cashier quickly responded saying, "Mam, we are not serving tomatoes due to the recent outbreak." It was comforting for me to hear that many food vendors aren't taking chances.

In case you aren't aware of the recent news, here is the story....

Reuters - Los Angeles, CA --U.S. health officials on Wednesday said they are still receiving reports of people falling ill from eating Salmonella-tainted tomatoes and that they now have 167 reported cases from 17 states. Click here for the rest of the story.

So, are there ANY tomatoes that we can eat right now? Yes, there are. Here's what the FDA says...

At this time, FDA is advising consumers to limit their consumption of tomatoes to the following types of tomatoes. The following types of tomatoes listed below are NOT likely to be the source of this outbreak.

• cherry tomatoes
• grape tomatoes
• tomatoes sold with the vine still attached
• tomatoes grown at home

FDA recommends consuming raw red plum, raw red Roma, or raw round red tomatoes grown and harvested only from the following areas that HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTBREAK:

Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida (counties of: Jackson, Gadsden, Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto, Sarasota, Highlands, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, Charlotte)*
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Jersey
New York
Nebraska
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Belgium
Canada
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Israel
Netherlands
Puerto Rico

* Shipments of tomatoes harvested in these counties are acceptable with a certificate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Click here for more from the FDA's site.

Tomato alternatives? You betcha! Here's a helpful video on cooking with alternative fruits and veggies.