What kid doesn't like pickles?  Whether they are cucumbers or other vegetables, the "pickle" taste is still alluring.  Vegetables can be eaten in myriad preparations – raw, steamed, sautéed, pureed, roasted and pickled.  However, this last one is something that most people don’t think to do at home. It’s easier than you think. 

It's a good way to introduce new vegetables and get your kids to eat healthy.  In class, one child told me that he doesn’t like cucumbers, but loves pickles.  When I explained that they were one in the same, he didn’t believe me.  That is, until he made them himself.  Hopefully, he will now eat cucumbers and pickles.

 

We pickled cucumbers very quickly in class and while we were at it, we pickled carrots, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and beets too.  All of the vegetables had that “pickle” taste and the kids gobbled them up - even the boy who didn’t like cucumbers.

 

There exist many recipes for pickle making and storing pickles.  This quick pickle recipe is for consumption in a week or so.  Once prepared, they should stay in the fridge till they’re gone (which will surely be quick).

 

Serve them as a side with sandwiches, burgers or chicken, with a main course for dinner or even as a lunchbox snack.  As far as I am concerned, as long as they eat their vegetables, it doesn’t matter how they’re prepared (except, of course, for the deep-fried kind).

 

Cucumber Pickles

 

Slice 5-6 kirby cucumbers into ½ inch slices and place in a heatproof bowl.

Generously sprinkle with salt and stir to coat. Let stand for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse off the salt and pour brine (see below) over cucumbers.

Let stand until cool and eat.

Store in brine in the refrigerator.

 

Vegetable Pickles (except red beets)

 

Cut vegetables into chucks equal in size.

Heat brine (see below) to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Dunk one vegetable into the boiling brine for 1-2 minutes.  You want the vegetables to remain crunchy.

Remove with a small strainer or slotted spoon to a heatproof bowl.

Repeat with the remaining vegetables.

Pour brine over the vegetables in the bowl.

Let stand until cool and eat.

Store in brine in the refrigerator.

 

Red Beet Pickles

 

Prepare red beets the same as with the vegetables.  Keep separate until they are cooled.  Red beets will color the brine (and the rest of the vegetables) red.  If you want to prepare them together, try golden yellow beets.  Note:  Even if the brine is red, it will not affect the flavor.  This is what they look like:

                   

 

Brine

 

2 cups white vinegar

11/2 cups water

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

4 stems fresh dill

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

8-10 juniper berries*

 

*The juniper berries are included because of my adoration for the delicious juniper pickles served at Henry Public.  After eating them, I just had to have homemade pickles.  Juniper berries may be hard to locate, but are certainly worth seeking out.

 

Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and begin to dunk the vegetables.

 

Separate brines should be made to pour over the cucumbers and to use for the beets.

 

These pickled vegetables are fun to make.  They are quite nutritious as well, because you control the salt levels and quality of the vegetables.  Feel free to play with the recipe should your tastes run to a sweeter or sour pickles.  Even if you only make one or two vegetables, your kids will enjoy learning how to make them.  And of course, eating them too.

        

 

Most parents tell me their children don’t like salad.  Even if this is true with your child, it shouldn’t stop you from trying.  Recently, I tested this theory with my students.  I am happy to report, they all, and I mean ALL, loved it. 

 

I supposed that if I told them we were making (and eating salad) when they walked in the door, they would have let me know they didn’t want it.  Instead, I made up a cute name for it and avoided the word “salad” for as long as I could.  For our main ingredient, I selected a relatively mild red butter lettuce rather than mixed greens that contain some bitter leaves.  I toned down some of the vegetables by steaming them and we made our own vinaigrette, using less vinegar than usual.  There were some grumblings about using Dijon mustard but their anxiety was tempered when I told them they wouldn’t taste it once it was combined with the other ingredients.  By the time they dipped their lettuce leaves (I gave them small bits of the crunchy bottoms) into the dressing, they all proclaimed their love of SALAD. 

   

 

Note:  Let the kids prepare as much as possible and munch on the veggies along the way.  Before eating it as a whole, let them try the dressing with a small piece of lettuce.  They will definitely come back for more.

 

CIRCUS SALAD

 

There are no amounts given because I leave it up to you.  Use whatever you wish - in the amount that you wish.  Go to the produce section or the farmer’s market and buy what looks good.  If you wish to add protein – chicken, tuna, beans, eggs, nuts, etc. – go for it.  It could be an entire meal.  It will be so colorful and exciting, the salad actually reminds you of the Circus.

 

Ingredients

 

Butter lettuce

 

Steamed vegetables – string beans, cauliflower and carrots

 

Raw vegetables – golden beet, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes

 

Fruit – orange with the membrane removed (Substitute with apples, pears, grapes, cherries or any fruit that won’t fall apart.)

 

Cheese – ricotta salata, (Substitute with feta, goat or hard cheese.)

 

Grain – 1 cup steamed and cooled quinoa*; (Substitute with couscous, bulgar, or brown rice)

 

*Quinoa can be steamed using 1 part grain to 2½ parts water.  Cool it before using in the salad.

 

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1 tablespoon - Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon - red wine vinegar

¾ cup – olive oil

handful of cilantro leaves (any fresh herb can be substituted)

salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or blender cup.  Use an immersion stick blender (or regular blender) for 30 seconds to a minute to mix into a thick dressing.  Taste and adjust for seasoning.

                    

Assemble Salad

 

Wash and dry the lettuce.  Rip the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.

Steam the carrots and string beans. Cool, dry and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Remove the core and break the cauliflower into florets and steam.  Cool and dry.

Peel the cucumber and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Wash the cherry tomatoes and place in a bowl with the cucumbers.

Peel the orange.  Using a knife cut into the orange along both sides each segment to remove the membrane while extracting the inner portion.

Cut or break the cheese into bite-sized pieces.

          

 

Place the vegetables, quinoa and lettuce in a large bowl.  Lightly swirl on the vinaigrette.  Gently toss to combine with your hands.   Cut away some of the peel and grate the beet directly into the salad. Top with the cheese and fruit.  Taste again for seasoning.  Serve immediately.

 

        

We made an amazing pumpkin bread this week.  In my mind, I can still smell the mouth-watering aroma of it baking in the oven. 
                        
It was remarkably easy and gave the kids lots of ingredients to measure, which is one of their favorite things to do in class.  Better yet, they proclaimed that they “love to eat pumpkin” and gobbled it up like they hadn’t eaten all day.  That is what I call a successful recipe.
                   

This pumpkin bread does especially well in the freezer and thaws quickly.  In the morning, add a slice of this bread to your child's lunchbox as a special treat.  By lunchtime it will have reached the perfect temperature.  I am quite sure that even though there is no candy involved, you will be declared the best mommy or daddy a kid could have.

PUMPKIN BREAD
(Recipe adapted from http://www.pickyourown.org)

· 2 cans of organic pumpkin or one 16 oz. can
  (Even though we used all organic ingredients, it can be made with traditional items, except for the pumpkin.)
· 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (not self-rising flour)
· 2 tsp. baking soda
· 2 ½ cups of organic pure cane sugar
· 4 eggs, beaten
· 1 cup of vegetable oil
· 1 ½ tsp. salt
· 2 tsp. cinnamon
· 2 tsp. nutmeg
· ½ tsp. allspice
· 2 cups walnut pieces (optional)
· 2/3s cup water

Makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and sugar.

Add the eggs, water, oil and pumpkin and combine with a mixer or immersion blender.  

Pour into two lightly greased and floured 9x5" loaf pans or muffin tins.  Evenly divide the nuts and sprinkle over the batter.

Bake for an hour at 350 F (175 C) or 40 minutes for muffins.

        

                     What would Thanksgiving be without stuffing?  It seems that aside from the turkey, the most ubiquitous dish found on the Thanksgiving table is stuffing.  As a child I would enjoy the Stove Top stuffing at my aunt's home year in and year out.  That all changed once I tried homemade stuffing at a friend's house.  From that point on, I learned how to make my own stuffing and never looked back. 

We made this stuffing in class and the kids really enjoyed making it as much as eating it.  They had fun cutting up the celery and bread which gave them the opportunity to snack along the way.  I have learned that when kids can snack along the way, it keeps their energy levels up and they enjoy cooking for a longer period of time.

This stuffing is basically the same recipe that I made as a child.  It is an easy recipe that can be adapted to individual tastes by adjusting the ingredients to suit your diners.  If they don't eat meat, leave out the pork.  If they don't like chestnuts, leave them out. Too many onions?  Add less.  It's as simple as that. 

Basic Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread - cut into 1/2" pieces
2 lbs. sausage meat (out of casing)
1 large onion - finely chopped
8 stalks of celery - finely chopped
1/2 stick of butter
8 stems of thyme - leaves removed and finely chopped
8 chestnuts roasted whole and removed from shell (optional)
              


Add 1/2 of the bread to the baking pan and set aside.  Saute sausage in a large skillet on low until cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the sausage pan and add the butter.  Cook the butter with the sausage fat on low until the butter is melted.  Add the onions, celery and thyme and saute until they are soft.  Add the cooked sausage back into the pan and combine well.  Add the bread to the pan and combine well pressing down with the back of the spoon to moisten the bread.  Pour a cup of water or stock over the mixture and continue pressing on the bread to soak up the juices.   Chop the chestnuts and stir them into the mixture.  Remove from the heat.

Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and combine with the remaining bread.  Using your hands toss together and gently squeeze/press the bread together with the vegetables to moisten with the juices.  Spread the stuffing evenly in the baking pan.  Bake covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 15 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

This stuffing will definitely be a welcome at your Thanksgiving table - especially to those that usually eat the kind in a box.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

        

Are you looking for something to do on a playdate at your house?  Perhaps a sleepover?  Or movie night?  Kids involved?  Well, this is an easy one.  Make popcorn balls with them.  I have never seen the kids so happy as when they were making these.  There are few ingredients and if you don't want to turn the stove on, you can use a microwave for the whole thing.
 

Popcorn is one of those treats that no one can resist.  It make your kitchen smell yummy and everyone who recognizes the perfume will come looking for a handful.

For the popcorn balls, here are the basic things you will need:

1 bag of marshmallows (large or mini)
1 bowl of cooked plain popcorn (about 6-8 cups)
1/2 stick of butter
sprinkles or other goodies
spray oil for your spatula and fingers

The best possible popcorn is the kind you make in a pot on the stove.  Just cover the bottom of the pot with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil and add enough kernels to form one layer at the bottom.  Those are my imperfect measurements that usually result in a full pot of popped corn.  I say "usually" because once in a while, I add too much and the popcorn spills out of the top of the pot.  Not really a problem in my book but it can be easily avoided by adding less kernels to the pot.

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a pan or in a microwave (checking every 30 seconds).  Be careful not to overcook the marshmallows.  They will continue to melt off the heat and stirring will get the smooth consistency you will need.

Pour the melted marshmallow and butter over the popcorn.  Stir it together as quickly as possible using a spatula that has been greased or sprayed with cooking oil. 

Spray hands with oil and dig in.  Form balls of whatever size you like.  It is messy fun.  Enjoy.


After the popcorn balls are formed, they can be rolled in sprinkles or colored sugar to decorate.  We did this for Halloween and it was adorable.

This can be a math lesson too. The kids put them in rows.  Then they counted how many they made versus how many kids there were to figure out the amount of popcorn balls each child would take home.  I must say I was very proud of them.  The popcorn motivated them, but they figured it out. 
                                                                           

Note:  If you want to make rice crispy treats, they are made the same way.  Just add the cereal instead of the popcorn.

        

I usually make pumpkin muffins at least once or twice a year.  But, they should probably be called "cupcakes" since I have to use cream cheese as a topping (read: icing).  To me, they just aren't the same without it.  Regardless, they are satisfying as a treat morning, noon and night for almost everyone. 



Since the kids made these for the Halloween workshop, there were lots of sprinkles and candies involved, but if you plan to eat them for breakfast you may want to skip the decorations.  The icing can be topped with the pumpkins seeds for a finished look.
This recipe was adapted from Gourmet Magazine. We left out some of the spices and the raisins to appeal to the kids' tastes.  The cream cheese recipe is a standard icing recipe that I normally use for these muffins.

        

A great cold weather treat is butternut squash.  Kids will eat it because it is sweet.  Adults may relish the flavor as well, but they know that it scores big nutrition points too.   For class we made a soup using a few winter squash that could easily double as a puree - sitting under a roasted chop or grilled chicken or even stirred into pasta.  There are surprisingly few steps and ingredients involved in this preparation.  Even so, it is packed with flavor and looks elegant enough to be an impressive dinner party starter.

                                              

When I went to the farmer's market to purchase the squash and pumpkin there were so many options.  I ended up choosing several sugar pumpkins, kabocha squash (looks like a little black or deep orange pumpkin), in addition to the butternut variety.  The resulting flavor from their combination was quite tasty.
                                           
The kabocha was dense and flaky inside.  (A blog post on kabocha).  It was meatier than the sweeter creamy butternut squash.  Together with the pumpkin, they each brought something different to the soup.  You can use whatever variety you wish, but the best way to insure a balanced finished product is to combine several types together.  
                                           

This is a recipe that can be completed quickly and it permits much leeway in measurements.  It's really hard to mess it up.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PUMPKIN SOUP

3-4 medium squash or sugar pumpkins - various varieties combined
1 leek trimmed of green parts
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. honey (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup half and half or milk (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread half of the oil onto a baking sheet large enough to hold the vegetables.

Cut the squash and pumpkin in half and remove the seeds.  Wash the outside and inner parts.  Rub the remaining olive oil over the inside cavities of the squash and pumpkin.  Season with salt and pepper.

Trim celery and peel carrots.  Leave whole.

Cut the leak in half, clean between the layers and dry it.

Crush garlic clove with the side of a knife or your palm and leave it in the peel.

On the oiled baking sheet, place the squash and pumpkin, skin side up.   Add the carrots, celery, leeks and garlic to the baking sheet and roll them on the baking sheet to cover them with a thin film of oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Bake the vegetables in 375 degree oven until they can be easily pierced with a fork and are tender - about a half hour.  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

Scoop the flesh from the squash and pumpkin with a spoon or paring knife, removing the skin.  The kids will happily eat whatever flesh is left behind.  Cut the remaining vegetables into 2 inch pieces.  Remove the garlic clove from the skin.
  

Add all of the vegetables and thyme to the bowl of a food processor or blender.  While processing the vegetables, add the broth until it is all combined and the soup is smooth. If you want a thicker puree instead, add the broth incrementally until the consistency is correct.  Taste for seasoning. (Alternately, you can add them directly to the pot and use an immersion blender)


Add the soup and honey to a large pot set at medium heat.  Slowly add the half and half until you attain the texture you desire.  Use less than a cup for a puree.  Conversely, it can be thinned with more broth or water.  Simmer soup for 10-15 minutes until it is hot and fragrant.

Serve with bread or croutons.  Toppings can be used, such as: bacon pieces, sour cream, soft cheese, grated hard cheese or herbs.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.  Have fun with it.  It can be as casual or elegant as you like,  And your kids can basically make the dish themselves, or so they will think.

        

              
 
To start, think of a sand castle - with flour for the sand.  Imagine a lake made of eggs and olive oil.  So there you have it - if you can make a sand castle with a lake in the center, you can make fresh pasta.  Any child can do it and so can you.
     
It is fun to create your own pasta dough.  Besides, once in a while it's satisfying to have a bowl of fresh pasta.   Making pasta happens to be a favorite among my students, so we are sure to do it at least once a season.  The ingredient list is minimal and the work it entails for kids is pure amusement topped with gratification.  Just the same as when they make sand castles. 
 
PASTA DOUGH RECIPE

3 cups of flour (unbleached white all-purpose or 00)
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
cornmeal for dusting

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour.  Combine the eggs with the olive oil and pour them into the well.

Using a fork, mix the egg mixture as if creating a whirlpool.  Gradually pull in a little flour at a time while mixing the egg mixture in a circular fashion.  A wet dough will form.   
                         Continue adding more flour from the surrounding "wall" until you are no longer able to incorporate more flour.  Begin to use your hands to incorporate more of the remaining flour.  Remove the dough from the bowl when it is no longer sticky.  At this point, it should be soft and pliable.  Working on a pastry board or mat knead in as much of the remaining dough is needed to form it into a semi-firm dough.  It is not necessary to use all of the flour since you can always add more later.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested (I tell the kids it needs to take a nap), remove it from the wrap and knead it on a floured board for several minutes.

It will then be ready to be formed into the type of pasta you desire.  We put the dough through a pasta machine to create sheets of pasta - starting with the thickness #1 and working through to thickness #4.  If you do not have a machine, roll the dough into thin sheets using a rolling pin.
                           


If using a machine - run the sheets through the flat noodle attachment, separate the strands and lay out on a flat surface dusted with cornmeal (or hang over a chair back covered with a flour dusted towel) until you are ready to cook them.

In order to make the noodles without a machine, roll the sheets into a loose log shape and cut across into rings.  Unravel the rings immediately and separate the noodles as with the machine-cut dough above, until you are ready to cook them.
                        

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  Drizzle olive oil over the noodles and season with fresh herbs, salt and pepper.  Add a generous grating of Parmesan cheese on top of the noodles before serving.  The noodles will be chewy and hearty.
         

The fresh pasta is also a treat served with Sunday Tomato Sauce (or Gravy as some of friends say).

        

 
If you haven't gone apple or pumpkin picking yet, there is still time.  The apple trees throughout orchards in upstate New York continue to blossom with myriad varieties of ripening fresh apples. 

   
There is nothing that says Fall more than biting into a crisp apple while standing in an apple orchard.  The cool air, the riot of nature's colors and the views of mountains in the distance, all add up to a genuinely Fall experience.  One that everyone enjoys - no matter their age.  Apples in New York State ripen throughout late September, October and early November.  This means that there are a couple weeks left to enjoy all that nature has to offer.

These orchard photos were taken at Ochs Orchards in Warwick, New York.  They offer opportunities to pick your own apples and supply you with a map of the apple tree varieties together with their ripening dates.  A small bag which held about 30 apples (big enough for us) was about $13.  A larger mesh bag was about $25.  In the past, we have also visited Maskers and Pennings which are both within a couple of miles from Ochs.  Maskers has more activities for the children (like face painting and pony rides), but this somehow makes it feel less like an orchard.  Be prepared for long, long lines for everything there.  Pennings is lovely and has a large farmstand if you wish to purchase, rather than pick, your apples.  Frankly, we skipped it because it was just a little further for us and we wanted to get out of the car.  On a day with less crowds, we might have visited Maskers and Pennings as well.

For pumpkin picking the above orchards offer u-pick pumpkins, but a true pumpkin patch is found at Bellevale Farms.  Their creamery down the road entices with lucsious handcrafted ice creams as well.  It is off of the same main road as Ochs.  All too often when we go pumpkin picking, we simply "pick" the pumpkins from a pile in a field somewhere.  This field is not really a pumpkin patch - just lots of pumpkins waiting to be picked - up.   At Bellevale, you are actually selecting the pumpkins from the spot in which they grew.  Some still remain fresh on their stems.  This is a true pumpkin patch in my opinion.  They even take you to the patch in a hay ride drawn by a tractor. 


Believe me, if you want to see your child smile from ear to ear this is the place to go.  My daughter had the biggest smile from the minute the tractor started through the moment she carried her pumpkin to the old fashioned scale to weigh it.  The prices were affordable too.   Our gigantic pumpkins weighed in at almost 60 lbs. and we paid less than $30 for them.  And an amazing experience was thrown in for free...

Where do you like to go?

        

Every year I look forward to the day I bring cupcakes to school.  I think I actually get more excited than my daughter.  Usually, I make them for her birthday, but sometimes I just do it for a special occasion - there are so many throughout the school year.  Since I love buttercream, I find a way to work it into the recipe.  The problem with buttercream - yes, there is one - is that it can melt.  Not an ideal situation when you are dropping off a tray of goodies that you spent hours creating.  On a hot day, it can be a hot mess.

Many recipes call for butter to be combined with powdered sugar and thinned with milk or cream.  Although delicious and easy, it must be refrigerated until just prior to eating.  If not, the buttercream will defate and the butter can separate from the sugar which looks far from appetizing.  Unless you can offer them straight from the refrigerator, I do not recommend using this type of buttercream.

The perfect buttercream requires the worthwhile effort of adding whipped egg whites.  With the risk of salmonella, the egg whites need to be heated to 160 degrees to insure safety.  This takes more time, but the added stability from the egg whites keeps the buttercream from dissolving.  It tastes better too - dispensing with the powdered sugar.

The recipe I prefer is from Martha Stewart and is very easy to follow.  In class, the children piped the buttercream onto yummy vanilla cupcakes.  From there, they decorated with cute animal shaped sprinkles, colored sugar and dragees.  For school, I sometimes bring the cupcakes along with an assortment of decorations for the kids.  Some will be precise about where they place each sprinkle and others will dump on a handful.  Whatever their preference, this is one activity they will remember for years to come. 

A couple of things to remember - bring extra cupcakes for the teachers and staff members, always ask for permission to bring treats to the classroom and lastly, don't expect the school to provide paper plates and napkins - unless you are informed otherwise - bring your own.

    
MARTHA STEWART'S SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
(as printed on martha stewart website)