lara – Page 74 – Feed Your Kids

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Sausage and Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

An adaptation from Jeff Blank’s (the chef at Hudson’s on the Bend) wonderful cookbook, Cooking Fearlessly. Our neighborhood Gourmet Club brought this recipe to my attention at the perfect moment: when I had some leftover roasted butternut squash. I decided to use what I had on hand, add some sausage to make it a one-dish … Continue reading “Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Sausage and Jerked Pumpkin Seeds”

An adaptation from Jeff Blank’s (the chef at Hudson’s on the Bend) wonderful cookbook, Cooking Fearlessly. Our neighborhood Gourmet Club brought this recipe to my attention at the perfect moment: when I had some leftover roasted butternut squash. I decided to use what I had on hand, add some sausage to make it a one-dish meal and then add Chef Jeff’s creative garnishes. My version did turn out pretty thick, so if I attempted this again, I would probably add more liquid.

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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Sausage and Jerked Pumpkin Seeds

I am hesitant to even write a “recipe” here, since I’m sure that Chef Blank would think I butchered his recipe, but here’s the rundown, for anyone that wants to try it:

2 cups leftover roasted butternut squash (had been seasoned with a little cinnamon and curry)
2 peeled, cored, chopped Granny Smith apples
1 package sausage (I used Healthy Choice – it’s not the most “gourmet”, but it is arguably healthier)
about 3 cups chicken stock
about 1/4 cup half and half
1 more Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored and thinly julienned, for garnish)
3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
about 1/4 cup of your favorite “Jerk” seasoning
(Jeff Blank has a really tasty recipe in his book, with more curry and sugar than most have. I’m going to try his Jerk seasoning on some oven-toasted cashews sometime for a fun cocktail snack. Mmmmm…..)
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

You will need to prepare the pumpkin seeds ahead of time:
Pour the melted butter over them, add the Jerk seasoning and stir. Bake at 250 degrees for about an hour, turning and stirring about every 15 minutes.

For the soup:
Heat the stock and squash together in a large saucepan. Add the apple and simmer until soft. Puree in small batches in the blender. Put the pureed soup back into the saucepan. Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown in a separate pan. Add the sausage to the soup. Add cream and gently heat, stirring to blend. Ladle into bowls, topping with a “clump” of the reserved, julienned apple and then a sprinkle of the pumpkin seeds.

After-school Snack: Pineapple & Acai Berry Smoothies

In our area, Starbucks did a test of something called an “Acai Berry Juice Frappuccino”. It was a iced, blended juice drink that had a vaguely mango-ish taste. Acai Berries (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) are supposed to be very good for you, as well (at least that’s what they say THIS week). Girl child grew very fond of these and was disappointed to find out that their “test” period was over. We are hoping that this test will reveal that it was WILDLY popular and they will bring this drink to Starbucks all over the country. In the meantime, I was very excited to find frozen Acai Berry juice at Central Market and came up with this drink as an approximation of the Frappuccino. Girl and Boy were very happy to see this in the car when I picked them up from school today (cute pineapple cups leftover from a “luau” at a friend’s ranch house last year).

Acai Berry/Pineapple Smoothie

1 packet frozen Acai Berry Juice Smoothie
(the ones that I found are organic and made by Sambazon)
1 (6 oz) cup of vanilla yogurt
about 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
(I keep all sorts of cut-up fruit in the freezer; smoothies are a popular breakfast around here.)
about 1/2 cup milk

Put Acai Berry, yogurt and pineapple together in the blender and puree, adding milk as necessary to reach the desired consistency.

Banana Birthday Cake with Lemon Icing

The boy’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but he wanted a “surprise” party, so we’ve delayed the date a little to throw him off track. This cake is a “trial run”. If he likes it, I’ll make the recipe into cupcakes for his party (this Friday – shhhhh!). He LOVES bananas and is … Continue reading “Banana Birthday Cake with Lemon Icing”

The boy’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but he wanted a “surprise” party, so we’ve delayed the date a little to throw him off track. This cake is a “trial run”. If he likes it, I’ll make the recipe into cupcakes for his party (this Friday – shhhhh!). He LOVES bananas and is not a fan of really gooey buttercream, so I thought this not-too-sweet cake with tangy icing glaze would be perfect. This is my mother’s recipe and was my favorite cake when I was a kid; I hope the boy likes it, too!

Banana Cake with Lemon Icing

for cake:
3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. McCormick’s Vanilla Butter & Nut extract
1 cup mashed very ripe banana
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour

for icing:
1/4 cup softened butter
1 box (3 and 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
about 1/4 cup half and half (you can use milk, if you’d like, but I wanted the icing REALLY rich and white)
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 Tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease Bundt pan.

Prepare cake batter:
Cream butter and sugar together (I used my mixer). Add eggs and beat gently. Mix in bananas, buttermilk, salt, baking powder, baking soda, extract and then flour. Pour into Bundt pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes then remove (turn over) gently from pan.

Prepare icing:
Cream butter, adding sugar slowly. Add half and half, a little at a time, adjusting amount as necessary to reach desired consistency. Add lemon extract. Spread/pour over cake. Sprinkle with lemon peel.

“Krispie” Cinnamon Chip French Toast

Breakfast this morning – a hit with the kids, probably because of the novelty (“You put WHAT on the french toast, Mom?!”). Once I convinced the nut-hating girl child that “those brown things” on top were Rice Krispies and NOT nuts, she loved it. The “never met a nut he didn’t love” boy child looked a little disappointed that they WEREN’T nuts, but still gobbled his up. Hmmm…..mental note: nut-crusted french toast would probably be pretty darned good, too! This dish is inspired by the Crunchy French Toast at Norma’s restaurant in New York. I used the new Organic Rice Krispies (what will they think of next?). Cooking it in REAL butter is a MUST. Delectable flavor and fun, crunchy texture. The boy likes his with syrup; the girl likes powdered sugar on hers instead. At Norma’s, they make it with brioche and serve it with warm caramel sauce. Mmmmmm……..

Krispie Cinnamon Chip French Toast
(makes 1 serving for a hungry adult, 2 servings for kids or less-hungry adults)

2 slices Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip bread
about 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
2 eggs
splash of milk (1/8 cup?)
1/4 tsp. McCormick Vanilla Butter & Nut extract
(I LOVE this extract and use it in all kinds of things. It’s a little hard to find, but definitely worth the effort.)
1/4 cup butter

Whisk eggs, extract and milk together in a shallow bowl (must be large enough to fit bread slices inside it). Place cereal in another shallow bowl of the same size. Place one of the bread slices in the egg mixture. Allow to sit about 30 seconds, then turn over to soak other side. Remove from egg and place bread in cereal bowl, turning to coat both sides with cereal. Heat half the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until melted and starting to bubble, but not brown. Add the egg/cereal-coated bread to the skillet, adjusting heat as necessary. This French toast needs to be cooked at a slightly lower temperature than regular French toast, or the butter and cereal will get too brown while the bread is still soggy inside. Repeat breading procedure for second bread slice and add to pan. Turn to cook other sides of bread when cereal is golden brown. Add the other half of butter, as needed, during cooking. When both sides are golden brown, remove from skillet. Serve with syrup or powdered sugar, your choice!

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Grilled Chicken & Asparagus in Gorgonzola/Parmesan Cream Sauce

This recipe is inspired by a pasta dish from a now-defunct Italian restaurant in my hometown. It’s VERY flavorful and rich and very filling. The pencil-thin asparagus spears are frozen, organic ones from Costco. This is a great cold weather comfort food; macaroni and cheese for grownups. It’s still quite warm here right now – … Continue reading “Whole Wheat Fusilli with Grilled Chicken & Asparagus in Gorgonzola/Parmesan Cream Sauce”

This recipe is inspired by a pasta dish from a now-defunct Italian restaurant in my hometown. It’s VERY flavorful and rich and very filling. The pencil-thin asparagus spears are frozen, organic ones from Costco. This is a great cold weather comfort food; macaroni and cheese for grownups. It’s still quite warm here right now – maybe I was hoping that the cold weather food would bring on some actual cold weather! The kids loved this dish and the girl child even had seconds, which is rare for her, especially for a dish with meat in it. She is on the verge, I believe, of declaring herself a vegetarian.

Warning: Your kids will love this, but if they haven’t been blue cheese fans before, do NOT get all excited about the fact that they like it and take THAT moment to educate them about the mold that is necessary to make the cheese taste so good, etc. I got so excited about the possibility of making this for my family that I completely grossed the kids out (“Ewwww……mold?”)!

Whole Wheat Fusilli with Grilled Chicken & Asparagus in Gorgonzola/Parmesan Cream Sauce

1 pound whole wheat fusilli (or cavatappi, etc.)
2 1/4 cups half and half
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 1 cup)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 pound thinly sliced grilled (about 2 large or 3 small breasts) chicken
1 pound very thin, frozen asparagus spears
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine (I used Rex Goliath Pinot Grigio, because it’s what I had on hand)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
2 Tablespoons flour, optional, for thickening

Put a large pasta pot of water on to boil. Melt butter in a separate, large saucepan. Saute the onion and shallots in butter until onions are soft. Add wine and chicken stock. Simmer to reduce until liquid is almost gone. Add cream, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring cream to a simmer; simmer 10 – 15 minutes over low-medium heat. While cream simmers, cook asparagus and pasta, according to package directions. When cool enough to handle, cut each asparagus spear into bite-sized pieces. Slowly, whisk in cheeses until sauce is slightly thickened. If sauce is not thick enough, add a little hot liquid to flour, stirring to blend. Immediately put back into sauce, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Add chicken and asparagus. Drain pasta. Ladle sauce over pasta and serve immediately. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I will be posting descriptions and photos of meals that I serve to my family. I will post as often as time allows (it’s unlikely to be daily). Check back frequently, though, because I will be adding some “About Me” info, interesting links, and advice for convincing your kids to eat healthy foods. I will be including some recipes, as well. Thanks for reading!