Family Bites

Julia's Child and Cheesy Cut-Out Crackers

The following is a guest post from Sarah Pinneo, the author of the just released Julia’s Child, a “laugh-out-loud story about motherhood’s choices: organic vs. local, paper vs. plastic, staying at home vs. risking it all.” I recently had the pleasure of reading Sarah’s charming book, and I’m so pleased she’s here today sharing her recipe for cheesy cut-out crackers. 

Welcome, Sarah!

Julia’s Child is a story about a mom who tackles the question of what to feed children on an industrial scale, with humorous results. People often ask me if I’m just like the main character. After all, Julia has two boys. I have two boys. Julia has a lot of experience with food, and I’m a cookbook author. But when I get this question, I also have the feeling that readers want to know if I’m as neurotic as Julia, who is so against sugar that she surreptitiously swaps her kids’ Halloween candy for healthy substitutes.

I had a lot of fun writing Julia, because while I identify with her impulses, I’m more moderate in my delivery. (At least I hope I am.) That said I do have a couple of favorite tricks for pleasing my kids without overdoing the sweets.

For example, we have a lot of adorable cookie cutters. But how many batches of cookies can one family reasonably eat? Luckily, my kids also enjoy good cheese. We often put our cutters to good use making these homemade cheese crackers for a weekend treat. They’re amazing served warm.

Cute Cut-Out Cheese Crackers

• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese  (just under 3 oz)
• 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal or instant polenta
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add softened butter and work it through with your fingers until the mixture resembles gravel. (Some kids love this step.) Add 1/4 cup milk and stir to blend.  Ball up the dough. If it won’t hold together, add additional milk one teaspoon at a time until the dough will just hold. Chill the dough for fifteen minutes.

Roll out the dough. If you roll it thin, you’ll get crisp crackers. If you leave it thicker, the result will be more like a biscuit, but every bit as tasty. Cut the dough into shapes with cutters, and place them on a baking sheet.

If you re-roll the dough more than once, the crackers will become tough. (We usually bake our scraps on a separate tray, and then try to guess what shape they were trying to be. Chicken foot! Boomerang! Etc.) Alternatively, roll into skinny ‘ropes’ and form into pretzels, placed upside down on baking sheet.  

Bake for 6 minutes (8 minutes for thicker shapes or pretzels), then check to see if crackers have begun to brown on the bottom. If so, flip all the crackers over with a spatula. Bake for 2-5 more minutes, check for doneness by looking at the bottom as well as the top of the crackers. Remove from the oven before the bottoms burn. Cool on a rack and enjoy.

For more information on Sarah and her books feel free to follow her on Twitter! 

Birthdays, Books and Lemons

Six years ago, on January 4th, 2006, I turned 30. Rob held a small and intimate birthday party for me, inviting only our closest friends and family. In lieu of gifts he asked that each person bring me a book, and write inside the front cover the reason they chose that book for me. At the end of the night I had amassed a diverse collection of cookbooks, novels and even a few self-help books (ha!) specifically bought for me.

It was probably my favourite birthday gift ever. I would love to receive the same gift each year, but you can't really tell people what to buy you, now can you? Hey, it's my birthday and I would love it if you would buy me a book and write a note inside telling me why you bought this book for me. I do have a few type A tendencies to my personality, but that would be pushing it, I'm sure.

One of the books Rob bought me that year, featured a recipe for preserved lemons. I wasn't too familiar with them at that point, but I was intrigued by the fact that the recipe only had two ingredients: lemons and salt. I also wasn't thinking much about Moroccan cooking back then, but now I love it, and so preserved lemons have found their way into my pantry these days. I like to use Meyer lemons, which happen to be in season right now, along with a nice kosher salt. Something granular and chunky is my preference. I also like to included a bay leaf and cinnamon stick in my preserving pots. It infuses such a lovely flavour, and pairs well with almost anything you would add these puckery rinds to.

I returned home with a case of these little lemons yesterday, and in addition to the preserved ones I also set out to make a healthy, but tart, simple syrup. Inspired by Whole Living magazine, I intend to infuse my beloved Perrier with a little of this honey-lemon-water concoction I made. This will be my wine-free beverage for the coming weeks, as I wean myself off the glorious bottles of rose that have been in mass consumption over the past few weeks.Equally as pretty, but much better for me, I just might trick my mind into thinking I'm still ingesting all that good vino.

At least that's what I'll tell myself. I'm older now, and more likely to convince myself such things could be true.

 

Preserved Lemons

• 6 meyer lemons
• Kosher salt (about 1/2 cup)
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks

1. Wash lemons well with soap and water and thoroughly dry them. Place the salt in a shallow bowl.

2. Quarter the lemons lenthwise.  Press each piece of lemon into the salt, covering the cut sides completely.

3. Transfer the lemons to glass jar.  Press each layer of lemon with the back of a wooden spoon, allowing some of the juice to be released.

4. Fill the jar to the top.  Tuck in the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.

5. Seal the jar tightly.  Leave the lemons at room temperature for four days, shaking the jars each day.

6. Transfer the lemons to the fridge for one more week, or until the rinds are soft.

7. Use them in soups, stews or salads.

 

Meyer Lemon Syrup

• 4 cups cold water
• 2/3 cup honey
• 6 meyer lemons, sliced thinly

1. Place the water and honey in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Remove from the heat, add the lemon sliced and allow them to steep for 15 minutes.

3. Strain the mixture in a fine mesh sieve set over a 1L glass jar.

4. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

5. To make a spritzer, mix equal parts lemon syrup and sparkling water into an ice-filled glass.  Top with pomegranate seeds or raspberries.

 

New Books!

My friend Amazon and I have been getting awfully cozy lately.  I visited her last week, she dropped a box off a few days later, and now I find myself perusing the pages of her package.

Fall is one of the best seasons for book releases and my three newest buys are competing for my attention as I flip between each of them, inspired to make a whole lots of goodness.

When it comes to home entertaining I like to craft almost as much as I like to cook.  For me, a party isn't complete without some sort of homemade embellishments.  Martha's newest book is Handmade Holiday Crafts, and for people like me it's a treasure trove of ideas.

 

The book covers most major holidays, and upon my initial flip through, each project seems simple to make and uses materials that you likely have on hand, or that you can purchase easily from a variety of sources.  I'm anxiously looking forward to another book she plans to release this fall.  Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations will be released at the end of October and it's going straight to the top of my Christmas list. Selling for a whopping $75, I'm sure this will be an exquisite collection of ideas and recipes.

Miette is a popular vintage-inspired pastry shop in San Francisco, and while I've never been there, it's now on my must visit list.  This beautiful book is stunning to flip through, with it's luminous photography and scalloped pages.  

The recipes are all must-make foods and the author includes excellent advice on how to frost your cakes and cupcakes perfectly. I can't decide if I should make the Tom Boy Cake, Peanut Butter Cookies or Gingerbread Cake first!

I've been looking forward to the Design Sponge at Home book for a while.  I've been a long time reader of the blog, popular for it's home decor/design ideas, recipes and entertaining tips, and I was certain the book would not disappoint.  It didn't.

While I'm not a design aficionado, I do like to look at pretty spaces and I love DIY projects, which the book is packed with.

Have you found any good books lately?  I'm in need of some fictional reads or memoir-style reads, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to pass them along.

 

From Absinthe to Zest ( A Giveaway)

These days it seems that everywhere I look, I'm spotting copies of the gorgeously designed Great Food series of books, which have recently been re-released by Penguin.  I've been to my local Chapters, independent book store and home goods store in the past week and I've seen these lovely things on display at each location.

 

Combining three of my favourite things, food, history and brilliant design, these little tomes are a collection of some of the best food writing from the past 400 years.  

Seeing that I kept spotting them wherever I went, I took it as a sign that I need to grab a few copies for myself.  Guess what?  They're utterly delicious. In fact, I love these books so much, I'm even considering placing them in a memory-box style frame and hanging them on a wall.  They are that pretty.

Naturally, I would like to give two of these books away to one lucky Family Bites reader.  In order to enter, please leave a comment telling me the best book you've read this summer.  For additional entries, you can "like" Family Bites on Facebook.

Winners will be announced on Monday August 15th!

 Update:  Congratulations to Andrea!  You have won the books giveaway.

 

The Magic of Soup (Creamy Carrot and Cumin Puree)

I think I should write a book.  

The title of my book would be "The Magic of Soup", and it's the tale of a persnickety young boy who seemingly detests the beautiful, seasonal vegetables his mother places before him each night at dinner.  

He wriggles and whines, complains and cajoles and takes far too long to finish all of his meals.  

One day his brilliant mother decides that instead of fighting him about his vegetables, she's going to turn each of the ground-grown foods he bellyaches about into a pureed soup.  She will entice him to try it by adding a few toasted croutons, or some crumbled cheese, to the top of the bowl, and he will be wooed to at least sample what's she offering because it looks too good to pass up.  

He will sip and slurp, and decide that this new food she's making is some of the best he's tasted.  And he will ask her to prepare foods like this for every meal. She feigns surprise at his sudden approval of her provisions, all the while giggling inside because she knows she's actually been giving him even more veggies than he was originally eating.  They've just been disguised in a bowl of the creamy goodness she's placed before him.

Of course, this story has a happy ending. The mother decides to take the opportunity to feed her boy as many soups as she can, especially since he's enjoying them so much.  And the boy? Well, he feels strong and full, and grateful that his mother has decided to stop feeding him those horrid veggies.  

The end.

Creamy Carrot and Cumin Puree (with no cream)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons arborio rice
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta

Heat the oil in a large pot, set over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, celery and carrots and sautee until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the salt, cumin and rice and sautee for an additional two minutes, or until the veggies are slightly browned and fragrant.

Add the stock and the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.  Cover and let simmer for approximately one hour. 

Remove from the stove and allow to cool.  Puree using an immersion blender.  Serve with crumbled feta and fresh ground pepper.

 

2010 in Review: My Favourite Cookbooks

I adore Top Ten lists.  From movies to music, and news stories to books, I love taking a look back at the best of the year.  These lists are subjective of course, which is what makes them so interesting.  I'm turning love into action this week with a series of  "2010 in Review" posts.  I've compiled my top ten cookbooks, food blogs and personal recipes, and will share them here in three individual posts, this week. 

First up is cookbooks.  If you have some free time on your hands this week, or a few dollars in gift cards waiting to be spent, any of the following would be a great addition to your family cooking library.  Honestly, I'm smitten with them all.

 

       

Time for Dinner: Put together by the editors of Cookie magazine, this is a wonderful family diner primer packed full of great and interesting ideas.

 Gourmet Cookie Book: Showcasing the single best cookie recipe the (now-defunct) magazine published from 1941-2009, there is a cookie for everyone in this book.  And the historical notes that accompany each recipe are almost as interesting as the cookies themselves.

Around my French Table: Anyone with an affinity for all things French, or great French cooking, will welcome this book to their library.  The photos are stunning and it would make for a lovely coffee table book, as well.

 

         

Quinoa 365: I've been wanting to learn more about this superfood, and this book is an excellent resource packed full of nutritional notes and tasty recipes. 

Jamie's Food Revolution: Based on one of the most popular TV shows this past year, this cookbook will allow you to start your own food revolution at home.

 

       

My Bread: For the bread bakers everywhere, both novice and professional, Jim Lahey's no-knead dough has been a big hit over the internet, and in my kitchen, for the past year.   

As Always, Julia: This isn't a cookbook, but rather a series of letters exchanged between Julia Child and Avis DeVoto.  I've placed it here though because I challenge you to not learn something from this read.  The letters are chock-full of cooking tips and recipe ideas, and the entire book is a joy to read.

Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? I adore Ina, and all that she cooks, and her latest cookbook is a compilation of easy foods that anyone can put together.

 

      

The Family Dinner: Perhaps the most important part of our day, and the thing that influences most of what we do (jobs, extra-curriculars, etc.), is our family dinner.  Sadly, this evening meal is going by the wayside for many people.  This resource is full of ideas, recipes, games and tools for making dinner a priority for every family again.

Perfect One-Dish Dinners: I love a good one-dish meal and this book is full of ideas for them.  An excellent entertaining resource, you'll be able to cook for a crowd with no trouble as long as this book is by your side.

What were some of your favourite cookbooks this past year?

Holiday Happiness: Cookbook Giveaway

This is second of four cookbook giveaways happening here at Family Bites.  I love books almost as much as I love to cook, and when the two come together, well, I get pretty excited.

Today's book giveaway is one of my favourites.  Written by the editors of Cookie magazine, it's a book dedicated to all things related to the family dinner.  Dubbed as the "playbook of tricks, inspiration, plans and 100 go-to recipes, it's a visual toolkit of a book giving every mom ideas for getting food on the table night after night without losing her mind". I've perused the pages over and over ,and I love honestly love everything tucked within them.

Jenny, one of the authors, and a former editor for both Cookie and Real Simple, kindly sent me a copy of this book to give away to one of my readers.  Feel free to enter, whether you live in Canada, the US or worldwide. Good luck!

Giveaway details:

• Leave a comment on this post to enter.   You have until this Friday (December 3rd) at 6pm to enter.
• Add me to your reader or email for an additional entry (leave a comment to let me know you've done so).
• Alternative winner will be chosen if you don't claim your win within 3 days.  

 

Holiday Happiness: Cookbook Giveaway

                               
 

It's no secret how much I love a good book.  And a good cook book?  Well, that's just perfection as far as I'm concerned.  So, in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season I wanted to share some of my book love with you. 

The kind people at Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. sent me a stack of books this week, and it only seems right that I share one or two of them with you.  So, for the next four Wednesdays that's exactly what I'm going to do.  I have a kids cookbook, a baking book, a dinner cookbook and a foodie memoir ready to send your way.

                            

Today's giveaway is Christmas Cooking with Kids (the awesome snowman cake above is one of the projects), by English author, Annie Rigg. What a charming book!  I spent quite a while flipping through the pages last night and I promise you, this book isn't just for kids.  I would make so many of the goodies tuck within the pages myself.

A great gift for any little cook or baker on your Christmas list, or possibly even just an addition to your personal cookbook library, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this read.  I have the copy, ready in hand, and I will be shipping it out to the lucky recipient this Saturdayafternoon, which means you should receive it in plenty of time for the holidays.  Please check below for giveaway instructions and good luck!

Giveaway details:

• Leave a comment on this post to enter.   You have until this Friday (November 26th) at 6pm to enter.
• Add me to your reader or email for an additional entry (leave a comment to let me know you've done so).
• Alternative winner will be chosen if you don't claim your win within 3 days. 
  
  

 

Cookbook Love: A Wishlist

 

My heart beats hard for few things in life.  My three guys top the list, books and all forms of the written word come in second and food runs a close third.  That's right,  I would choose books over food if I had to, but thankfully I don't, and I'm able to enjoy a life enriched by both eating and reading. 

The great thing about my two passions is that there is no need for them to be separate from each other. This means I can read about food, eating and cooking and that makes me a ridiculously happy person.  I love all forms of cookbooks and I used to gravitate to those with large glossy photos and fanciful foods.  Now, I prefer those which are well written and ooze of simple, rustic edibles. But most importantly I love the ones that I can also learn from.

I keep a book "wishlist" in the small notebook tucked inside my purse.  Some people carry around a shopping list or a to-do list but I keep track of the books I want to read, buy or give to someone else.  I have a page devoted to novels, one to kids books and a third to cookbooks.  Here is what is currently on my little list:

I have yet to cook anything from the Barefoot Contessa's collection of recipes that wasn't fabulous. Most of her foods are butter-rich and calorie high but oh.my.heart.  They are so, so good.  I've seen a progression to healthier foods over the course of cookbooks and I'm excited and hopeful to get this one soon. 

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I don't have a great amount of knowledge on the subject of Quinoa.  I know all about it's healthy benefits, and I do enjoy it, but I'm not very creative in how I use it.  I'm hoping this collection of recipes will expand my repertoire and teach me more about this grainy superfood.

                     

I love Melissa Clark's writing.  As soon as I read a few words of whatever she's written I'm immediately transported to a place where I can taste the food she's sharing.  I have no doubt this book will be just as brilliant as anything else she's written, and I know it's just the sort of book I've been known to cozy up and read in bed on a Sunday night.

                               

Those who know me well are astutely aware of my penchant for all things French. This affinity was fostered by the time I spent living in France and there is very little about the culture that I don't adore.  Their food is at the top of the list, and what could be better than reading about and cooking French food as written by Dorie Greenspan.  If I end up with this book at some point, you can be sure it will find a place on my coffee table and not just on my bookshelf.

 

I was fortunate enough to catch a sneak peak of this book while I was out at a meeting last week and it's a gem.  Packed full of tips, information, games and so much more (including recipes!) I can't wait to get a copy on my bookshelf.  Family dinner has become the most important part of my day, for it's the time I'm really able to talk with my kids.  And let me tell you, once they start they don't stop(which is a good thing).  I'm just hoping this book has some tips on how not to choke on your food when your kids decide to ask those burning "birds and bees" questions while you're chewing.

What books are you enjoying?  Any good ones on your wishlist these days?

Homemade Fun - A Review and a Giveaway

               
 

I first "met" Rae Grant last summer when she emailed me to talk about our shared love of cooking with our kids.  She was reading my blog, while I was reading her book and she made the first move to get in touch.  One year later, we're still corresponding and while we've yet to sit-down for a cup of tea face to face (we almost made it this past Spring when I was in New York), I feel as though I know her well.

So, imagine my delight when she got in touch this past June to ask if wanted to be a reviewer for her forthcoming book Homemade Fun.  Already a fan of Cooking Fun, I was thrilled to get a sneak peak at Rae's new work.  And she did not disappoint.

 

An ode to childhood, Homemade Fun, is a treasure trove of simple, fun and easy activities for children.  With chapters separating the activities into categories like Hand Sewing and Embroidery, Building Things, Baking, Papercrafts and Toys, Games and Pastimes, there is truly something for everyone in this gem of a book.   When the package first arrived I sat and eagerly devoured each page, with it's old-fashioned fonts and retro design, mentally marking all of the activities I wanted the boys to try.  When I reached the baking section, not one recipe was left of the list. 

The first we tackled was Rae's popovers.  Requiring only four ingredients, I though this would be something Ben could approach on his own.  And I was right.  A  quick pantry consultation and review of the methods required left him feeling capable of producing a tasty treat.  As you can see from his brother's reaction, I think he succeeded.

 

  

Today I have one copy of Rae's book to give away to a lucky reader.  To enter leave a comment at the end of the post (you don't have to have a blog just an email address so I can get in touch).  For an additional entry, tweet about the giveaway or link back to this blog post.  Contest closes at midnight Friday July 16th.  Good luck!  

UPDATED:  Congratulations to Tricia!  The random number generator choose comment #5 and you have won a copy of Rae's book, Homemade Fun.