Mixing Bowl Kids

The Baked Potato Bar

 

 Have you ever had a little of this and little of that, lying around the kitchen?  Some nice veg maybe, but not enough to feed the family.  A case of several elements not ample enough to provide for the hungry on it's own, yet potential enough to combine with other small portions to make a nice meal?  This is what happened to us on Friday night.

Short on time for the weekly food shopping, and not really enough of anything in the fridge to make a nice spread, we cooked up some baking potatoes and set out a potato bar.  And what a hit with the family, especially the kiddies. 

Here's how it went - we rubbed the baked potatoes with olive oil and baked at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the skins were nice and crispy and the insides soft and fluffy.  While the potatoes baked, we prepared bowls of toppings: steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms and shallots, grated cheddar, crunchy bacon and sour cream.  Each family member took a plate with a potato and topped as desired. The only guideline we gave: a vegetable must appear on the plate in some form. 

Our youngest, the fussy-from-time-to-time eater, made a broccoli tower to top his spud, added a little cheddar to the peak and happily munched away declaring this a meal that must be eaten each week. The eldest, so hungry after his playground football game, covered his potato with random bits of everything and was done in a matter of minute.  I think we've decided to add this to our weekly rotation of meals for a few weeks.  It was fun, easy and pleasing to each person in their own way.  

What types of top-your-own-foods do you serve to your family?  Perhaps we can all share our ideas with one another and add a new meal to our roster this week.  Happy Monday, lovely readers!

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart, www.marthastewart.com

Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam and Goat Cheese

We have been busy with life's little things this week and I'm not spending nearly as much time in the kitchen as I would like.  Fear not though, for I spend my working days immersed in all things food, so I'm not missing the kitchen time too much, but I am missing the creation of new tasty bites for my family. Luckily for the kids (and me), their Dad is a rockin' good cook so we're still eating really well.

But late last night, while longing for my pots and pans and a little creative outlet, I headed to the kitchen to make something I hoped we all would enjoy (the jury is still out, although I can tell you the adult's loved what was made).  

With a little homemade bread made, some goat cheese in the fridge and jar of fig jam on the refrigerator shelf, I decided to create a new grilled cheese sandwich.   Not new, as in never made before, but new as in we haven't tried this before.  But I'm really glad I did, as it was delicious, and oh so simple to make.  

I know that grilled cheese are often thought of as little kid fare, but I think these triangles would make a great munchy for an adult gathering as well. Add a little prosciutto or a green of some sort (maybe arugula?), and this would be an excellent bite-sized-goes-well-with-wine snack.

I'm off to work now, bright and early on this chilly Friday morning, but am feeling so grateful that while life is busy right now, and I'm missing being home a bit more with my boys, I am spending my days doing what I love - feeding people and bringing good food into their homes.  Have a wonderful weekend, friends!   

Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam and Goat Cheese

4 thick slices rustic wheat bread (from a round loaf)
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fig jam
12 to 14 oz goat cheese

~ Brush 1 side of the bread slices with oil and lay, oil sides down, on cutting board or counter. 
~ Spread jam on all slices of bread and divide cheese between two of the slices. Assemble sandwiches.
~ Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook sandwiches, turning once, until bread is golden-brown and cheese is melted.
~ Enjoy!

Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crisps

Inspired by a weekend trip to the Gourmet Food and Wine Show here in Toronto, I savoured something similar to the above, and thought what a perfect snack they would make for my boys. Something different, healthy and tasty.  I've been uninspired with the post-playground food I've been supplying them with of late, and wanted something new for them to munch on.

Once the crisps were made though, I discovered how perfect they would be for adult entertaining as well. With the holiday season fast approaching, these little crackers will make a wonderful addition to your cheese tray, dip platters or just on their own in a basket.

I love foods that work well for both the little and big people of the house, and the ease of this snack is perfectly suited to my simple, time-challenged ways right now.  Have a great day, friends!

Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crisps

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1 oz dark chocolate

1 tbsp flax seeds

1 tbsp coarse sugar

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

1 egg

2 tbsp water

6 whole wheat tortilla shells

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

~ Place the first four ingredients in a blender or food processor and whiz quickly to lightly chop.

~ Combine the egg white and water to create an egg wash and brush over a tortilla shell.  Cover well with the blended ingredients.  Sprinkle sea salt and coarse sugar over.  Using a pizza cutter, slice into eighths and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  (Only make one tortilla at a time or the egg white will dry and the toppings won't adhere)

~ Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

~ Enjoy!

The Good, The Bad and The Soup!

A quick stop in on this very early Monday morning to announce the winner of the Mad Hungry cookbook giveaway (the good).  We adored your comments!  I read them all to my husband on Sunday night and we think it sounds like you're all eating some pretty awesome food these days, and your boys are truly lucky for being so well fed!  Without further ado, the winner is:

Tonya - From a family of 5, 3 of which are of the xy variety, I could put this book to use for sure! I love making as much as I can from scratch and love making yummy endless (ok seemingly endless) breakfasts with double batches of everything (of course!) such as Pumpkin bread/muffins(one to cook fast and eat, one to hopefully last the afternoon!), Cinnamon filled scones or homemade Belgium waffles! Yum!                            

Congratulations!  Please email me at mixingbowlkids@gmail.ca to claim your prize.

Now, for the bad...my day job in the food world becomes incredibly hectic this time of year, and I'm working away from home far more than usual.  Because of that, regular posting will be on a reduced schedule from now until the end of December.  I hope to be here in this space three times a week, and am also working on the possibility of having a few guest bloggers as well.  There are some really great things coming up, as we enter December, and I'm looking forward to sharing my ideas with you.

Finally, onto the soup.  I have made this soup at least once a week for the past several winters, and this weekend it dawned on me that I hadn't yet made it once this year.  I think these unseasonably warm temperatures are making my mind do funny things when it comes to my late Fall and winter cooking (I haven't brought out the crock pot yet either!).  It's a hearty, filling and oh so tasty soup and it's made with 5 ingredients plus some seasoning.  Without further ado, my split-pea and bacon soup....

Have a great day, friends!

Split-pea and Bacon Soup

2 cups peeled and roughly chopped carrots
1 cup bacon, diced
1 cup yellow split peas, picked over
6 cups of water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried rosemary

~ In a large stockpot set over med-high heat, warm the oil.  Add the carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.

~ Add the bacon and cook for another minute or two.  Add in the split-peas and salt.  Cover with six cups of water and cook for 1 hour at a rolling boil.

~ Add the reosemary and reduce the heat to medium low.  Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour or until it thickens.

~ Enjoy!

Mad Hungry

                              

I am mad about this book!  Truly and deeply.  Have you ever found a book that you just can't put down? A book that speaks to you so clearly and makes you feel like you're reading your very own thoughts in someone else's prose?  Well, that is exactly how I feel about this book, Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn.

LSQ, as I'll refer to her, is the Executive Food Director for Martha Stewart Living Onmimedia.  She's also a TV show host, radio personality and cookbook author. Her latest publication is a cookbook that teaches recipe strategies and survival techniques for feeding men and boys - a subject very near and dear to my own heart.  

I live in a home filled with males and I love, love, love cooking for and feeding them.  All three of my guys are active and whether they're on the ice rink, the golf course or the top of the monkey bars, they expend a lot of energy and in turn eat a lot of food.  LSQ offers fabulous tips for feeding men and boys (like how to stock a man friendly pantry, how to involve your boys and teach them about the cleaning up process) as well as lessons on how boys can learn to cook in order to become self-sufficient men.  The recipes are fun and fabulous, well categorized and are made up of foods we would all want to eat.  

So, after devouring this book not once, but twice, and reading each recipe like the last page of a great novel, I got in touch with LSQ.  She quickly replied and has generously offered a copy of her book to one of you lovely readers.  She'll even sign it and send it to you herself!  

In order to enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a comment and let me know what you like to cook for the men/boys in your life.  

I will use a random number generator and announce the winner here on Monday.  Please note that the books I giveaway could take three to six weeks to arrive and while I wish it didn't take so long, it sometimes does.  I'll be back in this space on Monday...have a nice weekend, friends! 

Ham Sandwiches on Sweet Potato Biscuits

As soon as I saw this recipe in the December issue of Bon Appetit, I knew it was only a matter of time until a variation of the original was posted here on Mixing Bowl Kids.  The idea of mini sweet potato biscuits was just too yummy to pass up.  Seasonal and delicious, I was drawn to the recipe immediately and dog-eared the page for a quick return - for a time when I was ready to whip up a batch of these little gems.

I spend a few days a week working outside my home in the world of food, and recently one of the recipes we've worked on is a sweet potato biscuit topped with pulled pork.  Yummy?  Definitely, but not something that I could easily make for my very hungry boys. So instead I decided to make these biscuits and stuff them with slices of ham...a perfect lunch or after school snack and oh so easily prepared.

These are easily made with the help of young sous chefs and I encourage you to get yours in the kitchen. Once the sweet potato has been cooked and mashed, your little cooks can put these together quite easily. Encourage your older children to measure the dry ingredients into a bowl (always a good math lesson) and younger helpers will be happy to combine the wet and dry ingredients together into a dough. And I don't think you'll have trouble finding a volunteer to work the cookie cutters!  Even if your little ones aren't free to assist with making these yummy bites, they'll be very grateful if you make them anyways (trust me on this one).

Have you been inspired by any recipes lately?  Magazines or cookbooks?  Come back tomorrow...we have a great, and I mean great, giveaway happening!

Sweet Potato Biscuits, slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2009

**After the biscuits are made, I slice them in half , spread one side with honey mustard and stuff with ham.  If you don't have honey mustard on hand, combine 1 tsp dijon and 1 1/2 tsp of honey together to make your own version.

1 large sweet potato

1 3/4 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small 1/2" cubes

1/3 cup cold buttermilk

~ Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil.  Cook for 6-8 minutes or until tender.  Drain, cool and mash.

~ Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

~ Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cayenne together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

~ Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss together with your hands until it the texture is coarse and sandy.

~ Whisk 3/4 cup of mashed sweet potatoes with the buttermilk until smooth.  Add to the flour mixture and stir together with a fork.

~ Knead the dough until it comes together.  Spread a small amount of flour onto the counter.  Place the dough ball on top of the flour and pat our into a 1" thick circle.

~ Using a floured 1" cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

~ Bakes for 8 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Food Gifts Kids Can Make

  

photo from Martha Stewart

In addition to thinking of simple foods for this year's holiday entertaining, I've also been working on some fun food gifts that my kids can make for those on their Christmas list this year (think teachers, hockey coaches and guitar teachers).  

We have thoughtfully read cookbooks, perused the internet, clipped from magazines and searched our own creative minds for some possibilities.  And while I can't exactly share what we've decided to do this year (it would spoil some precious gifts!), I can offer up some fun ideas that we considered.  Each of these items can be packaged in cello wrap, gift bags or a mason jar, tied with ribbon and tagged with a homemade card:

Chocolate Bark 

Hot Chocolate Mix 

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods 

"Recipe" Dish Towel  

M&M Cookies in a Jar  

And last but not least, an awesome collection of ideas can be found here.  (I making a few things from this list but don't tell anyone!!)

Cranberry Buttermilk Cake

My thoughts have been very holiday-inspired lately, and with Christmas only 40 days away (yes, only forty), I have been making lists and planning for all of the goodies and food related gifts I'm planning to make. Nothing too crazy though. 

This year, I'm taking great effort to keep things in our home simple and fun instead of complicated and frantic - something it's been in year's past.  I'm still hoping to make all the goodies I want to make, and buy all the gifts I want to buy, yet still remain balanced and present so as not to miss the simple pleasures this season brings.

One thing I like to have on hand each year around the Christmas holidays is a list of ingredients that will yield me a quickly made treat should family or friends pop by unexpectedly.  In keeping with my new simple ways, this year these ingredients need to be something that can be found in my cupboard regularly, and not only when I've made yet another trip to another store.

So, I took to the kitchen this weekend and came up with this most YUMMY cake. A cranberry buttermilk cake to be exact.  Made so quickly and easily, of nothing more than a few things I had in the cupboard and freezer, this seasonally appropriate treat will be just the thing to get me through these upcoming holiday get-togethers.  They are filled with cranberries and buttermilk, no refined flour, less-refined sugar, and iced with a maple-cream cheese confection that will make you wonder why you've spent so much time preparing baked goods during the holidays in past years.  Give it a try, for I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Are you simplifying things this year?  What are you making for the holidays? Do you like to give and receive food gifts?  Have a great day!

Cranberry Buttermilk Cake, my recipe

3 tbsp butter, room temperature

1 cup demerara sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

2 cups frozen cranberries

1 cup buttermilk

Topping:

1/4 cup cream cheese

2 tbsp maple syrup

~ Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

~ Using a hand mixer, combine the butter, egg, sugar and vanilla.  

~ In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and mixed spice.

~ Combine the wet and dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and cranberries and stir until well combined.

~ Place in a greased 9 x 13" baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.

~ While the cake is baking combine the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth.

~ Ice the cake with the cream cheese mixture and serve.

~ Enjoy!  

  

Potato, Broccoli and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ahh...the bread recipes were so fun this week, but it's nice to step away from the bags of flour and turn to one of our favourite foods in this house...the beloved egg.  We eat eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner and to be honest I think they're one of the most versatile foods.  Used to create fare for all three daily meals, a staple in most baked goods, and a wonderful addition to a nice green salad, eggs can really complete a meal.

I made this dish for my under-the-weather-very-feverish-boy, with hopes of finally getting something into his tummy. In case you're wondering, this isn't the poorly son I mentioned at the beginning of the week, but it is in fact, the other one.  Yes, the other one has also come down with this unfriendly flu!  In any case, the dish was somewhat well received by him (we'll try again when he's feeling better) but very well received by his Dad, whom I love to cook for as much as I love to cook for the little boys of the house.

So, enjoy some eggs and that homemade bread you've been making, and I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Potato, Broccoli and Goat Cheese Frittata

1 head of broccoli, stems removed and chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
3 potatoes, washed and diced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
8 eggs
1/4 cup light cream
3 oz goat cheese

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ Place the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and warm until the butter is melted.
~ Add the potato, leek and broccoli, as well as the salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are golden brown and partially cooked, approx. 10 minutes.
~ Combine the eggs and cream and pour over the veggie mixture.  Allow to cook for 3 minutes or until the eggs are partially set.
~ Sprinkle the goat cheese over the top of the eggs and place in the pre-heated oven.  Cook until the remaining eggs set and the cheese has melted, approx. 8 mins.
~ Enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk and Sea Salt "Foccacia"

This is the last of the bread posts for this week and I'm tickled to know that they were so well received. I'm so excited by how interested you, lovely readers, are in making homemade bread!

This simple, sweet and speedy take on foccacia, isn't exactly like the great Italian bread, but it's very nice all the same.  I wanted something that was beyond easy to make - something I could let my nine year old work on independently should he choose to do so.  I was also looking for something that was adaptable and while I knew this would work with some nice sea salt and fresh herbs added to the dough (and please feel free to do that for it's equally as delicious), I wanted to experiment with this, which is how I came to the chocolate chip version you see above.  Do note though that this is not a sweet bread at all, despite the addition of a bit of chocolate.

Taking less than 15 minutes to assemble, I'm happy to have found another easy bread recipe to add to my repertoire, and whether I serve it a sweet or savoury snack, it will surely be enjoyed just the same.   

I'll be back again tomorrow with one last post for the week...something that doesn't involve flour and yeast...and then I'm looking forward to a nice, warm-weather weekend with my family.

Have a great day, friends!

Chocolate Chip and Sea Salt "Foccacia"

1 tsp honey

2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/3 cup warm water + 3 tbsp warm water

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

Topping:

olive oil

sea salt

~ Place the yeast in a medium sized mixing bowl and cover with 1/3 cup warm water and the honey.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes, or until foamy.

~ Add the flour, olive oil and salt and mix well.  Add the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.  

~ Add the chocolate chunks and lightly knead the dough.  Place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat on all sides.  Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot.

~ Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees.  Remove the dough and roll out onto a piece of parchment paper.  A circular or rectangular shape is fine.  Lift the parchment, with the dough on top of it, and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

~ Dot the dough with your fingertips making dimples on the top.  Brush olive oil over the dough and sprinkle with sea salt.

~ Bake for 8 - 10 minutes (depending on if you want the dough to have a crisp to it or not).  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

~ Enjoy!