Summer: Kids in the Kitchen

Uncle Andy's smoked salmon and Ritz crackers got Erik to try cream cheese again. Which he loves now... So, after eating two batches of these this weekend, we had to make these with dinner last night.

Summer: Grilled Kabobs

He lit the grill, he sliced veggies and fruit and garlic, and he made a few kabobs. He loved the chicken, and the regular mushrooms, hated the shiitake (my gain there), and didn't choose any of the other veggies for his skewer. He did have some corn though. Someday he'll love more things. I'm ever hopeful. Regardless, it's only my job to provide the healthy meals - it's his job to eat them. 

The Walla Walla sweet onions and the grilled apricots were especially amazing, as were the pork kabobs. I also did oregano garlic potatoes and two small pork loins on the grill tonight for tomorrow's dinner, and they all look amazing. 

Radicchio, fennel, zucchini, white and shiitake mushrooms, apricot, sweet onions, potatoes and corn. 

Unfussy: Hernekeitto

Made pea soup for dinner. Erik was not pleased. "But, I hate peas. I have always, always hated peas." True enough. I might have told him that herne are "special Finnish peas" and this is my favorite soup. So, he (very reluctantly) tried it. And, as often happens, he was pleasantly surprised. Thumbs up from Erik (even with his post-soccer hair).

And, Mads had a second bowlful, so she's a thumbs up there too.

Unfussy: Grilled Endive

Thumbs down from both kids on the grilled endive, but Mads loved the garlic vinaigrette that it was dressed with. The chicken roasted perfectly in 40 minutes, and the carrots are absolutely delicious (and I don't care for cooked carrots).

Unfussy: Potato Skins

Erik (as usual) balked at trying them, but he loved them. Mads didn't like the cheese or bacon, but after scraping it out, ate three or four skins...



The orange and vanilla cake was well loved by all though.

Unfussy: Meatloaf

Erik was thumbs up on meatloaf (after finally trying it), and Mads was on the fence about it. I made Lora's recipe, but with onion powder instead of chopped onion so that E could have zero issues with it. He loved it, but didn't touch the potato. Go figure.

Unfussy: Enchiladas

Chicken enchiladas made with rotisserie white meat from Costco, two cans of pinquinto pink beans, enchilada sauce and sharp cheddar. Good flour tortillas.

Erik was not interested. However, both kids gave these a thumbs "way" up. Yippee.

Unfussy: Gramma's Corn Moussaka

I love this recipe, but haven't made it in a couple years. The last time I did, neither of the kids would eat it. This week, I blended the cottage cheese with the eggs in my food processor so that the topping was a cheesy baked layer without any cottage cheese lumps. I never did tell either of them (who despise cottage cheese) that it was in this casserole. 

Mads loved it, after being skeptical about trying it. Erik tried two solid bites, and gave it a thumbs-down vote. He says the tomato sauce tastes funny... not sure if it's the cinnamon in it or what. His loss. I also made them take salad, and practice how to decline salad (and that Erik could choose the apples and grapes in the salad and only a few lettuce leaves)... practicing for dinner at other people's houses. So, the boy had two bites, fruit from the salad, and his bread (served with dinner) for dinner. Good thing he's a light eater (although I think that is one of the things that helps him be choosy...), maybe when he's a always-hungry teenager he'll start eating anything even if it's not his favorite. 

Gramma's Corn Moussaka and Power Greens salad with fruit and lemon vinagrette

Unfussy: Variety

We were going to make Shepherd's pie (with leftover chicken) for dinner, but needed a quicker meal, so we did tacos.

I love letting the kids choose what they want, and offering up a good variety of delicious things. Even if (like Bread and Jam For Francis) Erik chooses only one corn tortilla with chicken, some carrots and a bunch of pear. His loss.

Unfussy: Eggplant Parmesan

I had a taste of this style of eggplant parm at my friend Claudia's house the other night as she was assembling it. The trick is to slice the eggplant thinly after soaking it in salted water to remove the bitterness from the seeds. 

Both kids liked it. Erik preferred it without the sauce, but Mads loved it entirely, and mom deemed it the best she's tasted. I didn't re-baked it smothered in sauce and cheese, but just topped them because we were short on time to get to a school function this evening. 

Eggplant Parmesan

Two large aubergines, peeled and sliced 1/8-1/4-inch thick and soaked in 2 Tbs. salt in water in a gallon-sized ziploc. I left ours overnight. 

3 eggs, beaten

2-3 cups panko crumbs or Italian breadcrumbs

Drain eggplant in colander, then squeeze dry. Dip in egg, then panko and bake on sprayed cookie sheet at 425-degrees F for at least 5 mins. per side. or until golden and crisp. 

Top with homemade marinara, fontina/mozzarella blend and parmesan, serve with whole wheat angel hair pasta. 

Unfussy: Chicken Saltimbocca

I let Erik choose dinner last night, and he picked Mac & Cheese, which Mads hates. So, I told him that we could have mac as a side and since he had no other ideas, I decided to make Saltimbocca and my favorite kale Caesar salad.

Mads loved the kale, and E loved the chicken. M didn't care for the prosciutto or the sage in the recipe. Everyone else loved it though.

Chicken Saltimbocca

2 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise (skinless, boneless)

12-14 sage leaves, chiffonade, then chop into small dice and mix into about 3 Tbs. butter

8 slices very thin prosciutto

Pound chicken flat between saran, spread each with 1/4 sage mixture, then top with two slices prosciutto. Cook in medium-hot pan, two at a time, prosciutto-side down to start. About 1.5 minutes per side.

Unfussy: Sloppy Joes

A recent Sloppy Joes recipe from Jamie Oliver made me realize that I haven't made these for the kids in many, many years. Like they were toddlers the last time we had them. So, I used his recipe as a loose framework and whipped up dinner. I may or may not have been chuckling in the grocery while buying ingredients and wondering which kid would hate this dish more. 

Hilariously, the "unpicky kid" experiment is proving that while Mads is a glorious veggie eater, she is actually more picky than Erik when it comes to new things... interesting. 

Here's my version of sloppy joes, although next time I would add shredded or finely diced carrot and maybe reduce the brown sugar by a tablespoon. 

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground pork 

1 small shallot, peeled and diced

1 can organic tomato sauce

2 Tbs. malt vinegar

2 Tbs. dark brown sugar

1 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. chili powder

1 can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed

salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper, to taste

slice baguette to serve

Brown and drain pork with diced shallot. Then add next six ingredients and bring to simmer until sauce thickens a bit. Add beans, season to taste, and cook until sauce is reduced to your liking. Serve on slice baguette along with a side of veg. 

Unfussy: Rice Pudding

Mads was a no on this, and Erik was a thumbs-up on the rice pudding but not on the cherries.

Leftover Rice, Rice Pudding 

1 c. cooked rice
1.5 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt
1/2 c. dried cherries (or other dried fruit)

Mix all ingredients except the dried fruit in a saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling, turn down to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add dried fruit just before you reduce the heat. 

Unfussy: Chicken Parmesan - ATK style

I love Americas' Test Kitchen. Watched an episode last night with great tips to make perfect chicken parm. And, since my children need more variety in their diets so they don't grow up to picky little snits... Voila!

It was great, and Erik the pickiest deemed it amazing.

Basically, halve two boneless skinless chicken breasts, pound between saran, then coat with an egg mixture of one egg and enough flour to make a runny paste. Then bread in a mix of 1/2 cup panko and 3/4 cup parmesan. Fry for 1.5 mins per side, two per pan, then place on cookie sheet. Top with a mix of mozzarella and fontina (or shredded Italian blend cheese), and broil until melted.

Serve topped with your own sauce simmered with a bit of olive oil, herbs, and one large can of crushed tomatoes (garlic, S & P, and about 1/2 tsp. sugar) until thickened. Yum.

Tender, moist chicken, light & crisp breading, flavorful, soft cheese topping, and delicious sauce that doesn't make the breading soggy.