Pumpkin Pancake Revision and Book Rec

Last night at an in-home workshop, I was speaking with a mom who uses our blog recipes (yay!) and we were commiserating about my pumpkin pancake post. I posted that recipe based on another time I had tried it and it worked, but people, I have to revise. Sorry. The old one just doesn't cook as well as I remembered- it's too wet and the middle always remains, well, wet. My little one still gobbled them (what a nice taste tester!) but my honest taste testers called for a revision. Thanks, Meg, for bringing it up, and thanks for following! I guess cooking, just like anything, calls for adaptations and adjustments now and then.

So I'm going to delete the old one and share this one from Allrecipes.com- a great resource with ratings from folks who have tried the recipes. Notice that it uses white flour which would soak up the moisture better, but uses a whole lot less butter. It claims to be fluffy- I'm going to test it out soon.

Another book rec I'd like to share from a mommy point of view is Happiest Toddler on the Block, by Harvey Karp, MD. Yes, the guy who we all know wrote Happiest Baby on the Block also wrote a toddler book, and I was surprised at how helpful this one was. He has a refreshing view of toddlerhood and its developmental stages, along with ways to be proactively reinforcing about positive behaviors and nip "yellow" and "red" light behaviors in the bud. Every strategy I've tried has worked from this book. He also goes over the few things we really can't control about toddlers: what they eat and when they go potty, and uses the strategies he teaches to help you along on those journeys.

Happy reading, and let me know about those pancakes!

Baked Veggies: YUM!

We're prepping for our 9 news segment tomorrow, and part of our tips on picky eaters will focus on different ways to prep vegetables, other than the traditional steaming. I needed some inspiration, so I turned to my favorite resource, Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and be Merry, by Lisa Barnes. The following two recipes from this cookbook are perfect examples of how to turn otherwise commonplace veggies into delightful dippers!

Baked Zuke Sticks

Good snack food, side dish, or party food with a side of marinara for dipping.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup organic milk
3 medium zucchini, cut into 3 x 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

In medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Place flour on plate and pour milk into shallow bowl.

Dip each stick into flour until coated, then in milk. Finally, roll in bread crumb mixture until covered pressing so mixture adheres to zucchini.

Transfer zuke sticks to prepared pan and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until zucchini is tender and coating is crisp and brown.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Great dipped in artichoke dip, yogurt, or salsa.

Ingredients:
1 large organic sweet potato, thinly sliced
2 T extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, black pepper or other dried herbs such as rosemary and oregano or cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with foil and grease foil.

Thinly slice potato using a mandolin or steady, sharp knife. Put potato slices in resealable plastic bag. Drizzle with oil and coat on all sides. (this step is great for kids to help with)

Place slices in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or herbs, if desired (another good kid step). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To move them to "crunchy" status turn down heat to 325 and cook and additional 5 to 10 min until crisp. Remove slices and cool.

Book Review: Simplicity Parenting

Have you ever, as a parent, read a book and breathed a sigh of relief? A book in which the author seemed to know exactly the pressures you face as a parent, and offered commonsense approaches to alleviate those pressures? I just finished one, and I highly recommend it. Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne, M.Ed., inspires parents to remember that less is more, that simplicity trumps complication, and that rhythm and routine are key to reclaiming childhood.

The general idea is that today's kids are losing their childhoods, their time to just "be" because they are inundated with information, toys, busy schedules, and helicopter parenting. The author recommends finding ways to simplify all of these areas of our life in order to allow our children to develop in their own ways. This may sound like a philosophy that might work for "some parents" but over and over I've seen how this is true for students in the classroom; kids who are allowed space and time along with family rituals and simplicity at home tend to be happier at school.

So why, you ask yourself, is Sarah posting this on Mish+Mash? Ah hem. Family dinners and the importance of simplifying foods are discussed in detail. The joy of family dinners is not so much in making a grand homemade meal every night, but in the ritual of it; children helping set the table, wash vegetables, and prepare dinner are more apt to eat dinner. The author also recommends simplifying foods much the same way we would toys: take out anything that is marketing to your child or that takes away the simple pleasures in eating real food. He suggests limiting choices and complexity:

"Is this food intended to nourish, or entertain? To stimulate? More simply, was it designed, or was it grown?.... The first step, then, is to wean your child off those foods that have little or no nutritional value.... The grumbling will be short term, the benefits will last."

I wanted to share more, because this was such a great read, but you'll just have to check it out or purchase it yourself. Please, shoot me a line and let me know what you think of it!

Book Review #1

Because I'm a teacher at heart, and because there are tons of fabulous cookbooks and children's books out there on the topic of food, we'll feature a book review now and then. Think Reading Rainbow reviews of yesteryear with a Mish Mash Mama spin.

The first book I've chosen is Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, because it's on our bookshelf and it spurred this whole idea in the first place. Little Pea is the story of a family of peas (Papa Pea, Mama Pea, Little Pea, you get the drill) who have one common problem: Little Pea won't eat his.... candy. All his parents make him eat is candy, candy, candy. "Yuck, blech, eck!" are Pea's revolted reactions. All Little Pea wants is spinach. It's reverse psychology at its best, and will elicit a chuckle from parents of toddlers, and a hearty laugh from more mature kids who get the humor. And, in the happy ending, Little Pea finally gets to gobble up his... spinach. But only after he eats all of his candy.

I'm not going to say this will get your kid to eat their spinach. Parents' attitudes certainly play a bigger role than any book will. Still, the book rings true for all of us, and I'm loving the whole series by this author. Happy reading...