The
whole family
Cookbook
Celebrate the Goodness of
Locally Grown Foods
Includes 75+ Recipes to Make Together!
Michelle Stern Founder of What's Cooking
Photography by Matthew Carden
Copyright © 2011 by Michelle Stern
Photos © 2011 by Matthew Carden
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
Published by
Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-4405-1120-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-1120-2
eISBN 10: 1-4405-1219-1
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-1219-3
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.
Readers are urged to take all appropriate precautions before undertaking any how-to task. Always read and follow instructions and safety warnings for all tools and materials, and call in a professional if the task stretches your abilities too far. Although every effort has been made to provide the best possible information in this book, neither the publisher nor the author are responsible for accidents, injuries, or damage incurred as a result of tasks undertaken by readers. This book is not a substitute for professional services.
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To my Whole Family —
You have inspired and motivated me.
Acknowledgments
I could not have written this book without the support of my family, friends, and students. Thank you for having confidence in me, even when my own faltered.
To Amelia and Ari: Thank you for the hours you spent with me in the kitchen, garden, and the farmer's market; for tasting new foods; for learning to clean up our spills; for the hugs you offered when a recipe didn't turn out as expected; and for the love you lavished on me, throughout. It was humbling to see how proud you are of our book, and I hope this has been an experience that you will always remember. Glenn, I am grateful for your appetite and your honesty. Thank you for all of the waffles, crepes, and pancakes you made on Saturday mornings so that I could write, edit, and escape with the dogs.
Recipe Testers (there were more than 80 of you!): I am eternally grateful for your generosity, honesty, and kindness. You found my mistakes, made my recipes easier to follow, and spent quality time with your families as you experimented in the kitchen together on my behalf. This book has been a collaborative effort, and it is my deepest wish that you consider it “ours.”
Jennifer and Matthew Carden, photography team and friends extraordinaire: We fought tooth and nail to have your work in my book, and I would do it again in an instant. The fun we had together in the kitchen would have been enough (deyenu!) but the resulting photographs are what make this book shine and make it inspiring. I am blessed to count you as friends and colleagues and love that our history includes this and many other memorable endeavors — all with the goal of feeding families, helping children, and playing with our food.
The pages of this book would be incomplete without the beautiful faces (and hands) of Maia Perry, Mae Gerlach, Faeryn Dunnigan, Ryan Chung, Daniel and Sandra Chavez, and my kids, Amelia and Ari. I am thankful for your adventurous spirits and healthy appetites. And yes, I will try to make this book a “bestseller” so you can “become famous.”
The Whole Family Cookbook is just that. It was a thrill to include recipes from my greataunt, Beate Berliner, and from my mom, Susie Stern. Thanks to my dad, Richard, for joining in on the photography fun. While you are usually on the other side of the camera, having you in these photos was a touching image that I'm not likely to forget.
I am grateful to matchmaker (and slow-cooker lady) Stephanie O'Dea, for introducing me to the wonderful agent that we now share, Alison Picard. Thank you both for seeing the value of my work and for encouraging me to work hard to get my message out to families.
Victoria Sandbrook at Adams Media — you had the knack of making me feel comfortable, even as I navigated through the mysterious waters of writing my first book. I appreciated your humor and patience as you waded through my endless questions, and am grateful that you were always able to ground me and calm my anxious nerves.
Wendy Simard at Adams Media — you waved your wordsmith wand over this manuscript and sprinkled it with a dusting of positive reinforcement. Your comments were helpful and kind and gave my confidence a boost at the tail end of this exhilarating process.
To Mary Pryor and Maria Grey, two of my oldest friends: Although we were never infused with school spirit in our younger years, I count you as two of the best cheerleaders my team could ever ask for!
Contents
Introduction
Raising Little Locavores
Chapter 1
Ready, Set, Go! Engaging Kids in the Kitchen
Recipe for Cooking with Toddlers
Chapter 2
Breakfast of Champions
Mini Frittatas
Breakfast Anytime Pizza
Yummy Strawberry Yogurt Parfait
Banana Sunshine Smoothie
Sweet and Salty Glazed Bacon
Corny Raspberry Muffins
Baked Apple Puff
Steel-Cut Oatmeal with Dates
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Breakfast Burrito
Grilled Cheese with Nutella
Crunchy Granola
Chapter 3
Lunchtime Favorites
A-B-C Frittata
Wrap It Up: BBQ Style
Squashed Sweet Potato Soup
Wrap It Up: L'egg-o Style
Thai Spring Rolls
Smashed Avocado on Toast
Chinese Chicken Salad
There's Turkey in My Pocket
R & B Chili
Croque Monsieur
Wrap It Up: Toga Style
Chewy Maple Granola Bars
Salty Pretzel Pillows
Chapter 4
What's for Dinner?
Chicken Piccata with Linguine
Minestrone with White Beans and Kale
Pork Ribs with Asian BBQ Sauce
Grandma's Spaghetti Gravy
Biscuit-Topped Chicken Potpie
Wish-for-a-Fish Pasta
Pork Chops with Sage Butter
Sorrel-icious Sole
Greek Shrimp with Feta
Summertime Kabobs with Udon Noodles
Taco Salad
Acorn Squash and Wild Rice Bowls
Falling for Fall Quesadillas
Pumpkin Ravioli
Miso-Glazed Salmon
Crispy Tofu Triangles with Asian Dipping Sauce
Turkey Toes
Pretzel-Coated Chicken
Chapter 5
Scrumptious Sides
Kale Chips
Carrot-Raisin Salad
Couscous Salad with Apricots, Ginger, and Pine Nuts
Roasted Asparagus
Lemon-Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Aioli
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks
Israeli Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables
Patriotic Fruit Salad
Spaghetti Squash Two Ways
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples
Roasted Broccoli with Lemon
Green Salad with Pears, Walnuts, and Feta
Purple Rice
Step-on-the-Gas Baked Beans
Chapter 6
Mom-Approved Treats
Stick 'em Up: Frozen Choco Bananas
Sweet and Crunchy Strawberry Cups
Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet
Simple Summer Frozen Yogurt
Peaches and Cream Cobbler
Cinnamon Pear Clafouti
Apple Crisp with Vanilla Sauce
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Coconut Macaroons
Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Luscious Lemon Curd Tartlets
Nutella Lace Cookies
Chapter 7
Make Your Own!
Butter
Pancake Mix
Fresh Basil Pesto
Hummus
Puréed Pumpkin
Spice Rub Mix
Hot Cocoa Mix
Appendix
Tips for Teachers — Cooking in the Classroom
Introduction
Raising Little Locavores
Parenting is a hefty responsibility. It's up to us to teach our children about good manners, how to stay safe, and how to grow up to be independent and confident adults. It's also important that we inspire our kids to make nutritious choices and be good stewards for the earth. Take advantage of teachable moments, such as when shopping for food, because the example you set will help your kids develop a healthy and holistic attitude toward eating that will serve them well throughout their lives!
First Stop, the Grocery Store
With literally thousands of products vying for your attention at the store, buying food can feel like a daunting task. Some food products aren't even made out of real ingredients. Others travel around the globe to reach your plate, causing pollution and requiring lots of packaging and padding so they don't arrive dented and damaged. Still other foods are grown or processed with herbicides, pesticides, added hormones, and preservatives. If you pay attention (which can be difficult if you have a cranky toddler in tow), you can find foods and artisan products that are made naturally, as they were a hundred years ago. And even better yet, you can find foods that were grown in or near your own community. The best part about that? When you make the conscious choice to buy them, you are not only enjoying delicious, authentic food, you are supporting your local economy at the same time.
Look at the label on your food and take a gander at where it comes from or where it was grown. Do they speak the same language as you? Do an ad hoc geography lesson and see if they are in the same state, country, or hemisphere. If not, it's a pretty clear sign that the food you are eating isn't local.
Another good reason to buy food, of course, is the flavor. But you would probably get busted if the store manager caught you tasting all of the fruits and veggies in the produce section of the grocery store. Not so for the farmer's market — they want you to taste (and love) the food so badly that they cut up samples and put them out on display for your family to try. Do an experiment sometime with your kids — taste one strawberry from every single booth that sells them, and then purchase your booty from the vendor whose fruit tasted the best.
A Smart Alternative to the Grocery Store
A locavore is someone who tries to eat foods from the local area instead of ones imported from elsewhere. While there are definitely militant locavores around, for the rest of us, it's all about finding balance. Of course it's okay to have chocolate sauce on your vanilla ice cream. Neither chocolate nor vanilla come from your neck of the woods, but maybe the cream in your ice cream comes from a dairy in the next town. The most important factor in becoming a class-act locavore is awareness. Each time your food comes from an area near you, you are making a smaller dent in the environmental impact of the food industry.
Help Your Family Think Like a Locavore
Plant something. Even if you don't have a patch of earth to your name, you can still plant a pot of herbs to garnish your kitchen window. If you are nervous that your green thumb might actually be a darker shade of black, start small and go with something that is hard to kill — like radishes, herbs, and lettuce. Or let your kids choose what they would like to grow. Give them the responsibility of caring for your new seedlings and watch their pride blossom as their edible plants do the same. Talk about eating locally — it doesn't get better than this!
Visit the farmer's market. Most farmer's markets sell food that was produced within a several-hour drive. When in doubt, ask the vendors how far they came and what their farming practices are. If you are too busy at work or being the social secretary and chauffeur for your children and don't have time to wander the farmer's markets, you can participate in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). This is a subscription service in which members, in exchange for a small monthly fee, receive a box of fresh, seasonal, and local produce. Some CSAs also have meat available.
Take a field trip. Plan a family day to visit a local farm or a U-Pick location, where you can harvest your own produce. There is nothing like the connection you make with your food when you pick it yourself (dirt under your fingernails and all).
Can it. If you can't imagine your life without the sweetness of peaches or tomatoes, preserve some in jars and save them for later, when they cannot be grown locally. Freezing and dehydrating are also good options for preserving foods.
Eat out. Show your support for the local food movement by eating at restaurants that buy their produce from local farms. Ask the vendors at the farmer's markets which restaurants buy ingredients from them, or call and ask the restaurants where their food comes from.
Start small. Identify a short list of foods that you know you can get locally and begin there. Most regions of the country produce some fruits and veggies, and some even boast a dairy that makes a special variety of cheese.
As a multitasking working parent and child chauffeur, I approach cooking with a realistic and occasionally humorous perspective, and prove that you don't have to be a stay-at-home parent to cook with your kids. The Whole Family Cookbook is an approachable, guilt-free book that I hope will inspire you to cook healthy and delicious recipes with your children — and hopefully empower you to consider your environmental impact as you shop and cook with your family.
Chapter 1
Ready, Set, Go! Engaging Kids in the Kitchen
Cooking with your kids is a fantastic way to spend time together, and if you are lucky, you will accomplish something productive at the same time! As much as I'd love to visit each of you and spend time with your family in the kitchen, my own kids would miss me too much. So, I'll stick closer to home. But in the meantime, this chapter should help give you some tricks of the trade along with a boost to your self-confidence. You can cook with your kids and develop a healthy relationship to food and the environment along the way.
Tools of the Trade for Tiny Hands
Over my years in the business of cooking with children, several kitchen gadgets have emerged as favorites. Keep in mind that cooking tools are just that — tools. They are designed to help you in the kitchen and to get the job done. Of course, some will be more appealing to children if they are colorful or come equipped with faces and googly eyes. But try to lean toward function, rather than style. You'll be glad you did — hardly a day goes by that I don't put these items to good use with my children and students!
Food chopper: a great way for kids to release lots
of energy as they safely pound a plunger that chops food items into bits.
Rotary cheese grater: does more than grate cheese — this little beauty lets kids grate carrots, zucchini, and chocolate, while protecting tender knuckles at the same time.
Plastic lettuce knives or metal pumpkin-carving knives: these child-safe knives are tough enough to saw through carrots, but aren't sharp enough to accidentally cut through skin. The plastic lettuce knife from Oxo and the child-sized knives from Curious Chef are my favorites.
Mini-muffin tin: everything is cuter when it's small! Youngsters will love this pan because it lets them make kid-sized muffins, frittatas, and more.
Apple peeler/corer/slicer: a simple but slightly messy tool that helps little ones (and big ones, alike) peel, core, and slice apples into a long spiral, leaving behind a fun piece of apple-skin spaghetti.
Gadgets and gizmos from the Japanese dollar store or Asian market: they offer molds that press sticky rice and other food into fun shapes!
Small scoop: the perfect partner for the mini-muffin tin, this helps kids get uniform scoops every time. They can also use this for scooping watermelon or teensy balls of ice cream.
Colored silicone spatulas: colorful enough to appeal to kids, but also heat resistant to withstand stirring ingredients in a hot pan.
Silicone pastry brush: what kids wouldn't want to paint their food? Silicone brushes are colorful and heat resistant, and they don't leave little bristles in your food the way traditional pastry brushes do.
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