i got this cookbook when kendal started eating babyfood. ifound it online, it had 5 stars... and anyway, i bought it for like $5 or something off of half-bay. i just want to declare here that it is
the most used cookbook in my house, save the joy of cooking (which is really in a different league).
today, i made home-made graham crackers. no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, no nothing. all it took to make them was 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour (we have king arthur brand), 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 stick of butter (i had unsalted), 1/2 c. honey (i used the honey we bought last weekend at the farmers market), and 1/4 cup whole milk (of coarse, we use organic milk). you mix the powdered stuff together and cut in the butter until it is similar to grits (the texture). i got tired of using the fork, so i ended up using my hands which would have ruined it if it had been pie crust, because the goal is to keep the butter cold and not let it melt (that provides for that flaky texture). anyway, i mixed it all together, rolled it outas thin as i could on a floured pampered chef pastry mat, then i used a pizza cutter to cut it into squares. i brushed the top with milk and poked holes in it with the fork, then baked them on 400 degrees for about 12 minutes... they are delicious. kendal loves them too. i wish i could have rolled them out thinner because most of them are more cookie-like than cracker like. but.. maybe next time.
so still using the cookbook... i found a recipe for meatloaf that turned out to be really easy to make (and it tasted wonderful). plus i made mashed potatoes... all these recipes have veggies hidden in them (since i don't really like veggies and kendal tends to go for the fruit and bread when he is choosing for himself...)
anyway, the meatloaf had peppers (red and yellow), onions, and carrots in it, chopped very fine. the mashed potatoes (which i made in my pampered chef microwave steamer thingy - the one i told you about melissa) had in them 3 baking potatoes, 6 carrots - steamed together, then i put them in the food processor and added 1/2 stick butter, about a cup of plain yogurt, a little salt and pepper... and then some milk to make it the right consistency. YUM. i couldn't even taste the carrots in it, but they were orange colored. the book recommended making "colored mashed potatoes" for the different holidays... orange for halloween (carrots), green (asparagus) and red (peppers) for christmas, red (peppers) for valentines' day, etc. it really was tasty.
so if anyone is in the market for a new cookbook, i highly recommend this one. i realize it is for kids (which may make some of you skeptical about it), BUT most of the "sweets" recipes in it are low in sugar and could easily be changed to be low fat (like the ricotta cake recipe it has, which is kinda like a creme brulee - but made with whole milk ricotta).
i got this cookbook when kendal started eating babyfood. ifound it online, it had 5 stars... and anyway, i bought it for like $5 or something off of half-bay. i just want to declare here that it is the most used cookbook in my house, save the joy of cooking (which is really in a different league).
today, i made home-made graham crackers. no hydrogenated oils, no preservatives, no nothing. all it took to make them was 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour (we have king arthur brand), 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 stick of butter (i had unsalted), 1/2 c. honey (i used the honey we bought last weekend at the farmers market), and 1/4 cup whole milk (of coarse, we use organic milk). you mix the powdered stuff together and cut in the butter until it is similar to grits (the texture). i got tired of using the fork, so i ended up using my hands which would have ruined it if it had been pie crust, because the goal is to keep the butter cold and not let it melt (that provides for that flaky texture). anyway, i mixed it all together, rolled it outas thin as i could on a floured pampered chef pastry mat, then i used a pizza cutter to cut it into squares. i brushed the top with milk and poked holes in it with the fork, then baked them on 400 degrees for about 12 minutes... they are delicious. kendal loves them too. i wish i could have rolled them out thinner because most of them are more cookie-like than cracker like. but.. maybe next time.
so still using the cookbook... i found a recipe for meatloaf that turned out to be really easy to make (and it tasted wonderful). plus i made mashed potatoes... all these recipes have veggies hidden in them (since i don't really like veggies and kendal tends to go for the fruit and bread when he is choosing for himself...)
anyway, the meatloaf had peppers (red and yellow), onions, and carrots in it, chopped very fine. the mashed potatoes (which i made in my pampered chef microwave steamer thingy - the one i told you about melissa) had in them 3 baking potatoes, 6 carrots - steamed together, then i put them in the food processor and added 1/2 stick butter, about a cup of plain yogurt, a little salt and pepper... and then some milk to make it the right consistency. YUM. i couldn't even taste the carrots in it, but they were orange colored. the book recommended making "colored mashed potatoes" for the different holidays... orange for halloween (carrots), green (asparagus) and red (peppers) for christmas, red (peppers) for valentines' day, etc. it really was tasty.
so if anyone is in the market for a new cookbook, i highly recommend this one. i realize it is for kids (which may make some of you skeptical about it), BUT most of the "sweets" recipes in it are low in sugar and could easily be changed to be low fat (like the ricotta cake recipe it has, which is kinda like a creme brulee - but made with whole milk ricotta).
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