I'm a lover of books and food, so my imagination likes nothing better than to indulge in a literary feast for the senses. I remember mentally licking my lips in preschool when the teacher read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Just seeing the two-page spread with the sausage, cheese, pickle, lollipop, cherry pie, and all the other yummy things he ate on Saturday still makes me hungry! But what really sparked my appetite for food in literature was my first taste of Bread and Jam for Frances. It went like this (spoiler alert--this is the ending):
The next day when the bell rang for lunch, Albert said, "What do you have today?" "Well," said Frances, laying a paper doily on her desk and setting a tiny vase of violets in the middle of it, "let me see." She arranged her lunch on the doily. "I have a thermos bottle with cream of tomato soup," she said. "And a lobster-salad sandwich on thin slices of white bread. I have celery, carrot sticks, and black olives, and a little cardboard shaker of salt for the celery. And two plums and a tiny basket of cherries. And vanilla pudding with chocolate sprinkles and a spoon to eat it with." "That's a good lunch," said Albert. "I think it's nice that there are all different kinds of lunches and breakfasts and dinners and snacks. I think eating is nice." "So do I," said Frances, and she made the lobster-salad sandwich, the celery, the carrot sticks, and the olives come out even. Isn't that one of the most sumptuous passages you've ever read? It was also responsible for an obsession with doilies that lasted my entire childhood, and was mostly only indulged on Valentine's Day when they were part of the craft materials. The mention of black olives was crucial, since they held a special place not only atop my fingertips, but above every other food. Rediscovering this tasty treasure of a book as an adult and getting to savor it with my children has been a guilt-free pleasure. A contemporary favorite is Yoko (from author Rosemary Wells of Max and Ruby fame) which has this delicious description: Yoko opened the willow-covered cooler. Inside was her favorite sushi. Tucked in the rice rolls were the crispiest cucumber, the pinkest shrimp, the greenest seaweed, and the tastiest tuna. These are our favorites for the youngest of palates, in order from board books to early readers. Not all have mouthwatering writing, but food is the starring character: Two Eggs, Please (Sarah Weeks & Betsy Lewin) Jamberry (Bruce Degen) The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle) Pete's a Pizza (William Steig) School Lunch (Johnny Zucker & Rowan Clifford) It Looked Like Spilt Milk (Charles Shaw) Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss) The Popcorn Shop (Alice Low) The Best Hawaiian Style Mother Goose Ever (Kevin Sullivan) Chicken Soup With Rice (Maurice Sendak) I will Not Ever Eat A Tomato (Charlie & Lola) (Lauren Child) Socks for Supper (Jack Kent) An Island in the Soup (Mireille Levert) Yoko (Rosemary Wells) Pizza for the Queen (Nancy Castaldo & Melisande Potter) Bread and Jam for Frances (Russell & Lillian Hoban) Best Friends for Frances (Russell & Lillian Hoban) Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (Judi & Ron Barrett) I'm excited for the fall when we'll read the Little House on the Prairie books--the meal descriptions were my main reason for reading that series. What are your and your children's favorites from early childhood? Let's have a potluck in the comments! My children prefer reading good food to actually eating it, but I'm hopeful the former may influence the latter, so new recommendations are always welcome :)
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In honor of National Cheese Lover's Day (which for me is really every day), here's the recipe for my favorite fondue at The Melting Pot (one of the few chain restaurants I like). Wisconsin Trio (from The Melting Pot Cookbook & Club Fondue email newsletter) 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Butterkase cheese 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Fontina cheese 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour ¾ cup white wine ¼ cup dry sherry 2 teaspoons chopped shallots 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper ¼ cup crumbled Blue cheese 2 tablespoons chopped scallions Toss the Butterkase and Fontina cheese with the flour in a bowl. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. You may also use a conventional double boiler. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour the white wine and sherry into the bowl. Stir in the shallots using a fork. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add half the cheese blend and cook until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the remaining cheese blend in a small amount at a time, stirring constantly in a circular motion after each addition until the cheese is melted. Fold in the pepper and Blue cheese. Pour into a warm fondue pot and keep warm over low heat. Garnish with the scallions. I confess to watching one reality show: Hell's Kitchen. Every summer my foodie husband and I eagerly await the next episode. Currently we are down to the final four chefs, so it seemed like the right time to share the recipe for Gordon Ramsay's Baked New York Cheesecake (it's all over the web, but that links to my favorite cooking site), which I recently made for a family gathering. It was devoured by everyone, ages 3 to 69, and I got compliments all around. I tweaked it just slightly: I added cinnamon and sugar to the crust, omitted the sultanas and lemon juice that were supposed to be folded into the batter, made a topping (sour cream + whipped cream + sugar + vanilla) and covered it with blueberries, rather than just dusting it with powdered sugar. Two techniques that worked beautifully: covering the bottom of the springform pan with foil (kept it from sticking) and keeping it in the oven for an hour after it was done (kept it from cracking). Almost everything we plant in earthboxes seems to sprout up in giant quantities that dwarf our little sun drenched patio that's half kids' play area and half growing things -- all sorts of peppers, Japanese eggplant, chives...but as for the tomatoes, I'm convinced it is the gardener's heart of love to please his wife that makes them grow: first the sweet 100s, then the heirlooms, and now the romas. Tender tomatoes, fresh herbs, and roses that bloom even in December are the perfect minimalist answer to my garden yearnings. Not to mention a handsome gardener who repeatedly says "As you wish..." without using any words. A few of my favorite ways to eat fresh tomatoes (besides straight up with salt): Pa Amb Tomaquet (excellent even with subpar tomatoes) Artichoke Bruschetta Simple Tomato Sandwich Simple Tomato & Avocado Salad Insalata Caprese (sometimes we add anchovies) La Madeleine's Tomato-Basil Soup Tomato Pasta (my recipe) No Cook Puttanesca Sauce with Linguine Tomato Eggplant Casserole Tomato Toast Tomato Pasta Caprese I'm always surprised at how difficult it is to create a delicious sandwich. It seems so simple, but most of my experiments yield subpar results -- good, but not grand. So today, after skipping breakfast, it was especially rewarding to bite into a lunchworthy sandwich. I almost called it an Italian Reuben because it has basil, tomatoes, and mayo instead of thousand island, but seeing how it doesn't have corned beef or sauerkraut, and dijon is French, it didn't seem to fit. I suspect you could get away with changing at least one ingredient and still get something yummy (like mozzarella instead of swiss, or whole wheat instead of rye, or early girls instead of heirlooms). Whatever you do, though, the kosher dill pickle on the side must be the genuine article, since you will be melding it with the sandwich as you take bites of each and chew them together. Grilled Turkey, Tomato & Swiss on Rye 2 slices of rye bread (I used marbled light rye) 3 slices of turkey (we're currently loving Kirkland--Costco--deli turkey) 2 oz swiss cheese 1 medium heirloom tomato, sliced 2 basil leaves, torn into small pieces 1 t mayonnaise 1 t dijon mustard 2 t butter (I use Smart Balance) salt pepper 1. Butter one slice of bread and place butter side down in skillet. 2. Spread dijon on other side, top with swiss cheese and then turkey (each piece folded in half and overlapping). 3. Top with tomatoes, sprinkle with s/p and basil. 4. Butter second slice of bread, flip over, and carefully spread mayonnaise on other side. 5. Place butter side up on top of sandwich. 6. Cook over medium-low heat until cheese is melted and bread is golden. 7. Flip and cook until second side is golden. This is for the purists, the cheese lovers, the low carbers, and those with an affinity for the national dish of Hawaii.
It all started the day before Christmas Eve when in the midst of a heated argument, my husband decided to fry a piece of cheese. It angered me because not only was it ludicrous, it meant another pan to wash. I wish I could say that I took a bite and it melted away all my hostility, but the truth is, he ate it himself and I shouted at him, saying “That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen!” A few days ago he placed a piece of fried cheddar cheese beside my laptop. I devoured it and was immediately shamed. He reveled in his redemption and now we are on a cheese frying marathon. Yesterday he fried some parmesan and that was even better than the cheddar. Today, while he’s at work, I decided to try it myself, and ended up creating several recipes. Basic Fried Cheese 1 slice of medium thick cheese (even thicker might be okay, just not thin) 1 non-stick pan (this is crucial, though if I were brave, I’d try cast iron) Heat non-stick pan to medium and cook cheese till the edges start to harden and it’s ready to flip. Turn it over and cook till firm. There’s a lot of wiggle factor here–I still haven’t mastered it, if the pan is too hot, you’ll just end up with spatula goo, which does eventually harden into the real thing which is quite tasty. My problem is that once I hear the cheese sizzling, see the oil flowing out of it, and smell the cheesy aroma, I can’t wait to eat it, so I prematurely attempt to flip it. Parmesan (since it’s harder) is easier to do than Cheddar–I think it’s tastier too. Spam and Cheese Pancakes – Spamkes Grate spam and cheese (cheddar and/or jack work well), smash into pancakes and fry in non-stick pan on medium heat. Flip after a few minutes. Pretty much the same procedure as the basic fried cheese recipe. Dipping these in yellow mustard is also good. Cheese and Bacon Bit Pancakes Smash grated cheese (I used Monterey Jack cheese) and real bacon bits (not the artificial kind) and follow same procedure as above. Who's responsible for all this food in my house? I smell a conspiracy...
Al-Caeka is the mastermind behind the latest bioterror attack on the United States. Their ingenious and insidious strategy can be summed up in three words: Keep America Fat. They planned the first strike on the national holiday when the digestive systems of Americans were the most vulnerable: Thanksgiving. Al-Caeka's gastronomical operatives slowly reintroduced starches into our diets—mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, rolls--paving the way for the most toxic carbohydrate of all. Millions have been infected with the white granular poison referred to as “dehydrated cane juice” but more commonly known as “sugar.” U.S. health officials became aware of the situation in early December and the country was put on high alert, but it was apparent that the it could not be contained until after the holiday season. We were hit the hardest on our nation’s most religious celebration—Christmas—and the attacks continued through New Year’s Day. Low-carb experts predicted that our diets would be free of all fattening substances by January 2nd, 2004. It turns out we underestimated Al-Caeka. In our panic to rid ourselves of cookies, cakes, pies, truffles, candies, and Almond Roca, we have spread the lethal sweet substance from household to household. And in some instances, household to workplace to household. The most extreme cases reported have been in multi-generational families where food is brought in from multiple sources, as well as manufactured in-house. One household under close surveillance received two portions of cheesecakes in the same day—one from work and another from a parent living outside the household. This is just one of many such incidences plaguing this family over the past three weeks. The person most susceptible to these attacks is a woman who stays home all day blogging (often about food) and caring for her small child (now a chocoholic). In a desperate attempt to purge her home of these lethal consumables, she has fallen into the terrorist trap of attempting to eat up all the bad food. For every forbidden morsel she consumes, another one appears out of nowhere. It is January 3rd and a tin of assorted candies, as well as a jar of toffee, has been detected in her laundry room, a bag of ghiradelli dark chocolates is perched atop the frig, a piece of cheesecake, a jar of pitted cherries, pumpkin pie filling, and four soft french rolls lie in wait in the refrigerator. Mint chip ice cream hides out in the freezer. Surely more fattening food is surreptitiously lurking nearby. Her skinny jeans can’t be buttoned and her fat jeans are no longer saggy around her thighs and butt. If she doesn’t recover by the spring, she will attempt a new regimen of exercise known as “sexercise.” Her shapely figure will look great when she suits up for combat in…maternity clothes. Al-Caeka’s strategy will have backfired and a new little army of semi low-carbers, armed with protein, produce and whole grains, will rise up (not out) to defeat him. |
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