From an early age, Monkey has enjoyed eating eggs in all forms – scrambled, over-easy, deviled, you name it.  But nothing satisfies her more these days than giving a good-smack to a hard-boiled egg, listening to the crack and peeling off the battered outer shell.  And now that her fine motor skills are improving, it’s not quite such a mess for me either.

My toddler is not quite so picky about the inside of the egg, but I do hate to see an olive-green edge around the yolk.  Thus began the hunt for a perfect hard-boiled egg.  What I learned through experimentation is that the key is two-fold: a)  the egg needs to be thoroughly submerged in the water, at least by an inch and then b) the egg does not need to be boiled for very long at all.

Try this recipe:

Hard-Boiled Eggs

• Place half-dozen eggs in a deep sauce or saute pan and cover with water by at least an inch.  Bring water to a boil using high heat.  Once the water is boiling, remove the pan from the stove, cover it, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
• After sitting, immerse the eggs in a ice cold water bath for about 5 minutes or return eggs to the carton and put back in the fridge.

At this point, I usually make a mental note to come back later and mark the hard-boiled eggs with a big black H so that I don’t mistake them for uncooked eggs.  Incidentally, these eggs are perfect for use in an egg salad or a deviled eggs recipe – both ideas that have on occasion worked with my picky eater (but not universally).

One of the pleasures of living in wine country is the easy access to all things grape and wine related.  Harvest has ended early this year, but we made it to a winery in time to see the production process in full swing.  Although Monkey is too young to drink wine, she has certainly seen her parents drink enough of it to recognize the special glasses when they appear on the table and request a sip on occasion.  Showing her the grape sorting and crushing and fermenting process was a great deal of fun, and at this stage of the game it’s all still grape juice – perfect for sampling.   If you’re lucky enough to bring home some juice from a visit to a winery, try this recipe for sorbet:

Grape Juice Sorbet

3 cups of grape juice

1 cup sugar , divided into quarter cups

Dissolve the sugar into the grape juice, a quarter of a cup at a time, adding only enough sugar until it tastes good to you.  Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it is very cool, at least 4 hours.  Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to the manufacturers instructions.  Store in freezer in popsicle molds or freezer-proof container.

We’ve been reading the fantastic book Zen Ties by John J. Muth a lot recently.  Since it’s fall, it’s a happy coincidence that this book features apples.  I decided to have a little apple tea party with Monkey by having her help me make an apple galette, and serving apple tea.  We shared a wonderful afternoon, first admiring and selecting apples in the store and then preparing this freeform pie.  We purchased the tea, which was too spicy for us.  The pie turned out beautifully.  Here’s the recipe:

Apple Pie

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup very cold water (+ more if needed)

Apple Filling Ingredients

• 2 mediums-sized baking apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and sliced very thin
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 teaspoons apricot preserves
• Vegetable oil spray

Instructions

1. Combine the flours, sugar and salt with a whisk in a large mixing bowl.  Add in the shortening in small chunks, cutting them into the flour mixture with each addition until the dough reaches a crumbly stage.
2. Mix the vinegar with the cold water together and then, using a fork, add it to the flour mixture in a couple of batches.  If needed add up more cold water until the dough holds sticks together uniformly.
3. Knead the dough on a floured surface a couple of times, then shape it into a ball and flatten into a disc as if making pizza dough.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425.
5. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
6. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.  You may roll out the dough into one large galette.  The dough should be not be any thicker than 1/4″.
8. Place the dough on the baking sheet, and spread the apricot preserves on the crust.  Then arrange the apple slices in overlapping circles, working from the outside in, leaving a 3/4″ border around the edge.  Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
9. Fold the extra dough around the edges up and around the apples, overlapping the dough to create a rustic event.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges of the crust are golden.

Make sure you let the galette cool down before eating.  Serve with your choice of ice cream.

Okay, talk about eating your words.  With all of the confidence in the world, I prepared a very delicious-sounding soba noodle and spinach recipe from the NYT columnist Mark Bittman last night for dinner.  I talked it up big time, too.  My daughter was so excited to try the noodles with all of the good things she likes - edamame, spinach, lime juice, soy sauce – what was there not to like?  Apparently, everything.  Noodles didn’t exactly come flying back into my face, but I think they might have if it hadn’t meant a time out.  I’m not sure that this qualifies her as a picky eater but it sure doesn’t make things a heck of a lot easier.  So, in hopes of redeeming dinner, I made a quick little miso soup — ha, ha.  Remember me?  The LAZY mom-chef.  She asked for, and I gave her, a few slices of prosciutto, some goat cheese, cucumber slices and baby tomatoes along with milk.

But, for you diehards, here is the miso soup recipe I should have made last night (one that Monkey loves):

Ingredients

• 3 cups dashi soup stock, prepared according to directions
• 1 block tofu cut into 1/4″ cubes
• 4 tbsps high quality miso
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 2 tbsps seaweed leaves

Preparation

Prepare and measure ingredients first.  Put dashi stock in a large  pan and bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer.  Add miso to stock, and dissolve.  Add in tofu cubes and seaweed leaves.  Heat for 2-3 minutes and then serve into bowls.  Garnish with the chopped green onion.

*Makes 4 servings

Feeding toddlers who are picky eaters seems to be a hot topic on the web these days.  I’m sure that the number of websites devoted to the subject is in exact proportion to the level of frustration that parents of picky eaters feel.  If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of strategies for making meal times less fussy, the Dr. Sears website has created a pretty thorough catalog of the basics.  (Earlier posts on this same subject are on the toddlerwhoate.com site as well.)

Reading through the list at Dr. Sears just makes me smile.  Haven’t we all tried these tips before?  Why do some of them work only some of the time?  The truth is that every child is so different, and different from day to day, that in reality there is no comprehensive list.  There is only your list for Susie or Johnny, or in my case Monkey.  It’s my little toolbox that I reach into at least three times a day to try to find anything that will help me “construct” a workable meal.  One that doesn’t have three of us eating three completely different dishes.  The other great thing about my toolbox is that I’ve finally remembered to add another tool to it.  I’ve labeled my new tool ‘perspective’ (which I don’t always have on hand after 2:30 a.m. wake up calls).  My perspective tries to remind me that all in good time, we will be through the prosciutto-craving, strawberry-loving phase.  And at that time, Monkey will have undoubtedly found a new wrench.

A recipe to try when you think your toddler is open to it:

Spiced Nuts:

• 1/2 cup each of raw pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts and cashews
• 1 1/2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh pepper
• 1 tbs sugar

Warm oil and add rosemary until fragrant (1-2 minutes on stove).  Pour over nuts and mix in other spices.  Roast at 325 for about 15-20 minutes.

Want to cook for a picky toddler?  (Now, I know you shouldn’t actually use the word “picky” in front of your little one – but feel safe to vent, I meant write, it on this site.)  As with everything that I try, I learn that it all comes down to the basics, right down to the equipment.  Cooking well requires, at a minimum, some decent pots, pans and knives.  Pictured are two recent acquisitions, which have made turning on the stove a breeze.  These are both by All-Clad – one is a Stainless Steel 12-inch Fry Pan and the other is a Stainless Steel 4-Quart Saute Pan.  Don’t ask me what makes the pans work so well.  All I know is that the heat seems to distribute evenly throughout the pan, everything slides right out and they are a snap to clean.

Here’s a quick tomato sauce to make in your saute pan. Try it and I think you’ll agree that having the right pans makes this already simple recipe practically effortless.

Quick Tomato Sauce

• Approximately 3 pounds of heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Around 1/4 cup of chopped herbs such as basil, oregano or marjoram
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive oil to taste

Place tomatoes in saute pan over medium heat along with herbs.  Cover pan, but stir periodically.  Allow tomatoes and herbs to cook for about 10 minutes until they have softened.  Run the mixture through a food mill to get rid of the skins and seeds.  Place sauce back in saute pan along with salt, pepper and olive oil to taste (try out a couple of tablespoons) and then simmer until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.  Sauce may be kept in the fridge for about a week, or frozen for several months.

We’re always trying to find something that works for everyone in the family in some way.  I don’t want to have to make two meals!  When I came across this delicious-sounding and no cooking involved recipe for Tomato Bruschetta with Tuna and Cannellini Salad in the August edition of Sunset magazine, I immediately put it on my calendar for Wednesday’s dinner.  My husband and I did enjoy it – with a few adjustments.  The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, which was a bit too much.  It retains that fresh lemon flavor with just 2 Tbsp.  We also added a bit of balsamic vinegar condiment to adjust the flavors.  Finally, we ate the salad on top of tomatoes and some very fine semolina bread.

Monk ate the tomatoes and the bread but couldn’t be persuaded to try the salad.  She immediately asked for prosciutto.  At least only one meal was prepared.  I call this recipe a keeper, although we’ll wait a while before trotting it out again.

Today I just didn’t even feel like trying.  We’ve been reading this great book all week – it’s called Dog Day by Sarah Hayes-and in it, a young boy and girl are eating sandwiches for lunch.  I thought this would be a great tie in for us since Monk hardly ever eats bread.  I’ve tried all week: PB&J, ham and cheese, grilled cheese, tuna fish, cucumber and hummus and tomato.  Nothing is getting through, or more appropriately hardly anything seems to be making it into her mouth.  We saw our friend Jen today for a playdate, and she asked if we had any good ideas for lunch.  There was an edge of hopefulness in her voice.  Alas, I can only offer a good recipe for the adults in the house:

The Best Grilled Cheese Recipe

Start with hearty whole grain bread.  Spread some non-dairy butter like Earth Balance on one side of each piece of bread.   Place one piece of bread directly down into a frying pan; I prefer cast iron or an easy to clean stainless steel frying pan.  Grate some cheese (a creamy gruyere works perfectly, but I’ve never turned my nose up at anything on hand in the fridge) and then also grate a little carrot directly onto the piece of bread in the pan.  Place the other piece of bread, buttered side up, on top of the sandwich and then turn on your burner to a medium-low setting.  Fry both sides until bread is toasty and cheese is melting.

Monk will tolerate this sandwich although mainly she rips off the bread and eats the melted cheese.  Then she asks for some kind of fruit.  Mango?

What? You wanted recipes for kids? We don’t do that at our house. We just buy all of our food already made, eat out, or have delivery. It’s really more convenient that way.

Ha ha. What I mean to say, is that prior to having a kid, I thought that I would be making all of those pancakes with smiley faces and eggs in the shapes of dinosaurs. And I have tried making “special kid-friendly meals” but they never seem to work out. A quick scan of previous posts will show you that Monkey just prefers food in the raw, in the rough if you will. No matter what we serve – she likes it plain, unadulterated, as nature intended. As I find recipes that work, I will share them.

In the meantime, we like to focus on location – especially dining al fresco such as at this local fountain.