Cooking and Kids

Hi guys! I’m on vacation! Come with me to a South African Braais.

I’m travelling in South Africa and even though I’m on holiday, the first thing I look at in a new country is the food. Once a chef always a chef I guess! And I’ve got some great recipes to share with you.

South Africa is, of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, so it has its seasons all back to front - while it’s summer in the States, here it is winter. The landscape outside Cape Town is still dry and brown from the hot summer and they are waiting for the winter rains to turn it all green again. Though summer is over and the nights are cool there is still sunshine and I’ve had a couple of fantastic braais with friends here.

A braai is the South African name for our barbeque and braais are a big summertime social thing here - when friends come round people entertain in their gardens, or go to the beach together, cooking over a wood fire. Meat is the focus of a braai: coils of boerewors (a spiced beef and pork sausage, which is made in at least fifty different varieties here), covered in hot spice sauce, marinaded lamb chops, steaks and, if you’re by the ocean and have been fishing and got lucky, fish. All these are cooked on the grid over glowing wood embers, but very often there’ll be a foil packet sitting right on the embers, being turned every so often and this foil packet usually is filled with vegetables.

I helped my friends prepare the food for their braai before going out to sit round the fire, so here is the recipe for my favorite South African vegetable cooked in one of these foil packets:

Butternut Squash baked in foil on a wood fire

1 medium butternut squash (this also works with pumpkin and other squashes)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper
heavy duty aluminium foil

Peel the butternut, take out the seeds and cut it into cubes or slices about ½ inch thick. (This should be done by an adult as the squash is not easy to peel - but you will enjoy taking out the seeds)! Prepare the aluminium foil. It’s best to have a double layer so that it doesn’t tear when it’s on the fire, so tear off a good length (at least 3 feet) fold it in two and then rub butter over the central area. Put the cubed butternut in, sprinkle it with the cinnamon, a good grinding of salt and pepper, then dot some more butter on top. Fold the foil over the butternut to make a loose parcel, with the sides double-folded to seal it well.

When the fire has burned down to glowing embers arrange the foil parcel on some embers at the edge of the fire and turn it carefully every five minutes. It should take 20 to 30 minutes depending on the heat of the coals. Open the parcel very carefully as it will be very hot and a rush of steam from the cooked buttenut will come out as soon as you open it. The butternut will be tender and slightly caramelized at the edges (probably burnt in a few places though still delicious!)

You can make all sorts of veggie packs this way - sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, green beans with whatever herbs and spices you like. Potatoes cooked with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary make a great combination. With most of them you can use olive oil instead of butter, it’s just butternut that really does need the luxury and lusciousness of butter to bring out the best of it.

These veggie packs make great ways to feed vegetarian friends at a barbeque, too, and are a healthy addition to all that meat!

I’ve collected a few dessert recipes along the way too which I’ll share with you next time.

“Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out to the park!
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks,
I don’t care if we ever get back!”

Who can resist singing this song? We all know the words, even if we’ve never attended a baseball game. Wait a moment! You haven’t been to a game?? You must put that on your ‘To Do’ list for this summer! There is nothing better than going to a baseball game. It’s not just about your favorite team or player, it’s about getting out with all the fans and yelling your heart out.

But baseball is not only about yelling and strikes and hits and home runs. It’s also about food. Yes, that may even be the reason why people go to games. Hero sandwiches, nachos oozing with cheese, chili dogs, and peanuts are all part of the ‘going to the baseball game’ experience.

Hero sandwiches are called submarine sandwiches, grinders or hoagies, depending on which area of the country you live. They are all equally delicious! Ham, salami, cheese, lettuce, tomato and that special Italian dressing make them a homer each time.

You can create your own stadium favorites at home. Here is an easy recipe for Nacho Dip. It is very hearty and almost a meal itself!

Home-Run Nacho Dip

1 can (15oz) refried beans
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 8 oz container cream cheese, regular or whipped
2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican style cheese
8 oz jar salsa, you choose mild, medium or hot (optional)
1 pint sour cream
1 or 2 tomatoes for decoration, plum tomatoes work best
1 large package of your favorite tortilla chips

This recipe is best made in a glass or stoneware pie plate, or another small microwave-safe casserole dish. You can adjust the amounts of any of the ingredients to taste or to your dish size.

Directions:

1) Spread cream cheese in the bottom of the dish.

2) Sprinkle 3/4 c shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese.

3) Mix 1/4 c water with the taco seasoning and the refried bean in a separate bowl until blended. Spread this on top of the cheeses.

4) Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top of beans.

5) Microwave for 4-5 minutes until dish is bubbly.

6) While Nacho Dip is heating up, cut tomatoes into 1/4“ slices. Remove pulp and seeds. Set aside.

7) Spoon salsa on top of nacho dip. (optional)

Spread sour cream on top of nacho dip to completely cover dish.

9) Cut and display tomatoes so they look like the stitching on a baseball.

10) Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.

Dip can be made ahead (steps 1-4) and heated just before serving.

Healthy tips:

• remember to choose low-fat or fat-free if you are worried about calories. You want to ‘STRIKE-OUT’ as much fat as possible.

• some brands of taco seasoning contain MSG or monosodium glutamate. This is a common preservative. It also commonly causes headaches. Check the ingredients as there are many brands that do not use MSG.

Let freedom ring! This week-end we celebrate the birthday of our country. We remember those who have fought and died to protect our freedom. We thank them for their sacrifices made to secure our liberty and our way of life. We pray for our defenders and soldiers in uniform throughout the world and for their families. Long may America live in peace, harmony, and justice for all mankind.

May you have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Last time we used up ripe bananas to make fresh fruit smoothies , now if you’ve got any more bananas left that need using up, here is a delicious recipe for banana bread, which is more of a cake than a bread. It is moist and full of flavor and keeps well for several days, if there is any left by then!

Have you ever baked a cake from scratch before by hand? If you haven’t I’ll explain some of the terms you’ll see in the recipe, right after it. It’s not hard and once you’ve learned how, you can tackle almost any cake recipe there is!

Recipe for Banana Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup / 1 stick of butter (nice and soft)

1 cup sugar

4 ripe bananas

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup water

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350F

Collect together these kitchen tools: mixing bowl, wooden spoon, loaf tin 8″ x 4″, sieve, measuring cups and spoons

Grease the loaf tin and line it with baking paper or a butter paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar till it is light and fluffy. Mash the bananas with a fork then beat them into the butter mixture. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then beat them into the mixture a little at a time. Sift the flour and salt together then fold it into the mixture. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and stir it in. Last of all mix in the baking powder.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes. Test to see if it is done by poking a metal or wooden skewer into the middle of the loaf - if it comes out clean it is done. If some of the mixture sticks to it, it needs a little longer. Check again after 5 minutes. Cool the banana bread in the tin then turn out and slice.

TIPS

To help you remember when the cake needs to come out, set the alarm or timer function on your cellphone or watch!

Remember to have thick oven gloves on when you are taking the hot tin out of the oven!

Cream together butter and sugar Most cake recipes start with this step. All this means is mixing the sugar into the butter. It is much easier to do if the butter is soft (but not melting) to start with. With a wooden spoon press the sugar into the butter until it is all mixed in and then mix faster until it looks a bit fluffy like whipped up frosting. This stage gets the air into the cake that helps it be light and moist rather than rock solid!

Beat eggs Break the eggs into a separate bowl and stir them up together with a fork until they are well mixed. When you add them to the cake mixture, just add a little bit at a time and stir in well with the wooden spoon before adding the next bit.

Beating means mixing the batter fast, round and round as quickly as you can to get the air in. It can tire you out - good for building muscles!

Fold in flour You’ve got lots of air into the mix by beating the eggs and beating the mixture together. Now when you add the flour you do it more slowly so as not to lose all the air. Scoop the mixture from the bottom of the bowl and fold it over the flour on top in gentle movements until it is all mixed in.

So now any time you find a cake recipe that is made by hand you will be able to use these methods and you don’t need to rely on a food processor or mixer any more. Hand-made cakes rise much better than ones made in the processor too, so are lighter and airier.

Have fun baking cakes!

Now that warmer weather is starting, bananas seem to get overripe before you’ve had time to eat them and who actually likes to eat squishy bananas? Let’s face it, the flavor is still OK but the texture is really off-putting… so how can you use up those overripe bananas to make something delicious, so they won’t be wasted?

(Now I’m not talking about the revolting ones that are black inside as well as outside, just the ones that have gone rather squashy and soft inside).

There are loads of great recipes using ripe bananas. One of the quickest and simplest things you can use them for is to make fruit smoothies. They make delicious, nutritious and healthy snacks or breakfast drinks.

In summer time you have loads of fruits to choose from to add to your bananas. When fruit is in season it’s riper, tastier and cheaper, too, so look around and find out the best fruits for the time of year. Nowadays when fruit is flown in from the other side of the world it can be hard to tell what is in season. However, when you see bargain boxes of a particular fruit, that is a good clue.

At the beginning of summer strawberries, melon, peaches and apricots come in, later on other berries, and apples and pears in the fall. Tropical fruit like mangos and pineapples are often available year round and make good additions, too. All these fruits, and plenty more I haven’t mentioned, add a variety of flavors to the banana base of the smoothie and a blast of fresh vitamins in the bargain.

In a food processor or blender put the following ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas
1-2 cups of ripe fruit from the list above (peel and take out any stones or pits first)
1 cup of plain unsweetened yogurt
1 cup of milk

Whizz it all up and taste for sweetness. If all the fruit was ripe, you probably won’t need to add any sugar.  But if it tastes tart, add a tablespoon of honey or sugar to bring out the flavor of the fruit and whizz it again. In summer, pour drinks into two or three tall glasses over ice cubes and slurp through a straw.

In winter time when you are less likely to find really ripe fruit besides the bananas, add an extra banana instead and ½  teaspoon of cinnamon for a warming version of a smoothie. Or, to be truly decadent,  add a teaspoon or two of hot chocolate or cocoa!

As well as being delicious, this smoothie is a powerhouse of goodness for you  - vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants from the fresh fruit, calcium and vitamins from the milk and yogurt. All make you healthier and stronger!

Next time I’ll give you a recipe for banana bread that is another great way of using those ripe bananas and goes really well alongside a tall glass of fruit smoothie!

What is the difference between the national brand, the store brand, and a generic brand of food? You may have heard your mother talk about these when she goes to the store. She might say, “get the store brand”.

What is the difference? I heard all of you say loud and clear - it’s the MONEY! We’ve all heard our parents and others talk about the high cost of everything, including food. Here is an an interesting activity comparing prices on different brands of food.

Let’s say you are going to the grocery store to buy food items on your shopping list. You want to compare prices on a can of whole kernel corn, for example. The easiest way is to find a like size can in each of the three categories - the national brand, such as Del Monte and then the store brand, such as Hy-Vee, and then a generic brand. How did they compare? It may surprise you to see the difference.

If you can carry this one step further and are able to buy each of the cans of corn, here is another experiment. When you bring the groceries home and are ready to do a little testing, open each of the cans of corn. (Hopefully you were able to find small cans of corn). Analyze them on the following points:

1. How does the color compare? Which one looks more appetizing?

2. What is the texture like? Are the contents of the can firm, or mushy?

3. Taste a sample of each and determine which tastes the best to you.

What would be the conclusions to your experiment? Based on these tests, and the cost comparison, which would be the best buy? Share this information with your family. And me, too, if you would like.

Now, what will you do with the opened cans of corn?

Here are some suggestions:

Heat corn and eat
Add to corn bread
Make corn chowder
Make Corn fritters

Stay tuned - as the Chef may find one of his favorite Corn Chowder recipes to share with you.

No matter how young or old you are, everyone cherishes comfort food. What is “comfort food”, you ask? This is classic home-cooked food that is prepared and enjoyed regularly throughout the year. It is usually the food most requested by the family.

In most homes there are different favorites for each season. Springtime might bring to mind roasted herb-crusted chicken, steamed baby peas and carrots and strawberry pie. Bar-b-q chicken, grilled hamburgers, and potato salad make us savor the thoughts of summer picnics in the park.

September and back-to-school brings a new order to cooking. Autumn craves harvest classics, like roasted vegetables, candied carrots, butternut squash soup and pumpkin or apple pie for dessert. Cold winters are filled with rustic beef stew, hot, steamy soups, and a variety of casseroles with warm crispy bread fresh from the oven.

It is the general feeling of a lovingly cooked meal that creates fond memories of home cooked comfort food. There is as much fun in preparing a treasured recipe as in eating the finished product.

As a ’round the year classic, nothing says comfort food like macaroni and cheese. And I’m not referring to the kind you find in a box! If you haven’t eaten homemade macaroni and cheese you are in for a real treat. This easy meal can be dressed up for company by mixing in gourmet cheeses or made heartier by adding cooked chicken and peas. But for the real deal try this:

Homemade Mac & Cheese

1 pound  elbow or other medium size pasta
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
(a mix of sharp and mild cheeses is best)
1/2 cup butter
5 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, optional
4 cups of milk

Follow package directions when cooking the pasta. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and seasonings. In an oven-safe large pot, add butter, melting it on low. Next, stir in the flour mixture. Pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Add the cheese and cook over low heat until the cheese is melted. Add in pasta and stir until completely coated. Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  For a nice crisp topping turn oven to a low broil for 3-5 minutes, but watch carefully.

Serves 8-10

To add a special topping, crumble 12-16 round butter crackers and sprinkle over the top before baking.

Serve with a crisp green salad and you are ready for homemade comfort food goodness!

This cake that will be sure to put a smile on Mom’s face. Kids love to make something special for their Mothers - and Moms like to be pampered on their special day. Here is a gift for Mom that combines two ingredients dear to Mothers’ hearts - flowers and sweets.

The following recipe is from Amy Houts book, Cooking Around the Calendar With Kids - Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun. It is called

Spring Flowers Cake

Choose any prepared cake mix that coordinates or goes well with any spring flowers you may have, such as daffodils, tulips, or lilacs. Follow the cake mix directions for baking in a bundt pan. This is a pan made of heavy metal, generally, with scalloped sides and a hole in the middle.

When the cake comes out of the oven, place it on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then, gently, take a dinner knife to release the cake from the sides of the pan, unless it is already loosened. Have an adult place a serving plate upside down over the top of the cake pan and turn the cake over onto the plate. Pull the pan up off the cake. The pan and cake will still be very hot at this point.

Let the cake cool. To serve, dust with powdered sugar or serve plain.

Now here is the fun part - collect a bunch of spring flowers and wrap their stems in aluminum foil. Then pop this spring bouquet into the hole in the center of the cake. Won’t Mom be surprised when she sees you have made a lovely dessert centerpiece for her?

1. Make a weekly list of menus before you go to the store. It’s a good idea to plan meals around advertised specials. This advanced planning serves as a guide to your grocery shopping and will save you money and time.

2. Have a list and organize it according to categories in the store, such as frozen food, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.

3. Use coupons to save money on items you need and use. Just because you have a coupon doesn’t mean you should buy the item. Compare costs and only use the coupon if it will serve your purpose.

4. Shop when stores are less crowded. Depending on your schedule, shopping is easier when the stores are least crowded which is often early in the morning, mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

5. Don’t go to the store hungrey. When possible, you should shop after you have eaten. Otherwise, everything will look good and you will probably over buy - and maybe over-eat!

6. Compare prices on different brands.

7. Buy foods that are in season. These are generally less expensive than buying them out of season.

8. Most prepared foods cost more than those made “from scratch”. You have to weigh the comparisons. For example,  you could buy whole cheese rather than shredded cheese because it will probably be cheaper if you shred the cheese yourself. Again, you will have to compare the costs.

9. Using dry milk in cooking can stretch the food dollar.

10. The type of store at which you shop makes a difference in the cost of food. You may find a particular store that meets your needs or you may shop around for the best buys. Some consumers have many choices of stores, such as self-serve supermarkets versus specialty supermarkets. There are discount supermarkets, farmers’ markets, delicatessens, twenty-four hour convenience stores, roadside stands, and others.

These are just a few ways to save time and money. Can you add more? The Chef would love to hear what you are doing to save time and money at the grocery store.

Today being May Day, have you surprised someone with a May basket? This is always a fun activity.

You need some flowers, which can be any kind, maybe even the little violets coming into bloom this time of year. Then you need to place them in a container which you have made out of construction paper and decorated. Add a handle for hanging on a neighbor’s door. Some like to add other small gifts besides flowers in the baskets.

The really fun part is when you go up to the door nice and quiet, ring the door bell, and run away. Then when the neighbor comes to the door, he or she finds your lovely basket of flowers, looks around, and probably says, “I wonder where these came from?” Your neighbor will be so surprised. The trick is to not let your neighbor see you! If you get caught, you are supposed to get a kiss.

For your small gift to add to the May basket, why not wrap some of the cookies from the recipe below? They will add a really special touch to your May Basket.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1′2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In mixing bowl, place softened butter and the sugars. Beat until well creamed. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Blend in dry ingredients.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. With spoon, scoop small amount of dough and shape by hand into a ball. Place rolled dough on lightly greased baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Dip fork into flour and flatten each cookie with a crisscross pattern.

Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on size of cookies.

You may even want to double this recipe because it is really very good!