Kids Cooking and Cookbook Blog Site

I went to the Farmers Market this morning and found some great buys on vegetables. There were heaping loads of corn and melons and zucchini. There was so much to choose from this crisp morning. I really had to stick to my list because everything looked so good.

It was fun to go from one trailer or pickup or table to another seeing all the fresh produce. One farmer had the biggest cantaloupes I had ever seen! I have really enjoyed this kind of melon this summer and hope the one I bought will taste as good.

I also bought some corn, turnips, onions, and a huge green pepper. The turnips are so good eaten raw, with a little salt.

Another farmer had garlic, which I also bought, and another had tomatoes. I can hardly wait to have BLT (bacon-lettuce-tomato) sandwiches!

Tonight I fixed a simple but good zucchini dish. I poured a little olive oil into my black cast iron skillet in preparation for a little stir-fry. Since I had the garlic, I peeled a few cloves, then cut them up fine and put them in the skillet. I washed the zucchini really well and sliced it into the skillet. Zucchini doesn’t need to be peeled and the bright green color really makes it look good. The big, green pepper looked tempting so I cut a little of it and added it to the skillet. Then I added a little onion, some basil and a good dash of fresh ground pepper. I let it cook for a while, turning it every so often to get the vegetables slightly browned throughout. I halved some cherry tomatoes, which also came from the market, to have ready to stir in. When the vegetables were slightly browned, a liberal amount of Parmesan cheese was sprinkled on top, cherry tomatoes mixed in, and voila, it was oh, so good!

The corn won’t make it from the field to the table in 24 hours today. Mine will have to wait 48 hours, which will not be as good. But with the burritoes, too, there would have been too much food tonight.

I like buying locally grown food. Besides helping the local economy, food tastes so much better. The local market is where you will find that just-picked freshness and full-flavored ripeness plus a wide variety of food.

Some weeks are just busier than others and this has been one of those weeks. I’ve had some overnight company and needed to prepare a talk. Now I am really far behind (but I really love company)!

I will now again try to keep you updated about our latest cookbook selections. These come from Amy Houts’ upcoming book, Cooking Around the Country With Kids.

Since we are traveling through Maine on our imaginary tour of the New England States, I would like to share with you another recipe. This one is for Lobster Salad. This recipe uses lobster meat in a salad you can eat on crackers.

2 cups minced (diced very fine) cooked lobster, cooled
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced celery
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in a bowl. Serve with crackers. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

The hardest part will be getting the meat out of the lobster, as it gets very messy. You will need an adult to crack the shells and help you remove all the tasty morsels of lobster. As you are doing this, save out a little to dip into melted butter. It makes a wonderful combination of flavor and taste!

I’ve been on a “cold drink” kick lately, as you can tell. These hot days just make me want to mix together some cool drinks for guests.

Here is a drink recipe to add to your collection.

Sherbet Fizzy

2 cups apple juice
2 cups ginger ale
1 pint orange sherbet

Drop scoop of orange sherbet in each of 4 glasses. Pour juice and ginger ale over sherbet.

This recipe comes from Lee Jackson’s cookbook, From the Apple Orchard – Recipes for Apple Lovers. You can read more about the book at Images Unlimited Publishing.

Apple season is coming soon so I hope to give you more recipes from her collection.

Chef Crombie

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Hi gang!

Today is one of those hot days in July when you need a really refreshing drink. This is one of my favorites:

Fruity Smoothie

2 cups orange juice (fresh squeezed is great)
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced (or frozen strawberries)
1 frozen banana, sliced (peel and place in the freezer to freeze)
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
3 teaspoons honey

Place all ingredients in blender in order given. Blend until smooth.

For an extra special treat, add a scoop of strawberry ice cream. Yum, good.

Makes enough for you and a couple (or more) friends.

Stay cool!

I hope you all had a good and safe 4th of July! My ears are still ringing from all the fireworks but we saw some really spectacular displays.

Typically, the weather is very hot for this holiday – and still is in the 90′s in our part of the country. Especially with this heat, it’s important to drink lots of water. Having some cool drinks on hand is also a nice treat.

Today I want to feature a sugar-less lemonade. I can see that you are getting all puckered up because you think it will really be sour. It does have a nice tang to it and gets you awake. Think of it as a sour candy.

Here is the recipe, from Amy Houts’ cookbook, “Cooking Around the Calendar with Kids: Holiday and Seasonal Food and Fun”. You can read more about this cookbook and others at www.FoodForKids.com

Sugar-Free Lemonade

3 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup white grape juice

Measure and combine juices in a pitcher. Stir. Serve over ice. This is a refreshing alternative to sugary lemonade.

For a different twist, add:

raspberry juice and float some fresh raspberries.

peach or apricot nectar and float peach or apricot slices.

Sit under a tree, feel the warm breezes, and enjoy.

Today we celebrate America’s birthday – a country that has become the symbol of freedom throughout the world.

A free nation did not just happen. The early colonists had to struggle and work hard for our freedom. In the late 1770′s our Founding Fathers rose to fight against being oppressed by another government. They wanted the right, among others, to worship as they pleased, to express their thoughts, have freedom of the press, the right to assemble, the right to bear arms.

Thomas Jefferson wrote a first draft of a paper declaring the rights of free people. This document was later revised and signed by 56 brave men in 1776.

These 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence risked everything when they signed the document stating, “We herewith pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor”. They knew that by signing this document they could be captured as traitors.

Men and women continue to make sacrifices and risk their lives for our independence and our rights. So today, let’s remember the many people who have suffered and died in order to keep our country safe and free. Long may it live.

God bless America.

Watermelon and 4th of July are made for each other! They go together like cake and ice cream, or hamburgers and buns, or (you add to this).

Summer barbecues are sure to include this best loved fruit and vegetable. (Yes, watermelons are considered both). From its name you know it is filled with water – 92 percent of it is water so it is a natural thirst quencher. It is native to Africa and was a valuable source of water during hot desert trips. It has lots of other good benefits as well, such as vitamins A, B6 and C, fiber and potassium.

There are more than 500 varieties of watermelon. Some have red flesh, others green and some reddish pink. Most have black seeds and others have white or very light seeds. Some are even called seedless. They really aren’t seedless but the seeds are so tiny and fewer in number than the typical ones.

Watermelons come in different shapes and sizes, too. In fact, some are huge. There is one recorded in the Guinness Book of Records weighing 279 pounds!

I remember a little boy showing off to his mother how strong he was by picking up a gigantic watermelon, only to have it slip out of his hands and smash all over the floor. Ah yes, watermelon memories. Or maybe you have a memory about the time you ate too much watermelon and had a stomach ache. Most watermelon memories are happy ones, though. Perhaps you have memories of eating watermelon with your friends and seeing who can spit the seeds the furthest.

Whichever way you eat watermelon, I hope you have friends and family to share it with on the 4th of July.

How appropriate it is that we are talking about food of New England here in the chef’s cooking corner during this 4th of July season. After all, the American colonies began in New England.

The early Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Colony—part of today’s Massachusetts—too late to grow many crops, and they lacked fresh food. It was a very hard winter for them as food was very scarce.

When the weather was warm the next spring they grew fruits and vegetables and had more food to eat. The Native Americans were very helpful. They showed the colonists what to plant and how to plant. They taught them how to grow corn (maize), barley, pumpkins, and many other crops. The Indians showed them how to pound corn into meal, and how to cook with it. This helped many of them survive the harsh winter of 1620–1621.

Now, corn on the cob is a special food for many 4th of July cook-outs. There are many ways to fix it. You can boil it , steam it, microwave it, and even grill corn on the cob.

The fresher the corn is, the tastier it will be. There is a saying that corn should be on the table two hours after its been picked. As soon as corn is picked, its sugar begins to gradually convert to starch. This then reduces the corn’s natural sweetness. Some folks add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the boiling water if the corn is past its prime.

Here is how to boil corn:

Add cold water to a pot large enough to hold all the ears of corn you want to prepare. Set on stove to come to a boil.

Shuck the corn, that is, pull off the outer husks of corn and pull off as many of the pesky little silks as you can.

Have an adult slowly lower the ears of corn into the boiling water and cover. After the water begins to boil again, leave the corn in for about 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the freshness and softness of the corn.

Then, with tongs, have an adult remove corn from boiling water. Be careful to lift cover away from you so the steam doesn’t burn your face. Roll corn on the cob in real butter, add a little salt and you have a grand feast!

To microwave corn:

You can microwave corn with the shucks on or off. If you shuck first, wrap the ears in damp paper towels, and put them in the microwave. Cook them on high for about 6 to 9 minutes for two ears or about 12 to 15 minutes for four ears. Halfway through cooking, turn them over. If you are going to shuck the ears after cooking, use something like a clean dish towel to protect your hands from the hot ears as you shuck.

Whichever way you fix your corn on the cob, you will be eating a patriotic food on this day celebrating freedom.