There is a category of home cooking that rarely makes its appearance in restaurants. They are the recipes that are made by grandmas everywhere and uniformly loved, but that no one would think to put on a menu. I suspect that this soup is that kind of thing in Mexico. It is a recipe I came across … Continue reading Sopa de Pasta
Today I wanted to share a great breakfast trick that I recently discovered and it has become a staple in our house. I’m always looking for good breakfast recipes that are satisfying enough for Sunday morning, but not overly decadent and carb-laden. I tend to like breakfast foods that are on the sweet side, but … Continue reading Pancakelette
This Thanksgiving, I wanted to delve into African American culinary traditions and try to create a Thanksgiving meal that would reflect aspects of this history. I am ashamed to admit that I learned, on a fascinating blog called Afroculinaria, that Abraham Lincoln’s official declaration of Thanksgiving as a national American holiday fell mere months after … Continue reading To Hattie
You may have noticed that I often go to ethnic markets to find the ingredients that I use in my recipes. These markets make up a regular part of my food shopping routine. And yet often when I am there, I look around and think I may be one of the only non-immigrant Americans in … Continue reading Ode to Ethnic Markets
A few weeks ago, my friend Teresa came to visit, and brought with her some yummy little treats for Damien. Her family is Filipino, and she said this was something that her father remembers eating when he lived in the Philippines. They are little pastries called hopia, and the ones she brought were stuffed with … Continue reading Treats from the Philippines
When I think of Saturday mornings as a kid, one thing immediately comes to mind. We creatively called them Rolled-Up Pancakes, although I later found out that they were known to the rest of the world as crêpes. Rolled-Up Pancakes have a special way of being served, though, and that is spread with jam, rolled, … Continue reading Rolled-Up Pancakes
I think that every city and geographical region gives off a kind of feeling- an ineffable mixture of geography, culture and mood, which one gets to know in a similar way to how we get to know a person. When we say that we love or hate a city or other place, is this intangible feeling not in … Continue reading Provence
Recently I had my first canning experience. Actually it was not out of adventurousness but rather necessity. OK, I’m perhaps being a bit dramatic, but I brought home a couple of jars of Apricot Vanilla jam from France and it has quickly become a kind of jam obsession. The sweet, floral taste of the apricots is … Continue reading Canned Sunshine
For a while now, I’ve been trying to perfect an oven-frying technique that would allow me to easily create homemade chicken or fish strips. After all, what’s a blog about children’s food without a nod to chicken nuggets? Chicken nuggets and fish sticks are a staple of the American food scene for children. And I have … Continue reading Crispy Fingers
As a follow up to my pop tart post, I thought I would explore another area of food art, which thankfully does not require buttercream icing. It is bento, those adorable Japanese lunch boxes that house individual compartments of meticulously prepared food. I have heard that in Japan, bento runs the gamut from simple fast food picked up in … Continue reading Bonkers for Bento
The Children's Table 