A few months ago a reader, Kelly M., sent me this recipe after she commented about it on my Facebook fanpage. We are HUGE English muffin eaters around here and the idea of actual English muffin bread intrigued me. Could I actually make a loaf of bread that was just as spongy and holey as my favorite English muffins? Could this be the answer to my breakfast prayers – homemade English muffins for a fraction of the cost?(!) The recipe Kelly sent looked unbelievably simple, perfect for throwing together in a jiffy while my daughter took a short snooze or was at school. I couldn’t wait to try it!
Apple picking is easy. So easy that we often pick wayyy more apples than we need. Hence, I bring them home, put my daughter down for a quick snooze, or usher her off to school, while I make several batches of apple chips, apple bread and apple snack muffinsto use them all up. I even use a few to make scalloped apples that night for dinner! Every year I try to add a few new apple recipes to my repertoire to keep things interesting. Last week I decided this years new dish would be a traditional apple crumble with the additional of caramel sauce and chopped crystallized ginger. I loved the idea of giving a favorite food a new twist.
This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat.
GIVEAWAY: {If you are interested in a winning a copy of Laurie’s book please see entry rules below the interview}
Today I am chatting with Laurie David, the author of The Family Dinner Cookbook: Great Ways to Connect With Your Kids, One Meal at a Time and well-known environmental advocate. I had the great fortune of meeting Laurie at the BlogHer Food Conference in Atlanta last May where we made an instant connection. Both of us strongly believe in the power of families eating together as a way of connecting with our children and strengthening family bonds. As you know, I often cook during naptime or when my daughter is at school so that I can enjoy cooking and our dinner is ready with minimal fuss in the evening. This is my way of getting a joyful dinner on the table for us to converse over. Sure, there are nights when my husband travels or I am out for work, but, like Laurie, I strive to make our meals meaningful and memorable as often as possible.
I encourage you to pick up a copy of Laurie’s wonderful book and enjoy it. Better yet, pick up two copies, one for you and one for a friend. The volume contains gorgeous recipes and anecdotes relating to all kinds of family gatherings and ways to connect with your family over meals. It stresses the importance of low-stress food and easygoing fun. A notion I think all parents, especially me, can stand solidly behind.
1. It can be hard to have lengthy sit down dinners with young children. Do you have any tips for parents looking for ways to get their toddlers to stay engaged at the table for more than just the time they are eating?
Kids stay at the table when they’re having fun. And one way to accomplish that is by playing verbal games. My book is full of suggestions for games we played in my house to take the conversation away from the ordinary and get everyone laughing. Kids love to answer questions, they love to respond and they even love to wait their turn to participate. Tonight, try playing “What I Like about Me”. Go around the table and have everyone say one thing that they like about themselves. And then for the second and third rounds, have everyone go around and say what they like about the person on either side of them.
2. Since time can be the enemy of parents with young kids, what kind of meal prep tips do you recommend for people trying to sit down for at least 10 minutes with their families for dinner?
First of all, take the pressure off yourself about what constitutes “dinner”. It can be soup and a salad or healthy sandwich and cut up fruit. On days when you’re super busy, remember that the really important thing is sitting down together and talking. Also, I’m a fan of time savers, such as doubling up recipes and freezing one, sharing meals with friends and simplifying, simplifying, simplifying!
I am excited to be working with Costco to celebrate National Pork Month! Throughout the month Costco is featuring all kinds of awesome deals on pork products as well as fantastic family-friendly recipes everyone can make. To kick things off, this week Costco is celebrating by knocking $2.00 off a package of Boneless Sirloin Tip Roast. An intensely flavorful pork cut available only through Costco, the sirloin tip roast is ideal for feeding a crowd on a dime. I use this particular cut all the time in the winter and on Friday I’ll be sharing an awesome recipe using this cut in the slow-cooker. That’s right – it is slow-cooker season (yeah!)
I’ll also be celebrating the Friday post with a $25 Costco cash giveaway so you can go pick up a boneless sirloin tip roast of your own so be sure to stay tuned for that. In the mean time, here are some more great recipes and tips for you to read up on!
Costco’s “In The Warehouse” website provides flavorful recipes and tips for preparing each week’s featured cut of pork. Check back weekly for fun, new information on Costco’s featured cuts!
Another great resource for pork recipes is PorkBeInspired.com. They feature recipes for all kinds of pork cuts, including the boneless sirloin tip that is featured this week!
Don’t forget the temperature Update: In May, the USDA reduced the temperature guideline for pork loins, chops and roasts from 160 to 145 degrees F, with a three-minute rest. This will yield a juicy, flavorful product that may be pinker in color than most home cooks are used to. Ground pork, like all ground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees.
Hi! I am holding an awesome 3-day giveaway on my Facebook fanpage today for an Orsani Fridge Air Purifier for your fridge! To enter, come over to My Facebook Fanpage and join it. Then leave a comment telling me what your favorite stinky food is (my answer is blue cheese!) and what your favorite benefit of the Oransi Fridge Air Purifier will be!
This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today my friend Jennifer from Savoring the Thyme is sharing a recipe for a favorite family meal she makes while her kids are at school. It is hearty, healthy and perfect for fall!
Jennifer, tell us a little bit about yourself:
1) How would you describe your approach to food in three sentences or less: I adore simple, quality meals made with smiles, love and fun. I do my best to use whole real foods and keep processed foods to a minimum but when it is time for treats, I guiltlessly dive in.
2) What is your favorite winter dinner party menu?:Shrimp Mozambique, Quinoa Chili and The Best Dip Ever. Not necessarily served together but they are some of my favorites to serve company.
3) Sweet or salty?: Salty, salty salty followed by a touch of sweet….then salty again. My favorite snack is cheese with fresh bakery bread.
4) Favorite Cookbook?: I would say that the cookbook I have referenced most for the past 15 years would be ‘How to Cook Everything’ by Mark Bittman. However, note that I had a custom bookshelf built in the house and two shelves are full of cookbooks. Here is a photo of the bookshelf.
5) Guilty Pleasure? Buying latte bowls at Anthropologie followed by a trip to Pinkberry….seasonally.
6) Jennifer, as a mom two kids, what is your favorite family recipe for making during your down time?: Last winter my husband declared, out of the blue, his love of cabbage split pea soup. This startling discovery prompted me to run to the store, gather the ingredients and spend a lovely evening making the soup with my husband. The following day, the kids came home from school early thanks to another weekly snow storm.
Today’s Powernap: I have about 30 seconds to pull together a hefty side dish for our Cranberry Goat Cheese Baked Chicken and my daughter has informed me she wants something involving rice or couscous. With the giant tub of jasmine rice in the cabinet and some terrific saffron threads in the spice drawer it is time to pull something together lickety split!
We are a big fan of rice and couscous around these parts. So far I’ve found my daughter will eat nearly any kind of grain I put in front of her, especially when it is piping hot and paired with her favorite chicken. When I was whipping up the delicious chicken last week she asked for rice on the side but I didn’t have a lot of time to stand manning the stove while it cooked. So, in the interest of time and convenience, I decided to experiment with the idea of baking the rice. This technique involves a few seconds of active stirring followed by 30 minutes of complete neglect. Exactly the kind of recipe I needed on a busy day.
