Posts filed under ‘Cooking’
MommaJam on 95.9 WATD-FM: Homemade Pretzels & Kids and Money
This week on MommaJam on 95.9 WATD-FM, we talked about making pretzels at home (fun!) and teaching kids about money.
Homemade Pretzels
Making homemade pretzels is the best cooking craft ever! Go online to find a recipe you like - there are many different variations – but essentially you make a dough from yeast, water, flour, and brown sugar. Let the dough rise an hour and then make your pretzels.
This baking craft is very tactile and it’s done in stages so kids can help mix the dough, go play for an hour, then come back and make the strings to twist into shapes. The final step before baking is to dunk the uncooked pretzel in a baking powder and water solution. Put the shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes.
Brush melted butter on top of the cooked pretzels and sprinkle cinnamon sugar or Kosher salt on top. Eat warm! So good!
Kids and Money
Last week, I talked with HarborOne U in Mansfield, Mass. about its free kids and money class called, Piggy Bankers. It’s a 4 week class that teaches kids ages 4 and older about money. The class is done in conjunction with Self Help Inc./Coordinated Family & Community Engagement.
It’s a great idea and I like how they break down the 4 week classes into topics such as saving money and the cost of grocery story items. At the end of the session, parents can open a bank account for their kids and receive 5 dollars to put into the account.
In classes for older kids, HarborOne U talks about jobs kids can get after school, how coupons work and much more.
HarborOne U also has tips for parents opening bank accounts for kids: Look for accounts that have no fees and pay an interest rate. And, look for banks that offer a cash incentive for opening the account. Smart sense (cents)!
HarborOne U offers lessons for special, small groups such as Boys and Girls Scouts or families in a neighborhood. Call Maureen Wilkinson at 508-895-1347 on these types of programs and upcoming Piggy Bankers. Or, go to: HarborOneU.com.
The next MommaJam LIVE is Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 7:10 a.m. ET.
You can like MommaJam on Facebook and follow on Twitter. Write in to tell us what you want to hear!
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FOOD TUESDAY: Pastene’s Tuscan Vegetable Soup & Artichoke Pasta Sauce
Looking for a simple dinner plan tonight?
Try Pastene’s Tuscan Vegetable Soup, which is hearty and delicious. It does not taste like it’s from a jar and heats up fast. Serve with crusty bread and you have a meal in minutes.
If you’re kids want pasta packed with flavor, extra nutrition and fiber, try Pastene’s Artichoke Pasta Sauce. Reheat and serve over your favorite shells or spaghetti. This tomato sauce passed the “kids taste test” in our house and is now a go-to sauce for instant lunches and dinners. It’s even great for families who usually make their own sauce. It’s that good!
Go to Pastene.com to find a store near you with Pastene’s wide selection of ready-to-serve imported Italian products, as well as specialty Italian ingredients for an authentic meal.
Mangia!
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MommaJam on 95.9 WATD-FM: 3 Tips to De-clutter Your Home, Pantry, Kids!
This week on MommaJam with 95.9 WATD-FM, we talk about getting rid of old stuff around the house, cleaning your pantry and refrigerator, and feeling renewed for 2012.
Here are 3 tips to help you get it done:
1. Check out a cool, new company called thredUP that lets you trade clothes, toys and books with other moms online. This is a great service for when your kids outgrow Star Wars, but are then into Pokemon or love GAP. Go to thredUP.com to learn more about how to start trading with other moms and join the thredUP community.
2. FOOD TUESDAY this week is all about organizing your pantry and refrigerator. Get rid of old and moldy food that’s expired. Make lunch and dinner with ingredients you already have. Right now, Americans toss about 25 percent of their groceries each year. Ouch!
3. Clean your office, work space or family nerve center. Clean up the holiday mess and get organized. Recycle what you should pass on and toss the rest.
In the end, you’ll feel better and live a happier life. Smile!
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FOOD TUESDAY: Clean Out Your Fridge & Pantry
This week at MommaJam is all about getting rid of stuff you don’t need, getting organized and loving life.
Take a look at your pantry.
Is it over flowing with tons of leftover holiday snacks? Clean it out.
Before: Ugggg...! Messy Pantry!
Make a list of all the things you should pack in your kids’ lunches, pack for your own lunch, give to kids coming over for playdates (if your house is like mine, the boys eat everything in site).
Toss anything moldy and gross. Align cans and jars, so you can actually see items and think about what to cook right now without going to the store. (Novel concept, but Americans throw out approximately 40 percent of their groceries each year). Rather than stressing about what’s for dinner, come up with something yummy and creative with ingredients you already have.
After: Clean, Organized Pantry
Once your pantry is cleaned up, work on the fridge. Get rid of old, floppy stuff. Compost as much as you can, freeze what needs to be stored for later use, and eat up what’s teetering on the edge of expiration. Don’t waste it. Turn all those random raw ingredients and leftovers into meals this week.
After the fridge is semi-empty, give it a clean with a refreshing non-toxic mix of water and baking soda. Using a cotton cloth, gently rub out dried up spills, brown gunk from rotten lettuce, and spilled Ketchup.
You’ll feel better once you clean up the kitchen and can “see” what’s for dinner. I bet, it’s something delicious.
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MommaJam on 95.9 WATD-FM: Food, Fashion, Fun!
CLICK TO HEAR INSTANT REPLAY
Tune in to get the instant replay of MommaJam on 95.9 WATD-FM on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011.
During the segment, we talk about cyber shopping, plus Food, Fashion and Fun:
- How do moms avoid getting busted by kids when cyber shopping for the holidays?
- The new FOOD TUESDAY feature on MommaJam, which covers meal planning, recipes and trends in cooking. Check out the recipe for home made ricotta and more!
- Rockport’s fabulous Lorraine Rain Boots that Miss Piggy will adore. Read the review…
- The Muppets Movie, a great family flick with laughs and tears
Enjoy! Tune in for the next MommaJam segment on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, when we talk about Getting Organized in 2012.
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Heat up with Homemade Hot Chocolate
Vanilla Sugar for Hot Chocolate
Heat up this holiday New Year with homemade hot chocolate. Ditch the canned stuff filled with preservatives and who-knows-what else and mix up this bubbling brew of cocoa for your family.
4 cups of milk*
2 heaping spoonfuls of high fat cocoa
1 - 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar, to taste
Mix all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan, stirring constantly, until brew bubbles. Cool and serve warm. Mmmm.
* Substitute milk with Lactaid, as needed, for those with lactose-intolerance. Cocoa and vanilla sugar available at Penzeys or other stores that sell higher end spices and seasonings.
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Food Tuesday: Penzeys Spice Shop Kicks in the New Year
Penzeys Spices Enhance Flavors
If you’re looking for a change of culinary scenery after a week of traditional ancestral eating, try cooking with spices from Penzeys, which boasts a plethora of A to Z flavors for every dish imaginable.
Some recent favorites include: Vietnamese Cinnamon (the best cinnamon, like top shelf tequila); Double Strength Pure Vanilla Extract (vanilla lovers will never go back to regular strength, which tastes wimpy after a dose of this); Grey Sea Salt (mild, yet flavorful); Coriander (oh, the aroma); and Sweet California Style Paprika (excellent as a rub on slow roasted pork ribs).
The beauty of using spices is that you achieve maximum flavor with minimum effort. Add the right spice to a dish and within seconds you enhance the flavor ten-fold.
Or, you can easily alter the theme of a dish by adding a particular flavor like Ground Chipolte powder to ground beef for Mexican burgers, for example. While you’ve got the Ground Chipolte out, you might as well mix up some Good Basic Chili from Penzeys (click to get chili recipe and link to the store’s complete recipe catalog). This is great dish to make for New Year’s Eve.
Cooking with Penzeys Coriander
Penzeys is a spice store version of Trader Joe’s – it’s a tad quirky with a “homegrown” feel both online and in the store. The company has a free catalog of products and recipes that you can pick up in a store or get via snail mail after subscribing online.
More than 60 retail stores are located around the U.S. It’s worth finding a Penzeys store, so you can go in and smell samples of the more than 250 herbs, seasonings and spices sold. Some prices offer a great deal because you’re buying in bulk, but for fancy, specialty items, like saffron, you’ll pay the standard high price. Go to Penzeys.com to find a retail store near you and start cooking!
Food Tuesday: Pastene Makes Cooking Easy
This week’s Food Tuesday is about simple, cost-effective cooking, since every mom I know is running around crazy getting ready for Christmas and Chanukah and can use an idea for cheap, easy meals kids love.
Pastene Italian Stelline Pasta
Pastene, the Italian imported foods company, makes terrific small pastas, called Pastina (which literally means tiny pasta), that cook up in less than 10 minutes. Some favorites are Organic Pastina ($2.39) and Italian Stelline ($1.69), the small star pasta (see photo). Add olive and a pinch of salt, and you have lunches and dinners ready to go. Make sure you reserve leftovers – the creamy texture and rich flavor combo is irresistible.
Pastina or Stelline On the Go
Serves 4 (with plenty of dry pasta left over in the package)
5 cups water
1 cup Pastene Pastina or Italian Stelline
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt, to taste (about 2 pinches)
Boil water in a medium size sauce pan. Pour in pasta and cook according to package, about 6 – 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain water. Add olive oil and salt. Mix and serve.
To prepare for kids’ school lunches, divide into containers or hot food jars and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Pasta stays warm until lunchtime. Pack a spoon!
Pastina and Stelline make a great last minute side dish for any type of meat you’re serving for dinner (instead of rice, which you need to plan ahead, due to the longer cooking time). If you don’t gobble up the leftovers, save for chicken soup. Store in an airtight container and freeze until “soup’s on.”
Pastene’s Pastina and Italian Stelline are available at most grocery stores nationwide (check website below for store locator), or shop at the company’s extensive online market, which stocks hundreds of imported Italian products. Many items are Kosher and gluten-free. Go to Pastene.com for information and online market.
Mangia!
Food Tuesday: Gypsy Juice Spices up the Holidays
Looking for new flavors to spice up your holiday cooking? Try Gypsy Juice, a versatile spicy sauce that makes all types of foods come alive. We’ve been kid testing Gypsy Juice at dinner time, and the kids love it! So far, we’ve tried it with roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, steak tips and taco beef, and it’s delicious. Gypsy Juice adds kick to meals without making you run for the faucet.
Gypsy Juice with Tacos
When making tacos, add 1 to 2 teaspoons papkika and 1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder to 1 pound of sauteed (cooked through) ground beef. Then, mix in 1 tablespoon of Gypsy Juice. Add in more of these 3 spices, depending on your preference for heat. You can also serve Gypsy Juice at the table and add it directly to tacos.
Seafood and Meats
Add Gypsy Juice to seafood, beef, chicken and pork marinades for vibrant flavor. Or, try pulled pork on a warmed corn tortilla with a dash of lime and Gypsy Juice. The hot sauce is also scrumptious with steamed clams.
Great Holiday Gift Ideas for the Spicy Food Lover on Your List
You can order Gypsy Juice online at DrHot.net for $5.99 per bottle, plus shipping, or $55 for a case. The sauce is a great holiday gift, especially for anyone who likes spicy food. Even kids would enjoy it as a stocking stuffer.
Gypsy Juice was created by Lisa Lamme, owner of the Gypsy Kitchen in Qunicy, Mass. You can buy the sauce at her store, which is a great little eclectic find in downtown historic Quincy. She also sells delicious wine and artisan cheeses and has recurring wine tasting events at the store. Go to GypsyKitchenQunicy.com for more information, recipes and more.
Lamme has also written a cookbook called, The Gypsy Kitchen Cookbook, featuring easy-to-make recipes that teach you how to add pizzazz to your cooking with spices, rubs and other flavorful ingredients right in your pantry. A special $19.99 Gift Pack features The Gypsy Kitchen Cookbook and 1 bottle of Gypsy Juice. The Gypsy Kitchen Cookbook is also available online at Amazon, at Barnes and Noble stores and at the namesake store at 1241 Hancock Street, Quincy, Mass.
Food Tuesday: Cabot’s Lactose-Free Cheese for Kids
Cabot's Lacose-Free Cheese
Lately, it seems like more kids are lactose intolerant. They can’t handle milk or other dairy-laced products. Even a small amount of butter could make a child sick. This leave parents having to rework recipes, which is tricky when cheese is the main ingredient in a meal, like tacos. Who doesn’t love a cheesy taco for dinner?
Once you start omitting cheese, milk and other dairy products, you realize lactose is in everything. One solution for parents is from Cabot, the cheese maker in Vermont.
Several of Cabot’s cheese selections are “Naturally Lactose Fee,” which means kids can still get the calcium they need and indulge in nachos, cheese and crackers, chili with shredded cheese, grilled cheese, and other appetizers and meals without having to worry about upset an tummy. Try Cabot’s “Smooth Sharp Cheddar Cheese” and “50% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese.” The cheeses are also gluten-free, an added perk for those on a gluten-free diet.
Cabot’s website has lactose-free recipes, as well information about the different cheeses available from the company. The site also has useful information and links on lactose intolerance. Look for these logos on the Cabot cheese packages:
