The test of anything good is how it’s received. For instance, if you give a speech but all anyone remembers is the guy who asked all the questions, then you probably didn’t do your job. The same holds true in cooking. If you make something and it gets pushed to the side or not mentioned … then it probably wasn’t worth whatever you put into it.

I worried that making hamburger buns at home might end up being a worthless cause. Frankly, I am perfectly content with buying them at the store … except this week I have vowed not to spend a dime. Thus, no buying any rolls. There are myriad reasons for that … but for now, suffice it to say that I wasn’t about to break my self-imposed rules for some rolls that I could make myself.

This afternoon while Paige napped, Will and I hit the kitchen to whip up hamburger buns using a focaccia recipe that I have been making since his only words were Agooo! and Nah! This was Will’s first time working with a dough of any kind and he loved it. He used the kneading technique that he recently learned to help me massage this dough into a pretty, dimpled ball.

Then, we let it rise. The dough doubles in size during the first rise. See how the picture on the right shows a much, much later ball of dough? These before and after shots were taken from roughly the same distance. Pretty cool stuff

Did I lose you yet? I hope not. Stick with me here.

Will didn’t see the results of the rise since he was playing, so he missed the part where I punched down the ball of dough. He also missed the part where I divided it into six pieces and formed rough balls with them. Then, of course, he missed where I stuck my fingers into each one to dimple it. He’d love that step. Maybe next time. After that came the drizzling with olive oil and the sprinkling of cheese and salt (more for appearance than anything else).

After that comes the second rise. Yes, this is a bread that must rise twice.

That second rise produces the airy crumb. You’ll see (first picture, above) that my rolls had many small holes. If I wanted an even airier bun, I would have let it rise longer or perhaps at a slightly warmer temperature (I did the rise at room temperature today). But this texture was perfect for these burgers today. By the way – I love how the dimples all but disappear on second rise. It’s like you never assaulted it with your fingers at all. Seriously.

When Will finally saw the dough again, the rolls were baked and cooling. His reaction? “Hey, Mommy! The dough made bread!” Priceless.

But the best part was when we sat down to eat. Will has never been a hamburger-with-bun fan. Typically he (and Paige too) eat their burgers cut up without it. But tonight, Will ate his burger with the bun, commenting on how much he liked the rolls that we made together. And Paige? She didn’t even want the burger for once — she was content to just eat the roll.

So the verdict? Totally worth all the effort. We’ll be making our own rolls again.
Read the rest of this entry…

Sundried tomatoes are one of my favorite ingredients. Ever since college, when I first started making versions of sundried tomato pasta, I have been a huge, huge fan. So, whenever I see an alluring package of little, flat dried tomatoes, I have to buy them and use them. They are good in everything from pesto to foccacia to meatballs … and many things in between.

This past weekend, some good friends visited from New York and I wanted to make a few good dishes for them. But, the dishes needed to be mostly cook-ahead — I wanted to enjoy the company, not slave in the kitchen while they were there. On the menu was this spread: a high-flavor mix of white beans, sundried tomatoes, garlic and basil. Not only is it really tasty, but it’s also a cinch to make.

To make this, you start with some hot olive oil. Toss in some crushed garlic, chopped basil and chopped sundried tomatoes and let it simmer for a few minutes to bring out the flavor. I love the scent that is produced while the mixture is cooking. It’s positively intoxicating. Now, the sundried tomatoes I use are dry-packed. They’re simply my favorite — and I may or may not actually snack on them from time to time. Just sayin’.

Next, you toss the beans with the sundried tomato mixture — just enough to coat them. I use Great Northern beans in this recipe because I like the meaty taste of them. But if you prefer, you could use a different white bean.

Finally, everything gets poured into a food processor. Oil, tomatoes, garlic – the works. You whirl it around a bit until the beans are totally pulverized and it’s got an even, thick texture. Remember, this is a spread so it’s supposed to be pretty thick.

Transfer it to a bowl and serve it up with some thin slices of French bread. If you want, you can put some pretty basil leaves on top and drizzle it with a little (very good) olive oil, just before serving. Make sure you have a knife or spreader handy so everyone can help themselves.

What do you like to make when guests visit? Share in the comments! Read the rest of this entry…

The sun came out this morning, bringing with it deep blue skies and promise of better weather to come. As cliche as it sounds, it was a sight for sore eyes …  Really, all I can think is thank goodness. The New England winter bought so much snow this year, and ice too. And the past few days have been an almost-unending rainstorm. The gusts of wind lately have also seemed extraordinarily strong. Yesterday, the windows in our little house rattled with the force as I sat here working and writing … not exactly relaxing weather.

Every time it’s beautiful out, like today, I start dreaming about our gardens to come. My friends and family have asked again and again what we plan to grow in our raised garden beds this summer. My answer is still a little vague, but there are some certainties: tomatoes (yes, despite the late blight of last summer, I will grow them this year), sweet peppers and beans. These are the things that we love and use a lot. Of course, there will be herbs too — lots of them. If we have room, we’ll try pickling cucumbers, something that Will would love.

Our yard is also home to a few berry bushes and some strawberries that we hope will produce this year. There is mint in an alcove as well. Will wants to grow pumpkins again this year, and watermelons too (oh, I cringe thinking about how they will undoubtedly stretch their curly tendrils clear across the yard … but it’s so worth it).

While I look ahead to spring, we are still in winter mode … it’s chilly outside – weather that still requires coats. But inside, we can claim little bits of spring here and there: dreams of gardens, plans for outdoor play and fresh salads coated with homemade dressing …

We eat salads all year round, but crisp, cool salads are a special treat during warm months. On warm days, there is nothing better than digging into a big salad with homemade dressing, crisp croutons and vegetables galore.

This Caesar Salad Dressing is egg-free (honestly, I am a little squeamish about the usage of raw eggs) and pairs perfectly with crisp, vibrantly green romaine, fresh shredded Parmesan and Homemade Croutons. When friends came to visit this past weekend, I served Caesar Salad with this homemade dressing with a spinach lasagna. Last night, we ate it again alongside Chicken Souvlaki and Cream Biscuits. It worked equally well both times.

We all love this dressing. It’s flavorful and pleasant, without any overabundance of acidity. Just perfect … we think.

Read the rest of this entry…

As much as my kids love helping in the kitchen, I always stop short of letting them help with meat preparation. The thought of food-borne illness just makes me steer clear entirely. I mean, yes, they can wash their hands like I do, but should I really take the risk?

Well, this weekend, I decided to let Will help making meatballs. With sleeves rolled up, he mixed and squished ground turkey with a mix of whole wheat breadcrumbs and a special pesto made just for the dish (instead of added oil, it uses an egg). Did it freak me out a little to have him touch raw meat? Absolutely. But like any other kitchen task, we talked about safety before we started and I made sure he understood why it’s important to be extra careful about washing up after touching raw meat. He did.

As nervous as I am about it, I do want my kids to be comfortable handling meat.

When I told Shawn, he wrinkled his nose and remarked about how gross it is to handle it. I agree, but I also think that if you are going to eat meat, you need to be willing to touch it and prepare it. That includes getting wrist-deep in ground meat mixtures.

After mixing, I didn’t have to ask Will to go wash his hands — he asked first and headed off to the bathroom for some quality time with soap and water. As for Paige? I let her stir the mixture a big, but held off on letting her touch the meat itself … As I told her, when she’s Will’s age, it will be different story.

If you aren’t ready for letting your young child touch meat, that’s okay. In any task involving your own kids, you need to make decisions that work for you and your family — just because let Will do this doesn’t mean that your child is ready for it too. Only you know whether they are or aren’t.

In any case, this recipe is great for cooking with kids since it affords much opportunity for them to help. Beyond the meat mixing, kids can measure ingredients for both the meatballs and the pesto, pulse the mixtures with the food processor, do the initial stir of the meatballs and also toss the pasta with the pesto sauce.

Do you let your kids touch raw meat? When will you?

Read the rest of this entry…

NOTE: At the end of this post is the 2010 survey for Sarah’s Cucina Bella. Please take a minute to answer the questions. Thanks!

Recently, I was researching for an article on diabetes in children, and I came across some statistics that really got me thinking.

• Roughly 186,300 people under the age of 17 have diabetes in 2007.
• Type 2 diabetes, traditionally a disease impacting people over the age of 45, is on the rise among young people. Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, may be on the rise as well.
• Diabetes is one of the most common juvenile diseases.
  SOURCE: National Diabetes Education Program, “Overview of Diabetes in Children and Adolescence.”

When I was a little girl, a friend’s grandfather had Type 2 diabetes. He and his wife were kind enough to answer my myriad questions about it. He told me that he hadn’t always had it, but developed it when he was older. It was an adult disease. And as much as he missed pastries and the like, his health was more important.

These days, it’s not just an adult disease anymore. That’s frightening. I cannot imagine what it’s like for a family to address such serious health issues in a child. It just makes my heart ache to think about. Read the rest of this entry…

When I was in college, I had a roommate one semester who loved garlic bread more than anyone I had ever met. Her mom would buy her a loaf from the grocery store every week and she’d bake it up one portion at a time. As much as I adore garlic bread myself, that was a level of adoration that I hadn’t expected.

Nonetheless, I get it. The combination of warm, melted butter, garlic, salt and perhaps a little parsley and cheese is just delicious. Make that butter into a nutty brown butter and it’s extraordinary. And that’s exactly why I decided to put it on some snack mix.

My family wasn’t the snack mix making sort of family, so honestly, the first time I ever bought these cereals was when I was making this recipe. Will was a little surprised to see me buying three boxes of cereal at once. I rarely buy cereal … and certainly not en masse. But sometimes it’s okay, right?

If you’ve never made a snack mix at home, then you are totally missing out. Sure, it sounds fussy, but it’s totally not. All you need to do is stir, mix and bake. Really!

Want a different variety of snack mix? Check out my latest post on Tablespoon for ideas. Read the rest of this entry…

The kids and I often dance in the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning up from a meal. As soon as I turn the music on, they come running … it’s so much fun.

Some issues of magazines are just blow-you-over good. The 2008 Cookies issue of Fine Cooking is like that. Another 2008 goodie? The November 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I can’t tell you how many great recipes I have made from that issue.

These enchiladas are among my favorites — flavorful, creamy, cheesy and spicy (want to make them spicier? Double the amount of chipotles in the recipe). Honestly, my kids are not a fan of these because of the heat they pack … but that’s okay. Sometimes just parents can enjoy right?I serve these with avocado, sour cream, rice and a big salad. That way everyone has something to enjoy with them … even if the enchiladas are too spicy.

Do you make any dishes that your kids aren’t a fan of? Read the rest of this entry…

When I was a kid, I had an aha moment at dinner one night. See, my family always spelled out words and names when I wasn’t supposed to understand what they were saying. It’s a good technique … as long as your child doesn’t catch on. As I ate my bread and hid my peas beneath my mashed potatoes (yes, I really did that – don’t tell my kids), I heard H-U-G-O and immediately knew who my family was speaking about. It was a first for me. I could spell (if only my uncle’s name).

Smartly, I kept my newfound knowledge to myself for awhile so that I could eavesdrop with ease.

This weekend, we were in the grocery store when Will had a big aha moment himself. We were looking at salsa, and I was trying to decide which one to buy for the kids. They only eat mild, so it really is their salsa. Will was trying to help, but kept selecting medium or hot varieties. Finally, I told him that he needed to find one that said M-I-L-D on it because they aren’t fans of spiciness like I am. He scanned the shelves with urgent attention. You could just see him thinking, deciphering, learning … then he found it and selected a bottle.

I totally high-fived him for that one. He’s four! And found the mild! Yay! Read the rest of this entry…

As part of my job, I spend a lot of time interviewing people. Lately, that has meant conversations with chefs, authors of eating-related books, nutritionists … people who are trying to help Americans live better, healthier lives. I am so passionate about this that I even devote space here every Friday to share nuggets of information about how you can raise a healthy family.

There are so many people who are passionate about healthy living, and they all have something valuable to offer. Some share wonderful healthy recipes, others educate about important health issues. Some have credentials in nutrition, some have life experience.

My purpose with Raising a Healthy Family is to gather this valuable information and pass it along to you. But here’s the thing: I want you to learn new things here and absorb these perspectives. At the same time, I also want you to make your own conclusions.

If every single expert was 100 percent right about everything for everyone, then there would be one singular message to pass along. Raising a Healthy Family would be one single post and it would be easy to convey the message and get people to listen. That obviously isn’t the case. Read the rest of this entry…