The days are quickly ticking by until school begins again. And while I am excited for the start of school — all the new supplies, the fresh start, the new teachers — I am sad that this summer is almost over for us. I am mourning a little.

But, there are highlights … the kids can’t wait to start school. And Will is psyched to have soccer again (this season will include his first games!). Paige is starting a dance class in September as well, which she is proudly telling anyone who will listen about. So it’s good too.

And with school approaching, I am also starting to think about food for the school year. Mornings are a mad, crazy rush since Will’s bus comes very early — earlier than we actually wake up in the summertime. So, breakfasts need to be quick, efficient and filling.

Now, I know you are wondering what this has to do with pancakes … Pancakes aren’t exactly fast (or at least fast enough for a school day) when made from scratch. But they can be totally school-day friendly when you freeze homemade pancakes for reheating later. That’s exactly what I did with the leftovers from this pancake batch.

Hint: To reheat leftover frozen homemade pancakes, preheat oven to 325. Place the frozen pancakes on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Done.

In the meantime, we are enjoying ourselves and tucking into maple syrup drizzled stacks of pancakes like these Banana Toffee Pancakes — a perfect treat breakfast (no, these aren’t for everyday). The sweet bits of toffee and chocolate melt into the soft, fluffy banana pancakes. It’s heavenly. Like dessert masking as breakfast …

What do you serve your kids for breakfast?

Banana Toffee Pancakes
serves 4

1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup nonfat milk
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 large banana, peeled and mashed
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate toffee bits (such as Heath’s, found in the baking section)

Heat a large nonstick griddle on the stove with the heat set to just below medium. Allow to heat for at least five minutes. 10 is better.

While the griddle is heating, prepare your batter. Crack the egg into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium-high until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, banana, baking powder and salt and mix briefly (about 30 seconds) on medium. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and add the milk chocolate toffee bits. Mix again briefly (about 30 seconds) to combine.

Drop the batter onto the heated griddle using a ladle (fill it about 1/2 way). Cook, flipping once, until lightly brown on both sides.

Serve with maple syrup.

It’s been said that I go a little crazy around back to school shopping time. I buy a few more boxes of crayons than seem prudent. I stock up on paints, clay, glue sticks, paper and markers. And I tuck most of it away for later. They call it crazy, I call it smart. Why wouldn’t you stock up on crayons when they are a mere $0.40/box? (Actually I usually stock up when they are $0.25/box, but haven’t seen them that inexpensive yet.)

Besides. I just love the new supplies.

Of course, back to school isn’t just about the school supplies. There’s also the matter of food. School lunch food that is.

My son doesn’t buy lunch at school. Whenever I look at our school’s monthly lunch menu, I cringe at the sight of brownies dished up with pizza and chicken nuggets with tater tots. Haven’t we learned anything yet about serving our kids better food in schools? Why would I pay $3.50/day for that? So I choose to pack lunch for my son everyday.

Packing lunch means that I need plenty of packing supplies. I prefer reusable containers that are dishwasher safe, though I make an exception for the hot food container that has to be hand-washed. While I am shopping for penny pencils and cheap durable folders, I also keep an eye out for containers that make packing lunch easier. It’s important to have a selection of containers to send lunch in so that you have flexibility in what you can pack.

Earlier this summer, I picked up a few containers for keeping snacks cool (complete with freezable lids!) that were on sale and I am excited to use them. I am still looking for a new hot food container as well, since ours had an unfortunate demise in the dishwasher right after school ended (it wasn’t dishwasher safe). I also bought several spill-proof drink containers so that we aren’t reliant on juice boxes this year too.

Once all the supplies are purchased, I will be all set for packing lunches … Here are a few ideas of what I’ll be packing for my son’s lunch this year:

• Do-It-Yourself Combination Lunches
• Balsamic Pasta Salad
• Jazzed-Up Turkey Sandwiches
• Tomato Bisque
• Balsamic Tomato, Corn and Cucumber Panzanella Salad

Again, thanks to Crocs for sponsoring this post. Check out their new line of back to school shoes, which are pretty cool. Also, there’s this fun Crocs video that I was asked to share. Have a great weekend!

These bars are just dreamy. Creamy pumpkin cheesecake sits on top of a sweet-salty chocolate crust. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and it’s just amazing. Sprinkles optional.

The good folks at Betty Crocker recently asked me to think up a sweet treat for Halloween using one of General Mills’ Big G cereals (disclosure: I freelance for General Mills’ Tablespoon.com). I decided to go with Cocoa Puffs, which have a fantastic sweet-salty thing going on.

The resulting dessert is Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares. And oh, are they good!

The whole thing is relatively easy. You mix up the two-ingredient crust, press it into the pan, mix the cheesecake portion, pour it on and bake. Easy peasy. And they are almost guaranteed to draw oohs when you serve it.

Of course, my kids were ridiculously excited when they saw me bring home a box of Cocoa Puffs. They’ve never had them before, and were dying to give their chocolate-y goodness a try. Try explaining to two eager kids that the chocolate cereal is for a recipe, not for them. Yeah. So I caved and gave them a little to snack on.

After trying it, they were even more excited about the Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars. Smiles all around.

Cocoa Puffs Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
yields 12 bars

1 1/2 cups finely ground cocoa puffs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan (glass preferred) with parchment paper, letting the edges of the paper rise up the sides of the pan.

Prepare the crust. Stir together the ground cocoa puffs and butter until well combined. Press into the bottom of the 9×13 pan, creating an even coating all over.

Combine the cream cheese, pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium for 10 seconds.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust, spreading to even it out.

Slide the pan into the oven (the rack should be in the middle of the oven) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set. The bars are done when a knife inserted in the middle of the pan comes out clean.

Will is totally enthralled with those pre-packaged lunches at the supermarket that come with a few bits of meat, cheese and crackers in a shiny yellow container. I never buy them — honestly, I think they are gross. The meat is slimy, the cheese is mediocre … they look a lot better than they are.

But I am all for making my kids happy, so I decided to make my own for Will’s school lunch. It’s really just a fun combination lunch, which gives several tastes in a cute package, so it’s pretty easy to create yourself. How?

For Will’s school lunch, I used:

• 1 old Chinese takeout container, but a stout reuseable container would work too
• 6 silicone cupcake holders (you may need less/more depending on your container)

Now, what did I fill it with?

• 4 small slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 slices beef summer sausage (precooked)
• 1/2 cup red grapes
• 1 small red pepper, sliced (picked this morning in the garden)
• 6 sungold tomatoes (picked this morning in the garden)
• crackers
• 2 Oreos (Joe-Joes from Trader Joe’s are my fav, but I haven’t been to the store lately)

So, did he eat it? Of course! Between lunchtime and snacktime, Will ate everything in his combination lunch. But it was a bit much just for lunch … After talking to him, I think he could have used four components for his school lunch, instead of six. But overall, I am happy with how it worked out. I am going to seek out a slightly smaller container that will easily hold four components.

You could easily trade in other components too — berries instead of grapes, turkey or chicken instead of the sausage, etc. Heck, you could even include lettuce leaves instead of crackers, so that kids could do lettuce wraps.

Tomorrow? I am planning on leftover turkey, cheddar cheese, grapes, cucumbers, crackers and some sort of special treat.

Mmm. Guacamole. Just add chips or chopped up veggies.

But this isn’t your typical guacamole. This one is infused with the tart fabulousness of tomatillos, a relative of eggplants and gooseberries. It’s unexpected, but delicious all the same. We have a big crop of tomatillos growing in our garden this year, so I foresee a lot more Tomatillo Guacamole in our near future.

Recently I served this fun take on guacamole as an appetizer at a family birthday party and the bowl was completely cleared. Not a stitch of leftover guac. I don’t know who liked it the best: the kids or the adults. If you (or your kids) like avocado, guacamole and the like, then this is a fabulous thing to serve. Even if they don’t like avocado, this is delicious.

On a side note, kids do eat avocado. And like it. I know plenty of children who are practically addicted to it (and guacamole too!). But when I recently featured this recipe in my Tablespoon column, in a post about Kid-Friendly After-School Snack Ideas, I got a surprisingly negative reaction. I took some serious heat on Tablespoon’s Facebook Fan Page for suggesting that kids (or anyone) would enjoy this.

Guess what? Kids do eat this. They do. Not all of them (because seriously, everyone has preferences and tastes). But there are plenty who do.

When I spoke at BlogHer last month, I made the point that approaching food and eating with positivity is so important to getting kids to eat well — and really it is. Avoid negative statements (“I don’t think you will like this but..” “You usually don’t eat this …” “It’s okay if you don’t like it …”) and kids will be more likely to try things. Will this work every time for every child? Of course not! But even if it only works sometimes, it’s better than having your child married to a diet of white foods or whatever. Just my two cents.

What do you think?

Some more recipes you might like:

• Lime Guacamole
• Tomato Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Guacamole
serves 4
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 avocado
1 tomatillo
1 tbsp lime juice
1 jalapeno, seeded
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Peel the skin off. Then, slice the avocado. Transfer to a food processor.

Remove the skin from the tomatillo. Wash carefully to remove the stickiness. Roughly chop the tomatillo and add to the food processor.

Add the lime juice, jalapeno and salt and pepper to the food processor. Pulse until smooth.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve. Alternatively, this can be tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

]]> http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/09/09/tomatillo-guacamole-and-positivity-in-eating/feed/ 1 http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/09/07/fresh-tomato-basil-pasta-with-romano-roasted-shrimp/ http://sarahscucinabella.com/2010/09/07/fresh-tomato-basil-pasta-with-romano-roasted-shrimp/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:26:42 +0000 Sarah W. Caron http://sarahscucinabella.com/?p=3014

And just like that, summer ended.

I mean, of course it’s still technically summer. But this morning, as I woke Will from his peaceful slumber and got him fed, brushed, washed and dressed for school, summer was clearly over for us. We’re now entering the wonderful world of schedules that revolve around five-day-a-week schooling and assorted extracurriculars.

The free-flowing days of summertime, where we woke when we felt like it and giggled in bed until it was really time to get up are over. But that’s okay. We had a wonderful summertime, and now Will is super excited to be a kindergartener. Paige is just as excited to enter preschool.

Putting Will on the bus this morning, I was a ball of nerves. Would the bus come? Will he be okay riding the bus home? And in all my myriad thoughts, the idea of crying at his big, huge, mega-step was never there … until I turned my back on the bus and the tears sprung to my eyes.

That’s my baby.

Paige, who wore her PJs to the bus stop, held tight to my hand as she, Shawn and I walked down the hill to our house. She’s been so helpful today, following me around with frequent assertions that “I do it!” But this afternoon, I will take her to school too. She went to a casual program last year. This year, she’s off to real preschool.

My children are growing up faster than I ever imagined possible. In a blink of the eye, they have gone from little lumps cradled in my arm to thinking, caring, doing, intelligent children. And try as I might, I will never be able to force them back to their littler states. It’s exciting and sad all at once.

Right now, Will is just about finishing his lunch – the school lunch that I worried so much about. What did I end up packing for his first day? At his request, I whipped up a batch of Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp and packed it with sliced nectarines and one Oreo. For snack time, he has sliced peppers and ranch for dipping.

But this pasta is the star of the day. When I recently made Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp for dinner, Will adored it (so did Paige and I!). It’s a minimal cooking dish (cook the pasta, broil the shrimp, and that’s it), so it’s fabulous for when you are short on time. Or making a fresh lunch for school.

I just hope he loved it at school too …

Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta with Romano Roasted Shrimp
serves 4
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp freshly grated Romano cheese
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb penne pasta, prepared

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Stir well, then set aside.

Preheat your oven’s broiler for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the shrimp on a baking sheet (you may wish to line it with aluminum foil for easy cleanup). Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle with 2 tbsp Romano cheese.

Broil the shrimp for 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.

Add the cooked penne pasta to the tomato mixture and stir well. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Stir again. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with 1/4 of the shrimp. Serve immediately.

Check out the Sundried Tomato Hummus here.

Special thanks to Our Green House, a fabulous source for eco-friendly products, for inviting me to do this video. Also, thanks to Cate from Sweetnicks for the fabulous frozen grapes idea and to Shawn for taking over so I could go.

Back to school is heavy on my mind these days. We are less than a week away from Will starting kindergarten. But as I wrote recently on Tablespoon, it’s Will’s school lunch that I think about most. Ok, think might be an understatement. I obsess.

I’ve checked out the lunch menu for his school and its … not good. A packed lunch it will be (and he’s okay with that!). Still, what do I pack? How do I keep it from getting too boring? Thank goodness for good friends like Cate, who give me fab ideas (like frozen grapes as a snack/way to keep the whole lunchbox cold. Love that!).

One snack that I know I will be packing is homemade hummus and veggies. Will adores hummus, as does Paige. Toss in some slices of cucumber, red peppers and carrots and you have a delish snack (or even a lunch item!).

This fast, easy hummus is filled with the warm, smoky-sweet flavor of sundried tomatoes and my very favorite herb: basil. I made it this afternoon for a very special video shoot (more on that later!) and it totally got rave reviews.

Now, I need some more ideas. What inventive foods do you pack in lunchboxes?

Sundried Tomato Basil Hummus
yields about 2 cups
NOTE: Scroll down for printable version

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
8 sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container.

Store in the refrigerator and eat within one week.

My kids and I have a love affair with paninis. The toasty pressed sandwiches have so many possibilities for fabulous, delicious fillings: chicken, pesto and tomato; ham, Swiss and honey mustard; roast beef, blue cheese and arugula. The list goes on and on.

Well, in researching for my Tablespoon.com column, I discovered that August is National Panini Month. Um, hello! It didn’t take much convincing to get me to head to the kitchen and start creating some delicious paninis.

Up first was Grilled Chicken, Goat Cheese, Tomato and Basil. I wasn’t sure if that one would work for us, since we’ve never been huge goat cheese fans, but combined with lots of fresh basil, fabulous grilled chicken and juicy tomato, it was amazing. I love the creaminess that it imparted on the sandwich. As for the kids, they polished the whole thing off fast.

As much as we enjoyed that panini, it was the second one that totally won my heart and taste buds: Turkey, Apple and Cheddar (that’s the one at top). As far as flavor combinations go, I adore sweet apple with sharp cheddar and the turkey (my fav is Boars Head Maple Glazed Honey Turkey — Delicious) goes perfectly with that. Will gobbled that one right up. Paige, who is a tougher sell on all sandwiches, skipped the bread and ate the fillings, so I guess it was a relative win for her too.

Do you love paninis? What’s your favorite flavor combo?

Grilled Chicken, Goat Cheese, Tomato and Basil Panini
serves 1
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 pat (about 1/3 inch) butter
2 slices Italian bread
1 oz goat cheese, softened
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 3-4 ounce grilled chicken breast
2 slices tomatoes
salt and pepper

Heat a panini pan and press over medium grill on your stove (or preheat your panini press).

Melt the butter. Lightly brush the sides of the bread with the butter.

Spread the goat cheese onto one slice of bread. Top with chopped basil, then chicken breast, tomatoes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Top with second slice of bread.

Press the sandwich on the panini pan/press until lightly browned on both sides.

Cut in half and serve.

Turkey, Apple and Cheddar Panini
serves 1
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 pat (1/3″ thick) butter
2 slices Italian bread
1 1 oz slice cheddar cheese
3 1/4 inch thick slices apple (peeled)
3 oz honey maple turkey breast

Melt the butter in a small pan. Meanwhile, preheat your panini grill or panini pan and press.

Brush the bread with melted butter and place one slice, butter side down, on the panini grill or pan. Top with cheddar, apple slices and turkey. Then cover with the second piece of bread (butter side up).

Press the panini and cook for 3-5 minutes until toasted and warmed throughout.

Serve immediately.

When the school packet arrived last week, I got choked up. Parked at the top of our long, winding driveway, I quickly scanned the forms for teacher names while the kids demanded to know if there was mail for them. “One second, guys,” I said.

It was the last day of July, a beautiful, spotless day and one day after Will turned five. He’s no longer a preschooler and the child’s clothing that ends in T no longer fits him. He’s a little boy going to school. And now, it’s one month until school begins, one month until both my children have schedules and teachers and projects. Paige will be going too, to preschool with Will’s first teacher. For the first time, they will both be in school.

Last year, while Will was in his final year of preschool, Paige went to a twice a month Stay-and-Play program vaguely associated with his school. At first, it was hard. She would sob with her cousin while I walked to the car with a pit in my stomach, wondering if I was scarring my baby by walking away. But then things got easier. She loved school. Now, she can’t wait to go back.

With that program, it was casual and forgiving. I knew both the teachers, and they never said a peep as I dropped her off late more often than not. But this year, things will be different. There is no margin for error in drop off when Will starts kindergarten — lateness will get him effort referrals. Both schools lock the doors, forcing you to truly announce your entrance when you are late.

My babies are going to school. A monogrammed backpack sits by our front door, waiting for that magical first day, along with two embroidered lunch bags. Soon, I will be packing lunches and snacks, whisking the kids out the door at an hour when I normally don’t even wake.

With one month to go, I want to make the most of our time. The school that Will will be attending starts homework young, so there will be worksheets to work on and books to read soon. But before that happens, before Paige stands in drop-off line, waiting for the preschool door to open, before any of it … I want them to enjoy the experiences and flavors of summertime.

For the next month, we’ll be doing, eating, cooking and playing. We have so many things to do before school starts. I have a list on my computer with things that I wanted to do this summer — a bucket list, if you will. There are about 20 items left … I intend to do them all.

We’ve already checked off some items — bike rides and beach days, outlet shopping and heading to farmers’ markets. But there are so many great things still to do.

Heading to farmers’ markets is something we’ve done every year since Will was a baby. It’s not just an item on a list, it’s a tradition for us. We are always stopping at farmers’ markets or heading to a nearby farm where we belong to a CSA program. It’s an important part of every summer, but even more so this one … when Will’s ability to drop in with me on a whim will be limited by his school schedule.

As for cooking, we are eating a lot of summer salads — particularly ones that are great for packing for picnic lunches or grabbing during the day for a fast bite. This recipe for Sesame Soy Napa Cabbage Slaw, which the kids loved, uses produce from that CSA box. It’s a cinch to make if you use a food processor for the shredding. And it’s perfect for packing up to take while we head off to have all sorts of adventure.

Now, if you will excuse me, we are off for an adventure today …

Sesame Soy Napa Cabbage Slaw
serves 8
NOTE: Scroll down for the printable recipe

1 head Napa cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 summer squash, grated
1 cucumber, grated
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce

Slice the Napa cabbage into 1/4 inch slices, then cut in half. Wash well (a salad spinning device works great for this).

Add the Napa cabbage, carrots, summer squash and cucumber to a large bowl and toss to combine.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sesame oil, ground ginger, garlic powder and soy sauce.

Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well. Let sit for 30 minutes or more before serving.

This salad is best on day two and beyond. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.