Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Splendid

Now that the Farmer's Market is open I know I'm not the only one who can't stop thinking about food! All the beautiful, local, fresh produce has me wanting to try new recipes. I can't get enough of the fresh basil that is growing in a large pot on our deck. And even though I detest string beans (I re-taste them every year since I can remember), I think the scent of the pole beans growing around Satchel's garden teepee smell heavenly.

He has two new rituals...he always invites you to smell his food, "You want to smell dis?", he asks and he pops it beneath your nose before you have a chance to respond. The other thing he does is - he takes your hand at the table and says, "We are happy for dis food dat comes from da ERF - LETS EAT!". He does this even if we're at a restaurant. I introduced this custom to him months ago after reading, "Seven Times the Sun" and he loved it and has made it his own supper ritual.

I wanted to see what all the fuss was over Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper so I got a copy. NOW I know! I made both versions of the supper tart (one with tomato and goat cheese and the other with GRAPES and asiago cheese) and Satch said, "This is a good dinner you made mama". Score! I also made the "Luxury Eggs" that are folded with cream and bits of cream cheese and tarragon. Satch liked it...he LIKED eggs, people!!! (sorry Uncle Chip) I am reading this cook book cover to cover because there's all these really nifty tips like gilding your pasta with grated cheese BEFORE topping it with sauce to give it extra flavor...a trick they use in Naples. And using puff pastry dough for the tart crust...YES...why the heck didn't I think of that? You can check out the radio show here!

And I have another new favorite...Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi! We're big fans of Indian food and I thought I made a pretty good masala until I got this book. Now I make a DANG good masala, AND Matar Panir! It comes with a cd of traditional sitar music too. Food and music are a terrific way to share the culture with your children. There are other books in this series as well.

Food Play - Our trips to the Farmers Market will never be the same! Satch loves looking at all the creations and guessing what veggie or fruit they are made from in this chunky, imaginative book. Some of the faces give him a giggle and it certainly encourages little minds to look at the ordinary in refreshing new ways.

Oh and by the way, I tried Marie's recipe for Pop Up Pancakes and they were wonderful. The batter is thin like crepe batter and they bake all golden yellow... prettier than a pancake! They sink in the middle creating the perfect dimple to hold fresh berries. We liked the texture which was chewier than a traditional pancake. And the best part is they are all cooked at once so you don't have to stand by the stove. We also made her frozen grape pops. We bought 6" lollipop sticks at Michaels and they were just the right size. Satchel was completely tickled over the idea of grapes on a stick and they were a big hit with his friend R as well!

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posted by Wendy at 5:36 AM

1 Comments:

Blogger Garden State Kate said...

My daughter and her friends like having blueberries and melon balls on those sticks as well. :-)

5:24 PM  

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