Monthly Archives: December 2010

Dec 312010 Has Been a Good Year (What’s Next?)

It has been a good year for What's Cooking! I have met amazing people and have accomplished things that I never thought possible. Here are a few highlights of 2010 - a good place to start if you are just getting to know me and my mission: Readers started sharing their amazing stories about their experiences in the kitchen with family in our new series, What's Cooking with YOUR Kids. Here's how you can participate, too. A group of parents in our school district began the tedious...

Dec 29Back from Vacation (+ food quotes to make you la...

Back from Vacation (+ food quotes to make you laugh!)

Ahhh, there's nothing like getting away from the daily grind for a little while. We just returned from a family trip with lots of relatives, and for the first time, I don't need a vacation from my vacation. Nice. We stayed at a low key resort, where all of our meals were included. (There's more on that, later.) But in the meantime, I thought I'd warm up my blogging fingers with a few quotes that I overheard that made me chuckle. Some are from parents to their children or the chefs, and...

Dec 27A Story about the Birds and the Bees (and Interv...

A Story about the Birds and the Bees (and Interview with Orren)

After 5 years of teaching high school and 7 years of teaching kids to cook, you could say that I am a big believer in what kids can do. They can, indeed, make an impact on the world. When I met Orren via Twitter, I loved that he was passionate enough about his chickens to start a blog about them. Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs is amazing - and my daughter loves to visit, to see what Orren has been up to and to browse through the recent photos of his animals. We are considering...

Dec 24How to Use a Lunchbox to Save the Planet

So, for the New Year, how about you make a resolution you can actually keep? Pack a waste free lunch for school. Do you have any other resolutions worth keeping?

Dec 21A Tale of 2 Cooking Parties (and Some Irony)

Once upon a time, a cooking teacher was hired to teach two birthday parties, one week apart. The teacher has been around the block for a few years, and has seen it all. She tries to be fair. And not too judgmental. But sometimes, the irony is simply too much, and it rocks her world. The first party took place on a dark and stormy afternoon in a San Francisco apartment. It was a surprise birthday gift for the husband, who was the father of a kitchen-loving toddler. They welcomed the...

Dec 17Top 6 List: What NOT To Do When Cooking With Kid...

Top 6 List: What NOT To Do When Cooking With Kids

Kids are silly, fun and curious - so spending time in the kitchen is a great way to explore and learn. But parents - you've gotta be on your A-game! Here's our Top-6 List: What NOT to do while cooking with kids... Wear white (unless you like bleach) Turn away (if you care what ingredients get added to your food or if drawer contents remain in their homes) Forget to have towels handy or cook with chocolate when the dog is around (aka - messes will happen!) Be unprepared...as in: you...

Dec 15School Lunch Reform – A Guaranteed Way to FAIL...

You may have noticed that I haven’t offered an update on our school lunch reform efforts in awhile. Some of our team have been stewing. Others have been steaming. And one just boiled over. Perhaps I should explain the back story. We have done assemblies in 4 ½ of our schools to teach the students how to use the salad bars safely without contaminating their peers with germs. And there have been more than a few challenges in keeping our new salad bars running smoothly. True,...

Dec 13I Dare You to Feed Hungry Kids (+ Potato Latke R...

I Dare You to Feed Hungry Kids (+ Potato Latke Recipe)

Every year, my kids and I look forward to potato latkes. Truth be told, we don't even wait for Hanukkah half of the time. Sometimes we mix it up a little and add some shredded carrots or sweet potatoes. But other times, we simply opt for the traditional ones with potatoes. This version comes from my book, The Whole Family Cookbook, due out in April. Consider it my early gift to your family for the holidays. Nothing chaps my hide like the concept of childhood hunger. We live in...

Dec 10Fall Harvest Menu (+ a Divine Halibut Recipe)

Janet is one of my best teachers. She has taught countless after school cooking classes and continues to use her background as a pastry chef to teach jaw dropping cooking birthday parties for What's Cooking. Did I mention how well rounded she is? Not only a French-trained chef (ooh-la-la!) but also a registered nurse and cooking teacher for adults, Janet has a lot to offer her students. When she offered me an opportunity to attend one of her cooking classes, I jumped! The table was beautiful,...

Dec 8Kids: 3 Reasons to Play With Your Food

Yes. I said, "Play with your food." Here are 3 reasons why... 1. Liking new foods takes time. Each experience touching, smelling, seeing, and tasting foods may bring you that much closer to falling in love. 2. You might learn something. Maybe what you thought was a prickly pear is really a bitter melon! Who knew? 3. It's fun. And kids are supposed to have fun. (You, too, parents!) These photos were taken at the Solano Stroll at the DooF booth. If you want...