Category Archives: Recipes

Jun 29Making Homemade Kitty Treats with Kids

Every year, I look forward to the classes that I teach with the children who participate in the Marin Humane Society summer camp program. You might be wondering what on earth a cooking teacher might be doing at an animal shelter. Stop that! We are NOT cooking the animals. But we are cooking FOR them! Because so many of you have asked (via Facebook and Twitter) for the recipes over the years, I thought I'd share. See, I'm nice like that :-) Have you ever baked for your...

Jun 27Bouncing for Joy: Homemade Ice Cream with Kids

Summer - the simple joy of my daughter making ice cream with her friend, all on their own. In a creative way, of course. Want to try? My mom got us one of these nifty balls last year...Here is what we put inside to make our treat. Do you have any easy summertime treats in your repertoire?

Jun 17Delicious Dessert Recipe – Just 4 Ingredients!

This recipe might surprise you. Especially coming from me. I usually write about healthy recipes and encouraging kids to eat well. But I have to tell you - I love dessert too. I just prefer good quality desserts over processed, packaged junk. And this dessert? Let's just say...OMG. It's easy. It's made from good ingredients. And it tastes good. I mean, REALLY good. I was inspired to make this recipe from my friend Naomi, over at Baker's Royale, who originally made this...

Jun 10Canned Alaskan Salmon – Healthy and Sustainable

I meet the coolest people through my job. I love connecting with families who are excited about feeding their children good food, and I love meeting food producers, who nourish us. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shirley, the president of Pure Alaska Salmon Co. She comes from a long line of salmon fishermen (and women, of course) and cares deeply for the quality of the food that she eats and for the environmental implications of those choices. I had a few ideas for our...

Jun 6Chef Gino Teaches Us How to Make Fresh Pasta

Now that I have recovered from DooFAPalooza, I've had some time to put together this video from the amazing Chef Gino. He teaches children to cook in Los Angeles and spent the entire day at the festival teaching children how to make pasta from scratch. He was a hit with the kids and their families - and if you watch this video, you'll see why. Can you believe making fresh pasta is as easy as... Mixing 1 cup of flour with 1 egg. And as Gino says, if you are feeding a crowd - 55 cups of...

Jun 3How to Teach an Engaging Cooking Class

Most people would agree that cooking classes are an excellent way for people experience new foods and expand their skill set in the kitchen. They appeal to folks of all ages, from toddlers to seniors, especially when they are done right. Here are some tips for teaching cooking classes that will engage and excite your students. Use a Theme Kids love themed parties - and my company often works with families to customize a theme that is perfect for their birthday child. Some of our...

May 27Forget Hard Boiling Eggs - Steamed Eggs are Easy...

Forget Hard Boiling Eggs – Steamed Eggs are Easy to Peel

I opened the refrigerator door over the weekend, closed it again, and went to the phone. I called our neighbor and told her that it was time for her to start saving her empty egg cartons. Ever since we adopted 3 new hens recently, we have been getting fresh eggs faster than we can use them. I love hard boiled eggs, but I hate to peel them. In fact, I might actually have an egg-peeling disfunction. I end up creating craters and losing up to 1/3 of my egg when all is said and done. ...

May 23Le Creuset Farm Fresh Steamer Set Giveaway

The International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference in Austin is fast approaching, and I have been helping to put together our signature Kids in the Kitchen event. It has been a major team effort, and I was thrilled when Le Creuset signed on to sponsor our garden to table workshop with children. They will be giving generous gift packages to each of the families we cook with, along with some tools for us to use in the Austin Whole Foods Market culinary center. I love...

May 6Walnuts – From Orchard to Table

My poor husband. He married a teacher. And even though I am no longer in a traditional classroom, I still teach - cooking to children, family mealtime sanity to families, and eco-friendly food suggestions to anyone who will listen. And to top it off, I am always drawn towards other educators, and we have him outnumbered. This week, I was fortunate to be invited to Sacramento to attend a media event, sponsored by California Walnuts. How could I turn this opportunity down? I would...

May 4You Say Tomato and I Say….Tomatillo

With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner, I got the culinary urge to try something new in the kitchen with the kiddos. We have been visiting our local Mexican grocery store almost every week lately, and the last time we were there, I picked up a bag of tomatillos. No, I didn't spell tomatoes wrong. I meant to say tomatillos. You would pronounce that toe-mah-tee-ohs, in case you were wondering. They are also known as husk tomatoes, jamberries, husk cherries, Mexican tomatoes or ground...