Spork Fed Cookbook Review

If you understand what it is to relish reading a good cookbook, then you'll completely understand why I dove deep into Spork-Fed: Super fun and flavorful vegan recipes from the sisters of Spork Foods by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. Having been a longtime vegetarian leaning towards vegan eater, I appreciate the cooking tips, ingredient suggestions (I'm beginning to master the ingredient swap) and creative approach to this type of diet.

Each recipe has a little preamble with some "Sporkie-Scoops" toward the end outlining ways the food items may benefit your body and mind...fun and informative!

There are also loads of photos. I won't apologize for preferring shiny photos with my recipes. I'm like a magpie that way. The suggested menus page even has little thumbnails with photos of the dish! Joy for the visually inclined!

My family and I tried an assortment of dishes from Spork-Fed and the two my kids enjoyed most were (yes, I do try to be a crowd pleaser:)

Homemade BBQ Sauce Page 114

Tamar inspired me to make my very own barbecue sauce. I could easily have dumped some store bought from a jar and called it a day...but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

And here is the finished product...Barbecue-Style Spelt Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Tempeh Bacon from page 116 (plus asparagus because I can't eat a meal without green.) Oh and corn on the cob, since it was after all, barbecue.

Before the oven...

After...nom, nom, nom...

These Pear, Fig and Sage (fresh from my garden) Tarts with Roasted Garlic Aioli (page 2) were, how shall I put it? The BOMB. They were little parcels of deliciousness. Oh my goodness I didn't know food (that I make) could be so good!

And as for little 'ole me I was swept away in a rhapsody of flavors by the Caribbean Salad with Crispy Plantains and Avocado Mango Salsa in a Light Lemon Vinaigrette (page 26) I have long been a fan of fresh vegetables and this was a delicious representation of what vegan cooking can be. Note...those are peaches in case you noticed. My mangoes were not ripe. Sniff.  

 

This is the meal plated...the Salad, Plantains, Cuban-style black beans and coconut rice with a blue corn tortilla chip garnish. Perfecto!

To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Hearts of Palm before preparing this meal...and luckily Trader Joe's had a jar...similar to artichokes, but with with the texture of cooked leeks. They were good and nicely paired in the salad!


That was my adventure with the Spork Sisters...for more about them visit: Spork Foods where you will find their cookbook, loads of downloadable cooking class videos and lots more!

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre

Joy the Baker Cookbook - Review

I enjoy reading cookbooks, much like novels. I sit down and leaf from start to finish...then since it is a cookbook I decide what I will prepare from its pages. Joy the Baker's cookbook is much like her blog, funny, indulgent and creative.

When flipping through the cookbook pages I noted loads of delicious looking treats that I practically smell wafting from my oven, but when it came down to it, I let my kids decide and wouldn't you know it - they chose whoopie pies, not your ordinary chocolate cookie-cake with white frosting smothered on the inside...oh no- these were cocoa cookie-cakes with peanut butter on the inside. I am if nothing else, a sucker for peanut butter. And since I don't always love chocolate (I know I'm weird) I certainly had more than a spoonful of the pb filling. YUM!

See those flecks? More chocolate...'cos I'm a rule breaker.
The recipe didn't call for chocolate shavings, but I thought, what the heck?

For more joyful and tasty recipes, cooking tips and loads of laughs, check out Joy the Baker Cookbook and her site. Happy Baking! Oh, and if you make her GF Strawberry Ginger Pie, please report back or really any other recipes she shares or prints. As much as I love to read about food, I think I enjoy talking about it nearly as much and of course there is eating it, that's pretty swell (or sweet) too.

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre

Babycakes II -- Cookbooks

Last week I introduced you all to the wonder that is Babycakes...gluten free, refined- sugar-free, egg-free, vegan, dairy-free kosher and major eye candy. Sometimes literally. I had the opportunity to visit while I was in Orlando and yes, it lived up to my expectations and more. Of course, I'd been baking Babycakes for a fair while before enjoying a bakery bought delight, but it was fun to go to the store front in person.

Source: google.com via Amy on Pinterest

Erin McKenna, is the adorable entrepreneur, mama, gluten-sensitive and extraordinary woman is the brains and baker behind this operation. Her first cookbook, Babycakes, kept me semi-distracted and comforted as I awaited my daughter to emerge from surgery several years ago. When we returned home I whipped up some cookies for her as she recovered, knowing I was offering not only a special treat, but also devoid of some of the nasties that have crept into conventional baking products.

After the release the second cookbook, Babycakes Covers the Classics, I revisted both of the cookbooks in a mad-baking spree (reminiscent of how the whole thing got started, as you'll read in Erin's introduction, but without all of the trial and error.)

So...you'll have to get ahold of one or both of these cookbooks for yourself, but I promise, if you follow the recipe to the letter, you will enjoy special occassion treats that can pretty much cover anyone and everyone's particular dietary needs- that is something worth celebrating!

Source: babycakesnyc.com via Michelle on Pinterest

This is gingerbread. This is delicious.

And it's gone.

Source: anthropologie.com via jaydee on Pinterest

Snickerdoodles- all rolled up and almost ready to go!

See that flattening action! That is how it is done!

Into the oven they go and oh my cinnamon sugar does it smell good!

See? Perfection. And like I said, gluten free, refined- sugar-free, egg-free, vegan, dairy-free kosher and major eye candy.

You can bake your own, order baking kits from the store, an apron (hint, hint, wink, wink, check out the blog and more fun for everyone!

Bon Appetit,
Deirdre

Babycakes NYC & Orlando



The blurry photo is artistic.

Erin McKenna of Babycakes has built an empire based on cupcakes, doughnuts, cookies and all things baked. What sets her apart is that her recipes are free of: refined sugar, gluten, wheat, casein, soy and eggs and are vegan and are kosher to boot. How’s she do it? With style and finesse, not to mention hard work and lots of trial and error. But Erin, a model of a woman with a vision, made it happen and now we get to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

First I became emotionally attached to her cookbook and then her second one…I’ll get to that later…

I had the opportunity to visit one of her store fronts at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There are also Babycakes bakeries in New York City and Los Angeles. Was it everything I imagine? Did the “happiest place on earth” give me the happiest tummy on earth? You betcha. Babycakes Orlando did not disappoint.  

After spending the day frolicking around the parks, I promised the kids a sweet treat with a very selfish motive in mind, I wanted me some real-deal Babycakes.

And Babycakes I got.

Clockwise from left to right: Blueberry Toastie Loaf, vanilla cupcake, vanilla glazed doughnut and carrot cupcake.

Blueberry Toastie



Loaded with blueberries, moist and delish.

So pretty.

Yes, I had to share. Four ways.

This is the doughnut. And it went in my mouth.

We had to have two. It was too difficult to decide.

Nom, Nom, Nom.

They were each unique in their flavor, but consistently moist and sweet, but not too sweet. It had been a long time since I’d eaten a cupcake or doughnut and these were definitely worth the trip. Remember whatever your own or a member of your family’s dietary restrictions, Babycakes has got you covered. You can order and have baked goods delivered (really!) or…Check back soon for a couple of my favorite recipes from the Babycakes Cookbooks...

Source: amazon.com via Federica on Pinterest

For the:

Blog check out the videos!

Locations if you don't live near a storefront, no worries, they ship. Fresh.

Twitter get the latest.

Facebook and the greatest.

Bon Appetit Bebe,

Deirdre

Cook School by Amanda Grant Cookbook

Click for more info/to order

Cooking and I have a love-hate relationship. I love to eat, I hate to cook- the process that is. I just don't have a mind for it, get impatient and loathe washing the dishes, but cook I do -- otherwise we'd be eating cereal and for every meal. And although that is essentially what I subsisted on during my childhood I'd prefer my children have a more balanced diet.

What I do love is getting into the kitchen with my kids and gently assisting them as they learn how to measure, slice, mix and create a nourishing meal. I thoroughly enjoy the delight when they enjoy something we've made together. Adding a bit of love to a home cooked meal really does make it taste better.

When I stumbled upon the book, Cook School by Amanda Grant I knew I'd found a gem. The book is broken down into segments based on age/ability. The photos are gorgeous, if you're into that kind of thing- I am! And the recipes are super tasty. I had each of my kids pick two dishes each we'd make together and then a few of my own that I just wanted to try. All in all I think we tried close to ten and they were all winners.

We "adopted" the chickens produced by a class "hatching" project a couple years ago. And by adopted I mean my kids begged for days and made wild promises if we could just take them home. Two years later and we are gifted with fresh eggs everyday along with fresh "landmines" in the yard, but all in all I love those birds and am glad they're part of family. Them are some classy ladies!

One of our faves from Cook School was the Tasty Bread Tarts...The recipe is easy and adaptable and only requires multi-grain bread, fresh eggs, a few splashes of milk, a vegetable like peas, a sprinkle of cheese and some seasonings. For the recipe click here.

Do you have any favorite dishes that you prepare with your kids? Any books to recommend? Please share!

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre

*I was not compensated monetarily for this review.

French Kids Eat Everything

www.karenlebillon.com

As mentioned on our Welcome/Bienvenue/About page this blog was in part motivated by an abundance of food related posts that weren't getting screen time on Ladies Holiday and really needed their own home. For my part, this blog was also inspired by my realization that I am a bit of a Francophile - food philosophy wise.


As a vegetarian I can not abide coq au vin, cassoulet or foie gras, but as far as the traditional slow-food and intimate relationship, both physically and emotionally, to food, the French way, appeals to my sensibilities.

The books French Kids Eat Everything furthered my affection for the French approach in particular in the ways children are taught, from an early age, to enjoy real food. Author Karen Le Billon notes French playwright Moliere's take, “Manger Bien et Juste.” Eat well and right. Simple enough. I can usually handle simple.


As I turned page after page I found that my approach to nourishing my children echo's the French approach or at least Le Billon's interpretation. At times my children have returned home from school mentioning other kids have criticized their lunch box contents. Crudites and hummus, lentils, rice and veggies, corn chips, salsa and guacamole are apparently warrant leers and jeers in the ten and under set.


I wasn't sure what to say (or do) in response. This is just the way we eat.
This is the way we like to eat.
We like real food.

Don't get me wrong, my kids wouldn't turn down an Oreo, but they understand those are "sometimes foods" and what we eat day-to-day is mostly whole, relatively unprocessed, fresh and when we can get it local- seasonality can at times present a challenge. But we try.


Deeply engrossed in French cooking and eating, I temporarily wished we lived in some quaint French village or in sophisticated Paris, never mind the fact that we collectively know only a couple dozen words in French. Food seems to be a language unto itself there, rapt as I was, in that momentary fantasy, I figured we'd manage.


French Kids Eat Everything the title causing a bit of alarm in my younger child, "What does it mean they eat everything? Like everything? Play dough? Wood? Flip-Flops?"

"No dear, they just aren't picky. They find a variety of foods appetizing."
"Like me?"
"Oui, like you."
This is just what Le Billon learned as she journeyed with her family for a year in her husband's native France where she faced the challenges of not only adapting both herself and her children to a new culture, but navigating the particular French ways of eating.

Source: etsy.com via lindsay on Pinterest

Long, leisurely meals where children and adults alike engage in polite and engaging conversation, the absence of short-order cooking, like so often happens in American homes: quiche and salad for the adults and mac-n-cheese for the kids is not typical at all in France. Quite remarkably they also have a nearly opposite model for Public School lunches. 


This captured my attention. A couple years ago I was riding closely on the heals of Jamie Oliver's School Lunch Revolution after my daughter became very ill after eating lunch at school. It was her first day and she wanted to carry her tray and collect items along the line in the cafeteria. Well, she collected a little more than she bargained for and needless to say it was her last time eating school food as she said emphatically, "I'm never eating school food, never, ever, never again."


Le Billon offers up explanation and an outline of the school lunch program in France or Cantine. The meals are prepared from fresh produce, are nutritionally balanced, the frites aren't typically considered a vegetable as they are stateside. And almost most remarkably lunch-time is a considerable amount of time, not the fifteen minutes my children are typically given with staff admonishing them to "hurry-up." She also relays that this time of the day is a social time where the meal is enjoyed together, another aspect of French dining I admire. Good food, good company, what's not to like?

When Le Billon returned to Canada after her year with her family in France, she came up with the following, “Find a balance between the foods available where you live and a schedule that lends itself to mindful cooking and eating.” I think this is reasonable given the reality of most of our lives, preparing and then enjoying a meal for upwards of two hours is more of a luxury than an everyday way of life, we can still seek to find this same balance Le Billon describes. At the very least it is more appealing than the harried meals wolfed down between activities, in the car or worse separately not at the table and as for getting your kids to eat beets, it is more about the journey than the destination as they say. The idea is to try new things, to be open and adventurous.


In our home we already have a decent handle on this, but one thing I've found helpful is to offer a small amount of mixed greens topped with a simple vinaigrette.
Here is a recipe for just such a thing from Karen Le Billon's book, French Kids Eat Everything.

Vinaigrette from French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon

Time: 2  minutes

Serving: Makes a little less than 1 cup, to serve a family size salad

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Optional: 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Optional: 1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot, scallion, or onion

Put ingredients in a jar with a lid, close jar, and shake vigorously. (Deirdre's Note: I often let the kids help with the measuring- they enjoy being a part of the food prep and especially the shaking!)

Taste before serving and adjust quantities for your preference.

Can also be served as a dip with crudités (sliced veggies) and can be used as a dressing over cooked vegetables.

***

Please share any stategies you have in getting your kids to eat a variety of foods or what you think of the book French Kids Eat Everything.

Bon  Appetit,

Deirdre