Roasted Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower

Original Recipe HERE

I was rarely exposed to cauliflower as a child, which is a shame because it's a tasty vegetable when prepared properly (hint: do not steam it unless you want your entire house to smell like rotten eggs).  So I'm pushing it on my kids every now and then in the hopes I'll hit upon a reliable cauliflower recipe.  Sometimes they eat it, sometimes they don't.  Surprisingly, the addition of cheese isn't the magical ingredient able to sway them one way or the other.  Oh well.  Husband and I like the albino broccoli enough that *N* and *J* are going to be exposed to it many times throughout their childhood.  Maybe one day they'll finally join Team Cauliflower for good.

Ingredients

3 to 4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower
Kosher salt and pepper
2 to 3 Tablespoons grated Parmsean cheese

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

(2) Put olive oil and garlic in small bowl.  Heat in microwave for about 20 seconds; set aside.

(3) Trim cauliflower head into large florets, discarding stem and leaves. Slice each floret into 1/4 inch slices; put in large bowl. 

(4) Drizzle cauliflower with oil/garlic mixture; sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.  Gently toss to coat. Add more olive oil if needed.

(5) Put cauliflower on foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes; toss with spatula.

(6) Bake 10 minutes; toss with Parmesan cheese.

(7) Continue baking 5-10 minutes until slightly golden brown on edges.

Kid Participation:

* Be hypocritical about eating cauliflower, making it impossible for me to predict whether they'll eat it

Pumpkin Muffins, the Cheater's Way

I'd heard about the "1 boxed cake mix + 1 can of pumpkin = deliciousness" legend, so I tried it with a chocolate mix.  It turned out perfectly fine, but there was no detection of pumpkin.  Further research led to the knowledge that a spice cake is the best way to achieve that.  Whether I tasted the actual pumpkin or just the spices in the mix, who knows.  But it was criminally easy and pretty darn yummy.

I read that the batter - and resulting baked good - can be slightly dense if just the mix and pumpkin are used.  The jury seemed to be out on that.  Per many suggestions, I added some eggs and a little bit of water.  I made the box mix into muffins, but the recipe is flexible enough to make a sheet cake, a loaf, or even cookies (so I read).  I got 19 muffins instead of the promised 24, but that's probably better anyway because I ate three-quarters of them.

Ingredients

1 box (18.25 oz) spice cake mix [I used Duncan Hines]

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin tin
(2) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, and water until well combined.
(3) Mix in cake mix until well combined.
(4) Pour batter into muffin tin.  Bake 18-20 minutes [mine were done at 18] or until a knife inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

Kid Participation:
* Whisk wet ingredients
* Whisk cake mix into wet ingredients
* Wonder where all the muffins disappeared to overnight...ahem, Mama...

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Original Recipe HERE

It was National Pancake Day, which it seems is a holiday created by IHOP.  While the offer of free shortstacks for every patron all day long was tempting, I wasn't about to call and make the recommended reservations, load three kids in the car, drive in rushhour traffic, and battle the pancake-loving masses for a booth.  I'd already been planning on pancakes for dinner at some point this week, so this night was as good a night as any.  I doubled the recipe and had plenty for dinner and enough for breakfast for the kids and me the next day.

I followed the advice of some reviews and added the bananas as a puree to the batter.  This ensured a uniform banana flavor throughout each pancake, though next time I might use an extra banana and add it as the original recipe says..  The lemon flavor added a nice extra dimension but was a wee bit too strong for my preference. Next time I'll do 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon of zest.  I imagine that plain yogurt (especially Greek) could be substituted for the sour cream.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

butter

2 ripe bananas

Directions

(1) Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

(2) In separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.

(3) Mash bananas until smooth or puree in a food processor.  Add to wet ingredients.

(4) Add wet ingredients to dry ones, mixing only until just combined.

(5) In large skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter over medium-low heat until it bubbles.

(6) Ladle batter into pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned.

(7) Flip pancakes; cook for another 1 to 2  minutes, until browned. Remove from heat.

(8) Wipe out pan with paper towel [optional].  Add more butter to pan; continue cooking pancakes until all batter is used.

Kid Participation:

* Sift dry ingredients

* Whisk wet ingredients

* Mash bananas or push food processor buttons

Baked String Cheese Dippers

Original Recipe HERE

I knew the kids would eat this.  "Melted cheese" makes anything edible (except, apparently, asparagus and Brussels sprouts).  Making melted cheese the main ingredient could result in a feeding frenzy.  They had fun helping me make this side dish and, of course, consuming it.  I served it with regular jarred pasta sauce for dipping.

I didn't feel like dirtying another pan, so I put a piece of parchment paper in the baking sheet instead of greasing it.  The cheeses started spreading into each other before the panko and breadcrumbs had time to brown and really crisp up.  Maybe increasing the oven temperature, so they'd get "shocked" with more heat would work?  Or maybe that would just turn everything on the baking sheet into a cheesy, crumb-y puddle.

Ingredients

8 string cheese sticks

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup Panko

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

1/4 cup flour

cooking spray

dipping sauce

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(2) In small bowl, thoroughly whisk egg and water together.

(3) In another bowl, mix panko, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder.

(4) Roll one string cheese in flour to coat.

(5) Dip in egg mixture, then in bread crumb mixture, making sure cheese is well-coated.

(6) Place on a sprayed baking sheet; spray top of cheeses with cooking spray.

(7) Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and cheese begins to melt.

Kid Participation:

* Peel string cheese wrappers

* Roll in flour

* Dip in egg

* Press into panko mixture

* Make deal with siblings about who gets which remaining cheeses for tomorrow's snack

Apricot Chicken

Original Recipe HERE (and, similarly, HERE)

I first made this recipe several years ago when we were having a party and I needed something that was (1) easy to make, and (2) would "hold" well while I made any other last-minute dishes that had to be served immediately.  It turned out so well that I made it again, in a much larger quantity, for Husband's end-of-tour ceremony and celebration.  Party of 50, catered by a party of one...I still pat myself on the back for that one.  Anyway, there isn't anything "special" about this, but in my experience, it's a solid, crowd-pleasing dish.

Other crunchy-type vegetables can be substituted.  I serve this over brown rice, since there's plenty of sauce to go around.  And speaking of the sauce, I most recently made it with French dressing because that was what I had.  I read that it can also be made with Catalina.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2/3 cup apricot preserves

1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

3/4 cup Russian salad dressing

1/2 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

olive oil

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

(2) Slice chicken into large strips (tenders).  In large pan, heat about 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and brown on all sides.  Put chicken in casserole dish.

(3) Add more olive oil to pan if necessary.  Add onion and pepper in pan; heat over medium to medium-high heat and sear for several minutes, tossing often.  Vegetables should be slightly browned but still crispy.  Layer vegetables over chicken.

(4) In small bowl, whisk soup mix, dressing, and preserves.  Pour over chicken and vegetables.

(5) Cover casserole dish.  Cook 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Kid Participation: None.

Curried Lentils & Rice with Carmelized Onions

Original Recipe HERE

I wasn't sure how this dish would go over with the kids since they hate onions.  And I'm not a fan of a strong curry flavor, so I'd understand if they didn't like that particular spice, either.  My fears proved unfounded since they gobbled it up and asked for more.  As expected, they didn't eat the onions, but since I had added some other stuff to the onions at the end of the carmelizing process, they got some vegetables into their tummies after all.

I didn't cook the onions properly, so they were soft and sweet but not technically carmelized.  They were in the pan plenty long enough, but they didn't turn the telltale color they should have.  I think the heat needed to be a little higher.  And using a larger pan, so they weren't as crowded, would've made more sense.

Ingredients

* For carmelized onions

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 white onions, sliced into half moons

2 teaspoons sugar

Assorted chopped veggies (carrots, celery, asparagus, etc.) [optional]

* For lentils

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

salt & pepper, to taste

1-1/4 cup green lentils

Directions

(1) In medium skillet, add olive oil, sliced onions, and sugar. Bring to a sizzling saute over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.

(2) During last few minutes of cooking, add optional chopped vegetables.  Cook until no longer crunchy but not too soft.

(3) Once browned and sweet, remove from heat and set aside.

(4) In the meantime, whisk together tomato sauce and chicken broth in a medium skillet.

(5) Stir in curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, salt, and pepper.

(6) Bring to bubbling; add lentils. Cover; cook over medium high heat 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

(7) While lentils and onions are cooking, prepare enough brown rice to make 3 cups.

(8) Serve lentils over rice with onions on top.

Kid Participation: None...just being willing to try something they are skeptical about because they just might like it.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Original Recipe HERE

This was *J*'s first birthday cake.  Since he wasn't old enough to express a preference, I chose for him.  None of that "my children don't have a taste of sugar until they go to Kindergarten" baloney around here.  I don't know if he liked it, but I certainly did.  I didn't use the ganache suggested in the orignal recipe; I made a frosting that I could tint blue.

P.S. BTW FWIW FYI The above link has some tips worth reading to make the cake be as successful as possible.

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1-1/3 cups canola oil
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups freshly brewed, extra-strong hot coffee
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9" cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
(2) Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
(3) Using an electric mixer set on low, add oil, buttermilk, and eggs each separately into flour mixture.
(4) Add hot coffee in a thin stream, pouring down the side of the bowl.
(5) Add vanilla; mix until batter is smooth.
(6) Divide batter evenly into pans.  Bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for at least 20 minutes.
(7) When ready to frost, remove cakes from pans. Place one layer of cake on serving plate. Trim top with a serrated knife to make it even if necessary.  Frost.  Trim top off other layer and place untrimmed side on top of frosted layer, pressing gently. Frost top and sides.

Kid Participation:
* Sift dry ingredients
* Add wet ingredients while keeping little fingers far from rotating beaters