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Cooking with Kids: A Holistic Approach to Learning
Our kitchens serve as the hub of daily life, the places where we gather and experiment, where we taste new dishes and share our stories. When you think of essential skills to teach children in the kitchen, the ability to read a recipe and execute it well may come to mind, but there are a wealth of opportunities to support growth as you cook together. Guide children toward healthy eating habits and away from self-criticism, bring vibrancy to science concepts, and certainly instill an appreciation of cooking with these tips. Share Food Stories There is a reason you are making a particular recipe with your child. Maybe you grew up…
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Breakfast Bars
Get a glimpse of my kitchen as I share the breakfast bars I make most often. They feature oats plus a variety of seeds and dark chocolate chips, making them a delicious morning treat. Just sweet enough, they bake up crunchy and firm. Use the video as your guide and cook along with me, or check out the written recipe, both of which you’ll find below. Ingredients 1 cup old-fashioned oats¼ cup ground oats⅓ cup mini dark chocolate chips⅓ cup pepitas¼ cup sunflower seeds2 tablespoons sesame seeds¼ teaspoon kosher salt3 tablespoons canola oil or another neutral oil2 tablespoons brown sugar (leveled but not packed)2 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons maple syrup Begin…
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Kitchen Organization: How to Stock the Pantry
Cooking with fresh ingredients including seasonal vegetables and fruit can be simpler when your pantry is filled with essentials such as your favorite olive oil, seasonings, and whole grains. Whether you are stocking the kitchen in your first home or organizing the cooking staples you already have, consult this list of items that I find most useful for the home cook. Since they are not as perishable as the eggs, milk, and others stored in the refrigerator, you can use these pantry essentials over time, keeping track of expiration dates and storing them in that order. Allow your personal list to grow over time based on your preferred cuisines and…
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The Spring Kitchen: Cooking with Seasonal Vegetables and Fruit
Thanks to an early burst of spring at the market, I have been thinking about the seasonal produce soon to make its way to our tables. The dish that made its way to mine, sesame asparagus with roasted plums, was so vibrant that I was told it looked like roses and stems. With its green spears and crimson pieces of fruit, it likely will return for spring gatherings and holidays. Certainly the flavor of toasty sesame and the tangy sweetness of roasted plums is something I look forward to sharing again. As bits of spring soon will surface everywhere, here are some tips on how to make use of the…
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The Language of Spice: Chili, Chile, and Chilli
If you enjoyed reading last week’s hot chocolate recipe and happen to be interested in the language surrounding food, you may have wondered about the spelling of one of the key ingredients: chile. As I write up the recipes that hopefully will inspire your own home cooking, I occasionally come upon the name of an ingredient or traditional dish that requires a little bit of editorial finesse. Take, for example, my recent pasta e fagioli. I faced a decision of whether to translate the name into English for those who were not familiar with this Italian soup. Since my grandmother pronounced this dish and other Italian classics so fluidly, it’s…
