Easy Peasy Kid Pleaser

Do you have little ones at home? Next time you make cookies, try this idea:

Bake your cookies on a stick. It makes them so much more interesting and fun to eat, especially on a spring day (I'm assuming spring has arrived somewhere in the country!). That's three-year-old Karin between her two friends Scott and Laura back in 1966. Weren't our moms clever?

Karin and Mollie and Pam?

Well, it won't be my version of Julie & Julia, but I have a plan for meals for the next few months. This is always a tricky time of year for us. Haley is growing, growing, growing and playing basketball, so she needs to eat twice as much, it seems. Meredith is in her 6th month of vegetarianism, but her go-to meal is usually pasta and cheese, so she needs a better plan. Steve & I are growing in other ways ... January is always a good month to shed the old food habits and hopefully a few pounds along with them. I'm still holding on to the tradition of a family dinner every night, but I don't want to short-order cook for everyone's preferences. And, realistically, with job and sport schedules, I need a meal that can be served early for some, and held later for others.

So, I decided to consult with Mollie and Pam:
I selected 20 weeknight dinners for the month. Weekends can be more spontaneous. Meredith has agreed to eat some seafood, so there are one or two meals with shrimp or clams. The rest are either vegetarian, or can be prepared with the meat added at the last minute, so I can serve hers plain and double-up for Haley.

I made my calendar and a shopping list for each week. So far, so good. We've had a few unusual things and we've liked everything so far. The best part is having a plan, knowing what I'm going to make, and having the ingredients at-the-ready. What are you making this month?

Making mashed potatoes tomorrow?

Check out this recipe for "freecycled" potato skins. It's just what you need to keep hungry kitchen helpers satisfied -- that is if you can spare your oven for a few minutes.

Delish Dessert

I really like to cook, but I barely make time to "fix" anymore, especially not desserts. I'm a grab and go weekday cook -- closer to short-order than chef. I make almost everything from scratch, but it's usually no more than five ingredients tossed together and either stir-fried or sauteed, grilled or baked, and must fit into the rotating categories of Mexican, Asian, Wisconsin-American, or Vegetarian.

That said, I love having a reason to find a new recipe and try it out. We're part of an occasional dinner group aptly named Blue Moon. This was my dessert, from our latest get together.

I compiled it from a few of the choices in Pam Anderson's fabulous The Perfect Recipe for Having People Over. And although I could have made the sorbet, I didn't. I went to our local gelateria and selected Lemon Basil, Orange, and Peach. Yum!

Short and Sweet

I had a little party at my house last weekend to celebrate the arrival of my friend's second grandchild. We agreed that the guest list should be small, the food simple, and the focus on friendship and just relaxing. It was such a fun night. I kept things easy for me by offering a selection of cheese, some great crackers, and fruit. I did want to make one thing, though, and this is what I picked:

Chocolate-dipped marshmallows with grahm crackers, coconut, or toasted almonds. Kind of like rocky road without the ice cream, or s'mores without the fire! The recipe came from Real Simple magazine, and it really was simple.