Great book. Written by Jessica Seinfeld, wife of famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Concerned about nutrition and her kids’ pickiness, Jessica began sneaking blended vegetables into their ordinary favorites.

This works like a charm with smaller kids. With my older kids, who seem to have their nose in my kitchen business all the time, it’s not quite as successful. They eat, yes, but with suspicion. With the help of my husband, my older kids have learned to eat what is served, even if they don’t like it. We’re still working on the little ones.

“Deceptively Delicious” introduced us to the idea of putting peanut butter and brown sugar in muffins. They are OH-SO-GOOD! When you top them with a little extra brown sugar and put sweet potatoes or pumpkin into the batter, they are quite a crowd-pleaser. This can be done with any basic muffin recipe of course, and you could easily use applesauce or bananas, too.

Some of Jessica Seinfeld’s tricks are really great ideas - adding yellow squash puree to your Macaroni and Cheese, for instance, will fool your youngsters pretty easily. Some of her dessert recipes however, are still so loaded with sugar that I think you are fooling yourself if you think you are serving healthy food. A half cup of spinach puree in your blueberry bars doesn’t delete the cup of sugar. Anybody who has read many of my posts will know that I use sugar regularly, so I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite here, I just can’t fool myself into believing that anything with that much sugar should be considered healthy. I’m not accusing Jessica Seinfeld of this, either. She qualifies that sweets should still be very limited, but offers a way to redeem them a bit. It’s a good idea, really.

Jessica includes in her book a lot of other tips that will help you improve your child’s diet; offering a healthy veggie tray in that ‘hungry hour’ before meals, pureeing a lot of foods once a week (or less) and freezing in small amounts to use later, a great healthier cupcake recipe for the unavoidable school treats, plus a lot more.

I guess my summary is this: Great tips, great recipes. Don’t fool yourself - not everything in the book should be automatically considered health food. Also: don’t forget that eating foods that we don’t really like is an acquired skill and your kids should learn to do this, it really is essential in the long run.

Happy Cooking!

First off, you need some corned beef. Now, this is pretty easy to obtain from the deli counter of any grocery and you can just ask the worker behind the counter to cut off a chunk for you instead of slicing it real thin-like. Personally, I quit buying corned beef at the deli because of the extremely high prices. I buy a do-it-yourself hunk of corned beef at everyone’s favorite warehouse — Sam’s Club. It comes in a moderate size (about 3 pounds, untrimmed) that my family easily polishes off in one meal. I usually buy two. If you decide to buy it this way, click here to read my method of cooking it. Corned beef that you do yourself will be more tender and will fall apart the way you want it to for hash. Deli beef will have to be cut into bite-sized chunks.

As I mentioned, I like to cook two packages of corned beef. One gets consumed right away, usually in Reuben sandwiches or just plain with sauerkraut. The second I hide away from the seemingly always hungry people in my house for a day or two and then surprise them by pulling it back out and making cold meat sandwiches or corned beef hash.

Corned Beef Hash
serves 6

1-2 c. shredded or chunked corned beef
3-6 redskin potatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, preferably a Mayan sweet or Vidalia
1/4 c. olive oil
3 T. flour
1 c. skim milk, chicken broth, or a combination of the two
salt and pepper

First off, dice the potatoes, rinse in cold water, and drain. Pat dry with paper towels. If you’re not crazy about putting that much work into it, buy some Ore Ida hash browns, they will be just as good.

Next, chop the onion and get it sizzling with the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the potatoes and leave them alone for a few minutes while one side browns. (I used to fuss over hash browns and always ruined them by stirring too much. Leaving them to sizzle on their own is much better.)

Meanwhile, mix the flour and milk or broth in a shaker container or whip them together with a wire whisk. When the potatoes have begun to brown, slide a spatula underneath them and flip. They don’t need to remain in one large piece, but stirring them up too much causes your corned beef hash to turn to a pile of gooey, mushy potatoes. Once flipped, add the corned beef and wait for the other side of the potatoes to brown.

The last step is to pour the milk/flour mixture over all and let the heat thicken it to a white gravy. Add salt and pepper as desired. If you’re really trying to please someone, serve with eggs.

ENJOY!

How do some people gain a reputation as a good (or bad) cook? Does burning toast early in a marriage doom you to a life as a bad cook?

(If you are looking for a recipe, scroll on down to my last post….)

I think there are several factors in making a person a success as a cook (or anything, for that matter.) I’m not listing this in any particular order, you decide which is most important. If you find yourself lacking in one area, it is easy to grow stronger in other areas.

1. Natural-born talent. Whether you’re talking about basketball, public speaking, making friends, or cooking… I think everyone has certain natural, God-given talents. Areas that they are strong in without putting forth a lot of effort. Not that they don’t have to practice and work to be excellent, it just seems to come easier to them than to others. As far as cooking, I think that the picky eater has an advantage here. Picky eaters have a higher sense of what is good and what is yucky. When they get in the kitchen, they don’t want to make what is yucky because they don’t want to eat it.

2. Attitude. If you are convinced that you are bad at something - skiing, painting, etc. - you will be. Our minds are more powerful than we give them credit for. If we have negative images in our head, we will reproduce them with our lives. If all you can picture yourself doing in the kitchen is burning toast, then it is highly likely that’s what will happen. Try watching cooking shows. They’re great for boosting your confidence and putting positive images in your brain.

3. Practice. All professionals practice. Ice skaters, lawyers, chefs. Success does not come when you fall to the ground and stay there. It comes when you pick yourself back up. When all else fails, try, try again. As Winston Churchill said, “Never give up!” Failure can be one of the best learning tools around. I mean, really, how many times in a row can a person burn toast? Eventually you will get it right.

4. Encouragement. You need a cheering section. Look at football - they’ve got cheerleader and bands urging them on. My husband and kids are great at this. Not only do they devour almost everything I make, they make light of small failures. We never give up and order pizza. My father-in-law, when presented with food that is not-quite-perfect, usually says, “Well, I guess I’ll just have to eat it,” and then cleans his plate. This may seem out of your control, but you can even be your own cheering section. Think to yourself, “Hooray! I did it!”

5. Good Company. Car salesman, dentists, parents hang out together. They trade secrets, they encourage each other. They share problems and help one another solve them. Surround yourself with people who are successful and some of it just may rub off.

If you ever think you’re a bad cook (or anything), work on a couple of these areas and watch yourself succeed!

My basic two ways of preparing spaghetti are 1) chunky red sauce and 2) purchased Alfredo sauce. Spaghetti Carbonara is a lighter-tasting spaghetti containing bits of bacon but still retaining an Italian flavor. Mmm…. Mmmm… If my kids read this post, I can promise you I’ll be making this one soon.

I don’t know if the Olive Garden serves this dish, but I can just imagine it — it would fit in really well on their advertisements.

Spaghetti Carbonara
serves 6

1 lb. dry spaghetti
6 slices of bacon
2 T. olive oil or melted butter
1/4 t. chili pepper flakes
1 egg
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Takes just minutes to prepare! Cut down on the time by purchasing already cooked bacon or preparing the bacon beforehand.

Fry the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. Crumble into tiny bits.

Boil the spaghetti according to the package directions. By the way, any of your long pastas will work here — angel hair, linguine, spaghetti, or vermicelli.

While your noodles boil, combine the crumbled bacon with the oil and pepper flakes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat the egg and add the cheese to it.

Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bacon/pepper mixture. Toss in the egg. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg as you toss it all together. Shake some salt and pepper on top of it all. Voila! You are done! Serve to your hungry family. Don’t forget some salad, preferably a nice, fresh Caesar salad.

Enjoy!

Our idea for the grilled bologna sandwich starts in Waldo, Ohio, where the G & R Tavern makes a famous fried bologna sandwich. (Do a little research for yourself and you will find plenty of news articles about the G & R and its famous bologna.) Their bologna is thick and fried to a crisp then served hamburger-style on a bun. Unfortunately, I have never gotten to taste this delicacy myself, but I have heard it is quite delicious besides entirely unique.

Our family decided to try the same deal, except flame-grilled. Makes a great sandwich, it’s quick and easy and it’s unusual enough to get you away from the common burger.

Here’s what ya gotta do:

Toppings can include: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickle relish, raw or sauteed onions, brown mustard, BBQ sauce, lettuce, coleslaw, sauerkraut, etc. Use your imagination!

This may seem too simple and unsophisticated, but it’s fun, tasty, quick, and everyone likes it. You can eat health food tomorrow.

But I don’t think any of us can deny that yes, you can get a little tired of chicken breast and yes, you can run out of new ways to cook them.

Today’s recipe is one I actually haven’t used for a while, don’t remember where I got it, but still love. You don’t need to plan ahead, you don’t need an hour or more in the kitchen. Chicken Diane is one of those simple and quick, yet delicious dinners that you can whip up in no time flat.

Chicken Breast Diane
serves 6

4 chicken breast halves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
3 T. chives or green onions
2 T. lemon juice
3 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried
2 t. prepared mustard
1/4 c. chicken broth

Pound the breasts until they are nice and thin. I do this by placing the chicken breast between two layers of plastic wrap and pounding with a mallet or other heavy kitchen utensil. When done, salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast.

Gather all of your ingredients - it’s more efficient and easier if everything is handy - you won’t have to scramble, hunting for the mustard that mysteriously migrated to the back of the fridge. Then, heat HALF of the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Once hot, place the chicken breasts in at this heat.

4 minutes on each side should cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and turn the heat down. Next, add the remaining ingredients except the broth — the chives, lemon juice, parsley, and mustard. Whisk until smooth, then add the other 1 T. oil and 1 T. butter and the chicken broth. Stir and pour over chicken.

This dish goes really, really well with some fresh green beans or other fresh green vegetables. Add some brown rice or pasta for a complete dinner.

Enjoy!

How to Be a Real Woman

1. Make your own decisions. Form your own opinions about politics, family life, personal relationships, your faith, and more. A real woman doesn’t have to depend on her spouse, father, mother, friends, or anyone else to make her decisions for her. She is assured and intelligent enough to come to her own conclusions, but is also open enough to listen to and consider the opinions of others.

2. Know your priorities. Learn to tell the difference between what is merely urgent and what is truly important. A true woman can shift aside the meaningless to find what is meaningful and spend her time on the things in her life that matter the most. She understands that what’s important to other people isn’t always important to her and vice versa.

3. Learn to trust and be trusted by others. You don’t have to be in control all of the time and can relax and allow others to take charge. A real woman trusts her spouse to have her best interests at heart. At the same time, she is trustworthy and honest and the people who know her best trust her in every way.

4. Take care of yourself. Take care of yourself; mind, body, and soul. A real woman takes time out to exercise, do Bible study, meditate and/or pray, and educate herself. She knows and understands that doing these things is not selfish, but is essential to her well-being and is also for the benefit of those she shares her life with.

5. Give and receive love and affection gracefully. Never be embarrassed to ask for help, a back rub, a gift, or a favor. Neither should you hesitate to give the same; do both with joy, grace, and energy. Either way, both parties feel good and benefit from the giving.

6. Release your creativity. Everyone is given a certain amount of creativity. A true woman uses her creative energy in fun and productive ways, such as sewing or quilting, cooking, writing, painting, socializing, woodworking, etc. She is not afraid to share the results with her loved ones, acquaintances, or even strangers.

7. Don’t be afraid of hard work, sweating, or relaxing. Women no longer want to be pampered. They want and need to be productive and proud. They will not hesitate to apply liberal amounts of elbow grease and get sweaty and dirty. And, after working hard and accomplishing a goal, they want to reward themselves and enjoy the results before moving on to the next task.

8. Be beautiful. Look your best. This varies, of course, but a real woman looks her best. She doesn’t lie around in a bathrobe, even if she can. She does the best she can with what she’s been given – she gets dressed, maybe applies some make up, keeps an eye on the waistline and cares about her looks without being obsessed with them. She knows that when she looks her best, she feels good about herself.

9. A real woman doesn’t need diamonds, spa treatments, or French manicures to know her self-worth. She views them as wasteful, frivolous, useless, and meaningless. She would rather have a meaningful experience, such as a walk in the woods with her mate.

10. Submit without being a doormat. A real woman can set aside her own desires for someone else. She can serve her spouse happily because she wants to. At the same time, she doesn’t allow herself to be forced and manipulated into doing something she doesn’t want to do.

Comments? Email me at cheryl@familychowhall.com or clh@familychowhall.com

What to eat for lunch on Sunday? This is the question the plagues many of us every week. We, the church-loving, penny-pinching, got-a-lot-of-kids-to-feed moms need something appetizing and filling to be ready and waiting for us when we burst back in the door after Sunday worship services.

Today’s recipe can solve this problem once every month or two without getting old. Macaroni and Cheese, the standard crowd-pleaser, is a little different to prepare but is still its yummy self in the crockpot.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

2 c. dry macaroni
1 can evaporated milk (it can be evaporated skim milk if you are watching the fat calories)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
4 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided (sharp)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

No need to cook the macaroni! Hooray! In a large bowl, combine both milks, the eggs, 3 c. of the cheese, salt and pepper.

Now spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Set on LOW. Add the macaroni to the milk mixture and put it all in the crockpot. Top with the remaining 1 c. cheese.

Cook for 5-6 hours on low.

vegetable. Asparagus truly is special, readers — it loves the cold winters and pops up in the springtime, the first vegetable a gardener gets to enjoy from his own piece of the earth. Now, I know that asparagus is something of an acquired taste, truthfully it is one that I am just starting to acquire myself. When it’s nice and tender, not too tough and woody, that’s when I like it best. Look for thin, bright green stalks with small heads and you can’t go wrong.

Enjoy!

(By the way — what a handy recipe to take to potlucks and other dinners!) For large families or crowds, increase everything by half or double the amounts.

This spring I have been especially enjoying asparagus cooked on the grill. It’s easy to fix and add to the grill while I’m doing some meat and potatoes. Today’s recipe, though, is for a baked dish of chicken and asparagus, with a creamy and cheesy sauce, so you can save this one for a rainy day or when you want to give your grill a break. The list of ingredients is rather short, the prep work is pretty basic, and even cooking non-enthusiasts should be able to pull this one off without any trouble.

Saucy Chicken and Asparagus
serves 6-8

1 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus stalks
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. curry powder
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Rinse the asparagus and cut about an inch off the bottom end of it. Place in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375. Butterfly the chicken so the pieces are about the same thickness. This way the thin pieces won’t get overdone while the thick pieces finish cooking. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Next, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Wait until the oil is hot, then add the chicken and cook on both sides, just until brown.

While the chicken browns in the skillet, combine the salt, pepper, chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Prepare like this: Place the chicken on top of the asparagus, spoon the sauce over all, and then bake for 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar and return to the oven for 5 minutes so that it will melt. Then you are ready to serve!

Goes great with garlic bread or rice.

Enjoy!