Fun news, this week I’m co-hosting an upcoming class in the Web’s first-ever virtual cooking school, Cooking Connections, and I would love for all of you to join me!  Here’s what you need to know to participate:

When: Wednesday, March 2, at 1 p.m. ET

Where: TheMotherhood – here is the link to the page where the class will be held: http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62135

And here is the registration page for all Cooking Connections classes: http://www.themotherhood.com/cookingconnections

What: The class I am co-hosting is called “Expanding Your Family’s Palate by Placating Picky Eaters,” and it is hosted by Jennifer Leal (Savoring the Thyme) and Kimberly Coleman (Mom in the City). We will be talking about how to make meals work for all members of the family, healthy and interesting foods that kids AND adults love, and strategies for getting picky eaters to try new things.  Join us, and feel free to ask questions, share recipes or chime in with your own suggestions!

The class is sponsored by ConAgra and hosted by TheMotherhood.

I hope to see you there!

My other fabulous co-hosts are:

Jen Rabulan-Bertram, Next Kid Thing, http://nextkidthing.com/
Marla Meridith, Family Fresh Cooking, http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/
Kristy Bernardo, The Wicked Noodle, http://www.thewickednoodle.com/
Jo-Lynne Shane, Musings of a Housewife, http://www.musingsofahousewife.com
Dara Michalski, Cookin’ Canuck, http://cookincanuck.blogspot.com
Brooke McLay, Cheeky Kitchen, http://www.cheekykitchen.com/
Shaina Olmanson, Food for My Family, http://foodformyfamily.com/
Carol Cain, NY City Mama, http://nycitymama.com/
Shari Simpson-Cabelin, Earth Mother just means I’m dusty, http://dustyearthmother.typepad.com/dusty/home.html
Amy Johnson, She Wears Many Hats, http://www.shewearsmanyhats.com/
Stacie Billis, One Hungry Mama, http://onehungrymama.com/

What’s Going on Today: Lazy Saturday morning at home.

Naptime Goals: Wrap up book recipe testing, catch up with husband after being away last week.

Tonight’s Menu: Book recipe (shhh! can’t tell)

Last week I was trolling my mother’s recipe box for new ideas and pulled out this recipe for pancakes. She smiled broadly when I asked her about it which I took as a sign to prepare myself for warm family stories about how my grandmother used to make them for her and her siblings growing up. But, instead, she told me how she used to make the pancake batter when she visited my elderly grandmother, Harriet, once a week, and how Harriet would use the batter to make herself three pancakes each morning all week long. My mother would repeat this batter-making process at her visit the following week, and so on, enabling Harriet to make fresh pancakes for herself for years on end. In short, these weren’t the food of my mother’s childhood, they were the food of my grandmother’s widowhood.

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap: Need insta-satisfying salty snack, preferebly not laden with calories.

Like most people, I am often faced with instant gratification snack dilemma: I want a salty snack right this second (!!), but not a boat load of calories. Everyone touts the benefits of snacking on vegetables. But, I’ll be honest, I rarely consider vegetables a satisfying snack unless they are roasted and placed atop a garlic rubbed crostini. For quick mid-day snacks I usually crave something salty and crunchy, like potato chips or crisp french friends. The only problem with those is that they are not known for being bathing suit friendly, and with summer approaching I need to be mindful of my waistline! When faced with my snack dilemma the other day I had to think fast. Last week I OD’d on Dorie’s delicious buttery Jammer cookies and knew I needed to dial it down this week to compensate for the several sticks of butter I’d already ingested. Enter spiced popcorn.

This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today my friend Jaime from the blog Prep Ahead and Dine In is sharing her amazing slow-cooker stew and french bread recipe!

Life with our three little girls is fabulously busy!  Preschool drop offs, dance carpools, Girl Scouts, story hours, play dates and MORE! There’s never a dull (or quiet) moment around here! The hours before dinner, better known in this house as “the witching hour,” prohibit the required chopping, sautéing, stirring and other necessary prep work that comes with serving a family dinner.  However, sitting down each night, all together, to a home cooked meal is of utmost importance to us. Family dinners give our daily lives shape. They force us to slow down, linger, and connect instead of moving on to the next “to do” list item.  Admittedly, finding the time and recipes necessary to facilitate this daily gathering is a challenge I rise to meet daily.  It comes easier for me now, but that wasn’t always the case.

Last week I drove up to Cooperstown for a long weekend at home. I had intended to drop my daughter off with my parent’s while I went to have some meetings for the volunteer work I do at my high school, but things didn’t quite work out as planned. On Thursday night my father got sick with a gall bladder attack and was awake all night. On Friday morning my Mom took him to the emergency room for surgery while I stayed with my daughter and called my brother to come home. My Dad is a retired surgeon and knew exactly what was going on. He assured me over the phone from the hospital that his surgery would be completely routine and would immediately alleviate all of his symptoms. I said many prayers that he would be right. Thankfully, he was. The procedure went smoothly, he said sayonara to his gall bladder and was home with us within twenty four hours.

The Rose Sculptures on Park Avenue

Last week I had a couple days of play time in New York. Well, I can’t say it was all play, I did squeeze in a dentist appointment, but I didn’t let a little teeth cleaning get in the way of my fun. The neat part about my New York adventure is that it spanned the course of two days. I miss living in my old Upper West Side neighborhood so much that it was a real treat to come in one evening for dinner and then back the next morning for breakfast. It was like being back home again!

Tuesday:

3:21pm: Scramble to make the Metro North train to Grand Central. Because of the snow storms several of the trains are out of commission and the regular train schedule is reduced making everything so much harder. Make the train by the skin of my teeth and it is smooth sailing from there. Use the train ride to catch up on emails, Facebook and Twitter. All this technology time makes me wonder what I ever did before blackberries were invented?!

4:40pm: Arrive at Grand Central later than planned because of an unexpected rail stop in the Bronx. Dash to catch a cab to meet Cara & Phoebe for coffee at City Bakery. I am so excited that their new book cover is on Amazon. Everyone start pre-ordering tout suite! The three of us try to meet up every few months to shoot the breeze and catch up on life. It is also a good excuse to indulge in the offerings at City Bakery. It is one of my favorite spots in the flatiron district – I lived 7 blocks away for 6 years! – and I am deeply devoted to the pretzel croissants and hot chocolate.



This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today my friend Nicole is sharing her recipe for Chicken Pot Pie that she has deconstructed to help it appeal to her children. Not only is Nicole a home cook to boot – we regularly swap recipes and you will definitely see a few of hers in the cookbook – but she also runs a full-time business in New York City. She knows a thing or two about preparing food ahead of time, like in the morning before work or making dinners on the weekends and freezing them for the week. Just look at this Pot Pie recipe, it is perfect for children and adults and comes with freezing instructions!

I didn’t grow up in a casserole household.  I think my mother, having experienced her fair share of casseroles as a child (and, I assume, not positively), made a very conscious choice to steer clear of any dishes calling for canned cream of mushroom soup. So, it was more than three years into my marriage to my husband before I made my first foray the world of “one dish wonders” prompted by my husband’s request for chicken pot pie.

When the request came, one cold Sunday afternoon, I admit to feeling stumped. It seemed too easy.  But, as this was a pre-kids, lazy weekend afternoon, I had plenty of time to explore for recipes.  I poured over cookbooks, scanned the internet, and began experimenting that night.