Fourth of July Cooking Class: Watermelon Salad with Tarragon, Mint, and Feta

03 July 2009 Filed In: cooking class, Fall, Gluten-free, melon, Salad, salads, Soy-free, Summer, Vegetarian, watermelon






One of our favorite things when Summer comes around is heading down to the park by the Hudson, spreading out a big blanket and having a picnic-or as our daughter calls it, “a pig-nic“.  That means that we are always scouting for good picnic foods, foods that pack and move well along with the cars, soccer balls, baby dolls, watering cans, and other little things that seem to always find their way into our stroller.

With picnic-ing opportunities in mind, the Yummies made this salad a couple of weeks back. Using watercress along with so much sweet watermelon is the perfect way to get your mini-chef interested in eating greens if they are resisting.  Watercress is light and mild for sensitive for little palates, and it also high in Vitamins A and C.   When you’re serving this to a crowd, try also adding baby spinach leaves to add a bit of bulk without compromising the flavor.  (In that case, you might want to make a bit more of the dressing.)
For me, this is the way to do picnic food: fresh, juicy, beautiful, and with seasonal ingredients. The mini-chefs chowed.  Happy 4th of July, and Happy Pig-nicing!
Watermelon Salad with Tarragon, Mint, and Feta

For the dressing:
*Juice of half a lemon
*1/4 c. olive oil
*a tablespoon of chives, finely chopped
*salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the salad:

*6 cups watermelon, cut into one-inch cubes
*2 T. tarragon, finely chopped
*1/4 c. mint
*2 T. parsley
*2-3 scallions, chopped
*2 bunches of watercress
*3 handfuls (or 6 mini-chef handfuls) of baby spinach leaves
*1/2 c. feta cheese

To make the dressing, help measure out all of the ingredients with your mini-chef and whisk them together in a large measuring cup.  Set aside the measuring cup aside while you assemble the salad so that all the flavors can meld.

For the salad, you could have an older Yummy help cube some of the watermelon by cutting away the skin for them and showing them how big an inch-sized cube is.  Don’t worry if the cubes aren’t perfect.  As we always say in cooking class, “It eats just as well.”  If they are getting adept with scissors (usually by age 4 1/2), you could help them cut the scallions as well, standing behind them and doing the cutting together. 

For smaller Yummies,  simply assemble all of the ingredients and let them place everything in a large bowl.  Even small Yummies will enjoy tearing the mint and parsley into little bits, crumbling the feta, and throwing them in with the rest of the ingredients.

First, use your hands to do a gentle mix of the salad ingredients.  Then, pour the dressing over the salad and toss again.  Enjoy!

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Corner View: Bulk Items

01 July 2009 Filed In: all the rest, corner view





Bulk Berets.  Bulk Berets in action.

(Update: Ok, so I clearly blew the assignment which was “staple foods” not “bulk items”.  If you are American, you might see how my mind ran amuck.  Post-party haze?  Quite possibly, but I promise we’re not eating our berets around here.  Yet, anyway.)

Need more bulk?  Check out these bulk items from around the world.

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian,


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French Birthday Party

30 June 2009 Filed In: all the rest, Birthday, decorating






Over the weekend, we celebrated Mira’s 4th birthday with our family and a small group of friends that our Birthday Girl has known since she was a baby.  The Frenchie theme was Mira’s idea.  She loves all things French- quiche, Madeleine, big bowls of hot chocolate, dancing to Edith Piaf- and has been speaking “pretend French” for months now.

“Bouley coozzzzzay cha ta la maaaaaaahhhhh.”
“What was that, Mira?”
“Mommy (slight eye roll), I said that Raggedy Ann has a charming voice.”
“Oh?”
“Mouley haaavay sahn faaa oooooh ay.”
“And what did you say now?”
“That we would like a chocolate milkshake to celebrate.”
Oh, of course.  Mais oui.
So, when we planned the party, I felt that certain things should be available.  Macaroons are a clear essential and very en vogue.  Neighborhood chef-and my daughter’s favorite- Bouley makes the prettiest, tastiest macaroons.  You bite into the perfect crunch and then find a luscious, melting center.  One of Mira’s first words, in fact, was “BOULEY” and one of her first and still favorite foods, his quiche lorraine.  
Chocolates from Brooklyn chocolatier Jean-Francois Bonnet’s Tumbador were also a must.  We chose chocolate covered animal crackers, marshmallows, and ginger in addition to a gorgeous selection of bon bons to adorn the table.
The rest was made chez Maman-including the Salade-Nicoise, the cake (a very un-French affair), the flag banner (from The Creative Family), most of the napkins, and the Birthday Girl’s dress.  Mira and her godmother, La La (Linda for the Big People), created the art work for the walls the night before.  We tried to infuse love and care into her party and, as much as possible, made or used things that could be enjoyed again and again.
The piece de resistance, though?  Our new permanent fixture, the Eiffel Tower, found on Etsy and created by Chuck E Bryd.
As I have mentioned before, we like to let the kids just play and explore, so we handed out berets and let them go to town.  What made the party, for me at least, was the way the babies and the bigger kids played together, creating little games and imaginary worlds that included the younger siblings.   The smiles?  C’est magnifique!

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Quick Appetizer: Prosciutto and Melon

29 June 2009 Filed In: appetizer, Appetizers, cooking class, Dairy-free, Fall, Gluten-free, lunchbox, melon, prosciutto, salads, Summer





Parents always seem to appreciate learning how to make something that they can do with their children quickly.  Prosciutto and Melon-or prosciutto e melone as it is known in Italy-can be assembled in a few minutes and is packed with incredible flavor, especially when the melons are market fresh.

One thing, though:  If you are serving this to guests, you might want to buy extra ingredients-we noticed that quite a bit of ours disappeared before they made it onto the serving platter.  Assuming that you are not a vegetarian, prosciutto, like it’s cousin, bacon, is one of those universally pleasing foods, and this time of year the melon is too sweet and juicy to be resisted.  

Prosciutto and Melon


*1/4 lb prosciutto di Parma
*a medium cantaloupe, honey dew, or favorite melon

Make sure that the ingredients are cool but not freezing cold so that you can really let the flavors meld.  

Big Person: Chop the melon into pieces that a Yummy can easily hold in his or her hand.  Cut away the rind.

Together:  Set out a serving platter for your finished product.  On a small plate, place one slice of melon.  Tear a piece of prosciutto lengthwise so that it is about an inch wide.  Wrap the melon around the middle of the melon slice and place it on the serving platter.  Continue until you are done.  Eat.

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Cooking Class: Cucumber Gazpacho

26 June 2009 Filed In: cooking class, Gluten-free, soup, Soups & Stews, Soy-free, Summer, Vegetarian





Our family arrived back late Wednesday night from Cayman, where my husband was speaking at Engage! 09 and where the kids and I were engaging in some serious sunshine and swimming.  Imagine how shocking it was to find that it still raining after a full week away from the City.  In the morning, though, a stream of beautiful, golden light lilted into our room, and it seemed to be a perfect day to finally, finally make some dishes with the Yummies that tasted of Summer and sunshine.

There are a few things that I could not wait to share with my mini-chefs and here on the blog, and this is one of those recipes.  Because I cannot eat raw tomatoes, a huge bummer, believe me, gazpacho had always been off limits to me.  Then, a fews years back I met up with a luscious cucumber gazpacho at a friend of a friend’s party.  It was late July and blazing hot outside.  The gazpacho was icy cold, amazing, and it is a major regret that I did not ask for the recipe that night and lost touch with the host before that recipe ever passed into my hands.
In tromped the Yummies yesterday afternoon, beaming from a day outside that didn’t involve bundling up or heavy rain boots.  One Yummy even confided that she “had her swimsuit on under [her} clothes”.  Yes!  
We practiced peeling and scooping out seeds and, best of all, pressing that fabulous “ON” button.  Each kid has to have at least three turns at that.  We watched as the dark green of the watercress, parsley, and mint blended with the light green of the many cucumbers and became something essentially full of all things Summer.
Cucumber Gazpacho

*6 English cucumbers, chilled and cut in half or thirds width-wise
*a handful of watercress leaves (or two handfuls if you are a mini-chef)
*2 T. mint leaves
*2 c. extra virgin olive oil (best you can afford)
*the juice of one lemon
*2 small cloves of garlic, woody ends chopped off
*3/4-1 c. white wine vinegar
*2 t. salt
*black pepper to taste
*1 1/2 ice water
*optional (but delicious): a couple of pinches of cayenne

Possible toppings:
plain yogurt
cream fraiche
croutons
chili oil

You can help your mini-chef peel the cucumbers with a vegetable peeler if you feel they are ready (usually sometime between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old).  Hold the cucumber for them and then, with your other hand, peel.  Show them how to peel away from their body, pressing down and then out away from themselves.

Big Person: Finish the remaining cucumbers that they got bored with and slice them in half, lengthwise.  

Together:  Use a melon baller or a small spoon to scoop out the cucumber seeds. Throw the cucumbers and everything else into your UNPLUGGED food processor (you will most likely have to work in two batches… you could alternatively use a hand blender and a big bowl, but then you’ll have to clear your Yummy from the scene as hand blenders and small children do not mix).  When you have your ingredients loaded, place the top on your food processor and plug it in.  Show your Yummy the “ON” button and have them press it.  Blend until completely smooth.  If and when you do your second batch of ingredients, make sure to unplug the processor before you open the lid to add things.  This might feel slightly fussy but never as fussy as it would feel to have an accident-know what I mean, Jelly Bean?

Pour your gazpacho into chilled serving bowls and top with a little plain yogurt and mint, chili oil, and/or the more traditional croutons.

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