Happy Friday!  As the Rain continues to fall in the Capital District, I hope this fun salad will help bring some pep into your day.  It combines a number of delicious flavors that really pleases the palate. Plus it’s pretty healthy!  I hope you enjoy it.

Breakfast: Mint and Cilantro Melon Salad

Lunch: Bartlett Pear Salad

Snack: Crispy Fried Tofu

Dinner: Cuban Paella

Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

Salad
1 (10-oz.) package washed and ready-to-eat fresh spinach
2 to 3 large, ripe California Bartlett pears, cored, quartered and sliced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
3 to 4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup pine nuts or other nut, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh mushrooms, optional
Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 to 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation

1. Combine spinach, pears, avocado, bacon, pine nuts, cranberries and mushrooms in salad bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad.
3. Toss before serving.

Short and sweet.  Enjoy!

Breakfast: White Chocolate Chip Raspberry Waffles

Lunch: Rice Bake

Snack: Yogurt Covered Pretzels

Dinner: Black Bean and Salmon Tostada

Dessert: Apples and Honey with Cinnamon

I feel like I’ve been giving pretty complicated recipes this week, so I figure I’d make it nice and simple for this lovely Friday.  Apples and honey with cinnamon is and honey is beyond delicious.  An apple sweetened with honey is a great sweet treat the kids will love and it is low calorie too!

Apples and Honey with Cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a few drops red food coloring, optional
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 6 apples

Preparation:

1. In a large kettle or Dutch oven, combine the sugar, water, honey, cinnamon, food coloring, and raisins;
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Peel and core the apples;
4. Add to the pan.
5. Cover and simmer in the hot syrup until tender, about 20 minutes.
6. Place apples in dish with sides,
7. For serving, using a slotted spoon to spoon raisins in center of each apple.
8. Pour syrup over all.

I hope you enjoy this tasty Friday night treat!  Try adding ice cream or whipped cream for an extra sugar rush.  Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you tomorrow!

This recipe comes straight from Alton Brown of the food network. I’m a huge fan of his and the recipe is absolutely delicious.  He uses elements of science and how food works to create delicious meals.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Breakfast: French Toast

Lunch: Cuban Avocado Salad

Snack: Celery and Peanut Butter

Dinner: Turkey Burgers

Dessert: Boston Cream Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
• 4 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1. In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt.
2. You may do this the night before.
3. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.
4. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side,
5. Remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan.
7. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
8. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes.
9. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Here you go! Enjoy!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend.  Now that we are back to business here is a lovely menu for Tuesday.  I hope you like it!

Breakfast: Parmesan and Cheddar Cheese Grits

Lunch: Shrimp and Crab Salad

Snack: Grapes and Cheese

Dinner: Fried Round Steak

Dessert: Banana Fritters

I‘m a down south girl (many like to say Miami isn’t down South, but my parents raised me in a down South/ Caribbean home) so I love grits.  It’s like a little piece of home every time!  I love Shrimp and Crab salad.  It’s nice and cold and I can also have it on a sandwich if I wanted to.  Bread really brings out the flavor and gives it an extra texture.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) imitation crabmeat
• 4 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• Leaf lettuce

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, horseradish and seasoned salt
3. Mix well.
4. Add to the shrimp mixture and stir well.
5. Cover and refrigerate.
6. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate

Shrimp and Crab Salad

Hello everyone!  Here is a new thing we’re trying at KidsFunPlaza… It’s called Menu Monday!  Every Monday I will be joining hundreds of other blogs as I post the weekly dinner schedule here as well as on orgjunkie.com posting the dinner menu for the week so you can look ahead and see what you’ll be cooking.

Monday: Tuna Ceviche with Coconut Milk Coriander and Picked Red Onions

Tuesday:  Standing Rib Roast with Cognac Sauce

Wednesday: Tilapia with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce

Thursday: Apple Braised Turkey Thighs

Friday: Coriander Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Saturday: Baked Southwest Tilapia

Sunday: “La Bandera Dominican” The Dominican Flag

I hope you have a wonderful week and that you tune in daily to see what we’ll be cooking!

On with our super easy recipes while the kids are at home.  I try to introduce fish to our diet at least twice a week.  It helps the kids a lot because of the high level of proteins, but also to expose them to new and different flavors.

Breakfast: Baked Apple – Cinnamon

Snack1: Whole Grain Toast with Apple Butter

Lunch: Burritos (using the rice and meat from yesterday)

Snack2: Matcha Shortbread

Dinner: Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

Dessert: Ginger Yogurt with Fruit

Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce

This is super easy to cook and decorate.  You can serve it on pasta (as shown on the top) or alone with some veggies.  The kids can have a lot of fun with the decoration.  I tell my kids that scallops are fish nuggets! so they eat it with even more pleasure.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 800 g scallops
• 5 tablespoons  of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons white wine

Preparation:

1. Take a flat pan and add the butter
2. When the butter has melted and it’s warm, add garlic, parsley, wine, salt and pepper
3. If serving with pasta, this is a good time to start boiling your pasta
4. In the meantime, move the mix for 5 minutes and add scallops
5. When scallops are mixed, add the cream and move for another 5 minutes
6. Keep moving until the scallops are well cooked (it takes about 5 to 8 minutes based on how fresh your scallops are).
7. If served with pasta, serve the plates of pasta and pour the scallops on top.  Otherwise, you can serve them alone with spinach or baked potatoes.  You won’t go wrong with this.

Enjoy it!

On Sundays I try to make really easy recipes.  It must be a family day, focused on spending time together and relaxing.  Certainly not a heavy cooking day.  That’s the main reason why we send everyone (if you can) to go out for lunch.  I would love to hear your reviews about good Kid Friendly places to go eat in Northeastern NY.  This post is for Sunday, December 26, 2010 (we publish one week ahead so you can plan your menu one week ahead of time).

Today’s menu:

Breakfast: Tostada Waffles

Snack1: Apple Spice Cookie Bar

Lunch: Go out! we went to “La Fiesta” see my Yelp Review – Go show them some love. They got 5 stars from me (they’re not family/friends nor did they pay me for this review).

Snack2: Whole Grain Toast with Apple Butter

Dinner: Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Dessert: Sweet Pizzas

Now to today’s recipe:  Bucatini all’Amatriciana

This is a super easy and nutricious recipe which can be simply done in 20 minutes and feed a whole army of hungry people.  Typical and traditional Italian pasta.  The secret to this recipe is the pecorino cheese that you put on top (instead of the parmessian cheese).

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 400 gr Bucatini (you can use spaghetti or any other pasta here)
• 100 gr Guanciale cut into small pieces (the Italian bacon made from the pig’s cheek area)
• 400 gr  Ripe tomatoes (or 200 gr pealed tomatoes)
• 4 spoons of grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 spoon of olive oil
• 2 spoons of white wine (dry)

Preparation:

1. Place the tomatoes inside boiling water for 10 seconds (count to 10), then put them in cold water.  Peal them off and cut them in small slices.
2. Put water on a pot to boil.  That way when the sauce is ready, you can put the pasta
3. Clean up the outer part of the guanciale (the bacon), and cut them in small but kind of long pieces.
4. Heat up the oil, put the guanciale.  When this takes a little color, pour the white wine until it evaporates.  Then remove the guanciale from the pan.
5. Now on the same  pan, cook the tomatoes and add the salt. Keep it on high for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the guanciale back to the sauce for another 2 minutes.
7. At this point, put the pasta (100 gr per person) to boil for 7 minutes.
8. Once the pasta is “al dente” you can put it back on the sauce for 2 minutes.
9. Serve hot and put the pecorino romano cheese on top.

Buon Apettito!

November ’10 – Week 3

Breakfast: Granola with Yogurt

Morning Snack: Banana Bread with Mango Lassi

Lunch: Cold Peanut Noodles (made with last night’s leftover soba noodles.)

Afternoon Snack: Puppy Chow

Dinner: Shrimp Scampi

Dessert: Ice Cream with Fruit

Recipe of the Day

Cold Peanut Noodles

Sometimes the urge to eat curry flavors gets to me in the wee hours of the morning while I’m working on writing projects- especially if I’ve been writing about food! This trick, with a few quick ingredients I usually have around, will turn any leftover noodles, from spaghetti to soba, into a great Thai dish.

Ingredients:

1/4 C Peanut Butter
1/8 C Soy Sauce
Juice of 1 Lime
1 t, heaping, of Madras Curry Powder

Directions:

Microwave peanut butter in a medium sized bowl for 15-20 seconds or until melty- DO NOT BURN! Whisk in remaining ingredients and toss with leftover pasts. Stash in the fridge until ready to eat!

October’10 – Week 3

Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros

Morning Snack: Fresh Fruit and String Cheese

Lunch: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (made with last night’s leftovers.)

Afternoon Snack: Banana Bread and Mango Lassi

Dinner: Soba Noodle Bowls

Dessert: Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Recipe of the Day:

Soba Noodle Bowls

It never fails, whenever I’m at any kind of noodle or Asian fusion place, from The Pasta Factory to Pei Wei back in Arizona, I always order a soba noodle bowl. The sugary soy, green onions and lime combine to create this masterful sauce that I could eat forever. Cabbage, tofu and buckwheat soba noodles make this dish as healthy as it is tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Package Buckwheat Soba Noodles, (found in Asian supermarkets or the Ethnic aisle.)
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
1 Wedge Bok Choy Cabbage, cut into shreds
3-4 Green Onions, whites and light greens sliced
1 qt Beef Stock
1 t Freshly Grated Ginger
1 Garlic Clove, crushed and minced
1/4 C Soy Sauce
2 T Sugar
Several Limes

Directions:

Set a pot of water to boil for the soba noodles and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, pat the brick of tofu dry. In a small skillet, sear the brick of tofu on all sides, adding just a touch of oil if necessary to prevent sticking.

Whisk together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, and the juice of one lime. Once tofu is browned, add half of this mixture to the skillet and continue cooking until tofu darkens and takes on those flavors.

Once Soba has finished cooking, drain it of the water and add the beef stock and remaining soy sauce mixture back into the pot of noodles, heating until very hot. Remove tofu from skillet and slice into thin slices, toss with what’s left in the skillet to coat every piece with sauce.

Assemble bowls with a serving of noodles, covered over in broth. Add several tofu slices, cabbage and green onions on top. Serve with an extra wedge of lime.

October ’10 – Week 3

Breakfast: Cereal with Fruit and Milk

Morning Snack: Puppy Chow

Lunch: Chicken Quesadillas

Afternoon Snack: Banana Bread and Mango Lassi

Dinner: Fettucine Alfredo with a Green Salad

Dessert: Ice Cream

Recipe of the Day:

Puppy Chow

I love this stuff, and so do kids! When I was little, I used to buy  baggies of it for a quarter at the bazaar at my grandmother’s church. It’s a truly addictive snack. This recipe is very simple and great fun for kids to help out with. Make up a huge batch of this for your next party or get-together, everyone loves it. (*Orange text indicates simple steps that kids can do!)

Ingredients:

9 C Chex Cereal
1 C Chocolate Chips
1/2 C Peanut Butter
1/4 C Butter
1/4 t Vanilla
1 1/2 C Confectioner’s Sugar

Directions:

Prepare the cereal into a large bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over Chex cereal, then pour everything into a large plastic bag or plastic tub. Add powdered sugar and shake well to coat.

Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and let cool, then watch it disappear!