August 9 2010 • Posted by corene • 0 Comments
Foodie Family Fun
I’m so proud and excited - my family was featured this week on the fantastic website, Cascadia Kids! Orcas Island is such a special place and I love sharing our adventures there. Have you been to the San Juan islands in Washington State? Do you travel hours via car, ferry or airplane to return to that perfect loaf of hearth bread too? Please share your foodie family vacation finds! I’ve posted some photos too. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures, as always.
August 1 2010 • Posted by corene • 0 Comments
Tweet Tweet
Are you on twitter? I wasn’t until the launch of this website. What have I learned through my 6 months or so of tweeting? It’s fun! I’ve met all kinds of like-minded people who care (and are very knowledgeable about) kids, food, nutrition, gardening, cooking…the list goes on and on. I tweet a lot more than I tend to post blog updates and the conversations are always fun. Facebook has proven to be a nice way for Foodie Patootie peeps to chat, too. Hope to see you in the twitterverse! Find me @foodiepatootie
July 21 2010 • Posted by corene • 0 Comments
...and the camping tips just keep coming!
Camping was a topic of discussion today during a play date. The ideas just keep rolling in! Here’s what some great minds have come up with ~ let us know if you try any of them.
~Pack a jar of pesto to go with everything from eggs to fish.
~Slow Cooker!
~Pre-baked potatoes wrapped in foil, re-heated in the fire. Fill your cooler with all the fixings for a potato bar.
~Sourdough bread bowls for soups, stews etc - kids will love this.
Keep the ideas coming!
July 20 2010 • Posted by corene • 2 Comments
Another Camping Recipe
Campfire burritos? Yes, please! Camping cuisine is getting serious. Still would love to hear your favorite camping recipes. Happy Summer everyone!
July 9 2010 • Posted by corene • 3 Comments
Camping Cuisine
When you camp from your car, boat, or RV, often you have more storage, conveniences, and the ability to just pop over to the store for fresh foods or that item you forgot. But if you leave the trailhead you’ll be packing everything in, probably on your back, and possibly not with the help of the kids. If you are lucky, the dog will wear one of those harnesses with his water, food, and dishes in it. Any type of camping requires careful planning and thought, with special attention given to the portability, storability, versatility—and nutrition—of the food you will bring along.
Dried fruits and nuts pack a nutritional punch and are light in weight; when the family goes exploring you can fill their pockets or packs with snacks to keep them going, and some chopped nuts and dried apricots can make the base for a nice fish preparation or turn plain rice into a pilaf. Ghee (clarified butter) works hard both as a cooking medium or an addition to a sauce. It will keep about a month without refrigeration, it is calorie-dense (it is mostly fats, but that’s ok if you are hiking, right?), and its high smoke point makes it easy to work with on camp stoves, charcoal, or the campfire…cooking methods that are not quite as controlled as you might find at home. A few cloves of garlic take up little room in your pack, weigh next to nothing, and can zing up your powdered eggs in the morning or bring a little life to canned soup or stews. Trader Joe’s has great canned options - many organic. Herbs and spices can be packed in small (labeled!) plastic bags or even better, in paper envelopes: when empty, or in an emergency (knock wood) the envelopes can be used as tinder to start the campfire. Lemons and limes can add juice and zest to your dishes or bottled water and the rinds are biodegradeable after you have had the best of them. Aluminum foil has a number of uses and can be a literal lifesaver as a rain- or dew catcher. Metal tongs are a kitchen staple around our house. They are easily slipped into the side of a pack or hung on a ring, and can get the can of beans out of the fire or turn the bacon.
There are a number of producers that are making tasty wines in boxes these days. I’ve had the best luck with Australian vintners. Simply remove the wine bag from the cardboard - it will fit leak-free in your pack. At the end of a long outdoorsy day that collapsible cup of wine will go nicely with the campfire, and maybe even help you ignore that rock the kids swear they cleared away from the tent site.
Camping near a river, lake, or the sea means fresh seafood is on the menu. It is important to remember that the fish do not always cooperate! For that matter, neither does the weather or your sense of woodcraft. It is fun to think about harvesting fiddleheads and nettles, pine nuts and morels, but when you are squinting over the pages of your field guide at that mushroom, it is always nice to know that you reserved part of your backpack for freeze-dried foods, energy bars and that extra jug of water, along with the rest of your emergency gear.
Have fun in the great outdoors! What are your favorite camping cuisine tips? Looking forward to your ideas.
My husband loves to reminisce about camping, years ago with his buddies. This photo is him in his handsome glory 20+ years ago, long before we met…cooking up steak and scampi on the Coleman. We were meant to be!
This particular meal is his most memorable:
Malad River Trout
Prepare a roaring campfire. Lay a cleaned, medium-sized (10-12 inch) trout on a sheet of aluminum foil. Place thin slices of lemon all along the inside of the cavity. Add chopped pecans or slivered almond, and light shavings of garlic. Drizzle with ghee and approximately one tablespoon of white wine if you have it. Fold the foil into a packet, taking care to fold the edges over twice to seal in the ghee and wine. When the fire has burned to lightly ashed embers, lay your trout packets gently on the coals. In ten to fifteen minutes, retrieve the packets with your tongs. Pierce the foil to allow the steam to escape, and carefully unwrap. The flesh should flake easily. Trout have many small bones - so be sure to break the fish up well for smaller kids.
July 7 2010 • Posted by corene • 1 Comments
Quickie snack idea for hot weather
Frozen Food! Freeze grapes or banana slices for a yummy fruit treat kids will love.
July 6 2010 • Posted by corene • 1 Comments
Picnic Salad 2010
As I mentioned… this salad has become the Independence Day tradition around here. It’s make-ahead, delicious and is full of veggies. Granted the veggies are covered in mayonnaise, bacon and blue cheese but HEY! That’s OK sometimes. Here’s my photo (salad chillin’ in the fridge) and I look forward to seeing your food photos too.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
July 2 2010 • Posted by corene • 0 Comments
Happy Independence Day!
The goal for feeding my family on a weekly basis is that balance of nutrition and variety. Holidays generally mean indulgence and that’s just fine, right? Fourth of July is especially fun because it’s all about the old-school Americana grub! For the past few years my tradition has included a must make-ahead picnic salad. I bet someone’s grandmother out there had a very similar recipe in the 60’s or 70’s… mine didn’t (it was all about German potato salad back then). If you’ve read the Cook’s Country Cookbook or Magazine you know they always bring out the big guns when it comes to traditional recipes. I wanted to share this recipe for your weekend ~ enjoy! I’ll post pictures of my salad and baby back rib fest next week and would love to see photos of your menus, too. I’ll create a Facebook photo album as well.
Do you go old school for the 4th? What’s on your menu?? Happy Birthday America!
24 hour Picnic Salad
from the Cook’s Country Cookbook
1 medium iceburg, washed, cored and chopped rough (about six cups)
salt
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (I used fresh)
4 celery ribs, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
Place half of the lettuce in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Rinse the sliced onion under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Layer the onion, eggs, peas, celery, bell pepper, and cucumber over the lettuce. Add the remaining lettuce to the bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and top with the bacon and cheese.
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
Combine all of the ingredients and spread the dressing evenly over the top of the salad. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and toss until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing.
June 11 2010 • Posted by corene • 2 Comments
Something a little different
If you’ve visited my lil’ blog here you by now realize I’m usually not offering recipes for healthy alternatives to chicken nuggets (but I love those!) Au contraire. A few months in - and over 100 people on Facebook and almost 600 Tweeters have come along for the fun ~ people who care about food, flavor and family. The point is, still, to cook up a community of like-minded folks who want to come together for chat, sharing and inspiration. There are outrageously informative blogs and websites out there for people looking to connect with children in the kitchen. I am humbled and amazed by the talented moms and dads who share their expertise. I like to think of the Foodie Patootie community as the “Umami” of the cooking with kids movement. Something a little different. We cook, eat and have culinary adventures with the kids in our lives. We also watch cooking TV, have foodie-filled date nights and schedule some vacations around celebrity chef restaurant openings. I truly appreciate everyone who’s come along so far and have enjoyed meeting you. If you have a food adventure, photos, a story, anything you’d like to share please let me know! Let’s network, inspire and have a blast learning something new.
In that something new department: My husband and I had a fabulous date night a few weeks ago. Some bubbly, some laughs and, of course, delicious eats. The winner of the night? An insanely delicious and totally new twist on Bruschetta at a local (very romantic) spot. I didn’t get a recipe but here is my take on it. Just trust me - it’s truly a fantastic flavor combination. I didn’t take a photo but I’ll be sure to post one when I make it for my family. If you try this please send yours!
I happen to have an olive and goat cheese loving child so I have a good feeling this will be a hit. Try this yummy combination - you might just be surprised how quickly it gets chomped up.
Do you have a funky combination for Bruschetta? I want your recipe too!
For the toasts:
Use your favorite artisan or crusty bread, sliced.
Brush Bread with olive oil and toast in oven or fry lightly in butter and olive oil to make bruschetta toasts (however you like them best)
Topping: (here is where we get a little crazy - crazy good)
Start by spreading your favorite Olive Tapenade on the toasted bread
Then, a smear of goat cheese (if you don’t do goat cheese, try cream cheese or ricotta)
Top cheese with 2 - 3 orange supreme slices
Finish with a sprinkling of chopped mint. You could also do chopped basil, but the mint was divine.
A great summer appetizer or family snack! Let me know if you give it a try.
June 1 2010 • Posted by corene • 0 Comments
Recipe ~ Cherry Turnovers with Goat Cheese Cream
I gave someone this recipe today and now I’m craving it big-time. Summer is coming and that means cherries. I’ve never been a fan of cooked or canned cherries until this recipe. My whole family loves it! I’m stalled in the cooking department while our house is on the market - anyone have some recipes or experiences cooking with your family you’d like to share? I would be happy to post your guest blog entry or photos. Help build this community and inspire others! Looking forward to hearing from you. If you do try this recipe let me know what you think!
