Barley raisin breakfast bars
WE NEEDED MORE BREAKFAST options. So, back I went to The Sneaky Chef. Phoebe is a raisin fan and I’m a champion of whole grains which made “Mom’s Barley Breakfast Bars” a no-brainer. I followed the recipe this time, with the small exception of adding an extra teaspoon of cinnamon and doubling the raisins. […]
Peanut butter chocolate chip bacon cookies
YES, BACON. Thanks to an international subscription to The Food Network magazine, Paul was crunching his way through a dozen over-sized chocolate chip cookies tonight. But these weren’t just run of the mill birthday cookies. In addition to your basic flour, brown sugar, eggs and whatnot, these guy-friendly treats included peanut butter, bacon, a dash […]
Roasted fish with potatoes
IF YOU’RE NOT A FISH PERSON–more importantly, if your kids aren’t–this dish is for you. Tender and mild, the fish fillets simply roast under a bed of thinly sliced potatoes slathered with olive oil plus fresh rosemary and lemon. The flavors are subtle yet the dish feels hearty. Decidedly not fishy. In fact, my toddler […]
a garden birthday party with low sugar “dirt cups”: happy 2nd birthday phoebe!
THE DIRT CUPS WERE a process. For Phoebe’s second birthday I set out to create a garden party in Villa Ada, Rome’s largest park. And the star of the show, other than the birthday girl’s pretty fabulous tutu, was the “dirt cups”, aka, brownies and pudding mixed together in tiny terra cotta pots with worms, […]
turkey & cheese roll-ups, an easy lunch or snack idea
PHOEBE IS A MEAT LOVER. I’m not sure why but she even gets excited about saying the word, “meat!” Anyway, I’m using this to my advantage these days–and enjoying easy lunches. Here’s today’s idea: Roll a slice of fresh turkey from the deli around a little rectangle of cheese. Try to use organic and experiment […]
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Lemon chicken with pesto potato salad
WE’VE HAD A BREAKTHROUGH in the potato department. Never a fan of them, Phoebe actually said, “I ont aunt tatoes” when I was trying to play up tonight’s dinner—a tough task considering that we were swimming (aka, the most fun activity ever) just before the potato conversation. But potatoes it was. Only I added a […]
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Corn muffins with jam filling
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER PLAYGROUP, ANOTHER BAKED GOOD. This time we tried something even more healthy…but it didn’t start that way. Barefoot’s corn muffins promise to be moist and delicious, which is easy to believe when you consider the half pound of butter called for in the original recipe. That won’t work for us so we […]
Barefoot Contessa Makeover: Oatmeal raisin scones
WE’RE ON AN OATMEAL KICK HERE IN ROME. The temperatures are cooling off and Phoebe has recently discovered dried cranberries which means oatmeal every morning, naturally. We’re just doing the quick oats which cook in one minute…except they don’t. It takes several minutes to boil the water, then another couple to cook the oats. I’m […]
Carrot and raisin cookies
THESE DIDN’T WORK OUT. Not really anyway and it’s my fault. I made them for a friend who’s just had a new baby plus the playgroup. I know from experience that when you’ve recently given birth, you’re a. tired b. hungry and c. usually packing a few extra lbs, which calls for smart eating. That’s […]
Apple cream cheese mini-muffins
FINALLY, A BAKED GOOD that Phoebe likes! And not a moment too soon. We started a play group this week and I’d been told ahead of time to bring a “healthy snack”. I wasn’t sure how the group would go but I knew this for sure: the last thing we needed was a lousy snack […]