Daily Tidbits

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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Onion Soup Mix

Printable Recipe


3/4 c. dried onion
1/3 c. beef bouillon
1/4 t. celery salt
1/4 t. sugar
4 T. onion powder

Mix everything together and then toss it into the blender for a minute so that it is finely minced. The original recipe didn't call for the blender part. That's my addition. Store in a sealed container. 5 Tablespoons of mix equals 1 package of soup mix.

Holly's Note:
For my Meatball and Stew soup base recipes, I prefer packaged onion soup mix. However, this is great for using it to season the hamburger in meatballs or just adding it to a recipe. I mix this into my hamburgers before we BBQ.



Honey-Wheat Oatmeal Bread

Printable Recipe


1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. honey
2 T. oil (I used light olive oil, the original recipe called for canola)
1 1/2 t. salt
1 c. quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. wheat flour
1 t. yeast

Place everything in your bread machine in whatever order the machine requires. Or, if you're like me, you just put it all in any which way. Let the bread machine do its thing. Once the dough cycle is completed, take the dough out and place it in a greased bread pan. Let it rise for about 20 minutes and then bake it at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Holly's Note:
This bread is terrific. Very light. Very more-ish as my husband would say. It's wonderful toasted. The original recipe calls for it to be baked in the bread maker, but I don't like how bread bakes up in my bread maker. I think it would be a great "food storage" bread, as all the ingredients are easy to keep on hand or in your food storage.




Thursday, April 3, 2008

Deceptively Delicious...Review

About the book:
It has become common knowledge that childhood obesity rates are increasing every year. But the rates continue to rise. And between busy work schedules and the inconvenient truth that kids simply refuse to eat vegetables and other healthy foods, how can average parents ensure their kids are getting the proper nutrition and avoiding bad eating habits?

As a mother of three, Jessica Seinfeld can speak for all parents who struggle to feed their kids right and deal nightly with dinnertime fiascos. As she wages a personal war against sugars, packaged foods, and other nutritional saboteurs, she offers appetizing alternatives for parents who find themselves succumbing to the fastest and easiest (and least healthy) choices available to them. Her modus operandi? Her book is filled with traditional recipes that kids love, except they're stealthily packed with veggies hidden in them so kids don't even know! With the help of a nutritionist and a professional chef, Seinfeld has developed a month's worth of meals for kids of all ages that includes, for example, pureed cauliflower in mac and cheese, and kale in spaghetti and meatballs. She also provides revealing and humorous personal anecdotes, tear–out shopping guides to help parents zoom through the supermarket, and tips on how to deal with the kid that "must have" the latest sugar bomb cereal.

But this book also contains much more than recipes and tips. By solving problems on a practical level for parents, Seinfeld addresses the big picture issues that surround childhood obesity and its long–term (and ruinous) effects on the body. With the help of a prominent nutritionist, her book provides parents with an arsenal of information related to kids' nutrition so parents understand why it's important to throw in a little avocado puree into their quesadillas. She discusses the critical importance of portion size, and the specific elements kids simply must have (as opposed to adults) in order to flourish now and in the future: protein, calcium, vitamins, and Omega 3 and 6 fats.

Jessica Seinfeld's book is practical, easy–to–read, and a godsend for any parent that wants their kids to be healthy for a long time to come.

Pretty much a joke of a book. I'm glad I got it from the library and didn't waste my money buying it. I love cookbooks. I love finding new recipes, especially kid friendly ones. None of these were interesting. There wasn't one that I was tempted to try.

I don't have the time nor the inclination to purchase and puree vegetables to then hide them in brownies or cookies. If I wanted to do that, I'd add them to my own tried and tested recipes anyway. And, I'm sorry, adding chick peas to chocolate chip cookies or pureed spinach to brownies? No thank you.

While interesting, this concept isn't a new one. And while I'd like to think everything in this book is authentic, the author is married to a celebrity, so the assumption has to be made that she's created this to capitalize. It's also too cutesy for me with the drawings of her perfect family and their little "quotes" and comments.

Should you still want to purchase one, you can do so here.

*
1/5 Stars