Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Rising food prices begin to impact school luncheshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/06/rising-food-prices-begin-to-impact-school-lunches/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/06/rising-food-prices-begin-to-impact-school-lunches/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/06/rising-food-prices-begin-to-impact-school-lunches/#commentsFiled under: , ,

school lunch trays
When I was a kid, I hated buying lunches at school. They were never particularly tasty, you had to waste valuable socializing time waiting in the lunch line and I liked the attention I got for being the kid who brought "weird" combinations to school (like yogurt and granola).

However, I know that for some of my classmates, those lunches that I turned my nose up at were the best thing they had to eat all day. In recent years, many school districts have worked hard at making their lunch offerings increasingly delicious and healthy, to the point where they probably would have tempted a snot like me. Now, with rising food costs, school cafeterias are having to find ways to cut back in order to keep serving up healthy meals, especially since government subsidies for school meals aren't covering the costs.

Some districts are cutting staff in order to make ends meet and others are foregoing pricey items like the ever-popular baby carrots and replacing fresh veggies with frozen. This July, the Congressional committee that determines the federal reimbursement rate to school lunch programs will meet to decide the amount that schools will get for the following year. Schools are hoping that they take rising prices into account and give them the 12% to 15% bump they need to maintain their level of service and nutrition.

[via CNN]
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]]>Marisa McClellan2008-05-06T16:34:00+00:00Snack Cake Identification Quizhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/29/snack-cake-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/29/snack-cake-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/29/snack-cake-identification-quiz/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Think you can tell a Yodel from a Ho Ho from a Swiss Roll by sight alone? If so, you're a savvier snacker than we are. Take the quiz, then come back to brag (or sulk) in the comments.

Snack Cake Photo ID Quiz
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]]>quizsnack cakeSnackCakeKat Kinsman2008-04-29T13:30:00+00:00Wild Food Foraging - Springhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/22/wild-food-foraging-spring/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/22/wild-food-foraging-spring/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/04/22/wild-food-foraging-spring/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Our colleague Neil Goldstein works up a powerful hunger while he's trekking through the wilds of Upstate New York. Follow him as he forages for wild edibles.


I don't know how old I was when I started having a fascination with wild foods, but I can point to a few family activities that sparked it. As far back as I remember we used to go pick apples every year at an orchard near Stone Ridge, New York. Always fun, except of course for the inevitable case of poison ivy that followed a few days later. The apples weren't wild, but still the idea of picking something from a tree, and eating it right there got to me.

Another major influence were the wild strawberries and blueberries we picked as kids. The strawberries grew near our home in Woodstock.
There were several places where you could pick a dozen or two small wild strawberries quickly with little effort, but a short bike ride away was a meadow that my older brothers Lee and Paul called Sergeant's Field. You could pick a few quarts of the local delicacy there.

Continue reading Wild Food Foraging - Spring

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]]>foragingoff the eaten pathOffTheEatenPathwild ediblesWildEdiblesAOL Food Editor2008-04-22T13:05:00+00:00Pasta Shape Identification Quizhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/30/pasta-shape-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/30/pasta-shape-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/30/pasta-shape-identification-quiz/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Know your fusilli from your farfalle? Campanelle from cavatelli? Put your pasta savvy to the test with this photo ID quiz, then come back and share your score.

AOL Food: Pasta Shape Identification Quiz

Continue reading Pasta Shape Identification Quiz

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]]>Kat Kinsman2008-03-30T15:07:00+00:00Forget the crack. Kids are dealing Snickershttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/forget-the-crack-dealing-kids-are-pushing-snickers/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/forget-the-crack-dealing-kids-are-pushing-snickers/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/forget-the-crack-dealing-kids-are-pushing-snickers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

kids and candy
And you thought the green-beret'd Girl Scouts and their cookies were enterprising little kids?

In Victorville, CA, the latest trend at schools is an underground sugar trade. With candy and other "bad" snacks banned from school campuses, kids are selling contraband Snickers and Twinkies right out of their backpacks.

According to Jim Nason, principal at Hook Junior High School in Victorville, it's become quite a lucrative business for the dealers. Kids bring things like candy bars, soda, and even energy drinks from home in their "sack lunch" and turn around and sell them for a healthy profit, with some kids walking around school with upwards of $40 in cash.

While I understand this is a bit of a problem for the schools and parents, I have to hand it to the kids -- at least we can count on them to be very good businesspeople when they grow up.
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]]>candychildrenfeaturedkidsschoolsnickerstwinkiesSarah J. Gim2008-03-25T18:30:00+00:00Take your kids to the taco truckhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/take-your-kids-to-the-taco-truck/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/take-your-kids-to-the-taco-truck/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/take-your-kids-to-the-taco-truck/#commentsFiled under: , ,

side view of a taco truck
During the years when I was going to school in Walla Walla, there wasn't much in the way of good food in town. Our options were the standard fast food fare, some greasy diners and a few taco trucks scattered around town (it was before the food and wine revolution that they've had over the last few years). However, the taco trucks offered some really fantastic fare, making me forever a fan of fresh tortillas wrapped around spicy beef, chicken or pork.

What got me thinking about taco trucks was this post on Serious Eats by Matthew Amster-Burton, in which he takes his four-year-old daughter to Tacos El Asadero, Seattle's best known taco truck that actually serves their grub on a bus instead of from a truck window. He got her a lengua taco, which impressed me, because I don't know any other kids who would willingly eat tongue. Apparently it made an impression on the little Amster-Burton, because when it was all over, she asked for a taco truck to be parked in front of their house. Don't we all wish for that?

Okay kids, it's time to dish. I know that there have got to be bunches of you who have taco truck stories. Let's hear them!

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]]>eating with kidsEatingWithKidsserious eatsSeriousEatstaco truckTacoTruckMarisa McClellan2008-03-25T14:29:00+00:00Kids are too fat for carseatshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/kids-are-too-fat-for-carseats/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/kids-are-too-fat-for-carseats/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/25/kids-are-too-fat-for-carseats/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

obese kids at mcdonald'sChildhood obesity isn't just a US problem -- it's a global epidemic.

In Australia, children are so fat that they don't fit into their car seats (the source article calls them "booster seats"). Researchers in Melbourne found that of the children who meet the height requirement (i.e. are short enough to sit in a car seat), 40% of them are too heavy.

Yikes.

And what's even more alarming is that parents are putting their kids in the car anyway using the regular seatbelts, which could do more harm to kids than good. For now, Australian researchers are calling for bigger seats to accommodate the bigger children, but how about Australia, and the US, work on getting kids to a healthy weight that fits?
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]]>Sarah J. Gim2008-03-25T12:30:00+00:00Reusable ways to wrap your sandwichhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/12/reusable-ways-to-wrap-your-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/12/reusable-ways-to-wrap-your-sandwich/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/12/reusable-ways-to-wrap-your-sandwich/#commentsFiled under: , ,

reusable sandwich wrapper
When it comes to packing up a sandwich, what do you use to keep that sandwich fresh and unscathed until lunchtime? I imagine that the majority of you use some sort of disposable plastic bag (whether it be zip or fold top). Assuming that you toss those plastic bags at the end of your lunch hour (or that your kid tosses it out when it's time to head out to recess) it begins to amount to quite a few plastic bags. There are reusable plastic container options out there, but what about checking out a reusable sandwich wrap?

If you want to make your own, check out out how this Australian mom made a sandwich wrapper for her daughter out of some fabric, a zip top bag and some old velcro (via Green Daily).

Last year at the Vegan Lunch Box, Jennifer posted instructions from a reader on how to make a reusable sandwich wrapper out of polyurethane laminate coated fabric.

If you're not feeling crafty, you can buy a ready-to-go wrapper at Wrap-n-Mat.
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]]>greenGreen Dailylunchreusablesandwich wrapperTowards SustainabilityTowardsSustainabilityMarisa McClellan2008-03-12T14:03:00+00:00Food Rules: Dinner must include a green vegetablehttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/10/food-rules-dinner-must-include-a-green-vegetable/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/10/food-rules-dinner-must-include-a-green-vegetable/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/10/food-rules-dinner-must-include-a-green-vegetable/#commentsFiled under: , ,

colorful veggies in a steamer basket
When I was growing up, nearly every night my family ate dinner together. No matter what else was for dinner, there was always a green vegetable. On the rare occasion that we'd have breakfast for dinner, my mom would serve apple slices and tell us to pretend that they were green (cauliflower and all squashes counted as green). Because of this early conditioning, I have a very hard time feeling like my dinner experience has been complete if there wasn't a green vegetable on my plate.

I realized that this wasn't the norm about a week ago when I was making dinner. Scott wandered into the kitchen and asked what we were having. I replied, "Turkey burgers and baby bok choy, gotta have a green veggie." He looked at me strangely and so I explained my mom's rule of dinner. He said that wasn't the rule in his house when he was growing up, but that he could see how it made some sense.

So now I'm curious. What were the food rules in your house growing up? What are the rules that you've made for your own kids? I've got a couple of others that were also the law in my house growing up, but before I share those, I want to hear yours.
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]]>childhooddinnerfood rulesFoodRulesgreen vegetableshabitsMarisa McClellan2008-03-10T11:02:00+00:00The politics of eating through the eyes of a childhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/the-politics-of-eating-through-the-eyes-of-a-child/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/the-politics-of-eating-through-the-eyes-of-a-child/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/the-politics-of-eating-through-the-eyes-of-a-child/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Mmm, petroleum
We all know that the best way to create healthy habits is to teach them to kids while they're young. Amanda Rose of the Ethicurean has taken that wisdom to heart. She's been reading Michael Pollen's Omnivore's Dilemma and as she has worked her way through each chapter, she has told her 5-year-old son Frederick about the book. He, in turn, has taken the ideas Amanda shared with him and made paintings for each chapter. And they are awesome! There is nothing like a complex idea distilled by an innocent brain and rendered in tempera paint. Or is that water colors?
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]]>Amanda RoseFrederickMichael PollanpaintingThe EthicureanThe Omnivore's DilemmaTheEthicureanMarisa McClellan2008-03-04T17:01:00+00:00Food coloring, milk and bread become an art projecthttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/food-coloring-milk-and-bread-become-an-art-project/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/food-coloring-milk-and-bread-become-an-art-project/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/food-coloring-milk-and-bread-become-an-art-project/#commentsFiled under: ,

colorful painted toastWhile I'm not a parent myself, I've spent quite a lot of time in my life providing child care, and so I know that entertaining kids can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. One surefire way to keep the younger set happy is to give them either an art project or a cooking project. When you can combine the two and give them an artistic project that then turns into something they can eat, all the better!

Marie at Make and Takes did a really fun activity with her kids recently, in which she added food coloring to bowls of milk and used them as edible paint that they then used to color bread. The bread got toasted and eaten. They ate their painted toast dry, but you could butter it or give it a glaze with a bit of honey.
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]]>activitiesbreadfood coloringkidsMake and TakesMakeAndTakespaintingMarisa McClellan2008-03-04T14:05:00+00:00Teacher in Sweden ecourages kids to try cat foodhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/teacher-in-sweden-ecourages-kids-to-try-cat-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/teacher-in-sweden-ecourages-kids-to-try-cat-food/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/04/teacher-in-sweden-ecourages-kids-to-try-cat-food/#commentsFiled under: ,

A cat in front of a bowl of foodAs part of a project about cats, a teacher in Alingsås, Sweden gave her students cat food to try. According a Swedish new site (in English), this was not the first time this teacher had fed cat food to her charges. This time, though, one of the parents complained and the teacher was reprimanded.

I absolutely cannot imagine this happening in the U.S. Of course, I can't really imagine it in Sweden either. I personally don't think it's wrong to try pet food (as long as it wasn't made in China). I can see, though, where other people might.

I wonder what other experiments this teacher has tried out on the kids?
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]]>cat foodCatFoodSwedenteacherShayna Glick2008-03-04T12:01:00+00:00Candy Bar Identification Quizhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/03/candy-bar-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/03/candy-bar-identification-quiz/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/03/03/candy-bar-identification-quiz/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Think you can tell a Skor from a Heath or a Snickers from a Baby Ruth just by looking at a cross-section? It's harder than you'd think.


Candy Bar Identification Quiz

Photographer Rachel Been was so inspired by working on the shoot, she's started a photo blog at cross-sectioning.blogspot.com.
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]]>featuredKat Kinsman2008-03-03T13:30:00+00:00Cut down salty snacks to keep kids from drinking sodahttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/21/cut-down-salty-snacks-to-keep-kids-from-drinking-soda/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/21/cut-down-salty-snacks-to-keep-kids-from-drinking-soda/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/21/cut-down-salty-snacks-to-keep-kids-from-drinking-soda/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

kis drinking sodaWe've already heard all the reasons why soda is bad for kids, so we won't go into them. Again.

However, we will say that just as bad as soda is the thing that makes kids thirsty for soda in the first place: salt. According to a British study published in an American Heart Association journal, kids who eat salty snacks and meals get thirsty and often turn to sodas to quench their thirst. Researchers go on to say that the salt isn't coming from the salt shaker, but from manufactured food.

The solution? Cut back on salty, processed snacks.

As if we needed to say that.
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]]>kidssaltsalty snackssnackingsnackssodaSarah J. Gim2008-02-21T13:30:00+00:00Kraft will help fight intestinal wormshttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/kraft-will-help-fight-intestinal-worms/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/kraft-will-help-fight-intestinal-worms/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/kraft-will-help-fight-intestinal-worms/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

kraft foods logoThe idea of worms is not something I'd normally want to bring up on a food blog, but in the case of mega-ginormous food conglomerate Kraft, worms are driving the development of a new food line.

Wait...what?!?!

Yes, worms, but don't worry about finding the creepy crawly things in your next blue box of macaroni and cheese. Kraft is developing a new food that is supposed to taste good, and also kill intestinal worms, which is a major problem in in rural Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The food is still in the early stages of development, so there's no word on what the food will be, but one of the ingredients in it will be a de-worming pesticide. It sounds horrible to put something called a "pesticide" in food, but let's just think of it as a chemical that will help millions of children get rid of those nasty intestinal worms.
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]]>Sarah J. Gim2008-02-11T19:33:00+00:00Stumped by school lunches? Culinate wants to help!http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/stumped-by-school-lunches-culinate-wants-to-help/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/stumped-by-school-lunches-culinate-wants-to-help/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/11/stumped-by-school-lunches-culinate-wants-to-help/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Frog in a Bog Muffin from Culinate
When I was a kid, I wasn't a picky eater, but I was difficult when it came to school lunches. I hated buying lunch at school, but I wasn't a big fan of sandwiches, mostly because of the squish factor. I also got tired of things easily, which made it hard for my mom to keep track of acceptable lunch bag contents. I really liked taking yogurt and granola to school, but I got teased mercilessly for having food that seemed too healthy (you must remember that we're talking about the late eighties here, when eating locally and organically was not the norm).

Cookbook author Keri Fisher currently has a post up over at Culinate that addresses the question of the lunch box. She talks of her own struggles making lunches for the kids in her household and offers a few of her suggestions for successful and kid-approved meals. I particularly like her Frog in a Bog Muffins, as they are essentially a healthy version of a corn dog. And who doesn't like corn dogs?
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]]>bag lunchesCulinateFrog in a BogKeri Fisherkidslunch boxschool lunchesSchoolLunchesMarisa McClellan2008-02-11T16:31:00+00:00Culinary disastershttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/04/culinary-disasters/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/04/culinary-disasters/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/02/04/culinary-disasters/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

My friends and I were discussing kitchen horror stories the other day, and I was reminded of this one particular disaster that I created shortly after learning how to cook.

I was taught basic culinary skills at a very young age. My parent's kitchen was a dream to work in as they had every imaginable ingredient, appliance, and gadget available. Once I was old enough to see over the stove and prepare bacon without burning myself, I was given free reign to create just about anything I wanted to prepare for dinner.

One day I decided to tackle Chicken Cordon Bleu after seeing it done step-by-step on TV. It didn't really seem that difficult - thaw out chicken breasts, pound them to a 1/4 inch thickness. Stuff with thin slices of ham and cheese, dip in egg wash and breadcrumbs, secure with a toothpick and bake until fully cooked. Sounded relatively easy to me. Well, they turned out beautifully. I proudly presented the gorgeous little golden works of art to my family, and everyone humored me with the requisite amount of praise - I was just 13 years old, after all.

The chicken was nicely cooked throughout and tender, and the cheese oozed when you sliced it open. After a bite or two though, it was apparent that something had gone terribly wrong. To put it simply, the flavor was gag-worthy. My family choked back a few more bites before deeming it inedible, and we went over the entire process to try to determine what went wrong.

Turns out when I went to secure the rolls of chicken, I unknowingly grabbed mint toothpicks instead of regular, unflavored ones. After baking for almost an hour, the mint essence had completely permeated the chicken and cheese, absolutely ruining the entire batch. Trust me, that is not a flavor that is soon forgotten, and my family has (naturally) never let me live it down since.

I know some of you have stories that can top that one, so I'll ask - what was the worst mistake you ever made in the kitchen?
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]]>Joanne Lutynec2008-02-04T14:03:00+00:00Hook 'em when they're younghttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/07/hook-em-when-theyre-young/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/07/hook-em-when-theyre-young/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/01/07/hook-em-when-theyre-young/#commentsFiled under: , ,

kids cookingChances are, if you're reading this blog you're something of a foodie. If you have kids, you may want them to also develop a love of food and cooking. But who has time to inculcate the next generation in the ways of the culinary world? The Young Chefs Academy has just the thing!

The organization was founded with the purpose of teaching children as young as three the basics of cooking and kitchen safety. Young Chefs Academy, started by Julie Fabing Burleson and Suzy Vinson Nettles, now has franchises in many cities. They offer classes, mini camps, and birthday parties. Each class includes kitchen safety, food handling and preparation, cooking/baking techniques, presentation, table setting and manners.

Young Chefs Academy is a great way to give your kids a safe and fun environment to learn how to cook, or at least a place to start. So if getting your kids to learn culinary basics is important to you, the Young Chefs Academy may be a smart choice. There's no time like childhood to start a child on a lifelong love of food.
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]]>cookingkidslearningShayna Glick2008-01-07T12:18:00+00:00A frustrating gingerbread house experiencehttp://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/26/a-frustrating-gingerbread-house-experience/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/26/a-frustrating-gingerbread-house-experience/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/26/a-frustrating-gingerbread-house-experience/#commentsFiled under: , ,

pieces of a gingerbread house
I spent Christmas hanging out with my family, doing some cooking and generally vegging out. It seems that my friend Eric spent the day with his family, stymied by a Wilton Pre-Baked Gingerbread House Kit. He and his three year old nephew started the kit as a way to do something fun together and by the end were ready to toss it in the ground in frustration. Did anyone else try this kit this year? Was it fun for you or did you have as many problems as Eric and his nephew did?
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]]>ChristmasEric SmithGingerbread houseGingerbreadHouseholidashholidayspre-bakedprojects with kidsMarisa McClellan2007-12-26T12:52:00+00:00First Food: Egg in a Baskethttp://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/04/first-food-egg-in-a-basket/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/04/first-food-egg-in-a-basket/http://www.slashfood.com/2007/12/04/first-food-egg-in-a-basket/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

egg in a basket
When I was about six years old, my grandmother gave me a cookbook called For Good Measure: A Cookbook for Children. Already curious about cooking, I loved this book and would often take it to bed with me in order to pore over the recipes. It was out of the this book that I learned to cook Egg in a Basket, the very first thing I made on my own.

The recipe was simple enough. Take one slice of bread and cut a hole in the center of it with a cookie cutter or glass. Heat a small pan and melt a pat of butter. When the butter gets foamy, add the slice of break and break the egg into the hole. Cook until the egg white is set and turn over gently so the other side can cook just a bit. Remove to a plate and enjoy! What the book didn't tell me, that I discovered on my own, was that it was also delicious to toast the cut out circle of bread in the pan as well, because then you had pre-buttered toast with which to mop of the last of the yolk.

I would beg to be allowed to make an Egg in a Basket before school (normally my mom said no and poured me a bowl of Cheerios) and on weekend mornings I'd ask my family if anyone was interested in having one made for them. That approach was often more successful and I'd stand at the stove in the kitchen (with parents watching close by), feeling satisfied and like the short order cook I imagined I'd be when I grew up. I still love this particular dish, both for it's simplicity and for the taste memory that sends me soaring back into my childhood.

What was the first thing you learned to cook? Do you still make it now? Who taught you how to make it?
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]]>breakfastchildrencookingEgg in a BasketEggInABasketFor Good MeasurelearningMarisa McClellan2007-12-04T10:53:00+00:00