"cooking for kids" news and stories

Looking for a way to make your mac and cheese more interesting? Try these clever little Macaroni and Cheese Drums. Just mix any vegetable you like into the mac and cheese (chopped spinach or broccoli are good options), then use thinly sliced zucchini or pastry dough to create the drums. Kids love them, and you will, too.

Get the Macaroni and Cheese Drums recipe.

• Ratatouille by any other name would taste as sweet.
• Marc Forgione evokes an imaginary New York -- the kind that exists in "first novels and romantic comedies."
• What weird things do you make for your kids? Show us.
• Pop-up cuisine has hit the streets of London...
• ...and Venice is pausing for a spritz.

• When the kids are home for spring break, you could whip up some ... pizza fondue?
• How to eat in Paris on a budget.
• Poutine and Smoke's Poutinerie, as explained by a naysayer: "Is it stupid of me to wonder why such a prosaic (to me) dish has achieved such iconic status?"
• The world of wine spending -- from the expensive, dream bottles to the tasty, yet affordable selections.
• ... or revel in wines under $20.
• Recipes: Mushroom Soup, Black Cod with Jerusalem Artichoke and White Turnip Puree, and Blood Orange and Almond Tart

I am a sucker for risotto. There's nothing like the creamy toothsomeness of cooked arborio rice to really set my heart afluttering with joy. I'm also a huge fan of butternut squash and kale. Happily, I just stumbled across a recipe that all those items into a single, hunger-inducing dish.

This recipe is over at GastroKid, so it's designed as a way for parents to help their kids eat and enjoy their veggies. However, I don't think anyone is going to get mad at me if I make it with nary a kid in sight.

Source

There's an entire library of books out there to help busy parents cook for their families, who are faced not only with the problem of time, but also health. Some of them focus strictly on lunches, other on a whole days of foods from breakfast to school lunches, to snacks, and dinner. These are just a few I've come across that look helpful:

1. Quick Meals for Healthy Kids and Busy Parents: Wholesome Family Recipes in 30 Minutes or Less
2. The Healthy Lunchbox
3. Family Fun Fast Family Dinners
4. Beyond Macaroni and Cheese (but really, is there anything beyond a good macaroni and cheese?)
   
5. Kid Favorites Made Healthy from Better Homes & Gardens
6. The Sneaky Chef
7. Lunch Lessons
8. Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food