I like taking my boys to new restaurants, to practice good manners and try new foods. I sometimes tell them: you probably haven’t met your favorite food yet, so you should keep trying new food(s).

It is a goal of mine to cultivate curious palates in my kids; to encourage them to try new food(s), and to critique the flavors and textures (they love having an opinion, so this arrangement works out beautifully). Restaurants are a great place to try a new dish, and if it isn’t something I prepare regularly at home, all the better. They don’t like everything, in fact far from it; but then again, that would be boring.

The other day we were sipping smoothies from a cafe, and though it was a smoothie he had ordered before, my son refused to move beyond the second sip. It doesn’t taste like it usually does, he explains, the aftertaste has a salad flavor (though he has been known to eat the occasional salad, apparently he doesn’t prefer salad in his smoothies). Interesting, I thought. This from a kid who can detect the flavor of an opened bottle of juice from across the room. He must be destined for wine tasting, a connoisseur of sorts.

Regular restaurant visits can be pricey; we have discovered a good time for less-expensive tasting is lunch. Restaurants often serve the same courses for lunch and dinner; lunch costs less. Even better: go during Happy Hour.

Happy Hour isn’t just for bar-hoppers; it sometimes applies to outdoor seating or even better, the entire restaurant. I am not talking the late-night post 10 pm happy hour. Many venues in our area boast great prices from 3-6 or 4-7. Just call around and learn where the deals are: and don’t be shy about asking for the Happy Hour menu.

We recently enjoyed a few plates of appetizers [via Happy Hour] at a nearby restaurant. I showed the boys the difference in pricing, explaining that these are less busy times in restaurants, and better prices will increase customers during those times. The blackened salmon caesar normally costs $11 but during happy hour, it was offered at a mere $4. The coconut prawns? Only $4 instead of $10; same for the calamari and steak burger.

We felt so spoiled—and happily gobbled up all these new flavors and sauces. My 11 year old was enjoying the prawns and strawberry lemonade. He said the flavors were so far apart from one another his mouth felt alive (pause, while mother pats herself on the back). And to top it off, my 10 year old exclaimed: “I love happy hour.”

I imagine him stating such in the classroom. With the following query from another 10 year old: “what is happy hour?” No doubt the teacher will overhear, and might imagine parents skulking around happy hours all about town, looking for the best, cheap drinks (pause while I stop patting myself on the back).

Despite mixed messages and overheard boyish conversations, happy hour really is a great way to try a range of new foods and not suck your pocketbook dry.

My son tried potato skins for the first time, and though it is hardly a stretch, my 10 year old loved them. We recreated them at home:

Homespun Potato Skins
Small fingerling potatoes
1-2 T olive oil
large pinch kosher salt
Bacon, cooked and sliced
Cheese, shredded
optional: Cherry tomatoes (halved)
optional: sliced spring onions

Roast potatoes: lube 1-2 LBS fingerling potatoes with 1-2 T olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and 1 T dried Italian herbs. Roast at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out a little flesh, enough to make a 1 T impression on each half (room for cheese and a cherry tomato). Sprinkle with cheese and crumbled bacon; top with cherry tomato halves and spring onions, if desired. Put back in oven, raising temperature to 500, for 10-12 minutes. Serve.

Chicken should be so lucky.

This chicken is a GREAT meal to serve when you are looking for an alternative to the summer hamburger a la BBQ. If I invite a family over for dinner, kids and adults alike will rave about this sauce, giving erstwhile glances around the table before they scoop a much-too-large pile into their mouths.

You marinate the chicken, then grill it to perfection. I like to use chicken tenders, because the size is easy to slice into bites or eat right off a skewer. And if you know me, you know I get a kick out of meals that keep on giving. This particular sauce keeps well in the fridge for a week. Which for my purposes translates to another round of skewered chicken on another night, not too far in the future.

Peanut Saucied Chicken*

Chicken Marinade
12-15 chicken tenders
juice of 4 lemons
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
1 T thyme leaves

Peanut Sauce
1 T olive oil
1 T dark sesame oil
2/3 cup diced red onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T minced ginger
pinch red pepper flakes
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 T soy
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 T sherry
juice from one lime

Whisk marinade; place with chicken in large ziploc and put in fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Grill chicken (with or without skewers). For sauce: put in sauce pan the oils, onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper. Cook over medium for 10 minutes. Whisk in remaining ingredients, cook one more minute.

*recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa (Thanks Ina!)

My father used to eat, or rather devour, a rum raisin bread pudding that his mother made. When I came across this particular cookie, it spoke of his favorite flavors all folded together with a bit of butter. Who was I not to make it? I am not a hard sell when it comes to new recipes, and this one I adopted from the June 2007 Martha Stewart cookie of the month. The biggest difference? Mine has more rummy raisins and much larger pinches of orange zest. I am by no means a skimper.

So I made it. Actually, I made two ‘logs’ of cookies which for me is an inroads to another make-ahead treat. One log I sliced according to directions, and the other waited in the fridge a few days so I could slice and slide it onto a platter at just the right moment.

Even better? You can make a log to eat, and freeze one for later.

My beloved sister-in-law said she would drive across town for these. I assume she meant her town which is Vancouver B.C., Canada. If she were to drive to my oven door for these it would add another 3 1/2 hours to her trip. Though if she came, I would no doubt have these waiting for her…

Rum Raisin Cookies
1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup dried currants (or raisins)
2 sticks room temperature butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 T orange zest, finely grated
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

Combine rum and currants, cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain, reserving 2 T rum. Beat butter, sugar, zest with mixer until smooth, , salt. 2 minutes. Add vanilla and rum; beat to combine. On low speed add flour, coconut, salt. Stir in currants. Form dough into 2 logs, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days. Or freeze for a few months. Heat oven to 325; slice dough into 1/4 inch rounds, line on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until just golden.

Bacon and Tomatoes? Of course this sauce is divine.

I have a special category [on this site] for tomatoes, you know. It is the only ingredient that has a special category—its own fame—and it has the name of this blog to thank (click here to find out why I called this blog talk of tomatoes). IF I had to pick out another ingredient, one that weaves in and out of my life, our table and is apparently magnetized to my palate, it would have to be bacon… or pancetta… or prosciutto (smoked, salty Italian ham). This pasta sauce is the best of both my worlds:

Tomato Bacon Pasta
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T Italian seasoning
large pinch red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic
1/2 pound prosciutto, finely diced (or pancetta)
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
pinch coarse salt

Heat large skillet to medium, add oil, seasoning, red pepper and garlic. Stir garlic so it doesn’t brown; 2-3 minutes. Add prosciutto and sautee another 1-2 minutes. Add wine and simmer a good 10 minutes; Add tomatoes and simmer 20 more minutes. Add salt and stir. Serve over pasta.

Centerpiece of the Month is a monthly centerpiece event where folks snap photos of their table-toppers and send them here. I round up all the photos from one month, a week into the next (June COTM is posted July 7). Please send your ideas, the more the inspiration for us all, the better!

The photos are in! The tables are set! Grab your forks and knives and imagine a dinner served around these lovely centerpieces. All were crafted, created and captured during the month of June. And all, ultimately, were enjoyed while friends and family ate meals at these tables:

Tigerfish from An Escape to Food brings us, appropriately, a centerpiece with all things food. I loved the description of it as ‘green jewels and noodles’ (try saying that 10 times in a row FAST):

Glenna from A Fridge Full of Food brings a new twist to life is like a bowl of cherries… hers is a decorative centerpiece where the cherries float charmingly in cocktail glasses:

Laurie’s Charming Designs brings us soft tones with a rustic backdrop. I can almost smell these blooms, can’t you?:

Myriam from Once Upon a Tart has a gift with food, flowers and photos. I look forward to her centerpieces every month:

Sandi from Whistlestop Cafe delights us with this bold, playful combination:

I got a royal kick out of this creative piece, and loved Katie from YumSugar’s description of a Suess-ish centerpiece (way to think out of the box, I mean vase!):

From Sher at What did you eat? is this elegant, meaningful vase full of flowers (thanks for sending this Sher, they are beautiful):

Dayna from Vegan Visitor brought this simple, herby centerpiece in an eggcup (can you spot the oregano?); what a great idea! Now I am picturing a long, outdoor table laced with eggcup-and-oregano centerpieces:

Shn from MishMash created an orange bowl, complete with ice, green herbs and orange slices: brilliantly creative!

Joy from A Spot of T captures citrus with iris in this clever photo (it almost looks like stained glass!?):

And this month, despite its crazy-busyness, I did manage my own centerpiece! This one in all its humble simplicity is easy to love for one reason—my son picked me the flowers: