I am a huge advocate of getting my children to try new foods. What I mean to say is, I believe our palates evolve (or so I tell my kids). When I was a kid I wasn’t a big fan of tomatoes and avocados (to name 2 of at least 300), but now I adore them. Does your child eat roasted onions or olives, goat cheese or brussel sprouts? (Okay, be proud if they do, but my point is: don’ t we all like a lot more foods as adults than we did as children)?

My 11 year old likes more foods this year than he did last year (he recently added poached eggs and goat cheese to his repertoire; he disdained both for many years). Your taste buds are growing up, too, I tell him. And if it is a certain right of passage to maturity for your taste buds to develop, well, you have piqued their interest and even more importantly: their palate.

And besides, kids love to have opinions; and they love to share those opinions with adults… Parents in particular.

So why not give them an opportunity to decipher their palate, to navigate through flavors and textures, to think banana and avocado texture are gross, shrimp is chewy and chocolate mousse is really, really chocolatey?

And then they notice when their siblings like things other than them, and proudly discover they prefer Asian pears to other pears and are partial to kalamata olives. Maybe you should start with their favorite flavor of Kettle chips (mine adore the Honey Dijon)? And there are so many foods they still have to try, and retry, since their palates are growing up too.

The other day I was at the market, and discovered these little nubs. At almost any cheese counter, they have little pieces of cheese left over. Not worthy to stand alone, these are mere samplings, wrapped, weighed and marked: $ .57 for an ounce, $2.11 for a large chunk, $1.02 for a good taste of farmhouse white cheddar. Ultimately, for about $5 I came home with 6 different varieties of white cheddar. One was aged, one was from Vermont, others were specifically farmhouse cheddar and at least two came from England.

And I opened them, cut them into bite size pieces, marked their origins on some parchment, threw on some almonds and pears to cut the flavors and we all sat around and tasted cheddar. And shared opinions. Very, very sharp was one. Sweet and mild was another. And a third… what flavor is that? Interesting… it is the only one that says: ‘Aged.’

So we ate, and learned, and payed attention and shared. Those are the moments we live for.

Easter? Halloween? Christmas? Fourth of July?

Bring it.

Whatever holiday it is, these cookies can waltz right in and be fashionable, readily available, unassumingly appropriate.

All you need to do is buy that bag of holiday colored m ‘n’ ms. Hey, they are cookies. I didn’t say they were good for you. Though I suppose you could sneak in some wheat germ, use wheat flour, add in some flax meal, substitute canola oil for some of the butter, use some applesauce… but I will leave that up to you. Sometimes my version of healthy is less about the ingredients, and more about moderation (I didn’t say always, just sometimes). Consequently, these cookies aren’t made often: they simply show up, in colorful uniform, to stand in as a holiday treat.

I pop these casually dressed cookies into school lunches to usher in some holiday cheer. They don’t require a lot of planning or foresight on my part—I just walk through Target, notice the m ‘n’ m’s and scoop up a bag. And then smile, knowing my kids will hover around the mixing bowl, begging for a taste of the dough. Yes, the dough is unavoidably good. Especially with the big chunks of pecans.

M ‘n’ M Cookies
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups m n ms
3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and mix. Add flour, salt and soda and stir to blend. Mix in M ‘n’ Ms and pecans. Place in spoonfuls on tray and bake 10-13 minutes. Happy Holidays!

I love good soups. When a good soup meets my lips and warms my throat down to my belly, even my toes get a wiggle.

This is a perfect time of year for soups; and for using my favorite kitchen tool: an immersion blender. You don’t need one for this soup, of course, but if you do then your kids will come running when you power it up: can I try mom? Would you like me to help? (Music to my ears).

Certainly it counts as their daily good deed for lent. Helping mom make dinner. How could you argue with that? Just because it is fun doesn’t mean it doesn’t count (of course, I tell them, helping fold that mountain of socks or taking out the compost are also very good deed ideas…).

Pumpkin Ginger Soup
3 T butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
8 ounces cubed butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp cardamom
3 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup carrots
2 T brown sugar

3 T butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and pinch salt; cook, stirring for 10 minutes. Add squash, low-medium heat, cooking for 20 more minutes. Add garlic, 1 T olive oil, and the spices. Cook 5-7 minutes. Add broth, carrots and pumpkin. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook 25 minutes then puree. Stir in brown sugar and salt to taste.

Kids love it: it tastes like meat candy. They also love it because if they help me make it, they get to measure and pour and add a pinch of this and a glugg of that. Anything that feels like a science experiment, eh?

I love to make it because it is easy and can be prepared hours in advance. Last time I had guests over, I served this. I thought I made too much, but alas at the end of the night I realized all had been adequately inhaled: and the kids were first in line.

Grilling season is here; get your game on (love those puns):

Soy Balsamic Flank Steak
1 bunch thyme
1 bunch oregano
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 T olive oil
10 cloves garlic, chopped/minced
3 T brown sugar
1 inch ginger, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 bottle beer (amber/dark)
2 flanks (approximately enough to feed eight)

Ask munchkins to pour and measure marinade: place all ingredients plus steaks in large ziploc bag. Marinate 8-24 hours in fridge; let sit at room temp for 20 minutes, then grill on very hot/high—approximately 4-8 minutes a side (depending on desired doneness). Let sit a few minutes, slice on angle, serve.

Very important note: your grill must be as high as possible to transpose this steak into slices of candy. If your grill is anything less than its hottest, it might end up on the tough side…

Ideas for what to serve on the side:
Grilled Parmesan & Lemon Asparagus from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Asian inspired Potato Salad from Brilynn’s Jumbo Empanadas
Brussel Sprouts with Bread Crumbs & Lemon from Food Blogga
Blue Cheese Coleslaw from Talk of Tomato files
Grilled Tomatoes from Talk of Tomato files

Don’t forget dessert:
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble from Smitten Kitchen
Lime Mango Sorbet from Simply Recipes
Peach, Blueberry & Thyme cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It can be fun to dress up humble smashed potatoes; the fun only increases if it is for a festive affair. To be totally Frank—or Patrick for today’s namesake—the reason I like these green smashers is because, well, they are better for you than when they aren’t green.The peas in this happy glop offer bites of freshness in the middle of creamy, homey bliss. My son loves these green potatoes because I let him use my hand-held immersion blender to puree these lovely taters into a smooth, creamy green. Ah, the world of kitchen tools. Instead of regular smashers, add these green, fresh yet creamy potatoes as a proximate plate neighbor to juicy lamb or another favorite entree.

Minty Pea Potatoes
3 baking potatoes
1 10 oz package frozen peas
sprigs of fresh mint
3 T butter
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup sour cream
KS&CP (kosher salt and course pepper)

Skin the potatoes, chop into 1 inch cubes and boil for 10 minutes. Add frozen peas, let boil 2 minutes. Add 20 mint leaves, boil another minute. Drain—scoop out 1/2 cup of the peas—puree the rest with food processor or blender. Add butter, Parmesan, sour cream and salt and pepper. Stir to blend. Gently fold in peas. Serve with a hearty sprinkling of salt and pepper, and some freshly shaved Parmesan.