Off the Dough Hook

A couple of months ago my husband tried to get rid of the dough hook to my beloved Kitchen Aid. It was just sitting there in the bottom of a drawer, mocking us. I've owned my mixer for ten years and never actually used it, but of course I was so (unreasonably) insulted that he would even suggest tossing it. Sure, and while we're at it why don't we just give away the kid? Or one of our cars? Maybe it was low blood sugar, or maybe I was just the teensyest bit defensive that I'm a little, um... bread phobic. Maybe I'm a little bit panicked about yeast, or getting my hands dirty, or the pressure about whether it will rise. My friend Brian owned a bakery on Martha's Vineyard and he's one of those guys that can do anything. So I didn't even try. And bread machines don't count, since they have no soul. And learning to cook was not easy for me. But whatever, it's water, yeast and flour and I should just get over myself.

So fast forward... combine one heck of a hot day, a toddler with time on her hands and the new issue of Sunset magazine... which included this recipe for Salt and Pepper Breadsticks and I decided to get my hands sticky. It was fun to do with the kid, rolling, painting egg whites, sprinkling salt. The breadsticks aren't the prettiest, but damn, they're tasty. If you listen carefully, you can hear us crunching on them now. I just might be inspired to spend the summer making lots and lots and lots of bread.

Cookbook Review... The Toddler Cafe

I asked little A. what her favorite vegetable is and she said, "Smart Dogs!"

My kid eats almost everything, but in true toddler fashion she wants to eat the things she loves all the time. She'll try most things and occasionally protests with, "I no like it." When I try to correct her grammar with a gentle, "Say, I don't like it" she looks at me totally confused. As in, So, why is it on my plate?

Even great eaters have a problem coming up with a variety of fun, friendly foods that toddlers will eat with gusto. The Toddler Cafe is a great resource with recipes that draw from all kinds of foods, presenting them in inventive ways. I say inventive, because the mixture of peas, cream cheese, mint and chocolate chips frozen into Pea Pops is... inventive. I'm going to try everything, not because she's a tough eater, but because cooking and eating should be fun, from the get-go. I really think if I approach it as an adventure, so will she... Stay tuned for a review of pea pops.

Cookbook Review... The Gift of Southern Cooking

Cooking is one of the arts that you can only learn as you do it, not unlike friendship. You can't sit on the sidelines and watch and get the same results. You have to get your hands dirty if you want to really learn and savor the results.

Only MY friend Paula would manage to deliver a lovely baby boy, Thomas and a fabulous birthday present, The Gift of Southern Cooking on my birthday... Not only am I thrilled to share my birthday with the most beautiful baby in the whole world, I am in LOVE with this new cookbook. I had no idea who Edna Lewis was when the book landed on my doorstep and now I'm a devotee of the late Grande Dame. And Scott's stories about building a friendship with Edna are charming and reveal the soul of an real artist and teacher. I've searched for years for a recipe that tasted like my dad's Oyster Stuffing, my mom's cucumber pickles and coleslaw. Now I have it.