Recipe 16- Strawberry Shortcake

As I mentioned in the previous post, Claudia decided that she wanted to try strawberry shortcake. What is interesting to me is that it was a request specifically for shortcake, and not for cupcakes or something else familiar to her. As far as I can recall, she hasn't ever tried strawberry shortcake before, and I'm not sure where she might have heard about it. But she was pretty adamant about it, so strawberry shortcake it was.

The recipe I ended up using was from the back of a Bisquick box, which I happened to pull out of the refrigerator when I was rearranging things for the remaining 3 pounds of strawberries. Score!

Recipe- Strawberry Shortcake, from the back of a Bisquick box
Modifications- Used soymilk instead of milk; no whipped topping
Reactions- Again, kids and I liked it, Dad didn't try it.
Notes- Once again, a pretty simple, but successful, dessert.

Recipe 15- Neely's Strawberry Pie

At the end of April, the kids and I took a field trip to SweetBerry Farm in Marble Falls to pick strawberries. We met my friend Amy and her kids Adam and Lottie (as well as some of her other friends) and spent a few hours in the strawberry fields. The weather was really nice, and there were plenty of really sweet, beautiful strawberries. So many, in fact, that we went a little overboard. Bryan and Claudia each had their own basket, as did I. And while neither of the kids completely filled their baskets, they both did a pretty good job. And we came home with almost 7 pounds of strawberries.

On the way home, Bryan decided that he wanted to make a strawberry pie. Claudia requested a strawberry shortcake. So while the kids napped, I flipped through cookbooks and searched online for something that was either already Bryan-safe or easily adaptable. (And made freezer jam in the meantime!) I came up with a strawberry pie recipe from the Food Network website (where else?), which was simple enough that Bryan was able to help me when he woke up from his nap. Fresh strawberry pie- mmmmmmmm...

Recipe- Neely's Strawberry Pie (available on Food Network website)
Modifications- Used Bryan-safe margarine instead of butter
Reactions- Kids and I loved it. Dad, as usual, didn't feel like trying anything that involved fruit.
Notes- Very easy recipe, and very good results. Definitely a winner!

Slight change of plans

So clearly, I'm not very good at this resolution thing. Not consistently, anyway- some weeks, I'll get inspired and try 2-3 new recipes, but others, I allow myself to get derailed and resort to standbys. I have decided, then, to amend my resolution slightly. I'm going to aim for 52 recipes over the course of the year- so if I miss a week here or there, I can make up for it in later weeks. As of this moment, I think I'm 2 recipes behind on the cooking (and WAY behind on the blogging...) But I promise I'll catch up on both sometime in the near future!

Week 14- Cheeseless Chicken Cordon Bleu

What do you do with leftover ham? Because we had quite a bit left over from Easter, and ham sandwiches only go so far. I had been talking to someone recently who was raving over the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich from Schlotzsky's, which is a sandwich chain available in Texas, among other places. The idea of Chicken Cordon Bleu intrigued me, mainly because I haven't ever tried it before. I didn't actually have a recipe, but based on what I have heard, it's pretty much ham and swiss cheese stuffed into a breaded chicken breast.

I had previously made a Rachael Ray recipe that involved thinly sliced steak, rolled around a filling of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. I took that technique and applied it to this dinner, using thinly pounded chicken breasts and wrapping it around a filling of diced ham mixed with breadcrumbs and thyme (no cheese, for Bryan-safe reasons).

Most of the time, recipes recommend dipping foods into an egg wash before breading- the egg gives the breading something to stick to. I don't use egg washes (again, for Bryan-safe reasons), so I usually just make do with a very thin breading. This time, though, I decided to try something tricky. I remembered a Sandra Lee recipe for Baklava which called for butter-flavored cooking spray as a shortcut for melted butter (brushed between phyllo layers). So I sprayed my Chicken Cordon Bleus with butter-flavored cooking spray before dipping into the breadcrumbs- and it worked great! A new recipe and a new technique- I'm pretty pleased with myself this week. =)

Recipe- No recipe, but inspired by a number of sources, including Rachael Ray, Schlotzsky's, and Sandra Lee.
Modifications- Made a cream sauce for the non-allergic family to use.
Reactions- Generally a success. The lone dissenter was Claudia, who simply didn't want to try.
Notes- I think this recipe is a keeper, although the quality of the ham definitely improved the dish.

Week 13- Imaginary Chicken

This week's recipe was something of an adventure. We were in the Dallas area with Dad's family for the weekend, and Grandmama was planning to make chicken for Easter dinner. The problem was, she wasn't entirely sure how to make the chicken. She and Bryan's Aunt K had discussed the menu, and Aunt K mentioned a recipe that she had seen on the Kraft website for a chicken that she thought sounded good- it had a sauce with mustard, honey, Italian dressing, and a few other things, and was baked with new potatoes. However, the next time she checked the website, it was no longer there. Grandmama couldn't find it either, and when I tried an ingredient search, I couldn't find an exact match- a few other recipes were close, but nothing had all 3 ingredients that Aunt K remembered. Grandmama wasn't sure what to do, so I told her that I could try to put something together- and if it didn't match exactly, no one would ever really know, right? And so, Imaginary Chicken came to be...

Recipe- No recipe, but based on something that may have appeared on the Kraft Recipe website.
Modifications- No recipe, so no modifications.
Reactions- Depends on who you ask. My picky family weren't really fans (Dad said it was okay, but not his favorite, and Bryan ate a few bites without comment). The less picky relatives and I really liked it, though.
Notes- I think the mustard taste was a little too strong for my family, so I might play with the honey:mustard ratio a little. However, this may end up falling into the category of "Make for Company".

Cookies and brownies and cupcakes- oh my...

I have been on a little bit of a baking kick lately, mainly because I have not really been happy with the recipes I have used in the past for Bryan-safe baked goods. While Bryan certainly seems to like everything just fine, I want to be able to bake things that everyone in the house will be happy with (rather than having to make both "Bryan-safe" cookies and "Everyone else" cookies.) That means that the resulting products need to have good texture and good flavor- and as little soy flavor as possible. That seems pretty difficult, given the no-milk-no-egg parameters, but I have a ton of cookbooks and websites to help me out, so here goes...

Week 12.2- No Cow Brownies

With a good chocolate chip cookie recipe in hand, I am now able to turn my attention to another popular baked good in my house- brownies. I do have a brownie recipe that I have used in the past, but it is a little more labor-intensive than I can usually afford. I am hoping to find a recipe that, as for my cookie search, is simple and relatively quick. This time, I tried another recipe from the Bakin' Without Eggs cookbook. This one was already milk-free as well, so I was hoping it would work out well.

Recipe- No Cow Brownies from Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro
Modifications- Used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, Bryan-safe chocolate chips, and no nuts.
Reactions- Bryan and Claudia liked them. I thought they were okay, but that I can probably find something better.
Notes- Texture-wise, these are more cake-like than I usually prefer my brownies. I was also able to taste the vinegar, although that might be because I used the apple cider variety- and neither of the kids seemed to mind. I had to bake them for quite a bit longer than indicated- I think it was a total of 40 minutes, and I was again worried about the top layer and edges baking too quickly. If I try these again, I will probably use a larger pan, and try to have white vinegar on hand.

Week 12.1- Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, technically I didn't make a recipe during week 11 because we were out of town visiting family. However, I did make up for it by trying 2 recipes during week 12. The first of these recipes was again related to my quest for a "Go-To" chocolate chip cookie. And I may have found one! This one came from a cookbook entitled Bakin' Without Eggs. All of the recipes are, as expected from the title, egg-free. Several of them do, however, contain milk or milk products. Sometimes a substitution would be simple (soymilk for milk), but substituting too much with baking recipes can get complicated. (Baking is such a science that you can lose a lot of texture and shape when you swap ingredients in and out.) There are enough recipes that I can play with, however, and I found one particular chocolate chip cookie recipe that was in fact Bryan-safe without any major modifications.

Recipe- Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies from Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro
Modifications- Used Bryan-safe margarine and chocolate chips. Didn't add optional nuts or coconut.
Reactions- These were great! Bryan, Claudia, and I all liked them. Again, Dad said he wanted to try, but never got around to it.
Notes- These cookies were chewy and moist, which is definitely a plus when you're baking without eggs or real butter. They do basically hold their shape when you bake them (no spreading), so I might "flatten" them a little more when I scoop them onto the cookie sheet. The dough can also be frozen for a quick slice-and-bake cookie later. I think I have a winner!

Week 10- Blondies

I have been looking through my Bryan-safe cookbooks lately for a "Go-To" cookie recipe- a cookie recipe that is relatively quick, easy, and that everyone in my family will enjoy. While Bryan liked the last cookie recipe that I tried, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, so I have been planning to experiment a little. This week, I tried a new recipe for Blondies- basically, chocolate chip cookie bars. This one called for oat flour, which I had read recently can help provide a chewier texture to baked goods without eggs- and which should resolve the issue I had with the last recipe. Gave it a try, and...

Recipe- Blondies from Sophie-Safe Cooking by Emily Hendrix
Modifications- None
Reactions- Bryan and Claudia both enjoyed them, although Bryan did say he didn't like the hard part (see below). I liked them as well, except for the hard part. Dad said he wanted to try one, but I don't think he ever got around to it.
Notes- These didn't bake as evenly as I had hoped. In an 8x8 pan, they were fairly thick, and the top layer and edges became very crunchy before the inside was cooked through. Flavor was good- like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but without the oatmeal texture (go figure, right?) I wonder if they would bake more evenly in a larger pan...

Week 9- Orecchiette with Bacon and Broccoli Rabe

This week's new recipe comes courtesy of my friend Herman. Herman and I became friends in college, and he is truly one of the nicest, most thoughtful people I know. Even so, I was so touched when I got an e-mail from him a few weeks ago, mentioning that he had heard about my resolution and wanted to share some recipes that he and his wife had tried successfully for their family. There were several that looked really good, and all of them were either already Bryan-safe, or could easily be modified. He also recommended Food and Wine magazine and their website as good resources for new recipes- and after browsing, I am completely sold.

Recipe- Orecchiette with Bacon and Broccoli Rabe
Modifications- Used broccoli instead of broccoli rabe
Reactions- Dad and I both liked it a lot. Bryan tasted it, but said it was "a little bit too different." Claudia looked at it and decided she didn't want to try it. When she finally tried it, she spit it out right away. I think is trying to recover her "Pickiest Girl In The World" title.
Notes- As usual, it is impossible to please everyone. I'll definitely file this one away for future use- maybe if the kids keep seeing it, it won't be "a little bit too different" anymore. Thank you again Herman for your great ideas!

Week 8- Guinness Beef Stew

This week was an interesting week for all kinds of reasons. It started off with SNOW on Tuesday- which in Central Texas is a rare sight. Grandparents also came to visit- which happened to be on Tuesday as well. I had decided to make a slow cooker beef stew for that night- nice and cozy on a snowy night, and low-maintenance enough that I could focus on getting the rest of the house in order for the visit. I did want to find a recipe that would be a little different though, and came across a pretty good one by Sandra Lee. (Like I said before- I LOVE Food Network!) I did play with this one quite a bit, but definitely needed the initial inspiration.

Recipe- Guinness Beef Stew, Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes by Sandra Lee
Modifications- Used fresh carrots and onions. Browned stew meat in flour before adding to pot. Instead of gravy mix, stirred 2 Tbsp flour into 1 cup beef stock and added with Guinness. Added 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar to cut the bitter flavor of the beer (a tip borrowed from a recipe by Julia Child), Worcestershire sauce, and celery salt. Also added frozen peas and corn in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Reactions- Dad, Grandpa, and Grandmama really liked it. Bryan and Claudia didn't really like it- I think it was a little too sour/bitter for them.
Notes- I might try something like this with guests again, but since the kids didn't eat it, it probably wouldn't be very nice of me to make it just for us.

Week 7- Chicken Almost-Piccata

I'm a little behind on the blog, but I'm still keeping up with the resolution. Last week, I decided to give Giada another try- this time with a recipe for Chicken Piccata. It was a really easy recipe and everything was going nicely until I realized that I didn't actually have any lemon juice. (Capers yes, but no lemon juice. Sigh.) Instead of lemon juice, I substituted some white wine- which actually turned out pretty well. Score one for resourcefulness!

Recipe- Chicken Piccata by Giada DeLaurentis (Everyday Italian, available on Food Network website)
Modifications- Left out butter. No lemon juice, so used white wine instead.
Reactions- Dad and Bryan really liked it (although they pushed away the capers and parsley.) Claudia didn't want to try it. Not even off my plate.
Notes- I think Claudia was just in a bad mood, so I will probably try this one again- with actual lemon juice next time!

Week 6- Chocolate Chip Bars

Bryan's birthday was this week, and I had to make something for him to bring for his class. (Okay, I guess I didn't HAVE to, but I wanted him to have a chance to celebrate with his preschool friends.) Since we were having cupcakes at home that evening, rather than fill him up with cupcakes at school as well, I decided to try a new cookie recipe. I do feel like I am cheating a little with this week's recipe, being a cookie and all. However, I did receive this cookbook for Christmas, and there's nothing wrong with a little dessert every now and then...

Recipe- Chocolate Chip Bars from The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book
Modifications- None
Reactions- Kids liked them a lot. Dad, being Dad, declined to try, even though I assured him there wasn't anything soymilk-related in them.
Notes- While the kids did like them, I thought they were a little crumbly- not quite as moist as I would prefer this kind of cookie. Next time, I will probably reduce the amount of flour a little, and maybe add some vanilla extract for some extra flavor. That said, it was a very easy recipe, and I will definitely make them again.

Week 5- Strawberry Breakfast Bread

Every now and then, in the middle of winter, you need a little taste of summer. At my grocery store early this week, I actually found fresh strawberries- and they were GOOD. However, by the end of the week, I still had almost a whole container left (I had bought 2), and I was wondering how much longer I had before they would start to look fuzzy. Not wanting them to go to waste, I flipped through my Food Allergy News Cookbook and found something that looked suitable.

Recipe- Peach Breakfast Bread from The Food Allergy News Cookbook
Modifications- Substituted strawberries (tossed in a little sugar) for the canned peaches
Reactions- Yum. The kids and I loved it. Dad, being a bit suspicious of strawberries, declined to try.
Notes- I often have trouble getting the timing right on quick bread loaves. I ended up baking it about 15 minutes longer than the recipe called for, and covering it with foil to prevent the top from getting too brown. Also in general, it is very important to make sure the egg substitute (in this case, oil, water, and baking powder mixed together) is blended really well with the rest of the mix- otherwise, the bread doesn't rise consistently.

Week 4- Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

No cute story this week. Just trying to use up some leftovers, so I thought maybe I could combine that attempt with this one. If you want to be amused, though, read the reactions below.

Recipe- Short Ribs with Tagliatelle by Giada DeLaurentis (Everyday Italian, available on Food Network website)
Modifications- Used leftover shredded roast beef instead of short ribs, spaghetti rigate instead of tagliatelle, and left out the chocolate.
Reactions- Hmmmmm... Dad's first reaction was "Oh, are those carrots?" Then he proceeded to carefully remove them before taking each bite. Bryan tried it, decided he didn't like the carrots or tomatoes, and proceeded to carefully remove them before taking each bite. Claudia looked at it, decided she didn't like carrots or tomatoes, and proceeded to carefully remove them before taking each bite.
Notes- Apparently, my family is not ready for this one. Sorry Giada, I tried.

Week 3- Steakhouse Chili

I love Rachael Ray. I'll just get that out there, so everyone knows from the beginning. She is kind of what helped me to really start enjoying cooking a few years ago. I cooked before, certainly, but I was always very nervous about it, feeling like I needed to be very precise with everything and had to get it all JUST RIGHT in order for it to be edible. And while I understand of course that some things do require that precision (hello, baking), it is thanks to Rachael Ray that I also understand that 3 additional leaves of thyme over a teaspoon will not ruin a recipe. I feel like I have a better sense of how to create a dish, rather than just how to follow a recipe. Rachael Ray is fun to watch, easy for me to follow, and her recipes taste good.

Another thing that I have discovered (that makes me love her even more) is that quite a few of her recipes are already Bryan-safe, or are easily adapted to be so. Over the years, I have earmarked several things that I want to try to make, but haven't actually tried very many- until now. =) This just may be my year...

Recipe- Steakhouse Chili by Rachael Ray (aired on 30 Minute Meals, available on Food Network website)
Modifications- Left out the sour cream (obviously) and reduced the amount of beef called for
Reactions- Well, once again, Dad liked it. Bryan isn't really a fan of things with ground beef- I don't know if it's a texture issue, or if he just doesn't like the taste. In any case, he didn't want to try it.
Notes- I reduced the amount of beef, but I accidentally forgot to also reduce the amount of brown sugar called for, so it ended up being a lot sweeter than it was supposed to- as Dad pointed out, kind of like a chili made with barbecue sauce. It wasn't bad, but probably not what was intended in the recipe. But like I said- Dad liked it, so it ended up okay.

Week 2- Pasta Carbonara-ish

Vegetables are definitely a tough sell in my house. However, one vegetable that everyone in my family does like is- surprise!- broccoli. I bought some broccoli the other day, planning to just steam it and serve with rice and some sort of meat. But when my son asked for pasta for dinner last night, the wheels in my head started turning. Rather than just serve the pasta with Bryan-safe butter (his usual), why not play around with it a little? Start with the pasta and Bryan-safe butter, throw in a little broccoli and some bacon. Sort of like Pasta Carbonara minus the egg, plus the broccoli. It combines three foods that everyone in my family likes separately- they'll like them mixed together, right? Well, not quite...

Recipe- Pasta Carbonara-ish- no recipe, just throwing things together
Modifications- Ummmm... added the bacon and broccoli
Reactions- Well, Dad liked it. Bryan picked out the pasta and broccoli- no bacon. Claudia picked out the pasta- no broccoli or bacon. Oh well.
Notes- I'm stubborn. I really think this is something everyone SHOULD have enjoyed, so I'll probably try it again sometime.

Week 1- Orange French Toast

Week 1 was a little more of a challenge than I had expected. Between two sick kids and an unexpected cold snap, I wasn't able to get to the grocery store and was left scrambling to make meals "as usual", let alone something new. However, I was determined not to fail my resolution on the first week- so Saturday morning, I found something doable:

Recipe- Orange French Toast from The Food Allergy News Cookbook
Modifications- None
Reaction- Kids liked it. (Dad was a little suspicious and declined to try. He may end up being the hardest one to sell on this project.)
Notes- As with most French Toast, thicker slices of bread definitely work better.

The Problem and the Resolution

As a mother of two young children, I am all too familiar with the challenges that come with feeding picky eaters. In my family, that food fight is complicated even further by the fact that my son Bryan has severe food allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts, which makes it even more difficult to find foods that my children can (and will) eat. All of this combined has gotten my family stuck in a major food rut, where we basically eat the same things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, day in and day out.

While I wouldn't necessarily label myself as adventurous when it comes to food, I do enjoy different flavors and cuisines, and I do like to cook. So as a New Year's Resolution, I have decided to make at least one new Bryan-safe recipe each week. That works out to 52 new recipes over the course of the year- which is certainly more than I have accomplished lately. This blog is dedicated to keeping track of each week's results- where the recipe came from, modifications, degree of difficulty, and how it was received by my family. I know this probably sounds a bit Julie and Julia, but honestly, I'm mainly keeping the blog to help me keep the resolution! And maybe by the end of the year, my family will be on its way to becoming a little more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.