whitneyingram's Profile

I plan on using up some brown bananas for muffins and then a pasta with cream sauce, chicken and broccoli my kid's favorite. On Sunday, my husband is making me my favorite meal ever. Perfect roast chicken, gravy and rice and green beans and then I will make a buttermilk cake with whipped cream and strawberries for dessert.

Just made my first pot of soup since early spring. I literally had to dust off my ladle. Vegetable orzo soup and it was a big hit with the kids. Paired it with some great crusty bread from a local bakery. Tomorrow, I plan on making us some pineapple peach smoothies before the school 5k and then I am going to make pancetta and chive bread pudding for dinner.

I love this. I truly believe that racial tolerance can be built through food. It is something we all have in common. If we can sit down to a meal with someone and we eat each other's foods, I think we build a connection. And if we can build a connection, we already are one step closer to being more understanding and respectful to one another.

Both my husband and I come from large families. (8 on my side, 13 on his). We have been to countless dinners and hosted many of them ourselves. Here are some tips:

1. Make it a buffet. That will clear up table space and eliminate passing.

2. Don't prepare anything that will need to be cut up for little children. Like do to roast chicken legs instead of pork chops.

3. If you can, grill. You can cook a lot at one time. Like corn AND hamburgers.

4. Fill and run your dishwasher, and empty (if you have time) before dinner. That way, when clean up comes, you will have an empty dishwasher ready to utilize.

5. Don't be afraid to have other's help bring food. Like chips and salsa to keep people busy while you finish last minute dinner prep. Almost always, people are willing to help out. And they will probably ask you once you invite them.

I always buy. I have three little children and it is not the season of my life yet where I have time to make real chicken stock. Plus, the little people I cook for couldn't give a damn.

"Mom, I am not so sure about this soup. I am sensing that you used some carton chicken stock. That just will not do."

Yeah, no.

Ted Allen's cookbook is great too. Also, any of the Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines are good as well.

We are a household of 5 and 3 of those are 6 years old and under. We go through a lot of dishes! I run the dishwasher twice a day. After lunch and after dinner. I used to only do once a day, but if I can start dinner with an empty dishwasher it makes the biggest difference in kitchen clean up and we enjoy our evening
much more.

This weekend is shaping up to be delicious. Working on developing few new recipes. Raspberry chocolate truffle ice cream, grilled ribeyes with gorgonzola rosemary butter and good ol' pepperoni pizza. But if I could get a hold of red tomatoes like yours, I might cancel everything and just make BLTs all weekend.

Raspberry and chocolate truffle ice cream, ham and cheese frittata, zucchini bread. And still thinking of something amazing for Sunday dinner. Probably something grilled...

Anything that kids like that is bad for them can be made good. Use whole wheat breads and tortillas, 100% fruit juice (even watered down if you want), all-fruit jam, natural peanut butter, baked chicken tenders coated in crushed cornflake cereal, whole wheat pasta, skim milk, turkey hotdogs. You get the idea.