We recently had friends over for brunch. They don’t have kids (yet!), so we made a plan for 12:30 pm (a “morning” plan for after noon, imagine that!). That would have normally taken the pressure off of cooking the day-of, except for the fact that we had other friends over the night before, friends for whom I cooked dinner, friends who also have no children and stay up later than we usually do. I needed a plan. A plan that would make back-to-back entertaining possible. Even with two little kids.

And it did. My plan—it worked!

If you ask me, every brunch needs a) coffee, b) savory eggs, c) something sweet and d) something light and healthy to balance out the eggs and sweet. My brunch menu was complete with all of these essential elements and all I had to do the day-of was put eggs in the oven and toss together a salad. THAT’S ALL.

My menu was simple: A Spinach and Cheese Strata, Escarole Salad with Roasted Squash and Cheddar and a Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bundt Cake. At first I was worried about not offering breakfast meat (okay, I admit it: even I find my omission of bacon or sausage as an essential element of brunch controversial)—but it totally worked. Chock full of gooey bread (think a savory bread pudding), the strata is quite filling. Paired with a hearty salad and cake, there was plenty of food. But, you know, I won’t blame you if you decide to quick roast sausage or oven crisp bacon, too. (Ooh! Or add some crispy pancetta to the strata.)

I was turned onto this strata from Gourmet by Deb of Smitten Kitchen. It’s a snap to put together: throw the ingredients in a baking dish the night before your brunch, store in the fridge overnight, begin the cooking process about an hour and a half before you plan on serving. In fact, it’s a great recipe for any weekend—even if you’re not entertaining.

Spinach and Cheese Strata, from Gourmet
(can be served to kids 12+ mos)*

1 10-oz package organic frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped organic onion (1 large)
3 tbsp unsalted organic butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 c cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
2 3/4 c organic milk
9 large organic eggs
2 tbsp organic Dijon mustard

1. Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.

2. In a large pan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

3. Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).

4. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, mustard and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).

5. The next day, preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*Note: Egg whites are a high allergen food usually not recommended until 12+ mos (plain egg yolks can be served to children 8+ mos), but the recommendations are changing. Evidence is mounting that there is no significant protective effect by delaying the introduction of high allergen foods. Read more about eggs—and shifting attitudes about food introductions—on one of my favorite baby food resources, Wholesome Baby Food.

If your child does not have food allergies and there is no history of food allergies in the family, you may consider talking to your pediatrician about introducing eggs (a great source of protein!) much earlier.

Photo: JenT

We are well into Hanukkah, a holiday that encourages fried food. Can you think of any better traditional holiday foods than potato pancakes (latkes) and DONUTS?! This is good stuff people.

Okay, okay. I realize that fried foods (are also rolled in sugar) are not the kind of thing I usually recommend feeding young children, but it’s a special holiday treat. Fried foods are part of the magic and fun of the Festival of Lights and, hey, everything in moderation, right?

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at homemade donuts for a while now. I considered making cider donuts back in autumn, but I was too tired and preggy. Plus, my favorite donuts are yeasty and doughy, not cakey like most cider donuts. So, at the time, I decided that they weren’t worth the effort. (I know—saying that donuts of any kind aren’t worth the effort is insanity, but I was 9 months pregnant. Cut me some slack.) Sufganiyot, Hanukkah jelly donuts, on the other hand, are right up my alley. And now that I’m not carrying a full term infant in my uterus, I’m up to the donut challenge. Plus, these being a holiday treat, I (and you) can make cooking these with the kiddos an annual tradition.

I ever so slightly adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart, but also referenced this recipe at Epicurious. The latter not only offers adaptations for Jewish dietary restrictions (not for us, but maybe for some of you out there?), but also directions for easily including kids in the donut making fun. It’s fun, easy and yummy. Just the way cooking with kids and holiday treats should be. And I know: my (big) ChowBaby and I made these donuts together just yesterday. (Sorry I flaked on taking my own pictures. They came out gorgeous and you’d see what a blast Isaac had helping me in the kitchen. Next time.)

Sufganiyot, adapted from Martha Stewart (makes 20)
(can be served to kids 12+ mos)

3/4 c warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tbsp)
2 1/2 c organic all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 c organic sugar, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp organic nutmeg
pinch salt
2 large organic eggs, separated
2 tbsp organic unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c strawberry, raspberry or apricot jam (I like mine full of jelly)
peanut oil for frying, plus more for bowl

1. In a large bowl, stir together the warm water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt; mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour. Mix until combined, then knead dough in bowl until all flour is incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead a few minutes until smooth. Knead in butter until incorporated.

2. Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl, turning several times to coat entirely with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and (ideally) refrigerate overnight. It’s possible to make these on the same day—I did. Just keep the covered dough in a very warm place for a couple of hours until it doubles in size.

3. If you refrigerated the dough, bring it to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Otherwise, you can immediately roll it out on a lightly floured work surface into an 11-inch square, about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out about 24 2″ rounds. Reroll scraps; cut out about 16 more rounds.

4. Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Brush edge of a dough round with egg white, then mound some jam in center (Martha recommends about a 1/2 tsp—I push it. Top with another round; press edges to seal. I found that it helps to create a dome with the second round before placing it on top of the jellied one and pinching them together. This helped me keep (most of) the jelly from seeping out. Repeat with remaining rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; let rise until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil in a large, heavy pot until it reaches 360 on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches of 4 or 5, slip doughnuts into hot oil. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 minute. (Mine went faster since I was moving too fast to keep my oil at the right temp. If this happens to you, don’t fret. Just go by their color. You want golden brown donuts.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer donuts to paper towels to drain.

6. While donuts are still hot, dip them in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, turning to coat. Serve immediately.

Photo: ex.libris

As you’ve surely gathered from my recent posts, it’s been a bit of a bloodbath here. I cannot stop making sweets! After a long weekend of hard work finishing the nursery—and rewarding ourselves with decadent treats along the way—we needed a light, but satisfying Sunday night dinner.

On one of my breaks from telling the ChowPapa where to hang this and where to put that, I picked up a deliciously gooey, fresh ball of mozzarella. With a day old loaf of bread and heirloom tomatoes from Saturday’s farmers market hanging around, Panzanella was the natural thing to make.

You know me and my boys. Salad—yes, even bread salad—doesn’t quite satisfy. I wasn’t up to making a separate main entree, so I decided to add chicken. I threw bacon in the mix when I noticed that I had some left over from testing my Apple & Candied Bacon Upside Down Cake. Gotta use up what’s in the fridge, and boy did it work out well! I only had 2 strips, but suggest that you use 3 or 4 for even more yumminess.

This is meant to be a quick and easy dish. It can withstand a lot of variation, so don’t worry too much about measuring or being exact. Taste as you go. That’s what I did. If you’re nervous about winging dressing, go to your favorite basic (red wine) vinaigrette. Or just keep in mind 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. This would also be great using red wine vinegar AND lemon juice as your acid, and adding a little bacon fat to your oil. Oh yea!

Bacon and Chicken Panzanella, serves 3-4 as a main entree
(can be adapted for kids 10+ mos)

1/2 loaf organic italian bread (or other rustic bread), cut into approx 1 ” cubes
organic olive oil
3-4 strips organic bacon*
3 organic chicken breasts
1 ball fresh mozarella, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 organic red onion, thinly sliced*
2-3 large organic tomatoes, cut into bite size wedges
1 organic cucumber, seeded and sliced into half rounds
organic red wine vinegar**
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bread with olive oil and toast in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven until golden brown, about 10 min or so. Watch carefully—they can burn quickly. Set aside.

2. In the meantime, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble into bits and set aside. Salt and pepper chicken breasts and saute in bacon fat until cooked through. (There should be plenty of fat to cook the chicken, but add a little olive oil if need be.) Cube chicken and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix mozzarella, onion, tomato, cucumber, chicken and croutons.

4. Make dressing by whisking or shaking olive oil and red wine vinegar (use oil-to-vinegar ratio above). I like this salad with a healthy amount of dressing so that the croutons get partly soaked. Some like less dressing to ensure that they stay super crunchy. Dress salad and toss. Top with bacon bits.

*Skip bacon and pick out red onions for young eaters
**Use apple cider vinegar for portions fed to children under 12+ mos

Note: My photo came out horrible (I had terrible light and was rushing because I knew we’d immediately wolf this down). You’ll notice that the panzanella in the photo I used has basil, which is quite common. While I think basil could work for this recipe, I left it out on purpose. Once again, follow your taste buds and decide for yourself.

Photo: prettywar-stl

The ChowBaby and I were stuck on the train coming back from the American Museum of Natural History the other day. It was naptime and I was hell-bent on keeping him from falling asleep so that I could put him down when we got home—and actually get an hour or two of work in! So I regaled him with some of his favorite stories, including the one of my honeymoon in Tunisia.

Not only did I manage to keep him awake, I was also inspired to make something honeymoon-ish to surprise the ChowPapa when he got home from work. Without much time to spare, I whipped up one of my favorite North African street foods: the omelet sandwich. It reminded me that a simple change of spices can make something old Iike an egg sandwich new again.

North African Omelet Flatbread Sandwich
(for kids 12+ mos)

4 store bought square flatbreads (use round organic flour tortillas if needed)
4 organic brown eggs
3/4 cup organic parsley, finely chopped
1 cup organic scallions, white part only and thinly sliced
1 tbsp organic all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp organic ground allspice
1/8 tsp organic cinnamon
harissa
dash of sea salt
dash of fresh ground pepper
organic olive oil
2 tbsp water

1. In a large bowl, crack eggs and beat.

2. Stir in parsley, one half of the scallions, flour, water, and spices and mix.

3. Over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup of the egg mixture (about 1/4 of the mix) to a lightly oiled pan. Spread evenly in a thin round until about 7 inches in diameter. Fry one minute per side until lightly golden. Remove from pan and place on a layer of paper towels. Repeat process until you have 4 omelets.

4. Spread flatbread with harissa to taste. Remember, harissa is HOT so use only the tiniest amount (or none at all) for the little ones. Top each flatbread with an omelet, sprinkle with 1/4 remaining scallions per sandwich, and roll tightly.