Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week is all about the Best Of ChowMama 2009! To help ensure that you begin 2010 with a recipe box loaded with quick and healthy recipes that your whole family will love, I’ve hand selected my favorites (recipes that I return to over and over again) and the most popular recipes as measured by traffic and comments (ones that worked out well for me and you).
You’ve been waiting for today, haven’t you? Healthy sweet treats and desserts it is. Enjoy! Tomorrow is the last day of this “best of” extravaganza and we’ll delve into parenting posts, because how we feed our families is central to how we raise our kids.
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I’m so excited to be participating in a virtual dinner party this evening hosted by none other than the fabulous Naptime Chef. Not only is The Naptime Chef a creative cook who makes mouthwatering meals during her daughter’s naptime (can you say SuperMom?!), but she also finds time to support (and get others involved in) great causes like the release of Park Avenue Potluck CELEBRATIONS, a cookbook created and authored by members of The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
I still hadn’t delivered our little bundle when asked to join in the fun, but I was close. Very close. Celebratory cocktails were on my mind, but I was still in “mocktail” mode. A punch that could be served virgin to kids and pregnant and breast feeding moms or spiked to the rest of us (and maybe ‘lil sips for preggy and breast feeding moms!) was the perfect choice. This Apple Cider Punch, a heavenly taste of the holidays, fits the bill perfectly.
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Organic vs local. We’ve all heard the debate. Or at least heard about the debate. But, if you’re anything like me, making sense of it all can be overwhelming. (And I live, work, and breathe this stuff.) Each “side” makes a compelling argument about why they are the better, healthier, more sustainable choice. (Here is a brief listing of the pro’s and con’s of each.) And, then there are arguments like this one that suggest neither is particularly sustainable. What are parents—who barely have time to read, much less analyze the net health and environmental impact of our food choices—to do?

I usually tackle a topic like this when I have a firm opinion to share and resources to point to (so you can come up with your own firm opinion). But, the truth is, I’ve been thinking about this for ages and haven’t come up with anything convincingly definitive. But, I have a gut feeling about what’s best for my family and, though I have no idea if it’ll be helpful, I thought I’d share it with you. It only makes sense as we find ourselves in the thick of farmer’s market season, opting for perfectly ripe, just picked, local conventional produce. (How come there aren’t more local organic farms!)
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Photo: Maltman23

My ChowBaby isn’t much interested in dinner these days. It could be his age. My friends with 3-year-olds tell me their little ones are up to the same “no good.” Or it could be the season. Warm summer evenings make me less interested in big meals, too.

I don’t worry as much as I used to when he doesn’t eat. I look at his consumption over the span of a week (not over a meal or even over a day) to make sure he’s getting the nutrition he needs. My concern is more practical. When Atticus doesn’t eat dinner, he uses the I’m-starving-mama excuse to avoid going to bed on time. And that’s just makes getting him to sleep that much harder than it already is.

Under such circumstances, I turn to drink. Not that kind! Although that might help too. No, I mean the subject of this week’s parenting tip—the smoothie!
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Photo: Sushi Tie from Pem Shop

Food News, Things We Crave, Resources, Green Your Eats, and Tips, Tools & Techniques. Check out this week’s picks. And don’t forget today’s yummy recipe for an amazingly All-Purpose Blueberry Puree below. Perfect for Father’s Day brunch! Happy happy all you ChowPapas! We love ya’!

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This blueberry puree is the kind of recipe you end up throwing into everything. It takes 5 minutes and will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Once sweet, in-season blueberries hit the market, I like to have this stuff around all the time. Some ways that we gobble this down include:

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