Adventures in Food
Posts tagged snacks
Why aren’t you drinking…Ya-Cool?
Sep 4th
A cousin to drinkable yogurt, this Mexican “cultured dairy beverage” is perfect for packing as a snack or in lunchboxes. My kids LOVE them. Plus, there’s the whole novelty of it. While they might be popular and available everywhere in Mexico, you can’t find them just anywhere in the U.S.
I usually stock up at our Mexican grocers, which is sadly a half-hour drive from our house. Ah well, it’s worth the drive–I grab fresh-made corn tortillas, lime mayo, dried ancho chiles, pinguinos (I’ll have to post about those later–think less sugary, moist Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes). Ya-Cool come in packs of 5 small bottles with an easy to peel off aluminum lid. There are several different companies that make them and plenty of varieties to choose from. My kids’ favorite are the peach and pineapple. I like the regular which has sort of a mild, indistinguishable fruity flavor and strawberry (fresas).
According to the packaging, they are supposed to aid in digestion. I’m not really sure about the health claims, I just know they taste good. Perhaps Activia for youngsters?
Firefly snack crackers
Aug 28th
One of my earliest memories was catching fireflies at my grandmother’s house in Iowa. Like most kids who get anywhere near a lightning bugs, I ran inside and asked for a glass jar. I just had to catch one! My grandmother helped me poke holes in the top of a Ball Mason canning jar. Back outside, I scooped up as many fireflies as I could. In the end, I think my glass jar had a total of three swirling inside. I let two go immediately, but I wanted to keep just one to light up my room.
Whether my captured lightning bug kept flashing into the night or not, I don’t remember. And, of course, since then I’ve learned that lightning bugs really shouldn’t spend too much time “indoors” no matter how many holes you poke! But what I do recall is the fascination and draw of these twinkling little creatures. It makes the outside feel magical at night–especially when all of a sudden one pops up next to you and flashes.
With summer nearly over and the fireflies making fewer and fewer appearances, I wanted to do something special with my kids. We’re having a ‘firefly’ picnic. Our plans are pretty simple–to take time to eat outside a little later at night (8pm) and to use battery-powered candles as light (granted, it won’t be that dark outside), but my kids liked that touch. Oh, and we’re eating our meal under the trees. We’re hoping a few fireflies will make a guest appearance and that the mosquitoes stay away during our “feast.”
Our meal will be a spread of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, juice boxes, chips and carrot sticks (can you tell the kids are ready for school again?), but we’re taking time to create some special firefly snacks—just in case the real ones don’t make an appearance.
Recipe for Firefly Crackers
Servings: As many as you want to make!
Prep time: Depends on how long it holds your kids’ interest
Ingredients
Circle crackers (Ritz or similar variety)
Spreadable cream cheese
Raisins
Kiwis (or pineapple rings)
Directions
Have all of your ‘firefly’ materials on hand ready for assembly.
Body—circle cracker
Wings—circle cracker broken or cut in halves
“Glow”—cut kiwis into thin slices or alternatively, use pineapple rings
Raisins—eyes
Cream cheese—glue
Add a generous dollop of cream cheese to a full circle cracker and spread. Add the kiwi to the bottom half of the cracker and carefully place a wing on either side. Add two raisin ‘eyes’ to the top of the body circle cracker. That’s it! If you don’t have kiwis available, go ahead and use pineapple rings, but you’ll have to carefully cut them in half to create a thin enough slice for the ‘glow’ part of the firefly cracker.
Winner! Revolution Foods Sampler Giveaway
Aug 26th
Credit: Revolution Foods
Thanks for all the entries in the Revolution Foods Giveaway. Heather C, is the winner. Please report back and let MKES readers know what you thought about the Grammy Jammys and other kids’ snacks.
Remember the $50 Bison Sampler Giveaway from High Plains Bison? Jennifer M. reported back. Here’s her review:
It came last week! It was really well packaged, with dry ice and individual frozen boxes. The dry ice wasn’t even half gone when it got to me, so everything was nice and cold. I got a box of hot dogs, a box of ribeye steaks, and a box of sausage with provolone and pepperoncini.
I don’t eat red meat, but my husband and six-year-old daughter do. I cooked up the sausage according to the package directions, which was very easy to do. They ate almost the whole (big) package in one sitting–there were two left over, and they each had one for breakfast first thing the next morning. They both declared it to be the best sausage they’d ever eaten and immediately asked that I order some more.
So it’s a big hit, especially since I”m really happy about the nutritional content as well!
Keep reading MKES for future giveaways and cool recipes your whole family will enjoy–even picky eaters!
Jolly Pumpkin’s Edamame Spread
Aug 20th
Photo credit: esthereggy
Great as a dip or spread–we here at Jolly Pumpkin serve it with our grilled pizza dough!
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds shelled edamame (fresh when in season or frozen)
1 cup fresh spinach- washed, stems removed
¼ cup parmesan cheese-grated (optional)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 clove garlic- crushed
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh mint to garnish
- In boiling salted water blanch the beans until tender. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Place beans in a food processor and pulse until course chopped- transfer half of the beans to a mixing bowl, leaving the other half of the beans in the food processor.
- Add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, spinach, lemon zest and juice, garlic salt and pepper to the beans in the food processor and puree until smooth.
- Add the pureed beans to the course chopped beans and gently fold together. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Transfer to a serving bowl- drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with fresh chopped mint
Chef Q&A: The Jolly Pumpkin’s Maggie Long
Aug 20th
Photo credit: esthereggy
The concept for the Jolly Pumpkin Café & Brewery has literally been stewing for years. The eatery located in downtown Ann Arbor is the brainchild of chef, and managing partner, Maggie Long and brewer extraordinaire Ron Jeffries. Jeffries has been crafting his artisanal sour beers in Dexter, Michigan for years and now has a restaurant and brewery in Traverse City along with the café, which opened in September of 2009.
Long says the philosophy behind the food at the café is fresh, organic. For example, her oldest daughter volunteers at an area farm where some of the ingredients come from for the café. And the sourdough pizza is fashioned with a sourdough starter that Long received from a fellow foodie whose held onto it for 130 years. Beyond the fresh ingredients, Long says that the aim of the café is “welcoming.” “We want everyone to feel comfortable here, especially families,” explains Long. “I love to see families here and I’m honored to provide food for them that is both healthy and delicious.” She notes that the menu includes kid favorites like chicken strips, but that the strips are made from locally raised chickens and breaded in organic cornflakes.
For a taste of Long’s organic creations, you can try this recipe from the Jolly Pumpkin café’s appetizer menu; this edamame spread is served alongside fresh, grilled sourdough pizza.
What three ingredients do you always keep stocked in your pantry?
Quinoa, organic peanut butter—it’s gotta be crunchy, and honey from the farmer’s market. Those are the staples in my house. It doesn’t mean I put those all together!
Your favorite meal to make or serve?
That’s a hard one. I absolutely love Tamworth hogs. A braised pork shoulder is my favorite meal–slow cooked. Tamworth is a heritage breed of hog and it’s a flavor not to be missed. It’s a darker meat and it has a ton of flavor.
We all have a favorite indulgence, for a foodie like you it must be something spectacular?
Ron introduced me to Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate, a small chocolate maker in Missouri. I’m not usually a fan of dark chocolate but the stuff this guy puts together is absolutely amazing. My favorite is the 70% Madagascar chocolate bar with little cocoa nibs in it. It’s addictive.
What’s one of your worst cooking mistakes?
Anything that I burn. Once, I burned the mac ‘n cheese sauce—totally toasted it. I tried to fix it, but you can’t. I use really good pasta and really good cheeses, but nothing can take that scorched flavor out.
There are so many great Michigan-made food products, what is your pick?
For me, anything seasonal. Rosewood Farms makes a phenomenal tofu.
What do you suggest for first-timers to Jolly Pumpkin? What menu item should they make sure to try?
I make a smoked tofu salad that’s really good. There’s spinach, cherry tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, shaved broccoli, a sesame vinaigrette and, of course, smoked tofu. The flavors meld really well. The sourdough pizza is always good too.
Giveaway–Revolution Foods Organic School Snack Sampler
Aug 17th
Apples are my idea of a perfect school snack–a medium-sized, crisp Empire apple. But I know that apples will only appeal (no pun intended:) to my kids so many days in a row and then I’ve got to get creative. I’ve been looking around for easy, healthy school snack options and Revolution Foods has some that may be just right. I haven’t sampled Revolution Foods’ line yet, instead I’m going to rely on one lucky MKES reader to do it for me.
The giveaway package will include samples of their kid-friendly
- Grammy Sammy–which pairs soft baked graham bars with creamy yogurt fillings. The cocoa graham with banana yogurt fillings sounds good to me.
- Jammy Sammy–for those of you with gluten allergies, this might be your answer to the standard PBJ. The bars come in several varieties including peanut butter and grape.
- Mashups–good-for-your-kids fruit snacks. Only organic fruits make it into these treats. Although there are several flavors, their newest creation, strawberry banana would be my pick.
Here’s how you enter–tell me your kids’ favorite school snack. Don’t have kids? You’re still eligible to enter–tell me one of your favorite snacks. The contest runs until next Wednesday, August 25th, when the winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, August 26th. (Only participants in the continental U.S. will be eligible–sorry Kiwis.)
I’ll start–one of my kids’ favorite school snacks (beyond apples) is whole, black olives. I send in ten–one for each finger and let them know that playing with their food is just fine. How about you?
The Banana Hot Dog
Jul 28th
Okay, not the best picture, but I had to snap this on my iPhone quickly before my tweener turned away (hence the blank stare look). Today, she made herself a banana hotdog for lunch. I couldn’t be prouder!
So if you’re kids are getting tired of PB&J or you just want something different for lunch or a snack–give this a try. Warning: it’s deceptively filling!
For each “hotdog” you’ll need
- a banana
- a piece of flatbread
- peanut butter
- jam (optional)
It couldn’t be easier to put it together–slather the flatbread (or pita bread or even a regular hot dog bun) with peanut butter and jam, put the whole, peeled banana in the center and roll-up. One banana hot dog that even picky eaters will like. Told you it was simple!
And if you have a kid who doesn’t like peanut butter–or is allergic–go ahead and use almond butter or yogurt instead.
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