Something Delicious

[spritzerJ]

Not a chef but I play short order cook to the 6 year old, known as The General....

Keeping her particular taste buds in mind (seriously she all sorts of serious about food consistency and smell)....

Dinner tonight is in the crock pot..."Some sort of Soup"
Rainbow rotini noodles
Tomato sauce (pint jar my sauce is just tomatoes)
Stewed tomatoes (not drained, quart jar again just tomatoes)
pink beans (not drained + 1 can of water)
carrots chopped
green beans (fresh, frozen or canned doesn't matter. I used MY canned not drained beans as those are the ones The General loves the most)
3 tablespoons of pesto (or more if you like)
salt to taste

We will be topping with Parmesan cheese later.
Must frost cookies now.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by spritzerJ

Not a chef but I play short order cook to the 6 year old, known as The General....

Keeping her particular taste buds in mind (seriously she all sorts of serious about food consistency and smell)....

Dinner tonight is in the crock pot..."Some sort of Soup"
Rainbow rotini noodles
Tomato sauce
Stewed tomatoes (not drained)
pink beans (not drained + 1 can of water)
carrots chopped
green beans (fresh, frozen or canned doesn't matter. I used MY canned not drained beans as those are the ones The General loves the most)
2 tablespoons of pesto (or more if you like)
salt to taste

We will be topping with Parmesan cheese later.
Must frost cookies now.

Yum. Looks good and healthy. What a great way to play on pasta and tomato, which many kids like, while also working in some good protein and vegetables.

Good job!

My teenager, who I call "mini-diva" because she really is a mini version of her Mom, is a vegetarian and does not like tomato or tomato sauce. This eliminates about 80% of the Italian food ideas that I come up with for her. The only thing that she will eat with my veg tomato sauce is eggplant parmesan when I make it for her. Then she can eat that for days and never tire of it.

Go figure.

[spritzerJ]

Originally Posted by Sun

Yum. Looks good and healthy. What a great way to play on pasta and tomato, which many kids like, while also working in some good protein and vegetables.

Good job!

My teenager, who I call "mini-diva" because she really is a mini version of her Mom, is a vegetarian and does not like tomato or tomato sauce. This eliminates about 80% of the Italian food ideas that I come up with for her. The only thing that she will eat with my veg tomato sauce is eggplant parmesan when I make it for her. Then she can eat that for days and never tire of it.

Go figure.

Thank you Sun. I was thinking of it as spaghetti soup.

What is it with kids huh? LOL, I am far pickier than The General. She doesn't like food that smells "hot" (she means spicy). So for enchiladas I add pureed carrots so the sauce doesn't smell hot. Then she'll eat them up and they are healthier for me. Luckily, cumin is not hot smelling .

The General also does not like meat much. She will eat roasted chicken and beef in stew. Otherwise no thank you.

Tomatoes are one of those foods that The general loves fresh and canned. I can my own tomatoes which means they are always a part of some dish/sauce. Mini Diva is missing out, but maybe they are just too strong of a smell/taste for her. Lucky for her you keep trying.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by spritzerJ

Thank you Sun. I was thinking of it as spaghetti soup.

What is it with kids huh? LOL, I am far pickier than The General. She doesn't like food that smells "hot" (she means spicy). So for enchiladas I add pureed carrots so the sauce doesn't smell hot. Then she'll eat them up and they are healthier for me. Luckily, cumin is not hot smelling .

The General also does not like meat much. She will eat roasted chicken and beef in stew. Otherwise no thank you.

Tomatoes are one of those foods that The general loves fresh and canned. I can my own tomatoes which means they are always a part of some dish/sauce. Mini Diva is missing out, but maybe they are just too strong of a smell/taste for her. Lucky for her you keep trying.

Hi spritzer

I recall loving my Grandmothers tomato sauce from as far back as I can remember. So it always baffled me when I would come across a child that did not like tomato. Perhaps for some it is bitter. Not sure.

Sounds like The General has a strong sense of what she likes. That is awesome When I was 6 I did not like dried chili powder either. How cute that she says it smells "hot". Love that. That drying process that the red chilis go through takes away everything that I love about chili's so I never use it. Rather, I use fresh chilis and roast them. The mild ones come up sweet and savory with no heat. A nice roasted red bell pepper is sweet,so she may like that, especially if you blend it into something like tomato sauce. It is also a nutritional powerhouse.

Some of my friends complain to me that they have a lot of trouble getting the kids to eat vegetables. By age 15 there were at least a dozen vegetables that I loved so I am baffled by mini diva being so particular. Although her Mom did have a breakthrough with her last week and got her to eat spinach and green beans. I nearly passed out. Some magic was at work there. What we try to do with her is just play on the flavor profiles that she already likes, which are also limited; soy sauce, garlic & a little fresh ginger (also vinegar, water sugar, if its an Asian cucumber salad that I make) & melted cheese - muenster, mozzerella, jack, cheddar.

What did work successfully recently was getting her to drink a protein shake. That took years but Trader Joes makes a really good canned product that has no gritty texture and has 21 grams of protein per serving. Epic win.

[Nadeest]

Speaking of Italian food, when I was in my International Cuisine course, I drew northern Italy for my practical exam. I made Asiago Chicken, Rice with Savoy Cabbage (though I used a regular cabbage, instead, as it was all that was available), and topped the chicken with alfredo sauce.

I originally got the recipe for Rice and Savoy Cabbage from About.com, but modified it a bit for home use, so that it is less expensive to make. I have found that regular green cabbage works very well, and so does long grain rice. Originally, the recipe called for short grained rice, which is more expensive, at least in my area. This is my version of it:

1 1/4 cups Rice
1 lb Cabbage
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese ( I often substitute some Asiago cheese, for part of the Parmesan)
Salt and White Pepper to taste
1 quart Beef broth, stock, or unsalted bouillion (meat or vegetable), simmering

After you take off the outer leaves of the Cabbage, cut the cabbage into shreds.
Heat the Olive Oil and Butter in a pot and saute the chopped Onion until it is translucent golden in color. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring them about, until they have wilted. Add a cup of hot broth (stock) to the pot, cover, and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Remember to stir it occasionally.

Stir in the rice, add the rest of the stock, and check the seasoning. Simmer until the rice is fully cooked. Add the cheese in, do a final check of the seasoning, and serve.

[Sun]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

Speaking of Italian food, when I was in my International Cuisine course, I drew northern Italy for my practical exam. I made Asiago Chicken, Rice with Savoy Cabbage (though I used a regular cabbage, instead, as it was all that was available), and topped the chicken with alfredo sauce.

I originally got the recipe for Rice and Savoy Cabbage from About.com, but modified it a bit for home use, so that it is less expensive to make. I have found that regular green cabbage works very well, and so does long grain rice. Originally, the recipe called for short grained rice, which is more expensive, at least in my area. This is my version of it:

1 1/4 cups Rice
1 lb Cabbage
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese ( I often substitute some Asiago cheese, for part of the Parmesan)
Salt and White Pepper to taste
1 quart Beef broth, stock, or unsalted bouillion (meat or vegetable), simmering

After you take off the outer leaves of the Cabbage, cut the cabbage into shreds.
Heat the Olive Oil and Butter in a pot and saute the chopped Onion until it is translucent golden in color. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring them about, until they have wilted. Add a cup of hot broth (stock) to the pot, cover, and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Remember to stir it occasionally.

Stir in the rice, add the rest of the stock, and check the seasoning. Simmer until the rice is fully cooked. Add the cheese in, do a final check of the seasoning, and serve.

You found my keyword "Asiago". Very nice. I bet this would make a nice risotto as well.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Nadeest

Speaking of Italian food, when I was in my International Cuisine course, I drew northern Italy for my practical exam. I made Asiago Chicken, Rice with Savoy Cabbage (though I used a regular cabbage, instead, as it was all that was available), and topped the chicken with alfredo sauce.

I originally got the recipe for Rice and Savoy Cabbage from About.com, but modified it a bit for home use, so that it is less expensive to make. I have found that regular green cabbage works very well, and so does long grain rice. Originally, the recipe called for short grained rice, which is more expensive, at least in my area. This is my version of it:

1 1/4 cups Rice
1 lb Cabbage
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese ( I often substitute some Asiago cheese, for part of the Parmesan)
Salt and White Pepper to taste
1 quart Beef broth, stock, or unsalted bouillion (meat or vegetable), simmering

After you take off the outer leaves of the Cabbage, cut the cabbage into shreds.
Heat the Olive Oil and Butter in a pot and saute the chopped Onion until it is translucent golden in color. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring them about, until they have wilted. Add a cup of hot broth (stock) to the pot, cover, and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Remember to stir it occasionally.

Stir in the rice, add the rest of the stock, and check the seasoning. Simmer until the rice is fully cooked. Add the cheese in, do a final check of the seasoning, and serve.

oh yummy thank you! I'm going to try this.