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Growing up, my brother and I were always fond of breakfast for dinner. There was something very “opposite day” about it that intrigued us like no other meal could. We almost felt like little rebels basking in a stack of pancakes dripping in syrup while our neighborhood friends sat down to spaghetti or pot roast.
At 32, I still enjoy a good omelet for dinner and even the occasional Belgian waffle, so this recipe for a Baked Apple Puff really stood out in Michelle Stern’s new cookbook, The Whole Family Cookbook.
I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle back in October at BlogHer Food in San Francisco. We were among a group of people that were left momentarily stranded at a function which led us to being smooshed into a limo like sardines while winding through the streets on San Francisco.
Being that I am extremely claustrophobic and get insanely car sick, I was about two seconds away from either breathing or vomiting (maybe both) into a paper bag before the limo came to screeching halt at the curb of our hotel.
Michelle’s passion for teaching children about fresh, wholesome food is evident throughout her entire book, which is full of unique recipes that will help you get your children involved the kitchen. Michelle provides you with great tasting recipes using accessible, fresh and local ingredients along with easy to follow, color coded, step by step instructions.
It will get you excited about dragging a stool into the kitchen and allowing your little one to crack eggs, measure flour, stir batters, and a myriad of other little-hand suitable tasks. In turn, helping out will get them excited about the food that they are helping to create!
Your kiddos are going to love this Baked Apple Puff and the many other recipes in The Whole Family Cookbook.
One of my favorite memories was when my cousin came over and we decided to do some baking – we made apple pie with ‘zucchini’ since my dad promised us “we’d never tell the difference” … well, they were so terrible even the dog wouldn’t even eat it! We also made some sort of bread, which didn’t rise up and turned out like bricks. We hopped on our bikes with some samples in tow and rode 2 miles to our grandma’s house so she could try our creations. Poor grandma was a good sport, she tried our stuff – but I can guarantee you she didn’t enjoy it! :) Thankfully my cooking skills have since improved!!
My grandmother lived with us when I was little and we spent every afternoon in the kitchen together “concocting” recipes. She taught me to not be afraid to make things up as I go and that if I didn’t have flour all over everything when making dumplings, including the ceiling, I wasn’t doing it correctly. The memories of those recipes and the short years together before she died are still my favorites today.
I loved going with my mom to cook in her restaurant when I was younger. Everything seemed so big and mysterious. All of the machines seemed like magic beings. It was a place of possibility and sparked my obsession with cooking
My favorite childhood memory of cooking is when my dad used to teach me how to make simple Italian dinners, like his father taught him. My brother never wanted to learn so my dad was anxious to teach it to me. These recipes come from Italy and have been with our family for generations.
Outside of cooking with both grandma’s, it would have to be my first cooking foray – At the age of 5, standing on a stool in the kitchen while my Mother was sick in bed with a cold – emulating the show ‘Zoom’s’ cooking segment of peanut butter spread on apples – explaining every detail on how to do it. Suffice it to say, there was peanut butter smeared all over the kitchen, and apple pieces all over the floor. My mom freaked, but still a fun memory :)
I have fond memories of making holiday cookies with my grandmother’s old cookie press.
My absolute favorite memory is making flat bread from scratch…a recipe we learned in Girl Scouts…with my grandma, sister, and cousins in my grandma’s kitchen. We all lived very close together and would spend a lot of time together! We would cut the dough into shapes after rolling it out and bake them then eat our creations!
My mom didn’t enjoy cooking or baking very much, but we did make fudge and Russian tea cookies every Christmas. It was a blast!
My favorite childhood cooking memory was one year we had this huge party on the fourth of July. I can remember peering over the edge of the counter to get my little nose just that much close to the creamy, bubbling bliss that was atop the stove: My mother’s New Englad Clam Chowder. Being a New Englander through and through this was a summertime staple for me. I remember slurping it out of a bowl with a couple of my cousins as we warmed our feet on the hot surface of the basement bulkhead. Perfect.
The first thing I learned to “cook” was deviled eggs from the American Girl Cookbook. I was always in charge of making deviled eggs for my family when we had a big meal (like holidays or when friends or family came over for a meal). As I got older, my mom gave me some tips and ideas to change up the recipe a little.