“Mom, since it’s my graduation, and the last day of school, can I choose what we have for dinner?” Sure. Yesterday, was pajama day for the little guy and graduation for the fifth graders. Yet, they went to school one last morning to complete the days for the school calendar. Report cards were handed out too….
Author: aliceknisleymatthias
Alice Knisley Matthias writes about food, family, garden and education. Her work appears in The New York Times for Kids, Washington Post Kids, Food Network, Allrecipes, Taste of Home, Delish, The Kitchn, Eating Well and Parade. Her book, "Tasty Snacks in a Snap!" is published by Scholastic for young readers. She is a regular contributor for Parade covering food trends, product roundups, recipes, profiles and celebrity chef interviews. Her work for Boys' Life and Kids Discover has covered subjects like a Master Chef Junior finalist, music and theatre kids at work, how to make food from kitchen scraps and the science of yeast. Other credits include an America's Test Kitchen cookbook, Highlights for Children, Redbook, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, Meatless Mondays and regional parenting publications.
graduation meditation
We knew this time was coming. Yet, it doesn’t seem real. My “2002 baby” graduated from elementary school this morning. We went to a local restaurant to celebrate and that carried over to a friend’s house. It’s times like these that remind us it doesn’t have to be a lavish spread to celebrate a milestone…
spice is nice, but that is not
There’s a rule in our house. When trying new foods, if the guys don’t like something (and thankfully, that’s not often) they have to give a reason for not finding pleasure in the food. They’ve offered up everything from “It’s too spicy!” to “I can hear the crunching in my head!” These are not comments…
Archie and the gang
We were on the checkout line, in a supermarket several years ago, in a different neighborhood. When the guys were little, and they had to be dragged to do food shopping in the summer months, we would head to this supermarket. The reason they didn’t complain about going there? It wasn’t our neighborhood market. We didn’t know anyone…
a better bolognese
The guys know when it’s time to make a batch of Bolognese. This Bolognese doesn’t include milk as in some recipes. Roasting some of the ingredients gives a deeper flavor to the sauce. A Dutch oven is a perfect pot for this sauce as it takes layers of flavor to build. This pot can hold up…
master the macerated berries
The berry season is in full swing. The guys like their berries many ways. A dollop of fresh, whipped cream here. A splash of just-squeezed orange juice there. We scored some chocolate mint for the season. For some weird reason, the last two growing seasons, the chocolate mint in the garden came back, but without the…
ricotta revisited
There are some food products that are so easy to make. The kind of easy-to-make method that makes you wonder why you waited this long to do it yourself. Really. If you’ve never made homemade ricotta cheese, today, just may be your turning point. The straight forward process involves heating milk, adding an acid, and allowing…
not from concentrate
Thank goodness the guys got a computer for Christmas. If it weren’t for their computer, our run with the blogathon would have crashed and burned today. The computer, which occasionally frustrates, exactly at the times it needs to be the most cooperative, strikes again. Where were we? Strawberries. There are so many dessert options for strawberries….
strawberry bowls forever
The very trait of organic berries we value is that there are no pesticides. Yet, that is the very reason you’re in such a race to use them. They’re highly perishable and meant to be consumed quickly. What if you were tempted by that overflowing basket of June strawberries? Now, you’re overwhelmed with how fast they need to be…
what’s in store?
It’s a sunny day with puffy clouds in a blue sky. You walk through the farmers’ market. Baskets, bushels, and crates, are overflowing with produce. Doesn’t a sparkling day make everything look irresistible? When you get home, the cloth bag is unloaded. (Click on this link to read about the importance of cleaning those cloth…
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