The tree is up — so my boys want their Christmas cookies. We cut the tree down at a Christmas tree farm. You can take a hay ride while they secure the tree to the top of the car. I have a recipe for sugar cookies I use every year. It is a combination of butter, sugar, vanilla,…
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.
pb and what?
I was never a fan of the pb & j sandwich when I was a kid. Cloyingly sweet jelly, with peanut butter, was not a combination of flavors I enjoyed. Even more unappealing, was the appearance that the 1970s popular brand of white bread took on, as it became soggy and purple-stained, after it sat all morning, in the lunch box, of the…
movie and a meal
“Mmm. What is this?” It always makes me laugh to hear this question when my boys try something new. Movie night at our home sometimes includes a theme to tie in with dinner. We have tried meals that have become family favorites like “Over the Hedge Casserole,” “Wall-E Pizza,” and “My Guys’ Grilled Ratatouille.” Inspired by Monica Bhide’s…
giving thanks
The house had the aroma of Thanksgiving. Turkey stock, with parsley and peppercorns, and onions and garlic. Gravy bubbled in a saucepan. I cooked twenty turkey cutlets, insted of a whole bird, with shallots and two big bags of baby carrots with butter, thyme, and honey. I cut loaves of bread into cubes and toasted them. They absorbed…
stormy weather
Sandy beaches. Family vacations and walks on the boardwalk with dripping ice cream cones on a sizzling, summer afternoon. Now, the words “Sandy” and “beaches” appear in headlines telling the story of the storm that blasted up the East Coast destroying the shoreline, ripping apart seaside boardwalks, and swallowing entire neighborhoods in its path. We…
how does your kitchen grow?
“Oh please. You’ll be in the fast food drive-through before you know it!” That’s what I heard from another parent when I pulled a whole wheat pita, with melted Monterey Jack cheese, from my brown paper bag and handed it to my son when he was a toddler. This parent knew she was talking to…
herbinkitchen 