Whining & Dining

Bad Thai or Meal from a Lazy Cook

The other night, I decided to make Pad Thai (page 127 of Whining and Dining) for the family. This was necessitated by the fact that I had not been shopping and all I had was some Thai sticks (rice noodles) and frozen shrimp. I was also motivated by Doppleganger at 50 Books who said our recipe was the best Pad Thai she ever made. So I mix up the sauce (but I was too lazy to find the paprika which is hiding out on some high shelf -- knowing that if I got the chair out to stand on, my one and half year old would be perched right beside me trying to get into the cupboards and that just didn't seem worth it) and it tastes fine, but to be honest is really lacking a little zing due to the hiding paprika). I then decide to use broccoli, and some red pepper because I already had some sliced that had been rejected the night before. I don't have tofu or chicken but what the hell the kids like shrimp the best anyways.

I boiled up some water to soak the rice noddles and I let them sit. I saute the shrimp. I saute the broccoli, and the peppers.  I pull out some broccoli for son number two without sauce, I pull out some shrimp for both sons who are allergic to sauce and then i throw few that i have left with the veggies, so far so good except there are hardly any shrimp waiting for sauce because I have to assume that the boys will eat more than they really will, but if they want more and they are all saucy -- then we get some attitude....

I turn to the noodles -- which are a bit thicker than normal pad thai noodles and they seem, a little bit hard but I toss them into the wok anyway. Throw on the sauce and wait....and wait...and wait, nope noodles still to hard to eat. Now I have to react as a professional -- Eshun and I often say that it is the ability to fix problems in the kitchen that makes us good cooks.  So I add a little stock (yes, from the box) and put a lid on the noodles, veggies, shrimp and sauce. And let it steam, I also add the plain noodles to boiling water. And then ... everything turns to mush. My broccoli is brown, my peppers are just flacid strips with the inedible skin. The noodles are a morass of white -- blah.

But I didn't say anything negative (maybe they won't notice!) I just put it down on the table. The boys had their plain noodles and plain shrimp and plain broccoli. And the rest of us had mushy noodles, mushy broccoli and rubbery shrimp. YUM! And it tastes all the much better knowing that I am a cookbook author!

But it is a delicious recipe...which I unfortunately can't post because we are over our quota of postable recipes. But I will post something else that is out there in the stratosphere soon.

We're starting to blush...

When Eshun and I started writing the book we had this idea that we wanted to put out there -- that feeding a family, especially a family with a picky eater was challenging but it could also be rewarding. We wanted the book to feel like you were commiserating with someone on the playground, someone you trusted that was full of good ideas, great recipes and some sarcastic comments. And then we wrote it, tested it, cried over it, agnosized and even enjoyed it and sent it off to our editors.

And now it is out for the world to see and wow, you really like us. And not just the people who are supposed to like us (like the ones we are related to or who we have over for playdates) but total strangers. Both the recipes (yey Eshun!) have been loved, as well as the tips, strategies and anecdotes.

Check out our links to see what the blogs are saying.

People in my neighbourhood have been stopping me just to tell me how they have re-adjusted their mealtime and how much less stressful dinner is now. My neighbour who has three kids said she has been amazed that puttind down all the food family-style has made her life easier because now she doesn't obsess about the kids finishing what is on their plates and also because she can sit for longer without requests for more.  Another friend learned to do away with the artificial line between "kid food" and "adult food".

But don't worry we're not getting over-confident. It's true once in a while we think, just for a minute, that we've got this parenting thing under control but then our kids let us know that no, we are still treading water just like everyone else...

Being a neurotic writer means that I am always hungry for more positive feedback, so let us know how it's going.

Where to Find Us This Week

Monday, May 14

First Canadian Place, Toronto

12:15 and 1:15. We will be doing a cooking demo and a seminar at the First Canadian Place Luncheon Series.

Friday, May 18

Gill Deacon Show, CBC TV. Airs at 11:00 am and 2:00 p.m.

June ??

Seminar at Creative Preschool at the Bridgpoint Health Centre, open to the public

We love to talk to parenting groups, preschools and anywhere that has a group of people who want to discuss, get tips and exchange some ideas about picky eaters, family meals and recipes.

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

Eshun really, really loves these muffins, and yes, the kids like them too. They have a pleasant crunch from the cornmeal and are a pretty yellowish colour dotted with blueberries.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• ¾ sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• ¾ vegetable oil
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp grated lemon rind

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Grease a muffin pan or line with muffin papers.
3. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a fork to blend. Add blueberries and toss to coat with flour mixture.
4. Combine buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon rind in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.
5. Spoon batter into a muffin pan (filling cups ¾ full).
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly golden at edges and baked through.

Makes 18 muffins or 30 mini muffins.

Banana French Toast

The banana adds a little sweetness that even fruit-a-phobes may not notice. You can use any absorbent bread (we've even used stale whole wheat when desperate).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 baguette (preferably day old), cut into ¾ inch slices
• 3 tbsp butter
• Icing sugar & maple syrup (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, milk cinnamon and salt in large bowl; whisk to combine.
2. Stir in mashed banana.
3. Add baguette slices to egg mixture in batches. 
4. Use a fork to squish the bread and soften the crust so the bread soaks up the mixture.
5. Melt butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add as many baguette slices as will fit; fry for about 2 minutes per side or until slices are golden.
6. Serve immediately, either plain, dusted with icing sugar or drizzled with maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Where To Find Us Part Deux

Saturday, May 5 We are signing books and providing some treats at Type Books, 883 Queen Street West

Sunday, May 6 at 1:15 The Christina Cherneskey Show on CFRB. Call in with your questions about picky eaters!

Monday, May 7 at 1:00 pm CH at Home CHTV. Air date unknown.

Tuesday, May 8 10:00 am (Pacific Time) CFAX Radio Victoria. Live with Joe Easingwood, all those west coasters can call in with their questions

Thursday, May 10 Our official launch at Type books in Toronto, 6pm- 8pm

Monday, May 14 12:15 pm and 1:15 p.m. First Canadian Place

If you are interested in Eshun and Emma doing a seminar/cooking demonstration for your parenting group or workplace. Just let us know!

Selling a Cookbook Means No Home-Cooked Meals

The first week of publicity was certainly interesting. We started with Canada AM (check out the link). I needed a few minutes to recover from meeting Peter Krause from my all-time favourite (Aaron Sorkin) show Sports Night and also, Six Feet Under.  Suddenly, we were on TV making banana french toast (Well, Eshun was I was just uselessly mashing bananas) and trying to talk about the book but also obsessing that we were in this awkward position standing in profile to the camera... and then it was done. I was home by 9:30 and felt like I had done a full day of work. 

Tuesday, my mother (Lucy Waverman) and I did CBC Radio, Sounds Like Canada with Shelagh Rogers and that was much more relaxed.  Talking to Shelagh Rogers is a bit surreal, because I have of course had many conversations with her in my car, but never really in real life.  The conversation veered slightly as she and my mother discussed the culinary achievements of Glasgow (!!) but I did have some opportunity to talk about the "Rules of Engagement" in the book and I felt like Shelagh had actually read it, or perhaps her producer did a great job of briefing her.  I would love to provide a link but CBC has not put one on their site, (please complain to them).

Today we filmed a piece for Cityline in my kitchen and our kids were in it too. I have no idea when that will air but it will probably be on a Wednesday, Health and Family day. The upside is that it was much more relaxed than being in a studio, but the downside is now the editor can cut it to pieces and who knows what will come out... but I will remain optimistic (at least I was not in profile).

Of course the irony is that I did not cook at all for my kids this week. It was all take-out or frozen. I keep telling my husband "I don't have time to cook, I have a cookbook to flog".