excerpt from appetizers

although appetizers certainly do ease hunger pains if one hasn’t eaten for awhile, their
main function, originally, was to whet the appetite, and prepare the taste buds and
digestive tract for the upcoming meal and in this role should compliment the entrée. they
also slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, especially if it’s introduced to
an empty stomach. hence they increased vastly in popularity, and variety, during the
1920s with the introduction of the cocktail party, and the number of recipes that can be
placed in this category has never stopped growing. the arrival of frozen foods also gave
appetizers a boost. the idea of having little puffed crab balls in 20 mins. was wonderful!
lately however, with the renewed interest in cooking, people have become more adept in
the kitchen, and are looking for the personal touch in the recipes they serve. this includes
a desire to make their own dishes, even, or especially, the appetizers. actually it’s my
favorite category of recipes because it’s fun. it can use such a wide variety of foods, has
great potential for invention, and is very forgiving. usually a mistake can be rescued, but
if it can’t, the whole meal isn’t ruined.

a word of caution about canapés before discussing specific appetizers. if you are
planning to spread them, only make a few at a time and serve them at once. if they are
allowed to sit, they become soggy, oily, unappealing and quickly stale. it’s better, and
easier to place the crackers etc. around a bowl of the spread or a wedge of cheese. see the
cheese chart for suggestions of selections.

actually, nothing is more acceptable than a nice wedge of a gourmet cheese, and many
are now available in the supermarkets, surrounded by different specialty crackers. a
simple example would be a round of edam, one slice of the red wax removed, in the
center of a plate of melba rounds, stoned wheat thins, and/ or carr’s table water crackers.
it’s eye-catching, fresh, looks tempting, and stays that way.

getting into crackers, without, as the brits say “ going crackers,” there are other ways
to provide things to hold a dip or spread, that will win you raves, even if you couldn’t get
to the store. for the diet conscious, sliced apples, wiped with lemon water to prevent
browning, and peeled, sliced jicama, which stays crisp and doesn’t brown, are nice, fresh
alternatives. flour tortillas, and pita breads ( the latter opened to make two circles), cut in
wedges, sprayed lightly with oil and sprinkled with lemon pepper, onion powder , garlic
powder, or any similar seasoning of your choice, and dusted with paprika, for color, then
baked on a foil lined cookie sheet, at 350deg. for 8-10min .make wonderful presentations,
and really add taste, especially if the tortillas are tomato or spinach, and the pitas are
wheat or flavored. don’t forget bread either. there are really good “party loaves” in the
markets , usually found near the deli counter. if you are planning ahead, they keep well
frozen, and served by themselves or cut and toasted, depending on the use, they can really
enhance flavor. you can also make your own. my personal favorite is real jewish rye, thin
sliced, cut into bite size, and lightly toasted.
slices of french or italian bread, can also be treated the same. all of the above suggestions
keep for about a month in air-tight containers, so make lots at a time and have them on
hand!

the subject of bread leads us to crostini and bruschetta, popular terms on the menu
scene and often confused. crostini, traditionally, are thin slices of stale italian bread, cut
on an angle, lightly oiled and rubbed with garlic on one side and browned in the
oven,(350degs for 10 min.) then sprinkled with cheese, run under the broiler and floated
on soup. actually, substitute a thin french loaf for italian, keep or change the garlic,
substitute and/or add mustard etc. and change the cheese, it can become a canapé, but
watch out – serve at once while hot! !
bruschetta are initially treated the same, through the browning process, but here the
angled slices are ¾’ to 1’ thick, destined to support a great variety of toppings, and once
browned, depending on the topping, may or may not be returned to the oven. some
suggested toppings are listed below, but your imagination can truly be your guide—

1) chopped fresh tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste
and fresh, or dried herbs-basil, parsley, thyme or oregano, topped with a slice of fresh
mozzarella, crumbled feta or slivers of parmigiano-romano. if substituting canned diced
tomatoes, drain them very well and limit the oil.

2) spread the toasted bread with pesto add slices of fresh mushrooms, or sautéed ones
and /or carmelized onions or thin slices of tomato and top with slivers of brie, fontana,
gruyere or camembert.this can be served as is, or briefly run under the broiler.

3) go veggie ! saute chopped onions and peppers in a little olive oil ( this actually can be
done by placing them with the oil, just enough to coat, seasoned with lemon pepper to
taste, in the microwave on high, allowing 2 min. per cup) top with chopped bits of oil
cured sun-dried tomatoes and / or a choice of cheese. do not allow to stand long.

4) try mexican ! replace the tomatoes with drained salsa and top with monterey jack or
cheddar and fresh cilantro. add a bit of cumin and coriander to taste during cooking.
(optional) can be run under the broiler, or served at room temperature, but again do not
allow to stand long.

5) for seafood lovers, make a lamaise dressing of one part ketchup to three parts
mayonnaise, add mace to taste. spread it on the toasted bread and top with shrimp, whole
or chopped, crab or lobster interspersed with julienne curly leaf lettuce or spinach.

6) be elegant and top the bruschetta with thinly sliced smoked salmon and / or caviar
decorated with a sprig of fresh dill. optionally, a thin spread of cream cheese on the toast
would mute the salty taste, for those who don’t care for it. this, especially, makes an
excellent first course, as, in fact, do several of the suggestions above.
7) the spanish tapenades make excellent bruschetta toppings, especially over a spreading
of cream cheese. olive and sun-dried tomato tapenades are now sold in the relish aisle of
most markets. however, because the variety is limited, and they are usually sold only in
small jars, yet they keep for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, it’s really better, and so easy, to
make your own, especially if you’re planning a party, and can do it ahead. a tapenade is
simply a combination of any of several ingredients, marinated in olive oil to meld the
flavors. possibilities are: sliced olives, black and/ or green, chopped onion, chopped
garlic, chopped peppers red and / or green, fresh and / or roasted, sweet and/ or hot (very
little of the latter) slivered pimento, capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes ,if oil cured, use
some of the oil in the marinade, even ones re-hydrated in water are good and i find a bit
of the tomato water softens the oiliness of the marinade. i’ve had tapenade with
anchovies, or smoked oysters added at serving time. just about anything goes so long as it
isn’t sweet or sour, and proportions are to taste. i would suggest starting with the olives,
which come pre-sliced in cans, think tomatoes, onions, garlic and go from there.

tapenades and cream cheese are naturals together. if you want to cut down on the
amount of bread, or are in need of something to serve fast, open an 8oz. package of cream
cheese, and spoon about 4-6oz. of tapenade, jarred or your own, diagonally over it. serve
with crackers or other spreadables. chopped marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts,
smoked oysters or mussels also work well this way, as does a spicy chutney.

cream cheese has numerous uses in appetizer recipes, and i deal with many of them in
the special edition of this section, but one other quick, easy and tempting one is to mix it
to taste with bottled horseradish and spread it on rounds, about 1/8in. thick, of lebanon
bologna. if you are not familiar with this deli meat, it’s made of beef, looks fatty, but is
actually very lean, and has a smoky, salty tang that is interesting, unique and pleasant.
spread on one slice, it can be rolled, or covered with another and cut in wedges. separated
by layers of waxed paper these keep well for a day in the refrigerator. 8 slices, about 4
oz., of meat yields about l6 half rolls or 32 wedges.

the last easy appetizer uses any deli ham ( alternatively smoked turkey) from plain
boiled to prociutto crudo to suit your taste and budget. get it thinly sliced, not shaved, and
wrap it around a kosher dill pickle spear. secure with 3 toothpicks and cut in thirds.
similarly, slice the melon in 1in wedges, remove rind, wrap fruit with a slice of meat,
secure with toothpicks and cut in bite-sized pieces. 4oz of meat should yield about 24
appetizers with pickle, and about 20 or 22 with melon, because the meat may need to
overlap more. draping a piece of real prosciutto crudo, or even a thin slice of high quality
ham over a 2in wedge of melon is the classic italian first course prosciutto con mellone,
an ever popular, elegant and always acceptable choice to serve guests.
 excerpt from children’s fare

as the saying goes, you can please some people all the time and all sometimes, but not
both. it’s to be expected, given a wide variety of ages, that there will be times when
children can’t, or won’t eat certain entrees. in this section we offer a few basic recipes for
making baby food, tips for converting your dinner into one for your toddler as you cook,
and provide some special recipes for those nights when your children simply must have a
different meal, or perhaps to make them feel special when you’re out. it offers a small
sample of the recipes to be found in the supplementary children’s fare section.

“kid friendly” doesn’t mean anti-adult. most of us still enjoy foods we liked as
children. in fact, that’s when we form our basic taste preferences. so it’s important, in
planning children’s meals, to remember you’re not only setting them on a good life-long
nutritional path, but also leading them through a process of acquiring new tastes, as they
grow. feeding children can be an exciting learning process rather than a boring jar
opening task. babies are children too, so this applies to them as well. food is food. the
difference is age appropriate preparation geared to the developing digestive system, and
always with the pediatrician’s approval. often a dish, for example creamed spinach, can
be acceptable for an infant or toddler, and with some sophisticated additions, be
considered adult fare.

this is especially true of vegetables, where the first step is usually boiling or
steaming, but can also apply to meat and fish in the primary stages of meal preparation.
it’s easy to set a portion aside for children, and isn’t difficult, or time consuming, to
process, if necessary. toddlers, especially, love eating like big girls or boys, and, trust me,
the sooner children are used to sharing the family meal, the easier it is to feed them later.
making their food yourself also assures that there are no chemical preservatives used and
only optional amounts sodium! following are a few examples.

baby food is simple to prepare, but blending, often pureeing, is required. since the
serving amounts are initially so small, unless you plan to make several meals worth of a
food, i recommend buying a mini-chopper. this is also an invaluable tool for on-the-spot
creation of toddler food, because you can control the texture. as dinner is prepared,
simply scoop out the correct amount, process and keep warm, or re-heat. blenders and
processors are wonderful for larger quantities, especially of seasonal produce.
recommended storage for larger amounts is freezing in ice cube trays, the cubes then
stored in sealed plastic bags, and given serving amounts re-heated in the microwave. the
rules for preparing baby and toddler food are pretty general, but before you even consider
making your own, get approval from the pediatrician.

vegetables, fresh or frozen, should be fully cooked, but not mushy, and well drained.
the recipe is: ¼ cup of the solid food, processed to the desired texture with 1 tablespoon
of water or broth, and an optional teaspoon of butter, or with 1 tablespoon evaporated
milk as the liquid.

meat follows the same formula. chicken and fish can be poached, lightly sautéed or
baked. other meats should be stewed, or baked until fully cooked and tender. the cooking
liquid can be used in the processing, and more added if the mixture seems dry.
again, the addition of butter is optional, as is the substitution of evaporated milk.

the same rules apply to the preparation of fruit, too, but, here, it is especially
important to consult the doctor, because there are more serving options. not only is there
the question of the kinds of fruits the child can tolerate, but also of fork mashing versus
blending, the need for straining, and of course raw as opposed to cooked. stewing fruit is
really easy in the microwave. simply peel, core, or pit, chop, add 1 tablespoon of liquid,
per portion, apple, or other juices work well, cover and cook according to the oven
directions. a few grains of sugar are nice, as is a touch of cinnamon.

most mild herbs and spices are acceptable additions, in very small amounts, to
children’s recipes, and add a bit of taste to make the food more appealing. i favored them
over using salt and sugar, because i didn’t want those tastes to be acquired. cinnamon
works wonders on squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, fruits, and most of all, cereal.
once again, get medical approval before preparing the dish.

the following recipes are presented, approximately, according to age suitability, going
from baby to child. the addition of salt to taste, is optional in all.

1. chicken vegetable soup:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast – cubed
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans cut
½ 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach
2 -14oz cans chicken broth
2 tsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. dried thyme or sage
1 cup fine egg noodles, or for older children pasta shapes of choice
put first 7 ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15mins. or
until vegetables are crisp tender. add pasta and cook as directed. puree or chop, if
required. this freezes well, especially after processing.

2. vegetable omelet: ( one toddler portion—double for two etc.)

1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
¼ cup cooked vegetable
2 tablespoons butter
 optional additions: 1tablespoon grated cheese and/or 1 tablespoon diced tomato

blend for babies and toddlers, whisk for older children, egg, vegetable and milk
together. melt butter in a small frying pan ( @ 6”) pour omelet into pan and lift edges
toward center as it cooks, allowing the uncooked egg to flow into the cooked portion.
cook until the bottom in light brown and the top is set. if using cheese and/or tomato,
sprinkle them over half the omelet now. fold half the omelet over the other half and slide
onto a plate.

3.meatloaf:
½ cup cooked ground lean beef, or equal amount of cooked ground turkey
1 roma tomato, peeled and seeded
1 egg
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup fresh bread cubed
blend meat, tomato, egg, thyme, and bread for 10secs. pour mixture into a greased
mini-loaf pan or small ramkin. bake at 350 degs. for 20-25 mins. leftovers keep well
refrigerated..

4. macaroni:
½ cup milk plus 2 tablespoons if needed options;
1 tablespoon flour extra grated cheese
1 tablespoon butter paprika to decorate top
1/8 cup grated sharp cheese toddler turkey franks
½ cup cooked macaroni hotdogs of choice—beef, turkey, meat
etc. one per recipe amount

melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan, remove from flame, add flour and stir to a
smooth paste, incorporate ½ cup milk, return to flame and stir until sauce is smooth and
thick.(see sauces and gravies) add cheese and stir until cheese melts. add noodles. add
extra milk if mixture is too stiff. blend or chop for small children, adding the appropriate
amount of toddler franks if desired. for older children, an option is to pour the mixture
into a greased oven-proof dish. slice hotdog(s) lengthwise and place along the dish edges,
overlapping to encircle it for larger portions. top with extra cheese and paprika. bake at
350 degs. 20 mins or until hot dogs are browned and sauce bubbles..

5 .chicken aloha: ( this comes from a friend who lives on maui)

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced in strips, and lightly dusted in flour.
11/2 tablespoons butter
½ cup of crushed pineapple
melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. cook chicken, stirring to prevent
sticking, until brown, and juices run clear- about 8 mins. add pineapple and stir to deglaze
pan, and slightly caramelize- about 3 mins. blend or chop if necessary, and serve with a
green vegetable and the suggested side would be rice. extras keep for several days in the
refrigerator, but do not freeze.

6. creamed surprise: note-this is ideal for leftovers or, if you know you’re going to need
a special meal, set aside small portions on preceding nights. again-
given quantities are for a toddler portion- double if needed.
1/4 cup diced firm fish steak( tuna, salmon etc.) cooked poultry, ham or meat can
also be used
½ cup white sauce—see.sauces and gravies link or macaroni recipe above.
½ a hard boiled egg- large dice
1 asparagus spear sliced, or one broccoli crown divided, or 2 artichoke hearts, or ¼ cup
sliced green beans
appropriate seasonings for the age group and the child’s special taste. examples: ½
envelope instant broth, 1tsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried sage..
make the sauce, add the other ingredients and simmer about 2 mins, blend if
necessary, or, our serving suggestion, spoon over toast spread with butter and sprinkled
with parmesan cheese.

7. italian drums: finally, something just for the older children this is for 8 servings, but
it freezes well..
8 chicken drumsticks without skin
8 ozs italian salad dressing( preference would be one packet of good seasons zesty
italian prepared, or a bottle of ken’s northern italian)
1 cup cornflake crumbs
place dressing in a bowl and marinate chicken for 30 mins. or up to 2 hrs. pre-heat
oven to 350 degs. place crumbs on a plate, and dredge drumsticks, making sure they’re
completely coated. bake for 1hr. on a baking sheet with a non-stick surface, or one
covered with non-stick foil. serve with a favorite dipping sauce – southwestern barbeque,
chinese plum, thai peanut even mexican salsa—the sky’s the limit !

of course, these are only a few of the recipes in the special children’s fare link, but
they give the client a few alternatives for the times when special meals are needed. they
also, hopefully, provide a glimpse into how recipes can be converted to fit different
requirements and occasions. many more examples of this versatility will be found, not
only in the children’s section, but in the daily recipes as well.
 excerpt from volume 2

month 1

week 1 week 2

mock squab casserole chicken cacciatore

green peas orzo
tater tots salad and garlic bread

chinese steak pork chasseur

oriental vegetable mix white and wild rice
steamed rice french green beans
hearts of lettuce with blue cheese
dressing

deviled pork chops steak teriyaki

broccoli crowns brussels sprouts in balsamic sauce
au gratin potatoes potatoes seaview

poached salmon oven fried tilapia

corn on the cob or mexi-corn microwave ratatouille
cucumber salad or wilted spinach pasta shells

thai beef salad enchiladas mornay

consommé medley of zucchini, & yellow squash
wheat pita pockets mixed greens vinaigrette

hay and straw ham,sweet potato &pineapple kabobs

tossed salad with tomatoes spinach pie
grissini or bread sticks

wine burgers lentil soup

toppings of onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes
blue cheese corn muffins
kaiser rolls- cole slaw

ice box pumpkin chiffon pie easy chocolate pan cake

week 3 week 4

roast breast of turkey chicken rose

pear-pecan stuffing tiny browned potatoes
peas and pearl onions asparagus spears with parmesan
cranberry sauce topping

pork chops with mustard pork chops with carmelized onions

baked sweet potatoes candied sweet potatoes
whole green beans spinach pie

steak with mushrooms sukiyaki

broiled whole tomatoes steamed rice
broccoli crowns

cod with tomato caper sauce maui mahi-mahi

fresh spinach fresh fruit salsa
parsley buttered potatoes oriental noodles

turkey tetrazzini ham and asparagus casserole

pickled beets romaine tomato & onion salad
mixed greens in vinaigrette

tomalli pie welsh or cornish pasties

cut green bean salad cut green bean salad
buttermilk biscuits

salmon fondue french onion soup

crusty bread broccoli rabe sautéed
vegetables for dipping artesian bread
optional cold cuts

apricot meringue torte chocolate raspberry cookies

optional ice cream for layering