I’ve always thought that until kids are 4 or so, birthday parties are more for the parents than the actual celebrant. I mean, do you know any kid who remembers any of their birthdays before that age? I personally don’t, but that’s never stopped me from having parties for my kids every year. When Kenya turned 3 we threw a big one for him. Since we knew he’d have little to no memory of it, we tried to think of a way to give the celebration more purpose. Instead of asking the invitees for gifts, we suggested people bring a new book to donate to our local children’s hospital. The hospital staff was so grateful, we continued doing it yearly in honor of both our kids birthdays. When Kenya turned 4, he got to deliver his birthday books to the hospital himself and really understood how fun and fulfilling it is to give books to those who might not have access to them.

Last year I learned about an incredible non-profit organization called Milk & Bookies that teaches young children how great it feels to give back while celebrating the love of a good book. It promotes both literacy and service learning by providing kids the opportunity to select, purchase and inscribe books that are then donated to their less fortunate peers. Milk & Bookies even helps you make the process easy by sending you a big box full of materials for your party so all your little guests can inscribe their books and get all kinds of great things in return, like great “I Donated” stickers to wear, bookmarks and more. I think it’s just about the coolest organization ever!

When we received our Milk & Bookies box, we also decided to make cookies to commemorate one of Kenya and Chloe’s favorite books, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. This is my variation on the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie which uses naturally sweet honey instead of sugar and is packed with so many tender sweet raisins I give them top billing and call it a Raisin Oatmeal Cookie.

The next time you’re throwing a birthday for your little one and don’t feel like having your house filled with more plastic toys that will just get played with once or twice and forgotten, empower your child and do this for their birthday — and of course make a batch of these unbelievably delicious cookies!

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies (makes 3 dozen)

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Large Egg, room temperature
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Dried Raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place the butter and honey in a bowl or standing mixer and beat for 1 minute.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for another minute on medium speed or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, mix to combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to incorporate.
6. Stir in the raisins then drop 1 tbsp of dough for each cookie onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

My husband is an incredible storyteller. He comes up with the most elaborate, entertaining tales that would keep even the most fidgety kid engaged. Every night, we take turns telling the kids bedtime stories. While hubby comes up with these super creative tales that have a lesson or moral woven in to boot, my stories are generally straightforward travelogues along the lines of “Mommy and Kenya Go to Paris” (you think I’ve been reading too much Madeline?). In my stories, Kenya and I roam around far flung locations like Paris, looking at the Eiffel Tour, touring Notre Dame and eating everything from croissants to crepes. Of course food gets more detail than anything else in my stories, and so Kenya usually asks if we can make the things I talk about so fondly.

Last week we had a crepe making extravaganza, preparing them three mornings in a row. Crepes are so easy to make and the kids love being surprised by the different fillings I offer them. In my Paris story, I talk about eating banana filled crepes with Nutella, but instead of buying a jar of the famous hazelnut-chocolate spread they use in France, we decided to make our own homemade version.

Whether you decide to spread this insanely delicious and addictive treat on Graham crackers, strawberries, crepes or even, I dare say, eat it right off the spoon, this version of homemade nutella will make you feel like you are on vacation in France. And chocolate for breakfast? That’ll keep your kids more engaged than the best story!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (makes 1 1/4 cups)

1 Cup Hazelnuts
1/4 Cup Agave or Honey
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
3 Tbsp Hot Water

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
2. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes.
3. Remove hazelnuts to a kitchen towel, cover and rub to remove the hazelnut skins.
4. Place hazelnuts in a food processor and chop for 30 seconds.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and puree.
6. Serve with crepes or as a dip for fruit.

There’s something about tapioca pudding that seems so kid-like to me. Not that adults don’t also love this creamy, coconut flavored pudding, but the act of plunging your spoon deep down into the bottom of the cup and pulling up some sweet, juicy strawberries to accompany the tapioca on top — all in the same bite — carries with it an anticipation that I associate almost completely with how excited I used to get as a kid to savor my desserts. This dish irresistable to me. In fact, typing this is making me so hungry I think I need to stop and have some! I guess I’m still just a kid at heart.

Fruit on the Bottom Tapioca (Serves 4)

1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed and chopped fine
1 13 oz Can Unsweetened Coconut Milk, about 1 3/4 cups
3/4 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Tapioca (not quick cooking)
3 Tbsp Sugar

1. Bring the coconut milk, water and tapioca to a boil.
2. Reduce to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Divide the chopped strawberries between 4 glass cups and pour tapioca over the strawberries.
5. Chill for one hour and serve.

For me, one of the great sites and smells of summer is a big basket of fresh peaches. We love eating them so much in my house that I tend to go a bit overboard at the farmers’ market every Sunday and buy way more than we could possibly eat in a week. As the days go by, some get bruises while others become uber soft and juicy. Unless you want to eat peaches for every meal there’s nothing you can really do with them except….make fruit leather! If you think my kids like eating peaches, you should just see how excited they get for this homemade fruit leather. They go through it so quickly I tend to make about three batches a week, but one of the great things about this recipe is that it stays good for weeks, if not longer.

Got a little over zealous like me at the market and now you’re sitting with several pounds of super ripe stone fruit — and no where near enough time to eat them before they spoil? Peach fruit leather is your answer!

Peach Fruit Leather

4 Ripe Peaches (skin on)
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 225 F degrees.*
2. Rinse and remove seeds from peaches.
3. Place the peaches and honey in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula in a large rectangle (my rectangle was 11 x 15 inches) making sure that the thickness is completely even.
5. Bake for 3-4 hours or until dry and not sticky to the touch. Remember, cooking times will vary depending on how thick you spread your mixture and how much water (juice) is naturally in the fruit.**
6. Set aside and cool at room temperature; it takes several hours for the fruit to soften up. Note that when you first take the fruit leather out of the oven, the edges will be a bit dry and crispy, but if you allow it to sit out for several hours it softens up nicely.
7. Cut with a knife, pizza cutter or scissors into strips, keeping the paper on if desired, then roll the leather into “roll ups”.
8. Serve.

* If you choose to use a dehydrator, cook the fruit leather at 135 degrees for 5 hours.
** Every oven is different, so the cooking time maybe less than 2 hours if your oven tends to run hot.

Have you ever tried a tomatillo? Until I moved to California over a decade ago I had never seen, let alone tried, one before (unless you count a taste of jarred tomatillo salsa). Sometimes referred to as green tomatoes and most frequently found in Mexican cuisine, not only are tomatillos beautiful, but they’re also delicious and now growing in My Own Edible Garden!

One of our favorite Mexican restaurants makes the most incredible fresh tomatillo salsa that hubby, the kids and I all adore, so I figured why not make my own version to serve alongside chips or over grilled fish or chicken. There’s just something about this salsa’s fresh taste that makes it the perfect accompaniment to almost any summertime meal.

Once you start making this simple recipe, I bet you’ll be like me and wonder why you’ve been buying your salsa in a can or jar all these years!

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Makes 1 1/2 Cups)

10 Tomatillos, husked & rinsed (about 1 lb)
2 Small Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion, cut into chunks
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, packed
Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Preheat oven broiler.
2. Place tomatillos, garlic cloves and onion chunks on a foil-lined baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the oven. Broil for 10 minutes, remove and set aside to cool.
3. Once cooled, place all of the ingredients into a food processor and puree.
4. Serve with tortilla chips or over grilled fish or chicken.

I bit into a strawberry that I bought at the farmers’ market this past weekend and it was so perfectly ripe, the juice dripped right down my chin. That is the kind of strawberry you want to use for these fluffy shortcakes. Combined with soft, melt in your mouth peaches, that are also in season right now, these Peach & Strawberry Shortcakes are pure heaven.

I made some recently as a treat for my parents and the kids one afternoon. Everyone lined up in front of me with their plates held out as I assembled each shortcake for them, topping a half a shortcake with naturally sweet
fruit, followed by a dollop of honey yogurt and finally it’s better half, creating the perfect summer time treat.

Peach & Strawberry Shortcake (Makes 8 Shortcakes)

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, cold and cubed
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Peach, pitted and diced
1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place the first 4 ingredients into a food processor and combine.
3. Add the cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Place the mixture in a bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the milk. With a fork, slowly stir until the ingredients are just combined.
5. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times.
6. Pat the dough out into a rectangle and cut out about eight 3-inch rounds using a circular cookie cutter or the rim of a glass .*
7. Place the rounds on a sheet pan, bake for 17 -19 minutes and set aside to cool.
8. In a separate bowl, combine the peaches and strawberries.
9. In another bowl, mix the yogurt, vanilla and honey.
10. Cut shortcake in half through the middle, place a large spoonful of fruit mixture in the center, a heaping of yogurt honey sauce and top with the remaining shortcake half.
11. Continue making the shortcakes and serve.

*Option: you can brush the tops lightly with milk and sprinkle some sugar on the rounds before baking if you desire for extra sweetness.

I know what you’re probably thinking, “PEAS? There’s no way my kids will eat peas, let alone a salad.” Well, I’m going to put forth a challenge to you. I’m willing to wager that if you get your kids involved in making this delicious dish with you, either shelling fresh peas or even defrosting frozen ones and then helping you toss all of the ingredients together, they will be excited about eating it (and their veggies in general).

My kids probably aren’t that different than yours when it comes to being challenging about what they’ll eat (and when they’ll eat it). However, time and again I find that by just by letting them have a little independence in the kitchen and allowing them to take part in the cooking process with me — instead of me just making their meal and putting it in front of them — makes them have some pride of ownership over the food and embrace eating whatever it is we make together. It may not work on the first try, but don’t give up. Eventually it catches on.

Now, what will be your grand prize should you choose to accept this challenge? A new car? A free getaway to Brazil? How about kids who want to eat their veggies….and actually think it’s cool? That’s better than a new car, isn’t it?

Summer Pea Salad (Serves 4 )

Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
2 Cups Green Peas, cooked & cooled
1/4 Cup Red Onions, diced
1/2 Cup Celery, diced
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 Cup Crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese
2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, Cilantro or Mint

1. Place the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine.
3. Serve.

I consider myself pretty healthy, but my husband takes it to an even higher level. He’s more of a au natural guy where I’ve still got a healthy amount (pun intended) of “if it comes from a box or can it’s all right with me” in me. Yes, I’m all about making things homemade as often as possible, but with so much keeping me busy, it’s not always a realistic goal. For example, as much fun as it is to make homemade ice cream, more times than not I throw my arms up and grab the Stonyfield from the freezer for me and the kids.

I don’t know if there’s something in the water or if a witch cast a spell on him, but my hubby has been diving in the kitchen more and more lately, coming up with a list of recipes that are actually really yummy! He’s been making this version of homemade ice cream that tastes unbelievably delicious, even to someone like me who wants the real deal. The kids certainly can’t tell the difference and hubby says if he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t be able to either — and this man knows his ice cream. But the best part is that instead of needing an ice cream maker or having to wait hours for the ice cream to freeze, his version is ready in less
than a minute, is totally healthy and the kids love helping him make it!

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream (Serves 4)

1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt (you can use soy yogurt if you have a dairy intolerance)
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Frozen Sliced Bananas*
1/4 Cup Frozen Strawberries ***

1. Place the yogurt, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla extract in a blender and quickly combine the ingredients for a few seconds, using the lowest setting to puree.
2. Add the frozen banana and strawberries to the mixture. Puree on the lowest setting for 20 seconds.
3. Scrape down the sides and puree again. Repeat the process until the mixture is smooth.**
4. Serve.

* Hubby’s Tip - Bananas can take a day up to 4 hours to freeze well, so take three or four bananas,
slice them about 1/2″ thick, freeze them in a Ziploc bag (make sure to lay the slices out flat in the bag when you freeze so they don¹t stick together) and leave them in the freezer so you can always make this treat on a moment’s notice.

** Use the lowest setting to puree to avoid the ice cream from getting too loose and so it has more of a true ice cream texture.

*** Hubby likes using strawberries but you can use whatever frozen fruit you like in addition to the bananas.

My inspirations for weelicious recipes come from a lot of different places. For some, they’re simply based on a food I see at our farmers’ market, for others it can be a dish I love from a restaurant or a food memory I had as a kid that I now find myself craving (and possibly want to make a bit healthier). In the case of this Summer Fruit Gazpacho, my muses were the mint growing wild in our garden and all of the naturally sweet fruits sitting on our kitchen counter that I was afraid would spoil. Traditional gazpacho is a cold soup made with tomatoes and other vegetables. This version is completely different, but I wanted to call it a gazpacho because I love the idea of a cold soup during these hot summer months and truthfully….I just dig the word “gazpacho”!

The morning after I made it and let it chill overnight, the kids and I sat on the kitchen floor armed with three spoons and an enormous bowl of this refreshing, sweet soup. There’s only one word to explain what happened at our impromptu picnic we tried the first refreshing spoonful: de-voured. We finished the whole batch before the day was over.

Soup for breakfast you might ask? After taking your first taste of this one, it won’t seem at all strange to eat in the morning or any time of day you want to serve it. Especially when it’s a nutritious as this!

Summer Fruit Gazpacho (Serves 4)

6 Cups Cantaloupe, peeled & seeded, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp Fresh Mint, chiffonade
1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed & quartered
1 Peach, seeded & diced
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Place cantaloupe chunks into a food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the mint, strawberries, peach, and blueberries.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the yogurt and honey.
4. Evenly divide the cantaloupe puree into small bowls, top with mixed fruit and add a dollop of the honey yogurt sauce on top.
5. Serve.

* If you want to make this dish vegan, replace the yogurt and honey with soy yogurt and agave

When you grow your own fruits and veggies it’s so exciting to see what will pop up in your garden next. My kids have become little detectives, searching amidst the leaves and vines in our pots and planters and pointing out whenever things look ready to be picked. We’re growing a variety of different tomatoes like yellow, red, heirloom, cherry and more so coming up with a lot of different recipes to use them in is essential so nothing goes to waste. Between the abundance of tomatoes, cornucopia of cucumbers and bountifulness of basil covering our yard, I reckoned this summery salad would be something everyone in my house would love….and I was right!

The recipe is simple to prepare and isn’t expensive to make because the crusty bread cubes go a long way towards feeding a large family a super fresh meal. If you’re looking for a dish that screams “summertime,” you have to try this. And if I can’t convince you to start your own edible garden, this salad certainly will.

Tomato Bread Salad (Serves 4-6)

4 Cups Crusty Bread (French Bread or Artisan Rustic Bread), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 Cup Olive Oil, divided
4 Heirloom Tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Cup Cucumbers, sliced
1 Ear Corn (uncooked), sliced off the cob
1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin
2 Tbsp Fresh Basil, chiffonade
1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives, sliced
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the bread cubes on a sheet tray, drizzle with 2 tbsp of oil and toss to coat.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and set aside to cool.
4. Place the tomatoes, cucumber, corn, onion, basil, olives and bread in a large bowl.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, balsamic, salt, pour onto the salad and toss to coat.
6. Serve.