These Kids Are Picky P-P-P-Picky Picky Piiiiiiiiiiiicky

Run DMC anyone?  Or else I may have already lost you.  It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time...

You know what else can be tricky?  Getting your kids to eat.  I'd say getting your kids to eat healthy food, but sometimes it's just getting them to eat ANYTHING.  Human nature tells us that everyone is unique,and therefore, I can't give you a straightforward answer on how to get picky eaters to eat better.  So what I'm going to do instead is suggest a few strategies that I've found helpful, and hopefully one or more of them can work for you and your picky eater.

A Pop of Spice

I like to think outside the box.  I also sometimes like to sit inside the box and pretend that it's a time machine, or an airplane, or a silent padded room, but that's another story.  So when Curry's sent me their meat spice rub, using it on meat was the last thing that came to my mind.

The Meat Spice Rub is a very interesting mix of spices.  When you open it, you are immediately hit with an aroma reminiscent of sweets, almost like licorice and gingerbread.  That makes sense, because it has many of what I generally think of as "sweet" spices in it, like cloves, star anise, and cinnamon.  But then you can smell a hint of the smokier spices, and spices with more of a snap in there as well, like the cumin and the black pepper.  It was totally intriguing to me.  I love a good divergent flavor blend, whether it's salty-sweet like chocolate-covered pretzels, or salty-sour like salt and vinegar chips, or spicy-sweet like the smell of this rub.  It reminded me slightly of Chinese 5 spice (probably the star anise), and that made me think of an amazing caramel sauce that I made with Chinese 5 spice a while back.  Not wanting to do the same thing again, but loving that salty-sweet-spice direction, I decided to go with a spiced kettle corn.

Full disclosure: I have never tried to make my own actual kettle corn before.  I have let the people at the market with the huge copper kettles do it.  I have made my own popcorn, buttered it, and then sprinkled it with blends of salt or sugar or other flavors like cinnamon or garlic.  But I've never actually made the real deal in my kitchen.  Until now.

Yay! A Giveaway!

So you might have heard this already, but the day before my birthday, I reached (and passed) 200 "likes" on Facebook!  Normally, I'm not much of a popularity monger, and I started this blog as a hobby, but I do have to admit that it makes me pretty giddy that 200+ people like my ramblings.  It's a good feeling, and I have amazing friends that helped me get there.

I have a little gift for one of you lucky people who cares enough to pop on your computer and read From Scratch.  It's kind of like Oprah's Favorite Things, but I'm not Oprah, and I can't afford to lavish gifts on my entire audience.  I just checked Facebook, and Oprah has over 8 million followers.  When I hit that, I'll do much better, I promise.  Heck, I'll be reasonable.  I'll do better with just 2 million fans.  For now, you'll just have to settle on a chance to get one of my favorite things.  But I'm telling you, it really is a favorite of mine.

Saffron Mini-Muffins

Despite yesterday being the first day of spring, it is crazy cold around here.  Like, "high of 34, feels like 17" kind of cold.  And that's not Celsius either.  Freezing.  But on the upside, the sun has been shining, and I'm starting to see signs of spring cropping up.  Robins singing, the sun staying out longer, and the green starts of crocuses popping up in my yard.  It's on it's way.

(So, I could insert a long story here to make a smooth transition, but honestly, it's Thursday, my crazy day, and I'm going to skirt it.  If you'd like to imagine a magical, transcendent, witty, wordy transition, please do so now.)  

You know what spice comes from crocuses?  Saffron!  

The Best Things You Probably Aren't Eating Yet: Artichokes

Okay, so maybe the title is a little off this time around.  You probably are eating artichokes.  Most likely in some delicious creamy dip form.  But I'm talking about picking up a whole artichoke and cooking and eating it.  I'm guessing that only a handful out there do that.  Maybe I'm wrong on this one, but nearly every time I'm at the store and someone sees me putting a bunch of artichokes into my cart, I am asked, "But what do you DO with them?", or, "Yes, but do the kids eat them?".  We love them.  Well, except for the young picky one, but he'll get there soon enough.  In the meantime, more for the rest of us!

The Best Things You Probably Aren't Eating Yet: Asparagus

Spring is almost here.

I love it.  I've ordered seeds and plants for my gardens and yard, the sun stays out longer, the weather has a damp, rain-scented edge to it, and I feel myself come out of the shell that winter crowds me into.  And, off a few months in the distance, I hear the farmers' markets calling their siren song to me.

At the grocery stores, the seasons tend to be a few months ahead of us, because the food is transported from warmer climates.  That means that right about now, we are getting some of my favorite seasonal produce in the stores, and on some great deals.

A lot of veggies out there seem to be a "love it or hate it" kind of deal.  Green veg, in particular, seems to be a hard sell to some.  Just the word "asparagus" makes some people squirm.  But for me, it's spring in a stick. versatile, nutritious, and delicious.  No, it really is, I swear...give me a chance here!

So, a funny thing happened on Facebook the other day...

The following is a true story.  I'm the suspicious blonde character.  My friend lives a zillion miles away, in Arizona.  She is amazing, and has 2 sets of twins and a baby and still manages to keep a fantastic sense of humor and be awesome in every way that matters.  I just love her.  This went down, and she told me I should blog it.  So I am.  I took out the names and the pictures of others to protect the innocent, but other than that, the best way I can explain this is to just copy the "conversation".  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pepper Steak

Thursdays are crazy.  Have I mentioned that before?

Today was no exception, especially because the rest of my week has consisted of getting back from a weekend ski vacation, a holiday off school, a midnight trip to the ER with my husband, an unexpected snow day, and a full-day field trip with my daughter's class.  I barely know which end is up.

I've mentioned before that I'm not the best at planning ahead, and that's probably one of the reasons I don't do a lot of crock pot meals.  Well, that, and honestly, a lot of them just don't have a lot of flavor to me.  But I do have a handful of good, tasty crock pot meals in my arsenal.  And tonight, one of those is on the menu: Pepper Steak.

I love Chinese food, or at least the Americanized version that we can find at restaurants on almost every major street around here.  Pepper steak is pretty much one of those dishes that you feel safe ordering from those places.  I think the reason for that is that, while the flavors are awesome together, they're also easy.  Peppers.  Beef.  Onions.  Bam.

Easy Picadillo Dinner

Need another quick family dinner?

Here's one that I threw together this week after gymnastics.  When we get home from gymnastics, it is T minus 2 hours until bedtime, so dinner has to be quick and easy.  Sometimes I have it together enough to have a crockpot dinner going.  But not usually.

So, here's what was on the menu this week: picadillo.  Fun to say, right?  Peek-a-dee-lyo.  Try it.  It's fun, I swear.  It's basically a Cuban version of my creamy beefy veggie stuff, in that it's made with ground beef and veggies, and we like it served over rice.  Picadillo comes from a Latin base meaning "minced" or "chopped", so get ready for some knife work.  Different Latin cultures make it differently, some even add raisins, but this is the one that I know and that my family enjoys.