Founding editor in chief of Cookstr.com Katie Workman gives a mom's eye view of the 100 recipes every parent needs to know in "The Mom 100 Cookbook."
Workman writes as a mom knowing that it can be hard to get kids to try new recipes and that parents get sick of chicken nuggets and don't want to be a short-order cook. There is a twist to many of these recipes called "Fork in the Road" which will allow you to take part of what you've made so far for the kids, and continue on to create the "grown-up" version of the dish.
The 100 recipes are divided up into 20 chapters: Quick and Easy Breakfasts, Lunch to Stay or to Go, A Handful of Snacks, Appetizers, Souped Up, Salads and a Couple of Vinaigrettes, 4 Chickens and a Turkey, Main Dish Meat, Fish and Seafood, Hearty Comfort Foods, Pasta and Pizza, Vegetarian Mains, Potluck, Mixed Company Dinners, Let's Call a Carb a Carb, Best-Shot Vegetables, Weekend Brunches, Simple Weeknight Desserts, Special Occasion Desserts and Bake Sale.
Article Photos
Roast chicken comes with a variety of rubs to try. (Photo by Amy Phelps)
Quick and Easy Breakfasts solves the dilemma of getting kids out the door in time with dishes like several variations of scrambled eggs, English muffin pizzas and homemade granola.
Lunch to Stay or to Go is for the lunch box or for eating at home, with grilled cheese, lunchbox wraps, tuna fish sandwiches and more.
A Handful of Snacks are healthy snacks for kids that don't come in a bag, like Edamame several ways, baked pita chips and more.
Appetizers are predinner snacks to feed the kids that won't ruin appetites like several versions of crostini and bruschetta, gucamole and more.
Souped Up soup recipes gives kids more than canned soup with Cheddar and Cauliflower Soup, Lentil Tomato and Rice soup and more.
4 Salads and a Couple of Vinaigrettes are exactly what it says - salads to introduce to kids, like a simple Bibb Lettuce with Ranch Dressing, Japanese Restaurant Salad, Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons and Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad.
4 Chickens and a Turkey offers several varieties of roast chicken, lemon chicken, barbecued chicken and homemade chicken tenders. Change up taco night with ground turkey tacos.
Main Dish Meat gets kids past hamburgers and hot dogs with Soy-Ginger Flank Steak, Pasta with Meatballs and Sauce, Monday Night Brisket and more.
Fish and Seafood attempts to tempt kids to try seafood with Flaky Fish with Balsamic Glaze, Asian Salmon, Garlic Shrimp and more.
Hearty Comfort Foods are homey dishes like One-Skillet Cheese Beef and Macaroni, Parmesan Turkey Meat Loaf, Macaroni and Cheese and more.
Pasta and Pizza recipes include Mozzarella Pasta Casserole, Sesame Noodles with customizable toppings, and homemade grilled pizzas with choose-your-own toppings.
Vegetarian Mains are dishes like Black Beans and Rice and several variations of Quesadillas.
Potluck dishes solves the dilemma of what to bring with Honey Ginger Soy Chicken, Turkey or Chicken Chili and One-Pot Arroz con Pollo.
Mixed Company Dinners are dinners for both kids and parents with Lamb Chops with Lemony White Beans and Spinach, Teriyaki Chicken and Beef Skewers and Shrimp Risotto.
For carb loving kids, there is Cheesy Rice with Broccoli, Israeli Couscous with Vegetables and several varieties of potatoes.
Best-Shot Vegetables are dishes that will hopefully tempt kids to eat them with Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Butternut Squash and more.
Weekend Brunches offer great dishes for a lazy Sunday (or even for a breakfast for dinner kind of meal) with Lazy Oven French Toast, several varities of pancakes, vegetable frittata and more.
Simple Weeknight Desserts are quick fixes like Hot Fudge or Caramel Sauce for ice cream and Chocolate Dipped Strawberries or Pretzels.
Special Occasion Desserts include a Birthday Chocolate Cake, Best Streusel Apple Pie Ever and more.
Finally, for moms and dads who get roped into contributing to the bake sale is Big Fat Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Chewy Sugar Cookies and more.
I like a good roast chicken and usually its a good staple dish for the girls, so I decided to try one of the variations for chicken breasts. The variations all depend on the rub - there is a spiced curry rub, warm spice rub, greek rub, garlic, lemon and rosemary rub and a cajun rub. Since I like Indian, I choose the curry rub. Baking the chicken with the skin on helped keep the chicken nice and moist and full of flavor from the curry rub. I loved this dish, and to my surprise, the very picky youngest did too. It was the oldest who suddenly decided she didn't like curry. And since there was only three of us, we could just buy a small package of chicken breasts and make just enough for us.
There's a great amount of variety in this cookbook, that is sure to appeal to parents and their kids.
"The Mom 100 Cookbook" is published by Workman. It is $16.95.
Contact Amy Phelps at aphelps@newsandsentinel.com
