Unlike Other MiniChefs

This week, the MiniChef decided he wanted to make something inspired by the book Unlike Other Monsters by Audrey Vernick, and illustrated by Colin Jack. And I had no.idea how to guide him to a fitting recipe like usual.

Unlike Other Monsters is a great book. Zander is a monster whose parents are monsters. (His sister is a fairy.) And monsters don't have friends. They're cordial and nod their heads at each other when they pass on the street, but they're creatures of little words, and don't do anything to get to know each other while they scare children. (His sister has friends, and they do things like eat together, share secrets, and give children with missing teeth money. But that's fairy stuff.) Zander hangs out with a bird sometimes, but...they're just hanging out. They're not...friends. The book is all about what it means to be friends, and it's a great read for a kindergartener who's learning more and more about kindness and what it means to stick up for other people.

I was totally open with MiniChef when he picked out this book. I told him I loved it--which he should have known since we read it together a whole bunch of times--but I didn't know how to be inspired to make something from it. But he knew exactly what to do.

(SPOILER ALERT, KIND OF.)

At the end of the book, Zander and his friend jump out of a refrigerator to scare a kid, and a ton of food falls out with them. MiniChef pointed to that illustration and decided he wanted to make something from their fridge. Specifically, sausages, apples, and bacon. (And bananas and ketchup, but I vetoed those.) That was an awesome idea! We added a salad and some bread from our favorite local bakery (shout-out to Uprise!) to round out the meal.

Boy Waits for Bacon

Full disclosure: MiniChef got pretty bored halfway through cooking the bacon, so I cooked most of the main course myself. But he did almost all of the prep and put the salad together, as well of course as figuring out what our ingredients were going to be!

Unlike Other Sausage Dinners
(Sausages with Sautéed Apples, adapted from Food and Wine)
4 slices bacon
4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound), pricked with a fork
1/2 cup water
2 apples (we used Fuji, but you can use any good baking apple that will hold its shape)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 Tblsp cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper

MiniChef did:
Peel and core the apples. Slice into thin slices. If you have an 8-slice corer like we do, you'll want to cut each slice again in half or thirds.

We did together:
Place the bacon in a cold pan. Lay the strips out so they don't overlap. Turn the heat on low, and watch your bacon. When it starts to turn curly on the edges, turn the strips over with a pair of tongs, Turn frequently until the bacon is done to your liking. We'll crumble it into a salad for this meal, so you'll want it to be pretty crispy. If you have a MiniChef with you, a splatter guard is your best friend here. The kitchen will smell delicious, but don't smell too closely!

When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

I did:
Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon grease. (You can save the rest to use another tie, if you'd like!) Turn the heat to medium, and add the sausages. Cook, turning occasionally, until the sausages are browned but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Pour the water into the skillet. Cover the pan and cook until the water has almost evaporated, about 7 minutes. Add the apples and fennel seeds and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through and the apples are tender and browned. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Zander's Salad
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tblsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tblsp Dijon-style mustard
2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
4-6 pitted dates (like Medjool)
3 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 strips cooked bacon

MiniChef did:
Measure out the first five ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until incorporated. Alternatively, put them in a pint (or larger) jar or a squeeze bottle and shake until incorporated.*

I did:
Spray a paring knife with cooking spray. Using the prepared knife, cut the dates into bit-size pieces.

MiniChef did:
Place the spinach, blue cheese, and dates into a large bowl. Crumble the bacon on top. Add enough dressing to dress the salad, and toss.

*NOTE: This is the dressing that taught MiniChef to eat a dressed salad. We hope your MiniChef likes it as much!