Not Small Potatoes

We're back!

The MiniChef has been reading Laura Numeroff's books in his first grade class (first grade!!!) and yesterday on the way home from school, he asked to start this project up again because "there are so many yummy things we can bake from books!" Since baking usually takes longer than fixing dinner, we're going to move our Project to weekends instead of Wednesdays soon, so we don't feel rushed.

Of course I wanted to make sure MiniChef knew I was as excited as he was, and get started as soon as possible. Fortunately, I had seen Mr. Crum's Potato Predicament in the front display at our library yesterday and picked it up on a whim. The book looked right up our alley, even though it didn't have any dragons, monsters, or any other mythical creatures in it. And since tonight's dinner included potatoes, I thought it would be a perfect way to dive back in.

Since The MiniChef knows more about books and storytelling now, I'll be asking him to share his thoughts on the books we read. Here's what he had to say about what happens in Mr. Crum:

"It was like fiction, but it was about a real story. He had to serve this one guy who only liked potatoes. And he didn't like three of Crum's potato servings until he invented potato chips, which the guy loved. My favorite thing about the book was that George invented potato chips, because I like potato chips. I do sometimes like my potatoes a certain way, but I'm not too picky about them."

George's specialty was potatoes, but if The MiniChef had a restaurant,

"it would be a diner or a bakery or something, so I would have lots of yummy breakfast foods. My speciality would be waffles with blueberries, chocolate, and strawberries. And syrup."

The book was a well-written and -illustrated work of historical fiction, which included context with photos as an epilogue. It was incredibly engaging, and I think I might have enjoyed it just as much as MiniChef did.

As for the recipe, MiniChef's "favorite thing about making our potato dish was grating the cheese." Here's how we did it:

Mr. MiniChef's Potato Procedure
(adapted from Sheet Pan Bruschetta Chicken from Damn Delicious)
1 pound small red potatoes
2 T olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
Kosher salt, to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 ounces fresh Mozzarella, sliced

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I did:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick spray.

MiniChef did:
Wash the potatoes well. Cut each potato into 4-6 wedges depending on how big the potato is, like George did to the first three batches he served to Filbert P. Horsefeathers. (MiniChef noticed that George used the "claw grip" we've been practicing, with one hand stabilizing the potato while the other uses the knife.) The potatoes were hard to cut with his child-safe knife, so I helped a little bit.

MiniChef did:
Place the potatoes into a bowl. Add the olive oil, thyme, oregano, and Parmesan. Season with salt to taste. Toss or mix together, to make sure potatoes are coated.

We did together:
Place potatoes in one layer on one side of the prepared baking sheet.

I did:
Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a single layer on the other side of the prepared baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Top the chicken with the sliced Mozzarella during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

While the chicken is in the oven, mix the tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

We all did:
Serve immediately, topped with the bruschetta. (If your MiniChef is like mine, they might enjoy the tomatoes on the side instead.)

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!

Manticore Pasta

Have I mentioned that MiniChef is really, really, really into monsters and mythical creatures? I have? OK, carry on then.

Monsters as imaginary friends are kind of a new thing for me over the last year or so. My brother was scared of monsters when he was young, and relaxed when mom and dad made "monster spray" (water in a spray bottle) and sprayed his ceiling fan, which is obviously where they hung out. I would have had nothing to do with monsters; my imaginary friend was a little Orthodox Jewish girl named Rachel Berman who had eight brothers and sisters.

The Kid has been obsessed with monsters and other mythical creatures--real and imagined--since he first saw How to Train Your Dragon. We've never looked back. And as someone who loved nothing more than Greek mythology as a child, I'm totally excited to help him navigate this world. They consume our play-life, and I love that MiniChef gets to work out things that might be scaring him by embracing them and becoming them.

Obviously, this love affects our bookshelf, and so I have a feeling that a lot of our recipes (certainly this week's and the one to follow) will center around monster characters and themes. It's the way of our world. And a delicious one, full of imagination potential.

This week's book is If I Had a Gryphon by Vicki Vansickle and Cale Atkinson. This book has so many fun monsters and creatures in it, but MiniChef specifically wanted to cook something to represent manticores. Specifically, he wanted to make "orange pasta with long and short manticore fur. Long for the mane and short for the body fur." Done!

Manticore Pasta
(Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 8-ounce can tomato puree
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound spaghetti
Parmesan cheese to taste

Working to open cans is good exercise!

NOTE: Most of this recipe is done on the stove. This is a great opportunity to remind your little chef about stove safety. We have an electric stove, so we went over the parts of the counter he could and couldn't touch, as well as the importance of keeping one hand on the handle of the pan while you stir. If your little chef can't work on the stove yet, this is a good time for him/her to watch you and learn. S/he can definitely help to open cans, grate cheese, etc.

I did:
Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. (Alternately, your little chef can squeeze the clove of garlic through a garlic press.)

Carefully stirring and holding onto the pot.

MiniChef joined me for:
Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until the onion is soft.

MiniChef did:
Stir in the tomato puree, diced tomato, tomato paste, oregano, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

Grate or shred 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, or more or less to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Break half of your spaghetti in half or slightly smaller, and cook the spaghetti according to box directions.

I did:
Drain the pasta.

MiniChef did:
Divide the portions onto plates and top with the sauce.

Plating by MiniChef!

MiniChef did:
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the sauce and eat in your preferred manner: carefully or slurping.

He prefers to slurp.

Dragons (and MiniChefs) Love (not spicy) Tacos

MiniChef loves dragons. According to my Facebook memories, the true keeper of all things memorable, dragons and monsters have been his number-one interest for at least a year and a half. He devours any and all media about imaginary creatures, and as someone who was obsessed with mythology as a kid--most girls my age had posters of Kirk Cameron and the New Kids on the Block; I had a poster of Icarus--I'm 100% okay with that.

One of his all-time favorite books is Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Ruben and Daniel Salmieri, which was a very logical choice for our next Book-Cook Project!

I asked the MiniChef what kind of ingredients he'd like to have in his tacos. His answers were "pork and cheese." Tacos al pastor(-ish) with queso fresco were a perfect fit. Of course, neither MiniChef nor dragons agree with spicy ingredients in their tacos; dragons will breathe fire and burn down your house if they get a taste of jalapeños at a taco party, and MiniChef will burst into tears if he has any.

So, one of MiniChef's jobs as our resident dragon expert was to smell spices we were thinking about adding and deeming them "too spicy" or Just right." Cayenne, chipotle, and chili powder were too spicy, but cumin was just right.

The tacos came out beautifully, and it was fun to make them together!

We did have spicy salsa on the table for Jake...but be sure to read the ingredients with your little chef, and bury any spicy salsa in the backyard if you've invited any dragons over.

Not-Spicy Tacos al Pastor(-ish)

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 medium onion
1 large clove garlic
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 T canola oil
1 bunch cilantro
5 oz queso fresco (about half of a package)
Fresh pineapple chunks (we used pre-cut, but you can certainly chop your own)
6 (8-inch) soft corn tortillas (flour tortillas are fine, too)

I did:
Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2-inch strips. Roughly chop the onion and garlic, and put everything into a large zip-top bag.

Side note: measuring is such a great way to learn math!

Smushing the marinated pork.

MiniChef joined me for:
Add the next five ingredients to the bag with the pork, onion, and garlic. Seal the bag and smush everything until combined. (MiniChef had a lot of fun with that part.) Stick the bag in the fridge for at least two hours, and up to 24*. Go watch some Powerpuff Girls.

I did:
Warm the canola oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Take the pork mixture out of the fridge, and put the entire contents in the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is cooked through and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Put in a bowl and set aside.

MiniChef did:
Meanwhile, chop the cilantro and pineapple, and crumble the queso fresco. Put each in its own bowl.

I did:
Heat up the tortillas using your preferred method.**

We did together:
Set the tortillas and the bowls of pork, cilantro, pineapple, and queso fresco on the table. Make your own tacos!

"Mama! take my picture with my taco!"

*Since we made the tacos after school, the pork mixture spent about three hours in the fridge.
** I miss my gas stovetop, where I would have just heated them over the open flame. This time, I just used the microwave.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Pizza)

We loved last week's rainbow cake so much (update: it lasted for about five days in the fridge, and made for some excellent weekend breakfasts) that we couldn't let Quest go without also making a dinner inspired by the illustrations!

Enter rainbow pizza.

Jake makes amazing pizza dough from scratch almost every weekend for family movie night. He puts it together, lets it rest in the fridge, brings it back to room temperature, stretches it 'till you can see light through the thin dough, tops it, and bakes it until the risen part is a little blistery. It's time- and attention-intensive, and it's absolutely delicious.

I use Pillsbury.

I have a plenty-long-enough attention span for baking, but for some reason, pizza dough is my nemesis. Maybe one day, I'll take the care to really practice making my own. But in the meanwhile, I appreciate the modern convenience of dough in a can! (Though I will say, it was unseasonably hot the other day when we went grocery shopping, and I couldn't stop thinking about that urban legend where the pizza dough pops in the woman's backseat and she thinks she's been shot. Anyway.)

We used Pillsbury Thin Crust for this recipe, but please feel free to sub in your favorite store-bought or homemade crust.

This recipe is incredibly variable and adaptable. MiniChef picked out our vegetables at the local farmer's market, and decided on a pint of multi-colored heirloom cherry tomatoes (knocking out red, yellow, and purple), a few orange bell peppers, and a head of broccoli. We rounded out the yellow with some frozen corn, and the purple with some slices of red onion. You can use whatever vegetables you and your little chef like best; I think this would be delicious with some spinach or kale as the green, and some thin sweet potato slices for orange. We couldn't find any blue veggies, but let me know if you do!

Rainbow Pizza
(Adapted from The Kitchn)

1 pizza dough (either a Pillsbury can, or one one-pound homemade crust)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Veggies of your choice. We used:

• 1 1/2 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes in various colors (red, yellow, and purple)
• 1 medium orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 1/2 heads broccoli

Olive oil

I did:
Put a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees. Let the pizza dough sit out at room temperature until the veggies are ready.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. (MiniChef washed and gave the tomatoes to me while I cut them with a paring knife. It was surprising to see that some of the purple ones were actually yellow on the inside!)

MiniChef did:
Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, dried basil, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl; set aside.

Claw grip! Grr!

Slice the pepper into thin slices and discard the seeds and core. Chop the broccoli into small florets. (MiniChef uses a knife from Curious Chef, and we're working on his "claw grip." We bought it as part of the Fruit & Veggie Prep Kit, and use the knife, peeler, melon baller, and apple slicer pretty often.)

We did together:
Line a standard 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease the foil. (If you're using homemade dough, roll it out to fit the baking sheet.) Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, and use your fingers to gently press the dough into the corners of the pan. Make sure your little chef has his/her hands washed!

Dollop the ricotta-and-mozzarella mixture on the dough and spread it around with a spoon, leaving about a one-inch border around the edges. Arrange the veggies in rainbow order on top of the cheese. Drizzle with the olive oil.

I did:
Bake until the edges are golden-brown, 16 to 20 minutes. Let the pizza cool for 1 to 2 minutes before cutting into slices and serving. Pairs well with Halloween Wars on the Food Network as a special treat.

Leftovers will last in an airtight container for about four days.