Recipes

The first time I made chocolate chip cookies with my daughter, we both tried each individual ingredient, from the butter and sugar to the vanilla flavoring and the flour. We also tried the mix as each ingredient was added to see how each ingredient changed the flavor of the whole batch. She learned how a dab of vanilla may not taste good ("yucky!") by itself, but how important it was to the overall flavor of the cookies. Not only did she learn about the importance of ingredients, she discovered the process of baking, from measuring and mixing to temperature and timing. For me, it was a yummy lesson learned too.

Organic ingredients, unrefined sugars, and whole wheat flour take baked goods to a whole new level.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies (unrefined)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup organic sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed muscovado sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla flavoring
2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes in 375 degree oven.

Two-Sided Pizza

My husband likes his traditional pizza while I like a white pizza. So we split this one down the middle.

refrigerated whole wheat pizza dough
pizza sauce
shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese
sliced pepperoni
roasted red peppers, in strips
other traditional toppings
black olive tapenade or pitted Kalamata olives
feta cheese
shredded parmesan cheese

Roll out dough and place in olive-oiled cooking sheet. On one half, spread tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, peppers, and other favorite toppings. On other half, spread olive tapenade and crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle whole pizza with parmesan cheese. Bake as directed on pizza dough package, until cheese bubbles.

Renee's Salad with Variations

Spring mix lettuces or baby spinach
Chevre goat cheese
candied walnuts
chopped pears, chopped apples, tangerine pieces, blueberries, strawberries, and/or dried cranberries
rice vinegar & oil or balsamic vinegar spray

Other Recipes

Whole Foods Market Recipe Box: includes meals for 4 under $15; recipe makeovers.

Spatulatta: Cooking 4 Kids Online.

I always wanted to make bread. Several years ago, it became my New Year's resolution, especially after a toddler drop-in session at a Montessori school while the teacher mixed, kneaded, and baked whole wheat rolls while the children played. She then served the warm rolls with herbal tea. The kids loved it. So I've tried a couple of easy recipes that my family loves. It's oddly enough not as hard and time-consuming as I expected.

Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread by King Arthur Flour

The Easiest Loaf of Bread You'll Ever Bake by King Arthur Flour (French or Italian)