ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com/media/feedlogo.gif ParentDish http://www.parentdish.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Crayons and Marbles in the Computer Worldhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/19/crayons-and-marbles-in-the-computer-world/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/19/crayons-and-marbles-in-the-computer-world/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/19/crayons-and-marbles-in-the-computer-world/#commentsFiled under: ,

My dad taught engineering and both my sister and my brother grew up to be engineers. When I was a kid we sat around the dinner table talking about Einstein's theories and solving mathematical equations. That explains why I became a musician and a cooking show host. As much as I enjoyed our dinner conversations, I'd rather spend time with my crayons than Fermat's Last Theorem.

Thirty years too late, I just discovered a new computer game we could have all played together. Crayon Physics Deluxe ($19.99) is a wonderful marriage of crayons and physics by Petri Purho, a Finnish computer science student.




All you do is draw pictures and then the laws of physics are applied to whatever you've created. Draw a hill with a ball at the top, for example, and the ball will start rolling down the hill faster and faster. Draw a bucket of water on a door above your sister's head and, well, you get it.

Purho, who won the 2008 Independent Games Festival Grand Prize, has worked some fun problem-solving into the program, as well. Want to move a ball to a certain area of the game? No problem, just create the right mechanisms to do it yourself. Think of it as a giant virtual marble maze or puzzle. Check it out, it's amazing.

Speaking of marble mazes, my kids and I just saw the modern upgrade of that old marble rolling game. Q-ba-maze ($20 and up) uses snap-together blocks with built in channels for your marbles to roll down. Some blocks go straight, some turn, some drop off and some split into two channels. Or, drop a whole handful of marbles in at the same time and It's like a giant Plinko game. Very cool.


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]]>crayonseducationaleducational gameseducationalgamesgamephysicsphysics accelerationphysics-gamePhysicsAccelerationphysicsengineRob BarrettMon, 19 Jan 2009 14:00:00 ESTHail to the Cheese! A Presidential Pizza Partyhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/16/hail-to-the-cheese-have-your-own-presidential-pizza-party/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/16/hail-to-the-cheese-have-your-own-presidential-pizza-party/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/16/hail-to-the-cheese-have-your-own-presidential-pizza-party/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Dishing it Out Rob Barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

Apparently President-Elect Obama likes his pizza. Of course, who doesn't? It's one of the great American ... Italian... well, it's a really great food. If you're going to let your kids stay home and watch the inauguration on Tuesday there's no better way to celebrate this historic, and uniquely American, event than to have a Make Your Own Pizza party. It's so easy and much better than ordering out and it's my family's favorite meal.

All you do is make up a bunch of dough (really easy), lay out different toppings, and have each person go through and put on their pizza just what they want. You can have fresh, homemade pizza out of the oven in under an hour. We like to use traditional toppings like sausage and pepperoni but also enjoy different options like shrimp, carrots, or bacon and using pesto instead of a traditional sauce. Experiment, try something new.

Watch the video or follow the recipe below and celebrate the amazing transition of power of the most powerful country in the world, from one man to another, without a shot being fired. A very rare occurrence in the history of the human race. God bless America.



You can find part two here; shopping list and full recipe are after the jump.

Continue reading Hail to the Cheese! A Presidential Pizza Party

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]]>cooking for dadsCookingForDadsdishing-it-outhow to make pizzaHowToMakePizzainaugurationinauguration partiesinauguration recipesInaugurationPartiesInaugurationRecipesobama pizzaObamaPizzarob barrettRobBarrettRob BarrettFri, 16 Jan 2009 16:00:00 ESTAl Franken and Norm Coleman's Minnesota Mistakehttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/al-franken-norm-colemans-minnesota-mistake/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/al-franken-norm-colemans-minnesota-mistake/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/al-franken-norm-colemans-minnesota-mistake/#commentsFiled under:

Up here in Minnesota we have a mess, a real mess. And I'm not talking about the slushy, salt covered roads. During the elections back in November, nearly equal numbers of Minnesotans wanted Republican Senator Norm Coleman and Democratic comedian Al Franken as their senator.

After two months of counting and recounting, the final tally is 1,212,431 for Franken and1,212,206 for Coleman. A difference of 225!

On election night Coleman won with 621 votes. Now Franken, who appears to have benefited from some questionable vote counting -- never counted votes, double counted votes -- is ahead. The Coleman Campaign has taken the fight to the courts. (Something the Franken Campaign was also expected to do if they came out on the losing end.) What we really needed was a re-vote. This was a tie.

This is an example of a ballot thrown out by one of the campaigns. In Minnesota a ballot is only to be excluded when the intent of the voter is not clear. But if either of the campaigns challenged it, the vote wasn't counted. Can you tell the intent of this voter? (Click here to see the challenged ballot and the reason for the challenge.)

Let's remember that our kids are watching how we grown-ups handle a fight this close to call. We need to be advocates for fair fighting. We also need to teach our kids at some point it is better to be wronged than continue to fight to show you're right. If Coleman drags this out to much longer, he runs the real danger of appearing like a a sore loser. Franken's gloating will probably ensure that we Minnesotans will send him packing to New York (where he lived until just recently) after just one term.

A 0.0077 percent margin of victory out of 2.4 million eligible voters isn't a big margin, but it is still a margin. Set the right example, guys. Sometimes it's better to just stop fighting, pick up your ball and walk home. How do we want our kids to react when they lose a close game?

(Full disclosure, I did some music for Coleman in 1993 when he was running for St. Paul mayor and Franken was an-almost guest on Cooking for Dads.)

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]]>alfrankenelectionelection 2008election2008electionselections 2008elections2008expire-images2010-1-11minnesotanormcolemannormcolemanalfrankensenatesenate 2008senate2008senatorRob BarrettSun, 11 Jan 2009 14:00:00 ESTChinese Stay-at-Home Dad Wins Coveted 3 Starshttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/chinese-stay-at-home-dad-wins-coveted-3-stars/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/chinese-stay-at-home-dad-wins-coveted-3-stars/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/11/chinese-stay-at-home-dad-wins-coveted-3-stars/#commentsFiled under:

The world's best-known restaurant guide has just discovered Chinese food.

The Michelin Guide recently bestowed its first 3-star rating to a Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong where Chan Yan-tak, a former stay-at-home dad, is the chef. What took the guide so long to discover the cuisine of 20 percent of the human race? We may never know, but we're glad that View of the Dragon and Mr. Chan have broken through the glass ceiling.
???????! (Yes we can! in Chinese)
Mr. Chan was coaxed out of the house to head up the Cantonese cooking at the restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel. He's worked in kitchens since the age of thirteen, eventually becoming one the country's most revered chefs. Chan then left the business when his wife died in 2000 to care for his now-12-year-old daughter.
"There was nobody to look after her," he told The New York Times. "I cooked food for her. I ironed her school uniform."
The menu features 10 types of shark's fin and eight styles of bird's nest, including one with shredded fish maw. Best of all, there's a children's menu that is divided into two sections: Up to 8 years old and 9 to 12. This is a man that knows how a child's palate develops.

There's not a cashew chicken in sight. Instead, kids are invited to sample Braised Sweet Corn Soup with Seafood, Srambled Egg with Scallops and Tomato or Steamed Fillet of Chicken with Black Mushroom. And for dessert, Chilled Milk Custard Pudding with Fresh Fruits or Chilled Sago Cream with Mango and Pomelo.

I'd say Mr. Chan's time at home taking care of his daughter informed his adventurous and unique children's menu. Hence all those stars. What's the most adventurous dish your kids will eat? Is it something you prepare or from a restaurant?

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]]>chan yan-takChanYan-takchanyantakchefchinesechinese foodChineseFoodexpire-images2010-1-11expire-images2010-1-5fourseasonsmichelinmichelin guideMichelinGuidestayathomedadstayathomedadsRob BarrettSun, 11 Jan 2009 11:00:00 ESTGame Day Diphttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/09/game-day-dip/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/09/game-day-dip/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/09/game-day-dip/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

It's that time of year again when otherwise normal men and women lose all their inhibitions and paint their faces the colors of a local football franchise. (Remember Seinfeld's David Putty?) Apparently, in January and early February there are two sets of cultural norms, one for everyday life and one for football games.

I love football (although the Vikings are already out of the playoffs). But I don't paint my face. I also don't get a group of my friends together, each paint a letter of the team's name on our bellies and lift up our shirts when the TV camera falls on us. Call me old fashioned. But if you want me on a Sunday afternoon, I'll be in the big chair downstairs half watching the game and half unconscious. There's a subliminal sign over my head -- Please Don't Disturb.

As much as I love watching football, I enjoy getting a group of friends together to watch big games, especially the Super Bowl. (Of course, we don't watch the game as much as the commercials.) Here are some easy ideas for snacks and appetizers to make for those big testosterone laced events.

(During the making of this video we had some problems, but just like in real life, you have to press on. See if you can find the mistake.)


You can find part two -- the onion rings -- here.

Continue reading Game Day Dip

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]]>cheesechilidipdishing-it-outentertainingfootballonion ringsOnionRingssuper bowlSuperBowlRob BarrettFri, 09 Jan 2009 16:00:00 ESTDeath of a Child - How Life Goes Onhttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/07/death-of-a-child-how-life-goes-on/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/07/death-of-a-child-how-life-goes-on/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/07/death-of-a-child-how-life-goes-on/#commentsFiled under:

Some wounds heal over time and some never do. They just stay below the surface until something re-energizes them. That's the way it is with losing a child. The death of Jett Travolta, the son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston, has reopened a lot of wounds for other people who have lost children. Just read the comments on my previous post on the subject and you can hear the lingering pain in the voices of those who know what John and Kelly are going through.

The natural order is broken and the pain is unbelievable.
I remember holding our own daughter, Ashley, as she breathed her last breath. A spot of her blood got on my shirt; I still have that shirt. I don't wear it but I don't want to get rid of it, either. Parents like us hold on to whatever we can to keep the feeling that somewhere our child is still alive.
We've found that traditions really do help and are part of the healing. Every year we go and have lunch out by her grave. We stop at the same grocery store, let the kids (I have two surviving daughters, ages 14 and 11) pick out whatever they want, and we have a picnic with Ashley. We had some wise friends that gave us money to buy a fruit tree in memory of our daughter and planted it in our yard. So every fall we have apples from our Ashley tree. We took a page from our Jewish friends and light a Manischewitz candle on the day she died. The flickering light comes through our bedroom door all night long, and really makes it seem like part of her is still with us.
So what should you do if one of your friends loses a child? Meals are a great thing. Not even I felt like cooking. Don't give advice, just listen as much as possible. (Someone actually said to us in the midst of everything, "God must love you very much to let you suffer like this.") Be aware that men and women grieve differently. Women often feel it right away, but men deny and repress the emotions until about six months later. So, in six months call the guy and offer to go to lunch, talk about the death and be there for him. For him, it's just becoming real. We need to think about John this coming June.
For John and Kelly, my prayers go out to them. I can't make them a meal or listen, but I do have people here in MInnesota that I can do that for. Maybe that's how we all can help.

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]]>childdeathjett travoltaJettTravoltajohntravoltakelly prestonKellyPrestonRob BarrettWed, 07 Jan 2009 07:00:00 ESTJohn Travolta and Kelly Preston's Son Dieshttp://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/03/john-travolta-and-kelly-prestons-son-dies/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/03/john-travolta-and-kelly-prestons-son-dies/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/03/john-travolta-and-kelly-prestons-son-dies/#commentsFiled under: , ,

John travolta Kelly Preston Jett TravoltaParents should never have to bury their children. It's supposed to be the other way around. So we always grieve a little harder when a mom and dad have to plan their son's or daughter's funeral. Our hearts and our prayers go out to John Travolta and Kelly Preston on the death of their 16-year-old son, Jett.

The family had been vacationing in the Bahamas over the New Year when Jett, according to some reports, suffered a seizure and hit his head in the bathroom. Attempts to revive him failed. Ms. Preston had earlier shared the news that Jett suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome, a little known illness that involves the swelling of arteries which can lead to seizures.

As a father who held his daughter while she died, I know first hand how devastating this time can be. When there's no target for blame, sometimes anger can be directed inward. 80% of all marriages fail when a child dies and depression can linger for years.

Let's keep the whole family in mind, including Jett's sister, Ella, and the extended family as well.

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]]>expire-images2010-1-2jett travoltaJettTravoltajohn travoltaJohnTravoltakelly prestonKellyPrestonRob BarrettSat, 03 Jan 2009 09:00:00 ESTContentment for 2009http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/02/contentment-for-2009/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/02/contentment-for-2009/http://www.parentdish.com/2009/01/02/contentment-for-2009/#commentsFiled under:

Dishing it out Rob Barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

It was a simple cheese plate and some french bread, oh, and some red wine, but it brought me such joy. I was flying Air France out of Paris and they brought around this plate with 3 different kinds of cheese, some crackers and a small loaf of french bread. It was just a blast and the French table wine was a perfect companion. I sliced my cheese, poured my wine and settled in for a relaxing flight, a big smile on my face.

On the return flight 3 weeks later a curious thing happened. Both Rich (a friend flying with me) and myself were held up at the gate as the crew jockeyed around the seating. We joked, "Maybe they're bumping us up to first class." When the time for boarding came, sure enough, Rich was bumped up to first class but I was sent back to coach. Rats. I sure could have used some good food and a big seat for the next six hours. When they came around with the cheese plate I was bummed. I stewed about what Rich was getting up in first class and how close I had been to getting it as well. This time the cheese plate brought me no joy, no blast and for sure no smile.

Continue reading Contentment for 2009

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]]>dishing-it-outRob BarrettFri, 02 Jan 2009 14:00:00 ESTAnthony Bourdain and Mario Batali Dish About Fatherhoodhttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/29/anthony-bourdain-and-mario-batali-dish-about-fatherhood/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/29/anthony-bourdain-and-mario-batali-dish-about-fatherhood/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/29/anthony-bourdain-and-mario-batali-dish-about-fatherhood/#commentsFiled under:

anthony bourdainCelebrity chefs and dads Mario Batali and Tony Bourdain recently sat down over a glass of wine to discuss their changing ways. This wasn't just two dads having dinner, though; it was an episode of Serious Eats' popular Chewing the Fat series. But this conversation was about more than food.

Both alleged bad boys of cuisine, Bourdain and Batali talked about their evolving priorities now that they are fathers. Bourdain, the outspoken host of Travel Channel's No Reservations, pointed out his acknowledged loss of dignity while changing poopy diapers and dancing in his underwear singing the songs from Elmo. His world view has inexplicably changed ever since that first little cry. As Bourdain puts it, "You definitely lose your heart for certain acts of thoughtless cruelty." It seems even the hardened exterior of leather wearing, globe trotting chefs can be melted by the warmth of a little heart.

This is a strange phenomenon among men: having children releases some new pheromone or subprogram in our brains that changes the way we think and, hopefully, the way we act. While this isn't as universal as women would hope, it is very common. I experienced it. I remember dangling from a cliff the first time after I had children, some thing I had done numerous times before. For the first time in my life, I had second thoughts about what I was doing. What was this strange feeling I was having? My wife later informed me it's called responsibility. I think you can see both these chefs having the same thoughts. As we know so well this time of year, sometimes a baby changes everything.

If men like these guys can change and soften, it makes you wonder what effect diaper changing would have had on world history What if every dictator had to change diapers and dance while singing children's songs before they could go to war? The world might be a very different place.

You can catch these two newly-responsible dads on their respective travel and food shows; Bourdain's No Reservations begins a new season January 5th at 10 p.m. ET on the travel Channel and Batali's new show, Spain -- On the Road Again (which he co-hosts with mom Gwyneth Paltrow) airs on PBS.

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]]>anthony bourdainAnthonyBourdainchewing the fatChewingTheFatexpire-images2009-12-29fatherhoodmario bataliMarioBatalino reservationsNoReservationsparentingserious eatsSeriousEatsspain on the road againSpainOnTheRoadAgainRob BarrettMon, 29 Dec 2008 11:00:00 ESTEating Together in Chad, or the Downside of Finger Lickin' Goodhttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/26/eating-together-in-chad-or-the-downside-of-finger-lickin-good/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/26/eating-together-in-chad-or-the-downside-of-finger-lickin-good/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/26/eating-together-in-chad-or-the-downside-of-finger-lickin-good/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dishing it Out Rob Barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

This was not a meal for picky eaters. There were no forks, no napkins, and no plates. Just one communal serving dish with rice mush, some kind of carpy fish (heads included) and some oily sauce. And it wasn't just this meal, it was almost every meal I ate in Chad over the last 3 weeks while doing some music recording in the middle of Africa. While the tribal music I recorded and the people groups I worked with were amazing, the meal traditions were a little different.

Rob Barrett

For Chadians, meal time is important. It has very little to do with getting food into the system and everything to do with community, bonding, respect and spending time together. To refuse to eat a meal with someone is a big insult. We would gather for a meal and someone would take around a bowl with a bar of soap and a pitcher of water. The whole table would wash their hands before any food was served. We ate with our hands, balling up some rice in our right hand before dipping it in the shared bowl of sauce. (You would only eat with your right hand - very, very important as the left hand is reserved for more unsanitary practices.) The guest would always be given the best cut of meat, in most cases the gizzard. I had enough gizzards the last 3 weeks to last me a lifetime. I'll tell you the truth, I've done a lot of work in Africa and even I had quite a time getting used to eating with double dipped fingers.

Rob Barrett

While the food was different and the eating style wasn't one that I would recommend, the placing importance on meal time as a family event is one I wish we all could do more. Most of us do it on the big days like Christmas and Thanksgiving but let the vicissitudes of life (my mother-in-law's favorite saying) get in the way of eating together most normal days. The thought of someone running off to hockey practice or dance during the middle of the Chadian meal was beyond comprehension. This was meal time and the family came together.

There was another upside. There was only one dish to wash.

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]]>dishing-it-outRob BarrettFri, 26 Dec 2008 14:00:00 ESTThe World's Fastest and Easiest Christmas Cookie Recipehttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/19/the-worlds-fastest-and-easiest-christmas-cookie-recipe/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/19/the-worlds-fastest-and-easiest-christmas-cookie-recipe/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/19/the-worlds-fastest-and-easiest-christmas-cookie-recipe/#commentsFiled under:

Dishing it out Rob Barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

When I was a kid I loved reading the Guinness World Book of Records. Maybe you were the same way. Remember the world's tallest man and the biggest twins riding those mini bikes. Good times! I always hoped there would be something I could do to get a world record myself. I don't think Guinness accepts cooking videos but if they did this would be my entry.

The Worlds Fastest Christmas Cookie Recipe.



If you haven't made any cookies yet try this one and do it with your kids. (Or maybe, if you're family's like mine, you child will announce late at night as she goes to bed that she needs to bring snacks for the whole class tomorrow and can you make something!) You can try different types of Hershey's Kisses and substitute pecans or even fruit like raspberries or strawberries instead of the M&M's. Be sure to use a rather dense pretzel like the wafer kind, otherwise the chocolate will just melt through.

The written recipe is a pretzel, a Hershey's kiss, 2 minutes at 350 degrees, add an M&M to the middle, let cool. When you're melting the chocolate pull them out as soon as they get shiny. Different types of kisses melt at different times. Be sure to use parchment paper over your cookie sheet for easy clean up.

So have a merry Christmas, a joyous Festivus, or whatever you celebrate this time of year.

Update - I was just emailed these pics of Reagan (11) from Georgia making a version with Rolos and pecans. Yum. If you make some, send me a pic.

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]]>christmas cookiesChristmasCookiescookiescookingdishing-it-outholiday cookiesHolidayCookieshomemade cookiesHomemadeCookiesRob BarrettFri, 19 Dec 2008 16:00:00 ESTMaking the Roast Beast, or Finding Our Inner Cavemanhttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/12/making-the-roast-beast-or-finding-our-inner-caveman/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/12/making-the-roast-beast-or-finding-our-inner-caveman/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/12/making-the-roast-beast-or-finding-our-inner-caveman/#commentsFiled under: ,

dishing it out rob barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

It always brings a little tear to my eye. After his heart enlarging experience, the Grinch, Himself, carves the Roast Beast. How can that not get you, right here! Nothing quite paints Christmas Dinner to me more than a family gathered around a Rockwellian hunk of prime rib. (Well, maybe the Christmas tree, presents, carols, the manger, being with family, mistletoe, 12 drummers drumming .... ) So having that once a year slab of beef has become one of our favorite traditions.



The best part about prime rib is how easy it is to make. Start with a boneless rib roast (essentially a big, long ribeye steak), 1 lb. or so per person, wash it, pat it dry, brush it with butter on all sides, sprinkle coarse kosher salt bipartisan style (liberally on all sides), and place on a roasting pan or one deep enough to keep in the juices. Preheat your oven to 450 and cook for 10 minutes, then lower the temp to 325 and cook for around 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temp is 120. (You have to get a meat or candy thermometer for this.) Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let it sit 10 minutes before letting the Grinch carve it.

I like to make a side sauce of a spoonful of prepared horseradish, a spoonful of sour cream, 2 spoonfuls of mayo, a little Worcestershire sauce, and a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. You can add more horseradish if you want it hotter, and if you want to scare off your in-laws add a whole lot more.

While the economic times may not immediately make us think about buying big pieces of meat, you can buy it pretty cheaply at places like Costco (around $6 a pound) and you can make a prime rib roast as small as four or five pounds.

So if you've never tried it, go ahead, start a tradition. You'll make every Who in Whoville very happy.

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]]>dishing-it-outmeatribeyeroast beefRoastBeefside of beefSideOfBeefRob BarrettFri, 12 Dec 2008 16:00:00 ESTBrown Bag Revival, or Ideas for Lunch That Won't End Up in the Trashhttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/05/brown-bag-revival-or-ideas-for-lunch-that-wont-end-up-in-the-tr/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/05/brown-bag-revival-or-ideas-for-lunch-that-wont-end-up-in-the-tr/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/12/05/brown-bag-revival-or-ideas-for-lunch-that-wont-end-up-in-the-tr/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dishing it Out Rob Barrett


Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

In an attempt to do the right thing and serve healthy food, our daughters' school served barley soup every Thursday for the entire year. Barley soup! After week one it was clear that we'd be packing lunch that day.

Packing a lunch, brown bagging it, or brandishing your Brady Bunch lunch box at school is fraught with dangers. We've had some hits and some misses. We, I say we, but in an attempt at full disclosure, mainly my wife packs lunch for the girls. I help with almost everything around the house, but I rarely pack lunch. So any ideas herewith are less mine and more gleaned from others.

First of all, I'm going to make a couple assumptions:

1. Your school has peanut issues so I'm going to leave out peanut butter. (Do you really need me to tell you about PBJ?)

2. Your child does not have access to a microwave.

3. Your child won't eat sushi, cow tongue, or other strange substances at school. Way uncool.

Continue reading Brown Bag Revival, or Ideas for Lunch That Won't End Up in the Trash

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]]>cheesedishing-it-outkids lunchKidsLunchlunchpicky kidsPickyKidsquesadillaquesadillassandwichesschool lunchesSchoolLunchessoupRob BarrettFri, 05 Dec 2008 16:00:00 ESTSharp Knives and Little Fingers, or How Frodo the 9 Fingered Got His Namehttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/28/sharp-knives-and-little-fingers-or-how-frodo-the-9-fingered-got/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/28/sharp-knives-and-little-fingers-or-how-frodo-the-9-fingered-got/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/28/sharp-knives-and-little-fingers-or-how-frodo-the-9-fingered-got/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dishing it Out Rob Barrett

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.



"Sure, I love cooking with kids," I told the TV producer. I was going to do a live cooking segment on an afternoon talk show and the producer wanted to know if I minded if the host's daughter cooked with me. I planned on having her cut up some vegetables and do some stirring. It was then I was told the little girl was only 3. Yikes! W. C. Fields was right. Never share the stage with kids or animals. It actually went OK. I had her dip fruit kabobs in chocolate, which took her approximately 30 seconds out of a 5 minute segment. (You can see a video of it on my website under Twin Cities Live - cooking with kids.)

Continue reading Sharp Knives and Little Fingers, or How Frodo the 9 Fingered Got His Name

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]]>dishing-it-outkids cooking recipesKidsCookingRecipesRob BarrettFri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 ESTThe Leftover Calzone, or What to do After 3 Days of Turkey Sandwiches.http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/21/the-leftover-calzone-or-what-to-do-after-3-days-of-turkey-sandw/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/21/the-leftover-calzone-or-what-to-do-after-3-days-of-turkey-sandw/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/21/the-leftover-calzone-or-what-to-do-after-3-days-of-turkey-sandw/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Dishing it Out

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). Rob's posts will appear on Friday mornings. You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

Leftovers! The dreaded leftovers. Nothing like microwaved soggy green beans and tough pot roast 4 days after they peaked to dull up a family meal. Even turkey sandwiches can get old after 3 or 4 days. Here's something I learned from my sister that has become a favorite tradition after Thanksgiving for our clan. After we're tired of turkey sandwiches we make Thanksgiving Leftover Calzone. Watch the video and I'll show you how to do it.

This will work for almost any kind of leftovers. We've done it with hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and even those soggy green beans. Just make sure you have some kind of moisture in the calzone. For the Thanksgiving version, the mashed potatoes works as the sauce, but for the hot dogs and mac and cheese, I added some salsa. You can also just make a normal calzone (stromboli to us Pennsylvanians) with cheese, some meat, and pasta sauce.

Here's the recipe for the crust but if you're really tired just use on of the Pillsbury pizza doughs in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.

Leftover Calzone.

crust (also good for pizza.)

2 packets or 5 teaspoons of yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour
1 spoonful salt
1 spoonful sugar
2 spoonfuls olive oil
1 egg
various leftovers

Add yeast to warm water and stir. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Add yeast and water mixture. Stir with a fork until combined. Pour out on clean counter top and knead for 8-10 minutes by folding over and pushing down. If dough is sticky add more flour. Place back in bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes. (15 if using quick rise yeast.) Roll out, add leftovers to bottom half, fold over, push down to seal seams, and brush with egg. Cook at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until brown. Serve with gravy.

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]]>cooking with kidsCookingWithKidsdishing-it-outmacaroni and cheeseMacaroniAndCheeseRob BarrettFri, 21 Nov 2008 16:00:00 ESTHow I Started to Cook, or How to be Unpopular in Junior Highhttp://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/14/how-i-started-to-cook-or-how-to-be-unpopular-in-junior-high/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/14/how-i-started-to-cook-or-how-to-be-unpopular-in-junior-high/http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/14/how-i-started-to-cook-or-how-to-be-unpopular-in-junior-high/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dishing it Out

Welcome to Dishing it Out, ParentDish's weekly food column. Rob Barrett is a dad who knows his way around the kitchen; his web site, Cooking For Dads, provides simple video recipes for dads (and moms!). Rob's posts will appear on Friday mornings. You can read all the Dishing it Out posts here.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I had seen my mom bake chocolate chip cookies (my fave) thousands of times. Well, maybe not thousands -- I was only seven years old -- but many times. So one day when I had a hankering for some cookies, I asked her if she would make some. Instead, my mom handed me the Betty Crocker Cookbook, reminded me where the ingredients were and told me she'd be in the next room if I needed help. Two hours, covered in flour and lots of questions later, I made my first batch of cookies. They were awesome, although I mainly ate the dough. There was an immediate sense of accomplishment. I had made something -- something my family could eat.

So began my travels down the cooking road: taking Home Ec instead of wood shop in sixth grade (which wasn't popular on the recess playground); discovering an early love of the grill; trying to copy restaurant dishes; and enjoying experimenting with different ingredients and cooking methods. I'm not a trained chef, but I try and share easy to make meals with very little measuring and no cooking mumbo-jumbo.

Continue reading How I Started to Cook, or How to be Unpopular in Junior High

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]]>cooking for dadsCookingForDadsdishing-it-outmacaroni and cheeserecipesRob BarrettFri, 14 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST