The Dinner Files

It’s another “good, bad and embarrassing” item on The Dinner Files: My son’s lunchbox. I took the picture this morning, but I could have taken it any school day morning since the end of September when we fell upon a lunch he would eat, not throw away, not complain about, and which didn’t make me feel too horribly bad. Two cheese sticks (yes, all local and organic–that’s how I roll), carrot sticks (usually from carrots from the farm box, otherwise all local and organic because, again, that’s how I roll), a handful of dried blueberries (the “wild” and unsweetened ones from Trader Joe’s because they are the same price as the not wild and sweetened ones and while still almost unbearably expensive they are much less than at Rainbow Grocery where I mostly shop and I’ve tried sneaking dried cranberries or currants or other dried fruit he usually eats but it comes home uneaten and fresh fruit leads to actual complaints). Today he got to take 3 “chocolate monies” in his pocket (they were leftover from the Lunar New Year celebration last week) for dessert. Usually there is a cookie in the box instead, sometimes homemade, sometimes not. I like to put the cookie in because then at least there is some starch (and since I usually put some amount of oatmeal in a cookie, it has some whole grain). I’ve tried adding crackers or rice cakes which, again, he loves at home. They come home all smooshed and crumbly in the box. Untouched, uneaten, and unloved.

I’ll give the lunch this: It is very easy to put together. Especially if, as I do, one makes all the little bags of carrot sticks at once and has them in the fridge, next to the cheese sticks, ready to be thrown in the Lightin’ McQueen box.

For dinner last night? Oh, we sort of had Pearl Couscous & Peas with cheese melted on top. I stirred in some harissa in mine too. The boys were full and tired from their day o’fun at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

I had coffee with a friend yesterday. She, too, is part of the food world–writing away and developing recipes and whatnot. We spent a moment–just a moment, mind you!–bemoaning the fresh, simple, ingredient-driven, Italy/Southern France-inspired cuisine that dominates our fair city of San Francisco. It’s all great, of course, but once in awhile you want someone to dazzle you with something you’ve never seen before, and I don’t mean yet another variety of Mediterranean green. I want something weird. Something not a variety of something else. Something I’ve never dreamed of. Something amazing.

And yet, between the two of us, I don’t think you could find more “simply prepared asparagus and peas” (as she so deftly put it) if you tried.

And after all my yackety-yack, what did I cook? Well, see for yourself:

Yep, those are some late-spring, early-summer vegetables. Simply “braised” in olive oil and water (water! of all things simple!) with some fresh herbs (let’s not get too cliché… oh wait, it’s way too late for that) and served on polenta. What is it? 1985? But you know, it was just right for a Thursday on a sunny day that had turned into a clear-but-windy night in San Francisco. It was also fast. It’s such a crowd-pleaser I already posted the recipe (such as it is) over at local foods.

p.s. The carrot cupcakes were a hit (although they had a bit of that metallic thing chemically-risen baked goods can get–I’ll play with the proportions a bit). Cooking with 16 4- and 5-year olds is insane. They really like to stir. A lot. Next time I’m just bringing bowls of flour and water for them to work on. They also like to stick their fingers in their noses and mouths. A lot. More than once did I say “Calum/Serafina/Shai/Jacob/Vaughn, go wash your hands” and then 30 seconds later look over and say it all over again.

Does that ever happen to you? Once in a moon-so-blue-it’s-turquoise does it happen to me. I ate some stuff–mainly “sportler brot” (“fitness bread”! it says so on the label!) from Ester’s German Bakery via our neighborhood co-op and some goat gouda cheese (remind me to tell you about the time my French exchange family took me to Holland and we went to Gouda–oh, the fun we had!)–but not any dinner. Instead I was busy developing a dairy-free, egg-free carrot cake to turn into cupcakes today with Ernie’s preschool class.

Dairy-free and egg-free because that’s how things roll these days. Between allergies and politics, cooking and other people’s kids is a tricky business.

Carrot cake because they planted and grew carrots in their garden and they’ve already prepared them every other way anyone can think of.

Me because I volunteered to come in and do a baking project because otherwise I am a very bad parent who doesn’t contribute to the school (except, of course, for the substantial check I write them every month) and selfishly pursues her own career during the time I pay other people to keep my child out of traffic–oh, I mean stimulate his mind, enliven his curiosity, smooth over not-fully-socialized-and-thus-painfully-honest peer interactions, and strengthen his body–all day.

These cupcakes are tasty. Basic and tasty. Cream cheese frosting would set them up just right, but I don’t want the teachers to hate me, which I think they might if I left them with a room full of sugar-fueled pre-schoolers just as “quiet time” rolled around….

Dairy-free, egg-free tender carrot spice cupcakes

1 1/2 cup grated carrot
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup cold water
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare 18 muffin/cupcake cups (spray with oil, butter, or line with paper).

2. In a small bowl, combine carrots, lemon juice, and salt. Set aside (by letting this sit just a bit the acid in the lemon juice and the salt start to break down and soften the carrot).

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If you’re cooking with kids, let them use a whisk to stir until the mixture looks homogeneous (in kid-speak: all the same)–I’ve found it’s a big hit. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water, oil, and vanilla. (Have the kid/s smell the vanilla–they’ll love you for it.)

5. Pour oil mixture into flour mixture. Whisk to combine thoroughly (since there isn’t any egg here you don’t need to worry about over-mixing the batter and having tough cupcakes, so let the little monsters/darlings stir away!). Stir in carrot mixture (again, let them revel in the joy of mixing!).

6. Divide mixture evenly among prepared cups. Bake 10 minutes, switch pan positions, bake until puffed, golden, and a clean toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake emerges clean, about 15 minutes. Let sit on a wire rack until cool.

I wish I didn’t need to say it (isn’t it obvious?), but: © 2008 Molly Watson, just like everything else you see here.