"Thinking Like a Food Marketer" Worked for Carrots

A raisin smile makes the carrot souffle from our book, The Cleaner Plate Club, even more kid-friendly.

And it can work for you, too.

Here's the story on how Baby Carrots became a competitor to junk food through, well, marketing.

And here's a post from last week I did on how you can use food marketing tactics at home to get your kids to eat vegetables.

I Was Country, When Country Wasn't Cool

I was just reading Bourdain's post about his Ozark episode. I have family that hailed from and some still live near the areas he visited. I might actually watch TV for this episode.

"I learned that just cause you walk in a bar and absolutely everybody is wearing hunting cammos doesn’t mean you ain’t gonna have a really good time. I may not have grown up in hunting/fishing culture (far from it) but I sure as hell am never ever going to sneer at it again. Any boneheads who make cracks about eating squirrel are telling us a lot more about themselves and how remote they are from any kind of hard times–or any understanding of those who have been through hard times–than making any useful observation."

I've been very amused at this "trend" of hunting and rural lifestyle as the new cool. I happily wear my camo outfits now that camo is "in." Used to be, we of the rural persuasion were pretty much mocked.

So, you can imagine, I laughed out loud when I saw the YouTube video of "The Wild Within's" Steven Rinella out gathering raccoon roadkill for dinner and serving it up to hip, young urbanites. Because long before the hipsters, I had my fill of raccoon, and squirrel, rabbit, quail, pheasant, venison and, well, even possum. Which tastes nasty.

I've never, not once, been ashamed of growing up in a rural area. There are few other places in this country where you will find so many hard-working, decent people. I learned a lot about being independent and respecting nature from my youth. My best friends that I have had for over 30 years are those who grew up with me. So, thanks, Bourdain, for giving us a bit of respect even if there's a heavy play on the stereotypes.

Here's a little celebration of my "ruralness:"

A Gatherer Goes Hunting

Culinary Misadventures

Adult Swim: Creating the Perfect Wine Braise

I was pretty darn happy to hear Chicago Tribune's Nara Schoenberg referred to our book as "a sane approach to picky eating." And that she referred to the recipes as "simple, delicious and kid-friendly." I hope everyone finds the book to be as helpful.

But. I will confess that sometimes, once in a while, I cook just for me. And, if the kids likes it, too, all the better. We do a lot of braising since we get grass fed meats. We like to braise in red wine, too. The alcohol mostly cooks off, especially over the long cooking times we use.

I'll admit it. I just plain like red wine. I am no wine snob and I can't taste my way out of the paper bag you hide the bottle in. But I do like what I can taste: berries, spicy notes, smokiness, earthiness, cherries. Not so much on the oak.

I like the complexity of flavors. I love dark, dark chocolate and drink my coffee strong and dark. It never fails to amaze me how the same plant, be it grapes, coffee beans or cacao beans, can taste so different depending on where it grew. These are a few of my favorite things.

So, what if you "built" the perfect glass of cabernet in flavors, added the complexity of chocolate and coffee, then added the wine, and used it so braise a gorgeous lamb rib roast?

It's good. It's really, really good. And the kid liked it, too. What I shared, anyway.

1 2lb. lamb rib roast

2 tbs. grape seed or canola oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 sprig rosemary

1 bottle of dry red wine

1 large square of cheese cloth

cooking twine

1 tbs. Dutch cocoa powder

1 tbs. coffee beans

1 cinnamon stick

2 green cardamom pods

1 black cardamom pod

1 star anise

6 cloves

1 bay leaf

8 Sichuan peppercorns

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup elderberry syrup (or just tart cherry juice)

1/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Low and slow.

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil and brown each side of the lamb roast. Set aside on a platter.

Add the onions and carrot and garlic clove and saute for a couple minutes. Add just a bit of the wine to deglaze the pan. Sweat this mixture for 10 minutes. Add the wine, syrup or juice, and the dried cherries and bring to a simmer. Add the rosemary sprig. Place the lamb roast in the pot, fatty side up.

In the cheesecloth, wrap all the stuff from the cocoa powder to the peppercorns. Tie in a bundle. Nestle this bundle in next to the lamb. Cover and place in the oven for three hours.

This should be fall-off-the-bone tender. Remove the roast to a platter, cover and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid over a bowl to capture all that delicious braising liquid. Discard all the solids and the bundle. It's done its job and done it well. Put the liquid back in the pot and simmer, uncovered, on the stove until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

I serve this over Roasted Garlic and Parsnip Puree. And, yes, the kid ate it. She steals my dark chocolate, too. And drinks my coffee.

Eat Your Colors: Getting Kids to Eat Greens

What's the food color your kid just won't eat? Usually, green is the toughest sell. If you are looking for some creative ways to get your kids to "Eat Your Colors," then this new post I did for Martha Stewart's Whole Living will offer up some great tips and a recipe!