Best Family Food of 2008

I love to eat great food. My mother, brother and father all duked it out over time in the kitchen when I was a kid. So, I enjoyed being out of the mix, eating rather than creating.

(there’s a pattern surfacing here. My parents suspected I came out of the womb a career girl)

But, as usual, kids came on board and the creating of fun, edible, appealing food became sort of mandatory. It’s been one heck of an adventure and I have learned so much – especially in the past year – from amazing home chefs.

Here are some of my favourite recipes of the year:

1. Tree Haverner’s kid-friendly version of pasta fagioli, Mac N’ Beans was far and away the most loved and most recreated recipe in our house this year. Tree is a kid food genius and I love her for giving my pasta dishes purpose.

2. In the desert/afternoon snack universe, our Cherry Bread made with fresh BC cherries made us all wish it was cherry season all year long. Seasonal dishes are so worth the wait.

3. Rosina treated us to a great Summer cool off dish with Veggie Jelly Melons that were as yummy as they were refreshing. We had so much fun making those.

4. Chef extraordinaire Mohini treated us to an unusual, but fantastically delicious salad with her Sweet Kohlrabi Salad. We ate this so much this Summer that the tiny person still asks for it.

5. In the homey comfort food universe Bacon & Egg Cups are always a huge hit. They are a totally fun way to change up traditional breakfast and get that lovely smell of bacon wafting through the house on a chilly day.

6. One of the cutest kitchen adventures of the year was Christa’s Cream Cheese Penguins. Olives are a big hit around here. So, these get gobbled up on a regular basis.

7. In terms of brilliant ways to get your kids to eat their fruits and veggies, Christa also scored huge with her Salad People. I think we’re going to have to bust this one out this morning.

8. Krista Johnston treated us to a delicious version of Spanikopita that thanks to spelt phyllo we have treated ourselves to more than a few times. Mmmmm, another one to make today:)

9. I L-O-V-E seasonal versions of my favourite soup – borscht. Our Summer Borscht filled with cabbage, carrots and squash made for a great warm up after a day at the beach that stretched well into the evening.

10. I have to admit, though, that the most fun food project we did this year was simple and tasty in a no-cook sort of way. Cow Lips scored tops on the tiny person’s list of kitchen good times.

Wow, what a year.

We’ve got TONS of food in store for you in 2009 – with Robyn Butler bringing us the scoop on all of the local goodness and a new addition – Sarah Stromquist guiding us through cooking in the kitchen WITH her kids.

Yay!

Tags: borscht, children, Comox Valley, cooking, dinner, eating, family, food, healthy, Kids, kitchen, kitchen projects, Mango Power Girl, Mohini, Nutrition, Our Big Earth Media Co., parenting, Recipes, salad, snacks, soup, Tiny Morsels, Tree Haverner, vegetables

Category: EAT LOCAL, Food & Your Family, Recipes