FAQ

1. I see some abbreviations in your recipes; what do they stand for?
2. What brands do you use and other things you might not be certain of from the recipes…
3. Do you guys really eat like this every night?
4. Do your kids really eat everything you make? How did you manage that?

1. I see some abbreviations in your recipes; what do they stand for?

• AP flour = All Purpose flour
• t = teaspoon/s
• T = tablespoon/s
• g = gram/s
• oz = ounce/s
• lb/lbs = pound/pounds

2. What brands do you use and other things you might not be certain of from the recipes…

• My All Purpose flour is always unbleached.
• I mostly use King Arthur All Purpose flour, but I’ve been known to pick up Gold Medal also.
• I prefer weighing ingredients when baking; I believe a cup of flour should weigh 126 grams, but if the recipe I am following was heavy handed with the flour, then I will call for more flour per cup.  It all depends on how the original recipe writer measured the flour (scooping versus spooning, etc).
• I use locally farmed eggs–this means that they tend to range in size from large to extra large.  I know this is a pain given how much I emphasize details when baking, but it has not hurt me yet and I vastly prefer knowing where my eggs come from (I do weigh eggs/egg parts in recipes that call for a lot of eggs, like angel food cake or meringue cookies).
• My vanilla is ALWAYS pure extract, never artificial; this is true of all of my extracts.
• My baking powder and baking soda are always fresh given how much I bake–make sure yours are too (fresh means to use within a year of purchasing usually).
• My dairy products are almost all ultra-pasteurized because I have yet to find them not.  When a baking recipe calls for milk, I try to approximate whole milk by adding some cream or half-n-half to our standard for drinking 1%.  I generally prefer fuller fat dairy products when baking or cooking; I have been known to use low fat, but never nonfat.
• If you are using alcohol to cook with (brandy, beer, cider, any wine, including fortified wines like sherry, marsala, etc) make sure it is one you’d be ok with drinking.
• If it only says “cinnamon” it is Chinese cassia (which is not true cinnamon, but is what Americans think of when they think of cinnamon).  If it is Ceylon/true cinnamon or Vietnamese cassia it will say so.
• All of my salt is sea salt. I use a super fine non clumping basic sea salt for baking, I use a kosher sea salt for cooking and I use a variety of salts for the table/topping dishes (and will generally identify them then).
• For baking, I am a bit of a chocolate snob, meaning I prefer good chocolate, but not brands that are astronomically expensive (those are the chocolates I eat straight, not bake with).  My favorite is Scharffen Berger, for chocolate and natural unsweetened cocoa powder.  For Dutched cocoa powder, Valrhona.  For chocolate chips I like Guittard and Ghiradelli.

3. Do you guys really eat like this every night?

Yes and no (wasn’t that helpful!?).  Yes in that we really do eat these dishes and dishes like these most nights.  However I am a firm believer in making big meals and eating them leftover for a night or two–no one wants to cook every night, not even me.  As far as desserts go, if you see a lot of desserts in a row, chances are I am also baking for school, John’s department or students, dinner parties, something.  On the other hand, I have a ginourmous sweet tooth and it would be a big fat lie if I told you I did not have a little something sweet every day.

4. Do your kids really eat everything you make? How did you manage that?

Yep they do–although of course they do have individual likes and dislikes and evenings when they just don’t have much of an appetite.  I fed them this way from the beginning.  After we were done with the individual foods (i.e., when you give them just potatoes to make sure they are not allergic to potatoes) I made strictly one pot meals that could then be pureed for them.  Sammy’s first meal was an Afghani bean soup; I no longer remember Alex’s, but I know she had Thai red curry at 9 months.  I have made one pot meals their entire lives, which means they are completely used to all sorts of foods being right next to one another on their plates.  If there is a food they don’t like–Alex is not partial to onions, for example–they just push it aside.  “Indian,” “Thai,” “Mexican,” and “Middle Eastern” are as familiar to them as spaghetti, pizza and hot dogs, probably even more so.

OK Laura, so you fed them this way from the beginning–but are they truly never picky?    Of course they are weirdly picky at times, like any other kid.  On those nights, I just ignore them–no young kid has ever voluntarily starved him or herself and I personally don’t believe one ever will.  I never fight over food.  Further, the biggest key to overcoming those moments of pickiness is to ignore the pickiness and try again another night.  I’ve seen my kids completely reject a dish only to obsess on it the next night (in a ravenous way).

If you have any other questions please email me!