Cooking for Kids
By Joanna Fox
Growing up, I was a picky eater. Everything my parents put on my plate was scrutinized, prodded, poked, and moved around. Then, quite often, the food strategically made its way under the table and discreetly onto the floor. Like a lot of kids, I was a creature of habit and wanted the same things, over and over, every day. I think I had a ham sandwich on a baguette with mustard every day for lunch throughout my elementary school years.
As I got older, I slowly became more adventurous, but it was only when I started to travel and work in hospitality that I began to broaden my horizons. There’s something about the restaurant industry and being around food and ‘food people’ that pushes you to just go for it. By the time I landed a job waitressing at Joe Beef in my late 20s, the floodgates were wide open.
A lot of the picky eaters out there tend to become the biggest lovers of food. I fell into that category and embarked on a culinary journey that had me doing everything from food styling to working on cooking shows, writing cookbooks, waitressing, making food guides, reviewing restaurants, and, most of all, cooking like crazy.
I was that person who filled their teeny tiny apartment bathtub with ice and snow crab for dinner parties. I would make my own tortillas for 20-person taco nights and spend three days slow-cooking a pork shoulder. I had boundless energy for experimenting and discovering new dishes, and I created the most elaborate meals imaginable.
And then, one day, I had a baby. Which turned elaborate meals into me standing up while eating whatever was in the fridge or picking up and eating what my son threw to the floor. My dinner parties fizzled. My usual three courses turned into a panicked one-pot meal, and my open invitations were cut off at a strict six guests, max. How did I use to do this, I wondered.
My son was actually the best thing that ever happened to me, besides his father, years before. And eventually, as my son started to eat more food, meals became a bit more normal. I had more time to cook, and I started to make more interesting dinners, regaining energy and confidence.
I was so proud. I mean, his mother had such a developed palate, it only made sense that he would too. Until one day, probably around his third birthday, he turned on me. Or rather, he turned into me. Everything was “no” or “ugh” or “yuck,” and all my usual go-to foods were rejected, one by one. Eggs, pasta, chicken, cheese, rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes—nothing would stick.
I have a lot of chef friends, and quite a few of them have kids. I wondered what they were feeding their own kids, and if their kids were as picky as mine. Children have an uncanny ability to level the playing field. If Chuck Hughes’s kids were telling him their dinner “could be better,” I felt better. If these top chefs couldn’t please their kids, the pressure was off of me. We were all in the same boat, all at the mercy of these tough little critics.
However, there was always a “but.” There was always that dish, that fail-safe recipe that, no matter what, managed to please the peanut gallery. And it was the same thing for every chef I spoke to. Each one had that slam-dunk recipe that the children in their lives would eat.
So, for anyone that’s ever had to cook for children, I asked some of Canada’s best culinary minds, from coast to coast, what they made for the kids in their lives. And while I was at it, I also wanted to create a cookbook that would help teach children and parents about the diversity of our country and its people.
All the very generous chefs in the book gave me their best recipes so that our readers would have plenty of options come mealtime. Each dish is designed to put a smile on your kids’ faces and show them that there is so much to discover through food. And who knows, those picky eaters might surprise you with what they like…I know mine did.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
My mom used to make my son chocolate chip cookies, which he was totally obsessed with. But once, right before Christmas, she decided to switch it up and made him chocolate chocolate chip cookies instead. BIG mistake. He didn’t even want to look at them. So, when it was time to leave out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve, guess which cookies Santa was given? Well, when we woke up, and my son saw that Santa had devoured the cookies that he didn’t like, his interest was piqued. If Santa liked them. . . They’re now a staple in our house, and my son’s go-to dessert, regardless of the season.
MAKES ABOUT 36 COOKIES
PREP TIME: 15 minutes + 2 hours chilling COOK TIME: 8 to 10 minutes per batch
INGREDIENTS
11/3 cups butter, at room temperature 1 cup sugar
2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
21⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 cup milk
1 cups chocolate chips
(or 1 cup chocolate chips, + 1 cup chopped pecans)
Method
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
2 In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture, a third at a time, alternating with the milk. Stir in the chocolate chips (and nuts, if using). Place the cookie batter in the fridge and chill for 2 hours until firm.
3 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 12 tablespoon- sized mounds of batter onto the baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
4 Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Repeat two more times, with another 12 cookies in each batch. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 months.
photo by: Dominique Lafond
Joanna Fox’s new book, Little Critics, is packed with 109 diverse, family-friendly recipes, showcasing what some of Canada’s top culinary minds make for the children in their lives. Visit @Joannafox or click here for more information.
