not-so pumpkin cookies

Is it really that time of year? The leaves are turning and the lunch bags cross my counter every morning. The kids' backpacks are strewn throughout the house and school projects are the talk of the day.

I am tickled to be back in the brown bag lunch season, where I dig deeper for new ideas and recipes, and try to rally my boys to try new snacks, dips and sandwiches.

One recipe that I reach for each fall is our pumpkin cookies; though the irony is that they are made with cooked carrots: not pumpkin. Don't be fooled, though, even though carrots are front and center for these cookies, the kids will scarf them down. They are called pumpkin cookies for two reasons: 1. they are orange, and 2. you can decorate the tops of them to look like jack-o-lanterns.

With mini chocolate chips and ideally some kids to help decorate, these cookies look like small reminders of Halloween. Though I must confess, the last time I baked these I only made a few pumpkin faces; the rest of the cookies were adorned with mini-chocolate chips in a happy clump on top. Pumpkin faces or not: the kids gobbled them up in true goblin style.

Carrot Jack-o-lantern Cookies, or
Iced Carrot Cookies, or
Wannabe Pumpkin Cookies... what to call these?

1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup mashed cooked carrots
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
topping: mini chocolate chips

icing
2 T orange juice
1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar; mix in egg, carrots, extracts. Blend flour, baking powder and salt; mix just until blended. Drop onto cookie sheet, bake 12-15 minutes (makes 15-18 ping pong ball size cookies). Meanwhile, whisk together orange juice and sugar to make icing. Let cookies cool, then ice and adorn with chocolate chips.

chocolate chip studded banana mini muffins.

I am a huge fan of bite-size bagables: easy to eat, fuss-free finger food. I sometimes pack muffins instead of a sandwich, to keep the boys' brown bags interesting. As long as they keep guessing, and new foods appear in their lunches, the interest and curiosity should stay on an elevated level (or so I tell myself).

Mini muffins are a favorite way for me to bake---and pack---muffins: they are less messy than large, crumbly muffins and easy to eat mid-conversation.

And I think my boys get more excited about mini-muffins than they do 'regular size' muffins. This is probably the mini-muffin they see most often:

banana chocolate chip muffins
1 stick (1/2 cup) room temp. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup mini or regular size chocolate chips

Oven to 350; cream butter and sugar in mixer. Add eggs, beat well. Sift together dry ingredients, then add to mixer. Blend. Add bananas, sour cream, vanilla and blend. Add nuts and chocolate chips; mix in. Butter or spray mini muffin pan; bake 18-20 minutes or until just golden on top.

life is a muffin full of cherry.

I am always on the lookout for special treats to put in the boys' lunch. A twist, something new, and in this case a muffin with a surprise inside.

When I saw these little gems in Martha Stewart's July magazine, I knew I had to give them a try. Any kids would think how cool, when they saw a cherry---stem included---baked right into the middle of a mini muffin.

In fact, I baked this lunch-worthy muffin at a recent brunch that I made for extended family. I loosened these little 'cherry envelopes' and then served them right in their muffin tin. Everyone was delighted; the cherry gave a surprising and sweet burst in the middle of an almond-meal muffin.

Cherry Almond Mini Muffins
Makes 24.

1 1/4 sticks butter
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup finely ground almonds
1 cup sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
5 large egg whites
4 tsp cherry brandy
24 stemmed cherries

Preheat oven to 400. Butter and flour muffin tin. Melt 1 1 /4 sticks (10 T) butter in skillet over medium high; when sputtering, lower heat, swirling, until butter just begins to brown. Off heat; skim off foam. Mix flour, almonds, sugar and salt in bowl. Whisk in egg whites. Add brandy and butter (pour in all but the brown residue) and blend. Put 1 T batter in each muffin cup, press cherry into each and top with enough batter to cover. Back 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly; loosen in molds and serve.

Yummy Granola from my kitchen.

I always had thoughts of making granola, but the recipes I found seemed too complicated. Then my mother-in-law put a recipe in front of me that was easy to make. So I tried it: and loved it. The flavor is spot-on and the recipe simple and unassuming. It is a granola my children would be willing to try, in part because it is not overdone or filled with too many unknowns.

Granola
4 cups oats 1
1/2 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
optional: raisins, dried cranberries/cherries/blueberries/apple

Oven to 300 degrees. In large bowl mix first five ingredients. In a small bowl, blend honey, oil and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and stir to blend. Spread in big pan and place in oven for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. Keeps for a week sealed at room temp, or frozen up to 3 months.

silly dilly dip.

Because if it is silly, it cannot be boring. And Brown Bag Blues are all about chasing away the blues, the boredom, and the roll-your-eyes usual of midday munching.

Though this Silly Dilly Dip can scoot into a lunch alongside the daily veggies, it also mixes well with last night's roasted red potatoes. For a lunchtime treat, put in a very simple potato salad. Why not?

My kids would try it, as long as it is only Silly Dilly Dip and potatoes (they are still getting used to extra colors and textures and wierd, unfamiliar additions. I bet in the next few months I could add one more veggie into the potato salad mix...).

Silly Dilly Dip
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice
2 T finely chopped shallots
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 T Worcestershire sauce

Mix all in blender; add salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve.

simbree foods

I heart Simbree. This is a long overdue review of Simbree product(s). Simbree products include granola, bars and bites (1 inch cubes of goodness). Sally from Simbree has been so supportive and lovely about sending me simbree granola, bars and bites to try: I was even able to donate some bites in red tins to an auction!

I really love the bites. I carried them around in my car for weeks, so whenever hunger pangs came knocking I would have a thoughtful, healthful snack to answer. What I loved: it only took a few bites to satisfy my appetite. What I loved even more: they are good for me!

Simbree bites---and the bars---come in 3 flavors: Oat Almond Pistachio, Maple Walnut & Chewy Cashew Coconut. They are all delicious and satisfying; next time I promise to eat them all at once and rate each using my Bagable Scale** (Sorry, I hadn't developed my Bagable Scale---for reviewing products---when I first tried the Simbree products).

I used the Simbree Granola for making cookies, and added dried cranberries as a bonus! I made my favorite lunchbox cookies and used Simbree's Maple Walnut Granola instead of the cornflakes. Find recipe here. Granola flavors include Cherry Berry, Grain & Nut and Maple Walnut.

You will notice on the right of this blog I have links to bagable products and bagable drinks. I have tried these products and like them. If I didn't, they wouldn't be there.

You can find Simbree products at Whole Foods; you can also buy them online.

**Rated on a Bagable Scale (Is it brown bag-worthy or not?): Not---Possibly---Probably---Easily---Absolutely

the zesty 'not ranch' dip.

My kids have tried ranch dressing as a partner to their lunch-time veggies, but I must be honest, it isn't their favorite. Over the years we have tried this bottle and that, but to no avail. After a pleasant visit on the shelves of our refrigerator, each round of ranch found its way less into our mouths, and more into the garbage.

And I find it funny that I bought bottled ranch, since 90% of the time I make my own salad dressings. They taste so much better, and really are easy to make. Typically, I throw together olive oil and vinegar concoctions, but I do venture out and sometimes mix a mean blue cheese dressing. So why had I not tried to replace the infamous ranch? Especially in my consistent pursuit of making my children's lunches varied, interesting and new. Especially in my attempt to tempt their palate, nurture their curiosity and push them to have informed opinions about food. It is probably my fault that they didn't really like ranch, or really most store-bought dressings, now that I think about it.

They are far better connoisseurs than I was at their age, but then that probably reflects a shift in our culture---and I think they are better for it. All of that to say: we have replaced bottled ranch dip inside the lunch box. I borrowed and slightly modified a recipe for "Basil Green Goddess Dressing" from the Barefoot Contessa (in her new book Barefoot Contessa at Home, p.70). And my children loved it. Their token description was "it is zesty!"

So I whip up a batch for a week's worth of lunchtime vegetables. I send 'zesty dip' in a little Tupperware container, along with a bag of carrots or broccoli. I could probably send cauliflower and parsnips, zucchini or cucumber rounds. I couldn't send---but perhaps your child might like---cherry tomatoes, bell pepper chunks/strips, radishes and/or celery. This 'not ranch' zesty dip is a keeper:

Zesty 'not ranch' Dip
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayo
1 cup chopped basil leaves
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp course pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup scallions, white and light green parts

Place all in blender, puree. (I am a big fan of short instructions).

Note: to de-zest it a bit, substitute dill, oregano, Italian flat-leaf parsley or fennel fronds for the scallions.

a flurry of tzaziki

It is thick and white but won't be coming down from the sky. This flurry should be in kitchens all around, in a hurry to pop dipping options into brown bags the world over.

I thought flurry was a nice description of mixing up this recipe and/or filling a brown bag since for me that process is usually hurried. When I am really on top of my game, I make lunch the night before... but time and again I am throwing, chucking, shoving and grabbing all the nearest bagable items to rapidly insert into the bag on our way out the door: quick---before we are late! So, I make sure at least recipes are made the day/night before, to assist in my morning flurry. Recipes just are not going to happen at my house during the morning rush; but that is just me.

I made tzaziki so my boys could try it as a dip for cucumber half-moons, zucchini matchsticks and pita triangles. Turns out, one son prefers it with broccoli, another on pita with grilled (cold) lamb.

By the way, if my boys ate tomatoes, a pile of cherry tomatoes would be a perfect accompaniment with tzaziki; hopefully your kiddos like tomatoes. Tzaziki is a great partner for adding veggies to brown bags!

Quick facts I borrowed from Wikipedia:

• Tzatziki is a Greek appetizer.
• The Greek name is based on/means chutney.
• Tzatziki is traditionally made with strained sheep/goat yogurt, cucumbers, onion, garlic.
• It also might have: olive oil, vinegar and herbs (dill, mint, parsley).
• It is often served with pita bread/flat bread, olives.
• It is a standard condiment in Greek souvlaki and gyros.
• Tzatziki is served cold.

I adapted a Tzatziki recipe from Barefoot Contessa:

Tzaziki
Kosher Salt & Coarse Pepper
2 cups plain (or Greek) yogurt
1 medium cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
1/2 cup sour cream
1T champagne/white wine vinegar
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh dill

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 T of kosher salt; in another sieve. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can; mix/blend yogurt, cucumber, sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a few grinds of pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

A flurry of recipes:

• Chevre Tzaziki from Anne's Food.
• Beetroot Tzaziki from Cook (almost) Anything at least Once.
• Tzaziki from Cooking Light.
• Santa Cruz Organic based Tzaziki.
• Elise from Simply Recipes provides Tzaziki with Swiss Chard.
• Tzaziki from Family Fun.

your kids can make these strawberry bars.

Well, the secret is in the sauce. We have 'grandma's strawberry jelly,' which is the only kind my fourth grader will consume. No, it isn't sugar free, not even close. In fact you would probably be mortified if (and when?) I share the recipe. Hey: at least there are strawberries in it, too.


Sugary treats aside, you can use any number of organic or sugar free jam or jelly in this recipe. These bars can be made with apricot jam, raspberry, blackberry or blueberry jelly, you name it. I should probably just call them Jam Bars. But for us and our strawberry-based nostalgia, they will forever be:


Strawberry Bars
1 cup flour (I use wheat)
1 cup rolled oats (good for you!)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup strawberry jam

Butter 8x8 inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350. Mix everything in bowl, except jam. Press 2 cups of mix in pan, spread jam, sprinkle remaining mix over top. Lightly press down, bake 25 minutes.

By all means, if making this to honor Heart of the Matter (HOTM), eating well for your heart: use healthy jam. As in, less sugar and more berries. Or even marmalade, or another fruity condiment that is good for you! Plus the oats and wheat flour and this little bagable dessert is worth making for breakfast, lunch or a kid-friendly dessert!

New friend: nutty results

My favorite new friend has a son who is in fifth grade: aka growing like mad, and athletic to boot. He isn't much of a lunch eater, and she is always looking for new ways to 'punch up the protein' in his lunch. I told her I would give it some serious thought, as I too can appreciate growing boys who need the energy for their bodies and brains!

My first thought was nuts: pepitas, pine nuts, brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts. My kiddos love pecans, cashews, walnuts and macadamia nuts. Nuts are a grand source of protein and 'good fat.'

Sometimes nuts are just nuts; other days I make nuts into a brown bag 'treat.' In fact, we went to dinner at my---new, favorite---friend's house, and I brought Ginger Sugar Pecans as a thank you hostess gift. Guess what? Her son loved them!

My boys love eating them for lunch too; they also love the candied walnuts I sometimes tuck into their crumpled brown bag. Click here for the walnut recipe; below find the gingery pecans:

Ginger Sugar Pecans
5 cups pecan halves
½ cup sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2 T honey
2 tsp olive oil

Toast pecans in single layer on rimmed cookie sheet at 325 for 10-15 minutes. Shake once during baking. Combine sugar, salt, ginger in small bowl and set aside. Mix honey, 2 T water and oil in sauté pan; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium, add pecans and cook for a few minutes until liquid has evaporated. Immediately throw into sugar mix and toss well—these are fabulous warm or at room temperature. They taste even better on day 2 when the flavors have had a chance to settle.

lunchbox cookies

I pulled this recipe out of some random magazine a million years ago, then changed it a bit. I was excited to find a granola bar disguised as a cookie; something still a treat but with more of a nutritional punch.

In fact, I have been known to put granola (sub varying cereals in place of cornflakes, even add a little coconut) and a variety of nuts (sunflower, walnuts, pepitas) and dried fruit right into these cookies. I will tell you the basic recipe, then you can improvise from there (note: if substituting, just stick with similar proportions):

Lunch box Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour (I use wheat)
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans

Oven to 350. Beat sugars and butter; beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, oats, soda, powder, salt just to blend. Add cereal and nuts. (If you are a dough eater, this dough rocks). Shape into 'golf balls' and bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes 2 dozen, though I never count.