Cooking for three growing boys has its challenges.  They may always be hungry, but having been raised up to this point on primarily convenient foods, they have a very limited idea of what is acceptable to eat.  Unfortunately for me, just about any vegetable that I consider to be amazing is not currently on that list.

After months of trying to accommodate their wants with a real need to get them to eat in something like a healthy manner, it has come time to put on my “Dad” hat and just start making the right foods, regardless of the amount of noise coming from the dining room when something green comes out of the larder.

What do you do to get your kids to eat better?  Do you have tricks for sneaking healthier alternatives into the mix, or do you just sit staunchly by until they finally cave in and eat what they should eat?  I’d be very interested to know what other parents are doing here, especially since I’m starting with kids that haven’t been eating my food for the last four years.

I’ll grant that the only nod towards health that this particular dish shows is the spinach itself.  This is not the world’s healthiest pasta dish, but I’m using sausage, butter and garlic as gateway foods to introduce healthier items like spinach and fresh basil. (They loved the basil… Not so much the spinach, but they ate some of it, so it’s a start!)

Another trick I’ve begun using is to decrease the amount of “the good stuff” in the dish.  While I more than likely would have made this a year ago with a pound of sausage and simply saved the leftovers, now I’ve cut it down to 1/2 pound, knowing full-well that the two older boys will not leave even the smallest meaty bit in the pan or on their plates, regardless of how little they touch the vegetables.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Fettuccine Alfredo is one of Italy’s most wondrous exports. A perfect pairing of rich, creamy sauce and perfectly cooked pasta that serves equally well as a main dish or as a side to nearly anything you feel like serving with it.  It’s complex yet simple,  filling and decadent.  What could be more wonderful?

Now what if I told you that every recipe that you’ve probably ever seen for Fettuccine Alfredo was wrong?  What if I told you that it was probably the most simple dish in the world to make?  What if I told you that Mr. Alfredo’s Fettuccine has been done a glaring disservice by a million cooks, including renown chefs around the world.  Would you believe me?

If you won’t believe me, would you believe Saveur magazine? Their May issue features an article by Tod Coleman titled “The Real Alfredo”, which details the history and creation of this iconic dish from its birth just after the turn of the century.  Alfredo, it seems, created the dish for his wife, who had lost her appetite after giving birth to their son.  His modified Fettuccine al Burro featured far more butter than the original, a combination that “…neither his wife or his customers could resist.”

While most versions I’ve seen are fairly complex and require a fair bit of attention to detail, the original Fettuccine Alfredo has just four ingredients and takes mere minutes to make, but results in a dish far more complex and wondrous than any Alfredo I’ve ever eaten in an Italian Restaurant anywhere… Ever. And I’ve eaten a lot.

So please be so kind as to take a moment to meet the real Alfredo.  You’ll never think of this dish the same way again.  But you may find you eat a lot more of it.

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Popularity: 49% [?]

Many people feel that the cuisine of the British Aisles is somewhat bland and lacking in character. I disagree completely. Most dishes from this region are recipes born of necessity and frugality. They use waht was available seasonally, they are prepared simply but yet all are heartwarming and filling. It’s a cooking style that I intend to persue further over the course of the next year. Perhaps I’ll help to show some of you what is, and should be, a wonderful cuisine that is perfecly suited to a family meal around the table.

Last night was a celebration of my family’s Irish heritage. This dinner, unlike most on this site was cooked from a cookbook with only slight modifications, as I have not made these dishes often enough to just throw them together as I normally would. I’m just digging in to Irish cuisine, so at least at first I’ll stick pretty tight to the recipes.

For those in the know, I’ve not served the champ in the traditional method. I wanted a one plate meal with a bit of presentation, rather than a seperate dish off to the side. If this offends, I apologize. The meal was fantastic even without the tiny soup plate of champ with it’s well of butter at the center and it added a lot to the lamb, which was fabulous along with a bite of champ and mint peas. these are good flavors and they all play well together.

I’m not really going to cover the lamb here. It was simply cooked with just salt, pepper and olive oil in a rocket-hot cast iron skillet for 5 minutes per side. While wonderful, it’s not really a recipe worth going through all the stages of. (In fact, I just gave it to you. Season, toss in hot pan and cook about 5 minutes per side. Rest. Serve.) The other dishes were really the stars here and I feel that they need the spotlight, so I’m giving it to them.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

I feel like I’m breaking some sort of oath with myself by releasing this recipe. I’ve guarded this one with my life on more than one occasion, refusing to allow the grail of roast preparation out of the confines of my own kitchen. For me this is something akin to letting a national secret slip into the wrong hands, but the decision has been made and there’s no going back now.

It’s probably guilt that’s motivating this decision. I’m not usually wont to be a recipe hog. Generally I’ll chat and give (and receive) recipe hints anywhere that I can. In the grocery store, at the checkout, at the bank, at dinner at someone’s house, or on the phone. But not this… This one is different.

This is, quite simply the best damned beef roast short of a standing rib roast that you’ll ever eat, and for the first time in my life, I’m going to spill the recipe.

“Please take note, Mr or Mrs Bond, this message will self destruct 10 seconds after completion and will not be repeated”

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Popularity: 7% [?]