The Food Issue 2011
Menu Makeovers; Dads Serve Up Eating Advice; Craft an Edible Centerpiece; Thanksgiving Table Talk
Talkin’ Turkey
Slow roasted or deep fried, maple glazed or butter rubbed, stuffed or unstuffed, a turkey is the centerpiece of most Thanksgiving tables. After the initial carving, a meaty bird keeps on giving for days, in the form of sandwiches, soups and casseroles — and, of course, every kid’s favorite: the wishbone. The best birds hail from…
Apple-Turkey Centerpiece
Do you spend hours camped out in the kitchen in advance of Thanksgiving dinner? This year, get the kids in on the culinary fun. While parents tend to the bird, stuffing and cranberry sauce, little ones can craft their own edible centerpiece from simple ingredients that are likely already on hand. Snacking along the way…
Give-Back Birthdays
A birthday celebration can be a great opportunity to get kids involved in the community. Children are eager to do good deeds. Point them in the right direction, and they’ll love the giving as much as the getting. Food Drive Ask party guests to bring a nonperishable food item rather than a gift. Have a…
How do you get kids to eat right — and like it?
When November rolls around, we begin thinking about food, families and giving thanks —three front-burner topics for parents. Lewis First, chief of pediatrics at Vermont Children’s Hospital at Fletcher Allen and editor-in-chief of Pediatrics, discusses palates and clean plates. KIDS VT: Everybody says that sugar makes kids hyper. Is that true? LEWIS FIRST: It’s not…
Fall Hiking
There’s no reason to pack it in for the year just because the state parks have closed their gates. Even in the off-season, trails are open for walking and snowshoeing with children. With a few added layers and safety precautions specific to hunting season, cool-weather hiking offers unique benefits. My favorite: not having to fend…
Book Review: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!
Librarian: Liza Comiskey, director, Highgate Public Library. Book: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!, by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow Age range: preschool through grade 2 Comiskey’s summary: The book begins when the little boy’s mama catches him “paintin’ pictures on the floor/and the ceiling/and the walls/and the curtains/and the door.” She takes his…
Hearty Hotcakes
Nothing takes the chill out of a November morning like a hot, hearty breakfast. Either oatmeal or pancakes does the trick, so why not combine them to intensify the rib-sticking effect? Aside from the energy they provide, Oat Pancakes are a healthy — not to mention economical — alternative to the processed pancake mixes on…
Thanksgathering
Thanksgiving is chaos for my family. But it’s a good chaos: I’m one of seven kids, and we all congregate at my dad’s for dinner. Brothers, sisters, in-laws, kids and grandkids cram into a small space for a big meal. Every year, we run short on chairs and resort to mismatched plates to serve ourselves…
What’s your best strategy for getting a finicky kid to eat?
Sean Dye, St. George, artist and professor Children: daughter, Katie, 19; sons James, 17, and Hender, 13 I had two kids who were not finicky and one who was very finicky. James couldn’t tolerate anything that had anything remotely spicy in it. I know a lot of parents cook multiple meals for their kids, but…
The Art Of… Rug Hooking
Everything’s old fashioned in the Log Cabin Museum at the annual Tunbridge World’s Fair. Atop Antique Hill, with Civil War reenactors camped outside, the exhibition hall features weavers, printers and a rock-candy-dispensing general store. But for Autumn Joyner, the appeal was Stephanie Allen-Krauss and her voluminous creation — a hooked rug, taut on its frame. The…
