The Google Cafeislegendary for providing employees with free gourmet meals at nearly anytime of the day. I caught an interview with one of the Google chefs, once upon a time, who shared this recipe for a quick teriyaki marinade that seemed too simple to be good, but I’ve been making it this way ever since.

Here’s what I love about the teriyaki idea besides its salt/sugar combo that ignites my brain’s pleasure center. Teriyaki flavors ease kids into certain proteins they might not favor. It also takes the ho hum out of dinner. BTW this marinade works for anything needing some teriyaki love – chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, muscrat.

read more

Our friends at Kashi are offering anothergiveaway supporting crunchtime’sphilosophyof making it easy to eat better foods. In this case the focus is kids.

Author and kids food hero, Domenica Catelli, shares basic steps for getting kids to eat healthier foods – a challenge I face every agonizing day at the table. Her strategies are real, homegrown, effective and begin with shaping kids’ tastes and we have her advice on how. Itwill make you think “brilliant” and then make you think why haven’t I done this before? Maybe you have.

Domenica is giving away her ever so helpful book, Momalicious: Family Fresh Fast Food, to one of you.

And Kashi has sweetened the prize package with a collection of their snacks and cerealsincludingKashi’s new, all-natural Pita Crisps, made with their signature blend of Seven Whole Grains. They offer two blends:Zesty SalsaandOriginal 7 Grain with Sea Salt, The original dipped in hummus is a favorite in our household.

Also part of this edible prize package is Kashi’s newest snack, Peanutty Dark Chocolate TLC Layered Granola Bar. Like Kashi’s other bars, Dark Chocolate Coconut and Pumpkin Pecan, they’re made with the always nutricious whole grain blend. In our family, it’s a great carry along snack in case hunger strikes on the road. Dark chocolate and peanuts offer brain boosting nutrition might just help with homework.

Entry details and Domenica’s strategies below.

read more

Our contest is closed and the winner chosen. Although randomly selected, the stars aligned giving our $500 prize package provided by CalNaturale Svelte and Baby Boot Camp to a uniquely deserving soul. Our creative participants, and you know who you are, turned out in droves to cite their favorite fruits that they blend into smoothies. The list was inspired, running the gamut and yet one super ingredient topped the list. Can you guess which one?

read more

Either I’m serving too much corn on the cob or I’m not making it yummy enough to devour in one sitting, because several ears of leftover cornkeep finding their way into my the refrigerator. So when I paid a visit to that marquee food siteandcorn pudding was splashed all over the homepage, I couldn’t resist. I’ve never made corn pudding, heck I’ve never eaten corn pudding. Maybe it was that corn pudding sounded contradictory like ham gelato or President Palin.

A fitting dish for celebrating the end of summer as we do on Labor Day, when we weep for the unavoidable end of succulent tomatoes, berries, fresh corn, and white shoes.

I barreled through the recipe all the while thinking of ways to convince my son that more than two foods baked together is not an interrogation strategy of torture to get him to talk (although I still have questions about battery thievery in our household). The pleasure to strain, and tasty to waisty ratios on this creation surprised me. To show you how easy, I made you a clickable recipe gallery.

read more

You know how a certain food grabs you and your thoughts for days on end until you eat it one more time, finally satiating your desire and putting you into trance of gastronomic bliss? And then it starts all over again. Tell me I’m not alone.

There’s a neighborhood cafe that offers seasonal specialty salads to die for. Menu items such as oven-roasted sweet peppers with pomegranate vinaigrette & toasted walnuts or beets & beluga lentilswith goat cheese, shallots & balsamic vinaigrette or soba noodleswith chicken, scallions and sesame-ginger vinaigrette or edamame & wild salmonwith scallions and fresh herbs. Who can decide? Luckily this cafe makes it easier by offering a salad trio plate. And that is exactly how my new favorite salad addiction came to be. read more