How do you cope with stress? (I cook)

A few weeks ago, I did a lot of cooking. Produce was on the verge of going bad, meat had been sitting in the deep freezer for far too long, empty lunchboxes that cried out for homemade goodies, a budget that cried out for those lunchboxes to be filled instead of eating out at the office. I'd update my status on Facebook feeling like I'd accomplished a ton:

Lylah Alphonse made 12 cups of apple sauce, a big apple crisp, and 3 cups of oven dried tomatoes (originally a grocery-bag-full of the last tomatoes from the garden. They really do cook down quite a bit). I would have made salsa verde but forgot to buy limes.

Lylah Alphonse made split-pea and ham soup, 16 cups of it, and has black beans cooking on the stove. This is what happens when the urge to clean out the freezer strikes at the same time as the cold weather. Also: Aside from the occasional stir, these things pretty much cook themselves. It's lazy perfectionist heaven.

There was more cooking -- 18 jars of salsa verde, 8 pints of green tomato pickles, 12 pints of green tomato chutney -- that I didn't post about because, all of a sudden, I went from feeling accomplished to feeling like it was all a bit excessive. I was stress cooking. And things were getting out of hand.

How to cook a ham (for the holiday, or any day)

My youngest brother talked me into making a holiday ham for a recent family brunch, and while I groused about the extra work, it was mostly for effect. I was quite happy to "have" to make one.

(How did he talk me into it? By telling me that his newly minted 1-year-old loves the stuff. I pretty much agreed immediately. I'm a pushover that way.)

This same brother is the only one in my immediate family who actually likes turkey, so we've always had a ham on the Thanksgiving table as well as a small, token bird for him. And, during our recent early-Christmas celebration, we had ham as well. But I've been known to make a full-on holiday ham for no particular reason, not just for a celebratory feast, because it is one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to feed a crowd -- even if the crowd is made up of people who happen to be living at my house at the time.

Cooking a ham may seem intimidating if you haven't tackled one before. Here's what to look for at the store, how to cook it, why it works for a busy working mom, and what to do with all those leftovers.

5 things to do with all that Halloween candy

The costumes have been put away (or, at my house, tossed somewhere in the vicinity of the dress-up box). The pumpkins are still sitting on the front step, faces mostly removed, masquerading as "Harvest Decorations" -- in spite of the fact that I don't decorate. The only thing left to tackle is the 100 or so pounds of Halloween candy that's sitting on my countertop.

My husband has been steadily chipping away at the mountain of Almond Joys, and my 4-year-old has told us in no uncertain terms that the Kit Kats are "the very best treats EVER." My 6-year-old is fond of fruity, gummy, chewy things. But everything else? Is fair game.

Aside from bringing it all into the office -- and incurring the wrath of your coworkers, who are probably trying to get rid of all of their candy -- here are five tricks for using up all of those Halloween treats:

Five ways to use up leftover roast chicken

One of my biggest Supermom time-and-sanity savers is making meals that multitask -- that is, deliberate leftovers that can be transformed into another meal later in the week. Even though I love to cook, there are definitely days when I feel all cooked out — when the very thought of planning and thawing and cooking makes me not want to eat for a week. Makes me look at my kids and ask, “Didn’t I feed you earlier? What do you mean you want dinner now?”

We deal with some food allergies at our house, so stopping off and picking up a pizza or fast-food isn’t an option. But roasting an extra chicken and stashing it, in advance, in pieces, in the freezer, is. If you’re more gastrointestinally normal than we are, you can pick up a supermarket-roasted chicken on your way home instead. Either way, once you have that bird in hand, you have plenty of options.

Winning the witching hour: Dinner in 15 minutes

I call it The Working Mom's Witching Hour: 6 p.m. or so. The kids are ravenous, I'm cranky, we've all just gotten home from work and school and childcare. It's tempting to hand them a snack just to keep them from gnawing on the furniture, but then they won't eat dinner. The food-o-sphere is rife with meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less, but what if you don't even have a half hour to spare?

In our family, take-out isn't often an option. Aside from the fact that our budget is tight right now, three of our five kids have food intolerances or allergies, which means anything with gluten is a no-no. That rules out pretty much anything that's ready-made.

Over at The 36-Hour Day, we're sharing the ways that we cope with the witching hour. Here are my five go-to meals that can be made in 15 minutes.

Finding comfort in being constructive

Freshly baked bread is one of my top, all-time favorite comfort foods. I've been craving it pretty much ever since I first got teeth. My mom used to bake bread for local restaurants when I was a kid, and I've yet to find a commercial bakery that can match her pumpernickle.

Years ago, I'd bookmarked a New York Times adaptation of the Sullivan Street Bakery's amazing no-knead bread. I don't know why it took me so long to try it -- maybe I was intimidated by the long rise time -- but I finally did a few months ago.

And you know what? I've been making it frequently ever since. (That's the latest loaf right there, in the picture.) As I wrote over at The 36-Hour Day a couple of weeks ago, this bread is a working mom's dream, because it practically makes itself.

Book review: Cleaving by Julie Powell

When I'm not chasing children, freelancing, at the office, or at Work It, Mom!, I can usually be found in my kitchen. Cooking is my therapy; one of my old housemates likes to say that, when we were in college, he could tell what kind of a day I'd had based on what I was doing in the kitchen when he got home late at night. Baking cookies? Happy Lylah. Making a quick snack? Busy, with plenty of homework left to do. Making whipped cream by hand with a fork? Stay away.

My other favorite past time is reading. So when I was asked to review Julie Powell's latest memoir, "Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obession," for The Boston Globe, I jumped at the chance. A book by a blogger about cooking? Yes, please! Here's my review:

December 13, 2009
Close to the bone
Unabashedly confessional, Powell’s latest embraces her obsession with butchering and another man

By Lylah M. Alphonse, Globe Staff

There’s nothing rational about obsession, and Julie Powell knows that she is a slave to hers - the man she’s having an affair with, D.

“I’m familiar with the landscape of addiction,’’ she writes in her new memoir, “Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession.’’ “I recognize that I’ve built up a habit for him, no less real and physical than my habit for booze.’’ Married to her childhood sweetheart, Eric, she binges on D, becomes dependent, and goes into withdrawal when he cuts her off. She casts about for a distraction, fixates on butchering, and starts going door to door, asking butchers whether they’ll hire her as an apprentice. Fleisher’s, a small shop in the Catskills, takes her on, and she finds as much peace in the physically demanding work as she does in the camaraderie of the staff.

Of course, it’s not enough. It never is. That’s the thing about obsession.

Easy last-minute gifts: Sweetly-spiced nuts

Another homemade treat that takes nearly no time to make! I whipped up a double batch of these last night in 25 minutes -- and 20 of those minutes were spent just watching them bake in the oven.

Sweetly-spiced nuts

1 large egg white
1 Tablespoon water
6 cups walnuts (or pecans)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons Penzey's Old World seasoning (OR Old Bay seasoning OR a mix of cumin, corriander, garam masala, and cayenne pepper)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the egg white and water.

Add the nuts, and toss to coat.

In another bowl, mix together the sugar, rosemary, salt, and spices.

Add spice mixture to nuts, and toss or stir to coat well.

Spread the coated nuts in a single layer on each lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring twice to make sure nuts toast evenly.

Remove from oven and cool completely before transfering to bags or jars. The nuts will get crispy as they cool.

Easy, last-minute gifts: Saffron-cardamom pistachio brittle

Every year, I fill baskets with homemade treats for my extended family. This is one of the most-requested items: a Persian-inspired candy made with fragrant saffron and cardamom and studded with pistachios. It comes together in minutes and makes a lovely last-minute gift.

Saffron-Cardamom Pistachio Brittle

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup roasted pistachio nut meats
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large pinch saffron threads

Measure nuts into a small bowl, add cardamom. Rub saffron threads between your hands to powder them, then add them to the nuts and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, stir together the sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 4 minutes.

While candy is cooking, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Spray two spoons with non-stick spray, and set aside.

Quickly stir the hot syrup (make sure to scrape down the sides of the container), then microwave on high again, uncovered, for 1 more minute. It will turn a very pale gold color.

Add nuts to syrup, stir quickly, and microwave again, on high, uncovered, for 30 seconds.

Carefully pour the molten candy onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and spread it out as much and as thinly as possible using the two sprayed spoons. Work quickly -- it hardens fast. Allow to cool, then break into pieces.

10 ways to liven up your lunch box (or your kids'!)

Over at Work It, Mom! I've pulled together 10 easy and interesting ways to liven up your kids' lunchboxes (or yours). Check it out!

10 Easy Lunchbox Ideas

Pumpkin Spice Bread (or What are you going to do with your Halloween pumpkins?)

If you're the type to butcher your pumpkins after Halloween and now have a ton of fresh pumpkin puree on your hands, you can whip up several loves of this delicious pumpkin bread with very little effort. The extra loves freeze well (or make fantastic hostess gifts). And though you'd never know it, they're actually surprisingly healthy.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

(makes 3 loaves, 12 slices per loaf)

4 cups fresh pumpkin puree

1/2 cup olive oil

5 large eggs

3/4 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice or cloves

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur's "White Whole Wheat" flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three loaf pans with a little non-stick spray.

Combine wet ingredients, vanilla, and spices; stir well.

In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients (including sugar). Add to wet ingredients and stir until just incorporated.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 55 minutes.

Nutritional info per 74-gram slice: 157 calories, 4 grams total fat, 27 grams carbohydrate, 1.5 grams fiber, 3.4 grams protein.

Tricks for using up those Halloween treats

Now that Halloween is over, I want to get rid of the metric ton of candy that's still sitting in my house. I could bring it in to the office, but if I can't resist the siren's song of the fun-size Snickers bar in my pantry, how can I turn my back on it when it's sitting there, in plain sight, next to my desk? Besides, my coworkers already filled our corner of the office with tiny bars of every candy ever invented earlier in the week. To bring in more would be overkill.

But not if I've magically transformed them into something else first.

Here are five tricks for using up all of those Halloween treats:

1.) Hot fudge sauce. Measure out two cups of nut-free and krispie-free chocolates from the stash and put them in a microwave-safe glass container, preferably something with a handle and a pouring spout, like a large Pyrex measuring cup. Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Microwave the cream and chocolate at 80-percent power in 20 second bursts, or until the chocolate melts. Remove it (carefully!), stir (carefully!) and then pour it (carefully!) over ice cream -- or, ideally, into several sanitized glass jelly jars, so you can give them away to someone else.

2.) Candy Pizza. Press your favorite cookie dough into a pie tin, then cover with a thick pool of melted chocolate candies. Top with whatever chocolate goodies you have left -- Raisinets, Reeces Pieces, M&Ms, shattered Heath Bars, crumbled Butterfingers -- drizzle with melted Milk Duds, dot with mini marshallows, and bake. Cut into wedges to serve.

3.) Surprise brownies. Chocolate and peanut butter are a perfect match; so is chocolate and mint. Whip up a batch of your favorite brownies, pour half the batter in the pan, and then scatter on a layer of whole peanut-butter cups or Peppermint Patties. Top with the remaining batter and bake.

4.) Fruity Popcorn Balls. OK, I haven't made these -- one of my kids is a fiend for all things fruity, so the Skittles and Starburst disappeared almost immediately. But if you have leftover chewy, fruit-flavored, taffy-like candies lying around, you can try this recipe from Cooks.com: In a saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of light corn syrup, 2 tablespoons water, and 8 ounces of candy fruit chews. Melt over low heat, stirring until smooth, then bring to a boil for five minutes. Cool slightly, pour over 8 cups of already-popped popcorn, spray your hands with non-stick spray, and shape the gooey mixture into balls. My teeth hurt just typing this.

5.) Hard candy "stained glass" cookies. Make (or buy) your favorite sugar cookie dough (or follow this recipe). Roll it out to 1/4-inch thick, and cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters. Trace a smaller version of each shape from each cookie, leaving a 3/4-inch border; cut out the smaller shape. Fill the hole with crushed hard candies -- using one color per cookie will result in a neater treat. The candy will melt as the cookie bakes (cool completely before handling)

If all else fails, you can always send the stuff elsewhere. Halloween Candy Buy Back will pay $1 a pound for your kids candy; they ship the sweets to soldiers overseas. Go to halloweencandybuyback.com and plug in your zip code to see if a dentist in your area is participating in the program. You can also ship it directly to OperationGratitude.com by mailing it, no later than Dec. 5, to Operation Gratitude/California Army National Guard, 17330 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406, Attn: Charlie Othold.

What are you doing with your leftover Halloween candy this year?

Jambalaya: A super-easy, gluten-free, economical, one-pot wonder

I love to cook. When I was in college, after a stressful day of juggling jobs and school I'd come home and cook, the same way other kids would go out and drink. My roommates used to say they could tell what type of day I'd had just by looking at what was on the stove at 1 a.m. (which is when I got home from work, and settled in to study).

I still love to cook, but now that I'm juggling jobs and a family I have less time -- not to mention way less energy -- than I had when I was in college. And right now, with the economy still tight and my budget even tighter, cooking at home isn't just therapy, it's necessary.

Back to school: Allergy-free lunchbox ideas

We had a great batch of back-to-school food and cooking ideas at Boston.com/Moms this week, but when it comes to kids who have food allergies, parents really have to think outside the lunchbox.

My family's back-to-school daze is complicated by the fact that three of our five kids can't eat gluten, and one of those three can't have any dairy, either. So, for them, nothing involving wheat in any way, shape, or form. No pasta salads (rice pasta can be nasty if it's not piping hot). No traditional sandwiches (gluten-free bread makes great toast, but crumbles into pasty bits after spending a few hours wrapped in plastic and stuck in a cubby or locker). It also rules out most pre-packaged lunchbox food, though there are some good gluten-free offerings out there.

Our youngest two kids have no known allergies or food intolerances, but their preschool is a nut-free zone -- which, compared to avoiding gluten and dairy, is easy. But, with preschoolers, it's also easy to get stuck in a baloney-sandwich or macaroni-and-cheese rut. ("What do you want in your lunchbox, Sweetie?" I asked my preschooler the other day. And, without even looking up from the picture she was coloring, she answered, "Something not boring.")

Here are five "main courses" that work for us. And by "work for us," I mean that I can whip them together easily, often in advance, and they'll actually eat it.

Chicken salad. I buy a family-size pack of bone-in chicken breasts on sale, roast them all at the same time, use some for dinner, and then chop up the leftovers with a little mayo or salad dressing to hold it all together. Try stirring in golden raisins or dried cranberries, adding crunch with chopped apples or celery, and changing the flavor profile with a bit of korma-style curry paste or some minced fresh herbs.

Fresh spring rolls. I'll send my big kids off with supermarket sushi in a pinch, but these fresh spring rolls are much more economical. Soak rice-paper wrappers in hot water for less than a minute, spread them out on a clean cutting board, and fill them with whatever strikes your fancy -- I use a combination of bean-thread noodles, thawed frozen shrimp or leftover pork, shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, and carrot shavings (made with a vegetable peeler). Here's a more detailed (but still easy!) recipe.

Roll ups. Corn torillas don't hold up well in a lunch box -- they delaminate and go all crumbly -- so I wrapped sticks of string cheese with slices of ham, turkey, and/or salami and called it good. (My non-dairy eating boy got salami spread with soy cream cheese and rolled up into little logs).

Crackers stackers. A pile of crackers (gluten-free ones for us), a heap of cheese squares, and a bunch of little rounds of ham or chunks of salami. Your kids might give you bonus points for putting it into a divided plastic container and pretending you bought it at the grocery store. Variation: Cut everything into large sticks and sub pretzel rods for the crackers; for some reason, food is more delicious if you can wave it around like a baton before consuming it, apparently.

BBQ steak non-sandwiches. Leftover London broil from dinner, cut into small, thin slices, and tossed with bottled BBQ sauce. Super easy. (Another favorite: False fajitas. Strips of leftover London broil, jumbled together with strips of bell pepper, with a corn tortilla on the side. If only we ate steak more often!)

Add a drink, something crunchy, something snacky, fruit, and a treat, et voila -- lunch is ready to go. (Keep your wallet in mind, and remember that brown-bagging it isn't just for the kids. Here are five more ideas for lunches adults can bring to work.)

What are you putting in kids' lunch boxes?

The gluten-free lunchbox: Fresh spring rolls

Fresh spring rolls are a quick, easy, and economical sandwich subsitute. It takes a couple of tries to get the hang of handling the delicate rice-paper wrappers, but once you get going, you'll be able to roll a stack of these in just a few minutes. You can find rice-paper wrappers and other specialized ingredients at most Whole Food Markets and asian grocery stores (like Super 88 in Boston). Subsitute about 10 ounces of shredded leftover roast pork or chicken for the shrimp, if you prefer.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Makes 8 rolls

• 16 dried rice-paper spring roll wrappers
• 16 large cooked shrimp, split in half lengthwise
• 1 large carrot, shredded or sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• 4 radishes, sliced thin
• 4 large leaves of green-leaf or butter lettuce, shredded
• 8 large fresh basil or mint leaves, sliced thinly
• 3 ounces cellophane (dried bean thread) noodles
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. Whisk rice vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, and honey together in a medium-size bowl. Set aside.
2. Cook the cellophane noodles in boiling water for about one minute, until softened. Drain. Transfer the noodles to the bowl with the rice vinegar sauce, toss gently, and allow to sit until sauce is absorbed (about 5 minutes)
3. Fill a large shallow bowl 1/2 way with hot water. Layer two rice-paper wrappers together with the textured sides touching, and slide them into the water. Let them soak for 30 to 45 seconds, or until softened all over. Remove them from the water, and lay them out flat, one on top of the other, on a clean, dry cutting board.
4. Place a small amount of the noodle mixture in the middle of the wrapper, leaving about an inch of space on the right and left sides. Layer on a small amount of lettuce, a bit of the shredded carrot, two or three slices of shrimp, a few slices of radish, and a bit of the basil or mint.
5. Fold the bottom portion of the wrapper up and over the filling, keeping it as snug as possible without letting the filling slide upward. Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper over the filling, and then roll the spring roll slowly, away from you, to create a log.
6. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

The trick is to keep the softened wrapper snug without a.) tearing it or b.) slopping the filling out of it. Tip: You need less filling than you think! Since you've soaked the cellophane noodles in the sauce, you don't need to pack sauce on the side, which makes this a great lunch box meal.

(Image is from MyRecipes.com.)

Father's Day gift ideas at Work It, Mom!

I've pulled together a great little slideshow with 10 Father's Day ideas the dads in your life will love. You can read up on all the details at Work It, Mom! -- it's organized based on the type of dad you're shopping for -- but here's a quick list of my picks:

1.) Plane Quiet Platinum noise-reducing headphones, $99.95 at ProTravelGear.com.
2.) A Rubik's cube personalized with six family photos, $29.95 at Personalization Mall.
3.) A subscription to Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, $19.95 at Grassroots Motorsports.
4.) Decadent handmade chocolates, $32 for a 20-piece box at Knipschildt.com.
5.) Battleship, Star Wars-style, $69.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer.
6.) The Beer Book, $16.50 at Amazon.com.
7.) A 12-pack from Dale & Thomas Popcorn, $49.95 at Dale & Thomas Popcorn.
8.) Wireless steering wheel for Xbox-360, $99 at Xbox.com.
9.) Kyocera ceramic knife sharpener, $16.95 at Ming.com.
10.) BBQ Sauce of the Month club, $59.85 to $215.40 at AmazingClubs.com.

Winner wines (for $15 or less)

I just put together a great little slideshow over at Work It, Mom!, with tasting notes for 10 great wines that each cost less than $15. There are five different whites and five different reds in the list, and when I say "different," I'm talking grapes, not just wineries. My current fave is the Trapiche Broquel Malbec, which tastes like a more robust Red Zinfandel.

The Winning Whites:

Solaire Chardonnay
Developed by famed winemaker Robert Mondavi, Solaire Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands is crisp, with bright, clean flavors of citrus and pineapple; the eight months it spends aging in 100-percent French Oak is represented by a soft, smoky note.About $15; to find a retailer, visit Solaire.com.

Valentin Bianchi Elsa Torrontes
Food & Wine magazine calls the Torrontés “Argentina’s most interesting white grape”; this wine by Valentin Bianchi has soft melon flavors and citrus notes; it’s bottled without any oak, so the finish is bright and clean. It costs about $12.

McManis Family Vineyards Viognier
This California wine offers sweet honey, tropical fruit, and apricot scents, rich enough to take on sweet-and-spicy barbecue flavors. McManis Family Vineyards Viognier costs about $11.

Kung Fu Girl Riesling
Washington-state winemaker Charles Smith is known for his insanely delicious (and pricey) Syrahs, but this floral, pear-scented semi-dry Riesling is wonderful -- and, at about $12, much less expensive.

Voga Italia Pinot Grigio
This Pinot Grigio by Voga Italia is lush with ripe apple and pear aromas and a light, crisp finish. Plus, the bottle is really cool. About $13.


The Winning Reds:

McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Merlot
This lush Austrialian merlot has a hint of vanilla to balance out the mocha-cherry finish. It’s perfect for grilled beef and burgers, of course, but will also shine on pizza night (or just on its own). The McWilliam's Wine Estate has a winner on its hands, at about $9 a bottle.

Trapiche Broquel Malbec
Malbec is an Argentinian grape that recently came into it’s own. Often used in a blend with other grapes, the Malbec has an intense fruity flavor, a full body, and a smoky finish. Trapiche Broquel’s 2006 vintage is a bargain at about $14.

Ravenswood Vinter’s Blend Red Zinfandel
Full bodied, with deep berry flavors and a tart bite, this all-purpose Red Zinfandel by California powerhouse Ravenswood should be a staple in a frugal wine-lover’s cellar. It costs about $10, but taste like a more expensive wine.

Solaire Cabernet Sauvingnon
Robert Mondavi and his vinters offer yet another fabulous wine that’s both sophisticated and affordable. The Solaire Cabernet Sauvingnon is rich with dark, fruity notes – currant, blackberries, ripe plums – and promises to more-fully develop in flavor over six to eight years of cellaring. About $15; to find a retailer, visit Solaire.com.

Oxford Landing Shiraz
Chocolately, floral, and unexpectedly, wonderfully spicy, this South Australian Shiraz by Oxford Landing retails for about $11.

Getting kids to eat their vegetables -- without tricking them

I happen to have quirky kids who love vegetables, but most parents aren't so lucky. Getting kids to eat something green has been a struggle for so long that it's become a cliche that shows up even in kids cartoons, with broccoli portrayed as a bad guy to be subdued by vats of cheese sauce (really... see the Powerpuff Girls in "Beat Your Greens").

In an effort to avoid taking a healthy vegetable and dousing it with unhealthy fats, some parents have taken to grinding veggies down into colorful purees and blending them into everything from pasta sauces to cakes and cookies. But is subterfuge really the best way to instill healthy eating habits in our kids?

Tanya Steel, co-author of "Real Food for Healthy Kids," takes issue with the practice of sneaking vegetables into other, traditionally veggie-free foods -- like adding pureed spinach to brownie batter. "As a mother of twins and a food professional, I was appalled by this deceptive and sneaky idea," she writes at Epicurious.com. "Not only are we teaching our kids to 'eat your brownies, they're good for you' (in a country where a third of kids are obese or overweight and perhaps the first generation to not outlive their parents), but we are lying to our kids and signaling, either implicitly or explicitly, that vegetables, in particular, are so yucky, they have to be hidden."

At Boston.com's Child Caring blog, I've asked parents to comment with their favorite vegetable recipes, and I started the ball rolling by contributing my own favorite for cooking carrots. Here it is:

Honey-ginger carrots

Wash and peel the carrots, and then slice into thin disks.

In a medium-size pan, heat one teaspoon of butter with one teaspoon of
olive oil; add the carrots and stir to coat.

Drizzle with two teaspoons of honey or pure maple syrup, and sprinkle on
about 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger (or 1/2-teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger)
and a pinch or two of salt.

Add 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook on low heat until the carrots are
tender.

How do you make sure your kids eat their vegetables?

Do more with less: Bringing your lunch to work

We're always looking for ways to save money; bringing your own lunch to the office can save you a bundle, even taking into consideration the fact that you'll be buying more groceries. You'll save even more if you learn to love leftovers.

At The 36-Hour Day I've offered up five easy-to-make, easy-to-pack, easy-on-the-wallet, and easy-on-the-waistline lunches to consider:

Steak and Bleu salad: Fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, and thin slivers of leftover london broil, pot roast, or even shredded roast beef from the deli. Fill a small container with bleu cheese dressing and drizzle it over the salad just before you eat it. (Don’t have any small jars? A zip-top plastic bag can keep the dressing contained; to drizzle, snip of part of one corner with scissors and squeeze like a pastry bag.)

Chips and dip: Believe it or not, low-salt tortilla chips, a small bowl of refried beans, and a small bowl of guacamole can be a perfectly healthy (and filling) lunch. Make your own beans, or choose a premade version without lard to keep the fat content low.

Deconstructed sandwich: The thing I dislike about sandwiches that they always fall apart when I try to take a bite — usually spilling something ugly onto my shirt or jacket. Packing the components seperately can mitigate the mess, and it tastes as a good. My current favorite: smoked turkey, thinly sliced Granny Smith apple, cheddar cheese, and marble rye bread.

Bag o’ snacks. Sometime, I don’t even have time for lunch, but its easy to keep hunger at bay if I graze throughout the day. Apple slices, peanut butter, dried fruit, nuts, carrot sticks, celery sticks, whole-grain crackers, and some low-fat string
cheese fit the bill. Too much like what’s in your child’s lunchbox? Think “appetizers” instead of snacks, and pack frozen potstickers (Trader Joe’s has some good ones), breadsticks wrapped with ham, cubes of cheese, and slices of bell pepper with dressing as a dip.

Fried rice. Transform leftovers at home into fried rice and bring it to work. It’s easy: Leftover rice + slivers of leftover chicken or a quickly scrambled egg + the odds and ends of leftover veggies + soy sauce + sesame oil. Heat in a pan — or, if you’re really out of time, in the microwave at work.

Be sure to click over to The 36-Hour Day to read the comments; people are offering up some great ideas, many of which I'll definitely be trying out!

Are you giving your child too much sugar?

I'm a big believer in all things in moderation, and that includes cookies and sugary treats. But how do you make sure you're keeping sugar under control when it's, well, everywhere?

While researching a post for Child Caring, I came across some scary stats:

Certain breakfast cereals, for example, contain as much as 50 percent sugar and have little to no fiber. According to Consumer Reports, a single serving of Kellogg's Honey Smacks contains more sugar than a glazed doughnut from Dunkin' Donuts. (Wondering which are the worst cereals out there? Here's a list.)

Sometimes, it isn't so obvious: Have you looked at the label for your favorite bread? How about spaghetti sauce? "All natural" juice products? Chances are, you'll see some form of sugar high up on the list.

I'm lucky: My 4-year-old will happily eat her weight in melon and apples. Of course, that might not be much better -- some experts think that even naturally sweet treats can set children up with bad eating habits -- but if she asks for a treat in her lunchbox, I'll slip in a meringue or an Oreo, because 90 percent of the time, it comes back home at the end of the day -- she doesn't want to eat it, necessarily, she just wants to have it.

(This kind of thing tends to infuriate many parents, by the way -- especially ones with kids who are too young to pitch their carefully packed, wholesome lunch in the trash and pick whatever high-fructose-corn-syrup-filled thing they want from a vending machine instead. Just wait... it happens.)

What do you think? Is it a case of helicopter parenting in the kitchen? Or do kids simply have too much sugar in their diets?