Cucumber Bites, Ricotta Strawberry Toast, and a Frittata…Yum, Yum, Yum!

Thanksgiving and the long weekend following is a fun time, but also hectic time for my household. There is always too much eating during that four day span from Turkey Day to Sunday, however the constant bloated tummy feeling is usually worth it thanks to all of the delicious meals and treats.

Cool Cucumber Sandwich Bites

dsc_0006This year, I tried out three recipes from the cookbook “What a Good Eater!” for the long holiday weekend. The Wednesday before Turkey Day is typically an opportunity for me to clean out the fridge and serve a smorgasbord to my husband and kiddos. This year was no different, but I did add on an item I had never tried: Cool Cucumber Sandwich Bites. I had some cream cheese and half a loaf of whole wheat bread that needed to be consumed. These bites were easy to make and before I even set them on the table, my three-year-old had grabbed one for himself to enjoy.

dsc_0007I love cucumbers, but had never made this staple tea party appetizer before. My Vidialia Chop Wizard is perfect for chopping up bits of cucumber for these tasty treats.  The cookbook recipe also called for dill, which is a favorite of my husband’s. The tiny sandwiches packed in a lot of clean flavor, that complimented nicely with the heavy sauced meatballs I had also made for dinner that evening. “What a Good Eater” took time to point out in their cookbook that, “Dill is used to aid digestion problems and intestinal gas”, which I thought was interesting and a fun fact for new and old parents.

Strawberry Ricotta Toast

dsc_0033-2I am fortunate that my mom or mother-in-law always takes the lead for Thanksgiving dinner. That being said, I still like to bring along a few munchies to prove I can cook and also to show my gratitude to them for feeding us.

We went to my side of the family’s place on Thanksgiving Day and to my in-laws a few days later. For for both occasions I brought “Strawberry Ricotta Toast”, a breakfast recipe from “What a Good Eater!” that can easily be cut up into yummy and sweet appetizers. These were great because they were a breeze to make and the recipe consisted of only four ingredients. The end product was a simple, fresh tasting sweet that all of my kids enjoyed, as well as all extended family members.

The toast bites were very pretty. The red berries on the white ricotta gave it a holiday look, which makes me think these would also be great to serve during Christmas gatherings. For Thanksgiving day at my parent’s house I stuck to the recipe, but I was not super thrilled with the quality of the strawberries. Therefore when we went to my in-laws I substituted raspberries for strawberries and they were just as good (if not better).

infinity-jarSIDENOTE: This recipe calls for honey, and making anything that includes honey can be sticky and messy, however my husband has taken to storing our honey in an Infinity Jar. It works great, is airtight, and the convenient screw on lid locks in the freshness (and stickiness) of sweet honey.

Basil and Kale Frittata

dsc_0042-2If I had to pick a favorite of the three recipes I tried from “What a Good Eater!” it would be the Basil and Kale Frittata my husband made on the Sunday morning following all of the Thanksgiving festivities. I think I would have picked it even if I had been the one to make it, but in all honesty things typically taste better when someone else has to do all of the work.

dsc_0038This frittata was delicious and we had no leftovers once breakfast finished. All of my kids, ages 3 years to 8 years, ate it with little complaint. At first all of the green coloring (aka, the veggies) mixed into the egg dish had them worried, but after trying their first bite there were no more complaints. My husband said it was a fun dish to make, and as an added tip, he wanted me to tell others to be sure to “unpack the kale before blending it”.

I make a lot of egg casserole dishes, and my husband can make a very mean egg scramble. The frittata was a different process because it gets partially cooked on the skillet burner before being transferred to the oven for some baking time. The end product was delicious and my whole family agreed that they would like to have it again for breakfast soon.

The Cookbook

what-a-good-eater-cover_for_pwReviewing recipes from “What a Good Eater!” was a pleasant experience. The cookbook is aimed at parents with infants to toddlers because it provides outlines for introducing foods to children at different ages and stages of life. I think this cookbook would make a great baby gift, and I do plan to purchase it for my neighbor who just had a little girl. It is one of those gifts that a pregnant gal would probably never get or realize they needed, but once the baby comes and the months begin to fly by, it would make for a great food resource.

If you want to read about some other recipes in this cookbook, check out these links:

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