We all know hot dogs are not good choice of food. Now we should think of choking hazards of it too. American Academy of Paediatrics’ wants to put choking hazard labels on hot dog, or better yet redesign it so it won’t fit a child’s airways. I’m not sure how the future hot dogs will look like, but I’m sure a choking hazard label won’t help.

Most moms that I know are careful to give their children appropriate foods, size, shape and nutrition wise. Many foods are choking hazards you can’t put label on them it’s just common sense. I don’t cut grapes anymore, my children are 3 and 5, but if for some unforeseen reason they have a hot dog it is cut. I cut them not because of the resent news but because to me it is easier for them to eat it.

I don’t think redesigning hot dog will help anything, the rate of choking on hot dog is only 17%. Educating people and giving them tools to be able to prevent choking or in case of choking, help their kid is something that can help reduce the rate of choking.

To me one of the most important thing to learn as a mom is Heimlich manoeuvre. This is the most effective method to use in case of choking. The first thing I learned when I had my son 5 years ago was this method. My children were talented in choking, even on their own saliva. This method saved me a few times specially with my daughter that puts everything in her mouth even now that she is 3 . I taught my children to chew well and not to talk or walk while eating. What do you do to prevent choking? It would be nice to share our experiences to multiply our knowledge in this important issue.

Until later,

I usually buy fresh young turkey, and marinate it just before I want to put it in the oven.

Marinate: (make a day earlier)

Add a ½-tea spoon of each of the following: grind black pepper, poultry- seasoning, sage, thyme, 1teaspoon of salt to one stick of butter, well softened, and mix well.

Wrap the butter in a roll in wax paper as best as possible, and refrigerate it for the next day.

Just before you want to put the turkey in the oven, slice the butter in 1-inch disks. Try to insert the butter disks under the washed turkey’s skin as much as possible. The best areas to insert the butters are top of the breast, entering from the neck skin and thigh and lower part of breast from the skin under the thigh. The trick is to be patient and very gentle not to break the skin and just loos the skin from the meat. Leave some butter to rub the outside of the bird before putting in the oven and then brush from time to time while in the oven.

Stuffing:

Normally I have stove-top stuffing and stuff the bird for flavouring. Season birds cavity with salt and pepper and then stuff it with cut up pieces of carrots, onions, celery, flat leaf parsley(with stem, the stem has more flavour), and couple of garlic. This will give the turkey a great flavour and the vegetables can be used on the side. Read the rest of this entry »

I like nice table settings but don’t like to waste or spend too much money on it. As I had limited time this year, I came up with this cute easy, green and with almost no cost table setting. I created this look with whatever leftover I had from our craft projects.

To keep the mood in harvest colors, I picked a burgundy napkin, wrapped it around the cutlery and then secured it with a piece of raffia and made a bow tie.

For glasses I made a cranberry wine charm. I pulled a cranberry through a  jewelery ring that has a loop at one end, and then bend back the open end to be able to hang and secure the ring on the neck of the wine glasses.

The centerpiece was very simple and yet elegant, it was a dark wood oval shape bowl full of green apples. Sorry forgot to take a picture.

Be creative and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Until later,

I made this for my son’s Halloween party. I’m not a fan of pudding specially a chocolate one, but the kids loved it and thanked me for it, even a few days after.

It is very simple, you need:

Clear disposable cups

Chocolate pudding

Chocolate cooking crumbs

Melted chocolate

Oval shape cookies

Halloween candy

Worm gummies

White writing icing in tube

Direction:

Very simple, make the pudding as per package; fill the cups with layers of pudding and chocolate cookie crumbs. Dip the cookies in chocolate and let it set for a minute. On the top one third of the cookie write “RIP” with the white icing. Place the cookie in the pudding so that almost bottom one third of the cookie is in, decorate with Halloween candy and worm gummy. I had skull and bone candies.

I had one of the kids saying with excitement: “ I’m a monster, I’m eating bones and skulls!!”

The whole thing took about 20 minutes. This was a surprise but this can be a fun thing to do with toddlers.

Happy Halloween

This is a very easy and at the same time elegant dish. You can have it as a light lunch or a side dish at dinner.

Serves four.

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Slice the eggplant to ½ inch rings. Place the eggplant rings on an oil brushed parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Let them cook in the oven, until the eggplants get dark and crispy and lose their water as much as possible. Mean while clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel (avoid washing them with water as mushrooms absorb water and won’t be as good). Cut the mushrooms in to ½-inch slices.

Cook the mushrooms on a hot non-stick pan. Let them to release as much water as possible. Turn them after couple of minutes or you can reduce the heat and let the mushrooms to cook slower. The point is to let the mushrooms caramelise and cook through, when you feel that the pan is too dry add a drizzle of olive or vegetable oil, to the pan to get things going.

While you are waiting for the eggplant and mushrooms to cook, cut your tomato, and onion.

Then  just assemble it, a slice of eggplant, couple of onion rings, a slice of tomato, crumble of feta cheese, salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil. You can have the mushrooms on the side and dress it up with fresh herbs like cilantro and mint, parsley works too.

I had this dish for a light lunch and also as a side dish next to steak worked for me perfectly both ways.

Enjoy,