Mom.me

It can be said that I've taken this blog from the cradle to the grave.

I had the idea to launch Mom.me in the spring as a spot for parenting advice, family events, product reviews and musings.

It grew to include a column in our Living Here section on Tuesdays, when the focus is on family.

But to be honest, as my workload grew (I also write stories for our Family and Food & Wine sections, as well as blog on Appetizers and 21Q), so too did the amount of time I was missing with my own family.

The irony was painful.

I decided to take some of the very same advice I had passed along here and in my column.

Cathy Greenberg, a sociobiologist and co-author of "What Happy Working Mothers Know: How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance," (John Wiley & Sons Inc., $19.95, 256 pages), had told me in an interview for this blog that we moms (and many dads too) lack the courage to say no because we're afraid to compromise friendships and relationships.

It took about a month for Greenberg's message to penetrate my stubborn skull.

I confessed to managers about being overwhelmed, to the late nights and ridiculously early mornings in front of my computer, to the fact that something had to give.

That something is this blog.

The great news, however, is that I will continue to write my column for the Family section. I also will continue to post items on our entertainment blog, 21Q, and food news and recipes on our Appetizers blog. You can also find my writing in the Family and Food & Wine section.

So thank you, dear blog readers, for your following and support. Without this experience, of which you were a central part, I wouldn't be traveling down this new path.

Please be sure to e-mail me if there is a story or idea that you think I should explore for my column. Your input is appreciated, and central to ensuring that my work is reflective of issues and topics that you are interested in learning more about.

Best to you all.

It's a dreaded question in many households: what's for dinner?

The routine query seems even more trying now, as many of us struggle to do more with less.

A few weeks ago, I solicited readers' tips on stretching food budgets while still cooking meals that the family would enjoy. What I got in return was some great advice.

Judy Lane, of Gold River, wrote me in an e-mail that years ago, before her now-grown children were born, she started planning her family's menus, checking recipes for truly needed ingredients and verifying pantry items before heading to the grocery store.

She shopped just once a month, making weekly trips as needed for produce, milk or things that couldn't be frozen or stored. She also remained flexible, cooking dinner a night in advance if the family's schedule warranted.

"I always incorporated several 'go to' family favorite recipes each week and most always tried something new," she said. "The effort cut 25 percent off the grocery bill and reduced the number of hours in the grocery store by a couple of hours each week!

"Menu planning is a task that even small children can help with and they are more likely to eat what's prepared when they've had a voice in that decision-making process."

Lane admitted she has strayed from the exercise over the years, but when she returns to planning her grocery bills go down.

Follow the link below to read more advice from fellow readers.

Having trouble getting your toddler or preschooler (or teen for that matter) to eat something other than waffles and chicken nuggets?

Check out my story in today's Food & Wine section, where we explore daycares and preschools that are striving to expand childrens' culinary horizons through fresh produce and innovative meals.

The section is packed with recipes, but here is one we couldn't fit. For more extra recipes, check out our Appetizers blog.

Stevie's Speedy Enchilada Sauce
Cook time: 22 minutes
Serves: 8
Notes: This recipe is courtesy Chef Steve Magana of Sacramento Montessori School.

Ingredients
1/3 cup corn oil
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons chili powder
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Sea salt to taste

Instructions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour and chili powder and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder into the flour until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 12 minutes, until thick. Season to taste with salt.

Eating Suggestion:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a good amount of sauce in a casserole pan and roll some mozzarella cheese in a few corn tortillas and place in a casserole pan. Add more sauce over and top with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes.

Per serving, sauce only: 102 cal.; 1 g pro.; 5 g carb.; 9 g fat (1 sat., 2 monounsat., 6 polyunsat.); 0 mg chol.; 94 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 79 percent calories from fat.

Sweet potatoes and autumn dinners seem to go hand-in-hand.

Instead of our typical baked sweet potatoes, I decided to try mashed sweet potatoes this weekend. Not only was it a delicious accompaniment to our at-home date-night dinner of spiced filet mignon with blue cheese butter (total cost of dinner was $25 - much more affordable than going out and having to get a sitter), but the kids loved the potatoes the next day. For theirs, I eliminated the cayenne and nuts.

The potatoes would also be delicious alongside a simple herbed chicken breast.

Follow the link below to get the recipe.

Want to have a say in determining the best family spots in the Sacramento region?

Hundreds of readers voted on the best things for families to see, do and eat in the area in The Bee's preliminary Top 20 survey and hundreds more have cast their ballots in the final survey.

Which businesses, spots and restaurants should get the bragging rights?

Will it be Freeport Bakery, Ettores or Costco for the best bakery? Slocum House, Ella or Moxie for the best date night restaurant? As of Friday, Freeport was in lead for best bakery and Slocum House for best dining spot (without the kids, that is).

Other front-runners include the Discovery Museum as the best place to entertain children on a rainy day and Apple Hill as the best pumpkin patch.

Don't agree? Then log on to the survey and make your vote count.

The results will be published in a Living Here Family section in October.

Click here to go to the survey.

A law prohibiting sale of baby formula, baby food or over-the-counter medicines after the "use by" date was among dozens of bills signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Sunday.

Assemblymember Ted Lieu, D-Torrance proposed the legislation after an investigation by state Attorney General Jerry Brown's office last year found that several southern California pharmacies were selling consumer goods with expired labels, some as much as four to six months past the expiration date, according to Lieu's Web site.

The Consumer Federation of California and other health and consumer advocacy groups sponsored the legislation.

For more information, check out my previous blog post.

To read more about which bills Schwarzenegger signed or vetoed, see my colleague Jim Sanders' report.

The question of where to find an inexpensive date-night dinner may just have been answered.

Selland's Market-Cafe is running a dinner special for $25 that features a meal for two and bottle of wine, pitcher of beer or sangria.

The specials are dine-in or carry out, and are creating quite a buzz at the east Sacramento spot, especially on Thursday and Friday nights.

The intent is to offer customers "a good deal in these tough times and to hopefully help show that Selland's can be a good deal for great quality anytime," said Gina Funk Nelson, a spokeswoman for The Selland Group.

This week's dinner for two special is Moroccan chicken tagine with couscous and a bottle of wine selected by Randall Selland, the market's executive chef. Selland and his family also own and operate The Kitchen and Ella.

Other dinners have features paella, mahi mahi sandwiches with slaw and Coq au Vin.

The second Wednesday of the month, when there also is a wine tasting at the cafe, the dinner for two special features pizza paired with red wine or a pitcher of beer.

Is it dinnertime yet?

Good news local Chipotle fans - the Sacramento region is one of several test markets for the burrito chain's new children's menu.

Chipotle Mexican Grill will roll out the new kid's menu on Monday at its 21 Sacramento area restaurants and will be offering one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree every Sunday from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8.

The kid's menu was first introduced in Denver last spring. Sacramento was chosen as a test market because it's a "family-friendly city," Chris Arnold, the chain's director of public relations, wrote in an e-mail.

Chipotle hasn't had a kid's menu in the past because the style of its menu - which allows diners to pick ingredients to include in the burrito, taco or salad - helped parents adapt meals to suit their child.

"But some of our customers, particularly newer customers, don't understand the variety or the best way to feed their children at Chipotle," he said. "We began testing a kid's menu to help people better understand that. The response we've seen so far has been really encouraging."

Items on the kid's menu are priced at under $4 and include juice, organic milk or a small fountain drink. The menu features Chipotle's naturally raised meats, which comes from animals humanely raised without antibiotics or added hormones, a news release states.

Here are the choices:

• Taco kit ($3.95) - Children can choose any three ingredients and two crispy or soft taco shells, all served on a tray, allowing the child to construct their own meal. Served with rice and a small order of chips.

• Single taco ($3.50) - Chipotle staff will construct the child's soft or crispy taco, using any three ingredients the child chooses. Served with a small order of chips.

• Small cheese quesadilla ($2.95) or small meat and cheese quesadilla ($3.50) - Served with a side of rice or beans and small order of chips.

I almost did a end zone happy dance. Twice.

I may be able to make a mean lemon cake and a most irresistible brownie, but when it comes to bread making, I'm solidly in the novice category. After several failed attempts, I am trying my hand at yeast breads. I think much of the problem lies in my patience (as in I have very little).

I decided to give making homemade pizza a go this past weekend. It's inexpensive and the DIY version means we could top them any way we pleased.

Fortunately for me, the pizza dough turned out beautifully, though the cool, Autumnal weather darn near destroyed my dough-making effort. After a two hour rise outside, the dough was barely bigger than before. It took a good hour longer on our kitchen table, under the warmth of our incandescent chandelier, to double in size. Whatever gets the job done.

The best news, however, is that my preschooler loved it. When asked if he liked it better than the restaurant pizza, he said "Mama's is better." I couldn't stop smiling.

This recipe for dough yields enough for two pizzas, perfect for parents and kids to top as desired. I did a spinach, garlic, bacon, onion and mushroom mixture atop the adult version, while the kids voted for cheese.

Follow the link below to get the recipe.

The onset of cool weather always seem to kick off soup, stew and chili season in our house.

Usually I make a big batch using XLNT, a brick of chili con carne mix that I've only ever found in southern California supermarkets. The product produces a chili so delicious that we're willing to drive six hours to procure it and for a while, my mother was bringing up coolers of the stuff with her when she'd come to visit the grandkids.

But with just one brick in my freezer at the moment and a trip from Nanna a ways off, I've been scouting around for a substitute. I found one at Taylor's Market on Freeport Boulevard. It's Cookwell & Company's Texas Two-Step Chili Mix. The 34-ounce jar of chili mix only requires some ground beef to produce a hearty, slightly spicy chili that was easy to make and even easier on the wallet. All told, it was about $12 total (we use beans in our chili - an abomination in some households, I know - so it bumped up the cost $2). But considering it fed my husband and I for three nights, that amounts to about $2.16 per serving, which helped stretch our food budget in a big way.

Follow the link below to get the recipe.

 

Talk about striking a nerve.

Last Wednesday, also known as California Family Day in some circles, I posted a blog item about the lasting benefits of eating dinner together as a family.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University had released a report that day with stats that should make any parent think twice about skipping a meal with their teenagers.

For instance, if you eat fewer than three meals a week with your teenager, research shows your child will be twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana than teens who eat five meals or more a week with their family.

Since California first lady Maria Shriver served as the honorary chair of Family Day, I sought her advice.

I didn't anticipate the vilification that followed.

A few commenters supported Shriver's suggestions, but many others roundly criticized her and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for state pay reductions that they said created a situation that made it tougher for families to spend time together or to find something to eat.

As "Dagnabbit" opined: "And what should they eat dear lady? If they work for your husband, perhaps you would suggest 'cake'?? We have no money left - we choose between eating and paying bills we are obligated to pay regardless of the 15 percent reduction in pay, and there is no bailout for us."

I went to Shriver to address the criticism, but her communications director, Francisco Castillo, said he could address the issue. Shriver, he said, is using her WE Connect campaign to link working families with government services and tax-saving programs.

Her program has become a model for others in the country, he said.

Yet many of us don't qualify for such programs, or we want to leave the benefits to those who are even less fortunate.

I took my own pay cut earlier this year and so understand the realities facing working families during this recession.

Since my family's discretionary income is smaller, our grocery shopping is based on need instead of want.

Whether you work for the public sector or private industry, it has become increasingly hard to feed a family. Since I know my way around the kitchen, I can produce an economical meal that goes beyond peanut butter sandwiches.

Major supermarkets, including Safeway, Raley's and Whole Foods, have rolled out discounts targeting items that families buy most.

Jennifer Jolly, a San Francisco-based consumer lifestyle advocate who's partnered with Safeway, offered some advice on ways stretch family food budgets.

Stretch your meals to stretch your budget. A whole chicken for dinner on Sunday night can mean chicken sandwiches for lunch on Monday, chicken strips for Tuesday's dinner and chicken wraps on Wednesday. Family-pack portions are big money savers.

Pack a lunch. Jolly experimented and packed a lunch every day for two weeks and wound up saving $100. For kids' lunches, try heating oatmeal or all-natural macaroni and cheese (both inexpensive per serving) and placing it in a Thermos.

"I use whatever we've had for dinner the night before," Jolly said. "My daughter thinks it's really cool."

Buy store brands and generic organic products.

Download online coupons and get free recipes from supermarket Web sites (which tend to be economical and family-friendly).

Need more ideas for cheap meals? Check out Sacramento blogger Kimberly Morales' penny-pinching recipes at Poor Girl Eats Well or The Bee's Shop Cheap blog.

What are your money-saving tricks? Where have you found serious deals? C'mon, Sacramento, let's help each other out. Post your ideas here, and I'll share them on this blog and in my column at a later date.

It's hard to stretch a family food budget.

Trying to balance what's on sale with what's appealing to parents and what children are willing to eat can sometimes feel akin to puzzling out the meaning of life.

There's good news, however.

Major supermarkets have realized this and are offering families deep discounts, advice on ways to make every dollar count and healthy meal ideas.

Safeway launched a campaign offering everyday low prices on thousands of items, many of which are targeted at families.

"It's really a sign of the times," said Jennifer Jolly, a consumer lifestyle expert who has teamed with Safeway. "Everyone has challenges with their budget and this is what Safeway is doing to make people's lives a little bit easier."

Items with yellow tags indicate the new price, which is often in addition to Safeway Club Card savings.

I asked Jolly for some tips for families on ways to save money at the supermarket. Here is her advice:

• Stretch your meals to stretch your budget - A whole chicken for Sunday dinner can transform into healthy chicken sandwiches on Monday, chicken strips on Tuesday and chicken wraps on Wednesday. Family pack portions of chicken and red meat also are better values.

• Pack a lunch - Jolly said she didn't realize how much money she was spending on eating out until she started brown-bagging it. "I saved $100 in two weeks," she said. Parents can keep it interesting by packing items like hummus and veggies for dipping.

• Don't shy from generics - In-store brands, especially generic organic products, can save major money.

• Think green, save green - Buying one large container of juice and filling a Thermos or reusable container is often cheaper - and more environmentally-friendly - than buying individual juice boxes. Forego pre-cut fruits and vegetables. The DIY method is much more cost-effective.

• Get creative with old standbys - Use cookie cutters to make that PB&J a little more special. Try cutting tortillas and pitas into shapes to accompany dipping sauce. Use a rolling pin to roll out a piece of wheat bread, top with tuna or chicken mixed with finely diced veggies, roll up and slice. Call it sushi and let your little one's imagination run wild.
  

• Think outside the (lunch)box - Use a Thermos or insulated container to keep natural macaroni and cheese or oatmeal warm until lunchtime. "I pack whatever we've had for dinner the night before," Jolly said. "(My daughter) thinks it's really cool."

Speaking of lunchboxes, here are some suggestions from Patty Mastracco, recipe developer for Raley's, on how to pack your child a lunch they won't trade.

• Get kids to help - Get your kids to help plan the weekly lunch menu. They are more likely to try new foods if they help prepare them.

• Healthy choices - Dedicate a drawer or bin to healthy things for kids to choose from. Try fruit leather, whole wheat energy bars, dried fruits and nuts.

• Surprise them - Fill a cored apple with peanut butter or almond butter or pack yogurt as a "dip" for fruits.

Whole Foods also has taken note of the trying economic times and posted a plethora of economical lunch box ideas on its Web site. For recipes and more tips, go to the Whole Foods "Build a Better Lunchbox" page.

Need more money-saving meal miracles? Check out The Bee's Shop Cheap blog. Bee blogger Pam Dinsmore scouts for deals daily and each week, recipe researcher Sheila Kern finds delicious recipes using weekly specials.

Want to enjoy a comforting, flavorful meal at home in celebration of today being California Family Day?

Frances Benthin, of Oregon, created this dish for the 2005 "Sargento Shredded Cheese Challenge" and took home the grand prize - a trip to California wine country and dinner at Chef Michael Chiarello's St. Helena home. Benthin has won multiple recipe contests over the years.

Benthin's granddaughter, Natalie Benthin, 16, of Grass Valley, is now following in grandma's footsteps and is competing today in the 2009 National Beef Cook-off in Sonoma. To read more about the Benthin family, check out the story in today's Food & Wine section. To find out how Natalie Benthin fared in the competition, visit the Appetizers blog.

Follow the link below to get the recipe.

Here's some proof that having dinner with your children is worthwhile: Teens who have dinner with their families fewer than three times a week are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana than teens who have frequent family dinners.

A report released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University also found that teens who have infrequent family dinners are more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future.

The report is released in anticipation of Monday being national Family Day, a movement launched by the national center to remind parents of the importance of family dinners and reducing children's risk of smoking, drinking and illegal drug use, according to a news release from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

First Lady of California Maria Shriver is honorary chair of the center's Family Day, which is being celebrated today in our state. (Shriver is shown at right with A.G. Kawamura, state Food and Agriculture secretary. Bee photo by Lezlie Sterling).

Shriver grew up in a household that placed an emphasis on the family eating dinner together.

"Both my parents worked, so they often traveled, but my mother was very adamant about that," said Shriver, in a phone interview from her Brentwood home. "My parents really used the dining room table as a continuation of the classroom.""

Shriver has continued the tradition with her own family. She and her two sons - her two daughters are now in college - eat dinner together at least five nights a week, more if they don't have their own plans on Friday or Saturday nights.

"I'm lucky to get a weekend night from one of them," she said.

Like other parents, Shriver hears her fair share of complaints about the length of time it takes to have dinner (The center's study found that the average family dinner takes about 35 minutes.) and has had to referee some table-side teenage fights, but the reward is worth the time and effort for parent and child.

"The table isn't just for eating, it's for connecting, conversing and sharing," Shriver said. "I think families desire (the time together) and when they read the statistics of what a difference it makes, the facts and figures don't lie."

The center's report, which has been comprised for the past several years from an annual back-to-school survey, also found that compared with teens who have frequent family dinners, those who have infrequent family dinners are one and a half times likelier to report getting grades C or lower in school.

Researchers also found that 12- and 13-year-olds who infrequently eat dinner with their family are six times likelier to use marijuana, four times likelier to use tobacco and three times likelier to use alcohol than their peers who have frequent family dinners.

I asked Shriver to give some tips for families on improve and increase the frequency of family meal time. Here are her tips:

• Start simple. If you don't have time for dinner together five nights a week, start with one night a week. Add in nights as it becomes more doable or make a New Year's resolution to have two or three dinners together each week. "Anything helps," she said.
• Talk to your kids. Use what's on the table to prompt conversation. Talk about the fruits and vegetables and where they come from, the importance of eating healthy food, agriculture in California. "Sometimes the subjects you're looking for are staring you in the face," Shriver said.
• Don't fret over the food. Children care more about who is at the table than what is on it. The time spent with family - be it a single-parent, a grandparent, a same-sex couple or even a teacher - is really what matters most. "Kids want whoever is in your family at the table," she said. "The food is secondary."

More than 600 restaurants throughout California are offering families free meals for children today in celebration of Family Day. For more information, check out my previous blog post.

How often do you eat dinner with your family? Is it enjoyable? What are your techniques for starting conversation? Post your thoughts and comments here.

There are dozens of days, weeks and months and events aimed at increasing our awareness of a cause.

Wednesday is no different. But the cause is much closer to home - it's our own family.

It's Family Day in California, part of a national movement launched by the National Center on Addiction Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. It's a day intended to encourage families to spend time with one another and strengthen their bond.

Years of research by CASA has found that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

This year, California First Lady Maria Shriver, honorary chair of the state's Family Day, and the California Restaurant Association have teamed to promote Family Day and got more than 600 member restaurants to offer free kids meals with the purchase of an adult entree from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Follow this link for a list of participating restaurants in Northern California.

For Shriver's tips on celebrating family day, click here.

Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow, when I'll feature an interview with Shriver, as well as a recipe for those of us looking to celebrate Family Day at home.

How do you make time for your family? What do you like to do together? Do you have any tips for other parents on connecting with children, especially teenagers? Post your thoughts and comments here.

You have secret information we want to know.

Parents, grandparents and caregivers have the inside track on the best parks, the best pumpkin patch, the best thing to do for free in the Sacramento region.

It's time for you, dear reader, to 'fess up.

You can share so many things that will help every other parent or guardian in the region -- the No. 1 family-friendly restaurant or the top spot to send mom to relax, for instance.

Our preliminary online survey is available through Sept. 22, with a final survey to follow. To cast your vote, follow this link.

The results will be compiled into a Top 20 list of things for families to do, see and eat in the region.

Armed with this kind of knowledge, you can conquer the world. OK, maybe not. But you will know which bakery has the best birthday cakes and which restaurant won't sit you by the kitchen if you walk in with a toddler.

The Bee's Top 20 list will be published in the Living Here Family section in October.

I have a confession: I can't stand leftovers.

Apart from leftover components of Thanksgiving dinner, I'm not a fan of repeat meals. Leftovers in my house used to prompt a white lie about the food not looking so great and a call to Round Table. Now, given the economic climate, leftovers are eaten, although sometimes without enthusiasm.

So when I come across a dish that results in appealing leftovers, it becomes a repeat feature in my culinary repertoire (can a woman who routinely uses a slow cooker and would prefer to eat brownies instead of dinner claim to have a repertoire? I'm not so sure, but I'm going with it).

The first night we had the dinner of sweet potato and pear stir-fry with chicken and chile sauce, it was good in a homey sort of way. The next night, however, it was delicious. The sweet potato had soaked up some of the spice and flavor from the sauce, the pears and the water chestnuts retained just the right amount of crunch.

This flavorful recipe also packs quite a healthful punch: one serving (which includes rice) is 370 calories and has 7 grams of fat, 24 grams of protein and 7 grams of dietary fiber. (If you're a Weight Watcher, it amounts to 7 points per serving).

Follow the link below for the recipe.

I typically don't care for  recipes that require a lot of preperation before the ingredients are added to the slow cooker, but this one is worth the extra effort. Searing the chicken in a hot pan before adding it to the slow cooker locks in the meat's juices and makes for tender, moist chicken.

The recipe, which comes from my beloved Williams-Sonoma cookbook, calls for a whole chicken, but halfway through dismembering the poor bird, I remembered that you can buy whole chickens already cut into pieces. I saved a lot of money by going the DIY route, but I might just fork over the extra cash next time.

 

Summer Coq au Vin

Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes plus 2 to 2 1/2 hours on high setting or 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours on low setting
Serves: 6 to 8
Notes: This recipe is courtesy Williams-Sonoma's "Essentials of Slow Cooking" (Oxmoor House, $34.95, 286 pages). Cook time includes chicken cooked in 2 batches.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 serving pieces, trimmed of excess skin and fat
4 shallots, minced
2 cups dry white wine, such as chardonnay
1 cup chicken broth
3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 pound summer squash such as yellow crookneck or zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
3 carrots, about 1/4 pound total weight, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 pound frozen pearl onions, or 1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed

INSTRUCTIONS
On a plate, stir together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. Turn the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken and cook, turning frequently, until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the shallots to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.

Transfer the wine-shallot mixture to a slow cooker. Add the chicken, arranging the dark meat on the bottom and the breasts on top. Tuck the parsley and thyme sprigs among the chicken pieces. Cover and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours on the high-heat setting or 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours on the low-heat setting. Uncover and add the squash, carrots, onions and sugar snap peas, pushing them into the cooking liquid around the chicken pieces. Cover and cook until the vegetables are cooked through, about 20 minutes longer.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a warmed platter and serve at once.

Per serving based on 8 servings: 529 cal.; 37 g pro.; 9 g carb.; 34 g fat (9 sat., 16 monounsat., 7 polyunsat., 2 other); 139 mg chol.; 570 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 58 percent calories from fat.

I did a story for today's Food & Wine section about cooking game. I know I may catch some flak for admitting that I eat game meat such as elk and bison (and love it, quite frankly), but it's healthy (as red meat goes), versatile and ridiculously delicious.

I took to the Bee's test kitchen recently and developed a recipe for bison burgers that many coworkers, including some a little wary about trying game meat, found pleasing to the palate.

Here's the recipe.

True Blue "Buffalo" Burgers
Prep time: 10 minutes active, 1 hour inactive
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Notes: Ranched bison can be found in some area supermarkets, such as Raley's. Not game for eating game? Beef would be a fine substitute. Serve these burgers alongside some oven-roasted sweet potato fries for a delicious meal.

Ingredients
1 pound ground bison
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Salt and pepper
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rings.
1 quart low fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 ounces blue cheese (I used Point Reyes)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 to 3 tablespoons Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce
4 hamburger buns

Instructions
Pour buttermilk into large bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the seasoning salt. Place the sliced onions in the buttermilk and refrigerate for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and very lightly coat a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Place the flour in a medium bowl and the panko in another medium bowl next to it. Remove soaked onions from the fridge. In an assembly line kind of maneuver, dip the onions into the flour, back in the buttermilk, then into the panko crumbs and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all onion rings are done. Bake in oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove from oven and set aside.

Preheat the oven to broil or heat your outdoor grill to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together the bison meat, olive oil, Worcestershire, remaining 1 tablespoon of seasoning salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Pat the meat into four burgers, making a small, shallow indent with your thumb in the middle of each burger. Grill to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium.

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and Frank's RedHot sauce to desired spiciness. Slather desired amount of spicy aioli on top half of each bun. Place a burger on the bottom half of bun and top with about an ounce of blue cheese each and a few onion rings and the aioli covered top bun. Enjoy.

A chef on a mission to transform school lunches nationwide will be part of a live online chat via Facebook Friday.

Ann Cooper, also known as "The Renegade Lunch Lady," is spearheading the effort to make childrens' lunches healthier and has launched a free Web site aimed at helping schools replace frozen processed food with fresh, homemade, cost-effective alternatives, according to a news release from Whole Foods, which has teamed with Cooper.

The live video chat will be held through Facebook at 1 p.m. Friday. Click here to get the link to the chat. Anyone can view the chat, but questions can only be submitted by people with Facebook profiles or through Twitter. To submit questions via Twitter, send a direct message to @spinnio or @wholefoods with the hashtag #chefann.

For more information about the school lunch revolution or for healthy lunch recipes, go to Whole Foods' Web site or Cooper's Lunch Box Web site.

There's a few recipes in my collection that are easy, no-fail and absolutely delicious. Here is my favorite.

These green enchiladas have become somewhat legendary. They also come with a warning: you may want to make double the amount you think you need because people often go looking for second helpings.

These delicious enchiladas get their smooth, creamy texture from warmed milk used to soften the flour tortillas.

Click on the "keep reading" link below to get the recipe.

Many parents know the desire to give their children the best birthday possible.

We are willing to go to great lengths to make sure our little ones get the toy they've been longing for, the special paper plates festooned with a beloved cartoon character, a cake that will excite their tastebuds and imagination.

While gathering the ingredients for the perfect, low-key birthday party for my son, who turned 3 years old Saturday, I stumbled upon a clever birthday accoutrement at The Mixed Bag in midtown that instantly became the hit of the party. Meet Wishosaurus.

Wishosaurus is a plastic purple dinosaur that holds up to 10 candles. He's made of food-safe, play-safe plastic and comes complete with candles and a little pedestal to place on the birthday cake, according to Fred, the Rhode Island-based company that makes the Wishosaurus and other novel gadgets and tchotchkes.

I'm used to my cakes, which are made from scratch and usually the product of weeks of planning (yes, I'm a bit nutty when it comes to baking - ask my colleagues), eliciting "oohs" and "wows." Wishosaurus stole the limelight with his prehistoric party animal prowess. It was awesome. The best part is we can use Wishosaurus each birthday, adding more memories as the years pass.

Wishosaurus is for sale at The Mixed Bag at 2405 K Street or online through Amazon. For more information about Fred products, go the company's Web site.

If you're interested in a good recipe for strawberry buttercream, here's one that I created and used this past weekend. The combination of strawberries and jam lend an amazing flavor and smooth texture to the traditional vanilla buttercream. Enjoy.

Niesha's Strawberry Buttercream

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: None
Serves: Yields enough frosting for a three layer 9-inch birthday cake or 24 cupcakes
Notes: This frosting is best atop a traditional white cake. I used Martha Stewart's recipe, and filled the middle of the cake layers with organic strawberry jam and organic strawberries sliced flat.

Ingredients
8 organic strawberries, leafs removed
2 tablespoons best-quality organic strawberry jam
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions
In a food processor, blend strawberries just until smooth. Add the jam and give a quick blitz to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add four cups of powdered sugar and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes, until it's light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate. Add the reserved strawberry mixture (should amount to about 1/2 cup) and beat until combined. Gradually add in the remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. You may not need all the powdered sugar. Once you get the frosting to the consistency you like, beat for about 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed. The buttercream can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about two days. Refrigerating will make the frosting harden.

If you're not willing to brave the masses, the heat, or fork over the roughly $45 it costs to take a family of four to the California State Fair opening weekend, here's an idea - wait until Tuesday.

I don't have any guarantees about the weather (the National Weather Service forecasts a high of 94 degrees Tuesday) or how many thousands of people will show up, but what is certain is that kids get in free.

Every Tuesday is Kids Day and children 12 years old and younger get in free all day. What's more, carnival rides are just $1 for everyone.

For more information about the fair, which opens today, check out this story on sacbee.com or look inside today's Our Region section.

Speaking of the fair, there's an exhibit this year that is sure to please the sweet tooth in the family.

Stage Nine Entertainment Group Inc. is debuting an exhibit dedicated to sweet treats. "It's a Candy Nation" is the fifth exhibit by the Old Sacramento store and pays homage to the history of candymaking, nostalgia of candy and candy trends, said Heather Atherton, a Stage Nine spokeswomen.

The exhibit, which includes a 20-foot rock candy mountain, showcases many Northern California based candy companies, including Jelly Belly and See's Candies.

Artifacts on display include a Jelly Belly custom built Arlen Ness motorcycle with bean-shaped side car. Vintage PEZ display and items from the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

There's also an "I Love Lucy" candy conveyor belt with a Lucille Ball impersonator acting out the classic TV scene, she said.

Jelly Belly also is giving away a packet of "Fair Flavors" to people who visit the Candy Nation exhibit. Flavors include cotton candy, caramel apple, buttered popcorn and watermelon. Free admission for your kids on Tuesday and free candy? Now that's a sweet deal.

The exhibit is located in Expo Center building four. Click here to get a map of the California State Fair.

Dinner inspiration comes in many forms.

This weekend, it came from a classic piece of cookware.

I have been pining for a Le Creuset Dutch oven for years, but the high price point of the revered cookware and the fact that I own a perfectly suitable stockpot kept getting in the way.

That changed this weekend. After seeing "Julie & Julia," (the movie is lovely, the book, not so much), I wanted a Dutch oven even more. Then I came up with an idea born from frugality - why not check Craigslist for the enameled cast iron cookware?

A quick check of the site yielded the result I was hoping for - a nice Rio Linda couple moving out of the country were selling their 9-quart Le Creuset for a fraction of what it would cost new. I remember pumping my fists in excitement when I found the posting. What a dork.

I piled my kids in the car and headed off to the northern reaches of the county. The pot rode shotgun on the way home. It was all I could do not to buckle the seatbelt around it.

Driving home, I ran through recipes in my head. Beouf Bourguignon? Nah, too fancy for the folks I was cooking for the next day. Jambalaya? Been there, done that. Some type of chowder? Perfect.

I found the recipe I was looking for in Williams-Sonoma's "Essentials of Slow Cooking", a veritable treasure trove of recipes for slow cookers and Dutch ovens.

The next day, I awoke with the same kind of glee befitting of a 5-year-old on Christmas morning. I shopped for ingredients and then set to preparing the New England halibut stew. The smell of sizzling bacon and vegetables filled the house.

The stew turned out beautifully - the fish and vegetables were remarkably tender, and the flavor of the broth - just clam juice, vegetable broth, white wine and a little heavy cream - was complimented perfectly by the hint of fresh thyme.

It was a hit with our friends and family. There wasn't much talking during the simple meal of stew, fresh bread and cold beer.

"This is awesome," my husband said, scraping the last remnants from the bottom of his bowl.

He looked at me as if he knew what I was about to say.

"You're probably going to tell me that it's because of the pot," he said.

Indeed.

Click on the link below to go to the recipe.

The phrase "gluten-free" and the word "pleasant" don't often mix in my vocabulary.

On second thought, neither does "boxed brownie mix" and "good." Yet surprisingly, those adjectives were appropriate for Betty Crocker's new Gluten Free Brownie Mix.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of a brownie snob (well, a bit of a from-scratch baking snob really). But I also am fortunate that I don't have to avoid gluten for dietary reasons.

Apparently, the number of people diagnosed with Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that can affect absorption of nutrients from food and lead to small intestine damage, is on the rise.

It currently affects one out of every 133 people, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

Betty Crocker recently launched a line of gluten free products and sent The Bee a box of its Gluten Free Brownie Mix to sample.

I whipped up the brownies Tuesday morning. It was as simple to make as other boxed mixes: add eggs, butter, dry mix and stir.

The stiffness of the batter left me skeptical, but the result was a chewy, moist batch of brownies.

The texture was a tiny bit grainy, but the fudginess of the brownie compensated for it nicely. The brownies also had a nice buttery finish.

Fellow hungry Bee staffers seemed to enjoy the brownies for the most part. While one person said they could have stood "more chocolate" and another didn't care for the "grittiness" of the rice flour, others had positive praise.

"I'd have been unable to tell that these were gluten-free," Jim Downing, a business reporter, wrote me in an e-mail. "I'd rate them above average (but I tend to like any brownie that's fairly chewy)."

The brownie mix is available in many stores and sells for about $4.49. Also available are gluten free yellow cake mix, Devil's Food cake mix and chocolate chip cookie mix, according to a Betty Crocker news release.

The line is made in a gluten free processing facility.

Speaking of gluten free, I recently received a new cookbook that I'd like to give away to someone who adheres to a gluten-free diet for dietary or other purposes. "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook," (Celestial Arts, $16.99, 136) offers dozens of breakfast, entree and dessert recipes. If you are local and would like to test out some of the recipes and write up a little review for this blog, the cookbook is yours to keep. Please e-mail me with your name, city of residence, number of people in your family and why you have chosen a gluten-free diet.

Have you discovered a great gluten-free product or recipe? Post your comments and share your findings here.

Sometimes magic can happen when the cupboards and fridge yield odds and ends.

Inspiration occurred during breakfast, as I went to pour a bowl of Special K with Red Berries. All that was left was about a cup of the crumbled remnants of flakes, and no strawberries. Not ideal for breakfast, but perfect for dinner.

I used the cereal as a breading for chicken breasts that soaked in low-fat buttermilk for a few hours. The results were crispy, slightly sweet chicken strips that were sinfully delicious. And a great use of the bottom of the cereal box.

Chicken strip surprise

Prep time: 4 hours inactive, 10 minutes active
Cook time: 10 to 12 minutes
Serves: 4
Notes: While this recipe calls for Special K, any kind of flake cereal is fine, including Frosted Flakes or Corn Flakes.

Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into strips
1 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cups Special K cereal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions
Place chicken and buttermilk in a large zip-top bag and seal. Shake around and refrigerate for about four hours.

Crumble the cereal into small shards either in the cereal bag or in a zip-top bag. Place cereal in a medium bowl. Coat the chicken in the cereal, pressing the cereal into the chicken so it adheres.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, place chicken in skillet and cook for about four to five minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through and no pink is showing. Let cool slightly and serve alongside honey mustard or ketchup if desired.

Looking for a new way to encourage your child to eat fruits and vegetables? Try a story.

Save Mart and Lucky supermarkets are holding story-telling sessions at 10 a.m. every Saturday this month at Northern California and Nevada stores as a way to help kids try fruits and vegetables.

The SuperProduce Story Time sessions, which launched last month, are held in the markets' produce department and include a message about healthy eating and a sample of a healthy snack, such as watermelon, broccoli or baby carrots, a Save Mart news release states.

Save Mart Supermarkets, headquartered in Modesto, operates more than 240 stores in Northern California and Northern Nevada.

For more resources and tips on children's nutrition and healthy eating, go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site.

Break out the milk and celebrate.

Pillsbury has launched a new line of cookies, "simply..." that are aimed at moms who want the convenience of refrigerated cookie dough without preservatives, trans fat and high fructose corn syrup.

The cookies, which are available in stores now and retail for $3.49, come in peanut butter and chocolate chip flavors and contain the same ingredients used to make cookies from scratch.

Pillsbury sent The Bee both flavors to try out.

The chocolate chip cookies had a generous amount of chips and the dough was flavored with just the right amount of vanilla. I'm a bit of a cookie puritan, so I wish unsalted butter would have been used instead of shortening. That said, these cookies, by far, beat other refrigerated cookie doughs in both flavor and texture.

I tested the peanut butter cookies out on a willing class of middle schoolers at an academic summer program at Sacramento State last week.

The response was pretty positive - and not just because it was the middle of the afternoon and they were looking for a snack.

Praise included that the cookies were "better than store-bought" and "smoother and softer" than other refrigerated doughs.

Michael Wong, 14, said the cookies were "pretty good but I like my mom's better."

Sierra Savage, 14, loved the cookies.

"These are soft, moist and just delicious," she said.

For more information about the new Pillsbury line, go to the company's Web site.

Looking for a simple dinner solution that your kids will actually eat? Try this spin on grilled ham and cheese.

This recipe is adapted from one I saw on Emeril Lagasse's cooking show years ago and has been a favorite ever since. It's not much more difficult than assembling a grilled cheese, but tastes incredibly more sophisticated, while still appealing to pint-size palates.

The addition of ham adds a boost of protein, but it's just as delicious without it.

Grilled ham and cheese

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6
Notes: This variation on a classic gets an infusion of flavor from the tangy marriage of mustard and honey spread on the bread before grilling. If you can't find the specified cheeses, just substitute others your family would enjoy.

Ingredients

1 fresh sourdough loaf, cut into 12 slices
12 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices Muenster cheese
6 slices Jarlsberg cheese
12 to 18 slices deli ham
6 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablesoons honey
4 tablespoons butter
Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Separate the bread into pairs with sides to be filled facing up. Spread about 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard on one piece of bread per pair. Drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon of honey over the mustard. Layer one slice each of cheddar, Muenster and Jarlsberg onto the mustard-adorned bread. Follow with two to three slices of ham. Top with one slice of cheddar. Repeat for each bread pair. Once assembled, spread the outward-facing bread with butter.

Spray a grill pan or griddle with nonstick spray and turn heat to medium-high. Place sandwiches in pan and grill for about 4 minutes per side, or until the cheese begins to melt. Because the sandwiches will be a bit tall, you may want to place a heavier skillet  atop the sandwiches as they cook, or just press down with a spatula (you may also have to cook the sandwiches in batches).

Remove from pan, let rest for about a minute and then slice.

For another delicious summer sandwich idea, check out this story by my colleague, Allen Pierleoni, in today's Food & Wine section.

Today is National Lasagna Day and to commemorate the cheesy occasion, Buca di Beppo is offering customers a free serving of its popular lasagna.

Any guest who purchases a Buca small or Buca large pasta or entree today will receive a free lunch-sized portion of the family-style restaurant's lasagna, a news release states.

The offer is available at Buca di Beppo's 87 locations nationwide, including its restaurants at 1249 Howe Ave., Sacramento and 1212 Galleria Blvd., Roseville.

The free lasagna offer is not valid with other coupons, offers or to-go orders, but can be boxed and taken home for dine-in guests, the release states.

Mangia!

Looking for an easy, delicious lasagna recipe? Check out my entry on our Appetizers blog.

While not an entire meal, this spinach dip can serve as an appetizer to tide over the hungry masses until dinner is ready or a condiment to perk up supper staples such as burgers or grilled chicken breasts. The vibrant green color of the dip is alluring to little ones, who likely won't be the wiser to the dip's nutritious phytochemical properties. The recipe is from "The New American Plate Cookbook" (University of California Press, $25.95, 306 pages), arguably the best healthy eating cookbook in my collection.

Spinach and feta dip

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: None
Serves: 8
Notes: This nutritious dip is fabulous served with warm pita wedges and crackers. For an extra boost of nutrients, serve with sliced red and green bell peppers. If serving to children, you may want to cut the amount of horseradish in half. Store the dip in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
4 cups stemmed fresh spinach, loosely packed
1/2 cup coarsely crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
1/4 cup fat-free or light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons drained prepared white horseradish
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
In a food processor or blender, finely chop spinach. Add the cheese and scallions and process the mixture until well blended. Add the mayonnaise, horseradish, and lemon juice and process to blend until smooth. Add the dill and process for another 15 seconds. Season the dip with salt and pepper to taste.

The Sacramento River Cats are offering a deal that's sure to be a home run with families.

The new promotion offers a free meal for every child 12 years old and younger at all remaining Tuesday night home games at Raley Field, a River Cats news release states.

The first of the "kids eat free" game nights is Tuesday, when the River Cats are scheduled to play the Salt Lake Bees. The free meal deal also will be in place Aug. 11 and Aug. 25.

Each meal voucher, which will be passed out until the first pitch, is good for a hot dog, snack and a 12-ounce Coke. The vouchers can be used throughout the game.

The promotion is intended to help area families enjoy a fun, affordable outing, said Gabe Ross, vice president of media relations for the River Cats.

"It's a lot cheaper than going to a movie and you get dinner with it," he said.

Game tickets, the cheapest of which are lawn seats for $7 per person, are available at the Raley Field Ticket Office or through the River Cats Web site.

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is hosting a free barbecue and information fair for families Saturday.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the third annual Fun in the Sun Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Saca Community Learning Center, 2469 Rio Linda Blvd., Sacramento, a food bank news release states.

The event includes a free barbecue lunch, snacks, prizes, face painting, games, exercise class demonstrations, multicultural dancing and a bounce house.

Dozens of community agencies, including the Child Abuse Prevention Council, Meals on Wheels and the Greater Sacramento Urban League, will provide free information for families, the release states.

The event is open to all families.

Sometimes it just gets too hot and too chaotic to cook.

Such was the case this week for my family. We've eaten pizza, takeout Mexican food and uninspired salads.

There is a much better option out there that I should have remembered, however - Dream Dinners.

Dream Dinners is a meal-assembly franchise, which has a location in Natomas, where a flat rate fee and about 30 minutes of prepping easy-to-cook meals yields several nights of dinner (many of which are healthy) that freeze well and are ridiculously convenient during hectic weeks.

For more about Dream Dinners and other meal-assembly businesses in the region, check out my story from earlier this year.

Dream Dinners also is calling on home cooks to come up with recipes to help expand its menu options.

The company is holding its 3rd Annual Recipe Contest through Aug. 28 and is looking for four dishes featuring the following proteins: London Broil, chicken breast, pork chops and cod. One winner from each category will receive $500 towards Dream Dinners meals (that translates to about two months worth of meals).

Judging takes place Oct. 30 and winners will be announced in January. The winning recipes will appear on the March menu, with credit to the recipe's author, a news release states.

For more information, contest rules and entry forms, go to Dream Dinner's Web site.

Do you have a dinner recipe that your family enjoys and want to share it with us? Post your recipe here or e-mail me and your dish may be featured in an upcoming "What's for dinner"  post.

What can be better than a main course that essentially cooks itself? A fabulous salad and icy mojitos on the side.

The following recipe for carnitas, from Bon Appetit magazine, has been a staple in my house for several years now, both as a weeknight dinner and as crowd-pleasing party fare.

The beauty of this pork dish is that it's flavorful, easy to prepare (a slow cooker does the work for you) and it's mild enough that kids like it.

I whipped up a batch of the juicy meat while on vacation in Lake Tahoe and paired it with a jicama citrus salad and rounds of mojitos. We've been invited back.

The recipe for the salad is from the cookbook "Cooking Club: Great Ideas and Delicious Recipes for Fabulous Get-Togethers" (Sasquatch Books, $23.95, 224 pages). The local authors, Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey, are featured in a story about cooking clubs in today's Food & Wine section. The recipe for the salad accompanies the story.

Slow Cooker Carnitas
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours (inactive)
Serves: 6
Notes: This recipe is from the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Many butchers will cut the pork for you, which can be a major time saver.

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs or pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 large onion, cut into 4 large pieces
1 avocado, halved, pitted and sliced
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Corn or flour tortillas
Salsa (tomatillo is best, but traditional salsa or pico de gallo tastes fine too)

Instructions
Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board. Discard onion pieces. Using fingers (or forks), shred pork; transfer carnitas to platter. Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red bell peppers, if desired, alongside. Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and tomatillo salsa.

Staycationing with your children?

Don't let the state offices, courthouses and business offices that dominate the downtown landscape fool you - there are plenty of things to do with kids in the central city.

To prove it, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership is hosting its first annual Downtown Kid's Week, a week-long event that starts Saturday.

"We have a lot of stuff downtown that is family friendly and you can truly make a day of it," said Jennifer Snyder, the partnership's marketing manager.

The event is intended to spur families to spend time at state and local museums, some of which have been hard hit by the economy.

Participating venues include the Crocker Art Museum, California Museum, Governor's Mansion State Historic Park and Sacramento History Museum.

Esquire Imax Theatre is offering eight free screenings of "Wild California" Saturday. For details, see my earlier blog post.

Also available for exploration are farmers' markets and downtown walking tours.

Several downtown eateries also are offering specials for families during Kid's Week.

California Pizza Kitchen and 4th Street Grille are offering free kids meals with an adult purchase, while at The Melting Pot, children 12 years old and under can have an entrée and a child's portion of cheese and chocolate fondue (the cheese and chocolate are separate - unless your kid likes that odd flavor combination) for $15.

Morgan's Central Valley Bistro at The Sheraton Grand is offering kids a 3-course menu and a free toy and is hosting entertainment from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Don't worry kids - Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson likely won't be anywhere near the Morgan's dining room during Kid's Week, so you're free to have thumb fights and giggle all you want (check out Robertson's review if you don't get my snarky reference).

Organizers hope to repeat the event next year.

For more details about Kid's Week, go to the partnership's Web site.

Pressed for time and looking for a delicious summer meal shortcut?

Head to Ikedas California Country Market in Auburn or Davis, where you can pick up fantastic pre-seasoned tri-tip, locally grown produce and fabulous pie.

I'm usually not one to spring for pre-marinated meats, since I enjoy cooking and find that to be part of the fun, but Ikedas' tri-tips are so tender, so wonderfully seasoned, why mess with perfection?

The store sells a tri-tip made with Ikedas seasoning, as well as one with Ikedas marinade. The seasoned tri-tip is slightly spicy, while the marinated tri-tip has a touch of sweetness to it that makes the flavor dance in your mouth.

Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I cooked my 2 1/2 pound Ikedas seasoned tri-tip over medium heat on the grill for about 45 minutes, which, after resting for about 15 minutes, resulted in the meat being cooked to medium.

Served alongside grilled white corn and a tangy and sweet summer salad, it made for a beautiful, simple summer meal.

Ikedas has two locations: 3500 Lincoln Way, Auburn and 26295 Mace Blvd., Davis.

Here's my recipe for the salad, which is delicious on its own as a light meal or as a side dish.

Tangy and sweet summer salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 9 minutes
Serves: 4
Notes: You can purchase glazed pecans at many markets if you're too busy to make them at home. Add slices of Granny Smith apples for an extra kick of crunchiness that kids will love.

Ingredients
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 cups spring mix lettuce
About 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Consorzio Raspberry and Balsamic Fat-free dressing

Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scatter pecans on the tray, making a single layer. Bake in the oven for about 4 minutes. Remove pecans to a medium-size bowl and let cool for about 2 minutes. Drizzle honey over the pecans and stir with a spoon, coating them. Sprinkle the sugar over the pecans and stir again. Pour the pecans back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, breaking apart nuts that may be stuck together, and add to a big salad serving bowl.
Add lettuce, blue cheese, cranberries and just enough salad dressing to lightly dampen the leaves (start with about 1/4 cup and add to taste).

What did you grill for the Fourth of July? Have you discovered a great dinner shortcut? Share your ideas and recipes here.

Truth be told, I landed this recipe by sheer accident. I haven't been able to stop thinking about a delicious halibut ceviche I had while having dinner with a local cooking club Sunday.

I assembled all the ingredients, eager to re-create the dish but underestimated the cook time for the fish. The pieces of fish I had cut were too large, and the lime juice hadn't had time to "cook" fully. It was nothing that a little creative thinking and a 5-minute roll in a hot skillet couldn't fix.

 

These fish fajitas are an adaptation of that ceviche, and turned out to be an easy, flavorful and healthy midweek dinner.

 

Be sure to check out my story on cooking clubs on July 15 in The Bee's Food & Wine section. In the meantime, enjoy this fantastic fish feast.

 

Fish fajitas

 

Prep time: 5 minutes active, 30 minutes inactive

Cook time: 10 minutes or less

Serves: 4

Notes: A little Tabasco sauce adds a nice heat to these moist fish fajitas, which were inspired by halibut ceviche. The lime juice marinade starts to cook the fish, thus reducing the amount of cook time in the pan, and lends a nice acidity without being too strong of a flavor for children.

 

Ingredients

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

1 small red onion

10 sweet grape tomatoes

1 ½ pounds fresh halibut, trimmed of skin and cut into ½-inch pieces

Juice of 3 limes (about ½ cup juice)

Handful cilantro

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Corn or flour tortillas

Tabasco sauce or salsa, to taste

 

Instructions

Chop the three bell peppers and onion into 1-inch strips and place in a medium-size bowl. Halve each grape tomato and add to peppers. Add the cut halibut to the bowl, along with the lime juice. Coarsely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated fish and vegetables, discarding the leftover lime juice, and sauté for about 10 minutes, cooking until fish is just starting to get a little firm. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Take off the heat and let rest while getting the tortillas ready.

Warm the tortillas over a burner on the stove, taking care not to burn them.

Spoon the fish fajita mixture into the tortillas and splash with a little Tabasco or salsa if desired.

 

Have you ever created a great recipe when intending to make something else? I'd love to hear your stories. Post a comment here or e-mail me, and your recipe could be featured in the "What's for dinner" feature on my blog.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that free meals are available for children at nearly 2,900 locations this summer through federally funded food programs run through the State Department of Education.

Children 18 years old and younger in low-income areas are eligible for the free meals, which are required to serve milk, fruits, vegetables or juice, grain products and meat or a meat alternative, a department news release states.

The Summer Food Service and Seamless Summer Feeding Option programs, which operate when schools are not in session for 15 days or more, allow sites to serve two meals or one meal and a snack per day.

"The summer nutrition program provides vital aid to students who would otherwise go hungry, and helps them to return to school in the fall ready to learn," O'Connell states in the release.

During the 2007-2008 school year, 3.1 million of the state's K-12 students, nearly 51 percent, were enrolled in the state's free and reduced-price meal programs, and education officials expect the numbers to rise given the state of the economy.

A Bee analysis of state education department data by my colleagues Phillip Reese and Melody Gutierrez revealed that an additional 5,000 children in Sacramento County public schools received a free or reduced-price lunch during the 2008-2009 school year, a quicker growth rate than any seen in the previous 15 years.

Click here to read their report.

In addition to making sure children don't go hungry, officials also are hoping families take advantage of the free summer meals because it could mean an increase in federal funding for the state.

If the state's summer meal programs feed 100 percent of the low-income kids who ate free or reduced-price school lunches in 2008, the state will get an additional $181 million in federal reimbursement to the programs, O'Connell said.

The state has set up an interactive Web site to help parents find summer meal program services. Click here to go the Web site, which will be updated throughout the summer.

For more information about the summer meal programs, go to the state Department of Education's Web site.

I received an e-mail recently about time-saving tools I could download and print for free.

I had every intention of printing the cute organization sheets, which have clever names like "The Balance Sheet" and promise to make my life less chaotic.

I put the kids to bed and sat down to print them out, eager to test-drive this wonder organization tool, only to find that our printer is out of ink.

Maybe I should have started using the "to do" sheet the Web site offers a bit earlier.

The sheets, which you can download for free, are by Mommy Track'd, a parenting Web site that also sells pre-printed versions and other organizational stationary and tools. I'm told celebrity moms like Tori Spelling and Brooke Shields are fans of the site.

I'm going to give the organization tools a try, namely the "Eat Sheet," which allows you to plan out a week's menu along with a corresponding grocery list. I'm hoping it helps out my current, pathetic version of meal planning - which consists of me frantically thinking about what to cook for dinner on the drive home while my two hungry, grouchy kids search their car seats for cookie remnants.

In the meantime, check out the free Mommy Track'd planning sheets and post your thoughts. Helpful or too plan-tastic?

This recipe comes with a disclaimer -  this is the kind of dinner best enjoyed after the kids go to bed. Add a glass of wine or ice-cold Pilsner and you have a perfect date night at home.

There's nothing quite like flavorful scallops kissed with garlic and drizzled with a nutty reduction sauce of Banyuls vinegar. I adapted this recipe from one I saw in Bon Appetit years ago, and it has been a favorite in our house ever since.

Accompanying the scallops are sinfully creamy garlic mashed potatoes, which get their smooth texture from a double-whammy of sour cream and cream cheese (low fat dairy products can be subsituted for the full fat versions).

Seared sea scallops with garlic mashed potatoes

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: About 6 minutes for scallops, 30 minutes for potatoes

Serves: 2 (will likely yield leftover potatoes)

Notes: Banyuls vinegar is a wine vinegar made from grapes grown in south of France. The vinegar is aged for more than five years and has a rich, nutty flavor. It can be found at several local specialty grocers, including Taylor's Market and Corti Brothers. The vinegar is a little pricey, about $25 a bottle, but keeps well and can be used to flavor salad dressings and sauces for other meat dishes.

 

Ingredients

10 large sea scallops

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, minced and separated into two equal piles

2 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar (see notes)

2 tablespoons water

6 red potatoes, washed

1/3 cup sour cream

2 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons milk

 

Instructions

*Since scallops cook so quickly, it's best to make the potatoes first.

 

To make the potatoes: Fill a large pot with warm water and add potatoes. Put pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Check the potatoes texture by piercing with a fork. Once they are fork-tender, drain the potatoes and place in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour garlic into the mixer with the potatoes.

 

Turn mixer on low speed, then add in sour cream and cream cheese, increasing speed to medium. Mix until the potatoes start to look mashed, about one minute. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you like, adding more milk for a creamier texture. Cover with foil until ready to serve.

 

To make the scallops: Season the scallops liberally with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high flames in the same nonstick skillet used to sauté the garlic for the potatoes. Add the scallops and cook until they are golden on each side and opaque in the center, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. About a minute before the scallops are cooked, add the other two tablespoons of minced garlic. Remove the scallop and garlic to a plate.

 

To make the Banyuls sauce, add the Banyuls vinegar and water to the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Bring the sauce to a boil, about 1 minute, scraping up any little bits in the pan. Drizzle the sauce over the scallops.

For more meal ideas and recipes, check out today's Food & Wine section.

It's a question that torments many parents: "What's for dinner?"

I loved asking my mom that question when I was a little girl. Not because I knew it vexed her, (at some point, she banned the question from the ride home from school), but because I was a little food nerd in training. A quirky kid who loved to cook alongside Grandma Bertha and enjoyed looking through the cookbooks that my mom rarely used. I loved hearing what we were having for dinner, primarily because it allowed my imagination to wander in the delectable wonderland of the food world.

Now that I'm a mother, I understand why my mom cringed at the dreaded question. It's hard to come up with quick, healthy dinners that your children will actually eat. But there are some great meal ideas out there, and I plan on sharing them with you every Wednesday. Some are my recipes, some I'll procure from other sources, but all are intended to help you enjoy good food and quality time with your family.

Here is an easy, mid-week dinner idea I came up with recently that we loved. It's simple, low calorie, and won't heat up the house.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Grilled Pineapple

Cook time: About 20 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes active, 20 minutes inactive
Serves: 4
Notes: These burgers, and the pineapple, turn out best on the grill, but if you don't have one, the broiler works just fine. Serve with baked sweet potato fries (Food Network's Sandra Lee has a good recipe) or some grilled broccolini for a healthy, easy meal. If serving the burgers to children, you may want to omit the onion and substitute yellow mustard for sweet hot mustard.

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/3 cup diced or shredded red onion
1/3 cup store-bought teriyaki sauce, plus more to top burgers
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced into rings
1 head green leaf lettuce
4 teaspoons sweet hot mustard
4 teaspoons light mayonnaise
4 hamburger buns (onion lend a nice accompaniment to the flavor in the burgers)

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, onions and 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper and mix with your hands until incorporated. Divide into four balls and flatten into patties. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes, to marry the flavors.

While the turkey burgers are chilling, turn your grill on to medium heat. One the grill is hot, spray the pineapple rings with nonstick cooking spray and place them on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear and the fruit becomes fragrant and caramelized. Remove the pineapple to a plate and cover with foil.

Grill the turkey burgers for about 5 minutes per side. Remember: turkey is poultry, so be on the lookout for cross contamination.

Remove the burgers to a new plate and cover with foil.

Adorn the top end of each hamburger bun with a teaspoon each of mayonnaise, sweet hot mustard and a few lettuce leafs. Place the burger on the bottom end of the bun, top with a grilled pineapple ring and, if you like your burger a little messy, pour a little extra teriyaki sauce atop the burger.

Do you have a favorite weeknight dinner recipe? Post the recipe or a link to it in the comments portion of the blog or e-mail it to me and I might use it in future "What's for dinner" posts. Please be sure to include where the recipe came from (Aunt Mable, a magazine etc).

For more cooking ideas and recipes, go to The Bee's Food & Wine section.

Getting your child to brush their teeth just got a lot more lucrative.

The California Milk Processor Board - the folks behind GOT MILK? - has teamed with the Dental Health Foundation to educate families on the importance of eating calcium rich foods as a way to help prevent tooth decay.

The campaign includes a photo contest for children ages 6 to 12 years old. The child with the winning smile will get a $500 toy store shopping spree, an electric toothbrush and various GOT MILK? loot.

Can you imagine all the Legos that would buy? My feet tingle in pain just thinking about it.

The campaign, which launched this week in conjunction with June being National Dairy Month and National Smile Month, is an effort to increase dental health through diet.

According to a report by the Dental Health Foundation, more than 50 percent of kids have had tooth decay, and that figure rises to 70 percent by the time children reach third grade, states a news release.

Dr. Richard Sobel, an Oakland area pediatric dentist and member of the foundation's board, said a child's nutritional and oral development can be improved simply by replacing processed foods with dairy products such as yogurt, milk and cheese.

"By avoiding sugary snacks in the beginning, it helps prevent them from snacking on that in the future and that helps prevent tooth decay," he said.

In general, children should be seen by a dentist at age 1 to evaluate their growth, show parents how to examine their children's teeth and provide tips on brushing and flossing, Sobel said.

The "Say Cheese with GOT MILK?" photo contest runs through July 31 and is open only to California residents.

Click here to e-mail your photo to the contest. Photos may not exceed 8 megabytes.

Photos also may be mailed to Say Cheese with Got Milk? Photo Contest, c/o RL Public Relations, 11835 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 1155E, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

For more contest information, go to the GOT MILK? Web site.

Slow cookers may just be a parent's best friend.

They cook inexpensive cuts of meat beautifully, don't require constant supervision and don't heat up the house.

They also can result in healthy meals for your kids.

How about creamy, fruity yogurt topped with homemade low-fat granola?

Here's a recipe courtesy of "Slow Cookers For Dummies" by Tom Lacalamita and Glenna Vance, John Wiley & Sons, $16.99, 264 pages.

Slow Cooker Good Morning Granola

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: High for two hours; low for four to six hours
Serves: About 24 ( 1/2 cup servings)

Notes: Store bought granola is convenient, but can be high in fat. This recipe reduces the amount of oil and adds powdered milk for calcium and honey for sweetness, the authors note.

INGREDIENTS
10 cups old-fashioned oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup nonfat powdered milk
2 cups dried cranberries or raisins
1 12-ounce can of frozen, unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly spray a 6-quart slow cooker with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the oats, almonds, powdered milk and dried cranberries in the slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine the apple juice concentrate, oil, honey and salt and pour over the oat mixture. Stir to combine.

Cook uncovered on high for two hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Reduce the cook setting to low and continue to cook uncovered for four to six hours, or until dry and crisp. Stir frequently while the granola is on low to prevent over-browning.

Let the granola cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container.

Per serving based on 24 servings: 305 Calories (70 From Fat); 8 grams, fat ( 1 gram, saturated); 0 mg, cholesterol; 70 mg, sodium; 50 grams, carbohydrate; 5 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams, protein.

Feeling adventurous? Homemade yogurt also can be made using a slow cooker.

Stephanie O'Dea, a Bay Area mom whose blog chronicled her New Year's resolution to use her slow cooker every day in 2008 (and lived to tell about it), successfully made yogurt in her Crock-Pot and said the do-it-yourself version is both delicious and economical. Check out her recipe.

For more information about using slow cookers as an energy-efficient summer cooking method, check out my story in today's Food and Wine section.

Have you ever wanted to know how many calories you burn while chasing after your children? Shopping? Washing dishes?

There are handy online calculators out there and they won't cost you a thing.

I discovered a few of these tools while researching a story published in The Bee today about the importance of outdoor play for children.

My curiosity got the best of me, so I plugged in some numbers for the types of activities I've been doing the past few days.

To get the most accurate figures, you need to enter your real weight (gulp). According to Dr. Gnanagurudasan Prakasam, a local pediatric endocrinologist, the more someone weighs, the more calories they will burn during a given activity.

I used Health Status' Internet assessments and calculated the totals using scenarios for a 145-pound adult.

Here's what I found, listed by activity, duration of time and calories burned:

• Walking/running while playing with kids, 45 minutes: 195 calories
  

• Running, 60 minutes (10 minute mile): 1,183 calories
  

• Washing dishes, 5 minutes: 12 calories
  

• Dancing, 10 minutes (I dance to The Wiggles with my toddlers, which frankly, I count as aerobic dancing): 65 calories
  

• Cooking, 30 minutes: 87 calories
  

• Shopping, 60 minutes: 156 calories

The calculator will even let you figure out calories burned doing activities such as painting the house (991 calories burned in three hours) and sex (enough said).

The federal government also has some helpful online tools for parents and children.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid Web site has advice for parents on planning healthy family menus, tools for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and even tips on eating healthy while dining at restaurants.

If you're looking for a fun Web site to get your kids into eating healthy and activity, try the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Body and Mind (BAM!) site. Features include games, tips and even a spot where kids can post comments about things they've done to improve their health.

There's a dinosaur in my purse.

Specifically, it's a small, red plastic Triceratops, and it's sharing real estate in a pocket with a slightly fuzzy animal cracker.

I'm not quite sure how I got to this place, where the primary clincher between two purses were pockets that could perfectly fit sippy cups for my 1-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son.

Motherhood is interesting. It changes you, challenges you, chastens you.

For many, it also sends you in search of finding others like you. To find information about issues like how to get your babies to sleep through the night, how to potty train a reluctant toddler, how to have the sex talk with your first born.

Look no further.

Mom.Me is the newest blog launched by The Sacramento Bee. It's a place where mothers can find information about the latest parenting trends, products and books, family friendly events, medical advice, recipes and relationships. It's meant to inform, entertain, enlighten and engage. And with a Sacramento Bee writer authoring it, the blog comes complete with the accurate, well-researched, authoritative content that mothers rely on The Bee to provide.

Moms don't have a lot of spare time - usually a few extra minutes while children are napping or before or after they go to bed. Spend a few minutes with Mom.Me, and you are sure to come away with a new idea, a helpful tip, a much-needed laugh.

Motherhood is a journey. Let Mom.Me be one of your daily destinations.