LilSugar

Valentine's Day Breakfast Ideas For Tots

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:03:04 PST

You already have your Valentine's Day lunch box planned for your tot, but how will you start their day? A touch of love for the first meal of the day is the perfect way to send kids off to school knowing that mama has them in her heart all day long. These Valentine's Day breakfast ideas make the most important meal of the day the most special. Check them out!

Sisters of DC Cupcakes Share Valentine's Day Baking Tips and Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:16:28 PST

What's sugar and spice and everything nice? Cupcakes! And no one knows more about our obsession with the lil confections than Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, co-owners of Georgetown Cupcake and stars of TLC's DC Cupcakes. The sisters, who learned their kitchen skills from their grandmother ("We followed her around the kitchen and always begged to help"), have been known to bake up to 10,000 lil cakes a day, much to the delight of the patrons who line the block of their Washington DC store. The duo - who just opened their first outpost in New York City - gave me a few minutes of their time to discuss their tasty desserts.

LilSugar: Cupcakes have moved from kiddie birthday party staple to a favorite of adults and kids alike. But kids aren't always willing to try new flavors. Which are most popular with kids?
Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis: Our Vanilla Birthday (vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream and rainbow bobbles), Chocolate Birthday (chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream and rainbow bobbles), and Milk Chocolate Birthday (vanilla cupcake with milk chocolate buttercream and rainbow bobbles) are the most popular with kids. We think it's the color rainbow bobbles!

LS: Moms are busy; what shortcuts can you recommend to making delicious, beautiful cupcakes without spending the whole day baking and decorating them?
SL and KK: Try to keep a stash of baking staples - butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, all purpose flour, baking soda/powder, salt, and cocoa powder/chocolate on hand in your kitchen at all times and you can make almost any flavor! Our recipes are very simple - we don’t use cake flour or pastry flour - just all purpose - we find that works best. Also, we're big fans of chocolate ganache icing. It's so easy - just two ingredients - chocolate chips and heavy cream. You just melt them down (two cups of chips to one cup of cream), and dip your cupcakes in and you've got a super fast and unbelievably delicious frosting.

LS: Do you ever make "healthy" cupcakes for those who want to skip some of the sugar? If so, what goes into it?
SL and KK: We have a carrot cake cupcake, which has fresh carrots and fresh apples grated in it. We skip the walnuts, to save on calories, and it's a light and delicious cupcake!

The new season of DC Cupcakes begins on Feb. 25, but if you're looking to create their Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes for Valentine's Day,

Georgetown Cupcake's Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes
From Sophie LaMontagne and Katherine Kallinis, co-owners of Georgetown Cupcake

Ingredients

For the cupcakes 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) European-style unsalted butter, such as Plugra brand, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar bourbon 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 1/2 cup Valrhona cocoa powder, sifted (or another good-quality cocoa powder) For the ganache frosting 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cup Callebaut semisweet chocolate chips (6.4 ounces; or other good-quality semisweet chocolate chips)

Directions
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 baking cups, and a second pan with 6 baking cups. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup. Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined. Add the cocoa powder, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated. Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. For the ganache frosting: Lay a large piece of wax paper on the work surface. Combine the heavy cream and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with an inch or two of water and place over medium-low heat. Place the bowl over the saucepan and let the mixture melt, stirring until it is shiny and smooth. Remove the bowl of chocolate ganache from the saucepan; let it cool slightly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Working with 1 cupcake at a time, carefully dip each cupcake top in the warm ganache, twisting your wrist as needed to make sure the cupcake top gets completely coated. To prevent drips, quickly turn the cupcake right side up and place on the wax paper. Allow the ganache to set for 5 minutes before serving. (If the cupcakes are dipped once, you'll have about 1/2 cup of ganache left over.)

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NurturMe's Caroline Freedman: An Easy Way to Get Lil Ones to Eat Their Fruits and Veggies!

Kate Stahl — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:02:14 PST

As a soon-to-be first-time mom, a pregnant Caroline Freedman was obsessed with all things baby (sound familiar?), including what she would eventually feed her new lil one once she advanced past breast milk and bottles. "I was shocked at how little innovation there had been since I was a baby. It was still Gerber jarred foods," says Austin, TX-based Freedman, now mom to a 3-year-old and a 4-month-old. "Considering how parents are eating a lot differently now, it seemed so out of sync."

Freedman, along with her business partner Lauren McCullough (a former culinary arts teacher) decided to do something about the discrepancy. The result: NurturMe, the first certified organic, all-natural, gluten-free baby food made from quick-dried fruits and veggies. If a dehydrated baby food isn't inventive enough - each pouch is light as a feather and makes about 2.5 ounces of baby food when mixed with water, breast milk, or formula - NurturMe has yet another selling point: it's also an easy way to sneak fruits and veggies into older tots' meals. Keep reading for more from our interview with Freedman.

5 Kid-Friendly Recipes That Will Score a Touchdown at Your Super Bowl Party

Rebecca M Gruber — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:38:30 PST

There won't be any penalties for serving up kid-friendly food on Super Bowl Sunday. Sure, once kids are in the picture Super Bowl parties can take on a more family-friendly atmosphere - a little less gambling and a little more attention being paid to the commercials - but that doesn't mean traditional football food won't make it onto the table. I spoke with Sarah Carey, editor in chief of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, about how to make the traditional Super Bowl menu into a tot-friendly affair. Check out her tips and recipes!

Year of the Dragon: Eat In With 5 Chinese Takeout-Inspired Dishes

LilSugar — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:14:46 PST

Celebrate Chinese New Year by eating in! Though Asian takeout has become a beloved staple in many households, it's fun to get the whole family cooking a different cuisine. With Lunar New Year celebrations kicking off tomorrow, we asked kiddie chef extraordinaire Catherine McCord, founder of Weelicious and mother of two, to share some of her healthful recipes fit for a year of the dragon fete. Check out Catherine's five options that you can serve up on a plate or in a box, but don't forget the chopsticks!

Tori Spelling's Meaty Lasagna Recipe

Tori Spelling — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:48:32 PST

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week, we're bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori shares her favorite lasagna recipe.

I've been making my lasagna recipe since my early 20s. When I moved into my first apartment at age 19, I decided to learn my way around a kitchen and started experimenting with my favorite cuisine, Italian. At first, more spaghetti landed on the ceiling than on the plate, but ultimately, I perfected my go to dish: T's Meaty Lasagna.

It became my good luck dish. I made it for my friends every time one of my TV movies premiered, which back then was a lot. Hey friends, come eat lasagna and watch me get stalked, killed, and shoot a bad pimp. Ahhh, those were the days! Nowadays, I make my lasagna for family and friends whenever we feel like a cozy home cooked meal. This Christmas / New Year’s, we went away to a house in the mountains. We didn't get any snow like expected, but I did make my lasagna dinner! Here's the recipe...

Disclaimer: I've never formally written this recipe down. It's all in my head. So I apologize if I've given it to anyone before and the measurements are slightly different.

Keep reading for Tori's recipes for lasagna, lasagna cupcakes, and garlic bread!

5 Desserts Inspired by Conversation Hearts

Leta Shy — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:41:44 PST

One of my favorite parts of Valentine's Day is how everything becomes heart-shaped for a month, and that includes the candy! Conversation hearts are a seasonal staple, but while they're cute to give and get, the chalky taste can leave your sweet tooth unsatisfied. Instead of doling out the pastel treats, check out these five easy ways to make delicious heart-inspired desserts!

Source: Flickr User ellie

Chick-fil-A Introduces Healthy Kids' Meal, But Will Kids Eat It?

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:34:56 PST

New year, new menu! If mama's New Year's resolution included cleaning up the lil one's menu, she has a new ally on her side. This week, Chick-fil-A, the Southern fast-food chicken chain, is introducing a new kids' menu meal - Grilled Chicken Nuggets. The all-breast meat, gluten-free Grilled Nuggets have only 80 calories and one gram of fat (for four) compared to 130 calories and six grams of fat in the traditionally fried nuggets. The quick-service chain is also introducing Buddy Fruits Pure Blended Fruit to Go applesauce and one percent milk to round out the meal, making it one of the healthiest kids' meals available.

Given the national childhood obesity epidemic, it's great to see a national chain making an effort to keep our kids healthy. The biggest problem now will be getting families to order the healthier meal when Chick-fil-A's famous fried versions are still readily available.

5 Festive New Year's Eve Treats For Kids

LilSugar — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:27:21 PST

Kick off the New Year with kid-friendly treats to be enjoyed by the whole family. Refashion your children's favorite sweets with edible sparkles or cleverly ice classic desserts to create a festive platter of goodies. These sweet treats are sure to please your little ones while the clock is ticking, so break out the fruit juice bubbly and get ready to toast to 2012.

Source: Wilton

At the Table: 5 Kid-Friendly Dishes to Serve at Your Christmas Dinner

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:07:48 PST

Gathering the kids around the table for a holiday meal should be a easy, not a chore. Adding fun, kid-friendly dishes to the meal is a surefire way to ensure that they'll be running for their seats come dinnertime. This Christmas, why not shake up the menu a bit to include some festive side dishes - they're sure to bring out the kid in everyone at the table!