Love this veggie mac-and-cheese served in muffin cups

It was billed as a kiddie dish, but boy, did the big kids give it five stars! Mac and Cheese "Muffins" were baked in muffin cups and formed tidy individual servings that no doubt would be appealing to the younger set.

I prepared it, however, because I liked the idea of this Prevention magazine recipe having fresh carrots, squash, frozen peas, and onions baked alongside whole-wheat macaroni and cheese—with a bread-crumb and cheese topping. Very one-dish, very healthy.

Don't expect these muffins to emerge looking as though they belong in the pastry category just because they're baked in muffin tins. The recipe doesn’t contain flour, baking powder, baking soda, or the typical ingredients that would yield a bread-like texture. Baking the mixture in muffin cups merely creates interest for kiddos. (The recipe also suggests ways kids can help, such as dusting on the crumb topping and filling the muffin cups.) It also could be baked in a lightly greased casserole dish with the crumb/cheese topping—a yummy option.

Forgot to mention that the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce gave this mix just the right degree of perkiness. Hubby and I were pretty happy with this Mac and Cheese keeper.

Mac and Cheese “Muffins”

8-ounces whole-wheat elbow macaroni

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely grated

1 package (16 ounces) frozen peas

1 box (12 ounces) frozen cooked winter squash, thawed (I used cooked, sliced, fresh squash)

1 1/4 cup whole or 2 percent milk (I used skim)

1 3/4 cup shredded 2-percent Cheddar and Monterrey Jack blend

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat 12 muffin cups (1/2-cup capacity) or a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with olive-oil spray. Prepare macaroni al dente according to package directions. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat while macaroni cooks. Add onion and carrots; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, squash, and milk. Bring just to a simmer. Add shredded cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Drain macaroni; immediately add to squash mixture. Toss until well-combined. Mound in prepared muffin cups. Toss together bread crumbs and Parmesan; sprinkle mixture evenly over top of macaroni. Bake in middle of oven until tops are golden brown and cheese sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before you serve. Makes 12 servings. (Source: March 2012 Prevention)

This Friendly Puppy salad brings smiles to kids of all ages

My son’s request for fried okra on his Dream Birthday Dinner menu went afoul. As much as I desired to serve him heaping helpings of this Southern delicacy, dipped in egg and cornmeal batter and golden-fried to perfection, the local produce departments of supermarkets at which I shopped didn’t help me out.

In one place no okra was to be found at all. In another place the small handful of okra that was available was $4.29 per pound and looked as though it was about to sprout fungus at any second. Possibly this was occurring because we were away from the part of the U.S. in which okra is king. In the Western region, in which our son lives, okra isn’t exactly everyone’s first-choice veggie.

The designated hour for our guests to arrive fast approached. Hubby encouraged me to try no more stores and reminded me that before too many months we’d be fighting off the okra “trees” that take over our backyard garden in the summer, so we could have our fill of it then.

Since I had to make an emergency switch-out, I opted for "Friendly Puppy” Salad. Part of our party decor was a terra-cotta pot that had been handpainted with a Snoopy dog on it as a centerpiece for our son’s third birthday when he was a child. All these years I had saved it; now for his 35th I was using it as the base for a balloon bouquet. The Friendly Puppy with his doleful eyes (made from raisins) and his floppy ears (made from prunes) would fit with this party theme.

Wish I’d had time to peel fresh pears for the occasion, but since the moments sped by, I drained pear halves from a can, rinsed them, and plopped each on a spinach-lined salad plate. Onto each pear went the raisin, the prune, orange sections for the dog’s collar, and a cherry for his nose. This made a very healthy substitution—one that the kids in the audience (grown kids as well as the munchkin variety) would find appealing.

Maybe on his next Texas visit, when the garden is up and running (and over-running) with this Southern staple, our son can drop in for some fried okra. Meanwhile the healthful Friendly Puppy brought smiles and made a great substitution.

Friendly Puppy Salad

4 pear halves (fresh, peeled pears are preferred, although canned, drained pears can be used)

dried, seedless raisins

oranges (fresh orange sections are preferred, although canned, drained Mandarin orange pieces

can be subbed)

cherries (fresh cherries are preferred if in season, although jarred, drained cherries can be subbed)

dried prunes

spinach leaves

Arrange these items as described above and as illustrated in the photo. Chill before serving.

Kid-friendly sloppy joe mix helps sneak veggies past the unsuspecting

OK, here it is, friends--the recipe I've been mentioning for the past several blogs. Wonderful- tasting, quick, ample--and best of all, a way to sneak veggies down the unsuspecting (aka, kids).

The recipe for Cabbage Sloppy Joes was like so many of the others--discovered in desperation when Hubby, a few years back, brought in from our garden more heads of cabbage than we could even get our minds around.

I began hunting (yes, Internet searches help immensely at such times) for offbeat uses for this bounty. That's when I found the instructions for cooking Cabbage Sloppy Joes. Whoever would have thought? The author of the recipe mentioned that the cabbage gave the mixture a slightly sweet taste and of course made it more full-bodied than was the average means of preparing sloppy joes, to be served over buns.

The addition of brown sugar, ketchup, lemon juice, and mustard make a nice sauce to wind around the browned ground turkey and tender cabbage. Other than chopping and shredding the cabbage, enough to make 1 1/2 cups, you can make quick work of this on-the-table-fast dish. Earlier this week a friend was on hand to help me get this recipe pulled together (I'm cooking and freezing some meals to take to our little expectant couple when they bring our grandson into the world later this month; my friend was helping me with this assembly-line enterprise.) She was absolutely incredulous at how quick this meal materialized. I knew she also was thinking the same thing that drew me to Cabbage Sloppy Joes--this is something her kids might like.

Every summer at cabbage time, I always start salivating for Cabbage Sloppy Joes (recipe also found in my new cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden) and know that they are only a few days around the corner. Throw a few carrot sticks and a few grapes on the plate, and it's a summertime, don't-have-to-heat-up the kitchen meal that will stick in your memory for a long time.

Cabbage Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup ketchup (we use the no-salt variety)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon salt (we use salt substitute)

dash pepper

8 buns, split

In large skillet cook the ground beef (or turkey), shredded cabbage, onion, celery, and green pepper over medium heat until meat no longer is pink and vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Spoon 1/2 cup onto each roll. Makes 8 servings.