Cookies make everything better.

What is it about warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies?  Even typing that makes me drool a little bit.  I stooped to an all-time parenting low.  I bribed my children with the promise of one glorious homemade chocolate chip cookie in their school lunch.  I loved the look on my two year old’s face as he [...]

Roasted Asparagus, our go-to veggie dish

Everyone seems to have a default dish, and in our household, our default veggie is roasted asparagus (or sauteed broccoli). Even when out of season, the asparagus at HEB are relatively tender and inexpensive. I like roasting the asparagus just because I can basically turn the dish over to my 2 year old to prep. [...]

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

I blame the endless “Food Challenge” and “Ace of Cake” shows on the Food Network for my fascination with fondant. I watch the contestants mold fondant into the most amazing displays of art, and even if the cake is inedible, people are wow’ed by the fondant. For my daughter’s 5th birthday cake, I thought I’d [...]

Kid Pleasing Allergy Free Cake recipe

Currently, I am obsessing over finding the perfect cake recipe that is completely and totally from scratch to make for my daughter’s 5th birthday.  It also has to hold up well under fondant.  I know.  I’m nuts. I have had some fantastic tasting cakes that are doctored from cake mixes, but there is just something [...]

Chocolate dipped strawberries, picked at Sweet Berry Farms

I’m excited to introduce you to Little Austinite’s newest guest writer, Taylor Hengen Newman who is also a regular blogger at Parenting.com. Thanks for taking the time to write a kid-friendly recipe for chocolate dipped strawberries, and we all know that around these parts, the best strawberries come from Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls! [...]

Homemade marshmallows without corn syrup, easier than expected

We picked up a container of handmade marshmallows from Whole Foods to make “gourmet” rice krispy treats to share with friends at a dinner playdate, and I noticed that the ingredients did not contain high fructose corn syrup unlike conventional packaged marshmallows.  These vanilla marshmallows were absolutely divine, fluffier and tastier than any that I [...]

What am I, a short order cook?

It was such a warm day that the kids and I spent every other hour it seemed outside, enjoying the sunshine. Bliss. I thought it would be lovely to complete the day with a light dinner of cold Japanese soba noodles and a cucumber salad.  It was the first time that I made zarusoba for [...]

Playing with food, product review of Japanese egg molds

Egg molds?  I know.  I mentioned this to a few friends, and most of them looked at me like I was talking about furry fungus on food left out too long in warm, moist spaces.  Egg molds are inexpensive, hinged plastic devices that shape hard boiled eggs, rice, or any moldable foods really.  They are [...]

Chinese Potsticker Dumplings: easy enough for a child to make

A month of thanks giving: I am thankful for all the clever ways to sneak veggies into my kids’ diets. After watching my picky-eater nephew fight my sister over food choices and talking with friends, I realize that I am very lucky that my children eat vegetables without too much fuss.  We do use some [...]