PBBG - Peanut Butter & Banana Grahams

My four-year-old clamors for this snack almost daily. It's tasty, crunchy, sticky (read satisfying) and healthy too. To make it portable, top with another graham cracker, using a little more peanut butter as glue. Apples or pears can be used instead of the bananas.

Shopping List:

• 1 container Trader Joe’s cinnamon grahams
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s organic peanut butter
• 1 bunch Trader Joe’s ripe bananas

Preparation per serving:

1. Wash, peel and slice banana in half lengthwise.
2. Spread a teaspoon of peanut butter onto one graham cracker.
3. Top with a slice of banana cut to fit the cracker.

Jessica Seinfeld & Missy Lapine Are Taken Down a Notch

Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal's Eating Out column stabbed a few forks into the recipes Jessica and Missy published in their respective cookbooks and what he found wasn't pretty. Playing With Their Food questions the entire premise of hiding pureed vegetables in kids' food. He points out that many of the recipes are for breakfast and dessert and have sugar in them. Is it a good idea to serve a kid scrambled eggs or mac 'n cheese with pureed cauliflower in them? Having been classically trained, I cringe at the thought. I tried Missy's mac ' cheese with pureed chic peas in it and it was a sorry sight because the sauce neither looked nor behaved as it should have. The kids ate it anyway, but I'm making them real mac 'n cheese to show them what it should look and taste like. And there will be emerald green broccoli florets adorning it.

Sokolov argues that vegetables should be seen and discussed, not hidden. I kind of agree. On the other hand, I think sneaking an extra vegetable in every now and again isn't a bad idea, as long as it's not a culinary atrocity. One of my favorite moves is to puree roasted red peppers and add them to tomato sauce. Some of the most delicious sauces in the world are made with roasted red peppers. Think rouille, the classic spicy mayonnaise served with Bouillabaise, but it's great with any fish. Yep, I'll have to make it soon.

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Kudos to Mark Bittman, cookbook author and writer of The Minimalist cooking column in the New York Times, for his article "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" in today's paper. For anyone who hasn't read The Omnivore's Dilemma, it's a real eye-opener about the environmental impact of raising meat for consumption. He suggests that we not only eat less meat, but buy more environmentally friendly meat from organic and local farms. In my house, our red meat consumption is down to about once a week, which makes it a treat for sure. Tonight's treat was Mt. Gramble Australian free range, grass fed, no hormone, never confined Frenched rack of lamb from Trader Joe's. Everyone got 2 chops, which is plenty in my mind, but if you're having men for dinner allow three to four chops each.

Herb Crusted Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb

The key to success is to not overcook the rack; it should be cooked to rare or medium only.

Makes 4 servings of 2 chops each

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb from Trader Joe’s
• 1 slice Trader Joe’s whole wheat bread
• 1 teaspoon chopped Trader Joe’s fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped Trader Joe’s fresh thyme
• 2 cloves Trader Joe’s garlic, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s apple cranberry chutney

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove any excess fat from the rack using a sharp thin knife. The crust will keep it moist.
3. Coat the meat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and turn on the exhaust fan.
5. In a food processor, process the slice of bread until it’s crumbled. Add the rosemary, thyme, and garlic and process for 30 seconds. Add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Process 15 seconds to incorporate.
6. When skillet is smoking, sear rack on top and rounded side until browned, about 4-6 minutes.
7. Remove rack from skillet and place on cutting board. Remove skillet from heat. Using a spoon or pastry brush, smooth mustard all over meat portion of rack. Pat on herb and bread crumb mixture.
8. Using tongs, return rack to skillet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Check temperature with an instant read thermometer and remove from oven when it registers 130-140 for rare to medium rare. When done, set on cutting board and cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes while you prepare a vegetable.
9. Slice in between bones being careful not to loosen the crust. Serve 2 chops per person with a heaping teaspoon of cranberry chutney.