"Green Eggs and Ham" to Encourage Readers & Ten Top Ways to Tame Picky Eaters

The heroes of this word come in so many forms, 
Mine have a tendency to break from the norms.

March 2nd is the birthday of a true genius, Dr. Theodor Geisel known the
world over as Dr. Seuss. Dr. Geisel would have been 107 today, I was
heartbroken when he passed away in 1991. In his honor, it is also
National Read Across America Day. On March 2, the National Education Association "calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult". Now, this is a holiday I can get behind, as I am a confessed read-aholic.

Dr. Seuss, the creator of the Grinch, The Lorax, Horton, the Cat in the Hat and Sam, who" will not eat green eggs and ham" still outsells new authors the world over. His playful rhymes for kids also reveal soulful messages for adults about justice, equality, environmentalism and much more. "Green Eggs and Ham" a classic from 1960, was written on a $50 bet from his publisher that he could not write a book using just 50 words. That publisher had to eat
his words. The timeless message of the book is, "try it, you just may like it", as Sam learns, "I do like green eggs and ham!" Most parents I know struggle with this "picky eater syndrome", I even know adults that suffer from this affliction!

As a culinary camp developer and youth teacher for over 10 years, here

are my Ten Top Ways to Tame Picky Eaters:

1. Separate Food? Avoid offering separate foods for kids. Sadly this is an American phenomenon dreamt up by food marketing companies to sell kids on processed foods.

2. Put Them to Work: Teach kids to cook and be involved in meal times as early as you can. As a private chef, I shucked peas with a two year old who ate grilled salmon and veggies. Love you, Tekkla M!

Chef Knife skills of an 8 year old!

3. Teach Knife Skills: Like swimming, kids who learn knife safety early have confidence. We teach top safety skills and a real respect for knives.

4. Try Menu Planning and Shopping: Get them in on it! Let them choose a balanced menu for the night and create the shopping list together. Have them " treasure hunt" a few fun items that they have not seen before.

5. Do Some Recipe Development: Try our method, at Operation C.H.E.F. Culinary and Nutrition Camp; we created a "Make Your Own Grain Salad" activity. We set up a variety of cooked grains, cut vegetables, herbs, oils and vinegars and armed the kids with measuring cups, spoons, index cards and pencils. We taught a few tips and they created their own dish and ate more grains than can be believed! Parents kept the recipes for later use.

"Make Your Own Grain Salad" Recipe activity

6. Mentor Me! Find a peer, teen or a teacher that loves food and cooking. Do activities with them to pass along a passion for food and cooking. 

Bella, my niece(age 7), is a chef assistant
and peer cooking teacher!

7. Do a Gourmet Day!  Plan a day around real culinary activities, such as a Farmer's Market, a farm tour or a culinary hub such as the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. Make a "taste list" to seek out 10 new tastes from the samples offered.

8. Learn Plating and Garnishing: In camp, kids go crazy for this stuff! "You first eat with your eyes" we teach. With a squeeze bottle and some herbs, these kids create masterpieces!

James age 7, making a
fresh fruit tart from scratch
(shell, cream and fruit)!

9. Have fun! I know cooking is a lot of work and adding kids into the picture is hard. Be safe but have to have fun as well.

10. Enlist Celebrity Chefs: Who do they love? Emeril, Rachael, Guy? Use the shows and books to put some "celeb" spin on the plate. (See recipe below)

Rock on, young culinary star!

Here is a fantastic recipe by Rachael Ray, called Green Eggs and Ham to celebrate both Dr. Seuss and kids in the kitchen. Join me and have fun on Wednesday as I read "The Lorax" and make Green Eggs and Ham for dinner, I will post my pictures on Thursday's post!


Green Eggs and Ham

by Rachael Ray adapted by Chef Rachelle

{To print the recipe click here}

March 2nd is a very special day for me. It is the birthday of one of my all-time creative heroes, Dr. Theodor Geisel, known the world over as Dr. Seuss, the genius children’s book author and social activist.
His books have been an instrumental part of teaching untold millions of kids to read as well as carrying soulful social commentary to adults about equality, environmentalism and justice. I am in awe of his books, especially “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Lorax”. “Green Eggs and Ham” has so many levels of meaning, but the one most parents can relate to is getting kids to try new foods. This adapted Rachael Ray recipe uses many “just try it” techniques such as making a fun, personalized presentation (an egg baked in a “cup” of ham), a fun name and a dish they can help make. I love it.

So, do you like “Green Eggs and Ham”? Let me know at www.chefrachelleboucher.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped 
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained, or 1 lb. fresh spinach 
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste 
• 8 slices deli ham or prosciutto di Parma 
• 8 eggs 
Optional: finely chopped chives and Italian parsley  

*Note, you will need a nonstick muffin pan for this dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F OR 350°F on convection settings.
2. In a medium skillet (or a large one if using fresh spinach) over medium heat, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter and sweat the shallots a few minutes. Add the spinach, (fresh or frozen) and stir in the cream, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
3. Fold each slice of ham or prosciutto in half and line the nonstick cups with 1 slice of meat each. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cooked spinach into each of the cups, then crack an egg into each, making sure it stays whole (hint - if you're worried about breaking the egg yolk, crack the egg into a small bowl first, then pour it into the muffin cup). Season the tops of the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven until set, about 15 minutes or up to 20 for a firm yolk. Allow the baked eggs to cool in the muffin cups for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan. Top with chopped chives and parsley if you choose. Serve immediately.