Carrot Tops and Tracks (Tips&Tricks)

In our house, when used to describe a culinary adventure, the word “interesting” is the kiss of death.  As I am always experimenting, it started as a polite way to say “this is the most disgusting substance that has ever touched my palate”.  It has never really graduated from that stage.

So you can imagine the feeling in the pit of my stomach, when one of my daughters’ friends said to me, “So you’re, like, the really amazing cook and everything, right?  Sarah (name changed to protect the innocent) was telling me about some of the really ‘interesting’ stuff you make.”

Uh-ha.  Yeah.  Not exactly the review you want to go in the papers, you know what I mean?  My response?  Well, when it came time to make dinner, I instinctually called all the girls down and suggested that they make dinner tonight.  Why not?  It will be fun.  Thank goodness for a pound of hamburg and some taco seasonings…  Lord knows the review I would have suffered if I had made dinner myself! 

Hannah is a very creative cook.  I enjoy watching her mix, pummel, and improvise with seemingly unrelated ingredients trying to come up with something delicious that belongs to her alone.  At 12, she rarely takes any guidance or advice, anyway, so I try to stay out of her way. 

Sunday morning, she made deliciously tender pumpkin muffins, eliminating the cloves in typical recipes.  They were simple-tasting and didn’t taste at all like a muffin pretending to be pie.

However, as you can see from the photo.  It didn’t get off to such a great start!  By under-estimating the size her recipe, she under-estimated the bowl size.  But, of course, rather than changing course midway through the recipe, she opted to continue dumping in all of the ingredients until it was time to stir.  Only then, was I allowed to help.  “Mom, will you help me transfer this to a larger bowl?”

I get asked a lot what the significance of the carrot is.  Sure, it’s cute, but why did you pick a carrot?  Why not an apple, or a cabbage or something?

One of my first businesses was a personal chef and catering business in the early 90s out in Dover, NH.  “The Fresh Chef” specialized in ‘lowfat, gourmet meals for people too busy to cook for themselves’.  I used the carrot as my logo back, then, as well.

Well, the answer goes back to my refrigerator when I was a little girl.  After the dentist declared a moratorium on all things sugary, my mom filled the refrigerator with doctor-approved fruits and vegetables.  My favorite snack?  You guessed it- the carrot.  Unpeeled, sometimes washed, usually whole with the tops still on them.  My favorite cartoon character?  Right again- Bugs bunny. 

Not a very glamorous story.  In fact, downright embarassing for me.  But it doesn’t matter that it was a typecast grey rabbit’s trademark that got me started.  What matters is that it was the beginning of a 7 year old girl’s lifelong love of healthy eating.  So when it came time for me to think about our little business and how it should be branded it occurred to me… It worked for the rabbit!

Believe it or not, it has only been 3 months since the inception of this little business!  It all started with my nine year old daughter announcing that she wanted to take cooking classes for kids.  For those of you who have never been to New Hampshire, you know that offerings like “cooking classes for kids” are not exactly on every street corner.  You’re probably not surprised to hear that I couldn’t find exactly what I went looking for.  What I wanted was basic classes that tap into the richness in learning that cooking classes really provide for kids.  Afterall, why not take advantage of a cooking classes opportunities to teach science and chemistry, math, reading, creativity and patience?

As a former caterer and a serial entrepreneur, I have to admit I was intrigued.  And the more I played with the idea, the more I came to realize that there are probably other kids out there who have been touched by the cooking craze that is sweeping our country.  I’m sure Lauren is only one of a million kids who have decided that she wants to be Rachel Ray when she grows up.  For Kids Who Cook was born.

Utilizing the Yahoo! Store format, a little bit of creativity, a cup of enthusiasm and a dash of stupidity, we found the recipe to hit the ground running!  So our store is really just getting started.  My two daughters and I have added some kitchen tools we can’t live without and a little bit of whimsy to keep the process fun.  Do you have any particular kitchen tools you like to use with your kids?  Or are there any tools for the kitchen you’d like to see adapted for safety or sizing reasons to be better suited for kids?