Are you a sneaky chef?

Have you heard of the new cookbooks that call for pureed spinach in a brownie recipe? I must admit I am fascinated by the whole story. Apparently Jerry Seinfeld's wife appeared on Oprah touting her recipes that are full of secret vegetables. Only the problem was that several of the recipes in her book were originally found in a cookbook that was published six months earlier by Missy Lapine. Both books call for pureeing vegetables that kids won't eat and adding them to recipes that are similar in texture and color. For example adding pureed squash to macarroni and cheese. Sounds like a fabulous idea! However, some critics are saying that the cooking, pureeing and then re-cooking of the vegetables totally strips them of the nutritional value they once posessed. So I'm curious as to what other people think. Have you used either of these books? Which one would you recommend? Are the vegetable quantities enough to add nutrition to a meal? Do you think it would make enough of a difference to be worth it?

Apple Pie

I think I accidentally started a fabulous tradition tonight. I've had a bowl of apples lying around for awhile, getting mushy. Earlier this week I thought to myself that I should pick up a pie crust so I could make an applie pie with them before they all spoiled. Since I'm a procrastinator I waited until tonight to set about putting the pie together. And my dear hubby videotaped me making it. (Our camcorder is new so lots of random things are getting videotaped).

Anyway, what a neat way to start a tradition, huh? I think it would be really neat to bake an apple pie for Bri the night before her birthday every year. And then I can tell her the story of how she was born. She can shake the apples in the tupperware container (with the lid firmly on) so that the cinnamon and flour all mix together to coat the apples. And when she's older we can peel and slice them together. It would be a yearly mother-daughter bonding fest. I hope I remember to follow through with it.

Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe

This is definitely not a culinary blog, however that being said you have to try this stew sometime. It's delicious and fabulously easy. The trick is to start it an hour or two after lunch so that it's ready at dinner time. (It's a crock-pot concoction.) Throw together a batch of Jiffy cornbread and you've got yourself a hearty autumn treat! Enjoy!

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:
1 lb pkg of stew beef
1 can tomatoe soup
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn
1 petite can peas and carrots
1 petite can tomatoe sauce
1 jar mushrooms (sliced)

Cut stew beef into bite sized chunks and boil 15-20 min. Pour off fat but leave 2-3 cups of broth for stew. In large crock-pot empty cans and set to high. Add beef and broth mixture. Let simmer for 4 hours. Serves 6-8 people.