I’m always looking for something new I can add to the menu that the kids are going to love.  Katie Workman, the founding Editor in Chief of Cookstr.com, created a handy cookbook called The Mom 100 Cookbook – a collection of recipes that can be worked out to suit the tastes of the kids, as well as sharing tips on how they can help out in the kitchen. What I love about this book is that she not only includes the kids in meal prep, but also gives tips on how to prepare things ahead of time and also avoid several common kitchen disasters.  She even includes priceless tips on appeasing picky eaters!

Purchase The Mom 100 Cookbook

Workman’s recipes are mostly known recipes, and she manages to steer clear of exotic dishes that might scare away young palates.  But while most of the dishes are familiar, she manages to slip in a few gems like Broiled Miso Cod Fingers and a Japanese Restaurant Salad that will have you licking the bowl after creating the ginger-carrot dressing. And you can almost smell the desserts in the sweeter section of the book!

With 100 recipes that “every mom needs in her back pocket”, this is a really good book for families looking for ideas on making meals everyone will love.

NOTE:  Katie Workman will be at Book Passage (51 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera) on Saturday, June 23rd at 4pm.  CLICK HERE for more information.

When planning out this week’s menu for my family, a recipe for Honey Ginger Soy Chicken caught my eye.  It’s meant for a potluck, but I have three teenagers in my house – which means cook big or the contents of your refrigerator will disappear overnight.  Paired with brown sugared butternut squash (p. 266), this dinner had almost no leftovers to be put away.

HONEY GINGER SOY CHICKEN
from the Mom 100 Cookbook, by Katie Workman
Serves 6 to 8

1 cup honey, room temperature
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup very finely minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
2 chickens (3 to 3 1/2 pounds each), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces each
5 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces, from the white to about halfway up the green (optional)

1. Place the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl and whisk until well-blended.

2. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a large shallow baking pan (lined with aluminum foil, if you wish), skin side down. Add the scallions, if using, evenly scattering them over the chicken. Pour the honey ginger sauce on top and stir to mix so the marinade coats the chicken completely. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Let the chicken marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Bake the chicken in the covered baking pan for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Continue baking the chicken until the juices run clear when you cut into a piece and the sauce is a rich, dark brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.

Cooking tip: There is enough garlic and ginger here to warrant taking out your food processor, regular or mini size. Whirl up the ginger and the garlic together to mince them.

Make ahead: This dish is make-ahead by nature, as the chicken needs to marinate for a day or so. It makes great leftovers. If you are cooking the chicken ahead of time and refrigerating it, scrape off any fat that has accumulated on the surface of the sauce before serving or reheating.

What the kids can do: Let the kids whisk together the sauce and pour it over the chicken.

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