Podcast 81: Napa Valley Adventures and Manic Mommies Escape

by The Meal Makeover Moms on November 17th, 2009

On this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we talked (and boy, did we talk) all about our recent trip to Napa, CA. There, we spoke at the Manic Mommies Escape about one of our favorite topics: How to outsmart your picky eater.  For our audience of eager moms, we shared tips and tricks for getting finicky kids to try new foods, and we demonstrated a new kid-friendly recipe for Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas.

Besides the Manic Mommies themselves — Kristin and Erin — we met many amazing women from around the country. Below are a few photos of some of our new friends. For even more pics from the Escape, feel free to click through to our Flickr photo-sharing page.

So, back to the subject of picky eaters. Over the past few months, we have gathered hundreds of mom-tested tips from our blog readers and newsletter subscribers, and we plan to include many of them in our next cookbook. For a sneak preview, we talked about a few of them at the Escape. Here’s one of our favorites from Kelly, a mom of two girls from Marietta, GA:

“When my children were younger, we played the ‘Three Pennies Game’ at the dinner table. Each person, including mom and dad, got three pennies. The object of the game was to get rid of your pennies before the meal was over (mostly evening meal). I would make a meal and often try new recipes. The family had to give three compliments, paid with a penny each, about the main part of the meal. The compliments had to come after eating a bite. So, not only did the family have to try the meal and eat at least three bites, they had to say something nice too.  This means talking at the dinner table … YEAH!  At the end of the meal, the family could do a thumb’s-up or thumb’s-down which meant, ‘Make it again,’ or ‘No thank you.’”

As for the recipe we created, we guarantee it will make even your most picky eaters smile. It’s versatile because you can use any veggie your kids like (i.e. a shredded carrot in place of the bell pepper) or substitute the barbecue sauce with salsa. It’s quick and easy and with all that gooey cheese (we used 50% reduced-fat Cabot Cheddar) kids love it!

Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas

Makes 5 Servings

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 medium orange, yellow or red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 ¼ cups)
  • 2 Coleman Organic Apple Chicken Sausages (6 ounces), casings removed and sausages coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup Cabot 50% Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons all-natural barbecue sauce
  • Five 8-inch flour tortillas

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bell pepper, stirring frequently, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the sausage, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until heated through, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

2. In a bowl, stir together the cooked bell pepper and sausage, cheese, corn kernels, and barbecue sauce. Spread the mixture evenly over half of each tortilla. Fold over, press down gently, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat (you may want to wipe out the skillet first). Add two of the quesadillas and cook, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the tortillas become crisp and golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the tortillas and cook an additional 2 minutes.

4. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas. Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  360 calories, 16g fat (3.5g saturated, 0.4g omega-3), 750mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 27g protein, 30% vitamin A, 80% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 10% iron

Print Recipe

While in  Napa, we had an opportunity to eat at a few of the local hot spots. One of our favorites was Bottega, Michael Chiarello’s restaurant in Yountville, which features what the chef describes as bold Italian flavors with a refined twist. The menu highlights artisanal and house-made ingredients as well as local produce. We ordered three dishes, and the flavors of each literally flew off the plate!

An appetizer we’ll never forget: Creamy Mozzarella Burrata with Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Mushrooms & Shallots, Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Balsamic Caviar (we’d rather NOT know the calorie count of this recipe).

You can’t get much more nutritious than this!: Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Marcona Almonds, Sieved Egg, Pecorino, Whole Citrus Vinaigrette

This melt-in-your mouth entree was out of this world: Garganelli with Tomato Braised Rabbit Sugo, Wild Mushrooms & Ricotta

We also met a couple of dietitian pals at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen in the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa and feasted on traditional Venezuelan food.

Lunch at Pica Pica with The Veggie Queen, Jill Nussinow and Sanna Delmonico from Tiny Tummies.

La Vegetariana: Tofu, Avocado, Sweet Plantains, Black Beans, Spicy Sauce and The Pabellon: Shredded Skirt Steak, Black Beans, Sweet Plantains, Cheese

Perhaps the most special meal of our whirlwind California adventure took place at Alice Water’s acclaimed Chez Panisse restaurant, first opened in Berkeley, CA in 1971. We actually ate upstairs at The Café and enjoyed a feast of foods organically and locally grown and harvested.

Grilled Eggplant and Gypsy Pepper Salad with Paprika Vinaigrette and Almonds

The icing on the cake was a visit to the Edible Schoolyard, a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, an organization founded by Alice Waters. Located at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, this one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom allows students to grow, harvest, and prepare healthy and nutritious foods … all in season.

We shot a short video of the garden to show you just how special it is. Wow. We wish the weather in the Boston area was conducive to a year-round garden like this one!

We had a fantastic time in California and a blast recording this week’s show. We sure hope you’ll tune in (and be sure to post a review on itunes if you like it)! For all of our photos from the trip, you can visit our Flickr page.

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8 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Dinner, Lunch, PickyEaters, Podcast, Vegetables 

8 Responses to “Podcast 81: Napa Valley Adventures and Manic Mommies Escape”

  1. Corinne @ Green Grapes Blog on November 18th, 2009

    Great Post! Those dishes look scrumptious! I am so glad you had such a great time in Napa! As a Marin County native and frequent Napa visitor (when I’m home, currently I’m a senior dietetic intern at Tufts), I just had to comment! Next time I’m home, I will aim for Chez Panisse–it used to be SO difficult to get in there! Months needed on the waiting list–maybe next time I’ll be lucky. And, I adore the Edible Schoolyard! Fresh produce and gardens is one thing I can’t get enough of in the San Francisco Bay Area. And, they’re always so creative! Finally, those quesadillas look delicious–I will try them out with my toddler cousin … he is quite the picky eater.
    Best,
    Corinne

  2. Adriana Lopez Vermut on November 18th, 2009

    Thank you so much for posting Pica Pica on your blog, and next to such amazing restaurants like Bottega and Chez Panise.

    I wanted to let you know that everything n our menu is 100% wheat and gluten free, which is important for a lot of families looking for eat-out options for the children that have celiac disease. There is no cross-contamination risk in our kitchen. And kids love to eat the maize’wich or the arepa with cheese and ham (I have two little ones and they love it!).

    Thanks again,
    Adriana

  3. Laura Lagano on November 19th, 2009

    Hi Liz & Janice,

    Certainly looks like you ate a lot of awesome food. Lucky you! Do you have the recipe for the shaved Brussels sprouts? Though, I’m concerned that I’ll have bloody finger tips after grating the vegetables. Provide some tips for avoiding that.

    What’s the gluten-free menu that’s mentioned above? I’m starting a gluten-free restaurant guest blogging section on my blog.

    Love, Laura

  4. Kristin on November 19th, 2009

    Wow, a picture of me on the blog! And you mentioned me in the show :) What a treat it was to see you, meet you, watch you demo a recipe in person. I am making that very recipe tonight and could not be more thrilled to be a part of this community of moms. Hooray for the Meal Makeover Moms!

  5. The Meal Makeover Moms on November 20th, 2009

    Corinne: We’re jealous of the fact that you live near Napa! As for Chez Panisse, we suspect you’d have no problem getting into the more casual upstairs cafe. Let us know if you have any luck getting over there the next time you’re home.

  6. The Meal Makeover Moms on November 20th, 2009

    Thanks for all your great comments.
    We’re glad Adriana pointed out the great fact that at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, everything on the menu is AOK for people with wheat/gluten allergies and sensitivities. We really loved our sandwiches made with the various corn bread options.
    As for the Brussels sprouts recipe, no we don’t have it. But perhaps we can create a similar recipe some day soon.

  7. The Meal Makeover Moms on November 21st, 2009

    Hey Laura, the gluten-free restaurant was Pica Pica at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. Fabulous! As far as grating veggies without losing a finger, Janice recently purchased white cotton gloves that she wears while grating veggies and cheese. So far, she still has all her fingertips!

  8. Jennifer on December 1st, 2009

    I had so much fun meeting the two of you at the Escape! So exciting! I made the Quick Apple Sausage Quesadillas the first night I was back in Michigan (from memory!) and they were awesome. Everyone loved them. Thanks for another great recipe!

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