COOKING SHOWS

I don’t watch much TV, but I love cooking shows – the ones without nastiness and competition. By the end of my work day, the last thing I want to see is people being mean to each other or fighting over anything. I want to be entertained. I want to relax. I want to learn something unrelated to the work I do every day. Hence – food shows.

I like the ones that travel the US showing you regional foods and restaurants; that calmly show you how to make wholesome foods; that flash back to “oldies but goodies” and that provide shortcuts for those weeknight meals. I have learned a lot. I know how to prepare some items on the weekend and have them ready for weekday dinners. I know how to make sauces (tomato, pesto and more) that freeze for later use. I learned how to make pickles and salad dressings. I know what is in my food. And, it’s cheaper than buying pre-made in the store.

I have been asked by friends and parents how to get vegetables into small children. When my kids were young, they were not fans of “green” foods (celery, zucchini, broccoli or green peppers). They didn’t like red foods (carrots or red peppers). They would eat pasta and rice with butter and salt – if I had let them. Not the most nutritious foods on the planet. So I created vegetable purees that I added to other dishes. HOW TO: Steam vegetable with a little bit of water, then blend (with a bit of liquid) into a smooth puree. Use immediately or freeze in ice cube trays. Add to other dishes and sauces EXAMPLE – Add purees of onion, carrot, zucchini and pepper to chopped meat for hamburgers, meatballs or meatloaf (with bread crumbs, egg and garlic, salt and pepper). Add onion, carrot and peppers to tomato sauce, etc.

When my kids were young, I would add vegetable purees of all sorts to soup, chili and fruit smoothees. (Your kids will eat them if they don’t see them.)  As they grew, I moved from purees to small diced vegetables. Now, they eat salad and vegetables on a regular basis. 

I am not the most adventurous of eaters. I stick with what I know and try new things every once in a while. Cooking shows give me new ideas every day. I record the ones I like and watch at my leisure. I continue to experiment and add the easy and delicious ones to my repertoire.

I have passed my quick and simple recipes for kids and adults on to friends and am teaching my daughters to cook, as they move out on their own. Simple and easy traditions from a mother to daughter; friend to friend. I admit when I got a recipe off line or on TV, would add my own twists and tastes based on my family’s likes and preferences.

Cooking shows relax me. They teach me. They make me feel good inside. They allow me to share myself with others. Those are all good things. 

Kathy Ann Brodsky, LCSW is a social worker, adoptive mom and advocate for ethical adoption practice. She has prepared thousands of adoption homestudies, counseled adoptive parents and parents-to-be, and has trained professionals to work with adoptive families. She was named an “Angel in Adoption” by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption in 2001 and has a private practice in New York City. She is also Director of the Ametz Adoption Program of JCCA. She can be reached at theadoptionmaven@gmail.com