'Gastrokid Cookbook'
It's hip, witty, sophisticated -- the perfect cookbook for parents who fear their gastronomic adventuring is doomed to drive-through fare.
"The Gastrokid Cookbook" by Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans (Wiley, $22.95) (subtitled "Feeding a Foodie Family in a Fast-Food World"), the slim volume with lovely pictures and a cute chalkboard design theme is from gastrokid.com bloggers Garvey and Yeomans. They promise foodie parents an "essential guide to raising passionate, adventurous eaters."
The book's strengths are its parental coaching and simple recipes. On the you-can-do-it front, the authors write: "Share tastes at every opportunity and always try new culinary experiences. It's OK for us to say, 'It's good to try something new,' and it's OK for them to say they don't like it after they try it." Their 10 Gastrokid rules include "never call a kid a picky eater," "don't take it personally that your kids despise your cooking" and "get your kids cooking." The recipes may jump-start parents' imaginations with a mix that includes a pancetta squash and kale risotto and a Tuscan steak for toddlers as well as Japonaise chicken nuggets and an instant spinach mac and cheese.
Extra savings
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If you've become a coupon guru, don't stop there. All stores post rebate, refund or premium offers on bulletin boards or near customer service. They even can be found hidden in hallways leading to restrooms.
Usually, the offers are on a pad of tear-away forms that require you to fill out some info and mail to the food producer or product manufacturer along with your sales receipt. In six to eight weeks, you could receive money back, additional coupons or certificates for free items.
In addition to stores, look for these offers in newspapers and magazines, printed on product packaging and on tags often attached to the necks of cleaning fluid and beverage bottles. The Web sites of your favorite foods also can be a good source of extra savings opportunities.
Caribou for cancer
Caribou Coffee will celebrate the memory of one of its most passionate roastmasters, Amy Erickson, who lost her courageous battle with breast cancer in 1995. Throughout this month, Caribou Coffee once will again offer Amy's Blend coffee and new Amy's Blend tea, along with other merchandise, at all its stores and online at cariboucoffee.com. The company will donate 10 percent of all sales of Amy's Blend coffee, tea and merchandise to Susan G. Komen for the Cure with the goal of raising $200,000.
Amy's Blend coffee is inspired by some of Amy's favorite coffee beans from East Africa, including Kenya and Ethiopia. These regions are known for their citric, bright, beautiful flavors. The new Amy's Blend tea is a vibrant caffeine-free red tea from South Africa blended with spicy cardamom and warm cinnamon.
