Momma Told Me: You never know, until you try it!
As angelic as I like to believe I
was, Momma and Pop recount my childhood with a different style of
reverence. Momma was a fairly good home chef with a fresh take, whether she was baking
from a package, or scratch; but I was also a pretty stubborn palette.
Once I had has something in a category, and decided I didn't care for
it, the entire category was then off limits in my mind. The biggest
example, in this case, being fish. Pop loved a heaping pile of freshly
fried fish sticks (the kind you get from a jumbo bag in the freezer at
your local grocer); unfortunately the greasy 'fish' smell, paired with
the chunky mayonnaise-like tartar sauce had my mouth saying 'no' long
before my first bite. I sat at that table, the first night those fish
sticks appeared on my plate, and refused to take a single bite. My
resolve lasted long after the table was cleared and my, now cold, plate
remained in front of me. Scrunched nose, I was promised I wouldn't be
grounded if I ate one, single, bite. I did, and that was the last time
'fish' touched my lips for several years. Oh, the many hungry nights I
spent skipping dinner!
Some parents have the gift of patience. Instead of having an 'all or nothing' mentality, or simply making an entirely different meal each time they want to eat something their child doesn't, they find creative ways to introduce new food. I have a girlfriend who will tell her 10, 8, and 3 year old children to simply eat a bite of something, without any introduction. She aims to get the food in their mouths before explaining what it is, so their first impression is of taste, not title or contents. This sneaky chef approach drives her fiance mad, since he considers it 'tricking' the kids. I see both sides of the line, but I've found this tactic can be similarly applied to adults as well as kids. You don't have to reinvent an entirely new recipe to get your family and guests to try new cuisine. My secret? I rely on easy dinner and meal aids such as Kraft Fresh Take.
Kraft Fresh take comes in 9 unique varieties ranging from Spicy Chipotle Cheddar to Rosemary and Roasted Garlic, and essentially consists of a bread crumb and Kraft shredded cheese mix. I first discovered #FreshTake when it launched, and was lucky enough to get a sneak peek as one of their first demographics. In the beginning my endeavors consisted of hymning and hawing over how easy it was to toss any protein in the snap seal pouch, shake, and toss on a baking sheet. Not only did these unique coatings offer a lot of bold flavor, but a wonderful crunchy texture our family instantly loved. For months I used Fresh Take as a meal aid for busy nights when I'd forgotten I had pork chops in the bottom drawer, or didn't have the time to cook from scratch. Then I discovered that there were recipe ideas on the inside of the packaging, as well as an entire collection of meal and snack ideas on the
Kraft Fresh Take website.
I began to feel a little more empowered. As Kraft released more and more new flavors like Cheddar Jack and Bacon, or Smokey Mesquite BBQ, I found new ways to cook with Fresh Take. I tried new proteins, I whipped up a delicious omelet, some Chipotle deviled eggs; and I kept a stockpile of Fresh Take varieties in my fridge at all times. When the Chili Lime and Panko Fresh Take came to a Walmart near us (
see more in my Google+ here), I knew my first taste deserved something special. Inspired by the 'Panko' bread crumb base, which called to my tastes for fine Japanese cuisine, I told Jay adamantly, "I'm going to make sushi!" With a furrowed brow he looked at me confused, as I continued, "And, even better, I'm going to make it without fish!" We both love sushi, but I'd never trust my culinary knowledge, or knife skills to raw fish, so this seemed like a reasonable compromise.
As it turned out, a new
printable coupon had just been released on the Walmart website for $.99/1 bag of Kraft Fresh Take. When I arrived at my local store I was tickled to find the everyday low price cheaper than my usual grocer, and snagged two bags for less than $1 each! When I got home I pulled out the ingredients I'd had on standby, since I received a sushi kit years back as a gift, and went to work at my first attempt at home made sushi. (Yes, this was my very first attempt- so, if I can do it, so can you!) I added a little Sriracha sauce to a whipped raw egg and rolled my thin cut chicken strips in it, before dunking 2-3 pieces in my Fresh take bag and shaking vigorously. I'd then carefully lay each piece on a pre-greased cookie sheet and allow them to cook while I made the fresh Sushi Rice, tossed in rice vinegar (for flavor).
Honestly, the entire process was more than easy- it was fun. I enjoyed carefully slicing my chosen roll ingredients (fresh cucumber and avocado), and the challenge of working with sticky rice. I loved the color and texture my Fresh take coated strips added to the roll, and even scraped the baked 'crust' off the cookie sheet as a 'crunchy roll topping.' But most importantly, I truly felt a sense of pride when I was done. I'm not sure why I'd envisioned my first sushi roll coming out melted and mis-shapen, but the end result was quite contrary. Not only does is Chili Lime Chicken Sushi recipe easy enough for a novice chef to tackle, but the compliments at any Fall football game, or even from a picky young eater, are sure to be worth their weight in gold. I'm off to pat myself on the back!
What Daughter Says: See food differently and experience a Fresh Take when you reinvent classic cuisine with new flavors!
