mike_axinn | DooF

Amazing Apple Gizmo + Brown-Bag Apple Pie!

by Jenny, age 15

Have you tried a hand-cranked apple peeler? I have one of these awsome contraptions and now that apple season is in full swing, I am cranking my peeler all the time.
I don’t know the history behind this wonderful invention, but I love the way it can peel, core, and slice an apple in seconds. I am always amazed at the instantaneous transformation and beautifully sliced and peeled apples. I think these thin peeled slices taste so much better than peeled apple chunks.

PEEL, CORE & SLICE

With the shaft pulled all the way to the right, you are ready to load fruit.
Simply center the top, stem end of an apple on the fork and firmly press it all the way to the base of the fork.
With the apple loaded, crank the handle in a forward motion to peel, slice and core your apple .
Continue turning the handle until finished. Slide the apple spiral from the coreTo make the spiral into individual rings, use a knife to slice through one side of the apple spiral.
The only other tip I can think to add about this handy gadget it that is really works better on small-ish apples. Other than that, it’s a simple as it looks

Making applesauce is so much fun. The apples you have sliced with your apple peeler can now be put to some good use.

This method is fun because it allows for some hands on activity if you’re cooking with younger kids – plus it smells amazing and will taste fantastic.

Apple Sauce

Makes 5 cups

Ingredients
6 large tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2cup apple juice
2 tables spoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
zest from one lemon

Directions
Place the apples, apple juice ,lemon juice and zest in a large pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat until the apples are soft. Approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a hand held masher, mash the apple mixture until smooth. Serve warm and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

Apple Pie in a Brown Paper Bag (I am NOT kidding!)

Have you ever tried baking a pie in a paper bag? Did you even know it was possible? Well, guess what: it is! And it’s super fun — just right for warming up a cold winter afternoon!

Ingredients

• 2 unbaked pie crusts
• 3 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 egg beaten
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line pie shell with one pie crust, set aside.
2. Place apples in medium sized bowl. Add egg, melted butter, 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Carefully, mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour apple mixture into pie shell and top with remaining pie crust. Trim edges and fold under. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Cut slit on top.
3. Place pie in paper bag, fold over edges of bag to seal. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Carefully poke holes in bag so steam can escape.
5. After pie is baked, remove from bag, return pie to oven. Turn oven to 450 for about 15 to 20 minutes until pie crust turns a nice golden brown

Rainy Day Pizza Fun

by Jake, age 9

My name is Jake and my favorite pizza is cheese pizza with nothing else on it. Oh, yeah a little sauce too. Well yesterday was a rainy day and thought it was going to be boring hanging out with my sister Ava and cousin Blythe.

But then my aunt Elaine came over with a big basket of food and told us we were going to learn how to make pizza. I couldn’t imagine that I would ever make a pizza by myself, but I did it. It tastes great too!

The first thing we did was learn how to prepare a pizza pan with a little olive oil so the dough won’t stick and sprinkled a little corn meal on the pan to help lift the pizza and make it tastes good.

Next we learned how to make the dough. We were making 2 pizza recipes so there would be enough pizza for my mom, aunt Amanda, Aunt Elaine, Blythe, Ava and me. First we measured a perfect one cup measurement of flour. We took turns measuring.

We stirred in the rest of the ingredients (salt and yeast) and mixed it all up really well.

Then we added wet ingredients (water and olive oil) we stirred until we couldn’t stir anymore. Then aunt Elaine showed us how to knead the dough. We did that too.

We split the dough into eight dough balls and let them rest for a little while. We washed our hands and helped clean up when the dough was resting.

When it was ready we had to put the dough on the pizza pans and spread it out with our hands so it was flat like pizza.

Now it was time to add the toppings. We had a lot to choose from but since I only like sauce and cheese that is what I made. Some other toppings were pepperoni, pineapple, mushrooms and olives. Ava and Blythe put that stuff on their pizzas. So did Elaine, Amanda and my Mom.

All the pizzas went into the oven for 15 minutes. We had to keeping checking on them to make sure they didn’t burn.

I was really surprised how good the pizza tastes. I don’t think I ever had a better tasting pizza. It tastes just like in a restaurant!

RECIPE: Every Kid’s Favorite Pizza

Remember, you’ll need help from a grown-up for this one, but they’re easy to find — all the adults I know LOVE pizza!

Makes 4 6″ pizzas

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup very warm water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Cornmeal

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450

2. Combine 3 cups flour, un-dissolved yeast, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Stir very warm water and olive oil into flour mixture.

4. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

6. Lightly oil 4 (6-inch) round pizza pan’s, sprinkle with cornmeal

7. For individual pizzas, shape dough into 4 (6-inch) rounds and place on pizza pans.

8. Bake approximately 15 minutes

Summer Recap – DooF Goes to Milpitas

This was a unique experience for DooF because we don’t often venture as far as the market of Milpitas. We were amazed and happy to see so much organic produce at this market– and affordable, too! Kids and parents alike loved to visit with us and learn about how eating broccoli and kale is just as fun as eating cake and sweets.

Take Breakfast Over the Rainbow!

by Jenny, age 15

Breakfast is usually fun, tasty, and looks good, but sometimes that’s not enough. So my cousins and I decided to get creative and do something different with our breakfast. We made pancakes, but not the usual way.

Instead of the boring yellowish color that pancakes usually are, we mixed it up with the perfect ingredient: all-natural food dye. We took a normal pancake recipe (see below) and made it into rainbow pancakes!

Once the batter is made, we poured it into six separate bowls, added food coloring, mixed, and we had every color of the rainbow!

To make it even more special, we added some fruit. We put strawberries in the red pancakes, bananas in the yellow, and blueberries in the blue and purple to keep up the rainbow theme.

Here are the finished results!

We’re not the best pancake flippers though. Here are some of the failed pancakes. At least they still tasted good!

Pancakes are good, but Nutella, syrup, or honey can make them even better!

Here’s the recipe:

Classic Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil and egg. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir.

3. Cook pancakes in a griddle over medium heat.

Wheeling into San Jose

It was great to see so many middle school and high school DooFers at this market– an age we love but don’t often see early on Sunday mornings. They must be drawn in by the fun music and dance that was happening in the center of the village all that day!

DooF Rolls to Inner Sunset Farmers’ Market

Even a big city like San Francisco takes time out to slow down and play with kids and their food. We taught kids how to make good, healthy food fun on Sunday in the Inner Sunset and we had a blast!

Playing with Pumpkins!

by Y-SpaceAlien Planet-DooF

ZeBot and I have made a discovery of DooFian importance! You know those orange spheres that are piling up in farmers’ markets and grocery stores? They’re pumpkins! Okay, you probably already knew this, but pumpkins are totally new to ZeBot and me because they don’t exist on Planet DooF.

This is the official DooF pumpkin truck! Can you guess Y?

We figure the best way to find out about something you never knew existed is to do a little detective work. Our favorite farmers, food historians and librarians were happy to help out.

They told us that pumpkins are members of the squash-and-gourd family (it’s always fun to have family, don’t you think?). Some people think pumpkins are vegetables, but they’re actually fruits. You can tell because fruits almost always have seeds on the inside (although berries are DooFy and have them on the outside). If you’ve ever scooped the squishy guts out of a pumpkin, you know they have LOTS of seeds.

Baby pumpkins come in all sorts of super-cool colors!

You might think from their bright orange color that pumpkins give you tons of energy — and you’d be right! They’re loaded with natural sweetness and awesome nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds are packed with good-for-you stuff like protein, B vitamins, iron and vitamin E.

The kind of pumpkins that are best for eating are known as “sugar pumpkins” (they taste super-sweet). Farmers also grow special pumpkins that are great for carving, which are called “jack-o’-lantern pumpkins.” We learned all about pumpkins (including how to grow them) from our friend Farmer Susie at Potrero Nuevo Farm.

ZeBot gets really pumped up by the pumpkins at Potrero Nuevo Farm!

Humans are pretty smart – they’ve been growing and eating pumpkins for thousands of years. They’re native to Central America, but have been grown in North America for centuries (archaeologists have found bits of pumpkin in ancient cliff dwellings in the American Southwest).

Native Americans made use of the pumpkin harvest in all sorts of cool ways – from drying pumpkin strips for weaving into mats to roasting pumpkins for food.

I don't think Native Americans ever did THIS with a pumpkin (carved by our buddy Melanie Miller)

When the pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620, Native Americans shared their pumpkin knowledge with their new friends. They taught settlers how to make what would eventually become pumpkin pie – and a Thanksgiving favorite!

Here’s what they did: pilgrims cut the top off the pumpkin, removed the seeds and filled the hollow inside with milk, spices and honey. They put the lid back on the pumpkin and roasted it in the embers of a dying fire. This created sweet, spicy pumpkiny goodness that later became the filling for today’s pumpkin pie.

My friend Melanie says Halloween witches put spiders in pumpkin pie: would YOU do it?

Don't like spiders in your desserts? Lauren & Sarah don't either: check out their home-baked pumpkin pie!

Pumpkins’ name comes from the Greek word “pepon,” which means a large melon. The English word was “pompion” until about 1640, when people decided “pumpkins” sounded like more fun.

ZeBot and I think so too, so we decided to learn even more about pumpkins at a super-fun festival in Half Moon Bay, California — the Pumpkin Capital of the World.

Legendary pumpkin carver Farmer Mike gets creative with pumpkins in a BIG way at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival!

Our friend Linda Lebedowicz of woodkins.com makes pumpkins and their veggie friends come to life!

We've learned a LOT about pumpkins from our friend Julianne!

ZeBot goes for a ride through the Farmer's Daughter Pumpkin Patch in Moss Beach, CA

Dogs love pumpkins, too -- just ask Rover and Spot Miller!

Hungry for pumpkins? Here’s a colonial rhyme: “We have pumpkin at morning and pumpkin at noon. If it were not for pumpkin, we should be undoon!”

If you feel the same way, try the Pumpkin Power Porridge from my Planet Earth buddy Jennifer Wickes (recipe below).

Want it at noon? Instead of having chips with your lunch, try some roasted pumpkin seeds. You’ll find an easy recipe from Chow Bella Kids just underneath the porridge recipe.

This should give you more than enough fun fuel for a happy and healthy Halloween!

Pumpkin Power Porridge! (Flikr photo by rock_rollheart)

Recipe: Pumpkin Power Porridge

As you can see, this recipe makes enough to power up your whole family. If you just want a bit of pumpkin power for your own breakfast, a super-quick and easy option is to stir about 1/4 cup pumpkin puree and a little brown sugar and cinnamon into a bowl of cooked oatmeal.

What you need:

1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked (ask an adult for help)

1 1/2 cups Steel Cut Oats, cooked (ask an adult for help)

3/4 cup soy milk

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 tablespoons agave nectar

1/2 cup walnuts, optional

1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

What you do:

Mix all ingredients thoroughly together and serve.

If you like hot cereal: mix the ingredients, heat gently on the stove (ask an adult for help with this) and enjoy!

Makes 6 servings

Pumpkins give you some of the yummiest, crunchiest protein on the planet!

Recipe: Yummy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

What you need:

Seeds from 1 large pumpkin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

What you do:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Scoop the seeds out of your pumpkin, then rinse off the slippery pulp.

Toss with olive oil and salt.
Spread the seeds evenly on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until dry and crispy – about 45 minutes.

Crunch!

Looking for more Halloween Fun? Check these out:

A “Hallowgreen” Pumpkin Party

Halloween Magic at the Witches’ House

If you’re hungry for info about Planet DooF and ZeBot‘s Planet Earth mission with Y-SpaceAlien, just click here. And stay tuned for more adventures — see you soon!

Jenny’s Perfect Pear Tart

by Jenny, Age 15

I’ve been dreaming about making this tart ever since pears started showing up in the markets last month. My tart recipe is a combination of various parts from “family” recipes that have been handed down in old tin boxes over the years from my great grandmas. Substituting the candied pecans for the almond paste is my idea. I guess we have a new recipe now. I made the tart crust the way my mom does, with a traditional pie crust, not the sweet buttery crust you find in the French pastry tarts.

Before you begin make sure all your ingredients are gathered and in one place. I made up the candied pecan paste because I didn’t have almonds for the traditional almond paste. I like to try new things and the candied pecans worked great. I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Pre-bake your pie crust to avoid wet soggy bottom tart. To prevent your pie dough from losing its shape, cover with foil before you bake it. Let the pie crust cool completely before adding the pecan paste.

I chopped the candied pecans in the Vitamix on then I added the rest of the ingredients all at once and combined them using a very slow speed. This worked better than a food processor and it’s really easy to clean.

It’s a good idea to taste the candied pecan paste so you will know if you need to adjust the seasonings or not. Once you have it just right, cover and set in the refrigerator until firm. About 30 minutes.

While the pie crusts cools and the pecan pastes sets in the refrigerator I went to work peeling, coring and slicing the pears.

Once the pears are peeled rub them with lemon to prevent discoloration. Slice evenly. If you have a slicer like the one in my hand it will make the job of slicing the pears evenly much easier.

Spread the pecan paste evenly on the cooled tart crust. Arrange the pears anyway you like to create a beautiful design. Now the tart is ready to bake.

Pear Tart

For the pears:
3 or 4 medium very ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1 lemon

For the candied pecan paste:
1 cup ground candied pecans (recipe below)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg

Pastry
1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust, at room temperature. (Basic recipe below)
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions
To make the Candied Pecan Paste: Put the pecans, butter, sugar, flour, cornstarch and egg in a food processor (or Vitamix) and process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scrape mixture into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the pecan paste on the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust. Using a spatula or scraper, slide it under half of a pre-sliced pear and slide it on top of the paste. Continue with the rest of the pear halves or until the tart is full of pears. Press down on the top of the pears to fan them. Put the tart on a lined baking sheet, place the sheet into the oven and bake the tart 50 minutes, or until the pecan paste puffs up around the pears. Remove the tart and cool on a wire rack

Optional: Dust the tart with confectioners’ sugar just before serving

Pie Crust Dough
The secret to a flaky pie crust is very cold butter. Cut the butter into cubes and freeze, at least 15 minutes.
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I use organic whenever possible)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 7 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 7 tablespoons very cold shortening, cut into pieces
½ cup ice water

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two knives cut butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles pea-size pieces. 2. Using a fork, quickly stir in 1/2 cup ice water. Turn dough onto a clean surface. Knead just until dough starts to hold together about 10 times. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a 6-in. disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Candied Pecans
2 egg whites 2 tbsp water ½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar 1 tsp salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 4 cups pecans

Preheat oven to 250. In a large bowl beat the egg whites and water. Add pecans and stir to coat. Whisk together the sugar, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour over the pecans, stirring to coat. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread pecans on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in air tight container.

Doofy Monsters Jack London Square

In our most recent DooFy adventure, we transformed fresh fruits and veggies into playful food puppets at Jack London Square, the scene of our DooF-a-Palooza triumph – and our most regular DooF on Wheels stop-off spot.

Those kids are truly DooFy. Want an example of their creativity? They made a monster out of a pepper, Gumby out of a green onion, and Mr. Smiley was made out of an orange!

So how about you? Did your parents let you play with your food? We’d love to hear your stories!

DooF On Wheels – Alameda

Looking for new ways to play with your food? DooF can help!

Check out this video of our adventures at the Alameda farmer’s market. Not only was the market filled with friendly shoppers and food-zealots, it was also packed with lots of DooF fans that remembered us from our annual event, DooF-a-Palooza!

If you live in the Oakland area, mark your calendars for DooF-a-Palooza 2012, coming up in May at Jack London Square.