AS USUAL, THE KIDS PREFER MOM'S!



Fitz, the "fruit guy"



Not only did Ashna try out the food, but one of her friends participated.  I'm always one to encourage kids to to put their "two cents" in, so even though it is summer, I asked Sydney to give her opinion by writing an essay.  Here  is what she had to say.   

                                                                                      

Easy Fruity Recipes

With the new summer heat, refreshing fruit is beginning to make its way to the top of our snacking list. Since sweet, fresh fruit is now in season, making summer specialties like fruit salad, frulatti, and banana frappes are easy-to-make summer treats. I had a chance to critique different versions of each of these recipes.



"B"                     "A"



First I tried two different bowls of fruit salad and was told to evaluate all aspects of both. I tried “Bowl A” first. Even before scooping up a generous serving, I noticed that the fruit was bright, and seems artfully cut and arranged. However, upon eating the fruit, I found that it was slightly mushy and not as brightly flavored as the colors made it seem. When I tried the “Bowl B”, I was instantly gratified with a fresh, sweet burst of flavor from firmer, juicier fruit than found in the “Bowl A”. However, the fruit of the “Bowl B” was less carefully presented than its counterpart; it seemed to be thrown in haphazardly, and the fruit was cut into uneven chunks. Upon careful examination of the pros and cons of each fruit salad, I found that I liked the “Bowl B” better. Although presentation is important for any dish, flavor is the critical tipping point for any taste testing. Before going into this tasting, I didn’t think that the two fruit salads would be any different; after all, it was the same fruit for both! But I surprised myself by noticing distinct differences between the two.

Now, everybody has had fruit salad before, but have you ever heard of a frulatto? No? Well, neither had I, before this. But I was glad that I got to try it. I tried various frulatti with different types of dairy product. We started out with two frulatti made with milk—one with nonfat and one with whole. Both frulatti made with milk had a slightly gritty texture from the ice and the fruit. The frulatto with skim milk was more watery and not very rich, while the one with whole milk was more full-bodied, but still not creamy and smooth. I then tried frulatti made with yogurt. All of these frulatti were smooth and thicker than the ones made with milk. I first tried one made with a plain, slightly sour yogurt, which was much creamier and smooth than the ones made with milk, but the tang of the yogurt did not go well with the sweetness of the fruit. Next, I tried one made with vanilla yogurt. This one was my favorite frulatto at this point in the tasting. It was rich creamy and smooth, and was sweeter than the one made with plain yogurt. Because I complained about the tanginess of the plain yogurt and praised the sweetness of the vanilla yogurt, I then tried one more; the final frulatto we tried had plain yogurt, and extra sugar added in. This was my favorite of all of the frulatti: it didn’t have the vanilla flavor to distract from the flavor of the fruit; it was rich, smooth, and creamy; and the intense flavor of the fruit was enhanced by the creamy sweetness of the yogurt.

Finally I got to try the banana frappes. My reviews of the different versions were very similar to the ones of the frulatti. The frappes made with milk were thinner and less full bodied than the ones made with yogurt. They were not as smooth, especially the one made with nonfat milk, which seemed slightly chunky and not well-incorporated. The sourness of the plain yogurt did not go well with the banana, much like the frulatti. However, the vanilla flavor of the vanilla yogurt complimented the banana rather than detract from it. It was sweet, creamy, and smooth, with lots of fruit flavor. My favorite frappe was the one made with vanilla yogurt.

Dr. Vicki Again. 

So there you have it.  For you parents out there who are letting fast food joints and restaurants intimidate you from cooking for your kids, GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN!!  You don't have to spend a lot of time or money.  The more time I spend with Carla and her family, the less time I'M going to spend in the kitchen.  (Except when my daughter comes home.  I know she prefers my fancy cooking, because her Mom Knows Best!)

PS  A special thanks to Ashna and Sydney for taking the time to eat and then write up their incredible (with no editing by me) reviews.  And a thanks to Marlborough School.  This is where these girls will be entering 10th grade in the fall and learned to write so beautifully and where my daughter graduated from a few years ago and also got a wonderful education.