Serve Noche Buena Like a Chef with Chef Jackie

Chef Jackie Ang Po

Mommy of Kylie, 5

Owner, Fleur de Lys; Host, Delicioso on QTV with Sam Oh Instructor, Wilton at Living Well, The Podium

“I know many moms would want a recipe for cookies that can be baked in an oven toaster. It’s also nice if the kids can make something on their own. My daughter loves making this kasi feeling niya baker siya.”

 

Kylie’s favorite food is: Japanese food, tempura, sushi! She also likes cheese. We grate it, and then cook it so it becomes crunchy. They’re like cheese crisps! She likes breads such as roti, battard, Village Gourmet herb bread, breadsticks, and the artisan breads. She also likes kuapao bread.

The easiest thing to prepare for kids is: something like macaroni and cheese, or sandwiches. That’s why we have a lot of bread in the house!

A healthy meal for kids means: the food you prepare should be fresh - not too many canned food and processed food. As much as possible, from raw hanggang luto. Kids need everything… fats, sugar. Dapat well-balanced. 

Important food staples for kids are: Bread and pasta. We don’t have chips or a stock of junk food. As long as they’re natural products, say macaroni with cheese, it should be fine. It’s fast and it’s easy. I also like to buy from deli stores that sell gyoza, prepared siomai, ham. 

When we go out, we usually eat: anything Japanese and Korean. She likes shabu-shabu and buffet. She likes to cook. It’s also because we’re in the business of food. We train our child to eat good food early. We try different restaurants even if the menu is not kid-friendly, so Kylie would learn. 

 

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Kids six years old and below can help out in the kitchen by: mixing the batter, and cutting cookies. When making fried chicken, your child can be the one to dredge the chicken in the flour. As long as there are no knives, peelers, or anything that can hurt her... If there are things Kylie can do, I let her help out.

For example, if I’m making dough, I’d cut out a piece and give it to her. She has her own rolling pin and she can do whatever she wants with the dough. I‘m just training her to like what I do, so in case she’d like to do it in the future, simple na lang sa kanya.

I get my daughter to eat her greens by: combining them with something she likes. Even if she wouldn’t eat it completely, she might at least try. My mom knew I loved mashed potatoes, so she would put pumpkin purée in my mashed potatoes. Also try bacon-wrapped asparagus. Kylie likes okra and sitaw. We’ve been giving her okra since she was baby. It’s more of kung ano yung nakasanayan. It’s what your parents expose you to. So just try, ‘wag lang pipilitin.

If there’s one thing I’d like to teach her about food, it’s that: you can eat everything, but don’t overeat.

The most important piece of advice I can give parents about feeding their children is: try to train their palate. Whether they like it or not, let them try different types of food. Don’t be lazy or scared. Don’t keep giving them fried chicken kasi yun yung madali. Let them learn a lot about food. Food could be a part of their work someday—chef, food writer, magazine styling—it’s such a big industry!

 

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Yuletide slice-and-bake recipe:

Chocolate Chip Refrigerator Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract1

1/2 cups bread flour

1/2 teaspoon iodized salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Procedure:

 1. Beat butter and sugars together. Add egg and vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into the batter.

3. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.

4. Divide the dough into two portions. Roll each into a log.

5. Wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap; chill or freeze for a few hours.

6. Preheat oven toaster for 10 minutes. If there is a temperature setting, preheat to 350˚F. Use bottom heat only.

7. Slice logs into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Bake for 8 minutes for frozen dough and 6 minutes for chilled dough. Cool on wire racks. Makes about 24 cookies.

 

SMART TIP:

 Make a big batch and store in the freezer! The next time your kids have friends over, simply slice and bake. Easy!

Photo by Christi @ Love From The Oven via flickr creative commons