The deception has begun!

Thank you, Jessica Seinfeld! I had heard about her cookbook Deceptively Delicious when it first came out. There was a huge buzz about it the mom circle. Imagine getting fruits and veggies in your kids in a delicious way that they don't pick up on. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? To be very honest, I thought so too and didn't think twice about passing it up. That was, of course, until I saw Jessica pimping the book to the goddess of all talk show hosts, Oprah.

Jessica talked about being able to enjoy meals more because they were no longer filled with debate about how many more bites of veggies to eat. She knew the food her kiddos were gobbling up had great nutrition hidden inside. She felt really good about what she was serving. And as much as I thumbed my nose at this whole idea of pureeing veggies to sneak into food as being the next pet rock, she was starting to make sense to me.

As much as I try to provide really nutritious meals for my children, they eat like crap! The little one has a processed and cured meat addiction. Salami, bacon, pork roll (yes, we're originally from NJ. The rest of the world knows this as Taylor Ham, though anyone from NJ will quickly chime in that it's quite un-ham-like.). Both of my girls very rarely have vegetables despite offering them ALL the time. And trust me, we've fought the fight. There have been many meals that end up in time-outs and lonely kids ordered to sit there until they eat four bites of whatever green. When I was first married and dreamily let my mind wander into the future of our family, our dinner times were filled with happy and peaceful chatter about our day, our hopes and our dreams. There was a lot less correcting, demanding and yelling involved than in what actually materialized many years later.

So I thought about buying Deceptively Delicious for a few weeks, as is the standard waiting time for any cookbook I consider. I have about twenty, of which I only open a handful of them a handful of times a year. Did I really need another? We go through this same waiting period for new kitchen appliances as well. Finally I decided that yes, I did, indeed, need this book. As luck had it, a 20% off coupon from Barnes & Noble arrived the very next day. :-) The New Cookbook Gods were shining down upon me.

I took the gals to the dollar movie at the theater two doors down from the big B&N. (The Alvin and the Chipmunks movie was delightful, by the way!) After it was over, we walked down and my munchkins made an immediate break for the kids' section. We have like 80 Thomas trains, but there's just something about the train table they have there. I'll never understand, but whatever...

Flash forward through a tantrum over a Barbie ballet book to last night. I made the Hamburger recipe with cauliflower and a mac and cheese recipe with white beans. I was slightly skeptical, yet hopeful.

My kitchen has never been a bigger mess. And this comes from a chic who bakes all the time and hosts Thanksgivings. My sin, though, was making the purees just before I needed them. The devastation of my counter tops would have been less if I hadn't pureed and cooked at the same time. Regardless, the end result rocked! My husband and children ate both items without hesitation. Seriously, my children have never, NEVER had cauliflower in their little bodies. N-E-V-E-R! They ate it this time, happily. Even my darling, veggie-disliking, husband remarked, "These burgers are really good. What's in them?" He was none the wiser. Mwahahaha, my evil plan had worked!

I'll continue to review recipes from the book, but for now, Mrs. Jessica Seinfeld gets a huge momorable mention for this book! I'll shamelessly promote for her as long as my fam continues to enjoy the recipes. Tonight we'll be testing out the chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. Fingers crossed the "veggies in children" result will be the same!

And while I'm at it, Jerry Seinfeld gets an momorable mention of his own. Loved the show, Jerry, and love your stand-up. We saw him perform a few years back and while the ticket price was a bit high, it was worth it! Between your wife's creative chef-ery and your comedic abilities, your children are going to be chock full of talent!

[photo courtesty of www.deceptivelydelicious.com]