Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids (AMACOM; January 15, 2015) This slideshow will share delicious recipes from the book that are examples of playing with food to keep kids interested as well as meals to whip up quickly when you’re rushing from one event to the next.

1. Home for Dinner
Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids
HOME FOR DINNER: Mixing Food, Fun, and
Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier
Kids (AMACOM; January 15, 2015) is an invitation back to the table,
with lots of practical tips, playful ideas, and tasty recipes, plus a little
science to explain the benefits beyond nutritional. Throughout, author
Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D. combines insights from experts (medical,
psychological, cognitive, and more) with experiences that show how
sharing food has the power to heal and strengthen families, nourish
children’s development and well-being, and maybe even change the
world.
This slideshow will share delicious recipes from the book that are
examples of playing with food to keep kids interested as well as meals
to whip up quickly when you’re rushing from one event to the next.

2. Playing with Taste
Created by one of my sons, Joe, he ate a version of these from a
food truck on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Re-creating a dish
at home that you’ve tasted at a restaurant (or food truck) is
another kind of food play.
Fish Tacos (For 4)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons white or champagne wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
1 avocado
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
Cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup canola oil
1 pound cod fillets or other firm white fish
1 (8-count) small package soft corn tortillas

3. Directions
Mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the sliced red onions and let sit for at least one hour. This
creates a very quick pickling process.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and combine them in a bowl with the finely diced red onions, the juice of two limes, salt, and pepper.
(If you’re feeling adventurous, add a small chopped jalapeño pepper, with seeds and ribs removed.)
Scoop out the avocado and mash it with a fork in a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise to the avocado, and mix until creamy. Season
with 1 teaspoon lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the flour, salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper in a shallow baking dish or high-rimmed plate. Slice the cod into 3-inch-
long chunks. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture. Be sure to remove any clumps of flour that adhere to the fish, since these will
just burn in the pan.
Heat the canola oil in a frying pan over a high heat. (Don’t be afraid of cranking up your stove to the highest flame and watching
the oil smoke.) Place the cod into the pan, making sure not to overcrowd it, which will bring down the temperature in the pan. Fry
for 2 minutes on each side. Any more will dry out the fish and make it rubbery.
Just before serving, heat the tortillas in a dry saucepan over low heat.
Now it’s time to assemble the tacos. Spread the avocado cream in a thin layer on each tortilla shell. You’ll need two tacos
per person. Place a piece of cod on the avocado spread. Top the fish with the cherry tomato salsa and pickled onions.
Fish Tacos

4. Playing with Color
Rainbow Meal: Some dinners look as if you’ve drawn them with the vivid colors in a Crayola box. Here are a few
variations on the theme of delicious, bright soups that can be combined with an open-faced sandwich to make a
colorful meal.
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Precut vegetables such as squash, broccoli, cauliflower,
or carrots, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
Potatoes, chunked (optional)
Apple or pear, peeled and chunked
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (16-ounce) carton chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon curry powder, or seasoning of your
choice

5. Directions
Start by choosing a vegetable: squash (I recommend getting precut, so you don’t have a slippery, hard-to-cut vegetable), broccoli,
cauliflower, or carrots all work beautifully. Frozen spinach is also a winner. You can add potatoes to any of these choices, for extra
hardiness.
Cut the vegetable (and optional potato) into chunks of about an inch or two and place on a lightly oiled cookie tray. Drizzle with olive
oil, and then mix with clean hands so that all the chunks are fairly evenly coated with oil.
Place in preheated 400-degree oven for 30 to 50 minutes, depending on the hardness of the vegetables. When you have about 15
minutes to go, add the apple or pear, also coated lightly in olive oil.
While the vegetables are roasting, sauté the onion in olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. When the onion becomes translucent, throw in
the roasted vegetables and the fruit. Stir in the stock, bring to a boil, and let simmer for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Season
the soup with salt and pepper. I usually add curry powder but you may want to experiment with other seasonings.
Let the soup cool a bit, and then puree in a food processor in small batches until smooth (or leave it a bit choppy if you prefer a more
textured soup).
To accompany these dazzling soups, you can toast some bread and spread with ripe avocado. Place some sliced cheese (Swiss and
cheddar work well) on top of the avocado. Cook in a toaster oven until the cheese melts over the avocado. For added color,
you can sprinkle some paprika on top. (These have been my go-to sandwiches for the last forty years, and I never tire of them.
I think I discovered them when I lived on a commune in California, and I really don’t know why they haven’t replaced peanut
butter and jelly or tuna as classic sandwiches.) Arrange a few pieces of fresh fruit on the plate and you will have a veritable
rainbow.
Vegetable Soup

6. Playing with Air
Meringue Cookies (Makes about 20)
Ingredients
2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/3 cup toasted and chopped almonds, walnuts, or
pecans (optional)
2 sheets of computer paper or parchment paper.
This recipe feels like you are fashioning something delicious out of thin air. As an added bonus, these cookies are
so quick to make that it takes less time to bake them than it does to drive to the store and buy a box of cookies.

7. Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Whip the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla in a mixer until
soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, while the machine is still running. The mixture should form peaks.
Fold in the chocolate chips and toasted nuts.
Place the computer or parchment paper on the cookie pan. Using a tablespoon, spoon a rounded mound of
the batter onto a cookie pan.
Place the cookies in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. If you just can’t wait,
you can take the cookies out at this point and they will be delicious, with a marshmallowy consistency.
Better still: turn off the oven after they cook for 25 minutes, and let them sit in the cooling oven for
another hour. Then, they will form a slightly crisp exterior with a pillowy interior. Because they are so airy,
people eat them with abandon.
Meringue Cookies (Makes about 20)

8. Playing with Memory
My Mother’s (Edith Fishel) Ice Cream Cake
Are there any desserts that still make you salivate? Are there any foods that you closely
associate with a family member, so that when you eat that food, you think about him or her? If
so, making that food for your family may be a way to bring that person to the table, if only in
spirit. Since many memorable stories are told at the table, by and about the people who matter
the most to us, we tend to hold on to them. The meals that accompany those stories also get
stored in our memory banks.
Ingredients
Cake:
About 2 dozen ladyfingers
3 pints ice cream, softened but not melting (my mother
usually used mint chocolate chip, black raspberry, and
chocolate because she thought these looked beautiful
together).
Topping:
1/2 pint heavy cream
Colored sprinkles (optional)

9. Directions
Line the bottom of a springform pan with ladyfingers (soft, yellow spongy cakes that are about 3 inches long and
an inch wide). Then prop a ring of ladyfingers around the perimeter of the pan so that they are standing up and so
that no part of the pan is showing.
Spoon out the first pint of ice cream and press it down, using a spatula or the palm of your hand. Then, do the same
with the next flavor of ice cream, and the next. Put the cake into the freezer.Just before serving, and as you let the
cake warm up a bit, whip the heavy cream by hand with a beater or in an electric mixer until peaks form; be careful
not to let the cream go too far and turn into butter. Spoon this whipped cream over the top of the cake before
serving. (My mother used to decorate the cake with edible silver balls, which I think may be a bit toxic, so I skip
them.) Instead, colored sprinkles look nice on top.
At the risk of gilding the lily, I like to serve the cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce drizzled over each beautiful slice.
Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipe
8 ounces quality chocolate
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon freshly made coffee
Melt the chocolate and the cream in the top pan of a double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in the honey
and the coffee.
My Mother’s (Edith Fishel) Ice Cream Cake

10. Recipe for a short-cut to cooking dinner
Jook Adaptation (For 8)
Another strategy, particularly when you have eaters who range from cautious to gourmand, is “customizing dish.” It’s a
basic chicken rice soup, or jook, to which each adds what he or she wants; it’s like making a sundae! Short-cut: Only one
basic dish needs to be made.
Ingredients
4 chicken legs
2 cups jasmine rice
10 garlic cloves, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons fish sauce (available in the Asian
section of most supermarkets)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers,
or a vegetable of your choosing (or a
combination)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 bunch scallions, white parts, thinly sliced
Chile pepper flakes

11. Directions
Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken legs.
While the chicken is cooking, rinse the rice. Sauté two of the garlic cloves in 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large
saucepan for 1 minute. Add the rice, stirring often for about 5 minutes. When that’s done, throw in with the chicken.
After the chicken has cooked for about 25 minutes, remove it and set aside, leaving the rice to continue cooking for
about 15 minutes longer. Then add the fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Continue cooking for another 20 minutes. When the
chicken cools, remove the skin, and pull the chicken off the bone, shredding it into bite-size pieces; add back to the
soup.
Chop the remaining 8 cloves of garlic and sauté in the saucepan in the remaining tablespoon of oil; for a minute or
two, or until golden. Place the garlic in a small bowl.
Sauté the mushrooms, carrots, red pepper (or whatever combination you want) in the saucepan for a few minutes
(add additional oil if needed) or until tender; place them in another small bowl.
Place the bean sprouts, lime wedges, and scallions in individual bowls. Bring all the bowls to the table,
along with the chile pepper flakes.
Serve each person the chicken rice soup. Let each person sprinkle in items of their choosing from the bowls.
Jook Adaptation (For 8)

12. Recipe for a short-cut to cooking dinner
This one-dish meal can be served hot, cold, or lukewarm. Take it to a soccer field or ballpark. Make it the night
before and bring it out as a complete meal for dinner. Short-cut: One meal in a bowl so you don’t have to make
a lot of different dishes for picky eaters.
Simple Chicken Sesame Noodles (For 8)
Noodle Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, with the bone in
1-3/4 pounds linguine
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 cups snow peas
For the Sauce:
3 garlic cloves minced
3/4 cup sesame oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp hot pepper oil
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 bunches scallions, minced (only the white parts)

13. Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast sesame seeds on a cookie sheet in oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until
golden. Set aside. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for
45 minutes to an hour.
Bring two pots of water (one small and one large) to a boil. Cook snow peas in the small pot for about 2
minutes, then plunge them into cold water, cut into thin strips, and set aside.
Cook the linguine until al dente in the large pot, about 8 minutes.
While the snow peas, chicken, and linguine are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Divide the
sauce into two bowls. When the chicken is done, shred it into bite-size pieces and place it in one of the bowls
of sauce to marinate.
When the linguine is ready, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Toss with the other half of the sauce.
Add the toasted sesame seeds, top with the chicken, remaining sauce, and sliced snow peas.
Simple Chicken Sesame Noodles (For 8)

14. Recipe for a short-cut to cooking dinner
Tomato Bread Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot stick, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 cups stale bread, cut into cubes (If you only
have fresh bread, you can lightly toast it)
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes (pureed in a
food processor) or 4 fresh tomatoes
1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Grated Parmesan cheese
Create interesting meals from leftovers: My favorite recycled recipe is tomato bread soup, which is a
delicious way to use up stale bread, ends of loaves, and imperfect tomatoes. Short-cut: Using what you
have on hand in one dish

15. Directions
In a Dutch oven or heavy soup pan, heat the oil and throw in the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and fennel,
sautéing over medium heat until soft. Then toss in the bread and stir for about 1 minute, or until it is
coated in oil.
Add the tomatoes, basil leaves, stock, and wine, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Season
with salt and pepper.
Serve with generous amounts of Parmesan cheese on top.
Tomato Bread Soup

16. Home for Dinner
by Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D.
Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes -- with so much to do, dinner has been
bumped to the back burner.
But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Mealtime is a place
to unwind and reconnect, far from the pressures of school and work. As the author notes,
family therapy can be helpful, but regular dinner is transformative.
Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at
the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting
even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes,
and friendly advice, the book explains how to:
• Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners
• Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief)
• Adapt meals to the needs of everyone -- from toddlers to teens
• Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods
• Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating
• Add an element of fun
• Reduce tension at the table
• Explore other cultures and spark curiosity about the world
• And more

17. Home for Dinner
by Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D.
Author Bio
Anne K. Fishel, Ph.D., author of Home for Dinner: Mixing
Food, Fun and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier
Kids, is the director of the Family and Couples Therapy
Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate
clinical professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical
School.As cofounder of The Family Dinner Project, she has
been interviewed by NPR,TheWashington Post,The NewYork
Times,The Christian Science Monitor, Good Housekeeping, Parents
Magazine, and other major media. She writes the Digital
Family blog for PsychologyToday.
The Family Dinner Project
@Home4DinnerBook
www.thefamilydinnerproject.org
www.amacombooks.org/HomeForDinner.htm
Food Photos: © Joanne Smith/Headshots Photography