Matzo Ball Soup

By Marilyn Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I discovered early on the comfort of eating a steaming bowl of soup on a cold day. The soups of my youth were tomato and chicken noodle, but my favorite was chicken and dumplings.

After all these years, I still love them all but southern specialties aren’t easy to find in Los Angeles. The chicken and dumplings of my youth has been replaced by matzo ball soup when I long for comfort food. You adapt to your surroundings and living in Los Angeles makes it easy to find this soup on any given day in one of our many delis.

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“No Thank You” Bite

By Andrew Hunter

Several months ago I was at a dinner party at a loud restaurant with business associates when amongst the chatter, laughter and clamor of raucous conversation, I heard a husband quietly taking care of family business with his wife, “The boys did a good job with dinner tonight,” he said quietly, “except for Timmy who took a ‘no thank you’ bite and passed.”

I wondered what a “no thank you” bite could possibly be. So thanks to the Cronan family from Folsom, the Hunter boys now take no thank you bites whenever they turn up their noses at something. A no thank you bite is a simple but brilliant way to get your kids to at least try everything they’re served. If they take a bite and still don’t like it, then they don’t have to eat it. But our experience is that at least half the time our boys change their mind from no to yes after the no thank bite rule is enforced.

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Boyhood Evolution

By Andrew Hunter

My youngest one is growing up – at a whopping 3 foot 4 and 38 pounds, Nick no longer introduces himself as “Nic-a-yis.” He’s moving up to kindergarten, has plenty to say about all matters of fact (his lovely teacher, Ms. Britton, thinks the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree), plays second base on his T-ball team, loves to sing and dance, and believes in community service. As he grows in dimension, he’s also forming his own sensibility about food and eating.

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Grab ‘n’ Go Picnic

By Andrew Hunter

Living in LA, like any place, has its pros and cons. Yes, there’s congested traffic, the infamous smog, and the risk of getting caught between paparazzi and one of their famous subjects…sounds silly, I know, but it can be quite hectic and even rough and tumble in the middle of LA’s game of celebrity cat and mouse.

But LA also has iconic places perfect for family fun, which by our definition includes picnics. Our two favorites are Chavez Ravine and the Hollywood Bowl. The only thing our boys like as much as watching their beloved Dodgers play in “The Ravine” is going to “The Bowl.” It’s nestled at the base of a rock walled canyon in the Hollywood Hills with the Hollywood sign perched off in the distance.

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Oven-Roasted Filet Mignon

By Andrew Hunter

Have you noticed that restaurant chefs just seem to know when a steak is done the way you’ve asked for it? It’s not just a question of experience. We test the doneness of meat by feel and touch. With a little practice, you can do this, too. Here’s the simple touch test we use.

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