Healthy Indulgence

By Marilyn Hunter

Ben and Nick live for sweets, especially strawberry milkshakes, but there's a fine line between enjoying an occasional treat and overindulging. After years of worrying about too much sugar, we’ve found a healthier alternative with most of the sweetness the boys crave coming from summer strawberries.

Our goal was to find a healthy indulgence…a dessert that didn’t leave us feeling guilty. We tried many different types of homemade smoothies, but they just didn’t compare to soda fountain shakes. This simple shake is so delicious, they don’t even miss the real deal.

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Dulce de Leche Sundaes

By Marilyn Hunter

I’ll never forget my first taste of dulce de leche. I was about eight years old on a family vacation in San Antonio. As we walked through a mercado near the River Walk, my dad popped a cajeta candy into my mouth and said, “Here. Try this.” It tasted a lot like my favorite candy at the time, a caramel lollipop called Sugar Daddy, but with an even deeper flavor. Nevertheless, I immediately knew I loved all things caramel.

Dulce de leche is a sweet caramel that can be made with sweetened condensed milk that’s been boiled into a custard. It’s is the easiest dessert in the world to make and one of the most decadent.

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Our Love of Sweet and Salty

By Marilyn Hunter

Our boys adore chicken teriyaki. It’s that sweet and salty combination that can’t be beat. In fact, Ben and Nick love it so much they conned our neighborhood sushi chef, Tashi, to wrap it with rice and sesame seeds in toasted nori for a roll that’s not on the menu. We go to Tashi’s at least once a week, so chef starts rolling when he sees the boys walking through the door.

Teri means glaze and yaki means grill…it’s a glaze made from soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. It’s a brilliant balance of slightly sweet and salty flavors. It goes just as well on fish and beef as it does on chicken. The sauce is easy to make, but save yourself some time and buy a high-quality bottled version.

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Young Foodies

By Marilyn Hunter

Gen Z. Multi-tasking, digital generation born into technology. Bold. Hungry. Curious. They text, walk, talk and even eat simultaneously.

It never ceases to amaze me how much more advanced my kids’ palates are than mine when I was a kid. Truth be told, now they’re probably more discerning with nuanced flavors than Andrew and me.

Reality struck during dinner at a local restaurant known for its molecular gastronomy- inspired menu. Chef José Andrés blends the culinary arts and sciences at The Bazaar. It’s fun, whimsical and experimental…traditional Spanish tapas served alongside “modern” ones, which are molecular versions of small plates. Both traditional and modern tapas are prepared with such genius they can be shared bite by bite. Iberico ham, Manchego cheese and verdial olives are served alongside foie gras lollipops wrapped in spun ivory-colored cotton candy.

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Melon and Prosciutto Salad

By Marilyn Hunter

I love this time of year when young spring days become warmer and longer than their older winter siblings. Now is the time to bring the outdoors inside with great seasonal fruits and veggies on the kitchen table. Melons of all varieties peak in the hot summer months, but they’re catching their stride now with respectable sweet, juicy flesh.

Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are surprisingly compatible with the sweet acidity of balsamic vinegar and cured prosciutto ham, which makes this salad perfect for any occasion, fancy or casual. It’s also great to make with kids because they love scooping melon balls, and you can set them to their task without worrying about cut fingers. They love making them and eating them so much that I now buy twice what I need to account for ravenous appetites.

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