Parents
micuE

May I Give You A Little Advice?

Moms, dads, siblings and grandparents answer your toughest questions.
Question:

My mother-in-law joins us for Shabbat dinner every Friday
night, and it's always a challenging experience. She feels
compelled, each time, to make an unpleasant comment
about something I have cooked. The challah isn't sweet

enough. The chicken soup is too salty. The sweet potatoes
are a little dry.
My husband just laughs it off and tells me to ignore her,
but my feelings are hurt.

Do you have a question or answer for "May I Give You A Little Advice?" Please send to Advice, c/o The Ap-
pleTree, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, Mich. 48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069. All letters must be
signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Please indicate if you would prefer that your
name not be used.

44,

The AppleTree's Top Ten Snack Attack

"...) ) ANNABEL COHEN SPECIAL TO THE APPLETREE

Picture this: It's after school. Your chil-
dren are famished. Who knows what
:-) - =‘, they ate for the so-called "hot lunch"?
., - -/- - ' And who knows what they traded out
? ) of their packed lunches — or threw
away?
) %-\,)
It's too early to sit down with a knife
1
and fork, but way past the anything-
goes munch. What's the solution? Lean,
\., salubrious, yummy treats that are more
''''' / / like appetizers than appetite-spoilers.
-.)
Here are 10 choices that will make
--I ) your children — and family health pro-
!Le .;# fessional — vote you "Parent of the
x l Year"
-I
11 Fruity Parfait Spoon a little nonfat
yogurt (any flavor) into a wine or parfait
glass, crumble a couple of low-fat mini-
muffins (any flavor) over the yogurt,
then top with cut fruit or berries.
Cinnamon Pita Chips Open pitas
so that they're two separate disks. Cut
into wedges and brush with a little
melted lowfat margarine. Sprinkle with
cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350
degrees until crisp. Let cool completely
and store in a zipper bag or tin. Keeps
for weeks.
Rice Or Corn-Cake Pizzas Place
mini puffed rice or corn cakes on non-

THE APP LETREE

i

--,

greased cookie sheet Spread with plain
tomato sauce and top with lowfat moz-
zarella. Bake or broil for several min-
utes.
- Nonfat Caramel Apples Com-
bine 1 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons wa-
ter in saucepan. Cook over
medium-high heat until sugar is dis ,
solved and color begins to turn golden.
Stir until all lumps are dissolved and
sauce is caramelized. Let cool at least
10 minutes. Stir in lowfat margarine un-
til dissolved. Serve as dip for apples,
pears or grapes.
Banana-Raspberry Shalce Com-
bine one slice banana, 1 cup skim milk,
1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup frozen rasp-
berries (not in syrup), 2 tablespoons sug-
ar and 6 tablespoons lowfat cottage
cheese in blender. Serves two.
Nachos Grab a fistful of baked
(not fried) tortilla chips and place on
oven-proof plate. Thin about 1/2 cup
nonfat refried beans with a little water
and dollop on chips. Sprinkle with 1/4
cup shredded lowfat Monterey Jack,
Cheddar or Tiger cheese and bake at
350 degrees until cheese is melted. Ole!
• Ants On A Rope: Spread 2 table-
spoons lowfat peanut butter on a salt-

free pretzel rod. Sprinkle brown sugar
on top and stud with raisins, dried
cherries or cranberries.
Lemon Fluff Face Combine non-
fat lemon pudding with equal amount
nonfat frozen, whipped topping (de-
frosted). Spread on plate and decorate
with fruity face of banana eyes, raspber-
ry mouth, blueberry nose.
FruiO Dip: Use with crackers, pita
chips, fruit, mini rice cakes. Combine
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese with 2
tablespoons honey and 1/4 cup sliced
strawberries or banana. Puree in
blender
Cheesy Pita "Danish': Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Cut slits into mini
pitas and set aside. Combine 1/2 cup
lowfat ricotta with a few raisins, a little
honey and a touch of cinnamon. Spoon
into the pitas. Place on a cookie sheet
that has been covered with slightly
bunched-up aluminum foil (if pitas lay
flat, the filling might ooze out). Bake for
about 5-10 minutes. Cool. You can
make these in advance and freeze. If
cooking frozen danish, reduce heat to
325 degrees and bake about 25 min-
utes.

Mother
And
Father
Know Best

SHAWN LOCKE

SPECIAL TO THE APPLETREE

Ten seconds to go ... 5-4-3-2-1
— they have won the GOLD!
As I sat on my living room
couch watching the Olympics
this summer, there was a new
excitement about the Games.
This was the first Olympics
that my children, Maya, 7,
and Roee, 5, were old enough
to understand.
At first, our family discus-
sions centered on issues such
as the various types of events,
game rules, the mechanics of
teamwork, correct sports eti-
quette and how the athletes
were fulfilling lifelong dreams
by participating in the Games.
However, in the midst of
these educative discussions, I
found myself drawn into the
Games in a surprising way.
Often, I caught myself at the
edge of my seat, watching
and cheering the U.S.
women's basketball and soc-
cer teams. I was awed and
vicariously invigorated by the
athletes' show of exquisite
technique and stamina en
route to their well-deserved
gold medals.
To my children, these
women were merely out-
standing soccer and basketball
players. For me, they repre-
sented a cultural milestone
because these sports were
never even a remote option
for girls during my childhood.

KNOW BEST page 30