Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Don’t have
food battles
with kids
QUESTION: Should a par
ent try to force a child to eat?
DR. DOBSON: No. In fact,
the dinner table is one poten
tial battlefield where a par
ent can easily get ambushed.
You can’t win there! A strong
willed child is like a good mili
tary general who constantly
seeks an advantageous place
to take on
the enemy.
He need
look no
farther.
Of all the
common
points of
conflict
between
genera
tions
bedtime,
hair,
Dr. James
Dobson
Focus on the Family
clothes, schoolwork, etc., the
advantages at the table are
all in the child’s favor! Three
times a day, a very tiny child
can simply refuse to open his
mouth. No amount of coerc
ing can make him eat what he
doesn’t want to eat.
I remember one three-year
old who was determined not
to eat his green peas, despite
the insistence of his father
that the squishy little veg
etables were going down. It
was a classic confrontation
between the irresistible force
and an immovable object.
Neither would yield. After an
hour of haranguing, threaten
ing, cajoling and sweating, the
father had not achieved his
goal. The tearful toddler sat
with a fork-load of peas point
ed ominously at his sealed
lips.
Finally, through sheer
intimidation, the dad man
aged to get one bite of peas
in place. But the lad wouldn’t
swallow them. I don’t know
everything that went on after
ward, but the mother told me
they had no choice but to put
the child to bed with the peas
still in his mouth. They were
amazed at the strength of his
will.
The next morning, the
mother found a little pile of
mushy peas where they had
been expelled at the foot of
the bed! Score one for Junior,
none for Dad. Tell me in what
other arena a thirty-pound
child could whip a grown
man?
Not every toddler is this
tough, of course. But many of
them will gladly do battle over
food. It is their ideal power
game. Talk to any experienced
parent or grandparent and
they will tell you this is true.
The sad thing is that these
conflicts are unnecessary.
Children will eat as much as
they need if you keep them
from indulging in the wrong
stuff. They will not starve. I
promise!
The way to deal with a poor
eater is to set good food before
him. If he claims to not be
hungry, wrap the plate, put it
in the refrigerator and send
him cheerfully on his way.
He’ll be back in a few hours.
There is a little mechanism in
his tummy that says “gimme
food!” several times a day.
When this occurs, do not put
sweets, snacks or confec
tionery food in front of him.
Simply retrieve the earlier
meal, warm it up and serve it
again. If he protests, send him
out to play again. Even if 12
hours or more goes by, contin
ue this procedure until food
- all food - begins to look
and smell wonderful. From
that time forward, the battle
over the dinner table should
be history.
Dr. Dobson is founder and
chairman of the board of the
nonprofit organization Focus on
the Family, Colorado Springs,
CO 80995(www. family.org).
Questions and answers are
excerpted from “Solid Answers"
and “Bringing Up Boys, ” both
published by Tyndale House.
FOOD&HOME
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Pork Check-Off
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
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FORGETTHE CALORIES
Super Bowl Sunday is a time for great
food - particularly those wonderful snacks
and appetizers.
You can go with the familiar dips and
chips or try something elegant like this
Baked Brie (above) from Hickory Farms.
If y ou want to try making your own, it’s
a simple matter of wrapping a pre-made
puff pastry crust around a “round” of
brie and baking it in a medium oven long
enough to brown the crust. Serve with
apple and pear slices and crackers.
You can also use crescent rolls straight
from the can, sealed together. For more
good snack ideas, see Page 3C.
The Super Tuesday Presidential Primaries are coming right up,
and voters in Georgia are part of the big picture. In case you’re
going to be glued to your television set cheering for your favorite and
want some good treats, we have some recipes for you to pick from,
thanks to a determined interviewer and writer from far-away New
Hampshire.
Deidre Ashe, Lifestyles Editor of the Nashua Telegraph in New
Hampshire, managed to interview 13 of the 16 candidates who were
IT'S RIB-GRILLING TIME
RIB RECIPES FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
From Staffßeports
If you haven’t been grilling
much lately, Super Bowl Sunday is
a good time to start up again.
Consider these delectable rib
recipes from the Pork Check-Off if
you’re having friends over.
BBQ Baby’Back Ribs with
Spicy Girls'Dry Rub and
Mop Sauce
3 racks pork baby back ribs (about
11/2 pounds each)
3 cups hickory or apple wood chips
Vegetable oil for brushing
SPICY GIRLS’ DRY RUB
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground pep
per
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
HICKORY BARBECUE MOP
SAUCE
2 cups store-bought hickory barbe
SUPER
TUESDAY!
Candidates
u share their
v favorite recipes
cue sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons dark molasses
Cooking Directions
To make Spicy Girls’ Dry Rub,
in medium bowl combine all ingre
dients for the rub and stir well to
blend. Place ribs flat in a non-reac
tive roasting pan. Using 3/4 cup of
the rub, sprinkle over both sides
of each rack and rub in lightly. Set
aside.
Soak wood chips in cold water
to cover for at least 30 minutes.
Set up grill for indirect cooking.
Prepare a medium fire in a char
coal grill or preheat one side of a
gas or electric grill on medium.
Drain chips and sprinkle half over
the coals or place half in the grill’s
smoker box. Place a disposable
foil pan under the grate to catch
drippings.
Brush grill grate with vegeta
ble oil. Arrange ribs, meaty-side
down, on the side of the grill with
out hot coals. Cover the grill and
smoke-cook the ribs for 45 min
utes. Turn ribs and add remaining
in the New Hampshire Primary. Ashe graciously gave us permission
to reprint their recipes .
Some candidates have dropped out since the New Hampshire
Primary, and neither Rudy Giuliani nor Ron Paul were available, but
you’ll find recipes from John McCain, Hilllary Clinton, Mitt Romney,
John Edwards, Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee on Page 2C.
And don’t forget to vote!
SECTION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
wood chips. Cover and grill for
another 45 minutes.
While ribs are grill-smoking,
make Hickory Barbecue Mop
Sauce. Combine store-bought
hickory barbecue sauce, liquid
smoke, maple syrup and molas
ses in a bowl. Stir well to com
bine.
When the ribs have cooked
for a total of 11/2 hours, brush
the ribs generously with the
mop sauce. Using long-handled
tongs, slide the ribs onto the
grate directly over the hot
coals. Grill, uncovered, 5 min
utes. Turn the ribs over, baste
again, and grill another 5 min
utes. Cut between the bones,
slicing the racks into individual
ribs. Serve immediately. Serves
6 to 8.
Carolina Country Style Ribs
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless coun
try-style ribs
2 cups apple cider vinegar
See RIBS, Page jC
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