Annie Hauck-Lawson, Ph.D., R.D.

Brooklyn Mompost Founder

A registered dietitian and master composter, Dr. Annie Hauck-Lawson founded Brooklyn Mompost: a composting service dedicated to teaching composting and green living at events all over the city. As a mother of two, Annie has tailored her composting abilities to include children. Learn more about Annie Hauck-Lawson below and learn how to turn kitchen scraps into “black gold” with Brooklyn Mompost! 

Website: www.brooklynmompost.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/compostwithmompost

Twitter: @BrooklynMompost

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brooklyn_mompost

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

Freshly whipped cream

Do you have children? If so, what do you like to make for them or with them?

I cook from scratch almost every night and I have both a daughter and a son who are now young adults. Broccoli rabe was their first vegetable fed to them at six months and, growing up, Alana Grace loved bowls of pasta topped with broccoli rabe sautéed in olive oil and garlic with lots of grated pecorino cheese. Phillip Hunter loves steak or chicken breast ‘socks’; the meat is wrapped in bacon strips & cooked in a cast iron pan.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

My father cooked daily breakfast for us. ‘Eggs in the Nest’ was one Sunday specialty. He put a ring of hot mashed potatoes or steaming rice with melted cheese on a big plate and set sunny-side up eggs in the middle. Dad put it in the center of the breakfast table and we spooned out our portions from there.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

Everything except liver, as I was my Mother’s right hand/prep cook before dinner. I peeled and chopped vegetables and made salad while she was at the stove. Hard to pin it down to one thing (my Mom is a great cook), but I’ll say artichokes made in a pressure cooker with garlic and olive oil, then served with melted butter alongside. Or maybe skirt steak pinwheels with wine sauce.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.

Frances Largeman-Roth

Registered Dietitian, Author

Frances Largeman-Roth, best-selling author of “Eating in Color” – a book that shows how to brighten up meals for the family, and “Feed the Belly” – a healthful eating guide for pregnant women, loves to get creative in the kitchen! This Brooklyn native knows how to keep her family happy, while also keeping them healthy. Get to know Frances better through her ‘Meet Our Friends’ guest blog and at The Kid’s Food Festival Main Stage on March 1^st when she shows off her skills and whips up Chia Pudding with Rainbow Toppings at Winter Village at Bryant Park!

Website: www.franceslargemanroth.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/frances.largemanroth

Twitter: @FrancesLRothRD

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

I loved sweets as a kid! I had a particular affection for Pepperidge Farms’ coconut layer cake. Yum!

Do you have children? If so, what do you like to make for them or with them?

Yes, I have three kids: 5 year old Willa, 3 year old Leo, and 6 month old Phoebe. I love making my kids colorful recipes, like the ones featured in my cookbook, Eating in Color. We really like making homemade pizza together. It’s fun to let the kids get creative and they always eat the pizza because they made it!

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

I loved holiday time. My mother was always busy making rum balls to send off to friends and relatives. And even though they weren’t her favorite, mom always made sugar cookies with me and let me decorate them with silver non pareils.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

My mother was German and she always made Plum Cake in the fall. I loved helping her make the crumb mixture of flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon. I would mix it up with my little hands and then sprinkle it over the top of the cake.

Oma’s German Plum Cake

S E R V E S 2 0

COOKING SPRAY, for the pan
3/4 cup (90g) ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
¾ cup (95g) WHOLE-WHEAT FLOUR
1/3 cup (65g) SUGAR
1 large EGG
1 cup (250ml) 2% MILK, at room temperature
¼ cup (1/2 stick/57g) UNSALTED BUTTER, at room temperature
Pinch of SALT
1 teaspoon pure VANILLA EXTRACT
1 (1/4-ounce/7g) packet ACTIVE DRY YEAST
5 RED or BLACK PLUMS, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch slices

For the crumb topping:
½ cup (60g) ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
¼ cup (50g) SUGAR
1 teaspoon pure VANILLA EXTRACT
1/2 teaspoon ground CINNAMON
¼ cup (1/2 stick/57g) UNSALTED BUTTER, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat a 9-by-13- inch (23 by 33cm) baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Stir the flours and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Add the egg, milk, butter, salt, vanilla, and yeast. Mix on high speed for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave on the counter, in a warm spot away from drafts, for 1 hour. The dough will double in size. Remove the dough from the bowl (it will be very sticky), transfer to a piece of plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Make the crumb topping: Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl. With clean hands, use your fingertips in a pinching motion to form crumbs. Set aside.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and, with floured hands, press it into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Use a fork to prick the dough all over. Arrange the plum slices in rows, going lengthwise, in a slightly overlapping pattern.
5. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the plums and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crumbs and the edge of the crust are light golden. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then cut into 20 squares and serve.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.