If there’s one thing the foodie tots love more than food, it’s trains. My late grandfather founded a short line railroad in Maryland, so this is more than a passing fancy in our family. Over the holidays we took an impromptu weekend trip to NYC to see the Angelina Ballerina Very Merry Holiday Musical by Vital Theatre Co. (Highly recommend, by the way, for the 2- to 6-year-old set.) With just one day in the city for sight-seeing, we stopped at Grand Central Terminal to check out the holiday train display at the Transit Museum annex. (The NY Transit Museum, in Brooklyn, is another foodie tot favorite.)

Grand Central Terminal, one of the most noted landmarks in New York, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The train display, featuring a Lionel layout with Metro-North and New York Central trains departing from a mini Grand Central Terminal, is open through February 10. Worth a visit if you find yourself in NYC!

(As for eats, we do the tourist thing and go to Junior’s in the food court for matzo ball soup, deli sandwiches and egg creams. And a stop at Murray’s cheese counter in the market is a must.)

Even on the road the foodie tots never pass up a chance to find fresh local food — throw in a hayride and cute farm animals to feed and pet and the kids are delighted. The Queens County Farm Museum is a perfect kid-friendly outing when we visit family in New York. I met up with the family there and my toddler couldn’t fill me in fast enough: “Feed goat! Pet baa! Moooo!”

The farm stand sells produce they grow on site every Wednesday through Sunday — and we spotted them again at the New Amsterdam Market in the city. They had beautiful raspberries last weekend that we took with us to a nearby diner for lunch. Yum.

What food finds have you come across this summer?

The foodie tots and I spent our spring break visiting the kids’ grandparents (my in-laws) in New York — Flushing, Queens, to be exact. In the 10+ years I’ve been coming to visit, we’ve rarely actually stayed in Flushing, so it was nice to do so this time and actually sample the local flavors. The boy really enjoyed learning about Chinese New Year at school earlier this year, so it was an ideal time to check out some authentic Asian cuisine — of which there are plenty of options in Flushing.

We started with red bean pastries (left in the photo) and pumpkin sesame doughnuts at Parisian Bakery:

Cooled off with afternoon bubble teas (mango green tea, pictured, and pearl milk tea) at Chatime:

And had dumplings and noodle soup at Nan Bei He:

The foodie baby is a little more adventurous than foodie boy these days (he asked his aunt to pick the scallions out of scallion pancakes) but fried dumplings are always a favorite. And as you can see, the baby scooted onto my lap and dove into the noodle soup.

Hope those who celebrate have a Happy Pesach and/or Happy Easter this weekend! I hear asparagus is arriving at the markets in DC … hello spring!

watermelon for breakfast … on Whidbey Island, Washington

and fabulous coffee, cheese & donuts in Portland, Oregon

we rode on planes (4), trains (2), boats (2) and automobiles (many); saw cool critters (at the Oregon Zoo/Multnomah Falls); and there were birthday cakes, too (x 2)

& you?

Traveling to Florida is always a bit perplexing, foodwise. Has anyone else ever wondered how the sunny coast of California inspired smoothies and gourmet vegetarianism, while Florida is perfectly content with chain restaurants and a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner? Add to that the fact that the state surrounded on three sides with water is a virtual wasteland when it comes to safe, sustainable seafood choices (as per Seafood Watch‘s handy iPhone app), and well, it can be easier to try not to think while eating out. (Gulf shrimp, when you can find them, appear to be the safest choice.) We didn’t even time our trip to catch a weekend farmers market, so a quick stop at a roadside stand promising Plant City strawberries was the extent of our local food foraging (well, aside from taking advantage of my sister’s citrus trees). 

Plant City, Florida, is the winter strawberry capital of the world. While you can find Florida strawberries in supermarkets down here, the ones at the farmstand seemed fresher and juicier — without that telltale white top of berries picked before ripeness.

I picked up a couple quarts and made a pitcher of agua fresca back at the house. This is a fun project with kids, particularly if they’re old enough to safely hull strawberries. (If not, they can take a pass at plucking the stems at least.) Instead of lime juice, I used an orange from one of the trees at my sister’s house — one whose fruit tastes almost like a cross between a lime and an orange.

Recipe: Strawberry Agua Fresca
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 6 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of the berries)
• 4 cups cold water
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

Instructions: In a tall pitcher, stir 1/4 cup sugar into the water until dissolved. Place strawberries in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the pitcher. Stir in the orange juice, taste, and add additional sugar if desired. Chill in refrigerator several hours. Garnish glasses with a small strawberry, and enjoy! Makes 8 cups.

The finished drink was lighter than a smoothie, cool and refreshing, and a big hit with the kids. A sweet end to a day at the beach and a nice taste of things to come as our own berry season is just around the corner.