Sneaky Mom Recipe

When it comes to food, I can honestly claim that my kids are about as picky as they come. I even have one child who hates cakes, cookies, pudding, ice cream, and especially chocolate! My daughter cried the first time I fed her (you know, that rice flake cereal that has no taste). They shiver, throw up, cry . . . you name it. They even called me out when I switched catsup brands. We're working through it though. Sometimes I give in, sometimes I force them to eat their food, and sometimes I get down and dirty. I'm talking about tricking them. I have put green vegetable fruit juice (Green Machine from Costco) in sippy cups with lids so they couldn't see it, and I put pureed baby food carrots in their spaghetti sauce (it took years for me just to get them to eat spaghetti!!!!)

And then there is my favorite recipe of all time. Those who know me have heard about this legendary recipe for years (ad nauseam). It is the famous spinach brownies recipe. I made them for my kids and they couldn't sniff out the secret ingredient. Now, I can taste just a hint of spinach, but if you don't know what's in them, they're not bad. Give it a try and see if they pass the test. WORD OF CAUTION: 1) Don't **EVER** tell them there is spinach in the brownies or it will ruin it, even if they like them; and 2) Don't get greedy, mom . . . I put more spinach in one day and I got busted! My daughter knows the deal now and she won't eat them anymore (see #1 above). I am currently working on a new spinach brownie recipe to trick my daughter, and I will post it later this week. But I would advise that you try this one first. Here it is . . .

Spinach Brownies:

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

3 Tbs. water

1 box (12.9 oz) brownie mix

1 tub chocolate frosting

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of nonstick 9"x9" or 8"x8" pan.

2. In bowl of food processor with metal blade or a blender, puree spinach, oil, egg, and water. Process 1 minute, or until smooth, scraping down sides. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add brownie mix and stir until well blended. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes.

4. Frost brownies, cut and serve.

Tip: If you ever have trouble cutting brownies (you know how it sticks to the knife), use a plastic knife to cut them. It really works!