Italian Scallion

Shhh. Don't tell the kids I tricked them, but I actually got them to eat green onions. My kids are not really into trying new things. They each have their likes and their dislikes- one of Nichole's being that she complains about anything green. Sigh. But ah ha. I did it.

Here's how: The kids had a friend over all day, so I thought it would be fun for us to do an activity together. Partly to pass the time (with two 2-year olds and a 4-year old, it was going to be a long day), partly because I'd been wanting to try this out with my own kids. So... we watched Veggie Tales- Sumo of the Opera. It's a story about perserverance. In it, Larry the Cucumber plays a character called the Italian Scallion. He wears a mask/hat that sticks up like the greens of a scallion. So, after the movie we made "Italian Scallion Treats." If you put the word "treat" in there, Nichole is more likely to try it. I figure if scallions and green onions aren't exactly the same, they're close enough. Does anyone know if there's a difference? I showed the kids the green onions I had in the fridge, calling them Italian Scallions- See, kids? They look like the Italian Scallion in the movie. Cool, huh? Then we followed a recipe from FamilyFun Magazine for Scallion Pancakes, letting the kids do as much as I could handle letting them do. They mixed dough, kneaded it, rolled it out, sprinkled scallions on (all with some help from me).

I did the frying, however.

And Nichole, my little picky eater, ate a whole pancake or "treat."

The other two ate a few little pieces.
I thought they tasted pretty good. I think next time I make them, I'll try making the soy-ginger dipping sauce to go with them.