While teens with braces may worry about whether their colored rubber bands go with today’s outfit, adults in orthodontic treatment have different concerns, like gracefully making it through business meetings and dinner parties. These issues are becoming more common, as approximately 1 in 5 people in orthodontic treatment are adults, according to the American Association of Orthodontists.
Author Pam Waterman, who spent five years in braces as a teen and one as an adult, recognized how tricky it can be to navigate adulthood with braces. So she teamed up with Chef Amee Hoge to create The Braces Cookbook 2: Comfort Food with a Gourmet Touch.
The result is a creative collection of 50 recipes appropriate for those in braces, including entrees as well as breakfasts, appetizers, desserts and vegetarian dishes. For those looking to expand their cooking skills or impress dinner guests, many of the recipes feature optional gourmet additions courtesy of Chef Hoge, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
A robust resource, Cookbook 2 supplements its recipes with survival advice for adults in braces. The authors offer coping techniques for adults in the business world, tips for difficult days, and practical suggestions for dining out and grocery shopping.
Cookbook 2 follows Waterman’s popular The Braces Cookbook: Recipes You (and Your Orthodontist) Will Love, which she co-wrote with her then 12-year-old daughter, Brenda and was directed at children and teens in braces.
Check out these sample recipes; one savory and one sweet:
Crabmeat Appetizers
When you've adjusted to your braces to the point of eating bread (!!), try these quick-to-assemble treats. A few minutes under the broiler, and they're ready to serve. You can also put them together a few hours ahead of time; just cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for a few hours until you're ready to broil them.
2 cans (about 5oz each) flaked crabmeat
1 loaf dark rye party bread (I find it in front of the deli counter. Each slice is about 2" square, and 1/4-inch thick, and there are probably 40 slices in a loaf; one loaf would make a double batch)
1 large cucumber
1 package(8 oz.) sliced Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (to taste - about 2 Tablespoons)
On a large cookie sheet, lay out 20 slices of the party rye. Peel and slice the cucumbe into 1/4-inch slicesr; lay one slice on each slice of bread. Drain the crabmeat, and mix it with mayo or Miracle Whip to your liking (I go easy on the mayo myself). Put about a tablespoon of the crabmeat mixture on each cucumber. Fold and tear each slice of Swiss cheese into 8 pieces. Lay one slice on each appetizer. Broil until cheese is lightly golden.
Butterscotch Brownies
My mother started making these "non-chocolate" brownies when I was a little girl. Since she in turn has lived with our family since our oldest daughter was one, our girls have renamed them "Grandma's Tannies." By any name, they're fabulous, and oh so soft.
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
(optional: 1 cup butterscotch bits)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Baking time 40 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine oil and brown sugar, using an electric mixer and blending well. Add eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt, then add vanilla. Spread batter into a greased 9"x9" pan. If desired, sprinkle 1 cup butterscotch bits over top. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. After cooling one minute, swirl the bits with a knife to give a marbleized effect. Cover pan with foil keep to brownies soft, or cut them in squares and store them in a covered container.
By adapting many of your family favorites into braces-friendly recipes, boring applesauce and mashed potatoes at every meal is a thing of the past. The recipes in this book will quickly become family favorites. Both The Braces Cookbook 2 and the original Braces Cookbook are available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Enjoy!