I’m not the kind of mom who fashions sculptures out of vegetables so my little people will eat their greens. (If you’re able to do this, bravo. Maybe you could share a tip or two?) But that’s not to say we don’t have fun with our food. We do, just in other ways.

We eat artichokes, for example. Ever seen a three-year-old tackle one? It’s a preschooler’s dream. She uses her fingers to rip off the leaves. She slurps as she scrapes the “meat” off with her teeth. She pushes away the thistles as we dig out the heart. Nothing tame about this stuff!

Artichokes are in season in California and the prices are low, so last week we bought more than I needed for dinner, knowing the extra hearts would be put to good use on pizza or in salads another night. Then I remembered how good the grilled artichokes are at Houston’s, and decided to recreate them at home. Because the chokes were already cooked, all I had to do was brush them with Annie’s organic Red Wine and Olive Oil Vinaigrette, sprinkle them with kosher salt, and toss them on the grill. Delish.

I know there are fancier ways of creating this dish. You can quarter and clean the artichokes prior to grilling. You can make your own vinaigrette and while you’re at it, you can whip up a garlic aioli for dipping. Normally I would take this route, and if you want directions along those lines, click here for a recipe from Bon Appetit.

But this blog isn’t a magazine; it’s real life. Sometimes I have time for fancy, sometimes I don’t. This time, I chose fast instead of fancy. You know what? The kids didn’t know the difference, and yours won’t either. They’ll be having too much fun eating.