Last Sunday I went to Whole Foods to buy groceries for the week. Like a renegade, I did not plan my weekly menu in advance. Rather, I decided to just buy main ingredients (produce, poultry, fish) and find recipes to go with them. At the seafood counter crab legs were on sale. They were also sustainably fished (crabbed?). The low price and the ethical karma of sustainability made me forget that crabs are boiled alive, which actually disturbs me greatly. I shouldn't be eating them. But they are delicious. And in this case also inexpensive and sustainable. Sorry little crabs. I am sad that you were boiled alive.
Also at Whole Foods were beautiful bunches of locally-grown organic chard. I could not resist. So for Sunday dinner we had crab with Spicy Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Chard (instead of spinach):
http://cookbookcooks.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/peter-berleys-spicy-coconut-sweet-potato-soup-with-collard-greens/
I think I've already reviewed this soup. It is yummy. The sweet potatoes and coconut milk really balance out the spice. The chard went very well in it, assuming the flavor of the soup.
My dinner intentions, then, were good. The end result? Not so much. The soup takes 30-40 minutes to make. While it was in its final simmer, I boiled a pot of water to steam the crab legs. I know they cook quickly, so I also started browning some butter to make a butter/lemon/garlic dip for the crab legs. My first mistake was throwing in the garlic while the butter was browning in the pan. The garlic blackened immediately and tasted sort of burnt. I guess it should have been added after the butter was off the stove, when I mixed in the lemon juice. It was still decent, so I poured it into three ramekins and set the table while the crab legs were steaming in batches because my biggest pot really isn't that big.
As I was setting the table, I realized we only have one crab-opening untensil. How, you might ask? Aren't such things sold in sets? Who eats crab legs by herself? I have no idea. In all likelihood, there was a set initially. But now we only have one lonely crab-opener. I decided to crack open some crab legs and extract the meat for Annika before we all got to the table, since Swede and I would have to share the crab-opener once dinner started. Opening Annika's crab took 10 minutes and did not help my mood. Crab is a pain in the ass! I extracted a nice pile of meat for her and announced the start of dinner, simultaneously announcing that we would not be eating crab again in the near future.
I wasn't even done with my own first crab leg (I got the opener and Swede decided to use a steak knife - amazingly without severing a finger in the process) when Annika finished inhaling her crab meat. By now, struggling with my own crab, which promised to be cold by the time I actually ate it, had significantly worsened my mood. Annika demanded more crab. When I declined and told her to eat her soup, she insisted that instead I needed to pour her a glass of water. My mood went from "not so great" to "foul." Indignantly slamming down my unopened crab leg, I poured her some water. I then resumed my work Completely oblivious to my declining mood, Annika then declared that her soup was yucky and refused to eat it. (She ate it the last time I made it without issue.)
Still laboring over my own crab leg, having not yet tasted the sweet fruit of my efforts, I snapped. Raising my voice much more than I care to admit, I told Annika that I was sick and tired of her picking something out of every meal to complain about. I further informed her that I had spent 10 minutes getting the crab meat for which she hand't bothered to thank me and I was now working on my own and didn't want to hear anything else from her thankyouverymuch! A stony silence ensued.
After my meltdown, I finally got to eat my crab meat and calmed down a bit. I did the "choose a number between 4 and 20 and that's how many bites you'll eat" trick. Annika chose 6, which is more than I would have made her eat. That always makes me laugh. My mood improved, she ate six bites of soup (declaring the greens "yummy" - go figure!), and I resolved to make the rest of the week better. Crab will not be served in the Homstrom house for quite a long time, if ever again.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Quick Post About Salmon
I know I just posted two days ago. But tonight I made one of my faves and thought I'd share: lemony salmon with cherry tomato couscous: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/lemony-salmon-with-cherry-tomato-couscous-recipe/index.html
This is a recipe from Nigella's cook book that can be made in 30 minutes start to finish. And it is GOOOOOOD. Before Nigella I rarely cooked seafood. Not because I don't like it, but because I don't like it when I cook it. I would rub it with olive oil, salt, and pepper and then cook in varying ways (broil, bake, pan-fry). It never really tasted fresh or flavorful, more like a nice mouthful of ocean water. The seafood recipes I've tried from Nigella's book, on the other hand, have always turned out delicious - like I would expect in a restaurant. This one in particular requires you to rub the salmon in garlic-infused olive oil, salt, paprika, and lemon zest. Not too far off from what I've tried in the past, but the garlic, paprika, and lemon zest make a world of difference.
This is the fourth time I've made this dish. The first three were sufficient to convince my family they like my salmon. When I picked Annika up from school, she was hiding in a tire because she didnt't want to go home yet. The kid actually wanted to stay at school. The Montessori method is supposed to instill a love of learning, but this is taking it a bit far. She started to pout when I told her in no uncertain terms it was time to go. Rather than let this turn into a full-fledged eye-rolling, head-tossing, exasperated sighing episode (she is 4 going on 16), I simply said "I'm making salmon for dinner." Bingo! Into the car we went. When we got home, my mother in law was exhausted and went to pass me the baby so she could slip out the door, go home, and sleep. But then she saw me take salmon out of the refrigerator. All of a sudden, "well, maybe I can stay for dinner." The salmon came out perfectly-flavored (as always, thank you, Nigella!) and the couscous was the perfect accompaniment.
I have a confession to make. I am a health nut and am morally opposed to white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc. It doesn't enter my house. But that doesn't mean I don't LOVE the taste. I don't understand people who say things like "I really prefer the nuttier taste of whole wheat pasta." Um . . . no. White pasta tastes so much better. But because it is devoid of any meaningful nutrients, I sacrifice taste for health. That is how I feel about couscous. I consider whole wheat couscous to be borderline inedible. It just does not taste good! But I love it in this recipe. The whole wheat flavor is lost in the taste of fresh organic tomatoes ("fresh" is the key to great tomato taste), ginger, lemon, cilantro, and onion. Your taste buds are bombarded with a blend of salty, acidic, and even a bit of spicy goodness. It is almost salsa-esque and goes perfectly alongside the subtle lemon and garlic of the salmon. I do, however, use about half the salt called for in the recipe. Nigella must be an even bigger salt freak than me if she uses as much as she says she does.
This is a recipe from Nigella's cook book that can be made in 30 minutes start to finish. And it is GOOOOOOD. Before Nigella I rarely cooked seafood. Not because I don't like it, but because I don't like it when I cook it. I would rub it with olive oil, salt, and pepper and then cook in varying ways (broil, bake, pan-fry). It never really tasted fresh or flavorful, more like a nice mouthful of ocean water. The seafood recipes I've tried from Nigella's book, on the other hand, have always turned out delicious - like I would expect in a restaurant. This one in particular requires you to rub the salmon in garlic-infused olive oil, salt, paprika, and lemon zest. Not too far off from what I've tried in the past, but the garlic, paprika, and lemon zest make a world of difference.
This is the fourth time I've made this dish. The first three were sufficient to convince my family they like my salmon. When I picked Annika up from school, she was hiding in a tire because she didnt't want to go home yet. The kid actually wanted to stay at school. The Montessori method is supposed to instill a love of learning, but this is taking it a bit far. She started to pout when I told her in no uncertain terms it was time to go. Rather than let this turn into a full-fledged eye-rolling, head-tossing, exasperated sighing episode (she is 4 going on 16), I simply said "I'm making salmon for dinner." Bingo! Into the car we went. When we got home, my mother in law was exhausted and went to pass me the baby so she could slip out the door, go home, and sleep. But then she saw me take salmon out of the refrigerator. All of a sudden, "well, maybe I can stay for dinner." The salmon came out perfectly-flavored (as always, thank you, Nigella!) and the couscous was the perfect accompaniment.
I have a confession to make. I am a health nut and am morally opposed to white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc. It doesn't enter my house. But that doesn't mean I don't LOVE the taste. I don't understand people who say things like "I really prefer the nuttier taste of whole wheat pasta." Um . . . no. White pasta tastes so much better. But because it is devoid of any meaningful nutrients, I sacrifice taste for health. That is how I feel about couscous. I consider whole wheat couscous to be borderline inedible. It just does not taste good! But I love it in this recipe. The whole wheat flavor is lost in the taste of fresh organic tomatoes ("fresh" is the key to great tomato taste), ginger, lemon, cilantro, and onion. Your taste buds are bombarded with a blend of salty, acidic, and even a bit of spicy goodness. It is almost salsa-esque and goes perfectly alongside the subtle lemon and garlic of the salmon. I do, however, use about half the salt called for in the recipe. Nigella must be an even bigger salt freak than me if she uses as much as she says she does.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Getting Organized and Having Dinner Guests
This week I adopted two more tips from Laurie David's Family Dinner book. I took a small step toward organization and I (eeek!) invited a guest over for dinner.
To make my pantry more navigable, I had to do something to get rid of the various bags and boxes scattered about. I was embarrassed to realize I had 4 different boxes of whole wheat organic couscous ranging from 3/4 full to a handful of grains barely covering the bottom of the box. Couscous was not the anomaly. Lentils, rice, quinoa - multiple packages haphazardly strewn about the pantry in varying degrees of fullness. How does this happen? Easily, actually. If I see couscous on a recipe list, I put it on my grocery list and purchase it. I may or may not actually check the pantry first to see if I already have it (if I end up with extra, I'll use it, right?). And if I check for it, I may or may not actually see that I have it (my pantry is dark, cavernous, and completely disorganized). Before you know it - a pantry full of multiple packages of the same ingredient.
I needed to consolidate my dry goods in containers. A couple months ago, I probably would have gone to Target and purchased a bunch of pretty glass containersat $10 a pop. Fortunately, I have now read Laurie David's book and she sings the praises of mason jars. I got a pack of 12 quart-sized jars at my local grocery store for about $10. I took a Sharpie and wrote the name of the ingredient on each jar. I suppose if you were being really good, you could put a sticker with the date on the jar too so you know your couscous hasn't gone bad. I'm taking baby steps so I skipped that part. Dry goods go fast enough in my house that I'm not particularly concerned. I ended up with pretty jars of rice, couscous, steel-cut oatmeal, lentils (I just put them all in one jar, so my jar is a pretty rainbow mix of red, green, and brown lentils), wheat berries, quinoa, buckwheat groats, almonds, and a few other items. Instantly more beautiful and more organized. Another advantage is that I can now shop in the bulk section without having a pantry full of white plastic bags of unidentifiable contents. If I see I'm running low on lentils, I can just pick up a scoop or two on my next trip to Whole Foods and dump it in the jar when I come home. It is much less expensive to buy from the bulk section than buying prepackaged goods. And let's not forget that less packaging is better for the environment.
Laurie David also encourages dinner guests to keep conversation lively and family members on their best behavior. Having guests opens your cooking up for judgment, though. I have some seriously "foodie" friends and did not want to fall flat, so I employed a two-pronged strategy. First, I invited my friend Amy who I knew I could count on to be non-judgmental and gracious even if dinner was mediocre. Second, I went with tried and true recipes. No experimenting with new food when I have dinner guests. My "go to" dishes were spinach and rice soup (Peter Berley) and tarragon chicken (Nigella Lawson).
I can't easily find a link to the soup recipe. But it is so good I'll re-type it here. This is my slightly-modified version. First puree 12 oz of organic baby spinach with 1 cup of water. Then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute about a cup of chopped onions (I buy them pre-chopped at the grocery store) until soft. Then add about a cup of chopped organic carrots, 1/3 cup of rice, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of salt, and saute for another minute or two. Add the pureed spinach and 3 cups of water and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chopped dill and simmer for another 5 minutes. Finish it off with the juice of one lemon. It is so yummy! The hint of dill and lemon really make a mouth-watering tangy soup that tastes nothing like spinach. The rice and carrots add a nice chewy texture. The pureed spinach results in an inviting green color. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but you wouldn't know it from the taste.
The tarragon chicken is actually the reason I bought Nigella's cook book in the first place. You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/tarragon-chicken-recipe/index.html. I initially heard about it on NPR and ordered the book from Amazon that same day. The book did not disappoint and neither did this recipe. I'm sad that I never cooked with vermouth before getting Nigella's book. It adds a wonderfully dry flavor that stands out more than adding white wine. Even better, unlike white wine, the bottle will keep in the pantry for quite some time. (The drawback of course, is that you don't have the left over bottle white wine to drink as you cook.) The combination of garlic infused olive oil, scallions, vermouth, tarragon, and heavy cream makes a sinfully delicious sauce that I could eat by itself with a spoon. It is delightfully creamy, salty, and rich. Because it is made of heavy cream, however, it is best to restrain yourself and just spoon it over the chicken breasts (I actually use chicken tenders - organic and free range, of course).
At 6:15, Annika, Swede, my mother in law, and I sat down to dinner with our first family dinner guest. Just as Laurie David promised, Amy's presence made the dinner conversation lively and kept everyone on their best behavior. Annika was in rare form, even giving a detailed answer to Amy about what she did in school that day. When I ask, I usually get a blank stare and shrug followed by "nothing." Amy, on the other hand, got a five minute speech about the various works she does at school (Montessori students do "works"), some being challenging, some being fun, none of them working if you don't put them away with all their pieces. Poor Amy didn't get a word in edgewise after opening the door for Annika to talk about herself. And Annika was too distracted being the center of attention to find something she didn't like about the food. Even Astrid tried to join in the conversation, happily shrieking and squealing from her bouncer a couple feet away. I believed Amy when she told me she liked the food.
By the time we finished eating, Annika had decided that she would put on special show for Amy. Her "sea creature" show consisted of her prancing across the TV room doing various things with her hands to represent different animals. For instance, as a whale she held her hands out beside her at her waist and slowly ambled across the floor. Then as a shark she clasped her hands behind her back and shimmied across the same area. We witnessed all forms of sea creatures and then Annika moved on to a gymnastics show. It took all of 30 seconds for her gymnastics show to turn into a tearful scene when she fell on her knee while trying to do something that looked like the running man.
Annika grabbed an ice pack and retreated to her bedroom to watch a DVD before bed. Amy and I poured ourselves some wine and watched The Biggest Loser. About an hour later, Swede showed off his own culinary skills by making us a bowl of popcorn (popped in a bit of oil on the stove, not in the microwave). All in all a good start to entertaining dinner guests.
To make my pantry more navigable, I had to do something to get rid of the various bags and boxes scattered about. I was embarrassed to realize I had 4 different boxes of whole wheat organic couscous ranging from 3/4 full to a handful of grains barely covering the bottom of the box. Couscous was not the anomaly. Lentils, rice, quinoa - multiple packages haphazardly strewn about the pantry in varying degrees of fullness. How does this happen? Easily, actually. If I see couscous on a recipe list, I put it on my grocery list and purchase it. I may or may not actually check the pantry first to see if I already have it (if I end up with extra, I'll use it, right?). And if I check for it, I may or may not actually see that I have it (my pantry is dark, cavernous, and completely disorganized). Before you know it - a pantry full of multiple packages of the same ingredient.
I needed to consolidate my dry goods in containers. A couple months ago, I probably would have gone to Target and purchased a bunch of pretty glass containersat $10 a pop. Fortunately, I have now read Laurie David's book and she sings the praises of mason jars. I got a pack of 12 quart-sized jars at my local grocery store for about $10. I took a Sharpie and wrote the name of the ingredient on each jar. I suppose if you were being really good, you could put a sticker with the date on the jar too so you know your couscous hasn't gone bad. I'm taking baby steps so I skipped that part. Dry goods go fast enough in my house that I'm not particularly concerned. I ended up with pretty jars of rice, couscous, steel-cut oatmeal, lentils (I just put them all in one jar, so my jar is a pretty rainbow mix of red, green, and brown lentils), wheat berries, quinoa, buckwheat groats, almonds, and a few other items. Instantly more beautiful and more organized. Another advantage is that I can now shop in the bulk section without having a pantry full of white plastic bags of unidentifiable contents. If I see I'm running low on lentils, I can just pick up a scoop or two on my next trip to Whole Foods and dump it in the jar when I come home. It is much less expensive to buy from the bulk section than buying prepackaged goods. And let's not forget that less packaging is better for the environment.
Laurie David also encourages dinner guests to keep conversation lively and family members on their best behavior. Having guests opens your cooking up for judgment, though. I have some seriously "foodie" friends and did not want to fall flat, so I employed a two-pronged strategy. First, I invited my friend Amy who I knew I could count on to be non-judgmental and gracious even if dinner was mediocre. Second, I went with tried and true recipes. No experimenting with new food when I have dinner guests. My "go to" dishes were spinach and rice soup (Peter Berley) and tarragon chicken (Nigella Lawson).
I can't easily find a link to the soup recipe. But it is so good I'll re-type it here. This is my slightly-modified version. First puree 12 oz of organic baby spinach with 1 cup of water. Then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute about a cup of chopped onions (I buy them pre-chopped at the grocery store) until soft. Then add about a cup of chopped organic carrots, 1/3 cup of rice, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of salt, and saute for another minute or two. Add the pureed spinach and 3 cups of water and simmer covered for about 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup chopped dill and simmer for another 5 minutes. Finish it off with the juice of one lemon. It is so yummy! The hint of dill and lemon really make a mouth-watering tangy soup that tastes nothing like spinach. The rice and carrots add a nice chewy texture. The pureed spinach results in an inviting green color. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but you wouldn't know it from the taste.
The tarragon chicken is actually the reason I bought Nigella's cook book in the first place. You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/tarragon-chicken-recipe/index.html. I initially heard about it on NPR and ordered the book from Amazon that same day. The book did not disappoint and neither did this recipe. I'm sad that I never cooked with vermouth before getting Nigella's book. It adds a wonderfully dry flavor that stands out more than adding white wine. Even better, unlike white wine, the bottle will keep in the pantry for quite some time. (The drawback of course, is that you don't have the left over bottle white wine to drink as you cook.) The combination of garlic infused olive oil, scallions, vermouth, tarragon, and heavy cream makes a sinfully delicious sauce that I could eat by itself with a spoon. It is delightfully creamy, salty, and rich. Because it is made of heavy cream, however, it is best to restrain yourself and just spoon it over the chicken breasts (I actually use chicken tenders - organic and free range, of course).
At 6:15, Annika, Swede, my mother in law, and I sat down to dinner with our first family dinner guest. Just as Laurie David promised, Amy's presence made the dinner conversation lively and kept everyone on their best behavior. Annika was in rare form, even giving a detailed answer to Amy about what she did in school that day. When I ask, I usually get a blank stare and shrug followed by "nothing." Amy, on the other hand, got a five minute speech about the various works she does at school (Montessori students do "works"), some being challenging, some being fun, none of them working if you don't put them away with all their pieces. Poor Amy didn't get a word in edgewise after opening the door for Annika to talk about herself. And Annika was too distracted being the center of attention to find something she didn't like about the food. Even Astrid tried to join in the conversation, happily shrieking and squealing from her bouncer a couple feet away. I believed Amy when she told me she liked the food.
By the time we finished eating, Annika had decided that she would put on special show for Amy. Her "sea creature" show consisted of her prancing across the TV room doing various things with her hands to represent different animals. For instance, as a whale she held her hands out beside her at her waist and slowly ambled across the floor. Then as a shark she clasped her hands behind her back and shimmied across the same area. We witnessed all forms of sea creatures and then Annika moved on to a gymnastics show. It took all of 30 seconds for her gymnastics show to turn into a tearful scene when she fell on her knee while trying to do something that looked like the running man.
Annika grabbed an ice pack and retreated to her bedroom to watch a DVD before bed. Amy and I poured ourselves some wine and watched The Biggest Loser. About an hour later, Swede showed off his own culinary skills by making us a bowl of popcorn (popped in a bit of oil on the stove, not in the microwave). All in all a good start to entertaining dinner guests.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Daddy's Night to Cook (a.k.a. "Leftover Night")
I hate Wednesdays. The week feels like it has dragged on forever, but you still have two more days to go until the weekend. The only bright spot is Wednesday night television - Criminal Minds, Law and Order SVU, and Toddlers and Tiaras (don't judge - you try watching five minutes and tell me you don't feel like the best parent in the world!). Really all I want to do tonight is lie down in a dark, quiet room and watch my shows all by myself. Unfortunately, it is only January 12 - far too early in the year to blow my New Year's resolution of enforcing the family dinner. These are the nights that leftovers were made for. Fortunately, my fridge was stocked with leftovers from the two previous nights.
Last night I made Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese, and Pine Nuts: http://dinnerdujour.org/2010/10/27/pappardelle-with-butternut-squash-blue-cheese-and-pine-nuts/ This was another great recipe from Nigella Lawson. You essentially throw everything into a big pot then add noodles. Bonus points to Trader Joe's for selling bags of pre-cubed butternut squash. The squash really mellowed out the blue cheese, which melted on impact with the noodles. The sage leaves gave it a nice savory undertone. And really, who can argue with pine nuts? I was unable to find whole wheat or quinoa Pappardelle, so I got the normal white-flour/egg noodles. One time won't kill us.
The other option for leftovers was Brussels sprouts with quinoa, tempeh, and toasted almonds from Peter Berley:
http://www.notakeout.com/quinoa-with-brussels-sprouts-tempeh/
I made this Monday night. We had to stop at Whole Foods to get organic Brussels sprouts so Annika and I stopped on the way home from work/school. When I told her what we were buying at the store, she shouted "Brussels sprouts? I LOVE Brussels sprouts!!!" And that is a testament to this dish. It can make small children love Brussels sprouts. The braise with onions, soy sauce (I use low sodium), and sherry (which I use in place of the mirin because it is what I have in the pantry) really takes the bitterness out of the Brussels sprouts and makes them saltily delicious. The tempeh picks up the braise flavor nicely. If you haven't had tempeh before, it is a soy product. But it is much more firm and less moldy-tasting than tofu. Topping it with freshly toasted almonds (see my last post for my feelings on freshly-toasted nuts and seeds) pushes this dish from good to great. The almonds are tiny slivers of slightly sweet and crunchy goodness that accent the saltier braise.
Today when I got home, completely exhausted, I took Astrid back to the bedroom to nurse her and started mentally preparing for dinner. It really will be easier when Astrid is older and everyone in the family eats the same thing. My husband, Swede, got home pretty early from work, so I palmed off (yes, "palm" is correct Google it) dinner on him. As I sat there in my sanctuary nursing my baby, I couldn't help but worry about what chaos was happening out in the kitchen. You're probably thinking, "it's just leftovers, how hard can it be?" Well, my husband can remodel a kitchen and decorate a kitchen, but actually using it to cook? You better have a fire extinguisher handy. Case in point - he tried to make Annika a grilled cheese sandwich a couple weeks ago and I came out to the kitchen to find a piece of bread with cheese on it sitting on a skillet CHEESE SIDE DOWN. Yes, he was grilling the cheese by applying it directly to the hot skillet. My concern over my leftovers was justified, but ultimately unfounded.
I entered the dining room to find the table set and a fresh pitcher of water. The leftovers were warmed in the microwave - on a glass plate instead of in the chemical-ridden plastic container and Swede was even making a fresh salad! Color me impressed. Annika got to choose what leftovers we'd eat. Giving her autonomy over food makes her more likely to eat that food. She chose Brussels sprouts (really, if you think you don't like Brussels sprouts, you need to try this dish!). The entire meal made it to the table without incident.
When I sat down at the table, though, Swede and Annika were icily staring each other down. All was not perfect after all. Something had happened in my absence, but what? Annika relented first by saying "dad, I forgive you." And then they were friends. I'm still not sure what exactly happened but I learned at dinner it ended by Annika telling her father "I'm never talking to you again" and Swede replying - like the fully grown five-year old he apparently is - "I don't care!" We managed to have a (mostly) amicable dinner during which Annika only climbed off her chair three times, didn't spill her water, and ate almost all her food. The Brussels sprouts and tempeh disappeared leaving only a few lonely pieces of romaine on her plate from the salad.
Mission accomplished! And I hardly had to do anything but show up and eat. Moral of the story? Always make extra portions so you can have at least one leftover day.
Last night I made Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese, and Pine Nuts: http://dinnerdujour.org/2010/10/27/pappardelle-with-butternut-squash-blue-cheese-and-pine-nuts/ This was another great recipe from Nigella Lawson. You essentially throw everything into a big pot then add noodles. Bonus points to Trader Joe's for selling bags of pre-cubed butternut squash. The squash really mellowed out the blue cheese, which melted on impact with the noodles. The sage leaves gave it a nice savory undertone. And really, who can argue with pine nuts? I was unable to find whole wheat or quinoa Pappardelle, so I got the normal white-flour/egg noodles. One time won't kill us.
The other option for leftovers was Brussels sprouts with quinoa, tempeh, and toasted almonds from Peter Berley:
http://www.notakeout.com/quinoa-with-brussels-sprouts-tempeh/
I made this Monday night. We had to stop at Whole Foods to get organic Brussels sprouts so Annika and I stopped on the way home from work/school. When I told her what we were buying at the store, she shouted "Brussels sprouts? I LOVE Brussels sprouts!!!" And that is a testament to this dish. It can make small children love Brussels sprouts. The braise with onions, soy sauce (I use low sodium), and sherry (which I use in place of the mirin because it is what I have in the pantry) really takes the bitterness out of the Brussels sprouts and makes them saltily delicious. The tempeh picks up the braise flavor nicely. If you haven't had tempeh before, it is a soy product. But it is much more firm and less moldy-tasting than tofu. Topping it with freshly toasted almonds (see my last post for my feelings on freshly-toasted nuts and seeds) pushes this dish from good to great. The almonds are tiny slivers of slightly sweet and crunchy goodness that accent the saltier braise.
Today when I got home, completely exhausted, I took Astrid back to the bedroom to nurse her and started mentally preparing for dinner. It really will be easier when Astrid is older and everyone in the family eats the same thing. My husband, Swede, got home pretty early from work, so I palmed off (yes, "palm" is correct Google it) dinner on him. As I sat there in my sanctuary nursing my baby, I couldn't help but worry about what chaos was happening out in the kitchen. You're probably thinking, "it's just leftovers, how hard can it be?" Well, my husband can remodel a kitchen and decorate a kitchen, but actually using it to cook? You better have a fire extinguisher handy. Case in point - he tried to make Annika a grilled cheese sandwich a couple weeks ago and I came out to the kitchen to find a piece of bread with cheese on it sitting on a skillet CHEESE SIDE DOWN. Yes, he was grilling the cheese by applying it directly to the hot skillet. My concern over my leftovers was justified, but ultimately unfounded.
I entered the dining room to find the table set and a fresh pitcher of water. The leftovers were warmed in the microwave - on a glass plate instead of in the chemical-ridden plastic container and Swede was even making a fresh salad! Color me impressed. Annika got to choose what leftovers we'd eat. Giving her autonomy over food makes her more likely to eat that food. She chose Brussels sprouts (really, if you think you don't like Brussels sprouts, you need to try this dish!). The entire meal made it to the table without incident.
When I sat down at the table, though, Swede and Annika were icily staring each other down. All was not perfect after all. Something had happened in my absence, but what? Annika relented first by saying "dad, I forgive you." And then they were friends. I'm still not sure what exactly happened but I learned at dinner it ended by Annika telling her father "I'm never talking to you again" and Swede replying - like the fully grown five-year old he apparently is - "I don't care!" We managed to have a (mostly) amicable dinner during which Annika only climbed off her chair three times, didn't spill her water, and ate almost all her food. The Brussels sprouts and tempeh disappeared leaving only a few lonely pieces of romaine on her plate from the salad.
Mission accomplished! And I hardly had to do anything but show up and eat. Moral of the story? Always make extra portions so you can have at least one leftover day.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Kid in the Kitchen
I know this is a family "dinner" blog, but I have to give myself quick props for my family breakfast. Astrid decided that 5:45 a.m. would be a good time to wake up today (a Saturday, for Christ's sake!). Rather than grousing about it or lying in bed hoping that the baby would give up and go back to sleep, I decided to be productive and make breakfast. A somewhat difficult task since grocery shopping day is tomorrow and my kitchen is . . . um . . . sort of empty. We do have whole wheat bread and eggs (free range), so I opted for french toast. But I fancied it up with a splash of vanilla and topped it with sauteed organic bananas and pears. Then I toasted some (organic) pumpkin seeds and sprinkled them on top. I cooked everything in coconut oil because it is supposed to be super-healthy. When all was said and done, I had (in my humble opinion) a spa-worthy breakfast. Only 333 calories, but almost 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein. And yummy to boot. Annika devoured hers, but not before announcing that she doesn't like pumpkin seeds. It's always something with that one (she actually loves pumpkin seeds and ate them all). If you have an extra five minutes, it is completely worth it to toast your own nuts and seeds (just toast them on a pan over medium heat for a couple minutes, stirring so they toast evenly). When they're freshly toasted, they are fragrant, much more flavorful, and really pep up the dish.
On to dinner. The best way to get a four-year old to eat dinner is to let her pick it and make it. Allowing Annika to cook, however, automatically doubles the prep time for food. It is really only a weekend option. For Christmas, we got Annika a kids' cookbook from Williams Sonoma. I let her pick a recipe for dinner tonight. She chose sesame fish sticks. My husband, Swede, tried to talk her into something more palatable like hummus or rosemary chicken (both of which are recipes in the book). Annika resisted and won. I did insist that she choose a vegetable to accompany her creation. Annika informed me that she would spell the color of her favorite vegetable for me. Not the most efficient way to communicate, but hey, it's Saturday and I have no life. I expected to hear o-r-a-n-g-e. Don't all kids love carrots? Instead, Annika (relishing the spotlight) slowly spelled out g-r-e-e-n. Oh, your favorite vegetable is green; thanks for narrowing it down. When I pointed out that peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula were all green, Annika informed me she was referring to broccoli. I am somewhat proud that my four-year old will admit to loving broccoli!
After a quick trip to Whole Foods, we were ready to cook. Annika sliced the cod fillets into fish sticks (okay, I admit that I did the big lengthwise slices, but Annika did the rest). Next, she poured flour into one bowl, two beaten eggs into another bowl, and sesame seeds into a third bowl. Then we dredged each fish stick into the flour, egg, and sesame seeds - in that order. The dredging was messy but easy, perfect for children! Annika measured oil (only a quarter cup - no deep-frying) to put in the saute pan and we heated it to medium-high heat. Once hot, we dropped the fish sticks into the pan. Yes, I let her work around hot oil under my supervision. Children are capable of a lot more than we ("we" being my husband) think. She did it perfectly without burning the house down or splattering hot oil onto her face. By that time, her attention span was maxed out and I let her go play while I finished.
I cooked the fish sticks until they were golden brown on each side. While that was happening, I mixed up the broccoli with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and threw it in the 400-degree broiler. Once the broccoli was tender/crisp (the edges brown a bit), it took it out and gave it a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This is a slightly-modified version of a recipe by Peter Berley - I love his food. I sent Annika and Swede out to our lemon tree to pick a couple of lemons and then served dinner (with lemon wedges for the fish sticks and lemon slices for the pitcher of water).
Dinner was a hit! Nothing like the frozen fish sticks you probably thought of when I said we were having fish sticks for dinner. Much more sophisticated than Gorton's They had a slight sesame flavor and were not "fishy" at all. The flour/egg/sesame coating was very crisp without being greasy and the fish tender and flaky on the inside. Even Swede admitted that the fish sticks were good - suitable for grown ups, in fact. Kudos to Williams Sonoma for putting out a kids' cookbook that is not full of "kids' food." The broccoli, as always, was great. The olive oil and balsamic really pop and almost make you forget you're eating health food. Annika proudly ate her fish sticks, but not before declaring that she didn't like them. Really, the kid MUST complain about something at every meal. Her "dislike" was belied by the fact that she cleaned her plate in record time. She even ate the broccoli without protest. In true Annika fashion, she elected to eat her lemon wedge instead of squeeze it over her food. Weird kid. To top it off, Astrid napped through the entire dinner. As close to a perfect family dinner as I could imagine. I declare success - no doubt to be followed by some meal-related catastrophe tomorrow. So it goes.
On to dinner. The best way to get a four-year old to eat dinner is to let her pick it and make it. Allowing Annika to cook, however, automatically doubles the prep time for food. It is really only a weekend option. For Christmas, we got Annika a kids' cookbook from Williams Sonoma. I let her pick a recipe for dinner tonight. She chose sesame fish sticks. My husband, Swede, tried to talk her into something more palatable like hummus or rosemary chicken (both of which are recipes in the book). Annika resisted and won. I did insist that she choose a vegetable to accompany her creation. Annika informed me that she would spell the color of her favorite vegetable for me. Not the most efficient way to communicate, but hey, it's Saturday and I have no life. I expected to hear o-r-a-n-g-e. Don't all kids love carrots? Instead, Annika (relishing the spotlight) slowly spelled out g-r-e-e-n. Oh, your favorite vegetable is green; thanks for narrowing it down. When I pointed out that peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula were all green, Annika informed me she was referring to broccoli. I am somewhat proud that my four-year old will admit to loving broccoli!
After a quick trip to Whole Foods, we were ready to cook. Annika sliced the cod fillets into fish sticks (okay, I admit that I did the big lengthwise slices, but Annika did the rest). Next, she poured flour into one bowl, two beaten eggs into another bowl, and sesame seeds into a third bowl. Then we dredged each fish stick into the flour, egg, and sesame seeds - in that order. The dredging was messy but easy, perfect for children! Annika measured oil (only a quarter cup - no deep-frying) to put in the saute pan and we heated it to medium-high heat. Once hot, we dropped the fish sticks into the pan. Yes, I let her work around hot oil under my supervision. Children are capable of a lot more than we ("we" being my husband) think. She did it perfectly without burning the house down or splattering hot oil onto her face. By that time, her attention span was maxed out and I let her go play while I finished.
I cooked the fish sticks until they were golden brown on each side. While that was happening, I mixed up the broccoli with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and threw it in the 400-degree broiler. Once the broccoli was tender/crisp (the edges brown a bit), it took it out and gave it a healthy drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This is a slightly-modified version of a recipe by Peter Berley - I love his food. I sent Annika and Swede out to our lemon tree to pick a couple of lemons and then served dinner (with lemon wedges for the fish sticks and lemon slices for the pitcher of water).
Dinner was a hit! Nothing like the frozen fish sticks you probably thought of when I said we were having fish sticks for dinner. Much more sophisticated than Gorton's They had a slight sesame flavor and were not "fishy" at all. The flour/egg/sesame coating was very crisp without being greasy and the fish tender and flaky on the inside. Even Swede admitted that the fish sticks were good - suitable for grown ups, in fact. Kudos to Williams Sonoma for putting out a kids' cookbook that is not full of "kids' food." The broccoli, as always, was great. The olive oil and balsamic really pop and almost make you forget you're eating health food. Annika proudly ate her fish sticks, but not before declaring that she didn't like them. Really, the kid MUST complain about something at every meal. Her "dislike" was belied by the fact that she cleaned her plate in record time. She even ate the broccoli without protest. In true Annika fashion, she elected to eat her lemon wedge instead of squeeze it over her food. Weird kid. To top it off, Astrid napped through the entire dinner. As close to a perfect family dinner as I could imagine. I declare success - no doubt to be followed by some meal-related catastrophe tomorrow. So it goes.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Satisfying Vegan Food . . . Really!
No long essay for me tonight. I'm trying to write this blog in the first 15 minutes of The Biggest Loser, which starts tonight. Once I hit 15 minutes or so, I can start watching it on delay on my DVR and fast-forward through all the commercials and lame product placements. Also Astrid is grouching at me - undoubtedly anxious to spit up all over my shirt as soon as I pick her up. Again.
Tonight I made two vegan dishes, courtesy of Peter Berley. Vegan is a little scary. But anything beats last night's dinner, which I spent on an airplane flying home much later than planned from a (work-related) day trip to Las Vegas. I instructed my husband to handle family dinner for him and Annika with the leftovers in the fridge. I assume they had a very nice family dinner because he didn't tell me otherwise. And I'm not asking (sort of a domestic "don't ask don't tell" policy).
On the menu for tonight: kasha casserole with root vegetables and mushrooms (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/recipe_of_the_w_49.php#) and celery and green apple salad with walnuts and a mustard vinaigrette (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Apple-and-Celery-Salad-with-Walnuts-and-Mustard-Vinaigrette-233139)
They were both quite yummy and the meal was surprisingly hearty. Particularly surprising because I forgot to add the chickpeas to the casserole. I had them, I saw that I was supposed to add them, I just spaced it. Same with the cumin. Completely forgot it. Yet the dish still turned out lovely. I guess that's why I prefer cooking to baking. You can forget a lot of stuff and it still tastes good. Try making a cake without - say - baking soda. Doesn't work so well. And yes, I know that from experience.
Annika is really taking the family dinner thing to heart. Today she proclaimed that nobody could eat until I was at the table with the family (I was delayed in the kitchen pouring wine for husband and mother-in-law). It was very cute and polite. She subsequently, however, reminded us how rigid four-year olds can be with rules. In the middle of dinner, I briefly got up to get a towel to clean water that Annika spilled and she commanded everyone to immediately stop eating until I returned. Everything is black or white with that kid.
Perhaps the best thing about vegan food is that it is low in calories so I don't have to feel guilty about my glass of wine as I turn my attention to The Biggest Loser. I'm still doing pretty darn good on calories for the day. Cheers!
Tonight I made two vegan dishes, courtesy of Peter Berley. Vegan is a little scary. But anything beats last night's dinner, which I spent on an airplane flying home much later than planned from a (work-related) day trip to Las Vegas. I instructed my husband to handle family dinner for him and Annika with the leftovers in the fridge. I assume they had a very nice family dinner because he didn't tell me otherwise. And I'm not asking (sort of a domestic "don't ask don't tell" policy).
On the menu for tonight: kasha casserole with root vegetables and mushrooms (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/recipe_of_the_w_49.php#) and celery and green apple salad with walnuts and a mustard vinaigrette (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Apple-and-Celery-Salad-with-Walnuts-and-Mustard-Vinaigrette-233139)
They were both quite yummy and the meal was surprisingly hearty. Particularly surprising because I forgot to add the chickpeas to the casserole. I had them, I saw that I was supposed to add them, I just spaced it. Same with the cumin. Completely forgot it. Yet the dish still turned out lovely. I guess that's why I prefer cooking to baking. You can forget a lot of stuff and it still tastes good. Try making a cake without - say - baking soda. Doesn't work so well. And yes, I know that from experience.
Annika is really taking the family dinner thing to heart. Today she proclaimed that nobody could eat until I was at the table with the family (I was delayed in the kitchen pouring wine for husband and mother-in-law). It was very cute and polite. She subsequently, however, reminded us how rigid four-year olds can be with rules. In the middle of dinner, I briefly got up to get a towel to clean water that Annika spilled and she commanded everyone to immediately stop eating until I returned. Everything is black or white with that kid.
Perhaps the best thing about vegan food is that it is low in calories so I don't have to feel guilty about my glass of wine as I turn my attention to The Biggest Loser. I'm still doing pretty darn good on calories for the day. Cheers!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 1 - Here We Go!
Happy New Year! Having stayed up past midnight to ring in the new year last night, which is three hours past my normal bedtime, I am quite lazy today. Add to that a refrigerator stocked full with leftovers and I was not highly motivated to make a real dinner tonight. But because it is the first day of the "year of the family dinner," I felt compelled to at least cook a side dish to jazz up the leftovers. Otherwise, what would have I have to write about on my blog? Wouldn't want to fail on my first official blogging day. See? The blog is already making me accountable! And I haven't even shared it with anyone yet (that one's still up in the air).
I settled on lemon lentil soup with spinach. It is from one of my favorite cook books - Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast. I also love another book of his - The Flexitarian Table, but those meals take much longer to prepare (each recipe features a meat and meatless option). Fresh Food Fast features vegetarian meals that can supposedly be made in an hour or less. I say "supposedly" because I'm pretty sure the time frame assumes that your prep work is already done (onions are chopped, carrots are sliced, ginger is grated, etc.). The prep work adds anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Both of Berley's books are divided by season so you are cooking with the produced that is in season at the time. That setup is fantastic for buying local organic ingredients, which I try to do. Another bonus to the Fresh Food Fast book is that it includes yummy desserts centered on seasonal fruits- no chocolate chip cookies here! The other cook book I use is Nigella Lawson's Kitchen. Unlike Berley, many of her meals are 30 minutes or less start to finish. They are thus perfect for weeknights. I often have to come up with my own vegetable accompaniments, though, as they are not included with the meals. I won't retype the recipes I use here, but if I can find a link to a recipe, I'll post it.
Which brings me back to lemon lentil soup with spinach: http://community.cookinglight.com/archive/index.php/t-98374.html. I served it with leftover buttermilk strata with mushrooms and leeks: http://captious.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/buttermilk-strata-with-mushrooms-and-leeks/ (yeah, I didn't know what a strata was either until I started cooking with Peter Berley - it is made with eggs, milk, and cheese, not unlike a quiche - although there are chunks of bread in there as well).
Both recipes are delicious. But "delicious" does not mean a four-year old will eat it. Four-year olds are tricky. When a four year-old tells you about her likes and dislikes, you should automatically add "today" to the end of her sentence. "I like my red shirt [today]." "I don't like Sophia [today]." "I like my cow Halloween costume [today]." Annika's food preferences are far more volatile than her even friend selections, which change dramatically with every playground slight (real or imagined). Today, the issues were mushrooms and spinach, both of which she claimed to hate despite having gobbled both down on several other occasions.
Conventional wisdom is to force your child to eat everything on her plate, regardless of whether she likes it or is hungry. But the "clean your plate" philosophy leads to overeating and an unhealthy relationship with food later in life. So that's out. Nor can I cater to the pickiness. I'll end up a short order cook (who has time for that?). Also, I want to develop her palate for healthy sophisticated food, which requires her to repeatedly sample a variety of foods. Instead of "clean your plate," I do "take X bites." She has to take one bite for every year of age of everything on her plate - four bites of each dish. That tends to work, but eight bites of dinner (four of strata, four of soup) is hardly filling. So tonight I tried something different. I told her to choose a number between four and twenty and that's the number of bites she'd have to take. I know what you're thinking - any logical creature would just take the lowest number of bites and get it over with quickly. Four-year olds, however, are not logical. Annika was so delighted to have autonomy that she chose ten, completely forgetting how much she "hates" both mushrooms and spinach. And then we counted those bites in Swedish, further distracting her from the actual food. It worked! No fights or tears at dinner. Well, other than four-month old, who - balanced precariously on my thigh because she utterly refused to sit in the bouncer - decided that she was tired of watching other people eat. Fortunately, Annika finished her ten bites just before Astrid truly erupted and I was able to rush back to the bedroom and nurse Astrid without too many baby tears. Perhaps starting solids and having the baby eat at the table with the family will simplify, rather than complicate, things. I guess we'll see.
For now, I am declaring January 1 a success. I am celebrating with a glass of sparkling wine. We ambitiously bought three bottles for new year's eve and barely consumed one before passing out from exhaustion last night. Cheers!
I settled on lemon lentil soup with spinach. It is from one of my favorite cook books - Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast. I also love another book of his - The Flexitarian Table, but those meals take much longer to prepare (each recipe features a meat and meatless option). Fresh Food Fast features vegetarian meals that can supposedly be made in an hour or less. I say "supposedly" because I'm pretty sure the time frame assumes that your prep work is already done (onions are chopped, carrots are sliced, ginger is grated, etc.). The prep work adds anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. Both of Berley's books are divided by season so you are cooking with the produced that is in season at the time. That setup is fantastic for buying local organic ingredients, which I try to do. Another bonus to the Fresh Food Fast book is that it includes yummy desserts centered on seasonal fruits- no chocolate chip cookies here! The other cook book I use is Nigella Lawson's Kitchen. Unlike Berley, many of her meals are 30 minutes or less start to finish. They are thus perfect for weeknights. I often have to come up with my own vegetable accompaniments, though, as they are not included with the meals. I won't retype the recipes I use here, but if I can find a link to a recipe, I'll post it.
Which brings me back to lemon lentil soup with spinach: http://community.cookinglight.com/archive/index.php/t-98374.html. I served it with leftover buttermilk strata with mushrooms and leeks: http://captious.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/buttermilk-strata-with-mushrooms-and-leeks/ (yeah, I didn't know what a strata was either until I started cooking with Peter Berley - it is made with eggs, milk, and cheese, not unlike a quiche - although there are chunks of bread in there as well).
Both recipes are delicious. But "delicious" does not mean a four-year old will eat it. Four-year olds are tricky. When a four year-old tells you about her likes and dislikes, you should automatically add "today" to the end of her sentence. "I like my red shirt [today]." "I don't like Sophia [today]." "I like my cow Halloween costume [today]." Annika's food preferences are far more volatile than her even friend selections, which change dramatically with every playground slight (real or imagined). Today, the issues were mushrooms and spinach, both of which she claimed to hate despite having gobbled both down on several other occasions.
Conventional wisdom is to force your child to eat everything on her plate, regardless of whether she likes it or is hungry. But the "clean your plate" philosophy leads to overeating and an unhealthy relationship with food later in life. So that's out. Nor can I cater to the pickiness. I'll end up a short order cook (who has time for that?). Also, I want to develop her palate for healthy sophisticated food, which requires her to repeatedly sample a variety of foods. Instead of "clean your plate," I do "take X bites." She has to take one bite for every year of age of everything on her plate - four bites of each dish. That tends to work, but eight bites of dinner (four of strata, four of soup) is hardly filling. So tonight I tried something different. I told her to choose a number between four and twenty and that's the number of bites she'd have to take. I know what you're thinking - any logical creature would just take the lowest number of bites and get it over with quickly. Four-year olds, however, are not logical. Annika was so delighted to have autonomy that she chose ten, completely forgetting how much she "hates" both mushrooms and spinach. And then we counted those bites in Swedish, further distracting her from the actual food. It worked! No fights or tears at dinner. Well, other than four-month old, who - balanced precariously on my thigh because she utterly refused to sit in the bouncer - decided that she was tired of watching other people eat. Fortunately, Annika finished her ten bites just before Astrid truly erupted and I was able to rush back to the bedroom and nurse Astrid without too many baby tears. Perhaps starting solids and having the baby eat at the table with the family will simplify, rather than complicate, things. I guess we'll see.
For now, I am declaring January 1 a success. I am celebrating with a glass of sparkling wine. We ambitiously bought three bottles for new year's eve and barely consumed one before passing out from exhaustion last night. Cheers!
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