Chicken Bouillabaisse

I haven’t posted in a while and am feeling a little rusty, but I didn’t want tonight’s dinner to go undocumented because it was absolutely gorgeous, healthy and fantastic. Every Sunday morning over coffee, Ben and I plan all of the meals for the upcoming week. I use a standing grocery list for breakfast and snacking staples, then we plot out every lunch and dinner, Sunday afternoon through Saturday afternoon. Some people think this seems like a lot of (high-maintenance) work, but a) I am not a particularly good pantry cook and b) we definitely eat better and try a lot more new things because we put this work in up front.

We peruse the calendar and, cookbooks in hand, plan around days when one of us won’t be here to help with dinner preparation (usually saving leftovers for those dinners). I’m also a big believer in hot, homemade lunch, so we have to plan for Sunday “secret cooking” for that, too. (Usually this entails making an extra pot of soup on Sunday afternoon for half of the week’s lunches).

Ben will be the first to tell you that he... intensely dislikes the weekly menu planning portion of our life (that one’s for you, Mom!). He knows it’s a crucial part of what makes this whole operation run smoothly, it’s just that he feels that he’s not much help in the process. So, he was thrilled that tonight’s new recipe was not only his choice but was also scrumptious.

Ben is not a shellfish lover (ha... the first two times I read through this I read it as “selfish lover”... ha!), so I’ve never attempted homemade bouillabaisse. But this was surprisingly easy and delicious, even without all of the traditional tasty fish and shellfish. Plus, when I looked this up after dinner, the recipe’s remarkably similar to Julia Child’s seafood bouillabaisse in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

To make this dish, I just created a simple broth of sautéed onion, thyme, saffron (a wee bit pricey, but worth it), long strips of orange peel, diced tomatoes, broth and white wine, then threw in some bone-in, skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks. I stuck it in the oven, covered, for an hour and wow! The whole house was filled with a tantalizing aroma, the chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and the broth had a remarkably dynamic flavor for so few ingredients.

I served this with baguette slices I’d brushed with olive oil, broiled and then rubbed with halved garlic cloves—Joseph absolutely devoured his toast, and Sophia loved hers so much she cried real tears when I told her she couldn’t have any more! I also roasted organic fingerling potatoes (also great dipped in the broth) and tossed together a salad of organic baby arugula with tomatoes, cucumber and hearts of palm and a red wine and balsamic vinaigrette.

The only reason this is a four-star recipe is that it wants a bit of fennel bulb or a splash of Pernod next time (both recommended in the “Reviews” section of this recipe on epicurious).

This all sounds like a lot of work, but it really wasn’t. The recipe calls for you to bake the bouillabaisse for 45 minutes; because I was also putting potatoes in the oven, I baked it for an hour and threw the potatoes (tossed with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper) in the oven at the 30 minute mark. It all came out perfectly cooked!

By the way, the whole time I’ve been working on this, I’ve had Gene Autry’s “Back in the Saddle Again” in my head. Hope that’s true... I’ve missed this!

Breakfast for Dinner

My people are tired. My people are run-down. My people are at the ends of their proverbial ropes and, frankly, not that much fun to be around. To be fair, I count myself among them. When I headed to the store at 3:45 this afternoon, it was with simple comfort food in mind to maybe soothe the souls of my overworked, buried-in-grading husband, my end-of-the-preschool-week, one-too-many play dates, exhausted daughter and my own anxious self. So, what comfort food did I turn to? Mashers? Soup? Breakfast!

I have a wonderful old friend who works at my neighborhood Vitamin Cottage with whom I always chit-chat when I stop in. She teases me now because on at least two occasions I’ve gone in the store to buys eggs, filled up my basket and gotten home with no eggs. So, every time I see her, she reminds me: “Don’t forget the eggs!”

Eureka! If you can’t cheer people up with breakfast for dinner, I thought, then they just cannot be pleased. So, I whipped up a batch of organic blueberry pancakes (I use the Arrowhead Mills Multigrain mix) with butter and real maple syrup. At the same time, I sautéed some organic baby spinach in a bit of butter, then added beaten eggs, bacon left over from a quiche earlier in the week and diced organic tomato. The kids finished the meal with plain organic goat yogurt—Joseph has discovered he loves this and kept yelling “bipes!” (bites!) at Sophia, who was feeding him. Seriously adorable.

By the end of dinner, we were all grooving to Johnny Mathis Christmas music and in a much better place emotionally. Something to keep in my back pocket for the next time my frazzled family needs an extra touch of culinary comfort.

Tortellini with Prosciutto and Spinach

How have I missed this recipe in the past six months? I just feel certain I’ve made this before, since it’s once of my easy and healthy quickie dinner recipes from Cooking Light. The first time we had this, I actually think Ben made it, and we now think of it as “his pasta,” even though I’m sure I’ve made it more now than he has. So fast, so flavorful, so little cooking. Gorgeous in a big white bowl.

I make it with frozen tortellini, and use about a pound, rather than use the packaged refrigerator ones—it’s much more cost effective. I also at least double the spinach, and use the really good imported Prosciutto di Parma. Since I’m not using more than three or four ounces for two meals, it’s worth it to splurge on the yummy stuff.

I love that this meal requires very little prep and very little cooking, but nets a meal that is chock-full of a very healthy veggie, is filling for everyone and bursting with flavor. Apparently Sophia ate a HUGE bowl of it last night (I was off getting a massage... yeah me!)

Seriously, how could you possibly go wrong with the three Ps: pine nuts, prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano?

YUM!

Tangy Lentil & Chickpea Soup Recipe

Apparently everyone loves lentils as much as we do. I’ve had several requests for this recipe, which is featured in the September 2009 issue of O Magazine. For some reason the recipe’s not up on their site yet, so I’ve included it below.

2 tsp. olive oil

¾ cup chopped celery

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 large yellow potato, peeled and diced [I didn’t peel it, since so many nutrients are in the skin]

1 tsp. mild curry powder

1 tsp. ground turmeric

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup dried and rinsed lentils (preferably red) [I used whatever I had on hand]

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well-rinsed and drained

1 tsp. salt

juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional) [skipped this time, will probably do some time]

Place olive oil in large pot over medium heat; sauté celery, onions and potatoes, along with curry powder, turmeric and cinnamon, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add canned tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add 8 cups of water and the lentils, chickpeas and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour (check that there is enough liquid; add 1 extra cup of water if necessary).

Just before serving, add lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and cilantro, if using.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Catherine S. Katz, PhD, coauthor of Dr. David Katz’s Flavor-Full Diet.

Tangy Lentil & Chickpea Soup

Seriously, what is it about soup? Soup is one of my absolute favorite healthy lunches, and I just love to prepare it. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and here’s what I’ve come up with: for me, making homemade soup is the closest I come to starring in my own cooking show.

Here’s what I mean. When I make soup, I do all my mise en place first: chop chop chop, mince mince mince, measure seasonings into little ramekins, open cans, rinse beans, etc. It’s one of the few times I’m not multitasking in the kitchen. Once my mise en place is complete, then I get to just stand at the stove and sauté, stir and savor the beautiful colors, textures and smells. Then, once everything’s in the pot... simmer! Which is when we take a commercial break and walk away from the stove for an hour or so. Buzzer beeps and I have a colorful, nutritious, hearty one-dish meal. Love it! It really is the most satisfying meal to create.

So, this week’s soup I found in O Magazine. I would have been skeptical if I hadn’t already made something else scrumptious from O (banana walnut muffins). I absolutely loved this recipe. Despite turmeric, curry powder and cinnamon, the soup isn’t overly curry-ish. The addition of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar once the soup has simmered gives it a subtle tang, and the combination of garbanzos and lentils lends a hearty texture. I made the recipe as written, but next time I’m adding a carrot or two. What’s a big soup without carrots? This meal was just lovely and delicious. One funny note: the recipe says it makes six servings. For whom? Linebackers? We got eight to 10.

Despite the not-too-curryish nature of the soup, I did serve them with my favorite new discovery: Rotiland brand Roti-Chapati (in the refrigerated section at Costco). Just throw them on a hot griddle (I used a nonstick skillet) for about 30 seconds a side and they’re just wonderful, lightly browned and just a bit puffed up. I often grapple with what to serve when I make Indian food, because I haven’t yet tackled bread making, and the rice, raita and curry components of the meal are already a lot of prep work. These are a great new find to round out those meals.

Oh, and speaking of lentils. I had the most amazing warm lentil salad with tomato and dill last night at the Montessori back-to-preschool picnic. These events seem to bring out the best in home cooks, and last night was no exception. I told Rudi, Jack B.’s mom, that it was so good I just wanted to kiss her! (Do you imagine she found that alarming?) Here’s the recipe. My people should expect to see it in heavy rotation soon!

Tomato & Grilled Bread Salad & Julie & Julia

I made this for Ben (with another buffalo New York strip steak, to which I will be addicted exactly as long as Whole Foods has them on sale) to celebrate his last official night of vacation. I could not have chosen a better menu—this dish perfectly captures the many flavors of summer. Incidentally, it’s also an ideal use for day-old bread.

We grilled up some sourdough slices, then cubed them and tossed them with tomatoes, basil, cucumber and red wine vinaigrette. The salad is just beautiful to look at, so colorful, and is a great starch/veggie combo to round out the meal. What’s so odd about this dish is that it tastes as though the toasts were rubbed with a garlic clove before being added to the salad... it has a delicious garlic-y tang. Yet, no garlic. It’s almost like bruschetta salad... oooh, Kalamata olives would be excellent in it. Yes, I’ll add those next time. Good idea (she said modestly to herself).

The only reason this is a four-star dish instead of five stars is because it seems almost impossible to not over-grill the bread, which leaves it a little crispy. Otherwise, it couldn’t be simpler or yummier (except, perhaps, with the aforementioned olives).

We had forgotten about this dish somehow, which is sort of sad, since it’s so easy and lovely and scrumptious. Not sure what sparked my memory... perhaps a discussion of gazpachos and other uses of stale bread? Regardless, even though summer is coming to a close, I say better late than never.

p.s. I saw Julie & Julia Saturday afternoon with Alison, then savored the most delicious French feast, al fresco, at À Côté, the bar attached to Z Cuisine Parisian Bistro in Denver. The movie was so inspiring it brought tears to my eyes and made me long for a calling. The food was so gorgeous and delicious that I will be returning there again. Soon. Very soon.

Pasta with Chopping-Board Pistachio Pesto

This dish was a huge surprise in its short journey from cutting board to tabletop to fork. I was drawn to this because, as the authors point out in the recipe introduction, “You do it all with your trusty knife and one pot.” That’s an appealing proposition in and of itself, and then I looked at the ingredient list and was definitely in: you literally just chop up the pesto on the cutting board, mixing salt and pepper, garlic, scallion tops (or chives), basil, red onion and pistachios. Easy as can be. You even stir in the olive oil right there on the cutting board. I don’t know why, but this seemed somehow radical... no Cuisinart required? Cook some linguine (I used whole grain by Barilla for added nutritional punch) and stir in some pasta water and Asiago with the pesto and dinner is done. Probably took 30 minutes, tops.

So, where was the surprise? Once the pasta cooked, I sautéed a bit of red onion and then heated the pesto before tossing with the noodles and cheese. The pesto smelled phenomenal on the cutting board and was a beautiful, almost technicolor green. However, it seemed scant when tossed in with a pound of pasta, even after adding pasta water. As I carried it from the countertop to the table, and as I dished up plates, I was already rewriting the recipe for next time—double the pesto and stir in the Asiago gradually, so it doesn’t clump (I would actually do this next time). As I twirled, there was very little pesto clinging to the noodles, and I feared a mostly bland dinner.

First bite... wow! Huge flavor! It tastes as if each strand is gently coated in the essence of the pesto, with the occasional bite loaded with herbs and pistachio and cheese for greater intensity. Looks were very deceiving, and the dish was just wonderful, bursting with flavor despite the pesto to pasta ratio.

Next time, I’ll cut the garlic by half. Since the garlic is never cooked, it leaves that raw garlic taste in the mouth, which I can do without. Ben and I both thought it would be even better served with a little protein like roasted salmon or grilled chicken and shrimp. The pesto would actually make an incredible topping for roasted salmon.

I loved being so surprised by this dish, loved being wrong about how it would taste. This is a wonderful, inventive dinner that comes together quickly and easily, doesn't make a huge mess in the kitchen and would pair nicely with a range of simple proteins. This is definitely my new favorite cookbook!

Cooking on the Road: Creamy Orzo

I am woefully behind in posting because Ben and I took Joseph and Sophia on “vacation” for two weeks to Chicago and Indianapolis. Why the quotation marks? For the uninitiated, traveling with two children under five is in no way relaxing, which I think the term vacation implies. Not that there weren’t delightful pockets of fun, but we came home spent and are slowly recharging our batteries. However, one of the more relaxing evenings we did have on the trip was spent cooking in a foreign kitchen after a trip to a foreign Whole Foods Market. The result—four-star, soon to be five-star, creamy orzo from Giada.

After eating delicious wedding food and our body weight in stuffed Chicago-style pizza (Art of Pizza!), we were in serious need of basic, homemade dinner. So, we Google-mapped the nearest Whole Foods to Nick and Leslie’s gorgeous West Loop condo (with well-stocked kitchen) and experimented with a new recipe from one of Leslie’s Giada De Laurenttis cookbooks. It’s always more fun to cook in someone else’s kitchen... I love rummaging through cabinets and drawers for cheese graters, paring knives and hot pads (never could find these).

The resultant dinner, Creamy Orzo, was perfect for my overtired, short-on-veggies family. It’s a simple dish with a sauce made from shallots, diced tomatoes (will double next time), cream and peas (we tripled). I’ve never cooked with orzo before, and I feared it wouldn’t feel filling because it’s so wee, but it was lovely, with a very nice texture, and perfectly satisfying. We will definitely make this again, and I think it will be a five-star dinner once we double the tomatoes. Thank you to Nick and Leslie for the beautiful kitchen-away-from-home!

Easy Pot Roast with Rich Tomato Gravy

When Sophia was an infant, my mom bought me a Crock-Pot, knowing as all moms know that the easiest time of day to get anything done in the kitchen is mid-morning, particularly once your baby graduates from the sleeping-around-the-clock stage. Joseph is four months old now, so it seems a fitting time to dust off the old slow cooker. And, because Ben swears he doesn’t like beef, I decided to start with a wonderful pot roast recipe. Call me a sadist, but I secretly love serving him beef dishes I know he’ll enjoy. 

Here’s what I love about this recipe: the meat gets fall-apart tender, the gravy is delicious, and, if you leave the carrots and celery in large enough chunks, they're still intact and scrumptious after hours in the slow cooker. It probably took 20 minutes to prep this recipe in the morning, and it filled the house with the most tempting, savory, homey smell. 

Here’s where I went wrong: when given several options at the butcher, I foolishly chose the leanest pot roast they had, with really no marbling to speak of. Ergo, the roast was still a little... stringy, kind of like pulled pork. Next time I’ll pick something in the middle of the lean-to-fatty range, because I know my pot roast has been more tender in the past.

I served this with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and a mixed green salad with Mom’s celery seed dressing. Perfect! The crispy little potato cubes are delicious dipped in the rich tomato gravy. Sophia wants mashed potatoes with it next time, but I’m not so sure. There’s something so divine about the juxtaposition of the rich, creamy sauce, the tender meat and veggies and the crispy little potato bites.

On the “not eating beef” front, Ben happily ate plates of this, so it was sufficiently delicious to push him beyond his objections. Wonderful, soothing comfort food for the end of a hectic, stressful week!

Blueberry Muffins

As you may have gathered from previous posts, I try to provide snack for Sophia’s preschool class once a month. In the Montessori world, snack is actually a “work”—students serve themselves that day’s snack on glass plates, pour themselves juice or water into little glasses, join their friends at a table to eat, then clean up their dishes. It’s adorable.

For whatever reason, and probably because of where we live and my own attitudes about food, I feel self-imposed pressure for snack to be creative, delicious and healthy. It’s a huge Earth Mama no-no to bring sweets... no cupcakes, chocolate, etc. In fact, when students have their birthday celebrations at school, those snacks are supposed to be healthy, too (read: not too sugary). 

Sophia is enamored with mini-muffins, so I finally broke down and bought two mini-muffin pans. The beauty of the mini-muffin, I’ve discovered, is that a single recipe for 12 regular muffins makes 48 minis, perfect for little hands. 

We girls have been experimenting with muffin recipes all year, and, for those of you who bake (I am a super-novice), you’ll relate to our dilemma. Every recipe to date is either too buttery and greasy, but moist, or not buttery enough and dry. Since we had such amazing luck with the Irish-American soda bread recipe from the King Arthur Flour recipe site, I thought I’d give their blueberry muffins a try.

The result: delicious but not too sweet muffins that are moist but not too buttery. Pretty perfect! The main reason they get a four-star rating is because mini-muffins are always a bit dry compared to regular-sized muffins, and because I forgot (as I always do) to sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar. Next time we’ll try a bit of turbinado and cinnamon on top, and I bet they’ll be perfect.

Kiddos are having this snack for Earth Day, and I look forward to a report on their reception. Honestly, though, what kid doesn’t like blueberry muffins? Sophia’s also sharing organic carrot sticks, because you have to have something “healthy” with every snack. Seriously, I’m not sure how I did it, but even if she’s having a cookie or a bit of dark chocolate for bedtime snack, she’ll insist on something healthy to accompany it. Not that I mind, but is anyone else’s kid like this? Love it!

Black Bean Enchiladas à la The New York Times

Again, big debate on star rating. Ben, Eryc, Sophia and I landed on four stars, but it’s soon to be a five with a few modifications. I got this recipe from the “Recipes for Health” series on The New York Times. It caught my eye because you make your own black beans, which I’ve always wanted to learn to do, then make the enchiladas the next day. While there are several steps to putting this dish together, requiring at least 24 hours of advance planning, no step is very time-consuming and the end result was delicious. In fact, the only reason this wasn’t a five-star recipe right away is because we would all tweak it slightly.

After soaking the beans overnight, I cooked them with onion, garlic, cilantro and salt for a few hours to make a flavorful, thick bean sauce. I finished the simmered black beans in the morning, then put together the enchiladas around 3:30 for 5:00 dinner after dying Easter eggs.

To make the enchiladas, I puréed the beans a bit, them simmered them with some whole cumin seeds and chili powder (used my immersion blender, so puréeing was a breeze). While the beans thickened, I was supposed to soften my corn tortillas in a delicious homemade enchilada sauce of tomato sauce, olive oil, more cumin and more chili powder. Well, my corn tortillas were extremely fresh, probably 30 minutes old and still warm from the neighborhood tortilleria. The first one I put in the simmering sauce disintegrated in about 10 seconds. So, I simply dipped the tortillas in warm sauce on a plate to coat lightly, filled them with black beans and white cheddar and rolled them up.

To finish, I topped them with extra black bean sauce, extra cheese and, strangely, chopped walnuts. These seemed odd, but they were actually delicious and added nice crunch. After baking, I added a bit of chopped cilantro for color and served with slices of fresh avocado, Aunt Jennifer’s homemade salsa (which we’d made the night before... so garlicky good) and Pacificos (thank you, Eryc!).

The enchiladas were delicious, to be sure, but could have been a bit more dynamic. After dinner, as we ate the pieces of the first saucy, disintegrated tortilla, we decided that next time we’d quadruple the sauce recipe and, instead of topping the rolled enchiladas with more beans, we’d pour the extra sauce over the top and then sprinkle with cheese and walnuts. I’m eager to try these changes, because I think the result will be scrumptious. Look for another enchilada post soon.

Bacon, Broccoli, Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Emmenthaler Crustless Quiche

My first repeat, which I first made on February 24. This evening’s version had leftover bacon (of course) and steamed broccoli, with the new addition of roasted red bell pepper (yum) and Emmenthaler (honestly, because it’s cheaper than Gruyère... note to self: not as flavorful). I made this at 2:00 because everyone was happily sleeping, or at least quiet in his or her room, and it seemed like my best window. Does anyone else make dinner that early? Important survival tactic, I think, if you want homemade dinner every night and are surrounded by needy small people. Made early or on time, still tasty and very satisfying. 

Baking Powder Drop Biscuits

I whipped these together this morning for breakfast for Benji and me, and took the leftovers to Eryc and Sophia for afternoon snack. This is a classic recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, which my mother bought me years ago. However, I have used this page so many times that it has fallen out and is gone forever, so I’m forced to find it online at epicurious.

I don’t have the patience to roll out biscuit dough, so I make the drop biscuit variation, which are wonderfully easy and tasty. They have a light, fluffy texture and a hint of sweetness. We topped them with the last few drops of a delicious floral honey that Alison brought me from Provence seven or eight years ago. Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly what kind of honey it was because Ben scorched the label in the microwave, so now all we can read is “miel” and “fleurs.”

The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute butter (yum) for shortening (yuck). What a great way to start spring break!

New-Style Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

I’m not sure I can explain the sudden interest in pudding. To be perfectly frank, I don’t even like pudding that much... too creamy and smooth, like yogurt and ice cream. These things need chunks to be good. In our house, we describe this feeling about a particular food as, “I like it, but it’s not my favorite.” This is Sophia’s verbiage, which we all seem to have adopted. Amazingly, I have never heard her say that she just flat-out doesn’t like something. I will have messed up lots of things, but food I’ve done well!

Regardless of my feelings about smooth foods, we all seem to have a mighty sweet tooth this winter (sweet teeth?), and the ingredients in pudding are largely pantry items. Ergo, my second attempt this month at homemade pudding.

Today’s pudding recipe is courtesy Bon Appétit magazine and is a low-fat, healthy version of traditional chocolate pudding. Thus the “new-style” I suppose. First, a few ingredient notes: I used 2% organic milk, instead of 1%, because that’s what we had on hand, and I used Droste Dutch-processed cocoa.

I made this for afternoon snack for Ben and Sophia, and they both gave it four stars. We ate it warm out of the pan, and Ben contends it will be five-star pudding later cold out of the fridge. 

My feeling is four stars either way. The texture is wonderfully silky and smooth, and it was very simple and easy. Foolproof, you might say. However, the flavor smacks too much of cocoa powder and not enough of chocolate. Surely you’ve had the experience of mixing up a cup of hot cocoa using cocoa powder, Hershey’s or otherwise, and finding it insufficiently chocolate-y. I think I’d prefer the splurge of real dark chocolate. However, this was an easy and light treat, so I’m sure it will make its way back into circulation one day.

Flash Chicken Sauté with Cider and Almonds, Brussels Sprouts & Yukon Gold Potatoes

To encourage myself to introduce more variety into our meals, I’ve been keeping one cookbook I want to cook from more on the dining room table (along with the food dictionary, which is crucial for the inevitable food questions that arise, like what exactly is a tangelo?).

If you know me at all, you’ll understand that this is a huge personal challenge for me, because I like everything in its place, and books don’t live on the dining room table. Anyway... during meals, I flip through the chosen book as we chit chat, and together Sophia and I choose something new we’d like to try.

This is the most recent recipe selected by Sophia from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper. I suspect she picked it because in the picture, the chicken is featured with fresh green beans. Green beans aren’t in season yet, so I instead served roasted Brussels sprouts (don’t knock ’em if you haven’t tried ’em) and roasted Yukon gold potatoes, which were delightfully crispy and perfect for soaking up extra pan sauce.

The recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but out of frugality I instead used organic boneless skinless thighs. This substitution necessitated additional cooking time, but otherwise the flavor was still excellent. The pan sauce, which you make from reduced chicken broth, cider vinegar and butter was simple yet delicious, and the final product was topped with a sprinkling of coarse chopped roasted, salted almonds. Yum! I declared after dinner that I now want everything with cider pan sauce and almonds! Actually, come to think of it, this is the second recipe I’ve written about featuring cider pan sauce. Perhaps this is becoming a thing?

The only reason the dish didn’t get five stars is that the sauce is still very thin, even after reduction. Next time, I'll either reduce the chicken broth more up front or let the finished sauce reduce further before adding the butter. Otherwise, this was flavorful, with a rich yet lively sauce. Seems kind of “fancy” for a weeknight dinner, but was actually quick and easy.

Homemade Butterscotch Pudding

This afternoon Sophia and I were reading a children’s magazine, and there was a picture of a little girl with her kitten, named Butterscotch. This, of course, got us to talking about food, and we realized that a) we had no idea what butterscotch was and b) Sophia had never had butterscotch pudding.

Fast forward several hours... the kids are in bed and I’m casually looking up butterscotch pudding on epicurious, curious myself about its key components. Faster than you can say J-E-L-L-O, Ben’s out on a late-night grocery run for heavy cream and whole milk. [Full disclosure: this “late-night” run was at 7:00 PM... remember, we’re tired new parents!]

The resultant pudding was absolutely sinfully delicious! Nothing like boxed butterscotch pudding, the flavor was much more subtle and yet rich. It was remarkably easy, and I thought tasted like the very best things about cookie dough... brown sugar, butter and vanilla! We couldn’t even wait for the pudding to cool, but ate it immediately while it was still warm (yum!).

I have to say, this is only my second time making pudding from scratch, but it’s so easy, I wonder at the popularity of boxed mixes. It took all of 10 minutes (not including the grocery run!). 

And, yes, there is plenty leftover in the fridge for Sophia to sample Friday.

Black Beans & Rice

There are very few things that I make without a recipe... I’m just more comfortable and have more fun in the kitchen without the pressure of having to be inventive. This is one of the few things I just whipped up one night and continue to make with whatever I have around.

For this dish, I prepare jasmine rice, then add chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice while the rice is still warm. I serve the rice with canned black beans that I’ve rinsed and seasoned with cumin, garlic powder and salt. Tonight, I had some extra pieces of smoked ham, so I added those to the beans.

We usually have some mild picante sauce on top, and I served the beans and rice with steamed broccoli. A staple dish that is simple, inexpensive and full of fresh flavors.

Bacon, Broccoli & Gruyère Crustless Quiche

This is a perennial favorite in our household. I probably make this once a month, usually as a vehicle for leftover bacon. (How we manage to have leftover bacon is a mystery!). 

I’ve adapted this over time from the original recipe in the 1997 Joy of Cooking, my favorite resource cookbook (a controversial rewrite of the original Joy). I make the bacon Alison’s way (15-20 minutes at 400 degrees on a foil-lined baking sheet) and steam the broccoli for three minutes some time mid-afternoon so that the dish can come together quickly for an easy dinner.

Authentic Gruyère is essential. I’ve finally learned that it’s always worth the money to spring for “real” cheeses... they impart so much more flavor and you subsequently need less of it. 

This dish is tasty comfort food and never fails to satisfy. It's also at least somewhat healthier than quiche with the (yummy) crust.