My birthday's next week, and that means I get to make my cake and eat it too! Sweet! I'm looking forward to a low-key pre-birthday weekend of relaxing (since my actual birthday is on a Monday - booo!), but, if nothing else, I insist on a cake. There is nothing wrong with a bakery-bought cake, but I'm looking forward to finally having the chance to bake something myself.
In recent years, I made a white cake with raspberry filling and icing, a yellow cake with milk chocolate icing, and a spice cake with cream cheese frosting. This year I'm thinking a lemon cake, maybe with a cherry icing or filling, too. The last time I can recall that I made a lemon layer cake I was following a recipe from Southern Living for a lemon meringue cake. It was a near disaster, due to a classic case of not reading the recipe all the way through. It was after 1 a.m. by the time the cake layers had cooled (on a work night). When it came time to assemble the cake itself, I put the bottom cake layer on my tupperware cake stand, frosted it, added the next layer, and now, time to do the meringue. Let's see, turn the page to see the final step of the recipe, and...WHAT THE F*CK?! I'm supposed to have it on an oven-proof cake stand so that I can apply the meringue and then BAKE the finished cake so the meringue browns? Um. Who thought that up? Who has an oven-proof cake stand?! Recipe FAIL. I was able to save it from total disaster by whipping up a buttercream and throwing that on top, but it certainly wasn't the lemon meringue cake I had hoped for.
Btw, since then, folks have come up with much more sensible approaches to a lemon meringue cake, including this beauty from Food & Wine. Or these sweet little cupcakes from Our Share of the Harvest. Nevertheless, it's not a lemon meringue cake I'm after here - I'll save that for some other time. It's a lemon layer cake. I'm thinking I might use this recipe from Fine Cooking as my base, maybe using the lemon curd to decorate the icing instead of as a filling, since I'm craving a cherry or berry filling here.
I've had awful lemon cakes before - where the cake itself is dry, making the cake seem stale. There are the ones that lack true lemony flavor. Or the ones that get the cake texture or flavor right but then get topped with gobs of frosting that's way too sugary, ruining the whole effect. And it's a layer cake I'm after, not a lemon pound cake with a sugar glaze. So if you know of a good recipe, let me know! Otherwise, I'll let you know how the adapted Fine Cooking one comes out.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Operation Vegetables
We have been trying to eat a bit healthier. I tend to be vegetarian when left to my own devices, with a bit of chicken or seafood thrown in the mix from time to time. Josh is not a complete meat-potatoes kind of guy, but he is not a fan of most vegetables. It has been a multi-year challenge to slowly expand his vegetable palette. Sometimes I feel like this is a controlling way to approach food and my marriage. Its a fine line between wife and mother when you're telling someone to eat their vegetables. Creepy.
I'm not trying to do get him to eat vegetables for his health (although that is a positive side effect). Its mostly a selfish effort on my part, because I like to eat vegetables and I don't like cooking multiple options for just the two of us. I've been trying to cook a variety of vegetables, then let him try them at his leisure, and possibly incorporate them into the stuff he likes to cook.
Josh has discovered that he loves marinating various meats and then grilling them with vegetables -- success! Last weekend, we didn't have a red pepper to grill with this recipe, and I even heard him request it for next time. He makes up his marinades every time, but this one was so good, I wrote it down. It has a fair amount of salt, but it brines the chicken a bit while its marinating.
Josh's Delicious Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs
Marinade:
Lime zest
1 t salt
3 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t sugar
dash mesquite seasoning
dash garlic salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
Vegetables:
Red onion, cut into chunks
Red pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
Small red potatoes (optional) (if using, cook for 5-7 minutes in microwave before skewering)
Combine all marinade ingredients with chicken. Marinate for at least 30 minutes
Toss all veggies with 1 T of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Skewer chicken on metal or wood kabobs, alternating with onions, peppers, and potatoes if using.
Grill until done, turning the skewers frequently to ensure even browning.
I'm not trying to do get him to eat vegetables for his health (although that is a positive side effect). Its mostly a selfish effort on my part, because I like to eat vegetables and I don't like cooking multiple options for just the two of us. I've been trying to cook a variety of vegetables, then let him try them at his leisure, and possibly incorporate them into the stuff he likes to cook.
Josh has discovered that he loves marinating various meats and then grilling them with vegetables -- success! Last weekend, we didn't have a red pepper to grill with this recipe, and I even heard him request it for next time. He makes up his marinades every time, but this one was so good, I wrote it down. It has a fair amount of salt, but it brines the chicken a bit while its marinating.
Josh's Delicious Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs
Marinade:
Lime zest
1 t salt
3 T olive oil
1 t balsamic vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t sugar
dash mesquite seasoning
dash garlic salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
Vegetables:
Red onion, cut into chunks
Red pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
Small red potatoes (optional) (if using, cook for 5-7 minutes in microwave before skewering)
Combine all marinade ingredients with chicken. Marinate for at least 30 minutes
Toss all veggies with 1 T of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Skewer chicken on metal or wood kabobs, alternating with onions, peppers, and potatoes if using.
Grill until done, turning the skewers frequently to ensure even browning.
In response to being sick.
Have you tried this one? Its from Real Simple, and uses stuff that you have around OR is easily replaceable. I made it last time I was really sick, and used tofu or something like that instead. It isn't as flavorful as the real thing, but does the trick in a pinch. I'm the same way -- I like something spicy, warm, and soupy when I'm sick.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Eating When You're Sick
Millie has been ill lately, and though she seems to be on the mend, now Michael and I each have different iterations of some funk, too. Basically, at least one of us has been sick at any given time, pretty much since Labor Day. It's to be expected - the baby's in daycare, and there's lots of germs going around. Luckily, so far, anyway, at least Michael and I have managed to alternate being REALLY sick, one at a time. But it begs the question: what to make when you're sick?
I don't feel like eating much at all, but I do associate being sick with chicken soup (thanks, Mom!). And when I've got a bad cold, especially, I find myself craving Tom Yum soup. It's a flavorful, spicy, aromatic Thai soup that is both tasty, and, I'm convinced, therapeutic from the chicken broth and spices and herbs. I've always had it with chicken and shrimp, but from the recipes I've come across, it seems like you can substitute just about any protein you want. I've never made it myself, so I'd asked my friend Duan for a recipe, if she had a good one, since she's Thai and makes all kinds of yummy things. She sent me this one from Allrecipes with her additions of adding some Thai chilis for heat, and dropping in a tablespoon or two of coconut milk at the end to make it a little creamy. I think this one looks more along the lines of the only kind I've had and the kind I had in mind, though. The only problem is I have absolutely zero of the ingredients on hand for either one - Galangal? Seriously? I mean, I get it. If you want to make the authentic recipe, you gotta use the authentic ingredients. But as much as I think some spicy chicken soup might help right now, I really, REALLY don't feel like going to the market, nevermind the stinky Asian market. (Seriously, it smells. It's the only place I publicly tossed my cookies when I was pregnant and had morning sickness.) So til I summon the energy and health to go to the Asian market, I might just get some Tom Yum takeout from the Thai place near us...
I don't feel like eating much at all, but I do associate being sick with chicken soup (thanks, Mom!). And when I've got a bad cold, especially, I find myself craving Tom Yum soup. It's a flavorful, spicy, aromatic Thai soup that is both tasty, and, I'm convinced, therapeutic from the chicken broth and spices and herbs. I've always had it with chicken and shrimp, but from the recipes I've come across, it seems like you can substitute just about any protein you want. I've never made it myself, so I'd asked my friend Duan for a recipe, if she had a good one, since she's Thai and makes all kinds of yummy things. She sent me this one from Allrecipes with her additions of adding some Thai chilis for heat, and dropping in a tablespoon or two of coconut milk at the end to make it a little creamy. I think this one looks more along the lines of the only kind I've had and the kind I had in mind, though. The only problem is I have absolutely zero of the ingredients on hand for either one - Galangal? Seriously? I mean, I get it. If you want to make the authentic recipe, you gotta use the authentic ingredients. But as much as I think some spicy chicken soup might help right now, I really, REALLY don't feel like going to the market, nevermind the stinky Asian market. (Seriously, it smells. It's the only place I publicly tossed my cookies when I was pregnant and had morning sickness.) So til I summon the energy and health to go to the Asian market, I might just get some Tom Yum takeout from the Thai place near us...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Breaking Bread
Your last post about the pleasures of making bread? No arguments here. There is something so rewarding about the patience it takes waiting for it to proof and rise, the restraint it takes to not overknead it, and the smell of baking bread wafting through the house. The first time I made bread, I made attempted rolls for Thanksgiving. Related: if you're ever going to make something for the first time ever, Thanksgiving, and especially Thanksgiving when you're the host is *not* the time to do it. They were AWFUL. I had no idea what I was doing. Fortunately, that was 12 years ago, and I've improved since then. And, perhaps equally important, I know my limits. I still won't attempt Julia Child's croissants.
One of the places I get bread-baking inspiration is The Fresh Loaf. Now you would think that since I have very little time for baking these days, I might be baking lots of bread, especially since doing nothing at all can make the best bread. But you would be wrong. The thing is my best shot at a window for bread making is first thing in the morning before Millie gets up, and at that hour, I find myself stumbling blindly into the kitchen for coffee rather than reaching for the stand mixer.
I didmake prepare a bread recently, inspired by Food52's Grilled Bread with Thyme Pesto, to go with some pasta. (Because we needed a giant side of carbs to go with our main dish carbs. But, boy, was it yummy.) So here's my adapted recipe:
1 loaf crusty bread
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 T melted butter
2 T roasted red peppers, chopped (we get whole roasted red peppers at Trader Joe's in a jar, but you could easily roast your own peppers, then chop)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1 T basil (I should point out that if I had had fresh basil, I would've used about 1/4 c of that instead)
parsley
Heat oven to 400. Mix together the oil, butter, roasted red peppers, vinegar, salt, oregano, and basil together.
Heat thick-cut slices of bread (toast to your desired level). Immediately upon removing from the oven, spread with the red pepper garlic mixture. Garnish with parsley. Voila!
One of the places I get bread-baking inspiration is The Fresh Loaf. Now you would think that since I have very little time for baking these days, I might be baking lots of bread, especially since doing nothing at all can make the best bread. But you would be wrong. The thing is my best shot at a window for bread making is first thing in the morning before Millie gets up, and at that hour, I find myself stumbling blindly into the kitchen for coffee rather than reaching for the stand mixer.
I did
1 loaf crusty bread
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 T melted butter
2 T roasted red peppers, chopped (we get whole roasted red peppers at Trader Joe's in a jar, but you could easily roast your own peppers, then chop)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1 T basil (I should point out that if I had had fresh basil, I would've used about 1/4 c of that instead)
parsley
Heat oven to 400. Mix together the oil, butter, roasted red peppers, vinegar, salt, oregano, and basil together.
Heat thick-cut slices of bread (toast to your desired level). Immediately upon removing from the oven, spread with the red pepper garlic mixture. Garnish with parsley. Voila!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Bubble-top Brioches
I've been thinking about your post about the importance of family home-cooked meals, and how you feel lucky that your parents have passed that tradition on to you. My parents passed that on to me as well. There weren't very many nights that we sat down to have dinner together -- it was expected. Now, as a childless person, I am far from the authority on these matters, but it seems to me that a family tradition like eating together trumps all the other weird eating habits that we may or may not have. I mean, if she grows up thinking that peppermint patties are their own course, what's the harm?
I finished my first week of work at the new job, and I feel very much like a fish out of water. It hit me on Friday that this was my life...this is my job, this is my commute, this is the house I come to (for now)...etc. Living in SLC felt suddenly permanent. Good news is that I'm the same cook/baker that I've always been, and somehow food, in this case, is providing me some sense of sameness, and that feels good.
Enter Bubble-top Brioches, from the wonderful Dorie Greenspan. I've made this a few times, and they turn out delicious and comforting. They also make breadmaking pretty easy and straightforward. I really like making bread. Waiting for the yeast to rise makes me feel calm, and I love seeing results incrementally through each step of the recipe. I feel a bit Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sidenote: I felt 'meh' about those books as a kid, and the only parts I loved and reread were the tales of stockpiling food. I was interested in food then too, apparently.
Bubble-top Brioches
(Makes 12, I got 16)
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup warm whole milk (you can get by 1% or 2%, at 110 to 115 degrees)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast, measured from two 1/4 ounce envelopes
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)
Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warm milk in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to moisten evenly. Let stand until yeast dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Blend at medium-low speed until shaggy lumps form, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition, about 4 minutes (I wasn't sure if this was total time, or after each addition of butter; but whatever, it was really thick and soft by the end of all this butter adding). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs paddle, 8-9 minutes.
Lightly butter large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Gently deflate dough by lifting around edges, then letting dough fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill, deflating dough in same way every 30 minutes until dough stops rising, about 2 hours. Chill overnight. (At this point, use the dough to make 12-16 brioches, or 6 brioches and 1 tart, or 2 tarts).
Butter 12 standard (1/3 cup) muffin cups. Divide dough in 12 equal pieces; cut each piece into thirds. Roll each small piece between palms into ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).
Place muffin plan in warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over. Let dough rise until light and almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups), 50 - 60 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet. Gently brush egg glaze over risen dough, being careful that glaze does not drip between dough and pan (which can prevent full expansion in oven).
Bake brioches until golden brown, covering with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove brioches from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I finished my first week of work at the new job, and I feel very much like a fish out of water. It hit me on Friday that this was my life...this is my job, this is my commute, this is the house I come to (for now)...etc. Living in SLC felt suddenly permanent. Good news is that I'm the same cook/baker that I've always been, and somehow food, in this case, is providing me some sense of sameness, and that feels good.
Enter Bubble-top Brioches, from the wonderful Dorie Greenspan. I've made this a few times, and they turn out delicious and comforting. They also make breadmaking pretty easy and straightforward. I really like making bread. Waiting for the yeast to rise makes me feel calm, and I love seeing results incrementally through each step of the recipe. I feel a bit Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sidenote: I felt 'meh' about those books as a kid, and the only parts I loved and reread were the tales of stockpiling food. I was interested in food then too, apparently.
Bubble-top Brioches
(Makes 12, I got 16)
1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 cup warm whole milk (you can get by 1% or 2%, at 110 to 115 degrees)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast, measured from two 1/4 ounce envelopes
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)
Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warm milk in bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to moisten evenly. Let stand until yeast dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Blend at medium-low speed until shaggy lumps form, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition, about 4 minutes (I wasn't sure if this was total time, or after each addition of butter; but whatever, it was really thick and soft by the end of all this butter adding). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs paddle, 8-9 minutes.
Lightly butter large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Gently deflate dough by lifting around edges, then letting dough fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill, deflating dough in same way every 30 minutes until dough stops rising, about 2 hours. Chill overnight. (At this point, use the dough to make 12-16 brioches, or 6 brioches and 1 tart, or 2 tarts).
Butter 12 standard (1/3 cup) muffin cups. Divide dough in 12 equal pieces; cut each piece into thirds. Roll each small piece between palms into ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).
Place muffin plan in warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over. Let dough rise until light and almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups), 50 - 60 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet. Gently brush egg glaze over risen dough, being careful that glaze does not drip between dough and pan (which can prevent full expansion in oven).
Bake brioches until golden brown, covering with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove brioches from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Re: Title
What about something that involves our respective different cities? SLC - PHX recipes...or something of the like. Just something to chew on.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Scrumptious Spicy Pork Chops
Now that we've finally made it through all the leftovers my parents had made us, we were craving something new. So last night Michael made these amazing pork chops.
There was no official recipe that he followed for these - just his usual "throw some stuff together and use it for a marinade" approach, which always turns out well, but is difficult to replicate precisely the next time. That's not a problem, but more of a way of saying I'm totally guesstimating on the amounts and proportions here.
Marinate thin cut pork chops for about 30 minutes in:
2 cloves garlic
2 T cider vinegar
2 T mirin
1 T brown sugar
2 T mustard - we didn't have any dried mustard or brown mustard (gak!), so we crushed up mustard seed & combined that with a bit of yellow mustard
sriracha (the amount depends on your preference for heat)
He grilled it for just a few minutes and it was juicy, flavorful, and had just a bit of a kick to it. We were hoping to use the leftovers for homemade banh mi, but, alas, there were no leftovers. Even if there had been more than one pork chop each, I'm pretty sure I could've eaten a short stack of these, so I'm not sure that would have worked anyway. Nevertheless, we'll definitely make lots more next time so we can have some homemade banh mi sandwiches, too.
The first time we made homemade banh mi, our friend Doug brought over the pickled carrots & daikon radishes, which he'd found already prepped in the deli section at Safeway. He saw it, grabbed it, and brought it over as a request that we make banh mi. We've never seen it at our Safeway (or Fry's), so I grab the pre-packaged stuff in the produce section at our Asian market when I'm there buying curry and coconut milk, but it's also easy to make at home (just see any one of the recipes in the link above) if you've already got the veggies on hand. Now, I have to say, even though I'm a banh mi fan, I like mine bastardized so I usually prefer my homemade banh mi to going out for it. Why? I'm not a big fan of the rice flour baguettes, so I use regular baguettes instead. Throw on some jalapenos, cilantro (unless you're one of the anti-cilantro folks out there) and, in my world, more sriracha, and you can call it done. Yes, ok, so there's traditionally mayo involved, but I'm leaving that off the list for you, too.
There was no official recipe that he followed for these - just his usual "throw some stuff together and use it for a marinade" approach, which always turns out well, but is difficult to replicate precisely the next time. That's not a problem, but more of a way of saying I'm totally guesstimating on the amounts and proportions here.
Marinate thin cut pork chops for about 30 minutes in:
2 cloves garlic
2 T cider vinegar
2 T mirin
1 T brown sugar
2 T mustard - we didn't have any dried mustard or brown mustard (gak!), so we crushed up mustard seed & combined that with a bit of yellow mustard
sriracha (the amount depends on your preference for heat)
He grilled it for just a few minutes and it was juicy, flavorful, and had just a bit of a kick to it. We were hoping to use the leftovers for homemade banh mi, but, alas, there were no leftovers. Even if there had been more than one pork chop each, I'm pretty sure I could've eaten a short stack of these, so I'm not sure that would have worked anyway. Nevertheless, we'll definitely make lots more next time so we can have some homemade banh mi sandwiches, too.
The first time we made homemade banh mi, our friend Doug brought over the pickled carrots & daikon radishes, which he'd found already prepped in the deli section at Safeway. He saw it, grabbed it, and brought it over as a request that we make banh mi. We've never seen it at our Safeway (or Fry's), so I grab the pre-packaged stuff in the produce section at our Asian market when I'm there buying curry and coconut milk, but it's also easy to make at home (just see any one of the recipes in the link above) if you've already got the veggies on hand. Now, I have to say, even though I'm a banh mi fan, I like mine bastardized so I usually prefer my homemade banh mi to going out for it. Why? I'm not a big fan of the rice flour baguettes, so I use regular baguettes instead. Throw on some jalapenos, cilantro (unless you're one of the anti-cilantro folks out there) and, in my world, more sriracha, and you can call it done. Yes, ok, so there's traditionally mayo involved, but I'm leaving that off the list for you, too.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Family Meal
Your last post mentioned family in the kitchen, and I’d been thinking a lot about that over the past couple of months. In a more figurative sense, though. When Millie first started eating solid food, it made me think about my own issues with food, and their origins in my own family. I started thinking about my own bad food habits, and how those might affect her. I started to catalog the food challenges ahead. Because now those challenges are not just my own. As I teach my daughter to eat, I think about what I feed her, how I choose to eat in front of her, especially as she so attentively observes every morsel that goes from our plates to our mouths. And I think about where these challenges began - where did I begin to think that dessert is "supposed to" follow dinner most nights? And sure, I could (and sometimes do) go down that pathway, trying to sort out the origins of my eating habits - what came from my parents, my southern upbringing, my own food preferences, and my own choices - but really, that all seems so...fruitless, I guess. Not only do I not have time to pull apart those threads, it doesn't get me anywhere.
Now that I have a child of my own, I am more than ever aware of how my choices and behaviors influence hers. And I hope to give her the tools to make good choices when it comes to food. So then what I find myself thinking about is finding ways to eat more consciously, to establish good habits now.
But all of this thinking had a very real manifestation with my parents' visit this past week, the act of their cooking for us showed just how indebted I am to my family for giving me perhaps the best good food habit: the home-cooked meal. While they were here, they made every single meal. Every. last. one. They took care of all the meal planning, the grocery shopping, the prep work, and the storage of leftovers. They made every dish in quantity, thoughtfully planning to leave us with tons of leftovers so that we wouldn't have to worry about cooking or grocery shopping for a few days. (Actually, my parents probably made enough of everything that we don't have to cook again for a MONTH, but we're working on making room in our freezer for some of the leftovers so we can have a little variety).
As I sit here and look at the homemade chicken pot pie, the fresh green beans, and the baked apples, I think how lucky I am to have grown up with parents who valued making a home-cooked meal. AKA real food. Not the kind of home-cooked prepared meal that's "Add 1 lb. ground beef to Hamburger Helper." If you google "family recipes" these days, like I just did, you're most likely to hit an overwhelming number of bullshit recipes. Recipes that garner 4-star reviews from users. I can't remember what I was looking for around Thanksgiving, but I do remember that the first results page consisted entirely of recipes telling me to add 1 bottle of ranch dressing and a carton of sour cream and calling that done. There's a whole industry where folks sit around coming up with recipes that feature Campbell's soup or Velveeta or Kraft Mac'n'Cheese as the main ingredient. Look, I am not above canned diced tomatoes, heating condensed soup for dinner (especially when we're low on funds), or grabbing something pre-made from the store. But when I think about a meal, I think about the kinds of things my parents made this past week. Real food, made using real produce and real pantry staples like flour and spices. (Luckily, to counterbalance the counterfeit recipe sites out there, there are also great truly authentic, personable recipe sites out there just for that, too! Two of my faves are here and here. There's also room for fun, like here. And since I often love the LA Times food section, I'll toss in this one too). And what's really become obvious to me is it's not just, or even mostly, about what gets put on the table. It's about the act of gathering for a meal.
It sometimes seems like any time there's a family visit involved, everything revolves around meals. But in my mind, that's exactly as it should be. Every time I hear some statistic about how families rarely sit down to dinner together any more, I think "How can that be?!" It has just always been so intrinsically part of my upbringing to sit down together every night and have a meal together that I can't wrap my brain around how life could get in the way of such an important act. So even though I may try to steer my daughter away from having dessert every night, or drinking lots of sugary drinks, or whatever, in the years to come, I hope that I can do my best to demonstrate that the act of sitting down together to eat, even it's just Happy Meals, that that's what's most important. To eat together, and prioritize the family meal, is also a way of eating more consciously, and that is a good food habit we've already started.
Now that I have a child of my own, I am more than ever aware of how my choices and behaviors influence hers. And I hope to give her the tools to make good choices when it comes to food. So then what I find myself thinking about is finding ways to eat more consciously, to establish good habits now.
But all of this thinking had a very real manifestation with my parents' visit this past week, the act of their cooking for us showed just how indebted I am to my family for giving me perhaps the best good food habit: the home-cooked meal. While they were here, they made every single meal. Every. last. one. They took care of all the meal planning, the grocery shopping, the prep work, and the storage of leftovers. They made every dish in quantity, thoughtfully planning to leave us with tons of leftovers so that we wouldn't have to worry about cooking or grocery shopping for a few days. (Actually, my parents probably made enough of everything that we don't have to cook again for a MONTH, but we're working on making room in our freezer for some of the leftovers so we can have a little variety).
As I sit here and look at the homemade chicken pot pie, the fresh green beans, and the baked apples, I think how lucky I am to have grown up with parents who valued making a home-cooked meal. AKA real food. Not the kind of home-cooked prepared meal that's "Add 1 lb. ground beef to Hamburger Helper." If you google "family recipes" these days, like I just did, you're most likely to hit an overwhelming number of bullshit recipes. Recipes that garner 4-star reviews from users. I can't remember what I was looking for around Thanksgiving, but I do remember that the first results page consisted entirely of recipes telling me to add 1 bottle of ranch dressing and a carton of sour cream and calling that done. There's a whole industry where folks sit around coming up with recipes that feature Campbell's soup or Velveeta or Kraft Mac'n'Cheese as the main ingredient. Look, I am not above canned diced tomatoes, heating condensed soup for dinner (especially when we're low on funds), or grabbing something pre-made from the store. But when I think about a meal, I think about the kinds of things my parents made this past week. Real food, made using real produce and real pantry staples like flour and spices. (Luckily, to counterbalance the counterfeit recipe sites out there, there are also great truly authentic, personable recipe sites out there just for that, too! Two of my faves are here and here. There's also room for fun, like here. And since I often love the LA Times food section, I'll toss in this one too). And what's really become obvious to me is it's not just, or even mostly, about what gets put on the table. It's about the act of gathering for a meal.
It sometimes seems like any time there's a family visit involved, everything revolves around meals. But in my mind, that's exactly as it should be. Every time I hear some statistic about how families rarely sit down to dinner together any more, I think "How can that be?!" It has just always been so intrinsically part of my upbringing to sit down together every night and have a meal together that I can't wrap my brain around how life could get in the way of such an important act. So even though I may try to steer my daughter away from having dessert every night, or drinking lots of sugary drinks, or whatever, in the years to come, I hope that I can do my best to demonstrate that the act of sitting down together to eat, even it's just Happy Meals, that that's what's most important. To eat together, and prioritize the family meal, is also a way of eating more consciously, and that is a good food habit we've already started.
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