Cooking with Ben is a lot of work. Blogging about it, even more, but it is always worth it. What he lacks in technique, he brings in enthusiasm. Can I cook faster on my own? Of course. Do I make tastier dinners when left to my own devices? Often. Would I want to? Not a…
Category: Chef Ben Cooks!
Jensday Wednesday!
This week we had our first Ben’s Day Wednesday guest! We’re not saying your name has to rhyme with Ben, but it doesn’t hurt! Jen has been a family friend for years. We had a great time teaching second grade together, but Ben positively fell in love when he first saw her eat a burger…
Soup’s On!
It takes a lot of fast talking to get Ben to go with soup. I don’t believe he dislikes it, exactly. It’s more that he resents it for not being half a ham or a side of beef. This week, after an indulgent food weekend, and some chilly Pennsylvania weather, I caught him in a…
Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu
When you plan a meal with Ben, you better bring your A game. He understands the need for a balanced meal, but he usually just throws all his favorite things out there and hopes that a few of them will stick. The moment you agree to something he suggests, he immediately adds another item. He…
Garlic Shrimp with Lemon Butter Cream Sauce
While the chef’s hat has proven invaluable in meal preparation, a close second would be a cookbook we got Ben for Christmas. The Simple Kitchen, by Chad and Donna Elick, has easy recipes that seem to be right up Ben’s alley, but best of all, it has great pictures so that Ben can browse and…
Chef Ben — In the House: Baked Mac and Cheese and Peruvian Chicken
We took some time away from the blog for the holidays, but we had a wonderful Christmas and hope that you did too. One of Ben’s favorite gifts was a chef’s hat. This week when we cooked together, he wore it and found that it granted him magical powers. Mostly, this meant that he referred…
Ham and Brie Pockets
Monday we went to a holiday party and brought ham and brie pockets. A couple people asked for the recipe, so I have included it. Even if they touch during baking, they are easily pulled apart. Pockets In large KitchenAid mixer, combine and allow to bloom (5 minutes or so): 3 tablespoons yeast 1 cup…
Plan B – Spaghetti and Meatballs
This week Ben and I planned to make our own meatballs to go with spaghetti, but it didn’t happen. I had the best of intentions, but the hamburger was not even close to thawed, and I was kind of wiped out from making 40 crepes for a French breakfast I am serving my reading classes,…
Pork Shoulder Triple Play
I’ll be the first to admit that I wouldn’t know a good sports metaphor if it smacked me between the eyes, but a nice, slow-roasted pork shoulder allows for lots of options, so I’ll tell you about the three dinners we made this week. We started by plopping a pork shoulder (7-9 pounds) in the…
Homemade Applesauce – The Funky Apple Paradox
’Tis the season for apples, or to be more precise, a week or two past the season for apples, which inspired our choice to make applesauce this week. Somehow, with the flood of Thanksgiving guests, we ended up with way more apples than we could use, so applesauce seemed like the most practical idea. Years…