As our holiday festivities wind down, Ben gives his Christmas experience a 5-star review. While the Christmas Eve meal of soup and grilled cheese was not his top choice, he mostly put a sock in it to avoid a lump of coal (or a sack ride to Spain), focusing instead on spending time with family….
Great Expectations
Ben has been running his Christmas meal plans by us for months. Most of his ideas are formed by what he really enjoyed in past years. I think, the beef with yarn. (He means the trussed beef tenderloin with a reverse seer.) This time, no choking. (Amazing that Jake still married into the family after…
‘Tis the Seasoning
Crab cakes. They don’t exactly scream Christmas to me, but I suppose if you are feeding the Grinch, or if the hustle and bustle of the season has you feeling crabby, they might be a good choice. Once Ben issued the Crab Cake Proclamation, there was no turning back. It sounded like an easy enough…
Dutch Treat
When Phil was 4, 11, and 18 years old, he and his family lived in the Netherlands while his father researched English Puritans in Holland, and their ties to the country remain strong. The aspect of Dutch culture that has made its strongest impression on me from family lore is the no-nonsense approach. If any…
Currying Favor?
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, deeply rooted in family tradition. There is something comforting in knowing that we can count on the same people, food, schedule, and activities, with room for a little creativity here and there. People always begin arriving Wednesday. Ben always designs a mean charcuterie board for Thursday noon. Though sides may…
Baptism by Cream
We tried a new recipe this week, in which cream played a starring role. I can’t even blame it on Ben. It was all me. I fell prey to the enticing photo in the NYT cooking section and couldn’t resist the idea of Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin (Recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt). I am a…
Burn, Baby, Burn
Sometimes, in the course of human events, we burn our nuggets. This note, left for us by one of Ben’s DSPeeps, made me laugh out loud, followed by quickly texting that the plates are old and chipped anyway – a little char is nothing. We have all been there. Teachers live this every day. One…
Chicken Little
This week, Ben and I made another favorite recipe from Hope’s Table, by Hope Helmuth, Creamy Italian Chicken and Pasta. The recipe is found in the recipe index or below. Of course, it was delicious. When the cream rolls up in a limo, the game is over. It’s not a fair fight. Chickpeas, step aside….
Eater’s Digest
This week, I asked Ben to pick something from our favorite cookbook, Hope’s Table, by Hope Helmuth. The food isn’t fussy or hard, just simple and delicious. We have made tons of recipes from this cookbook, and Ben took his job earnestly. After carefully thumbing through the pages, he showed me the picture of pork…
This Little Piggy
Some weeks we have a smart plan for executing balanced, diverse meals. This week it was the all pork all the time channel. First, Phil made pork tenderloin satay with peanut sauce, rice and edamame. Declicious! Ben had his heart set on biscuits and sausage gravy, so that was the next supper. Tonight, it was…