everybody's got choices

Choose Your Own Adventure Bowl

The Dilemma: Kids won’t eat tofu. Husband won’t eat beef. I have steak and tofu in the fridge. I don’t want to make chicken.

My Bright Idea: Rice bowls with your choice of protein and veggie add-ons. Choose your own adventure!

The Plan: Cook the tofu how I like it—baked and crispy. See this recipe for a best basic tofu. Make rice in the Instant Pot (see this recipe for the best basic rice.) Pickle some thinly sliced peppers, roast some broccoli and sweet potatoes, sautee some mushrooms, cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes. Make some simple peanut sauce: chunky peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, water. Put it all out in a big dish in the middle of the table.

Variations: Mix and match any proteins or roasted/sauteed/grilled veggies (use leftovers!)—swap rice for quinoa or noodles. Choose a different sauce—like soy sauce/sesame oil or a garlic aioli.

The Verdict: Mostly success! Everyone was able to find something they liked. Mack wound up trying and liking the tofu while Nate stuck with steak/rice. With some hot sauce and a nice dose of the peanut sauce, the bowl of different healthy bites was surprisingly hearty and satisfying.

pasta la vista

I hate making pasta for my family, which is a shame because my family really loves eating pasta. To me, it seems like a lot of pots (ie cleanup) for not enough delicious and/or interesting food. While watching Stanley Tucci’s show about food in Italy, I was introduced to the super pasta pan—a wide saucier that can mix pasta and sauce like a pro. I did my research and came across Serious Eats recommendation for this kind of pan, and of course swiftly purchased the $30 pan. I used it to make carbonara which was delicious.

Then today I was thinking — how can I make pasta ahead of time without a huge cleanup? And then I had an idea—I’ll boil the pasta for 6 minutes and then toss it over low heat with some oil/butter (in my special pasta pan); let it sit and then reheat it (in my special pasta pan) with some of the starchy pasta water. I also reheated some meatballs in sauce (which only one kid likes—which is also part of the pasta problem.)

Success! The pasta was easy to gently reheat in the special pasta pan and was not overdone. After serving the picky eater his plain pasta, I could mix in the sauce. It was a relatively easy cleanup and a very good meal that worked for all of us.

carbonara

Have you seen the Stanley Tucci show? We as a family are enjoying its deep dive into Italian tourism, learning a little about the history of Italy and a lot about certain delicious dishes. Most of all we’ve been inspired to cook and eat pasta!

We started with Rome’s famous carbonara—which I’ve only had a handful of times and always get confused with alfredo, which is totally different. Carbonara is like many of Italy’s dishes, so simple and relies mostly on good ingredients and some technique. I researched the hell out of making it and even bought a pasta-pan (a wide deep saucepan for mixing the pasta with the other ingredients.) Serious Eats’ Daniel Gritzer did the reporting for me in his article which directed me to this amazing pan.

To prepare I also watched some videos—every chef has a slightly different way to combine the simple ingredients. Some drain the guanciale fat and add it back in at the end (or not); some combine the eggs and cheese over the heat; some use only yolks instead of whole eggs. But most agree that the authentic recipe is simply guanciale or pancetta (not bacon), eggs, pecorino (with maybe some parmesan mixed in), and spaghetti.

I went to Battaglia Brothers in Dobbs Ferry for my ingredients and then decided on a mixture of 4 yolks/1 whole egg and about a cup of mostly pecorino with a little parm. I used De Cecco spaghetti and boiled it in salty water, while I cooked the diced pancetta over low heat (no oil or butter—another mandate from the authentic chefs), then transferred it to my new pasta pan to cool. When the pasta was al dente I added it straight to the pasta pan with the pancetta and slowly mixed in the egg/cheese combo, then added a little more pasta-water to loosen it.

It was delicious but a little salty so next time I’ll have to adjust the water’s saltiness and the cheese ratio (maybe more parm .) We devoured it though—rich and creamy with chunks of fatty salty meat. It was definitely a good place to start on our Italy journey. One day may we eat it in Rome.

aunt molly's peanut butter balls

These were perhaps the yummiest thing I ate as a child. My great aunt Molly made them every year for our Chanukah parties and all the kids gorged on them, stuffing extras in Tupperwares to being home and make the ecstasy last just a little longer. I had never thought to make them until my cousin Bess posted Molly’s original recipe (see below) on Facebook. Despite the curly cursive and relative measurements, I followed her instructions as written—except for one thing: I left out the paraffin wax. Yup, she fed us wax every December. Instead of wax, I added some canola oil to the chocolate chips and microwaved them in 30 second increments, stirring well in between. I think this is close to “tempering chocolate” which is the modern day replacement for wax (according to Google, at least.) They are incredible—rich, sweet and peanut-buttery, just like I remember them. Mack has already asked if they can all be for him—all 38 balls.

day 6: soup

Who woke up this morning thinking, OMG another fucking day?! What are we going to do? Without our homeschool schedule (It is Saturday after all), we are more at a loss than ever. Right now the kids are fighting over a video game. And that’s probably how it’s going to go for the next 4 hours.

I got up this morning and looked in the fridge to find a giant cauliflower that was about to lose its life. So I proceeded to try to teach Mack how to make cauliflower soup, the easy way. I think a lot of parents are taking the quarantine as an opportunity to teach their kids how to do things they normally wouldn’t—cleaning bathrooms, for example. It’s the new version of homeschool or as a friend recently put it “home, work.” See my recent article for some ideas.

So here’s what I told Mack: cut up cauliflower in small florets and add to a big pot of half water, half chicken broth. Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 20 minutes. Puree cauliflower plus about 3 cups of liquid in blender and add back to the pot. Now the fun part: flavor. I usually add some combination of milk/cream, parmesan cheese, 1 tsp of sherry vinegar, onion and garlic powders and salt. Keep tasting until it’s delicious. Then leave on the (turned off) stove all day for everyone to help themselves. *You can reheat in a bowl in the microwave.

It’s not even 11am and half the soup is already eaten.

Happy 2019

So while the rest of the world is observing a Dry/Vegan/Meatless/Paelo/Whole 360/Gluten-free January, I seem to be eating more sugar and drinking more alcohol. It could have something to do with the fact that our heat is broken – that means OFF—for a week now while they find a new part for the motor. Happy 2019!  

I now know how those southern people feel when they move to New York. I’m writing this in a winter coat and dreading taking a shower because the second floor feels like Canada. So I’m blaming the cold on my inability to give up the satisfying things in life. I need those things. I’m cold.

Michael and I did resolve to give up meat this week which was going well until I made a pork shoulder. This is the recipe for Momofuku’s Bo Ssam that I made for a dinner party of 6, and it’s amazing and surprisingly easy. We also ate it for three days after the dinner party because the leftovers were so good.

Picture (obviously) from the New York Times

So aside from that….we’re practically vegan. It is a good challenge though and has inspired some new dinners: fish tacos, Instant Pot Shakshuka (from Melissa Clark’s book Instant Dinner), shrimp with cauliflower puree. In other words, we’re not just eating pasta with the kids.

I also made my chocolate peanut-butter balls which aren’t particularly healthy but aren’t particularly unhealthy either (and this version included hemp seeds which are nutty and camouflage nicely). It’s a good snack for the ravenous 6-year-old that gets off the bus every day. I suspect that instead of eating lunch, he just says “poopy” and “fart” until recess. When he gets home he needs a snack the size of a meal. These balls are a good filler-upper for him and unlike the store-bought stuff, they are from real ingredients.

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup coconut flakes
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut/non-nut butter)
1/3 cup honey or agave

DIRECTIONS
1. Grind oats, coconut, hemp seeds and chocolate chips in mini food processor.
2. Mix peanut butter and honey, then stir in oat mixture.
3. Roll into balls (add a few drops of water if too dry). Sprinkle with powdered sugar (for effect) and refrigerate.

real food

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It's officially summer vacation-- ever since 8:10am today when the camp bus picked up the kids for eight hours!!! We kicked off the season this weekend with our first ever family camping trip. Thankfully, we were also accompanied by our good friends who are pro campers and made the whole experience lots of fun. Minus the deafening nocturnal frogs, it was not nearly as traumatic as we predicted.

Including the meals. A reheated frozen chili was easy (though the nachos with Rotel and Cheddar Cheese soup were soggy.) We loved steak tacos with all the fixings. They were a bit more work but there's not much else to do when you're sitting around a campsite. The kids ate hot dogs as if they were at home. And the egg hack--crack them into a jar before you leave--worked brilliantly. 

On the way home we tried to counteract all the chips we ate with food from a Catskills farmers market—just-caught whole trout and beautiful produce. Next to the market was the Livingston Manor Farm- part cafe with delicious gourmet sandwiches and part store selling small-batch local food. It's exactly what the Rivertowns need.

Out here, it's easy to rely on a lot of cheap and processed food. After years of city living, Costco and giant grocery stores with big parking lots have been kind of thrilling.

But since reading A Mind of Your Own in which Dr. Kelly Brogan argues that processed food affects not just our physical but also our mental health, I’ve tried to buy more real food. We joined Butcher Box that delivers grass-fed farm-fresh frozen meat to our house every other month, as well as the local CSA. And I have been making an effort to go to Irvington’s fabulous farmers market.  

On the other hand, I haven’t made it out of the kitchen yet today. Just now, as I was finishing the breakfast dishes, Mack ran in claiming he was “STARVING.” 

the never ending winter

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Winter in the suburbs, just as everyone said, is intense. Wool hats have become sleepwear and slippers are no longer optional. Sometimes my fingers are so cold as I’m typing that I have to sit on them. And no I’m not writing outside. This house just only gets so warm. Then there are snow days—seven this year so far. The one thing home-bound cold weather is good for however is cooking. I’ve even roped the kids in to the kitchen a few times-- mostly with the help of this Hanukah-gift Cooking Class: 57 fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat).

**Quick story: The problem with Hanukah (okay, I know I said I was trying to be more positive but hear me out) is that small gifts like say, a mini lego set, the night after they got a large lego set, tend to be a disappointment—which makes us get angry at the kids’ spoiled brat-ness and Hanukah turns into a sulking fest. This year we did the dessert plan: Every night we lit the menorah but Instead of a gift, we ate a fabulous dessert. On two of the eight nights, we gave gifts (a worthy stash that made the Israelites journey worthwhile.)

The cookbook gift was a surprising success --  all the recipes are simple and yummy enough to hold their attention and make them want to do it again. Which at this point, is really the point.

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We started with granola bars, crepes and pancakes. Then Mack and I made the popcorn chicken. I also got them this plastic knife set, which I highly recommend. The boys use them all the time to cut their own food without me needing sedatives. The book has some fun tips and labels in the back which we used to package the granola bars for their lunchboxes.

Last night we had a fabulous 7 course “Dinner with Dave” (see below) who admitted that most of his culinary prowess came from cooking with his mom, who wasn’t even a great cook. Maybe someday these boys will catch the bug.

kids picks

Ever since their older cousin Mae showed them how to mix dirt, leaves, worms and orange juice in a bowl, the boys have been asking to do "science experiments." They've seen their uncle perform the black pepper in soapy water trick to show how molecules separate (or something like that). He blew their little minds. And their grandmother makes slime and other messy substances that take minutes to make and hours to clean up.

I"m always a little skeptical of the mess vs. value of the product. But then I remembered referring to my pickle-making attempts as science experiments. So I found a new recipe in the Jerusalem cookbook (no vinegar or sugar but lots of interesting spices, plus dill) and made it with the boys. They liked smelling cloves and learning about mustard seeds, and what happens when salt dissolves in water. Nate's persistent question throughout was "will they be sour?" To which I had to admit, I don't know. We'll see in 5 days. 

"Aw man," Mack said. "Can we play now?"

Update: They were not sour enough for Nate's taste but they were tasty. Next time I'll play around with the spice mix. A different kind of playing than Mack had in mind, I guess. Stay tuned.