Columns

Welcome back webisodes! With a few big deadlines met and one nice vacation under my belt I have returned with new webisodes. Given my hectic schedule this spring and summer I plan to feature new webisodes every couple of weeks and hope to return to my weekly filming schedule in a few months. To kick off my return from webisode hiatus I am hosting a great giveaway today! See entry rules at the bottom of the post.

What’s Going on Today: Back from vacation, disgusted that winter is still here, just finishing up laundry from suitcase.

Naptime Goals: Laundry, dreaded ironing, lemon tart.

Tonight’s Menu: Roast Chicken, Caramelized Meyer Lemon Tart, Green Salad, Soft Rolls, White Wine.

I expected to return from vacation to a full blown Connecticut spring but came home to winter instead. I am not sure why the weather gods are punishing us with extended frigid temperatures and snow flurries this year, but I have had it. I am going to force spring to come. I am dry cleaning my sweaters for storage, hanging up the old down jacket and getting a pedicure for my flip flops. It doesn’t matter if my feet are freezing or I catch cold from walking around in a thin sweater, spring is here and I am going to make it work for me! In the kitchen I am going to start cooking spring food. Bright, citrusy happy food that begs to be eaten outdoors among cherry blossoms while small vases of crocuses decorate my windowsills. This, along with my inappropriate-for-the-conditions-outside spring wardrobe, will force warm sunny skies and flower buds to come my way. I am sure of it.

A Chocolate Orange Scone from Baked in Charleston

Every spring I spend about a week in Charleston, South Carolina with my parent’s. I love visiting this gorgeous city and I think my daughter loves it even more. Not only are the rules generally relaxed when we travel, but being here with her grandparents means she is spoiled for at least a week straight. Unfortunately, our visit this year was marked by a full week of bad weather. When our plane touched down the temperature promptly dropped to a very un-springlike 50 degrees and the rain clouds rolled in. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. We made the most of our rain-free moments, strolling around the city and enjoying the beautiful sites. Here is what we liked most:

Previous Charleston Travel Series: 2009 Charleston Travel, 2010 Charleston Travel

Charleston Cooks! A Maverick Kitchen Store: This snappy store was so much fun to browse. I loved the great selection of lowcountry cuisine and southern cookbooks. I even managed to find the elusive balloon whisk I’ve been looking for for over a year!

Baked in Charleston: This popular Brooklyn-based bakery opened a southern outpost last year.  We just died for the Dark Chocolate & Orange Scones while my daughter indulged in an impressive Chocolate Cloud Cookie.

Hank’s Seafood: Full disclosure, my parent’s ate here before I arrived and couldn’t stop talking about it for my entire visit. I trust their opinions and will confidently recommend it to all of you. It sounds amazing!

This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today Ashley is sharing a simple recipe for authentic jambalaya that is easy to make while juggling life with twins!

With two 18-month old twin boys, we find ourselves entertaining at home a lot. This is my go to dish that works for anytime of the year. It is an inveritable crowd pleaser and can be prepped well in advance. The beauty of this dish is that it bakes for over an hour giving you ample time to be with your family and your company while entertaining.

Typically, I prep all ingredients during nap time and store them in Ziploc bags in the fridge. Once your oven in pre-heated, the only work left is to dump everything into one pot and bake away.

When I’m on vacation I like to do a lot of reading. I read everything from novels to biographies to cookbooks and never shy away from a good collection or two of short stories. In the spirit of vacation, this week I am sharing some of my recent favorites. These are all great books for a variety of reasons and I hope they inspire you to pick up a book and relax.

Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts: I’ve barely read through this book once and have tagged at least a dozen recipes I want to try. This collection of pies and tarts range from the savory to the sweet and is illustrated with beautiful photography. This book is bound to be a resource for all home pie bakers for years to come.

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman: Contrary to the title, this book is not about cooking at all. It is a novel set in California pre-9/11 and is  gripping tale of 20-somethings trying to navigate their way through love, life and professional success. Do not be deceived by it’s gigantic size, I whipped through this novel in less than a week. Thank you to my friend Katie for giving this to me.

By the time you read this we will be halfway through our vacation in Charleston. (Burglars take note, our house is still occupied so don’t even think about it!) When I travel with my daughter I always pack a bagful of snacks for the road and grocery shop wherever we land. Not only does this save money, it also helps us steer clear of the junk food/fast food traps that prey on desperate parents with hungry children. Here are some of my favorite eats and tips and I encourage you to share yours. We all can learn from each other when it comes to traveling with kids!

Airplane Food

Beverages: Since water is not allowed pre-security I simply pack my daughter’s stainless steel water bottle and fill it with fresh water once we get to the gate. It is important to stay hydrated during long flights and she does not understand the phrase “wait for the flight attendant.” I save the rest of the water bottle for myself.

What’s Going Today: Doing a jig as I pack our bags for vacation, setting aside winter sweaters to be dry cleaned for storage.

Naptime Goals: Pack away winter in the attic, pack spring clothes in the suitcase, wrap up all obligations and head out of town!

Tonight’s Menu: Meyer Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti with Arugula

More Quick Pre-Vacay Meals: Farmer’s Market Quiche

It was a long hard winter. I had to walk four miles each day, up hill both ways. Feeling sorry for me yet? Don’t. I am being sarcastic. Yes, it was a tough winter between major deadlines, snow days galore and a few visits from the toddler stomach bug, but these silly quibbles are nothing in comparison to the situation in Japan or the true ills of the world. Yesterday I was packing for a vacation with the people I love and wrapping up the house before the trip. (Burglars, the house is still occupied while we are gone so don’t even think about it!) When it came to dinner my only thought was coming up with a quick dish using found items in the fridge.

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap Situation: Time to experiment! Can I use my freshly washed mason jars for a fun cake baking project that both kids and adults will love?

The other day I polished off another jar of Dad’s Bread & Butter Pickles and set yet another empty canning jar on the shelf in the pantry. Seeing the clean empty jars there made me excited at the prospect of spring and summer produce. The season is quickly approaching when we can start the picking and canning process all over again. But, that won’t be for bit yet, so the jars will remain empty. Or will they? My friend Aimee wrote a great article about baking rolls in canning jars so it made me wonder if I could do a little jar baking myself. I won’t be canning strawberry jam until July so I may as well use those jars in the interim!

What’s Going on Today: St. Patrick’s Day!

Naptime Goals: Make pistachio pound cake for Kerry, wrap up tax filing for 2010 (!)

Tonight’s Menu: Pizza picnic with friends at the beach.

We are not Irish but I got in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day yesterday and made a pistachio pound cake. Pistachios are not Irish in origin, obviously, but the loaf is green and pretty much anything that is green seems to fit the bill today, right? Right. After I baked this loaf I gave it straight to my friend Kerry. Her birthday was last week and I was late in baking her a birthday treat because I had a book deadline. With a name like Kerry you know she is Irish, and even if you didn’t know her name, her red hair and freckles are a dead giveaway! So, I figured, since Kerry was Irish and today is St. Patrick’s Day there was no better thing to make her than this!

What’s Going on Today: Rainy day errands, laundry, general feelings of need to commence spring cleaning are beginning to emerge.

Naptime Goals: Make manicotti to bake for dinner, finish laundry, consider cleaning closet?

Tonight’s Menu: Arugula & Pea Manicotti with Toasted Pine Nuts, Green Salad, White Wine.

More Great Rainy Day Baked Pastas: Orecchiette with Pancetta & Three Cheeses, Crunchy Mac&Cheese with Bacon, Stuffed Shells with Homemade Ricotta, Eggplant Parmigiana

In my house rainy days and baked pasta go hand in hand. I love to whip up a warm, creamy dish during naptime and serve it up, all hot and bubbly, for dinner. Manicotti is one of those dishes that fits perfectly into this scenario. I usually approach it like my favorite lasagna, stuffing it with a nutmeg scented ricotta and topping it with homemade marinara. But on this particular rainy day I in the mood to try something different, a little risky even.

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap Situation: What is a delicious quick dessert that I can whip up in a snap during naptime and take to mom’s night out?

Last week I volunteered to bring something sweet to mom’s night out. I was so excited by the prospect of spending time with girlfriends, something that happens far too rarely these days, that I wanted to eschew the usual cupcake/brownie/cookie kid-fare and treat everyone to a dessert with a distinctly adult feel. I envisioned something creamy and smooth with a hefty dose of chocolate (obviously), and maybe even a little bit of booze. I hardly ever incorporate liquor into our family baked goods, but I knew it would be no problem, maybe even welcomed, by a group of fellow moms. Enter Kentucky Derby Chocolate-Pecan Pie.

What’s Going on Today: Retrieving computer from Genius Bar (phew!), trip to Goodwill, back in the swing of things.

Naptime Goals: Make Vanilla Bean Toasted Coconut Pound Cake, revel in fixed computer!

Tonight’s Menu: Leftover Chicken Enchiladas, fresh mexican rice, grilled peppers

More Great Cakes: Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Maple Glaze, Lemon Pudding Cake, Pear Butter Cake,

Winter vacation was pretty uneventful. We had what you would call a “staycation,” the popular term for staying at home for an entire vacation week. My daughter didn’t seem to mind, thankfully, and was happily entertained with plenty of playdates and a fun trip the Mystic Seaport Acquarium. I was busy with work, as was my husband, so all in all it was a pretty normal week. I’ll admit though, after a week-long break from our routine I was quite happy when things returned to normal. Though my daughter napped every day during break, I spent most of that free time working on the book for my upcoming deadline. It wasn’t until this week when she went back to school, in addition to taking her naps, that I had some extra time to do some fun baking.

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap Conundrum: How use the almost-finished yogurt in the fridge before it has to be thrown out.

I am constantly on a quest to make sure nothing in my refrigerator goes to waste. This is easier said the done. Almost every week I find myself faced with containers of sour cream, ricotta, yogurt, buttermilk and the like, all only a quarter full, with very little time before their expiration date. Using up things like vegetables, fruit and eggs is easy…omelet with a side of fruit salad anyone? But using up the condiments is a task that requires a bit more creativity. The other day I found myself down near the bottom of the gigantor Stonyfield Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt container I buy every week. I’d been making our usually smoothies and granola yogurt snacks, but hadn’t used it all up. What, I wondered, could I do to finish off the container instead of throwing it out?