I have been surveying friends about their favorite go-to meals when they are almost too tired to cook (other than takeout, pizza, frozen pizza, etc.). Dump recipes are my very favorites for this, as they are almost no effort to prep or to cook, but if your freezer is not already stocked, you need other options. Last night, I made creamy goat cheese pasta with roasted veggies, and it was outstandingly delicious. I did tweak the original recipe just a bit to use what I had on hand - I used a fiber-enriched pasta, I only had 4 oz of goat cheese, I used some of a tube of basil paste instead of fresh basil, I subbed baby kale mix for the fresh spinach, and I added cooked turkey (which I already had in the freezer). The roasted mushrooms, which are doused in olive oil and balsamic vinegar before going in the oven, really made the flavors stand out, and I think next time I make it, I will roast more veggies - maybe some zucchini and carrots and cherry tomatoes. The family enjoyed it, and the newly picky eater just picked out the mushrooms.
A note on the basil paste - those tubes are awesome. I have not tried all the flavors, and I will not swear that the basil paste is better than or quite as good as fresh. But it is much more vibrantly flavored than dried, and if you didn't think to freeze any of your own basil in advance, it is wonderful in the winter. I particularly like the lemongrass paste - it is a thousand times easier than chopping and pulverizing my own lemongrass stalks, and really tasty. I keep all of them in the freezer and then just squeeze out what I need - they last a long time that way, which makes the $3.99 price a little easier to bear. (They do occasionally go on sale at King Soopers for $3.50 per tube.)
S, my 5 year old, has recently decided that there are a whole host of foods he doesn't like anymore, and the list changes from day to day or meal to meal. Two nights ago, he gobbled down a reuben sandwich and yellow beet soup and said how much he loved it. Today at lunch, he suddenly decided that while rye bread, pastrami and sauerkraut are all delicious, he couldn't stand baby swiss. Also, today, the soup was not a hit. Same soup he asked for third helpings of two nights ago, but now apparently less awesome. It is frustrating and hard to not take it as a criticism. At the same time, picking his own food and clothes are reasonable ways to assert his independence, and I am trying very hard to move to a more gentle and respectful mode of parenting. I remind myself often to treat him like I would a guest, and I can't see myself shaming a guest into eating his swiss cheese. I am tired of disciplining my little boy - I want to just love and enjoy him. Plus, trying to correct his behavior frequently leads to clashes that spiral and take down the whole day. So if I can just let it go, I am trying to do so. I can see how much it means to S when that happens, so I am trying to make that the norm. Parenting - it's all about trying.
Tonight, we are going to start having family night. I remember really loving family home evenings when I was a kid (I grew up LDS or Mormon), and I want to foster those close, friendly, fun feelings for my family now. Tomorrow night, S wants to make dinner all by himself for the first time. Hard to believe he is old enough for that, but I think he can do it with some very minimal help. (I can pour the pasta water into the colander, for example.) I am excited to see how it goes.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Malee Thai
Malee Thai opened this week, and I was eager to try it out. We took the boys for dinner, which was a fun if slightly stressful experience. The waitress was friendly, helpful and adorable, and Malcolm loved her.
I had the Tom Kha Gai soup with chicken, which was absolutely outstanding - truly delicious. Malcolm gulped down two bowlfuls, and the small size is actually pretty huge. They had three kids' meal options - pad thai, fried rice or chicken with peanut sauce for $4.95. The pad thai and fried rice came with your choice of protein options (chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. I think pork might have been an option too.). They also offer to make many dishes vegan or vegetarian (they even have Quorn's chik'n as a protein choice) and have a lot of gluten free options. They don't have milk or juice, so bring your own or just choose water - iced coffee and tea aren't very kid friendly options. Spence chose the children's pad thai with tofu, which he liked. I'm not a pad thai fan, so I can't comment. John had a spicy curry that he liked. We shared an order of rice balls, which were pleasant, and finished with sticky rice and custard. The custard was very tasty.
They were very sweet about the kids, and never shot us any looks when M decided to vocalize his way through the meal. (Not crying - just saying Mamamamamama at the top of his lungs over and over again while coloring. I tried to distract him, but he was happy. And noisy.) The food came reasonably quickly, and they happily brought extra plastic dishes for the kids. The waitress even brought my soup with a serving spoon so it would be easier for me to share with the kids. The restaurant has been totally redecorated, including the bathrooms, which were sparkly clean. There are no changing tables in the bathrooms, but if you are ok with a changing mat on the floor, they are definitely big enough to change a baby in. We'll definitely be back.
I had the Tom Kha Gai soup with chicken, which was absolutely outstanding - truly delicious. Malcolm gulped down two bowlfuls, and the small size is actually pretty huge. They had three kids' meal options - pad thai, fried rice or chicken with peanut sauce for $4.95. The pad thai and fried rice came with your choice of protein options (chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu. I think pork might have been an option too.). They also offer to make many dishes vegan or vegetarian (they even have Quorn's chik'n as a protein choice) and have a lot of gluten free options. They don't have milk or juice, so bring your own or just choose water - iced coffee and tea aren't very kid friendly options. Spence chose the children's pad thai with tofu, which he liked. I'm not a pad thai fan, so I can't comment. John had a spicy curry that he liked. We shared an order of rice balls, which were pleasant, and finished with sticky rice and custard. The custard was very tasty.
They were very sweet about the kids, and never shot us any looks when M decided to vocalize his way through the meal. (Not crying - just saying Mamamamamama at the top of his lungs over and over again while coloring. I tried to distract him, but he was happy. And noisy.) The food came reasonably quickly, and they happily brought extra plastic dishes for the kids. The waitress even brought my soup with a serving spoon so it would be easier for me to share with the kids. The restaurant has been totally redecorated, including the bathrooms, which were sparkly clean. There are no changing tables in the bathrooms, but if you are ok with a changing mat on the floor, they are definitely big enough to change a baby in. We'll definitely be back.
Cajun 30 minute meal
I am trying to use up the contents of my freezer and cabinets. I tend to buy supplies when I am stressed, particularly ethnic options, and so I have things like two bottles of mirin and 3 giant bags of mung beans to work through. I get a real feeling of success when I can use up things; it feels so thrifty. So yesterday, I tried this recipe for Overnight Panettone French Toast to use up the frozen Christmas Panettone. It was pretty good; the kids liked it. I wouldn't say it was outstanding, but it was definitely quick. We had a fantastic meal at City Cafe the other day (they have dinner hours now!), and their amazing soup was a carrot ginger, with coconut milk. So good! So we tried this recipe for lunch, using the pressure cooker to make it quick. M and I loved it, but S rejected it completely. More for me. Dinner was Catfish Meuniere with hazelnuts instead of pecans, my grandma's recipe for Nassau grits, sauteed collard greens, roasted sweet potato and yam batons, and bananas Foster. The boys gobbled it all up, and S asked for second on collards and thirds and fourths on the sweet potatoes and yams. So satisfying.
Even though this might look like a complicated meal, it was really pretty easy and quick to throw together - it's just a matter of timing to get it all done quickly. And some things can sit pretty well without suffering - maybe even improving. So to make dinner last night all come out together, with 5 recipes to get on the table, I started with the sweet potatoes and yams, which I thought might take the longest to get ready. It took about two minutes for the prep - I preheated the oven to 350 and then I peeled a large sweet potato and a large yam. (Yams are the sweet potatoes that look white - they have a delicious starchiness to them, and caramelize/roast really well.) Then I sliced each one quickly into thin wedges - maybe 3/4" thick and about 4" long, give or take. No need to be really precise about it, but try to be sure that they are all about the same size or they won't cook at the same time, yielding potatoes that are not cooked, or a batch where some are raw in the middle, some are perfect, and some are burnt. Not ideal. Anyway, toss them with a little olive oil in a bowl, pour them on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Then I put the hot water kettle on to boil.
While those were going, I made the grits, which don't take much time, but can successfully sit (with the lid on) for awhile without any ill effects. I cheated on my grandma Billye's recipe and used 1 can of mild Ro-tel. I put that in a pan with 1 t. minced garlic. Then I added 1/2 c. grits (not instant grits - instant and quick grits are the only kind that are sold around here. Quick takes 5 minutes to cook.) and a bit of boiling water. I stirred a little, till everything seemed coated and not too thick. I lowered the heat, added a lid and cooked it for 5 minutes. When that was over, I turned off the heat and tasted the grits. They were just a tiny bit undercooked and a little thick, so I added about another tablespoon of hot water and 1 c. of shredded cheddar. I stirred it all together and felt pleased with the texture. I left the pan on the burner (with the heat off) and put the lid back on. When everything else was ready, they were perfectly cooked and ready to go.
The fish and collards were also really quick. You put a dash of Cajun seasoning on the catfish, dredge it in flour, and put in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 3 minutes per side. Only 2 fillets can fit in the pan at a time, so I cooked the 4 pieces of fish in two batches. Then you melt butter in the pan, add nuts and shallots and white wine and lemon juice and parsley, and serve. So while the fish cooked, I cubed the butter, diced the shallots, and measured the wine (I used vodka, since that's what I had) and lemon juice together. I minced the parsley and put it in the measuring cup with the liquids, since they would all go in together. After all that prep, the first batch of fish was ready to come out of the pan. While the second batch was cooking, I put another pan on to heat, and added some olive oil to it. Then I stripped the collard greens from their ribs, rolled them into a big cigar shape, and sliced them very thin - like you'd slice basil, maybe. Thin ribbons of greens are what you're aiming for because they will then cook really quickly. I added another teaspoon of garlic to the hot olive oil (the heat should be medium high), added the collards, sauteed it all just enough to coat the greens with oil and garlic, and put a lid on it for 1 minute. Then I stirred the greens again and cooked them for another 2 minutes. And that's it! By then the sauce was ready to go, and it was time to plate up the food.
Since I can't serve blazing hot food to toddlers, I had a few more minutes to prep dessert. I had my 5-year-old put napkins, silverware and drinks on the table. Meanwhile I melted butter in yet another pan, added brown sugar and spices and sauteed sliced banana. Then I added the rum, and stirred it to cook off the booze. While it simmered, I put food on plates, and before we sat down at the table, the sauce was just thick enough. I took the container of ice cream out of the freezer and put it on the counter (out of sight of the kids) as I took the plates to the table. We ate our dinner, S asked for multiple helpings of his veggies, my heart sang happily, and then I served up the bananas foster over ice cream in waffle bowls. 5 recipes, 30 minutes, a really nice meal.
I have been cooking for a long time, so timing a meal is pretty automatic for me, which is not to say that I always get it right. While my father-in-law was visiting, I made a mini-Thanksgiving meal (roast chicken, gravy, sausage stuffing, salad, magic pumpkin pie cupcakes), and in spite of my careful planning and best efforts, the chicken took forever to cook. When this happens, I tell my family that we are dining in courses tonight, and we just eat what's done. In the end, it's only dinner, right?
Even though this might look like a complicated meal, it was really pretty easy and quick to throw together - it's just a matter of timing to get it all done quickly. And some things can sit pretty well without suffering - maybe even improving. So to make dinner last night all come out together, with 5 recipes to get on the table, I started with the sweet potatoes and yams, which I thought might take the longest to get ready. It took about two minutes for the prep - I preheated the oven to 350 and then I peeled a large sweet potato and a large yam. (Yams are the sweet potatoes that look white - they have a delicious starchiness to them, and caramelize/roast really well.) Then I sliced each one quickly into thin wedges - maybe 3/4" thick and about 4" long, give or take. No need to be really precise about it, but try to be sure that they are all about the same size or they won't cook at the same time, yielding potatoes that are not cooked, or a batch where some are raw in the middle, some are perfect, and some are burnt. Not ideal. Anyway, toss them with a little olive oil in a bowl, pour them on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. Then I put the hot water kettle on to boil.
While those were going, I made the grits, which don't take much time, but can successfully sit (with the lid on) for awhile without any ill effects. I cheated on my grandma Billye's recipe and used 1 can of mild Ro-tel. I put that in a pan with 1 t. minced garlic. Then I added 1/2 c. grits (not instant grits - instant and quick grits are the only kind that are sold around here. Quick takes 5 minutes to cook.) and a bit of boiling water. I stirred a little, till everything seemed coated and not too thick. I lowered the heat, added a lid and cooked it for 5 minutes. When that was over, I turned off the heat and tasted the grits. They were just a tiny bit undercooked and a little thick, so I added about another tablespoon of hot water and 1 c. of shredded cheddar. I stirred it all together and felt pleased with the texture. I left the pan on the burner (with the heat off) and put the lid back on. When everything else was ready, they were perfectly cooked and ready to go.
The fish and collards were also really quick. You put a dash of Cajun seasoning on the catfish, dredge it in flour, and put in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 3 minutes per side. Only 2 fillets can fit in the pan at a time, so I cooked the 4 pieces of fish in two batches. Then you melt butter in the pan, add nuts and shallots and white wine and lemon juice and parsley, and serve. So while the fish cooked, I cubed the butter, diced the shallots, and measured the wine (I used vodka, since that's what I had) and lemon juice together. I minced the parsley and put it in the measuring cup with the liquids, since they would all go in together. After all that prep, the first batch of fish was ready to come out of the pan. While the second batch was cooking, I put another pan on to heat, and added some olive oil to it. Then I stripped the collard greens from their ribs, rolled them into a big cigar shape, and sliced them very thin - like you'd slice basil, maybe. Thin ribbons of greens are what you're aiming for because they will then cook really quickly. I added another teaspoon of garlic to the hot olive oil (the heat should be medium high), added the collards, sauteed it all just enough to coat the greens with oil and garlic, and put a lid on it for 1 minute. Then I stirred the greens again and cooked them for another 2 minutes. And that's it! By then the sauce was ready to go, and it was time to plate up the food.
Since I can't serve blazing hot food to toddlers, I had a few more minutes to prep dessert. I had my 5-year-old put napkins, silverware and drinks on the table. Meanwhile I melted butter in yet another pan, added brown sugar and spices and sauteed sliced banana. Then I added the rum, and stirred it to cook off the booze. While it simmered, I put food on plates, and before we sat down at the table, the sauce was just thick enough. I took the container of ice cream out of the freezer and put it on the counter (out of sight of the kids) as I took the plates to the table. We ate our dinner, S asked for multiple helpings of his veggies, my heart sang happily, and then I served up the bananas foster over ice cream in waffle bowls. 5 recipes, 30 minutes, a really nice meal.
I have been cooking for a long time, so timing a meal is pretty automatic for me, which is not to say that I always get it right. While my father-in-law was visiting, I made a mini-Thanksgiving meal (roast chicken, gravy, sausage stuffing, salad, magic pumpkin pie cupcakes), and in spite of my careful planning and best efforts, the chicken took forever to cook. When this happens, I tell my family that we are dining in courses tonight, and we just eat what's done. In the end, it's only dinner, right?
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