For all of my perfectionist friends out there, a word of advice: Relax, it doesn’t always have to be perfect! No, really! But, I do understand. I like it perfect too. Years of cooking with friends and family have taught me that the community built in the kitchen that spills over to the table is what it’s all about. If the dish isn’t “just so”, or the fork is the wrong side- um, ok well, actually I do switch them…. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that it’s OK. Life isn’t ruined because the dish looked ugly, was burned or the dog ate it, it is just something to laugh about later. Julia Child is a great example of this, she could drop a chicken or an egg and just laugh and keep on going, you can too. You may be surprised by the results and you will love what is made through it- Relationships!
What I want to give you in this blog is not just recipes and ideas for dinner, but the joy of dinner; not just dinner, but of every meal. I want you learn about each other, laugh, cry, talk, share, build, and grow together. I want you to grow memories. I want people to talk about the joy of sitting at your table. You can do this whether you’re using a cardboard moving box for a dinning room table or you have a huge formal table in a massive dinning room. It is about the atmosphere that is set and the comradery. Be creative, have fun, and set the table.
The Process: Each week I sit down with a nice cup of coffee and pour over magazines, cookbooks, and the internet and find 5 meals I’d like to make that week. I base these meals on items that I have in my pantry and fridge so that I can be the most economical in my shopping. I make 5 because life is busy and I may be away from home a night or we may eat leftovers. Adapt it to fit your lifestyle. Then from these meals I make my grocery list and try to stick to it. I find the list helps me be frugal. This process takes about a half an hour to an hour.
The Meals:
Time: 1 Hour
Ease: Intermediate Skill
Results: This was a nice dish, but a little intimidating. The recipe says “to form a soft dough”, but I would have liked a little more description. My dough was probably a little too wet, and my end result was not like their picture, but it cooked well with a nice texture.
You may not be able to find Grana Padana and may use Parmigiano Reggiano instead.
I found the Ricotta Salata at the grocery in the specialty cheese area. It is a pressed, aged, salted and dried version of Ricotta. My cheese loving husband liked this very much. Remember, you are trying new things. Embrace it! This is nice with a salad and a fairly acidic dressing as a balance to the rich gnocchi. I also served bread rounds with bruschetta on the side.
Soup a Week!!! In our family we have a soup a week during autumn and winter (most weeks). My family loves this so much so that when my daughter went away to college she said that when she realized she was missing soup-a-week she was even more homesick. Food speaks! This weeks Soup is Potato Soup
There are as many potato soup recipes as there are people. Personally I make mine a little bit different every time, depending on my mood. Spicy or baked potato like or pesto, cheesy, lumpy, smooth…. This only takes about an hour or less to make.
Saute onion (about 1/2 cup-2 cups) in 1 tablespoon butter and a little olive oil. Once the onions are translucent I add a few cloves of garlic (if using this time) and I add whatever spices I may want to use, a pinch of cayenne pepper and stir them until fragrant. I boil my potatoes (about 1 small potato per person) in vegetable or chicken broth (vegetable is nice if you are doing meatless Mondays). Once the onion mixture is ready add broth and potatoes (about 8 cups of broth). Simmer until potatoes are tender and remove from heat.
Smooth and creamy or lumpy? This is where my family and friends disagree so here is the compromise: Pull out some of the potatoes and set aside then puree the remaining soup with a hand-held immersion blender or in a regular blender (a little at a time). Slowly add heavy cream to the pureed soup and stir well. I use around 1/4 -1/2 cup cream adjusted for consistency, then add the potatoes you pulled out back to the soup. This makes the lumpy potato soup people happy while also satisfying the smooth potato soup people. If they truly insist on no lumps, divide the lumps between the lumpy eaters bowls and ladle the smooth soup over the top. Serve with a nice bread.
Hot and Sticky Lemon-Pepper Chicken: Food and Wine Magazine, Chef Richard Blaise
Time: 1 Hour
Ease: umm, this is iffy. See below
Results: I left this recipe for my husband to make when I wasn’t planning to be home. ( I told him to use chicken cut into pieces because I had found a great deal on chicken breasts and had a lot in the freezer.) My husband struggled with the oil temperature and the batter all slid off the chicken and made sort of a glue in the bottom of the pot. Ok, try again. Second time around it worked well and in the end it tasted fine. So results may vary by cook (tongue in cheek). Note: If you do not like sweet and savory combos, this may not be for you. Serve this with steamed green beans and roasted potatoes.
Fondue Night!!!!
My family loves fondue. Long live fondue. As you see from my photo, fondue has been around for a while-ya diggin’ my groovy Avacado Green fondue pot. We love to do this with friends and do use china! We usually have a pot of broth, a pot of oil, a pot of cheese, and one of caramel or chocolate. Just have fun with this one.
Time: several hours of fun and laughter
Ease: piece of cake (dipped in chocolate)
Results: Memory maker, laughter, some oops, silliness, just plain fun.
Suggestions: raw chicken (keep this separated from everything else!), broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, apples, cake, bread, squash, onion petals, sweet potato slices, potato slices, anything else you’d like to try. We served this with tempura batter, Crab dip for mushroom caps, dipping sauces of: Ranch, Teriyaki, Thai chili paste, chutney, tahini, and a remoulade sauce. Long live fondue!
Time: 1 Hour 13 Minutes
Ease: Easy
Results: This is just a great pizza all the way around! If you are intimidated by making crust try looking in the deli or freezer section of your grocery. Sometimes they stock dough from the pizzas made in store. Fresh mozzarella is in the specialty cheese section of most stores.
Well, this week’s meals were not perfect. We had fun, we still ate well and we made memories. I’d say it was a successful week!
Photos may be used, but please link back to this blog and credit Lisa Burbach, recipes are links to existing recipes and I have no ownership of recipes other than the ones of Have created. Thank you.