Chocolate Chip Cookies for Thanksgiving

I recently wrote over at Strollerderby that this time of year, I feel especially undomesticated. While other folks brag about their out-of-this-world cornbread stuffing or green bean casserole, I smile weakly and change the subject.

Avo finds it relaxing spending time in the kitchen, but being in the kitchen stresses me out. Therefore, he is usually in charge of planning and preparing the Thanksgiving meal and all I do is show up, eat, and clean up.

As you know if you've been following this blog for a while, last year I decided to pitch in a bit — I was proud of myself for making my first-ever apple pie (I even made the crust from scratch!).

Since Ruby has enlisted me to bake an apple pie for her class Thanksgiving party and I'm making an apple and a pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving dinner at home, I went for the store bought crust.

For Jesse's school party, I figured I'd mix it up a bit and go with an old favorite: chocolate chip cookies. It was a breeze preparing the batter -- until I tried to mold it into little balls and it crumbled into pieces.

Oops. Seems I forgot to add the eggs! I whisked in some eggs at the last minute and it seemed to do the trick. They came out of the oven looking perfectly browned. I figured I'd let them cool for a while before packing them up for the night.

Oops again. I was so tired that I forgot to pack up the cookies. When I awoke this morning, I realized my mistake. They're no longer nice and chewy. In fact, they're like cookie pellets.

"You ruined chocolate chip cookies?!" my mom asked in disbelief.

"Well, they might still have some life in them," I said.

She suggested that I wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them a bit to moisten them. A Twitter friend gave me another idea: put a piece of bread in the container with them.

Jesse's party is tomorrow. I'm hoping one of these methods helps to resuscitate them by then.

The New Brooklyn Cookbook

Last night I was lucky enough to be able to go to the book party for "The New Brooklyn Cookbook" by husband-and-wife team Melissa and Brendan Vaughan. And when I say "lucky enough," I mean lucky to have gotten a babysitter because the party was open to the public.

Even though it was a big turnout (especially for a rainy Monday night), the crowd of over 250 people felt quite cozy -- perhaps because I recognized so many folks from my kids' school (where the Vaughans also send their son).

The party was held at the spacious powerHouse Arena in Dumbo. You can see pictures here (and if you look closely, you can see my hair -- it's like Where's Waldo except it's Where's Paula's hair?)!

It was a pretty impressive (and fabulous) crowd including Brooklyn authors Gary Shteyngart and Steven Johnson; documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus, literary agents Larry Weissman and Sascha Alper (who repped the Vaughans book), Brooklyn restaurateurs and chefs Doug Crowell (Buttermilk Channel), Jacques Gautier (Palo Santo) and al di la duo Anna Klinger and her husband, Emiliano Coppa.

And, of course, there was food (assorted cheese and charcuterie from Stinky bklyn and Smith & Vine) and drink. I opted for the Brooklyn Rumble, a house specialty at The Jakewalk in Carroll Gardens.

Here is the recipe (from The New Brooklyn Cookbook):

2 ounces Scarlet Ibis Aged Trinidad Rum or other aged rum
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce framboise
Dash of Angostura bitters

In a cocktail shaker, shake the first three ingredients and strain into a lowball glass filled with crushed ice. Pour in the framboise (it will sink to the bottom) and top with a dash of Angostura bitters.

It was as tasty as it sounds! I might have Avo try to replicate this cocktail at home (he's the house mixologist).

Of course, I purchased a copy of the book, which also features recipes for "new" Brooklyn specialties including: Dumac and Cheese (Dumont), Steak and Eggs Korean Style (The Good Fork), Duck Legs and Dirty Rice (Egg), Chicken Liver Crostini (Franny's), Braised Rabbit with Black Olives and Creamy Polenta (Al Di La), and well as many other gourmet treats.

The truth is that I'm unlikely to attempt any of these at home (although I'm not discouraging you from trying). It's challenging enough for me to make something as simple as basic lasagne these days. I'm not sure I'm game for the inevitable comparisons to some of Brooklyn's best restaurants.

But looking at the pictures (by Michael Harlan Turkell) sure does make me want to go out to dinner to one of these spots...Good thing my birthday is coming up!

Someone Else's Laundry

We recently returned from Cape Cod, where we stayed with our good friends and their three charming children. The plus of staying with friends rather than at a hotel are obvious -- you have more time to spend with your friends and get the chance to experience the rhythmes of their every day life. The downside is pretty obvious too -- there's no hotel maid, no room service (or mini-bar) and not much privacy.

The truth is that I'd trade even four-star hotel food for our friend's cooking. They made even the most simple dish (a BLT sandwich, for instance) into something truly memorable and delicious.

When it came time for their daughter's 8th birthday party, they went all out -- making two cakes from scratch, along with two types of frosting, homemade ice cream, homemade whipped cream and caramel and fudge sauces. I am still coming down from the sugar high.

In return to their amazing hospitality, I tried my best to be handy. I helped do the laundry, tidied up the toys and volunteered to help clean the house. They assigned me the task of vacuuming the living room and I happily agreed. But then I was stumped.

"How do you do this anyway?" I asked.

"Don't you vacuum at home?" one of my hosts wondered.

"Well, usually Avo does the vacuuming."

So I got a lesson in Vacuuming 101 and they saw first-hand how undomesticated I still am.

Then at dinner, they asked if I could kindly cut the corn off of their daughter's corn on the cob since she has some missing teeth.

"Sure!"

But when I picked up a sharp paring knife and started to whittle the cob, our hostess looked alarmed.

"You're scaring me!" she said before doing the job herself with a dull dinner knife.

I can only hope that at least I did a decent job changing the sheets when it was time for us to go.

And I hope they don't hold my lack of domestic skills against me and invite us back again next year. My witty banter, sharp conversation skills, and warm companionship compensates for my lack of know-how around the house, right?

Pop-Tarts, Vitaminwater and Dinner Doulas

I haven't been cooking much lately, but at least I have been writing. Since April, I have been blogging twice a day for Babble's Strollerderby where I write incredibly witty, insightful analysis about the latest parenting news. Recently, I've been writing quite a bit about food and nutrition for kids

You can check out some of my latest blog posts here:

Do You Need a Kitchen Doula?

Why We Don't Need a Pop-Tarts Store

Don't Fool Yourself: Vitaminwater Isn't Healthy

Don't Fool Yourself: Go-gurt is Candy

As for cooking, I'm preparing some brown rice in a rice cooker right now and am hoping to make a simple dinner of tempeh and broccoli on rice. Next week, we'll be headed to Cape Cod where my friend Beau is sure to cook us up some tasty grub.

Once the kids are back in school (and the weather cools off), I hope to get back into a regular cooking routine (I know - excuses, excuses!) Please bear with me until then.

Have you been cooking anything interesting this summer?

Summer Salads for the Season

We've been ordering in quite a bit these days -- much more than I'd like. Not only is it getting expensive, but I'm actually getting tired of eating restaurant food. I can't believe it, but I miss cooking. Avo recently reminded me that last summer we mostly dined on Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Season, his collection of light, flavorful salads made fairly simply from fresh ingredients.

Last summer, I tried to work my way through all 101 of them (I think I only made it to 20 or so). Looking over the notes I jotted into the margins on the print-out from last summer, next to a recipe for bulgur and cauliflower, I noticed a review from Avo. "I'd say it's a winner," he had proclaimed. I decided to give it a shot.

Here's the recipe:

#92 (out of 101): Simmer a cup of bulgur and some roughly chopped cauliflower florets until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Toss with chopped tarragon, roughly chopped hazelnuts, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, oil oil and lemon juice.

I had the ingredients on hand, but how do I go about simmering bulgur? In "How to Cook Everything," Bittman's recipe for bulgur calls for pouring 2 1/2 cups of boiling water on top of a cup of bulgur and covering for 20 minutes or so. Where does simmering come into the equation?

I go wild chopping up cauliflower florets (he did say "roughly" after all) and toss them into a pot with 1 cup of bulgur and 2 1/2 cups of water. I stir and simmer for about 15 minutes until the florets are tender.

Meanwhile, I chop up the tarragon, the hazelnuts and the garlic and toss in some Dijon mustard, olive oil and lemon juice to make a dressing.

What I like about Bittman's recipe is that he doesn't actually tell you how much of each ingredient to use. I find it liberating not to have to measure things out. Of course, it's tricky finding just the right balance. Luckily, I managed okay. I drained out some extra water from the bulgur cauliflower combo and then tossed in some of the Dijon/tarragon/hazelnuts/garlic/olive oil/lemony dressing.

"I'd say it's a winner," Avo declares yet again. It was tasty the first time around, but even tastier when Avo whipped up the leftovers today -- he had sauteed them in bacon grease and added bacon. "Bacon makes everything better!" said Avo. Can't agree with him more.

Burning Down the House

I've always joked that I'm so dangerous in the kitchen that I might burn down the house. But I never thought that my cleaning could be hazardous.

Yesterday evening as I was running a bath for the girls, I started to smell smoke. It had the distinct smell of a campfire, but as far as I could tell, there was no campfire in our apartment.

"I smell smoke," said Jesse as she came out of the bathroom.

"Me too," I said.

"Look, mom! There's smoke by the lights in the kitchen."

Indeed, a layer of smoke covered the kitchen ceiling.

"It's coming from there!" Jesse exclaimed, pointing at the microwave.

"The sponges! The sponges must be on fire!"

I opened the microwave to find one sponge smoldering and the other a burnt ember. I tossed them in the sink and doused them with running water.

"Guess four minutes was too long," I told Jesse.

The day before Avo had told me that he saw something on TV about sterilizing sponges once a week by putting them in the microwave for two minutes. He tried it and it seemed to work.

After scrubbing the bathroom, I wanted to sterilize the sponges. I figured for two sponges, I'd add an extra minute. Seemed reasonable to me.

When Avo walked in the door, he immediately said, "It smells like smoke in here." Jesse excitedly recounted the dramatic tale of the fire. Of course, she was a hero for pinpointing the source of the smoke.

Amazingly, the microwave survived the ordeal. But the whole experience has put me off cleaning. Not sure when I'll be ready to face a sponge again. You never know when I might accidentally set it on fire.

The 5th Annual Brooklyn Blogfest

The Blogfest Backlash is in full gear as critics snipe that this was the year the gathering of Brooklyn bloggers sold out to Absolut Vodka, the event's sponsor.

Controversy aside, for a first-time attendee like myself, it was an opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and to be inspired by the community. Sure, Spike Lee's chat made it clear he was there to shill Absolut Brooklyn, the new vodka blend "inspired" by Brooklyn. And it was also painfully apparent that he knew nothing about blogging or the purpose of the event. Still, I appreciated the fact that Spike Lee attracted a more diverse audience to the blogfest.

And, to be honest, I also appreciated the free entry fee, vodka, and food (and no, I didn't get a flip camera or a bottle of vodka to take home). Producing an event like this isn't cheap. Kudos to blogger/Blogfest founder Louise Crawford for helping to make it accessible to all.

Ultimately, the cocktails were not as memorable as the conversations. During the "Blogs of a Feather" sessions where bloggers broke up by subject matter, I got to know fellow food and home bloggers, including:

Carolina Capehart of Historic Cookery, who cooks over an open fire, using the equipment,the ingredients, and the receipts (recipes) of the early 19th Century.

Phyllis Bobb of Reclaimed Home, who blogs about low impact housing and renovations options for thrifty New Yorkers.

Heather Johnston of SoGood.tv, which features videos about wine and food for the home cook.

Susan LaRosa of A Cake Bakes in Brooklyn, who revisits American home cooking in the era before convenience foods became popular. LaRosa bakes and cooks from old cookbooks and recipe cards of home cooks purchased at estate sales in Akron, Ohio, and other "exotic" locations.

Chattting about the state of blogging in Brooklyn was fun, but the highlight of the night was when I stumbled upon an inflatable couch on the sidewalk outside the Brooklyn Lyceum.

It was after 11 pm and the man reclining on the couch was handing out free cookies.

"Want a cookie?" he asked.

I eyed him suspiciously. My mom always warned me about taking cookies from strangers, but it was a homemade orange chocolate chip cookie and he assured me that not only was it safe, but it was gluten free. I couldn't resist. It was delicious.

He handed me his card. Turns out the cookie man's name is Scott Alexander. Apparently, he's a musician who makes friends and contacts by setting up his couch and handing out cookies. He's got a 24-hour Free Cookie Hotline, 347-829-4YUM and a web site, FreeCookies.Net.

Scintillating conversation with old friends and new, strong cocktails and free cookies. I couldn't ask for much more in an evening out in Brooklyn.

Photo: Hugh Crawford/otbkb.com

My Friend, She's Fried

My best friend Dori was a foodie before being a foodie was cool. She is the sort of person who phones just to tell you she made the most fabulous Potatoes Au Gratin with Gruyere that you just have to try. When we eat out, she knows where to go and exactly what to order (not to mention how it should be cooked).

Dori always makes cooking seem effortless and fun. Somehow, she manages to whip up potato latkes for 50 with two kids underfoot while still looking as glamorous as a movie star (some see a resemblance to Meg Ryan). Not surprisingly, she has always been baffled – if not a bit irked – by my culinary ineptitude.

After years of feigning interest as she recounted her latest success in the kitchen, I finally have begun to pay attention. Now that I've begun to cook myself, I appreciate her passion for food and cooking even more. I'm lucky to have her on hand to (well, by phone or e-mail) to answer my questions about grilling, sauteing, steaming, and everything in between.

I'm proud to say that after years of dreaming about it, Dori has finally taken the leap and begun cooking school at the Institute for Culinary Education in Manhattan. She had taken recreational cooking classes there before, but this one is for pros. Of course, I thought Dori already knew everything there was to know, but I'm sure they can teach her a thing or two.

Dori is chronicling her journey on her blog, She's Fried, which, like Dori, is smart, witty, and always lively.

In her most recent post, Dori tells of how she took on a lobster -- and lost. Well, to be fair, she won (the lobster is dead), but she lost some blood in the process (don't worry, she's okay).

Check it out and see She's Fried for yourself.

Photo: Dori Fern

The Way We Eat: Issues at the Table

I can't wait for this event:

Readings On The 4th Floor

"The Way We Eat: Issues at the Table"
June 15 - 7:30-9:00 PM

Moderated by Michael Moss, PS 107 parent and 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for his work in the New York Times on contaminated hamburger and other food safety issues. He just wrote an excellent story on the salt industry.

Panelists:

Janet Poppendieck, author "Free For All: Fixing School Food in America."

Traci Des Jardins, owner/chef of the acclaimed Jardiniere, in San Francsico; she has been named a James Beard “Rising Star of the Year” and she also appeared on “Iron Chef,” defeating Mario Batali.

Kim Severson, reporter with the dining section of the Times, and author of the just published "Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life."

Buy Tickets Here

Hope you can make it!

Brooklyn Blogfest 2010

Fifth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 7:00 PM
The Brooklyn Lyceum
227 Fourth Avenue at President Street in Park Slope

It's free, but Pre-Register Here.

THE BROOKLYN BLOGFEST 2010 IS SPONSORED BY ABSOLUT® VODKA

"Where better to take the pulse of this rapidly growing community of writers, thinkers and observers than the Brooklyn Blogfest?" ~ Sewell Chan, The New York Times

How many bloggers does it take to fill the Brooklyn Lyceum? Come find out on June 8 at 7:00 p.m. when the borough’s most opinionated and dedicated bloggers, Spike Lee and Lemon Anderson to sound off about how and why Brooklyn remains such a rich source of material and inspiration.

But forget about filling the room. Here’s the real question the Brooklyn Blogfest will answer: How many bloggers does it take to wrap their arms around New York’s most happening borough? So, whether you are a blogger, wannablogger, reader, or media maven, you’ll want to come see for yourself. And meet up with this year’s most tenaciously keen tribe of bloggers as they gather to celebrate all the reasons Brooklyn is such a potent source of runaway creativity.

Since it was founded in 2005, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as a panel of blogging's best disect the unique brand of entrepreneurial creativity flourishing here. Also on tap: a video tribute to Brooklyn's most visionary photo bloggers, special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather), the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world, and a roof-raising after-party with ABSOLUT® VODKA cocktails, food and music.

"The borough of Brooklyn has always been front and center in the world of blogging," says Louise Crawford, founder of the Brooklyn Blogfest and onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com. “Whether you live by a blog, blog to live, or live to blog, you’ll want to come out on June 8.”

The Brooklyn Blogfest 2010 program featuures:

CREATE, INSPIRE, BLOG: a panel discussion moderated by WNYC's Andrea Bernstein
BLOGS-OF-A-FEATHER, special interest, small-group sessions led by notable bloggers
The SHOUT OUT, your chance to share your blog with the world
THE BIG PICTURE: a video tribute to Brooklyn's photo bloggers
SPIKE LEE AND LEMON ANDERSON APPEARING
Great opportunities for networking
Music, mingling, and general merriment at the after party

FIFTH ANNUAL BROOKLYN BLOGFEST 2010
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 7 PM at the Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope
Doors open at 6:30 PM

I'll be there!

No Cooking or Cleaning for Me

It's amazing how quickly I've fallen into my old undomesticated habits. Now that I've got a job, I've been seriously slacking off around the house. There's a pile of dishes in the sink and while the laundry is folded, I haven't had time to put it away. I don't remember the last time I cooked dinner that didn't come from the frozen foods section.

When pressed for time when something's gotta give, it seems cooking and cleaning are the first things to go.

Somehow Avo manages to find time to go to the gym, work a full-time job, and cook -- even when he doesn't get home until 8 p.m.

Last night, I was prepared to have cereal for dinner, but he was determined to come up with something more nutritional and satisfying. Using the few ingredients we had in our fridge, he whipped up the best omelette I've had in my life (no kidding) -- eggs, ham, onions, and mushrooms never tasted so good. Or maybe I just appreciated the fact that I was eating a home-cooked meal for a change.

For the past week, I've had plans to cook chili. I have all the ingredients on hand, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I fear that unless I start cooking soon, I'll forget everything I've learned. I'd hate to come this far only to settle back into my old undomesticated life.

Sometimes I wonder if there are two types of people: those who cook because they love it and those who cook because they have no other choice. Maybe I'm just not hardwired to cook. What do you think?

I'll Be Back

Please forgive me, readers. It's been over a week since my last post.

I've got a good excuse. I started a new job where I'm actually getting paid to blog! You can check out my blog posts about parenting at Babble.com's Strollerderby where I'm writing about everything from mental illness in kids to whether spanking is a human rights issue.

I haven't been cooking or cleaning much since I got this new gig, but I hope you'll be patient with me (Avo has been!)

I promise to get back to the domestic life as soon as I can tear myself away from the computer.

It Takes a Village

Everybody knows that it takes a village to raise a child. But does it take a village to prepare dinner?

In our house, dinner is often a collaborative affair. For years, my husband, Avo, bore the full responsibility of meal preparation -- shopping, cooking, and cleaning (well, I'd occasionally chip in). But then when he landed a new job with later hours, I rose to the occasion and took over these household duties on weekdays while he ruled the kitchen on weekends. Now that I'm suddenly busy with work, he's happy to chip in (what a mensch!).

On Friday night, we pieced together a meal -- I roasted asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper (always a safe, yummy bet) and he grilled buffalo burgers (the ones at Trader Joe's are the cheapest and the best). It wasn't anything fancy, but it was as satisfying as a gourmet meal at Chanterelle.

Friends have suggested that we form a dinner co-operative so we can all take turns preparing meals. The idea appeals to me, but the logistics overwhelm me. Just coordinating a play date seems tough enough these days since everybody is so overbooked.

In college, I lived in a co-operative where we all traded off on meal duties. Since I didn't know how to cook, I made the same thing every week -- falafel from a prepared mix. Now that I'm a bit more domesticated, I bet I could even try making falafel from scratch. And then Avo can make some tabbouleh to go with it. I'm ready for the kids to learn how to cook so they can pitch in too!

Cooking Ennui

"Cooking ennui is an inevitable test of your character to which you must rise."

At least that's what my friend Beau, says. Beau cooks a full meal for his wife and kids every night and makes it seem effortless.

"What's your secret?" I ask. "How do you manage to maintain your enthusiasm for cooking when it's so routine? And how do you come up with something to cook every night?"

"The secret is pre-planning for easy predictability occasionally interrupted by novelty," said Beau. "You've got to plan a handful of days at once, so you won't have to think about it all too much. Then, most of those meals have to be things that are relatively easy and well-liked, so going on auto-pilot isn't too taxing. Add one (relatively easy) thing you've been meaning to try (you may have to dig for this: another reason to subscribe to Fine Cooking) that keeps the week from seeming like endless repetition, and you're good. time will pass and suddenly, you'll find you're over the hump. definitely takes deliberate planning and will, though."

Of course, relatively easy is all relative. For me, it means taking out a bowl of cereal and pouring in milk! Maybe some fresh fruit to add some color.

With Beau as an inspiration, I've come up with the following ideas. Keep in mind that I don't practice what I preach, so let me know if you have any ideas to add to my list:

Ten Tips for Easy Meal Planning:

1. Designate a "Meal Planning Day," where you compile a list of recipes and ingredients you'll need for the week. Try to pick at least one recipe that you can incorporate in several meals.

2. Keep your pantry, freezer and refrigerator organized so that you can cross-reference the ingredients needed for a recipe with what you have on hand. Plus, this way you'll be sure to toss old stuff before it becomes rancid.

3. Plan for every night of the week (and lunch if you prepare that too). Try to mix it up so you don't have pasta or red meat two nights in a row. Designate one night "Leftover Night."

4. Create a recipe binder to organize recipes from magazines, friends, and family. We use a photo album to store favorite recipes and keep it handy in the kitchen

5. Rely on old favorites, but be sure to experiment with a new recipe at least once a week. Or else you'll get bored fast.

6. For new recipes, rely on websites such as CookingLight.com, myrecipes.com or allrecipes.com where you can enter a particular ingredient (or a list of ingredients) and get recipe ideas.

7. When in doubt, just cook something. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Make the effort and it will be worth it.

8. It's okay to cheat with household gadgets like a rice cooker, a microwave and a crock pot to speed things up.

9. Cook in bulk and freeze individual portions.

10. Don't feel bad about ordering in or going out to dinner every once in a while. You deserve it!

Now what am I cooking for dinner tonight?

A Fishy Setback

"I feel like an undomesticated failure," I moaned to Avo tonight.

"Why? Because dinner didn't turn out as you planned?" he said.

That was a generous understatement. Dinner was pretty much inedible.

I tried something that I thought would be a no-brainer: I baked catfish with panko (seasoned with thyme, salt, and pepper) for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. But instead of becoming brown and crispy, the panko remained the color (and taste) of sand. I suspect the problem is that I used canola spray on the bottom of the pan rather than relying on good old fashioned butter (or margarine). As a result, the panko never browned. The fish tasted about as tantalizing as cardboard. I would have been better off using a store bought fish seasoning mix.

I also experimented with a tomato, cucumber, mint salad:

I marinated cucumber slices in 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt for about an hour. Then I tossed it with two tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup of chopped mint and a handful of plum tomatoes. It looked colorful and appetizing, but it tasted like it had been doused in soy sauce.

With effort, Avo forced the fish in his mouth, trying to make a good show of it.

"I'm not lovin' it," I confessed, letting him off the hook.

"Well, it is nice to come home to have dinner waiting," said Avo, trying his best to be encouraging. "That said, I think I'm done," he added, pushing away his plate.

"Me too."

Not only was dinner a complete flop, but toys are strewn around the living room and I've got a pile of laundry waiting for me to do.

All is not lost though since my sweetie was nice enough to clean up the kitchen.

The Spice of Life

Variety is the spice of life, so I assume that using spices might add some variety to my culinary repertoire.

While looking for recipes which rely on spices that I have in our spice cabinet, I came across this in an old issue of Everyday Food Magazine:

Chicken Tenders with Cucumber Salad and Chickpea Couscous
(from Every Day Food Magazine)

Ingredients

- 1 (1 pound) seedless cucumber
- 1/2 cup whole flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 to 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup raisins (I left them out)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup couscous

Directions

1. Make salad: Quarter cucumber lengthwise; slice quarters 3/4 inch thick diagonally. In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, parsley, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Set aside.

This is where I had to call my dad and read him the recipe so he could translate for me.

"What does it mean to quarter cucumber?" I asked.

"You cut them in quarters."

"Yeah, but what does that mean exactly?"

I'm a bit dense when it comes to directions sometimes. Without a video connection, my dad couldn't demonstrate.

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out," I reassured him.

When I got off the phone, I cut the cucumber in four pieces lengthwise and then did my best to slice them diagonally. But, the pieces looked too long, so I cut them again.

2. Make couscous: In a small saucepan, combine chickpeas, raisins, 1 teaspoon oil, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, and cover pot; remove from heat. Set aside (at least 5 minutes) while cooking chicken. Fluff couscous gently with a fork before serving.

This was the easy step. I left out the raisins since I don't like raisins in my food (except for Raisin Bran).

3. Make chicken: In a medium bowl, combine ginger, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.

This was surprisingly easy and fun. The only question I had was: what are chicken tenders? Are they like chicken nuggets or cutlets? I'm still not sure, but I used chicken breasts and they did just fine.

4. Cook chicken in two batches: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high; add half the chicken, and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet, and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with cucumber salad and couscous.

I cheated and cooked the chicken in one batch. Basically, all I did was coat the chicken with spices and sautee it in oil. I kept checking to make sure it didn't get overcooked. Amazingly, I pulled it out at the perfectly tender moment.

When Avo got home, he was thrilled to see dinner on the table waiting for him. Usually, I just make one or two dishes, so making three separate things to complete a balanced meal was a big accomplishment for me.

He bit into the chicken first.

"Delicious!" he exclaimed.

He looked at the cucumber salad and crinkled his nose.

"I wasn't sure if I cut it the right way," I explained, showing him the recipe.

"You're supposed to hold the cucumber lengthwise and then cut it once horizontally and once vertically so you get quarters."

"Oh! Now I get it," even though I still a bit confused.

I admit the cucumber salad looked weird, it was crunchy and refreshing (and a worthwhile companion to the spiced chicken).

The couscous, however, was too mealy and bland. Next time, I'll try to spice it up some more (maybe some garlic would help?)

NOTE: Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart's Everyday Living (my meal didn't look nearly as photogenic).

Ginger-Carrot Soup

There are days when I slack off on my domestic duties and can't even bear to make the effort to toast a slice of bread or make my bed. Other days, I frantically scrub, bake, and neaten. I'm a whirling dervish of domesticity. Friday was one of those days. Here is a rundown of all of the useful things I did:

1. Washed and folded two loads of laundry
2. Went shopping at the Park Slope Food Co-Op (and lugged the groceries home)
3. Loaded the dishwasher (and unloaded it once it was done)
4. Cleaned the bathrooms
5. Made the beds and generally tidied up
6. Baked uber-hearty banana muffins (using honey, canola oil and whole wheat flour)
7. Cooked up a big batch of carrot ginger soup.

In hindsight, I realize I made the soup simply so I could have an excuse to finally bought a hand blender. The kids were intrigued by the new toy, but I knew Avo would roll his eyes as yet another kitchen gadget crowding the pantry.

I was just finishing up with the soup when Avo walked in the door. I shoved a spoonful of the soup in his mouth and pretty much begged for praise. Before he could swallow the soup (or compliment the soup), I hurried out the door -- on my way to Manhattan to celebrate my friend Becky's 40th birthday. As I ran down the hallway, I called back to Avo, "eat the soup and then freeze the rest!"

"So how was it?" I asked the next morning.

"Not gingery enough for me. And I don't think you pureed it enough. I got some big chunks of carrot," he said.

Oh well. I guess I need to practice some more with the hand blender.

Luckily, I liked the soup just fine and will surely make use of the frozen leftovers.

Ginger-Carrot Soup (from Every Day Food)

SERVES 8

Ingredients

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 lbs carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- coarse salt
- ground pepper
- 2-3 teaspoons sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)


Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add onions, stirring occasionally until they are translucent (5 minutes).

3. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, ginger, broth and water.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender (20 minutes).

5. Puree mixture in batches in a blender until smooth. (for safety, you should let the soup cool a bit before doing this, and be careful of any splattering. Or use an immersion blender right in the pot).

6. Add sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

7. Return to pan and reheat over medium heat, adding in cream if you wish.

Disclaimer: That's not my soup in the photo.

In the summer months, I think this would be yummy chilled. Refreshing and oh so healthy.

A Potato Garden

"Honey, your potatoes are sprouting," Avo said last night after peeking in the shopping bag I had perched on the window sill beside the air conditioner. "They look like little alien creatures!"

Oops. Guess I waited too long to decide what to do with the leftover potatoes from Passover (thanks for the shepard's pie idea, mom).

"So what do I do with them now?" I asked.

"Well, you've got two options: throw them out or grow potatoes in the back garden," Avo answered.

Dear reader, I chose the first option.

The good news is that now I don't have to figure out how to use this sack of potatoes. The bad news is that now I feel guilty for wasting so many good (organic!) potatoes.

My cooking juju is clearly off these days. I just can't seem to get it together to prepare a decent meal. Even Avo's birthday dinner on Monday night was underwhelming ("I'm just not that hungry," he said, perhaps to spare my feelings).

I blame the balmy weather we've been enjoying -- It's hard to contemplate cooking hearty foods like potatoes and meat when it's scorching out.

But now that it's cool and misty today, I've got no excuse. You'll be relieved to know that as I type, I'm prepping banana muffins -- I can't bear to throw out these fast ripening bananas without putting them to good use.

Buffalo Meat for Cheap

Wouldn't you know it? Just when I finally get the hang of cooking with beef (well, I can make burgers), Avo's doctor tells him to keep his cholesterol down by cutting out the red meat.

At the same time, I'm still trying to come up with a recipe which will use up the potatoes left over from Passover (I made so much kugel and yet somehow I still have a ton of potatoes). In my truly undomesticated days, I used to mock Avo for his obsession with using every last bit of food we had in the fridge. Now I think I'm worse than he ever was. Can't let one potato go to waste!

I found a recipe for meat loaf and mashed potatoes in an old copy of "Everyday Food" that one of my neighbors left on the window sill in our front hallway. But, not surprisingly, it calls for ground beef.

"Why not use buffalo meat?" asked Avo. "It's leaner and they sell it cheap at Trader Joe's. And instead of using the potatoes for mashed potatoes, why not make potato gratin?"

Well, for one, the potato gratin recipe in Patricia Wells' Bistro Cooking calls for 1 cup of Gruyere cheese and 1 cup of heavy cream -- somehow I am guessing Avo's doctor wouldn't approve of that!

Brooklyn Eats

As I've said before, Brooklyn is the place to be for foodies -- or anyone who appreciates a good deal (and a tasty meal), scintillating conversation or all of the above.

Today is my hubby's birthday, so I plan to cook him something special and stay home to celebrate. But if you're in the mood to go out on the town and do something fun and food-related, you're in luck. There's plenty of events to choose from tonight (April 6):

1. Melt's "Taste of Life Tasting Menu"

Melt Brooklyn 5-course Tasting Menu $30

TEMPURA FRIED OYSTER
Soy and Dashi Dipping Sauce

ATLANTIC SALMON CEVICHE
Avocado, Wasabi, Salmon Roe

POTATO AND LEEK SOUP
Garlic Croutons

KIWI BURGER
Grass Fed Lamb Burger, Sunny Side Egg, Beet Relish on Brioche.

GRANNY SMITH APPLE TART
Butter Pecan Ice Cream

created by Mark Simmons, Executive Chef

Pair each course with a taste of 5 carefully selected wines $20

Call 718.230.5925 to secure a table as seating is limited.

2. Edible Brooklyn & Edible Manhattan Magazines Present
GOOD SPIRITS, a cocktail celebration, at The Bell House, 6-9 pm

Brooklyn-based mixology-minded chefs will strive for liquid symbiosis, cooking up perfect pairings for cocktails made with storied spirits. They'll be pouring Empire State favorites like Tuthilltown Spirits and Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery, as well as small batch selections from Vertical Vodka, Chartreuse and Ilegal Mezcal.

The Vanderbilt, No. 7, James, Walter Foods, The Farm on Adderley and Palo Santo will be on hand to prepare food.

A special guest bartender will provide bite-by-sip commentary.

Tickets are just $40 for an evening of food, drink and merriment.

Information at www.ediblebrooklyn.com and www.ediblemanhattan.com or contact Samantha Seier, sam.edible@gmail.com.

3. The powerHouse Arena is hosting a book release party:

Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat)
Edited by Moby with Miyun Park

Tuesday, April 6, 7–9PM

For more information, please call 718.666.3049
RSVP: gristle@powerHouseArena.com

Multi-platinum musician Moby has compiled writings from 15 of the country's leading food-minded folks who lay out a hard-hitting and eye-opening guide to the meat you eat.

Moby and co-editor Miyun Park, Executive Director of Global Animal Partnership, as well as a selection of Gristle's contributors, will be present to discuss and sign the book. Refreshments will be served.

Just because I'm staying home doesn't mean you have to! Now I've got to figure out what to cook for Avo's birthday dinner tonight.

Spring Break and Mila's Thighs

Did you miss me? Not only did I miss you, but I actually missed cooking. With the kids off school for the week and our friend Beau and his kids in town visiting, I barely had a moment to boil water.

We were busy playing tourist in our hometown -- visiting The Museum of Natural History, The Bronx Zoo, and Coney Island. Mostly, we ate out (although we did pack homemade sandwiches for our daytime outings).

One night, our friend Beau, a terrific cook, treated us to one of his specialties, Mila's Thighs.

Here is the recipe (in Beau's own words):

Mila’s Thighs

4-5 lg. cloves garlic
1 t kosher salt
2 T lime juice
2 T olive oil
1 lg bunch cilantro
2-3 lbs chicken thighs

Finely chop the garlic, then sprinkle the salt over it and chop the salt into it a little more. Then use the side of your knife to work it into a paste. (Hold your knife at a 5-10-degree angle, almost flat against the cutting board, and start nipping bits from the pile of minced garlic, sliding your knife along as you press it against the board. It’s obvious once you’re confronted with it....)

Put it in a bowl, add the juice and the oil and give it a good whisking, then chop the heck out of the cilantro. Don’t worry about avoiding the stems--just gather the leafy stuff up and chop it finely, stopping when you run out of it.

Marinate for a couple/few hours—no more—and grill as above. Sometimes I substitute a couple big whacks of tarragon for some of the cilantro.

Can't wait 'til August when we'll visit Beau and his lovely wife Galen at their place in Wellfleet and enjoy some of his other culinary specialties, including Jamaican meat pies, caramel cod, and Thai Fried Halibut.

He's kindly shared his recipes with me, so I'll see if I can re-create the magic on my own....

Meanwhile, once the girls return to school on Wednesday, it's back to the old routine. Time to go shopping and start drawing up a menu or else I'll be reduced to takeout again.

See You Next Week

Enough Kugel Already

"Yay! Mommy doesn't have to make any more kugel!" Ruby cheered yesterday when we arrived home from our "early bird seder" weekend adventure.

Both of my girls were clearly tired of hearing about my kugel conundrum -- not to mention the sound of the food processor chopping all of those carrots, potatoes, and onions!

I was relieved to finally be done with it myself.

Do you want to know how the kugel turned out? In short, it was a hit -- all my hard work paid off -- and there was more than enough to go around. I ended up making about four batches of the recipe so we had enough for leftovers. Dori will be pleased to hear that the "muffin kugels" were the most popular. She was right -- making the kugel in muffin tins kept it crispy.

The rest of the family pitched in to make it a lovely seder meal.

My cousin Marla made matzoh ball soup that was better than the one they serve at The Second Avenue Deli; Claudia made homemade gefilte fish and mouth-watering brisket; My brother made carrot kugel (he vowed next year, he'd add garlic to spice things up a bit); and cousin Tina baked desserts that were so outrageously delicious, you'd swear they were made with flour (she swears they weren't!)

When I bought the matzoh meal for the kugel, I noticed Streit's slogan is "The Taste of a Memory..." Isn't holiday cooking all about revisiting old memories and creating new ones? Maybe my girls will one day aspire to recreate their mom's kugel.

I can just picture Ruby asking her sister, "Remember when mom nearly went crazy making all that kugel one year?"

How could they forget?

Meanwhile, I promise not to post anymore about kugel...until next year.

Kugel Conundrum

"I'm having a kugel cunundrum," I said to Avo last night.

It was already getting late and it was time to go to sleep.

But first I had to check on the kugel or else I wouldn't be able to rest soundly.

I ended up getting a jump-start on things rather than leaving the cooking 'til the last minute as I had planned. I loaded up a cart with about 30 potatoes and a whole lot of onions and carrots. For good measure, I bought the last two boxes of Streit's matzoh meal (not sure I really need that much, but just in case...)

I doubled up the kugel recipe and found that the potato-carrot-onion mix didn't fit in any of my mixing bowls. Then I went through an entire roll of paper towels and a few dish towels trying to sop up the potato "juice." Now all my dish towels smell like potatoes!

In hindsight, I'm not so sure the muffin tins were the way to go. It seemed like a lot of extra effort pouring the kugel mix into the tins. Then, I packed up the kugel muffins in a plastic bag to store them. I checked on them a bit later and the bag had started to fog up. I guess I put the kugel muffins in while they were still hot and humid.

The bottom of the bag was like a shallow pond and a lot of the muffins were soggy sponges. I sorted through the salvageable ones and left them to dry out on the counter.

"Now I'm not sure I'll have enough for everyone," I griped to Avo.

"Maybe you should make more."

"I can't bear it!"

After a day scrubbing potatoes and "slaving" over the food processor, it was hard to imagine doing it yet again.

"Well, it's better to have too much than not enough."

Which brings me back to the kugel cunundrum: "Do I leave the kugel overnight to dry or do I put it in the fridge?"

Avo suggested I set an alarm for 2 a.m. so I could go and check on them.

I nixed that idea and decided to leave them out.

Luckily, Ruby inadvertently came to the rescue by waking up at 3 a.m.

After bringing her a sippy cup, I tended to the kugel.

And now I'm ready to start another batch.

I'll let you know whether they pass muster at the "early bird" Saturday seder.

Passover Panic

It's official. I'm beginning to freak out. How will I ever have time to make my first ever potato kugel in timer for Saturday's "early bird" seder?

"What were you thinking?" Avo asked last night. "You're doing your food shopping on Friday morning and then Friday night, we're going to see Angelique Kidjo. Then we head upstate to the seder Saturday morning. When do you plan to cook the kugel?"

"Um, guess I hadn't thought it through (as usual)."

To make matters worse, cousin Claudia just informed me that the number of guests at the seder has just jumped to 34!

Luckily, my BFF Dori came up with a good solution: use muffin tins to make individual potato kugels. Rumor has it that this will help the potatoes "crisp up nicely." Thanks, Dori, for reminding me to use non-stick spray in the tins if I go this route (although couldn't I also use paper liners?)

Plus, we won't have to cut the kugel or worry if there's enough for everyone. But forget about making enough for seconds!

One reader requested that I post my mom's treasured recipe, so here it is:

Mom's Potato Kugel

6 Medium white potatoes (2-1/2 lbs)
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1/4 Cup matzo meal
1-1/2 tspn. salt
1/4 tspn white pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup peanut oil

Pare and put vegetables through grinder or food processor (grater disc). Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a well greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish (or deep dish pie plate).

Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) about one hour or until top is browned and crisp at edges. Serves 6-8

"Does pare mean to peel the skin off?" I e-mailed my mom.

"Yes, my dear. To pare is to peel. In olden days, before such gadgets as veggie peelers, you would use a small "paring knife" to peel vegetables. Thus, the term paring," mom wrote back.

Meanwhile, I found another recipe at Cooks.com that calls for frying the onions first. I'm sure it would taste better, but since I have to make so much kugel in such a short amount of time, I think I'll skip that step and stick with mom's (hopefully) reliable recipe.

The Grown-Up Table

Growing up, when my extended family gathered for holidays, the kids would be relegated to a separate "children's table." Presumably, there wasn't enough room at the grown-up table -- or maybe they just wanted us kids to be seen and not heard.

As you can imagine, it was a big deal when I finally "graduated" to the grown-up table.

Although that was many years ago and I now have two kids of my own, in a way, I feel as if I'm only now worthy of the grown-up table. Why? Because now I know how to cook.

Passover is coming up next week (although my family is having an "early bird" seder on Saturday) and I'm excited. It's the first year that I'm going to be cooking rather than just bringing wine or macaroons.

My cousin Claudia is in charge of delegating cooking responsibilities. She assigned me the task of cooking potato kugel. I should just be thankful I wasn't given the job of making gefilte fish or matzoh ball soup.

The older generation is no longer able to cook, but my cousins and I still rely on their recipes. I plan to use my mom's treasured potato kugel recipe.

(If you strain, you might be able to hear the melody to "Tradition!" from "Fiddler on the Roof.")

I'm not too intimidated by the idea of making potato kugel, but when I think of making it for 28 people (the number who are expected at the seder), I am terrified. What if it turns out rock solid? What if I burn it? Will they send me back to the children's table?

The good thing about kugel is that it can be made in advance. I better start peeling potatoes right away.

Do you have any special holiday recipes?

Oven Fried Panko Chicken

Guess what? We are officially a pro-panko household.

My dad was right. This stuff is great. Tonight I made oven-fried panko chicken and Avo and I were both won over by the light and crispy texture of Japanese bread crumbs.

"I feel like we're eating at a Japanese restaurant," I told Avo, since we also had salad with miso dressing and rice with soy sauce. "I should be wearing my Kimono."

Years ago for one of my birthdays, Avo bought me a beautiful Kimono that I have only worn once or twice on Halloween.

(To set the scene, you should note that while we ate, the girls were eating popcorn and watching "The Brady Bunch" on DVD).

Then, right after our lovely panko-inspired dinner, Avo confronted me with something that's been bothering him.

"I see that you got this (pointing to a brand new container of sea salt) when we already have all of that (pointing to an old container of kosher salt)."

"Well, some recipes call for sea salt," I said, defending my purchase.

"Oh, we've reached that point, have we?"

"Apparently, we have," I said.

"I'm living with Alice Waters!"

And then I headed out to buy a pint of chocolate chip Haagen Dazs.

I am guessing that Alice Waters makes her own ice cream.

Panko Power

"Do you know about Panko?" my dad asked when he called the other day.

"Yes, dad, you've only told me about Panko every time we have spoken in the last few weeks!"

My dad is just a bit obsessed with Panko.

"What's Panko?" you ask.

Panko are Japanese bread crumbs (I'm pretty sure that Panko translates to "bread crumbs" in Japanese. Correct me if I'm wrong). They are supposed to be lighter and crispier than traditional bread crumbs.

Apparently, my dad isn't the only one obsessed with them. You can read about Panko in detail here.

Despite my dad's urging -- or perhaps because of it -- I steadfastly refused to give Panko a try. But today I finally gave in and bought a container of the stuff. This weekend, I plan to experiment with it and report back.

I've already begun to research recipes that call for Panko (pretty much anything you make with bread crumbs, you can make with Panko).

This Panko-Crusted Cod sounds good. So does this oven-fried panko chicken.

Have you ever heard about Panko? What do you use it for?

If I try this stuff, maybe my dad will finally lay off on the Panko pitch. Maybe I will even join the Panko proselytizing bandwagon.

Follow these Blogs

I'm having a very undomesticated week.

Instead of food shopping or cleaning or cooking, I've been busy with other stuff: getting a cavity filled, going to the gym, volunteering at my kids' school, going on a field trip with Ruby's class, taking the girls to Manhattan, teaching memoir-writing, writing and revising, overseeing play dates, and generally doing everything possible to avoid the kitchen (granted, I've been a bit busy).

Not sure why I suddenly don't feel like cooking, but I won't read too much into it. Luckily, Avo has been a sport about it and happily cooked up the pork chops last night.

While I'm taking this hopefully brief hiatus from my domestic education, I thought you might like to check out some foodie blogs that I go to for inspiration. So go visit these other nice blogs, but promise to come back and visit me soon. Maybe by then I'll be in the mood to cook, clean, and entertain.

Dinner: A Love Story -- makes me want to cook a family dinner

A Dinner Party -- makes me want to throw another dinner party

Not Eating Out in New York -- makes me want to not eat out in New York

Take Back the Kitchen - makes me want to prepare healthy, delicious food for my family

Meanwhile, I may go out for dinner tonight.

Burrito Backslide

After three dark days of rain, life was beginning to feel quite gloomy yesterday.

Because of daylight savings time, it felt early and dark when the alarm rang. We struggled to get up and ready for school and work. And then I hurried off to Manhattan to get a cavity filled. And then I rushed back to Brooklyn to get to Jesse's school in time for "Take Your Parent to Lunch" Day in the school cafeteria. And then I hurried back home to cram in some work before school pick-up.

Sensing my grumpiness, the kids bickered and I barely managed to keep my cool. It was a long, difficult afternoon.

So when Avo got home, I did not have dinner on the table. All I had done to prepare dinner, in fact, was turn on the rice cooker. So we had a lot of rice and not much else.

"I could make some tempeh with broccoli," I said.

He looked disappointed.

"Don't worry. I'll come up with something," he said.

"Why don't you run out and get burritos?" I suggested.

He agreed to pick up Mexican food as long as I promised to steam the Haricots Verts so we could eat when he got back.

"Sure," I said.

Fifteen minutes later, I heard the door open. I was so busy on the computer that I hadn't even begun to steam the veggies. Busted.

I could actually hear him scoff.

"I'm sorry. You asked me to do one little thing and I couldn't do it."

In that moment, I forgot everything I've learned about cooking. I needed Avo to hold my hand and show me how to steam the Haricots Verts.

"I can't believe I'm backsliding," I said.

"You're having a little meltdown."

"I'm just beating myself up for not making dinner and then not steaming the Haricots Verts."

"You're just looking for something to beat yourself up for," said Avo. "It's a rainy Monday. Cut yourself some slack."

I chowed down on a massive grilled chicken and corn burrito and felt much better.

And today the sun is out and I plan to make pork chops for dinner!

My Semi-Private "Top Chef"

Two nights after throwing my first-ever dinner party, I was lucky enough to attend a dinner party at Park Slope’s Melt Restaurant.

Of course, I paid $50 for the privilege of attending this dinner party, but it was well worth the money. Hosted by momasphere.com, an organization that creates innovative events and programs for moms of all ages, the intimate evening began with an informal cooking class.

The event was billed as “How to Prepare a Restaurant-Class Dinner for Four for Under $20!” but the real draw was Melt’s executive chef, New Zealand born and bred celebrity “Top Chef” contender Mark Simmons, who is not only charming and informative (and talented), but also quite easy on the eyes. Simmons wasn't the only New Zealand import of the night. The wine of choice was Savee Sea Pinot Noir Marlborough from New Zealand (2008).

Once we had settled in at the bar with a glass of wine, Simmons wowed the group of eight moms with his recipe for Beer and Honey Braised Lamb Shank with truffled polenta and charred asparagus.

"It’s all about trying to create a meal for your friends and family without breaking the budget," said Simmons, who noted that the lamb shanks cost about $3.50/lb.

Simmons invited the ladies to join him in Melt’s cozy kitchen so he could show us how the pros work.

The secret to Simmons' recipe is the mix of fresh spices, including lavender flower which he grows in his backyard, green cardamon, coriander seed, cumin seed and white pepper corn.

“If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you should run out and get one,” said Simmons. “People say variety is the spice of life, but I say freshly roasted ground spices are the spice of life.”

His other tip: buy lamb and other meat products at Los Paisanos, a small butchery at 162 Smith Street.

After seasoning the shanks with the spice mix and salt, Simmons dusted them with flour and then braised them (for non-cooks: braising means cooking in liquid with a cover).

“I like braising a lot because it imparts flavor into meat,” said Simmons, who likened the dish to an orchestra. "The spices are the percussion."

Luckily for us, Simmons had prepped the meal in advance so we didn’t have to wait three hours for the lamb to be ready to eat.

We began the meal with a tantalizing "amuse bouche" of marinated baby beets with house made lavender-infused ricotta.

We oohed and ahhed at the delicately flavored grits and the tasty charred asparagus.

The lamb was so tender it fell easily off the bone. The group was collectively skeptical that we could pull off such a culinary masterpiece on our own at home.

“All my kids want to eat are frozen waffles,” said one mom.

“You should challenge yourself in the kitchen regularly,” said Simmons and we all nodded at the notion.

Of course, he's right, but it's easier said than done.

"No offense, Mark, but I will never be trying this at home," said one mom of two young tots.

To be honest, I don't think I'll be cooking up lamb shanks anytime soon either, but it's a nice idea.

“So what do you cook when you get home?” I asked him.

“Sometimes after I’ve been cooking all day, I want a break from the kitchen. My wife understands,” said Simmons.

"Any last questions for me?" he asked the group.

"Can we have your home phone number?" one mom asked and we all broke up laughing.

If you want to try some of Simmons’ cooking, keep in mind that Melt is participating in Brooklyn’s Restaurant Week a.k.a. “Dine in Brooklyn,” which starts today and runs through March 25. In fact, Melt is extending the $25.00 dinner prix fixe promotion til March 31st. The menu will change weekly, so if you want you can try something new each week.

Dinner Party Dish

It's nearly a week since my first-ever dinner party and I'm still basking in the glory of my success -- and fretting about things I might have done differently.

Some curious friends have requested more nitty gritty details from Saturday night (and the lead-up to the big event), so here goes:

The morning of the dinner party, I began to fret about the fact that I didn't have soup bowls to match the dishes I had rented.

"Just use our regular bowls. Nobody will notice," said Avo.

"But they don't match."

"Who will notice?"

"They'll notice that our dishes are cream colored and the rental dishes are white," I whined.

"Who cares? It's about the food, right?"

I tried to explain that presentation had really begun to matter to me.

"I remember when my parents had dinner parties when I was a kid. They always had enough matching dishes and silverware," I said. But since Avo didn't grow up in the suburbs, he didn't get what I was fussing about.

Then, just in time to hear me kvetch, Dori called. I vented to her about my bowl dilemma.

"You rented a table and dishes?!" she asked, incredulously.

Yep, and apparently, I forgot to rent bowls.

"I don't think anyone is expecting this to be as fancy as it's going to be," she reassured me. Again, Dori did not grow up in the suburbs.

I decided to be Zen about it and "let go" of the bowls. Later, when the time came to serve the stew, people had drunk enough wine and were so engrossed in conversation that I don't think anyone noticed the non-matching bowls.

By afternoon, I was antsy to get outside and enjoy the spring-like weather, but I was too busy sauteing bacon, peeling carrots, and halving Brussels sprouts to take a break.

Since we had decided to dress for the occasion, Avo broke out one of his dad's "vintage" jackets and promptly ripped a seam. Meanwhile, the girls had fun throwing Avo's ties up in the air and trying to catch them.

Meanwhile, even though I bought a ton of Brussels Sprouts, it wasn't looking like enough to feed 12 people.

"Hopefully, people will fill up on cheese and crackers," I told Avo. "Don't eat too much, okay?"

It turned out that we had just enough food -- which means that probably we could have used some more.

When I asked one guest if he wanted more stew, he replied "Are there any more courses coming?"

When I said "no," he said "then I'll have more stew."

I thought six pounds of beef would be enough for 12 people. At least we had leftovers baguettes, so I could send guests home with a parting gift.

Luckily, the one thing I got completely right was inviting the perfect mix of people. Even though most of the guests had never met each other before, they found amazing connections and had no problem keeping up the lively conversation.

The guests spanned the globe -- we had a Brit, a Romanian, and an Argentinian. We also boasted natives from all five of New York's boroughs, including Staten Island.

Most impressively, two folks actually schlepped to our place all the way from Manhattan. Now that's dedication!

Thanks

At school pick-up on Tuesday afternoon, a friend greeted me with a hearty "Congratulations!"

"What for?" I asked.

"Your dinner party, of course."

Quite frankly, I'm flattered that anyone cares about my little dinner party.

Thanks to friends, family and fellow bloggers who have lent their support and cheered me on along on my journey towards domestication.

Yesterday, when someone asked me to describe this blog, I started by saying "it's about my attempt to learn how to cook, clean, and entertain."

But the more I rambled on about it, the more I began to realize that it's not just about my quest to become "domesticated." Undomesticated Me is about re-inventing yourself and tackling new challenges.

For years, I viewed myself as a non-cook -- a general hazard in the kitchen. I'd laugh about how I couldn't cook anything other than pop-tarts. It was a running joke in my family that I couldn't be trusted to turn on the microwave. I was always afraid that if I learned to cook, I'd be stuck in the kitchen rather than out in the world doing things.

I'm surprised to discover that I can do things in the kitchen and have fun. It's empowering to know that I can feed myself and my family and friends. And it's exciting to know that you're never too old to learn a new skill (even though I've heard that before, I never quite believed it). Now that I've sort of learned how to cook, I can tackle anything -- learning to knit, learning to sew, who knows what's next?!

Dinner Party Tips

I'm still recovering from the excitement (and the wine!) at Saturday night's first-ever dinner party. I'm proud to announce that I pulled it off -- it was even better than I had anticipated (then again, I had pretty low expectations). The guests all showed up. People seemed to like the food and to enjoy themselves. And I had a lot of fun too.

All in all, I'm very proud. Considering that less than a year ago, I could barely defrost a microwave dinner or follow the directions on the Amy's macaroni and cheese box, I have come a long way. I'm mostly relieved that all of my guests showed up and I didn't burn anything!

Still, there's always room for improvement.

I've learned so much during this adventure. If you're hoping to throw your own dinner party, here are some Undomesticated Me tips:

1. Plan a detailed scheduled for the day of the party, leaving time for last-minute errands. I was so busy cleaning the apartment and buying baguettes on Saturday that I waited until too late to start prepping the food. I had to scramble at the last minute to halve the Brussels Sprouts and scrub and quarter the mushrooms. I barely had time to put on makeup and get dressed (not to mention time for the clothing crisis!)

2. Make sure you have enough serving dishes and cutlery. I ended up renting a table, dishes and silverware and I still didn't have quite enough bowls (luckily, I found some from a different pattern, but at least I didn't have to resort to using the kids' Disney princess bowls).

3. It's nice to entertain without kids. I know it's a hassle to get a babysitter and it's not cheap, but it's worth it to have a night out without the kids, right? It was certainly a treat for me to have adult chat without having to worry about any meltdowns or freak-outs (my kids were perfect angels and went to bed without any struggle).

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Realizing I was in over my head, I asked Avo to prepare salad dressing (a wonderful garlic vinaigrette). Then I had Mr. Di Franco plate the salad. What a team!

5. It seems obvious, but don't forget to invite an assortment of interesting guests and not just the usual suspects. I went out of my way to invite people I wanted to know better and who I thought would get along, not necessarily old friends.

6. Keep color in mind when deciding what to serve. Honestly, I never considered it when planning my menu, but in hindsight, I wish I had injected some color -- maybe in the form of glazed carrots?

7. You can never have too much wine or cheese. I bought a wonderful selection of cheese, but it went pretty fast (whereas I bought way too many baguettes). I only bought one bottle of wine and even though guests generously brought wine, we cut it pretty close. A little more wine would have been a good thing and we could always have saved leftovers for another night.

8. Don't be a perfectionist. I had planned to make whipped cream to top the apple spice cake and brownies for dessert. But I didn't want to stress about whipping up whipped cream while I was enjoying dinner. Besides, the vanilla ice cream a la mode was sweet enough.

9. Try to relax and enjoy yourself. At the end of the party, OTBKB's own Louise Crawford said "It was so nice to see you enjoying yourself. So many times you go to a party and the host spends the whole night in the kitchen. Guests don't like that. They want to see the host enjoying the party." So true.

10. Guests will appreciate the fact that you invited them and cooked for them. And you'll get a kick out of cooking for other people (I promise!). It may be a lot of work, but the end result is worth it.

One guest e-mailed the day after the party to say "Great food, guests and conversation. Wonderful success! You have arrived as a hostess!"

I e-mailed back, "I'm not sure I've arrived, but at least I'm in the driveway."

I had so much fun planning the first-ever dinner party that I'm already undertaking another challenge: a Very Belated (6 years late!) Housewarming Cocktail Party. I'll be sure to let you know once I set a date.

Oh yeah, one last final tip: Don't forget to take pictures! I forgot, but luckily there were a couple of photographers at the party. Hopefully, they'll send me some good pics soon (Hugh and Ken, if you're reading this, get on it pronto!)

Dinner at Eight

Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock can shine at the Academy Awards tonight. I had my moment in the spotlight last night. There was no red carpet, but the guests got gussied and looked fabulous up for my First Ever Dinner Party.

I’ll give you the full report in due time (although you'll have to be patient because there's too much to include in just one blog post). But, rest assured that nothing burned and nobody was injured in the course of the evening. In other words, it was a roaring success!

After loading up on groceries at both Fairway and The Park Slope Food Coop on Friday, I started to panic.

"Do I have enough food?" I asked no one in particular as I surveyed six pounds of meat, more Brussels Sprouts than I've seen in one place before, and a tub of ice cream that could barely fit in our freezer. I have never cooked for so many people before, so it was hard to judge how much to buy.

I resolved to pick up some last-minute items on Saturday (including baguettes), but I continued to fret.

"Should I serve the cheese at the end of the meal like the French or at the beginning of the meal?" I asked Avo.

Avo, who is an unabashed Euro-phile (he crosses his sevens!) was surprisingly insistent that we should have a cheese table for people to graze on (paired with wine, of course) when they arrive. He even had the brilliant idea of printing out labels for the cheese and sticking them on tooth picks so people know what they’re eating.

Thanks to the "cheese guy" at Fairway, I picked up quite a selection (descriptions courtesy of Fairway):

Le Petit Billy --Unripened, unashed selles-sur-cher. Named after the village of Billy in Berry. Pasteurized goat’s milk),
Brillat Savarin -- The first triple-crème, created in the 1930s by cheesemaker Henry Androuet, named for the 18th century gourmant and politician, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Luscious, sweet, faintly tart. Pasteurized cow’s milk.
Kerry Gold Vintage Irish Cheddar -- The Irish cheese crafters that produce Blarney and Dubliner, limited production. Only the very best are allowed to bear the vintage label. Pasteurized cow’s milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes. A connoisseur’s cheddar, rich, firm, smooth body.
Spanish Cabrales. Cabrales cheese is only from cabrales and 3 villages of concejo de panamellera alta, in the southeastern principality of Austurias,
in the northside of the picos de Europa mountains. Pasteurized cow’s milk
Le Chatelain -- Camembert from Normandy, lower temperature pasteurizatioin ensures big, fruity flavor, as close as you’ll get to the A.O.C. original. Pasteurized cow’s milk.

For good measure, I also tossed a container of smoked salmon pate into the shopping basket at Fairway.

"You bought it?" asked Avo. "Why not make it from scratch?"

"Well, The Joy of Cooking says it's very French to mix in some quality store bought things like pate."

"Sounds like a rationalization to me! If the French do it, it must be okay."

Well, it works for me.

Then I proceeded to stress about dessert.

I had planned to make the apple spice cake from The Joy of Cooking and offer it up a la mode (Haagen Dazs vanilla). But the recipe serves eight and I had twelve people coming.

What to do? Of course, I'd bake my reliable brownie recipe. It's a crowd pleaser and I already have the ingredients on hand.

"I thought you wanted to make something gourmet," said Avo.

"But everybody likes the brownies. And I've done them before."

"They're just so pedestrian. I just thought you were going to really challenge yourself."

He's right – this dinner party was supposed to be a challenge, but there's no reason I should make it an insurmountable challenge.

To be continued...Check back soon to find out if the guests showed up on time and... if the cheese was a hit...and if dessert impressed...and if everybody had enough to eat and drink.

Last Minute Scramble

Tomorrow is the big Dinner Party day and I have still have so much left to do. Luckily, my friend Kathryn has offered to give me a ride to Fairway so I can stock up on last-minute items (which pretty much includes everything). I plan to prep as much as possible today, so I can focus on the stew tomorrow.

I also need to clean the house (although the kids will undoubtedly wreck it before tomorrow night). Plus, I still haven't decided what to wear. My folks bought me an apron ("The Dinner Miracle: It Only Happens If You Believe") that I'll don for the occasion, but I still need an outfit suitable for an aspiring domestic goddess. It's too late to shop, so I'll have to scavenge through the closet and see what I can come up with.

I'm wondering if I should assign seats and create place holders. Experts say that the key to a successful dinner party is inviting the right mix of people and sparking a lively conversation. I have a feeling that this group won't have any problem finding something to gab about. Still, since they are mostly new friends of mine (and a couple of people I've never met before) who don't know each other, it might be fun to seat people according to interest.

Should I put the two photographers together and what about the foodies? I have a feeling that Mr. Di Franco, the girls' music teacher, is going to hit it off with Giulia Melucci since they're both Brooklyn-bred Italian-Americans who love to cook. I'm also guessing that the British film critic will get a kick out of Avo's tales of old Hollywood stars he met as a kid. Even I enjoy hearing his story about how Peter Sellers offered to buy him a gold digital watch, but his mom made him refuse the offer -- and I've heard the tale countless times before.

Of course, the girls are excited to greet the guests. "Mr. Di Franco will get to see our room and he'll see our pajamas!" We'll let them stay up past their bedtime so they can say "hello," but then hopefully, they'll say "good night" and leave the adults to wine and dine.

Just writing about my expectations for the night is getting me excited. I hope I'm not disappointed. It is, after all, just a dinner party. Still, it's my first-ever dinner party and a girl can only have one of those.

Anyway, I promise to report back as soon as I recover from the festivities.

Practice Makes Perfect?

Whoever said "practice makes perfect" clearly hasn't tasted my apple spice cake.

On Sunday afternoon, I practiced the recipe before Saturday's dinner party.

I'm usually a chocolate gal, but I was inspired by a dinner menu recommended by The Joy of Cooking, which suggested beef stew with apple spice cake for dessert. It sounded very grown-up (and also homey and comforting in cold weather), so I figured I'd give it a try.

Since I had all of the other ingredients, Avo was a doll and ran out to get me some tart green apples and some buttermilk.

Ruby helped whisk together the flour (I used a combination of all-purpose and whole-wheat), light brown sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and salt while we waited for Avo to return with the missing ingredients.

NOTE: I'm too lazy to type in the whole recipe, but if you're interested, it's on page 933 of the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking.

Avo sauntered in to deliver the goods just in time. We proceeded to stir in the buttermilk and vanilla (I decided to skip the optional rum or brandy) and then mix in the chopped apples (I omitted the chopped walnuts or pecans).

We poured it in the pan and popped it in the oven (which had been pre-heated to 350 degrees). I set the timer and waited.

Ten minutes passed and I suddenly realized I forgot something...something important.
I double-checked the recipe and, yep, indeed, I did forget something important. In my haste, I neglected to mix in the 1/2 cup vegetable oil with the buttermilk and vanilla.

Since Avo had already taken off for the gym and I was too embarrassed to call my mom to ask her what to do, I made a bold decision on my own. I took the cake out of the oven. Even though it was already getting firm, I mixed in some canola oil.

When it was finished about a half hour later, the cake looked, well, greasy.

"It's very moist!" said Avo. Instead, he could have easily said, "What is this greasy thing pretending to be a cake?"

Nobody minded once we served it with some vanilla ice cream. And now I'll be sure not to repeat the same mistake on Saturday night. Hopefully, practice will indeed make perfect.

Dinner Party Practice

The Joy of Cooking has a section devoted to Entertaining which I referred to recently for advice about dinner party etiquette. They have two simple rules when it comes to planning the menu:

Choose food that can be prepared ahead of time, so that you can spend more time at the table than over the stove, and never, ever, make a dish for company that you haven't made before and mastered.

Along those lines, I thought it was only wise to try out the Slow-Cooker Beef Burgundy (from The Best Slow & Easy Recipes) that I had planned for Saturday's dinner party.

I have barely ever cooked with meat before and I have certainly never made a stew, so the task was a bit daunting. For some reason, I feel like making stew with a slow-cooker is less intimidating than using a big pot on the stove. Avo continues to scoff at the gigantic Crock Pot that is taking up valuable space in our cupboard, but I am determined to put it to good use.

On Friday -- during the snowstorm -- Avo was sent home from work early, so I dispatched him to United Meat Market to buy 5 pounds of boneless beef chuck eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Why cut the meat myself when the butcher is happy to do it for me?

"Bacon!" bellowed Ruby, who is hog wild about the stuff. She begged for a taste when I cooked up the bacon (I couldn't deny her).

"How do you mince carrots?" I asked Avo.

He took one look at me trying to chop carrots with a bread knife and rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you use the Cuisinart?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, of course, good idea. In fact, can you mince the onions, carrot, garlic and thyme for me?"

Sweetheart that he is, of course, he agreed to be my "sous-chef" and prep the veggies and herbs.

After cooking the onions, carrot, tomato paste, garlic and thyme in the bacon fat, I double-checked the recipe. Oops, I forgot an essential ingredient: a bottle of Pinot Noir. I quickly got on the phone to the mom of one of Jesse's friends and made a barter arrangement -- You can drop your kid off at our house for a few hours as long as you bring me a bottle of Pinot Noir. Deal.

When I got to the end of the recipe, I panicked when I realized I didn't have any frozen pearl onions. Avo said he couldn't find them at the co-op. I decided to boldly ignore the recipe and do without them. What other option did I have?

Once I dumped the mixture to the slow cooker and stirred in the chicken broth, soy sauce, tapioca, and bay leaves, I "nestled" the beef into the crock pot.

"How do you nestle beef anyhow?" I asked Avo rhetorically.

"Beats me. I think it just means be gentle with it."

I put the lid on and set the thing on high.

"You sure it's plugged in?" asked Avo, who almost seemed as if he was hoping to catch me in a glaring mistake (he really does hate the crock pot).

Luckily, it was, in fact, plugged in.

Nearly seven hours and a roasted Brussels Sprouts tossed with bacon later and dinner was served.

The girls got a kick out of setting the table "fancy" with a table cloth and cloth napkins. It was a lot of effort for just one guest, my grown-up nephew. But it was worth the effort since now I can confidently re-create this dish on Saturday.

Even Avo had to grudgingly admit the meat was flavorful, tender and delicious. We didn't even miss the frozen pearl onions.

So I guess the crock pot has gotten a reprieve...for now.