FamilyandForks

Asian Minced Chicken with Homemade Pickles for a Fast Dinner

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It seems like just yesterday (because it was) that we were outside in our short sleeves and white pants embracing the heat of a warm spring day.  Then, just to remind us it is still early spring, Mother Nature pulls a fast one.  The rain pours in a steady stream and the cold air demands that I dig out the sweaters at least for a few more days.

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However, there is something to be said about a day that demands you stay in and hunker down.  Unlike winter, a spring cold snap promises sunny days to follow.  I find myself wanting to pull my own fast one.  With this Asian Minced Chicken with Homemade Pickles, I’ve quickly put together a dinner that sounds like it should take hours to prepare, if not weeks, but we pull it together and sit down to eat within an hour….

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Spring Lamb Pie for an Easy Springtime Dinner

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“In like a lion and out like a lamb” is what we expect from March. This year it was a beast from beginning to end. With the onset of April, I am looking for something, anything, to help us switch gears and escape our winter rut. In a subtle attempt to mark a change, I walk past the ground sirloin I usually buy for the week for tacos or a quick Bolognese, and instead grab two pounds of organic ground lamb. I did not yet have a plan but was hopeful it would materialize in time for dinner. …

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Vegetable Beef Shank Soup with Farro for Saturday

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A cold wind blusters under dark skies as yet another snowstorm threatens to dump a pile of snow.  The long expanse of snow clouds descends, expanding the pressure in our heads.  It makes everyone in our house a little sluggish and irritable.  To say we are not brimming with energy would be an understatement.  We are all exhausted from winter.

Thankfully one of our winter routines requires minimal effort and keeps us nourished, warmed and full.  It’s a beef vegetable soup using gorgeous meaty grass-fed beef shanks that Whole Foods stocks in the winter.  This soup isn’t fancy and it changes every week depending on what we have left in the pantry and fridge on Saturday.  It’s not meant to impress.  This soup is a workhorse.

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Cherry Tart with Almond Marzipan Crust

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The skies are darkening to a steel grey making everything seem dull and barren in its wake.  It’s that time of year.  February tests our patience making the shortest month of the year sometimes seem like the longest with cold, dark days.  No wonder Valentine’s Day falls smack in the middle of February.  We are all craving something bright, cheery and rosy.

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White Bean, Kale and Sausage Stew for a Quick Monday Night Dinner

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You would think with the weekend behind me, I might have more leftovers to show for it.  With kids practices, playdates and a Super Bowl, I am facing an evening tonight without a dinner plan, which is so often the case on any weeknight.

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This is where it is so important to have your own team of staples; food items to have in the freezer, fridge and pantry that can be forged into a meal fast.

Everyone has his or her own list of pantry staples.  For me, cooked beans in the pantry, Italian sausage in the freezer and some type of leafy green in the fridge is a given.  So, when I’m in the need of a good meal, fast, I often turn to a White Bean, Sausage and Kale Stew I remember as a child….

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Chicken in a Pot for a Sunday Family Supper (Poule au Pot)

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On Saturdays, a slug would seem more energetic by comparison. It is both my best and worst trait that I feel no qualm about giving myself a break on the weekend. The good news is that by Sunday, I’m usually much better rested and in the mood to cook a proper Sunday meal.  Newly refreshed with the day stretched out before me, Sundays are a great day to try something new.

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Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins for a Couple of Monkeys

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I love having muffins in the house.  Easy to grab, muffins are an easy snack for kids during the day and after school.   While I might be the first to argue that the last thing we need on the internet is another muffin recipe, I nevertheless stand here proudly with my own offering.  My Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins are loaded with as much goodness as I can impart with a few bells and whistles to make them a treat my monkeys…ahem, I mean my kids… devour.  …

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Mulled Wine for Celebrating the Holiday Spirit

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With just three short weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, immersing myself into the holiday spirit has been an awkward transition.  Although, I must admit I’m not one that handles transitions very gracefully.  I need time to ease into any new situation, including the holiday season.  This year in particular, I feel I’ve barely digested my Thanksgiving meal before I feel inundated with the responsibilities of the holidays.

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In an attempt to better acclimate myself, I put on Christmas music and open a bottle of wine.  However, this time the wine is poured into a pot on the stove with some orange zest, a little brown sugar, cloves, allspice and a cinnamon stick or two.  A star anise gets thrown in as much for its fragrance as for its shape, which perfectly reflects the elegance of the season.  A mug of mulled wine will provide the spirit I need to get it all done.

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Herb Roasted Pork Loin for a Wednesday Night

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Herb Roasted Pork Loin for a Last Minute Wednesday

It’s no secret that Wednesdays can press us to the edge.  It traps us in the middle of the week, too close a reminder of the disaster that was Monday, and too far from the promise that comes with Friday.

As I slowly crack open the fridge for dinner inspiration, I’m greeted by bunches of thyme and rosemary pleading for attention.  Suffering a similar plight is the pork loin in my fridge.  It’s a lug I bought this week out of boredom or maybe exasperation.  With none of the fat that makes other pork options so succulent, pork loin is never my first choice.  It too often emerges from my oven dry and tasteless.

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Today I’m determined and, frankly, desperate.  In a decisive moment, I make a plan that is easy and makes the best of my ingredients.  Fresh thyme and rosemary are minced together with several cloves of garlic, flaky kosher salt and a douse of oil, creating a beautiful fragrant rub.  A few easy steps and in an hour I’ll be pulling out of the oven an Herb Roasted Pork Loin.

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