Remember that scene in “City Slickers” where everyone has just finished eating dinner and the “Ice Cream Brothers” (who I suspect were not-so-loosely-based on Ben and Jerry) decide what flavor would be best for dessert? Well, I’m kinda like that. Except my specialty is side salads. Give me the main course – fish, beef, chicken,
Tag: menu planning
The Salad Whisperer
June 1, 2011 2 Comments Short URLcooking, food, ingredients, menu planningDinner, Ingredients, Lunch, Menu Planning, Seasonality
“You’ve Got a Funny Way of Saying ‘That was delicious.'”
Sometimes dinner is just dinner – nothing fancy or extravagant or particularly exciting. But still, it’s always nice to hear, “That was a good dinner.” Growing up, my mom’s standard way to cook chicken was to put the bone-in breasts in a big frying pan and cover them with a ton of onions and a
April 13, 2011 2 Comments Short URLcooking, dinner, family, food, menu planning, recipes, seasonal, vegetablesDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients
Testing My Limits Barefoot Contessa-Style
Out of boredom, I challenged myself a few weeks ago to try some new recipes. I had just purchased the newest Ina Garten cookbook in hopes of gaining some inspiration but to be honest, the first time I flipped through it I kinda thought, “hmm.” Clearly I wasn’t in the mood to be inspired. So
February 15, 2011 4 Comments Short URLcooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, menu planning, recipesDinner, In the Kitchen, Inspirations, Menu Planning
What I’m Cooking Now – Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a funny thing. I never minded it as a kid (and Madison doesn’t either) but I have had plenty of kids at my dinner table turn the stuff down. I know, it’s kinda stinky, looks weird (sometimes all I can think of when I look at it is a boxers’ cauliflower ear. Gross!)
February 9, 2011 3 Comments Short URLcooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, inspiration, menu planning, recipes, vegetableIn the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
“This is the BEST DINNER EVER Naunta”
I knew the day would come when unfortunately, those words became, “umm, you know I don’t like cheese anymore. It makes me gag. Or bananas. I don’t like them either. And by the way, I’m really tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” It used to be that almost every time I made dinner or
February 1, 2011 3 Comments Short URLcooking, family, food, menu planningIn the Kitchen, Inspirations
A Tale of Two Meatloaves
Boy has my cooking come a long way…… Just recently Madison discovered one of my very first cookbooks – Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook. Last week as I was working in the kitchen and she was lying on floor flipping through cookbooks – a girl after my own heart – she announced that she would
January 20, 2011 7 Comments Short URLbread, cooking, dinner, family, food, menu planning, protein, recipes, seasonalDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Recipes, Seasonality
Comfort Food Makes the Best Leftovers
Leftovers get a mixed review in our house: Joel won’t eat them unless there’s pasta involved, Madison will eat them if I disguise them or they’re Asian-food related and I only like them in wintertime. The pets take what they can get, (except the cat – she’s pickier than Joel.) I pack my lunch three
January 12, 2011 1 Comment Short URLdinner, food, ingredients, menu planning, pasta, seasonal, vegetables, winterIngredients, Seasonality
12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Morning
Even though Christmas Eve dinner was lackluster, by Christmas morning, I was back on track. Over the years the composition of my Christmas morning menu has changed according to taste and adapted according to schedule. I used to make a killer raspberry coffee cake – until I lost the recipe. In fact, just the other
December 30, 2010 2 Comments Short URL12 days of christmas, brunch, family, food, menu planning, seasonalBeverages, Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Seasonality, Winter
12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Eve Dinner
From a food standpoint, Christmas Eve started off badly. In short, I committed the cardinal sin of farmers market shopping – making a list. I think I’ve mentioned before that I am able to purchase roughly 70% of my weekly groceries at the Vista Farmers Market – one of the best markets in North County.
December 29, 2010 1 Comment Short URL12 days of christmas, bread, cooking, dinner, family, food, ingredients, menu planning, seasonal, success and disasterDinner, In the Kitchen, Ingredients, Menu Planning, Seasonality, Winter
12 Days of Christmas: Cooking Inspiration
When I’m planning a big holiday meal I love to sit at my dining room table with a steaming mug of coffee and a stack of cookbooks. This is where I often find my inspiration for holiday menus. I imagine the flavor of each ingredient and how different combinations will work with each other. And
December 21, 2010 0 Comments Short URL12 days of christmas, cooking, dessert, dinner, food, ingredients, inspiration, menu planning, seasonalIn the Kitchen, Ingredients, Inspirations, Seasonality
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Cooking For Madison 