Cooking

I have a kid. That means that every recipe I make either comes with a helper (known as the Tiny Kitchen Assistant) or his alter ego, Captain Distracto, who wants me to play baseball or Legos or do anything other than cook as dinnertime approaches.

Most of the meals are kid-friendly and easy enough to make in 30-45 minutes on a weeknight. The rare, time-consuming “weekend recipes” will be noted accordingly. Believe me, if I can make dinner six nights a week, you can, too.

Where do my recipes come from? Many are things that I’ve made for ages. Some are modifications of a single recipe; I link to or reference the original recipe wherever possible. Others are a strange hybrid of recipes that I find online; if I want to find a good stew recipe, for example, I’ll look at half a dozen and pick and choose the elements and techniques that work best for us.

Ready to cook?

Recent Recipes

What Would Betty Do Logo Cookie Exchange

Favorite Cookie Recipes Now that Thanksgiving has barely passed, the holiday season is officially upon us. Let’s talk about one of my favorite elements of the holiday season: the cookie exchange. Back before the Assistant came along, I hosted a big cookie blowout every year. I would bake no fewer than a dozen varieties of […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo What’s For Thanksgiving Dinner?

A Complete Thanksgiving Meal Betty!  Help! I have guests coming over and I have no idea what to make for Thanksgiving dinner! Yes, it’s decorative gourd season! (link is absolutely NSFW, but a classic). “When my guests come over it’s gonna be like, BLAMMO! Check out my shellacked decorative vegetables….” But I digress. I have the perfect […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Bread If there’s anything that makes the Tiny Kitchen Assistant happy, it’s adding chocolate chips to everything: there are no muffins, pancakes or quick breads that are safe from his tinkering. Personally, I think it’s genius. This recipe is no exception. We took a basic family quick bread recipe and added half […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Pumpkin Pie Bars

Better Than Pumpkin Pie I know that it’s officially fall when the pumpkin pie bars reappear in the pastry case at my local Peet’s Coffee and Tea. I love those things, mostly because I can’t manage to make a decent pumpkin pie at home. Even when I finally nail a decent crust, it gets soggy […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Pumpkin + Snickerdoodle = Delicious

Fun With Pumpkin Desserts When I posted about roasting my massive pumpkin, I asked for recipe suggestions. Superfantastic Lori lived up to her name and gave me a recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles. I had never in my life thought of doctoring up a snickerdoodle with pureed orange vegetables, but I’ll be darned, it’s lovely. Being me, […] Read More