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 Quinoa with Tomatoes and Black Beans

Quinoa with Lime Dressing Last weekend, one of my Team in Training friends asked me about quinoa recipes. That was when I realized that I’ve never posted my standard, go-to recipe. (And yes, I realize that I’ve crossed some sort of line when I actually have a go-to quinoa recipe.) The quinoa will first be […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto Pasta Salad It was 106 degrees at my house, with a “real feel” temperature of 111. (Sometimes I just think that the real feel information adds insult to injury, don’t you?) Nobody was particularly hungry. Nobody wanted a hot meal for dinner. The Tiny Kitchen Assistant reached into the fridge and pulled out a […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Quinoa for Breakfast

Quinoa Porridge It’s recently occurred to me that I have a quinoa problem. My problem is that quinoa is that thing that I buy whenever I go to the store. Does anyone else have supermarket amnesia? You know: “I think I needed quinoa. Did I buy it last time? I should buy some.” If the […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo What Not to Cook: Impossibly Easy Pie

Bisquick Impossibly Easy Pie It should probably go without saying that anything made with Bisquick is… well, it’s more the stuff that my mother would have made in the Packaged Goods 1980s than what I would cook today. But I was feeling kind of nostalgic for the comfort foods of my childhood. I didn’t have […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Open-Faced German Sandwiches

Croque Madame I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea if these sandwiches are German in any way, shape or form. What I do know is that I saw them serving something similar at a cafeteria in Germany, and I built my own when I returned. It’s a variation on a croque […] Read More