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.
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Recent Recipes
Gyro-Style Lamb Over Quinoa
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve eaten lamb, and I’ve never particularly enjoyed it. While it might be a perfectly reasonable meal, I just can’t get over the fact that nobody has ever renamed this meat for the sake of marketing. I mean, let’s face it, we’ve spent our entire […] Read More
What’s in Season? April
The Tiny Kitchen Assistant and I went back east for a family visit in early February. I wanted to stop by the supermarket to buy some produce and milk for my 92-year-old Nana. “Why don’t we just go to the market and get her the good stuff?” the Assistant asked. Oh baby, we are so […] Read More
Try Something New: The Freezer
No, this week’s entry isn’t a new food. It’s a new approach to food. What’s in your freezer? No, seriously: what’s in your freezer? My freezer is always absurdly full, and yet I can tell you honestly that I haven’t the faintest idea as to what’s actually in there. I decided to dig in, see […] Read More
Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes
I was raised on conventional mashed potatoes: russets, margarine and milk. Years ago, I decided to get fancy and created this mashed potato recipe. Ingredients 1 bag red skin potatoes, quartered, skins on Kosher salt Sour cream Fresh chives, chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Instructions In a saucepot with salted water, bring […] Read More
Try Something New: Betty Burgers
When our Santa Cruz friends suggested lunch at Betty Burgers, how could I say no? This place is supposed to be a Santa Cruz legend, and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do they have fabulous burgers featuring the slightly disturbing “secret lube,” they also have tasty fries, sweet potato fries and fantastic ice […] Read More
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