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 Try Something New: Another Shot at Fennel

I wouldn’t have guessed from my last post about fennel, but it turns out that I like it just fine, as long as it’s raw. I saw several online references to fennel and celery as two flavors that worked well together, including this recipe from Mark Bittman. I’m not a huge fan of either, so combining […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Black Bean Salsa

A longtime summer favorite, I recently realized that my Black Bean Salad also makes a really good salsa, and just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. Again, as with most of my recipes, if we’re not right in the heart of tomato season I won’t use fresh. Canned tomatoes are picked in-season and offer better flavor during […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Try Something New: Papaya

It was the prevalence and cheapness of papayas in Hawaii, combined with a reading of In Defense of Food, that got me thinking about trying new produce. Sure, I’ve eaten my share of papaya over the years, but I couldn’t ever recall having purchased or prepared one. It’s a fruit, so it didn’t require any […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast With all apologies to Cook’s Country magazine, I got this idea while thumbing through an old issue in a waiting room several months ago, and only remembered it now because the dreary weather has demanded slow cooker comfort food. I think that the Cook’s recipe was for stew, but the philosophy is […] Read More

What Would Betty Do Logo Try Something New: Fennel

As I read through one of my new cookbooks, I realized that while I’ve eaten fennel, I’ve never actually purchased or cooked it. In fact, without the recipes, I wouldn’t have had any idea how to prepare it in the first place. As it turns out, it’s surprisingly simple, and was a decent accompaniment to […] Read More