I never thought I’d write about vegetables.
I never imagined I’d buy a cookbook focused completely on vegetables
I never thought I’d buy my best friend a cookbook about vegetables as part of her birthday gift.
But look! Here I am, writing about vegetables because I got this cookbook on vegetables which I liked enough to buy for my BFF for her birthday! To be fair, I also gifted her some of my favorite chocolate products, but… vegetables. I’m sure she didn’t see that coming.
Because I like pastries. And chocolate. And coffee. And milk tea. And bacon. And fried stuff. And usually, vegetables don’t fall under any of those categories (except veggie tempura and onion rings, I guess, but does that really count??).
If you really think about it, though, it totally makes sense that I should get a cookbook on vegetables. Veggies are my relative cooking weakness, so why shouldn’t I turn to an expert who LOVES them and get advice on how she prepares them? I mean, if I wanted to make more delightful desserts, I’d look to the greats like David or Thomas or Dorie
Black Friday got us. Black Friday got us good. Here is one example:
You know Black Friday got you good when you spend nearly $100 on something you didn’t even know existed earlier that morning. That’s what happened to me when my friend Diana advertised the Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
And then I had to do all this research to figure out how to use this thing without blowing the house up. It’s actually way easier and safer than I had imagined… whew! But we’re kinda superdupercautious about everything in our household (like we actually unplug the toaster oven when it’s not in use… and we use it like 5x/day), so I felt I had to study the manual and all that.
Then it was time for recipes. The Instant Pot came with a recipe booklet, but who ever uses recipes from the booklet that comes with the thing? Really?
Actually, I did. I tried the creme brulee recipe from it, only because I fell for Costco’s half gallon of heavy cream again and didn’t have time to make ice cream. (FYI I think it’s worthwhile to make it the traditional, non pressure cooker way in the future). I guess I also tried the “Jasmine Rice” recipe from it, only because we needed some white rice in a pinch and for some reason our rice cooker takes foreverrrrr to make rice so I thought I’d try this “4 minute white rice.” Let me tell you now, though. Four minute rice doesn’t mean four minute rice. It means 1) let the pressure cooker take 10 minutes to get up to pressure, and then 2) add an additional 4 minutes to cook the rice, and then 3) add an additional 2 minutes to depressurize the thing before you can safely access the rice. So really, that’s like 15 minute white rice. Just so you know. Cuz I didn’t.
I first fell for huge, chunky slabs of dark chocolate shortbread when I made a pilgrimage to Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego. If you enjoy sweets and are ever within a 50-mile drive of the place, you MUST GO. There are two locations. Go earlier if you don’t want to be disappointed, because stuff sells out pretty quickly. Karen Krasne, please, please open up a shop in Norcal. Please. I bought your book
One thing the gorgeous cake book does NOT include is a recipe for Karen’s extraordinary chocolate shortbread, though, so I’ve been on a mission to make something as close as possible. Her shortbread is not dry and sandy and crumbly like your typical shortbread (which I also love, but in a different way). It’s huge and mouth-filling and intensely cocoa-y in a way a small shortbread cookie could never do. I’ve tried a number of chocolate shortbread recipes in an attempt to recreate hers, and recently re-tried one that, for some reason, I passed up before: Dorie Greenspan’s World Peace Cookies. It got a second look because my friend Diana, over at Chomping Board, made some for us while we were providing her with a meal delivery (talk about hospitable!). I was sold. I went home and got to work on the new recipe that very week.
After making Dorie’s cookies according to her recipe- dainty little teatime circles- I decided to double the recipe and make huge rectangular slabs of it in an attempt to imitate the ones at Extraordinary Dessert. So I tweaked the preparation a bit and… GUYS, IT WORKED! Mine came out with the same parched-desert-looking crinkles across the top, the same melt-in-your-mouth chocolate discs throughout, the same moist-sandy texture I loved. Most importantly, you could really sink your teeth into each intensely cocoa-y bite the same way you could with hers. Yes, they sink in. Like I said, not your typical shortbread. Better, IMHO.
Thank the Lord for Costco pounds of butter and Costco tubs of cocoa powder.
This is my new addiction. Make it yours.
Day 1: A package arrives at the door. It is a lovely congratulatory gift set including lush and sweet Harry and David pears from Ben’s boss!
Ben: OOH you can make your pear tart! Remember last time we had these pears and you made that pear tart? It was so good!
Jo: Yeah! (secretly wonders when she will find time to bake)
Day 2:
Ben: So are you going to make a pear tart?
Jo: Yup. But the pears are not ripe yet.
Day 3:
Ben: Are the pears ripe yet?
Jo: Not yet.
Ben: Mmm. Pear tart…
Day 5:
I have slowly been making our way through the pears, usually as a post-dinner dessert for the family. So lush and juicy– really, they’re something else.
Ben, with concern: Are you going to have enough pears for the pear tart??
Jo: Yup. Just need two.
Day 6:
Ben is short on sleep, and planning to hit the sack early. But then he realizes I am now making the pear tart.
Ben: Oh, I guess I’ll stay up for it, then!
Jo: Hm. After baking it for another 50 minutes, it’s supposed to sit in the fridge for two more hours…
Ben: 🙁
Day 7:
Ben: THE PEAR TART WAS GOOD! Is there any way you can get more pear in there? I really like the pears.
Dad: Did you make this? Just following a recipe? It’s very good!
(Note that this is actually Chinese dad speak for “JO YOU ARE THE MOST AMAZING BAKER IN THE WORLD!! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!” 😉)
I think this story speaks for itself. You should need no further convincing. This pear tart is worthy of your time. It is something Ben requests and looks forward to and I can think of few better ways to celebrate a gift box of sweet, creamy, and delicious pears! Plus, this crust recipe is great– didn’t get soggy, and would work well for a fruit tart!
P.S. The original recipe is actually called a “Pear and Almond Flan” but for some reason, that name doesn’t ring with me the same way “Pear Tart” does. Isn’t flan like a wiggly, jiggly eggy thing? I’m convinced this should be called a tart. And this is my blog. So there.
It’s officially autumn and even though it’s still hitting the 90’s here, I’ve decided it is definitely soup-making time again! Who am I kidding, I make soup all summer, too. It’s just such a delicious way to get in those veggies! Here are three of my all-time favorite soup recipes. I can’t say I like any one more than the other– it’s really just what you feel like. I WILL say that these are all pretty simple to spin together, and have always been a highlight with any meal I serve it with!
This recipe should be a staple in your soup arsenal simply because it is SO easy to make and SO satisfyingly delicious. Everyone’s tried it, most people like it, and after you make your own version, your family is sure to love it! I personally like to brown my squash and onions a little longer for a roasted flavor and keep mine on the thin side with a little more broth, but you can adjust it however you like! TRY IT IF YOU HAVEN’T! You won’t regret it! (And if you can, go for the Costco or Trader Joe’s pre-cut squash. Saves a lot of work and time!)
#2: Creamy Zucchini and Garlic Soup
This stuff is so addictive. You won’t even believe you drank the equivalent of a whole zucchini when you down a bowl of this soup- it’s SO TASTY, creamy, and delicious! I can’t even describe to you what it tastes like– you really just have to try making this yourself to believe how good it is. The process for making this is pretty much the same as the butternut squash soup (i.e. saute, simmer, blend), except whole zucchini is easier to work with and you use a lot more garlic. If you serve this to guests, they’ll swear you added a cup of cream to it, and you can proudly tell them that no, this creamy concoction is indeed cream-less. (Okay, there’s a little bit of butter in there, but not enough to make it feel unhealthy!). This one is a staple because zucchini seems to be pretty plump and available year-round, so I can throw this soup together any time I feel like fancying up our dinner menu!
#3: Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup
This is a combination I would never have dreamed up, and I have the Internet and probably Pinterest to thank for one of my favorite new flavor combinations. If you’re like me, cauliflower soup just doesn’t sound all that appealing, but I BEG YOU– give this a try and let me know what you think!! IT’S SO SPECTACULAR. I know I just said this about the zucchini soup, but I think I mean it doubly for this one: you just can’t really imagine how amazing these flavors taste together until you try it! I mean, I think roasted cauliflower is pretty good. And who doesn’t like some cheddar? But when these flavors are roasted and melded together, it’s heavenly. Seriously. For a shortcut, get some pre-cut cauliflower from Costco, whirl this together and just try and tell me with a straight face that you didn’t love it. Mmm so cozy comfy heart-warmingly good…
If you have an easy and go-to soup recipe you love, please send it my way! I’m pretty happy with my top 3, but always happy to try others! 🙂
There’s a reason these pumpkin pancakes have 2k fans on allrecipes.com. A very good reason. Even though I just posted a recipe for whole wheat blueberry pancakes, these are actually my favorite type of pancakes to make! And really, when the leaves start turning color and there’s a chill in the air, nothing beats starting your morning with pumpkin pancakes and a foamy mug of hot cocoa (my favorite recipes here and here (salted caramel))! Not that we’re getting much of a chill in California these days, but you know. Back in the day when there were cool October mornings… *nostalgic sigh*
Don’t fret if you don’t have all the spices on hand. I rarely have allspice around, and just up my cinnamon a little and call it a day.
Two things I always crave these days: pizza and pancakes.
I am annoyed that DoorDash doesn’t deliver the pizza I like, but the pancakes? Those I can take care of myself! Last week I was all about pumpkin pancakes, and this week, I’ve moved onto blueberry pancakes. This is mostly because we ran out of canned pumpkin and I had frozen blueberries in the freezer already.
Because I like to put all my frequently-used recipes on my blog for easy access, I am now adding this one! I’ve got it memorized for the moment because I made it three days in a row, but in case I ever get past this obsession and forget the proportions, I can now find it here. They feel healthyish (whole wheat!), take 5 minutes to mix together, and taste great! Enjoy!
I’m scared to write this post. Because I’m have a terrible feeling that as soon as I hit publish, my daughter will suddenly decide that she hates everything and anything I try to feed her… And that I will be eating my words even as they are flying out to you in cyberspace.
I also don’t want to get into mommy wars here. God knows the last thing I want from this is to get into a debate on which method is right or whose nutrition philosophy is best. I just have a lot of friends getting into the parenting stage and want to share what has worked for us so far. No promises that it will work for you, or even that it will continue to work for us or that our next baby will accept it. Just hoping to provide some practical ideas for new parents out there!
Okay now that I got all my disclaimers out of the way, let’s get to it. This post is about trying to train your child to be a “good eater.” That is, a baby who will accept most of the foods you try to feed her, especially vegetables. This will not only make life much easier for you in the long run, but also probably make for a more healthy/balanced life for your child in the years to come.
First let me be clear: my daughter is not yet two. I hear once they hit two, things can change, big time. But right now, I can tell you this: my daughter is a great eater. I can give her cauliflower, fish, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, celery root or cheese and she will not only eat it, but often will also say, “Mmmm, good!” and nod in approval when she’s especially pleased with it.
Is your 1.5 year old like that, too? Then HOORAY FOR US, right?? I can’t keep track of the number of times random strangers have come up to me and said, “Your daughter is such a good eater!” Sometimes, they also add, “You’re lucky,” as if it’s an inherited trait, or the luck of the draw. Maybe it is. At least part of it probably is. But I was reading a book on how French Kids Eat Everything, and couldn’t help but scoff at the things the author was saying we “Americans” do, and the more I read, the more I debated if she was exaggerating her description of American parenting, or if I was French at heart. Let kids snack anytime they want? Let the baby decide what to eat– and encourage her to play with her food and throw it around? Be a short-order cook and make one meal for the adults, and a separate meal for your picky eater(s) each night? No, thanks.
So in a lip-biting case of I-may-be-eating-my-words someday, I’m going to share some of what we did to try to train our daughter to be a flexible eater.
This stuff is SO good. SO simple. SO perfect for a busy night when I still want something REALLY REALLY DELICIOUS to eat. This dish makes me eat about twice as much pasta as I normally do because this buttery, lemony angel hair pasta is completely addicting. It’s one of my favorite recipes from Ina, because it uses such basic ingredients, but comes together in such a perfect way when you bite down on that perfectly roasted shrimp and the delectable, tasty pasta. I feel a symphony of happiness in my insides, much like Remy’s blissful strawberry and cheese moment in Ratatouille:
Seriously, if you like shrimp, lemon, and butter, you have to try this. It’s super easy to throw together, yet makes me feel like a gourmet chef every time I make it. I usually pay over $20 when we eat out for pasta, but often think I’d be even happier eating this (so would my wallet)! Even better, I recently discovered great quality frozen shrimp at Sprouts (thanks for the rec, Dad!) so most of the ingredients to make this are already in my pantry and freezer all the time. Didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping yet? No problem! Pick a couple lemons from your backyard and everything else should be in your pantry or freezer already! Convenient, right?
To keep dinner nice and simple, I usually serve this with roasted veggies like asparagus or brussel sprouts. Just toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes. It’s easy prep since your oven is going to be running anyway.
Thank you, Ina. Recipes like this are exactly why I have watched so many of your shows and own two of your cookbooks. Keep ’em coming!
Because it’s 100 degrees.
And because it tastes wonderful.
And because there is no Serendipity 3 near my home.
And who doesn’t want frozen hot chocolate made the way it’s done in an ice cream parlor?!
And did you know you were paying $8.95 for 6 oz. milk + cocoa + sugar + ice?! Cuz that’s all it takes to make this incredibly satisfying, throat-cooling, hit-the-chocolate-spot treat!
The proportions on this recipe are perfect. Enjoy!
Meet JoEllen
Subscribe via Email
Top Posts & Pages
Categories
