Hey guys, big news today.

My Top Secret Seasonal Salad recipe was chosen as one of the 20 top recipes for potluck dishes by New York Times and food52 editors, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs.

Woooohhooooo!

In October 2008, only 4 months after I started writing this blog, I posted a recipe for Top Secret Orange Marmalade Salad after meeting a woman at a conference who told me she doesn’t know how to make a vinaigrette. This salad, and its vinaigrette, is my “house” salad, my signature dish, and therefore I thought it is the recipe I should submit to the magazine.

I wanted to share it in the New York Times but did not want to send this old photo,

So I took newer, better photos than that one from 2 years ago (and rewrote the recipe to be more accurate with directions and quantities),

I hope you make and enjoy this salad as much as we do.

Click here to grab my recipe .

Click here to see the top 20 chosen recipes.

An innocent and unsuspecting salad… but then… a little hand…

Who could it be?

…a little thief…

“I’m so hungry and I just can’t wait. Emmm… Yum!”, she can’t actually say it but her eyes say it all…

Finally, got her own plate

Happy…

The background story:

We got back from a little family vacation, and, as you probably know, you don’t eat too many fresh vegetables in restaurants. So I thought that making a pasta salad – which the kids love (do you know a kid who doesn’t like pasta?) – and adding fresh veggies will be a nice change from the usual mashed potatoes, French fries, roasted potatoes, potato salad… that we ate so much in the past week as potatoes are the most popular side dish served at restaurants.

I was doubtful about the kids willingness to eat this creation, but it turned out to be a great hit. As you can see…

One year ago I posted Try something new: Brussles sprouts 

Israeli couscous with fresh veggies salad
Makes 4 servings

1 box (12 oz., 340 grams) Israeli couscous pasta*
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 large and juicy lemon, zested and juiced
1/3 cucumber, chopped small
1/2 bell pepper, chopped small
3 medium tomatoes, chopped small
a few mint sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
small handful parsley, finely chopped

Sauté the pasta with the oil for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove the pot from the heat and add salt and boiling water (Do this carefully! You’re adding water to a hot pot with oil.) and cook according to the instructions on the package (between 8-12 minutes, until al dente).

When the pasta is cooked, remove it from the pot into a bowl and let cool a bit. Add the lemon zest and juice. Mix and let cool a bit more, stirring gently from time to time.

Add the rest of the ingredients and more oil, salt, and black pepper to taste.

* I use only 1/2- 1/3 of the cooked pasta in this salad and save the rest for next day’s fresh salad (I don’t like the taste of leftover chopped vegetables).

Serve with grilled chicken…

As for the grilled chicken, I don’t have an exact recipe, in case you are interested. I threw all kinds of ingredients/condiments on (2 pounds of) boneless skinless organic chicken thighs like,

Mustard
Ketchup
Soy
Salt, black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
and Hawaij (a spice blend, sort of like Garam Masala, from the cuisine of Yemen. I highly recommend trying this spice blend. it’s delicious!).

Let it marinate for at least one hour so the meat absorbs the flavors.
Grill on medium heat.

“Eating greens is a special treat. It makes looong ears and great big feet”.

Oh, I have waited such a long time to post that! D’you know who said that? (The answer at bottom of the post).

When you grow your own lettuce you have no choice but eat your greens. And fast.

Only 1 weeks ago the lettuces looked like this:

And now, this (and I have already harvested them once):

This is what sun, fresh air, water, and good food full of nutrients (in the lettuce’s case, good soil) do to you. So take good care of yourself, OK?

And in case you were curious, the salad in the top photo is a simple one: a mix of lettuces, including arugula (my favorite), fresh herbs (cilantro, basil parsley, or whatever you have), hard-boiled egg, avocado, olive oil, splash of lemon, salt, pepper. Serve with a thick piece of bread slathered with creamy butter.

Now, to other things.

First, the autographed* copy of Ruth Reichl’s new book “Not Becoming My Mother” GIVEAWAY! Details here. Go and post a comment. I’m sure you have something to say ‘bout it. And if there are many comments=big interest in the book, I might be able to find a few extra copies to give.

Second, let’s talk about personal food blogs that inspire you and give them some link love.

I’d like you to recommend food blogs that combine life and food stories. Real life of real people that has touched your soul – made you laugh/cry/get mad/have sex/do something – and cook.

Add your recommendations in the comment section, up to 3 blogs, and explain in a few sentences why you like them.

I will link to your blog, and will bring up your comment and the blogs links to the post section.

I’m so curious to see which blogs you will introduce.

 * * * * * *

Here’s what readers recommend (add yours too!):

Phoo-D blog, food for anyone with an address, recommends: Joy the baker, The Paupered chef, Evil chef mom. They share the ups and downs of taking on personal challenges in the kitchen and share touching stories about life outside of cooking. I always leave with a smile, a laugh, or inspired to go tackle a new project.

Julie, culinary and nutrition educator, recommends: I recently discovered Lettuce Eat Kale, (which, in light of your recent post, I imagine you’ll love the name) – great blog, interesting posts.

Marsha recommends: The pioneer woman, Smitten kitchen, Get off your butt and bake. All of these sites have encouraged me to try new ingredients, produce my own recipes, and make my love of cooking and baking even stronger.

Panda Foodie recommends The frantic foodie. To me, this is a very caring blog because she informs food bloggers around Seattle about various events and she organizes them, too!

Katrina from Eating on Tulsa time recommends: Omnomicon She’s smart and witty with an acidic tongue! I love her!
Tartelette This one has such beautiful pictures. I wish I could do that!, Steph chows Healthy food that actually tastes good! You can’t beat that!

Aimee from Under the highchair recommends: I’ve been hooked on Dinner with Julie for a while now. Guess I really connect with her as she is a mom to a 3yo boy as well. Plus these is no pretense, she blogs the good and the bad–and often! I’m always moved by her writing.

Kate from Kate’s Musings recommends: Under the highchair Aimee has inspired me many times when I have been worn out from a long day with two little ones. I also love Foodgawker -the visual porthole to a huge variety of foodie blogs/sites. One visit to this site and you’ll know why it is called food gawker! The photos make my mouth water!

Matt of No Meat Athlete recommends: Eat live run (lots of good looking snacks), Fertile healthy (very inspiring), Healthy tipping point (a fellow vegetarian athlete who eats great food).

Diana from Dianasaur dishes, here’s my blogs that have touched me: I love Steamy Kitchen because Jaden is so real and passionate and lets you know exactly what she’s thinking. Her blog is what inspired me to put recipes on my blog and she really seeks to build community with her readers. I also enjoy Dine and Dish because her posts always feel like she’s telling you about her day over a cup of steaming hot coffee.

Kristi from Sprouts in the kitchen says: My absolute favorit these days is Food on the food, Smitten kitchen is great.
I LOVE most anything from Mark Bittman, and I’m loving blogging on my own food/kid blog, too!

Update: No more comments. This post seems to attract a LOT of spam beacuse the comments’ section was open to links.

* * * * * 
Answer: Thumper, the bunny in the movie Bambi

There’s a tree in our front yard. Every year, a late bloomer.

All the other trees in the neighborhood are standing tall and proud, showing their flowers to everyone. Some trees are in the next stage of clinging to the last flowers which are peeking through the new fresh leaves that come after. The real fast ones have already lost all their flowers and boast a totally green top by now. Even smaller and younger trees show off with a head full of flowers.

But our tree is always the last one to show its buds. And when his flowers finally pop open, there aren’t plenty of them. Just a few flowers scattered here and there on each of his branches.

In addition to all that, I think he had a rough time lately, probably in the winter. I noticed a few weeks ago that he is leaning towards the ground. He might have lost grip to his roots and looks like he is about to fall down. But even though, he has his flowers again this spring.

We love our tree nonetheless and we don’t mind at all having to wait longer to enjoy his beauty.

So we had him tied up and grounded for support. I believe he will get back on his feet and stand tall again.

Just like a person. 
 

Roasted root vegetables

I learned to make this salad when I worked at Vios restaurant in Seattle. This is a very easy recipe to make. Peeling and chopping the vegetables might be a bit time consuming, but worth every second. The flavor is amazing, served hot, warm, or cold.

Makes 6-8 servings

1 onion
2 turnips
2 rutabagas
2-3 parsnips
4-6 carrots
2 garlic cloves, chopped small
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked, divided
a splash of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat the oven to 350-375 F degrees.

Peel all the vegetables. Dice the onion, turnips and rutabagas into medium size chunks. Slice the parsnips* and carrots lengthwise and cut into long pieces. Toss with half the thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil.

* With the parsnips, remove the inner woodsy core.

Roast until  lightly browned and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes. Season more if needed, and add the rest of the fresh thyme.

NOTE: If you want to be absolutely sure that all the vegetables are cooked to perfection (because they have different textures, cooking times may vary), roast each one in a separate pan.

It’s winter. Well, you know it. But this one seems to be not just any winter, but a looooong winterrrrrrrr. And I love grilled meat! And I can’t wait ‘till the global colding that’s been going on here in the past few weeks will end. Snow in March? Com’on… I have already done some“ grilling in the rain”… And now it comes to this, grilling in the dark.

I’m tired of indoors grilling. So out I went.

But I find that the main problem with grilling in winter is… no, not the rain, no, not the snow. It is so dark outside. It’s March, and by now I don’t care anymore if it rains or snows. However, not being able to see if the food is properly grilled is a different story. I find it very disturbing.

Yes, we have an outside light, but apparently it’s not enough. Maybe I should get a big mean street light machine into our backyard. I guess we were lucky to get a nicely done grilled lamb kebabs albeit the darkness. And I want to share it with you.

You see, I just bought this cookbook which I wanted to put my hands on for a long long time. It is called Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. Ottolenghi is a very successful restaurant in London, with several locations (because it so successful – could you guess?), which I read about in several magazines in the past 2 years. Oh, how I wish I could visit London now. Well, maybe not right now, better wait for summer. What a gorgeous city it is. I’ve visited there once a few years ago (prior to kids) and loved it! But for now, it’ll have to be only a recipe from there…

Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Cilantro and Honey

Adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Makes 4 servings
 
1 – 1 1/2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, cubed
a handful of parsley
a handful of mint
a handful of cilantro
3 garlic cloves, chopped small
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3 chilies, seeded and chopped – optional 
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tabelspoon soy
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-3 tablespoons water
1/2 plain (goat) yogurt, optional

Blend all the ingredients, besides lamb, in a food processor.

Place lamb in a large Ziploc bag, or in a bowl. Pour half the marinade over and mix well. Let marinate for a few hours and up to overnight.

If using wooden skewers, let them soak in water for half an hour (to prevent them from burning on the grill). Remove lamb cubes from the marinate and skewer them. Let sit at room temperature for half an hour (to lose some of the chill).

Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium-high.

Grill the lamb to your liking of doneness.

While the lamb is cooking, take the other half of the marinade and mix together with the yogurt to make a dressing, or use it as is.

Serve the grilled lamb with the dressing.

Fresh Vegetables Couscous Salad with Feta

If you got to know me a little bit by now, you know I have no rules when it comes to a salad (see here, for example: Crunchy Cabbage Salad).

Really, use whatever you want or have in a the pantry in fridge. For the one in the photo I used:

1 cup (whole wheat) couscous/Israeli couscous/bulgur
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cucumber
a few radishes
a handful of pine nuts, toasted
feta and goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 lemon, juiced
mint/cilantro/parsley – optional
 
Boil 1 1/2 cups of water. Put couscous in a bowl with salt and of extra virgin olive oil. Add the boiled water and mix. Cover with plate/plastic wrap and let sit at least 5 minutes. Fulff with a fork.

Meanwhile, chop your vegetables.

Mix couscous with the rest of the ingredients and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings

Let me tell you about the crunchiest, bestest (as little kids say) cabbage salad I have ever had. Cabbage, like zucchini, might seem like a boring vegetable – at least to me, but I am now a changed woman – and so overlooked. It is not exactly the star of any meal, is it? You won’t see it on the cover of a magazine. And you won’t find a whole chapter in a cookbook devoted to it. Or to zucchini. Unlike potatoes. Or pasta. Right?! So what has transformed my feelings towards cabbage?

A few weeks ago I visited relatives in Los Angeles. My aunt, Vicki … ahemm, I’m sorry Vicki, I can’t really call you “aunt”. I am older than you… maybe I’ll just call you My Vicki, would that be OK?

So, My Vicki invited me to dinner and she made this amazing crunchy cabbage salad (among other things. It’s not that she made only cabbage salad and that was the only thing on the table. No. There was salmon, and another great salad, and roasted potatoes, and… ) but this salad really stood out. Maybe because I did not expect it to be THAT good!

My Vicki said she got the recipe from her “best fried Anat, who is great in the kitchen”. I have since tried a few versions at home according to what I had in the fridge. For example, I did not have time to go to Costco where I should have gone to buy the right dressing, so I tried to make a dressing from scratch at home but it turned out only ehh, OK. So I bought one at the grocery store and it wasn’t that exciting either . The second time I have upgraded it with honey, and the third time with peanut butter and sesame oil.

As for the ingredients, I also tried toasted pine nuts, toasted peanuts, arugula, bell pepper… However, I think the most important part is to get the dressing right, or the right dressing. So, I’m heading to Costco soon to buy a good dressing.

My Vicki/Anat’s Cabbage Salad

Green cabbage, cut into long pieces
Red cabbage, cut into long pieces
Green onions, chopped
Fresh ginger, minced or grated, to taste
Cilantro, chopped
Chinese ginger salad dressing (Costco has the best one)
Toasted pine nuts or almonds, for garnish

Well, I think anyone can make a salad and you don’t need specific instructions, right?!
Play with it…

Thank you Vicki and Anat for this fantastic recipe!!!

I am a foodie and a picky eater in a choosy finicky, or conscious eating way. Since we got married, I got my husband all excited about food too. Our kids, however, are a different story. We have a one-year-old girl who is willing to try anything, almost, but changes her mind about what she likes and dislikes quite often. And we have a kindergartener who challenges us more.

I always try to cook family friendly food (hence the name and essence of my blog) that we will all like. I compromise a lot between what I really love to cook and eat and what kids usually prefer (we all know what THAT is). I really go a long way to make them happy but I draw the line when it comes to junk food. We have never ordered pizza or any other take-out and we never set foot, (or car), at any of the junk fast food places (Well, not willingly. Oh, how I hate those kiddies birthday parties at Chuck E Cheese). Once a month I might prepare an upgraded pizza (see recipe here) or a Mac and Cheese but then I use real wonderful artisanal cheeses.

My son can be a picky eater even when it comes to dessert. He always prefers a candy (from Halloween and birthday parties… ) over a fresh home-baked cake. Can you believe it?! (Click here to see the cakes). On one hand, this kid can tell the difference between goat cheese, feta, parmesan, Gouda, Swiss, Brousin, mozzarella, cheddar… and of course, a cheese stick. On the other hand, he is a typical 5 years-old. After a few years of trying different strategies with the kid, I have decided – enough. This is not really working anyway and I’m getting bored with the food that we eat. We’re going back to what mommy likes to cook and eat. So OK, no chilies and no Bobby Flay food yet, but a few weeks ago I cooked dinner and the menu was:

Young onion tart with cantal, applewood-smoked bacon, and Herb salad
From “Sunday Suppers at Lacques” cookbook
Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
Inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe from her new cookbook “Back to Basics”

It was heavenly.

Why this menu?

The choice of the menu was affected by our decision to eat less meat and chicken following a few posts I wrote about the cruel conditions under which animals are raised. (No, we’re not becoming vegetarians, just eating a smaller amount of animals and less frequently. If you care about conscious eating, see my second blog “Good Food and Bad Food”)

I knew the menu will be a tricky one with the kids. However, I decided to make it anyway because I was very curious about the recipes and I fell in love with “Sunday Suppers at Lacques” cookbook (there’s a short review at the end of the post). The food was so amazingly delicious. And this is an understatement. Really. It was like a 5 stars restaurant dinner but only at home. (And by “5 stars” I mean in flavor, not in labor-intensive preparations). The baby devoured the tart. She had crumbs all over her face and in her beautiful and funny hair. The kindergartener? He, surprisingly, ate the onions on the tart. The onions! He never eats onions. He declares a ban on onions, and onions, you know, are the base for many many dishes. He ate it and said that it was good! Then I told him: “you know, those are onions”. His answer: “no, this is a new kind of chicken”.

Since we loved the tart and salad so much, I wanted to make them again. Tonight I have recreated this dinner to show you: 1) the challenges foodie parents face with young kids at home, 2) how amazingly delicious these dishes are, 3) how fantastically simple and easy it can be to cook a 5 stars dinner at home, and, of course, 4) the funny comments and reactions from the kids’ point of view.

The menu:
* Onion tart with gruyere, applewood-smoked bacon, and Herb salad
* Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
* Good wine (not for the kids) – Meadow 2007, Ross Andrew winery, Oregon (Something local that the guy at the grocery store recommended with my menu. Thanks, Bruce! It is a lovely wine.)
* Home-made cinnamon ice cream (you have been so good to read this long post up to this point, so I give you a bonus – dessert. Actually, we always have dessert on the weekend, remember the cakes?)

The Recipes:

Young Onion Tart with Cantal, Applewood-Smoked Bacon, and Herb Salad
Don’t skip making the herb salad. It will be a huge huge mistake. It is so unique and to die for.
Slightly adapted from Suzanne Goin, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”
Serves 6-8

1 sheet frozen all-butter puff pastry (I used two 8*9-inch sheets)
1 extra-large egg yolk
½-pound sliced applewood-smoked bacon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced onions, red and white
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet
¼ cup crème fraiche
1/3 pound Cantal, Gruyère, or Comté cheese, thinly sliced

½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chervil sprigs
¼ cup 1/2-inch-snipped chives
A drizzle super-good extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score a 1/4-inch border around the edge of the pastry.

Stack the bacon slices in two piles, then cut crosswise into 3/8-inch rectangles or lardons.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and allow to heat another minute. Add the bacon, and sauté over medium high heat 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly crisp but still tender. Reduce the heat to low, and toss in the young onions, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together a minute or two, until the onions are just wilted. Toss in the onion tops, and remove to a baking sheet or platter lined with paper towels to soak the fat, and to cool a bit.

Place the ricotta, egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in abowl and whisk until smooth. Gently fold in the crème fraîche and season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture on the puff pastry within the scored border. Lay the Cantal over the ricotta, and arrange the bacon-onion mixture on top.

Bake the tart 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once, until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Lift up the edge of the tart and peek underneath to make sure the crust is cooked through. (If you underbake the tart, it will be soggy.)

Toss the herbs in a small bowl with salt, pepper, a drizzle of super-good olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Cut tart to wedges and serve with herb salad.

Butternut squash, butter lettuce, arugula and apple salad
Inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe from her new cookbook “Back to Basics”
Serves 4-6

1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch dice
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sliced shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula
½ head butter lettuce, torn into 2 bite-size pieces
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
3 tablespoons dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender.

To make the vinaigrette, mix the cider vinegar, shallot, and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in ¼ cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Place the arugula and butter lettuce in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash and apple. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
Make this at least 1 day ahead just to be on the safe side that the ice cream has the right consistency.
Slightly adapted from Suzanne Goin, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”
Makes 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 cinnamon sticks
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 extra-large egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon hazelnuts extract*
Pinch ground cinnamon for serving*

Place the milk, cream, cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the flavors infuse about 30 minutes.

Bring mixture back to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Slowly, add another ¼ cup or so of the warm cream, whisking to incorporate. At this point, you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow steady steam, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pot and return to the stove.

Cook the custard over medium heat 6 to 8 minute, stirring with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The custard will thicken, and when it’s done will coat the back of the spatula. Off the heat, add the vanilla and hazelnut extracts and mix. Strain (in a fine mesh sieve) and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. The base should be very cold before you churn it. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

*My additions.

Kiddies comments and reactions:

Herb salad
I put some salad on my son’s plate. He immediately burst into tears. E.: “I don’t like salad. Take it out of my plate. I want a new plate”. Me: “OK, I’ll take it out”. E. :”no, I want a new plate”. Me: “I’ll wipe it clean”. E.: “you can’t wipe out the flavor”. Me: “relax already. Here, see? It’s all gone”.

R., that’s the baby, on the other hand, didn’t try it at all. The minute she saw it, she threw it away from her tray and onto the floor. E. finds it very amusing and laughs loudly. She was however, very interested in a long stem of chives.

Butternut squash salad
Me: “how about this salad? This lettuce taste very nice”. E.: “no, I don’t like salad”. Me: “OK, what about eating the ingredients separately but not the lettuce?” E.: “OK”.

R. tried to eat the lettuce but had a hard time chewing on it since she has only 2 tiny teeth. She made a funny face and spitted it out. Well, at least she tried. She ate the squash but can’t eat the berries and nuts (choking hazards).

Onion tart
E. eats the bacon on top of the tart, and then stops. Me: “why don’t you eat all the “pizza””? E.: “it has onions. I don’t like onions”. My husband: “you ate the onions last time and liked it”. E.: “No I didn’t. I don’t like onions”. Me: “OK, just take them out and put it on the side of your plate and finish eating it”. Then he takes a bite and me and my husband see the onion hanging from the side. There’s a moment of silence… he ate it! Didn’t say a word.

R. loves this tart. No complains on her part.

Ice cream
Me: “today we have home-made ice cream!” E. – “I want a candy on the ice cream because ice cream alone doesn’t taste good to me.” Me: “you need to choose – ice cream or candy”. E: “then candy”. At the end he chose a Scooby Doo push up Popsicle, leftover from his birthday party last spring. Me: “how can you choose a Scooby Doo over home-made ice cream?” E.: “I’ll eat ice cream another time”. Me: “so why don’t you eat the Scooby Doo another time and tonight you’ll eat ice cream?” E.: “because that is what I chose”.

R. – this is the first ice cream she had in her life! She loved it. She even managed to feed herself with a teaspoon for the first time.

Some photos taken by E. who likes to take pictures and do some food styling

Good night… Bye bye…

The Cookbooks:

“Back to Basics” by Ina Garten
The Barefoot Contessa… no need to elaborate what I love about her, like so many millions of people around the world. I thought that owning 4 of her cookbooks is enough but I just couldn’t resist buying the fifth one. It is just as good and beautiful as the previous ones.

Thank you for reading! Nurit.

10/8/2010 update: This salad has made it into the top 20 recipes selected by NY Times editors for the potluck recipe collection! Yay!

***

The vinaigrette for this salad was my best kept secret. Until now.
It is ridiculously good and quick to make, yet sophisticated. You won’t believe it until you try it.
Orange marmalade is a food item I always keep in the pantry (or in the fridge after opening) since we love this vinaigrette. I also use it in marinades, not to mention on a crispy toast of bread. Try it with this salad.

Green salad with fruit and goodies
This is more a list of ingredients than a recipe. Play with it, mix and match, and use quantities according to your liking.

Ingredients for salad:
Any combination and type of lettuce, arugula, mixed greens
Grapefruit and/or orange, peeled and cut to segments. Squeeze the middle core of the fruit (what is left after you cut out the segments) and add the juice to the vinaigrette.
Apple, pear
A handful of walnuts and/or pecans, toasted and chopped
Dried cranberries, or other type of berry
Goat/Blue cheese, crumbled

For the Orange vinaigrette:
In general, I do it this way – 1 part orange marmalade: 1 part apple cider vinegar: 2 parts evoo (extra virgin olive oil)

1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or other fruity and mild vinegar)
2 tablespoon fruity evoo
Salt
Black pepper, ground

Whisk all the ingredients, with juiced center of fruit, in a bowl, or shake in a jar.

Place all salad ingredients in a bowl. Add vinaigrette. Toss gently and serve.

See also: Roasted chicken with orange-mustard marinade, yellow jasmine rice, steamed broccoli

On the table tonight: Balsamic marinated lamb kebabs, Tomato and mint orzo salad, Hummus.

I was planning to try a new recipe for dinner – North African Lamb Kebabs by Emeril Lagasse that has the following ingredients:

(Tip: Read quickly. No need to memorize the list. Just get the general idea. Point to come.)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes with…

But as reality stroke… (IT is always doing that), the following had happened:
I took the lamb and cubed it.
Started with the easy ingredients: salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, olive oil. Then, I was going to wash and chop the herbs…. And then… I was looking at the baby.

She was playing in the family room and giving me that cute little baby innocent but scary look that says “stay in the kitchen and cook if you want, just know that I am going to poop any second now, and this one will end with a bath”.

So, I have found myself reaching frantically for the balsamic vinegar while thinking – “but I never saw a recipe that uses balsamic vinegar with lamb, especially not with paprika and cumin! Does this combination work?????” I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and gave the lamb a big splash of vinegar, and hoped for the best.

2 hours later.

Husband returned home from work. I was making the hummus and orzo salad, and it was time to grill the lamb. Now, I’m not a fool. It was dark and cold outside, so I asked my husband if he doesn’t mind grilling the lamb in our outdoor grill, outside. “Sure”, he said. But as reality hit AGAIN, he got busy helping one kid with homework while entertaining the other one, so I found myself having to do the grilling myself.

And then it rained.

So there you have it.

Grilling in the rain balsamic marinated lamb
Makes 6 servings

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2-bite-size cubes
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Cumin
Paprika
Evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
Balsamic vinegar
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ red onion, diced big
Wooden*/metal skewers

Put cubed lamb in a bowl. Generously sprinkle with spices and drizzle evoo and balsamic vinegar. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap and marinate 1-2 hours in the fridge.
* If using wooden skewers, soak them in water so they don’t burn on the grill.
Prepare the kebabs: thread the lamb cubes and diced onion onto the skewers and grill over medium-high heat, turning once, about 5 minutes for each side.

Tomato and mint orzo salad
Makes 4-6 servings

½ box orzo pasta
Salt
Black pepper, ground
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)1 big flavorful tomato, diced
Feta cheese, crumbled/diced small1 handful pine nuts, toasted*
½ lemon, juiced
Mint leaves, chopped

Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box.
Drain and season with salt, black pepper, and a splash of a good fruity evoo. Add all the other ingredients, and combine gently.

* toast the pine nuts in a 350F oven for a few minutes or in a skillet over low heat. Don’t burn them! Use a timer.

Hummus recipes are to be found all over the place and everyone likes it differently, so no recipe for hummus. Just combine your favorite ingredients in your preferred amounts.

I finally got it right for my husband’s taste (I knew he’d like it), although I personally would have preferred to add more lemon, garlic, and cumin. Oh, well, life is all about compromises, isn’t it?!

More recipes for orzo and lamb:
Orzo salad

Lamb with chickpeas, yogurt and pan-roasted veg

Grilled potatoes, corn, and lamb with yogurt-mint sauce