A girl (or any person for that matter) can find herself eating alone from time to time—it’s normal, right? Having a set of hubby+kiddies, family in general, and friends promises no guaranties that there will be company at the table at any given breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I work at home and most days I have breakfast and lunch by myself. I don’t eat breakfast with the kiddies+hubby since I’m usually still in my PJ peeling, cutting and serving them fresh fruit (I really must shove it under their noses for them to eat it) and packing lunchboxes and… You know, it’s pretty much the same routine every day. Don’t you just love it?

Besides, I’m not a big fan of breakfast. My breakfast is a slice of toasted bread with something, or half a bagel with cream cheese, or scrambled eggs—so boring. Although lately I do treat myself to freshly squeezed orange juice or, more recently, fresh grapefruit juice—it’s SO refreshing!—every morning after the kiddies+hubby leave the house. (Shoosh, don’t tell them.)

For lunch, I usually don’t bother much since it’s a company of only one, me, so I end up making myself a sandwich (Or heat up leftovers from dinner. That is if I don’t plan on serving them a second time as dinner—lazy me.) Rarely, I pamper myself with something with a bit more kick/wow to it, like my fav sandwich with truffle oil. And now, now I have these swordfish tacos with an S—I had two. It was really, really good.

I love tacos. Don’t you?

Now, I can hear the squeaky noises of the gears in your brain… You must be thinking, “But isn’t a taco a type of sandwich?” I believe you make a good point.

I think they are, sorta. What would a Mexican say? I have no idea.

Well, you got “bread” on both sides with (hopefully) good stuff in the middle.

Broiled swordfish tacos

* 1 lb. of fish steak was enough for 3 servings + leftovers for 1

For the fish:

1 swordfish steak (about 1 lb.)

salt, pepper

olive oil

some sort of rub like BBQ rub or chicken rub

1 Tbs. butter, cut to pieces

Rub the fish with salt, pepper, some olive oil, and spice rub on both sides. Spread the butter cubes on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes in a baking pan lined with aluminum foil. In the meantime preheat the broiler and set the rack in the top 1/3 shelf.

Broil about 8 minutes. The butter will brown and the fat might cause some brunt-like smoke in the oven. If this bother you, grill it outdoors.

For the tacos:

1-2 tortillas/taco (flour or corn, doesn’t matter) + add what you like: avocado is always good, cilantro, grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream, corn, diced veggies, a splash of lemon/lime, etc etc

Enjoy your lunch! Enjoy the company!

OK, I’ll be honest with you, it only felt like it took 10 minutes when in fact it took about 20 minutes. Or maybe 18 min (20 min – 2 minutes I took to tell/yell at the kids over and over to go wash hands before dinner.)

But it felt like 10…

And it was goooood—my fav kind of mish mash dish.

What’s in it?

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a big skillet. Add,

1/2 onion, diced small

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

Fry those two until they soften, over medium heat. Then, add

2 cloves garlic, minced

Cook for 1 minute. Add,

2 cups cooked brown rice (I use the frozen, precooked one)

2 cups frozen corn, cooked in the microwave

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

salt and black pepper

Cook until heated through. Add,

1.5 cup cooked chicken, diced small

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

2 eggs, scrambled, cooked in a separate skillet

a drizzle of toasted sesame oil

Mix it all up and serve.

If you have any on hand, add some cilantro, or parsley… Scallions?

Any leftovers from this meal, made mostly from leftovers, makes an excellent lunch the next day. Double leftovers!

You might want to add another scrambled egg to top that… and something green…

It’s been…… 4-5 years since the last time I made lasagna. So why all of a sudden did I make it now?

Recently, my kid was on a mid-winter break from school and I had continuous exposure to The Garfield Show and that did it! (In case you don’t know, Garfield is a fat, lazy cat who lives to eat and his favorite foods are pizza and lasagna.) After hearing “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasagna”, “lasan-ya”, “lasagnnnnnnnya”, repeatedly, over and over for days—it was like brain wash—I’ve just had it. “Must make lasagna!” “Must make lasagna!” is all I could think of.

Oh, and what’s the lasagna lesson? Don’t ever, ever make a lasagna recipe that has no Béchamel sauce in it!

Béchamel sauce is a milk sauce that is cooked and thickened by a roux (Cooked butter and flour). I’ve made several different recipes in the past years that didn’t include the sauce in the layers. Hmm, maybe that’s why I didn’t miss lasagna so much, now that I think about it… The béchamel makes the whole thing so much smoother and silkier. It’s really fantastic! I will never, ever make lasagna without béchamel again. Never, ever.

It might look like a a lot of work but it really isn’t.

The meat cooks in 10 minutes—not much effort there.

The ricotta only gets to be mixed with the eggs—easy peasy.

The marinara is store bought. Pfff.

The pasta doesn’t have to be cooked, only soaked in hot water for a few minutes to soften.

You layer them all,

and the dishwasher does the rest.

Ta-da. Lasagna, assembled ahead, ready to get baked later before dinner.

And here’s dinner…

Classic  lasagna

My recipe is based on this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis.

For a 13 x x9 inch pan; serves 8-10 people

Béchamel Sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole or 2% milk
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
__

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups (store-bought) tomato/marinara sauce
1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 pound lasagna sheets, soaked in boiled, salted water for 2-3 minutes*
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Béchamel sauce: In a 2-quart pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and nutmeg, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon.) Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (unless you plan to bake the lasagna later that day).

In a large sauté pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking any lumps and continue to cook until it is browned and some of the juices had evaporated. Remove from heat and mix in the marinara sauce. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assemble the lasagna:

Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the béchamel sauce.

Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish.

Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the meat-marinara blend, spoon béchamel on top, and 1/3 shredded mozzarella. (Save the parmesan for the final, top layer.)

Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and repeat the other layers.

Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and repeat with what’s left of all the layers, plus the Parmesan cheese.

Place the lasagna dish on a large baking sheet, put it in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and bubbling.

NOTE:

You can assemble the lasagna ahead, cover and store in the fridge. If you do that, you might need to add 10-20 minutes to the cooking time.

* To soak the lasagna sheets: 1) do this in batches, not all at once, 2) drizzle some oil on a baking sheet, lay the softened, soaked pasta sheets on the greased baking sheet to prevent it from sticking.

This is my first attempt at making artichoke dip.

We LOVE artichokes but I mostly cook them like this—well, those are fresh artichokes ($3-$4 each, anyone?). However, this time the ones I had were the packaged frozen ones so I thought about a dip as the way to go. I always wanted to make artichoke dip. I just love ordering them at restaurants. The dips are so rich and luscious.

And so, I did.

The other night, I made it for dinner. I was floored by its awesomeness and so I had snatched it from the dinner table, from right under my husband’s nose, to take a quick photo, and it looked like this:

… yeah, not so pretty, but I had to be quick!

But the next day I had more time, and there were leftovers—lucky you!—lucky me!—and it looked a lot better in the sun light:

Lunch.

Yum yum, give me some, as my father used to say.

Artichoke dip

So what’s in it?

1 package of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed 3 minutes in the microwave, then coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
some goat cheese, crumbled
some grated cheddar cheese
2 handfuls of arugula, optional
salt and pepper
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, small diced

Gently mix everything, besides the butter, in a big bowl. Place it all in a greased baking dish, scatter some butter on top

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

I try so hard to make food that everyone will like, especially the kids.

Then one day, out of the blue, I recalled a noodles with cottage cheese dish that my grandma used to make for me when I was little. Out of sheer laziness I cooked that for my kids—I had no better plan for dinner.

My son’s response? “This is The Best pasta in the whole world!!! The best pasta you’ve ever made!”

I was floored.

So I can’t stop thinking, why, why do I try so hard and make things more complex? (It’s just my nature…)

Just cook some pasta in salted water until it’s al dente. Drain, put in a bowl, add some salt, 1-2 tablespoon of butter (The secret ingredient!), and mix.

Add cottage cheese, mix, serve. Bon appetite.

Hi,

I thought I’d drop you a quick note. An idea for a quick dinner tonight.

OK, you can make it tomorrow… Go shopping today.

Beef bulgogi and Teriyaki fried rice.

The beef bulgogi is cut into small pieces and is quickly cooked in a skillet—no need to go outside to the freezing cold and grill a steak.

The fried rice uses staples like frozen peas, carrots, and corn. I warmly recommend buying those bags of cooked and frozen brown rice that can be microwaved for 3 minutes and voila—you have cooked brown rice! (Brown rice takes about 40 minutes to cook!)

The beef bulgogi recipe originates in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook (I love that book. Lots of quick dishes.) but I found the recipe for you online here, using rib-eye steak and here, using flank steak.

And the fried rice recipe was posted on my family friendly food Facebook page. Go there for the recipe, and also “Like” it?

Another version for fried rice using all kinds of leftovers was posted here.

Have a fab dinner tonight!

Or tomorrow!

N.

Mr. Husband cooked this recipe for the first time a few months ago. The kids and I returned home late in the evening after a play date at our friends’ house to find the house smelling heavenly from this dish. The aromas hit my nose the second I stepped out of my car in the garage… Mr. H did a fine job!

Last Sunday, when we planned our meals for the upcoming week—we’re trying to be more efficient—that recipe jumped into my head. It’s fairly easy to make and quick, and it tastes gorgeous. The pork tenderloin is sliced instead of being cooked whole, and this makes it cook in 3 minutes. Then it is bathed in a creamy sauce with a splash of cognac… I’ll let your imagination do the rest of the work and leave you at that…

Pork tenderloin stroganoff

The recipe below is based on one from Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook “Cooking for Friends“.

I made a few minor changes: I had more pork and less mushrooms than what the recipe calls for, I used less onion and cognac instead of brandy. I added a little of butter, and I cooked the mushrooms with the onions, side by side, because I needed a short cut. I cooked the dish ahead of time—it doesn’t have to be served “immediately”—and will reheat it tonight. (And I changed some of the wording in the recipe.)

I’m going to serve it tonight with buttered pasta and roasted Brussels sprouts. Mmmmmmm…

Serves 4-6

1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
6-7 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cognac/brandy
1/2 cup sour cream or heavy cream
1/2 lemon, juiced
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

If you have time, trim off any fat or sinew from the pork tenderloin (I skipped this step). Then, slice it to about 1/2-inch thickness medallions. Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with paprika.

In a large skillet over medium, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. (If you are in a rush, like I was, push the onions to the side, add the mushrooms and start cooking them too, side by side).

Add the garlic, mushrooms, and butter, and fry until mushrooms are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the contents of the pan into a bowl and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pan and fry the pork over high until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Return the onions-mushrooms mix back to the pan. Add the brandy and let it boil until most of it is reduced.

Stir in cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with a bit more salt and pepper, then the lemon juice. Throw in chopped parsley and remove pan from heat.

Serve immediately or cool and reheat for dinner.

Chicken with cream and tarragon… I believe I was a B.A student the last time I made this dish. Pheeeww, that was a long time ago!

How can it be that I let 10-15 years slip by without cooking this divine dish? Jeez.

I was cooking a lot of French and Italian dishes back then, my early years of cooking. I sure roasted and braised a lot of chickens back at that time too. One of the first cookbooks I bought at the university’s book store was dedicated to chicken recipes (no, no chicken desserts). I did not know how to handle any other type of meat or fish and chicken was easy. It also cost less and was pretty hard to screw up, especially the thighs—you can’t go wrong with chicken thighs. (Well, unless you are really, really “talented”, you know, the type that burns water.)

Back then I was living in a rented apartment with two roommates. It was a holiday and they went home to their families but I stayed. Luckily, I had some friends who stayed too so together we planned a potluck dinner party at my place—my apartment had a huge living room. We attached a few tables together, friends brought chairs from their homes, each person/couple (I was boyfriend-less) brought a dish to share and we had a fabulous time with good food and wine. We were all students, singles or married without kids, in our early twenties. We all struggled to work for a living and study after work, but we did find time to party. I remember the feeling I had at the time, at that dinner, I felt so free, and independent, and happy about living on my own, doing whatever I wanted, being responsible for my own choices—the essence of freedom.

These friends are long gone—some are no longer friends, some live far away (I moved!)—our friendships have faded. Some couples split or got divorced. We all moved on with our lives. But the chicken… the chicken will always be on my mind and the memories of those years and those friendships too.

So why have I made this cream and wine-braised chicken now?

I’ve been speaking of inspiration, and searching for it, and my tarragon plant has started growing faster in the past month. It was right there, under my nose, so pretty and fragrant. In my mind, tarragon will always be associated with that holiday dinner shared with friends in my then-rented students’ apartment.

I know that the plant will be dormant in winter (but, hopefully, will come back in summer. I took it back inside the house last winter with other herbs in pots) so I had to use it immediately.

It’s pretty amazing the effect that food and its aromas have; this power they posses to make me travel back in time. The first perfumed scents of the French tarragon—too unique to describe—made me feel… (10-15 years younger? Naaa) It simply reminded me of good times and the feeling of freedom I owned that magical weekend, sitting around a table with friends who appreciate good food, all laughing, smiling… Purely happy.

Chicken braised with cream and tarragon

Serves 6

5 whole chicken legs, separated to legs thighs
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
3-4 sprigs of tarragon

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

Melt butter and olive oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms, onion, and garlic until they are golden brown. Remove to a plate.

Add more butter and oil to the pot, if needed, and fry the chicken, skin side down, until it browns. Using tongs, turn to the other side and cook to brown the second side.

Add the wine and shake the pot to release the brown bits that got stuck to the bottom. Return the mushroom-onion mix to the pot, add cream and the tarragon, and season with more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Braise on the stovetop, with the lid on, over low heat for 45-60 minutes, or place in a 350 F degree oven (for the same amount of time).

Serve with a side dish that will absorb and complement the creamy sauce like potatoes, rice, or noodles, and/or leafy greens, like kale.

Just look at that.

Isn’t it gorgeous????

Fresh… Wild… Salmon.

I’m so excited to see fresh, wild salmon, and at reasonable prices, at the grocery stores again.

Just look at that color.

Gorgeous.

So I had to get me some for dinner and I bought one pound (Which is enough for 3-4 servings).

This cut was from a King salmon tail’s end and it was thick and fleshy so this baby went home with me. (If the salmon is thinner, like a Sockeye, I usually ask for a piece from the head’s end or the center. Those cuts have pin bones that I pull out with my fat kitchen tweezers. Ladies, don’t be tempted to use your eyebrows’ tweezers!)

I don’t like to mess with salmon too much. It’s so good and buttery on its own, so I dress it lightly.

The “heaviest”, flavor-wise, marinade I use for salmon is Ina Garten’s recipe for Asian style marinade (but even with that one I use only half the amount). Other favorite recipes we like are Grilled salmon with fresh herbs and zests, or with crème fraîche and Fresh wild salmon with sweet fennel butter.

We usually grill or broil it. Although I do have a good recipe for salmon poached in Moroccan tomato sauce that my cousin gave me 9 years ago… I haven’t made it in years!

But this time, maybe because it’s the first salmon for us this spring, I went with a simple preparation.

Salt, black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on both sides, some fresh lemon thyme picked from the herb I grow in a pot. I let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.

… scatter a few little unsalted butter pieces on top

Turn off the oven and switch to broil, set on high.

When the broiler is hot, I usually place the pan in the middle or upper third of the oven, but not too close the the heating element.

Broil it for 5-7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

I usually cut the fish into serving size pieces. This way it cooks more evenly and there are less chances for it to dry on the outside while it’s still raw inside.

But this time I forgot.

Maybe because it’s the first salmon for us this spring.

More to come…

Bacon.

Mashed potatoes.

Need I say more?

OK.

Bacon!

Mashed potatoes!

Yum.

End of story? Not really.

I took you down memory lane with me a while ago when we discussed Poffertjes. Remember those? (If you have no idea what I’m talking about you must click on Poffertjes and Ebelskivers immediately.)

Back in 1989 I took a trip to Holland with my father. We visited my aunt and her adorable kids. We also visited another relative living in a charming town named Bergen Op Zoom. She made mashed potatoes with bacon for dinner.

We took a bike ride, we saw Dutch cows, lots of water in the form of lakes, rivers, spray, showers, and rain… We watched the famous wind mills… Oh, there’s lots of photos in the Poffertjes post… You can see it all there.

Anyway, I could not forget the little Dutch pancakes bathed in butter and showered with powdered sugar (Sometimes served with strawberries and whipped cream. It must be heaven. Doesn’t it sound like heaven?). But I could not forget the first time I ate rich and creamy mashed potatoes confetti-ed with crispy bits of bacon either.

Ah, I can tell you about the many times I had BAD, bad mashed potatoes.

Watery, diluted, thin mashed potatoes.

Bland mashed potatoes.

Plain blah mashed potatoes.

Dry mashed potatoes that choke you.

Who-cares-mashed-potatoes.

Mashed potatoes made from powder! (What hell is THAT?)

Mashed potatoes with margarine. Greasy.

Yes, the beauty of simple food can be an elusive thing. And we take mashed potatoes for granted, don’t we?!

Suburban cowboy has suffered – not quietly! – for many years when I was skimpy with butter in our mashed potatoes. Poor guy.

But no worries, my friends. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. And some secrets to share. And I will share ‘cos I feel generous today and I love ya. (Don’t you find those people who will not share annoying?)

OK, so we all know the first part. You peel the potatoes, cut them in big chunks, cover with salty water and bring to a boil. Now what?

#1 When the water comes to a boil, low the heat to a very gentle simmer. If the water bubbles it’s just gonna break your potatoes and make a mess.

#2 While you’re at it, throw a garlic clove in there (unpeeled, whole, and smashed) and a herb you like; rosemary, thyme, parsley…

#3 After the potatoes are cooked and you drain them, return them back to the pot! Uncovered. This takes the moisture/water out. Very important! We don’t want no watery mashed potaters.

#4 How much butter? Well… I once read that one of the fanciest French chefs uses 2 pounds of potatoes (that’s 3-4 potatoes, depending on their size) and 2 sticks of butter ratio! (I found a recipe on this cute blog.) Now don’t get a heart attack. You can use less. But… be generous. Complete the rest with #5.

#5 Add other goodies like sour cream, heavy cream, milk… and bacon, of course. Oh, chopped fresh herbs are nice too. Fold gently.

#6 I sometimes add a sweet potato. It’s gooood.

#7 Use a ricer? Na, I haven’t got that far. We’re not that fancy. Fluffy mashed potatoes are good enough for us.

But I’d say that #3 is The most important!

So… what’s in your mashed potatoes? Care to share?

***