"Fish"-ing for dinner: a working mom's dinner solution

If you are a parent working outside the home or a stay-at-home parent, I am sure you can relate to my dilemma:

How do I prepare the kind of dinner during the week for my family that is the quality of what I cook for my family on the weekend?

Since going back to work last October after Davis was born, this has been an ongoing dilemma for me along with the continuing struggle of keeping a balance between work and parenting.

Sometimes, a plain chicken breast and boring vegetable just won’t suffice for dinner. The trouble is that both Dan and I want to spend time playing with our son, Davis, when we get home from work.  We want to make the most of that precious time we have before he goes to bed. This is one of the blocks of time on a Monday through Friday basis in my life that I do not want to spend cooking.

Be that as it may, we both still need to eat!

Almost one year after returning to work, I am starting to come up with recipes that feel like what I would cook on the weekend (simple but somewhat creative) but that I can still prepare and eat at a normal hour. We are not a 9 p.m. dinner household. That’s more like our bedtime most nights!

In the last year, I have discovered that fish is one of the easiest proteins to cook fast.  Not only is it healthy, but it doesn’t require a mass amount of prep work to turn it into something special. On Monday night, I stopped at our local fish market on the way home from work and purchased Atlantic Cod. A flakey, white fish, Atlantic Cod is a very mild fish and also relatively inexpensive. I also picked up a few lemons and a dried-spice rub that contained rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, sage and oregano.

After giving Davis his bath before bed, I made the "Davis hand-off" to Dan for pajamas, bottle and bedtime and went downstairs to prepare dinner. I preheated the oven to 385 degrees in order to create the perfect condition for roasting the cod. I pulled out my favorite baking dish and drizzled enough olive oil in it to coat the bottom. Then I placed the two pieces of fish in the pan, drizzled each with a small amount of olive oil and the squeezed the juice of two fresh lemons over the fish. I then sprinkled a small amount of the spice rub on the fish. Finally, I cut the last lemon into thin slices and placed it on top of the fish. A finishing touch before hitting the oven were a few kalamata olives I added to the baking dish with the fish that were nearing the end of their days if not eaten soon.

The fish went into the oven after about 2 minutes of prepping and after approximately 17 minutes, it was ready to eat!

To accompany the fish, I made some couscous which has become a staple of weeknight dinners at our house. We have seriously become couscous junkies with part of the appeal being that it cooks in about 5 minutes.  Yes, we like instant gratification in my house. I added a small amount of butter and garlic powder to give it a bit of flavor. While at the fish market, I also picked up a beautiful salad of chickpeas, feta, tomatoes, kalamata olives and onions. It was the perfect accompaniment to the fish.

By 7:30 pm (approximately 20 minutes after I began cooking dinner), with the table set and a sleeping baby, I sat down with my husband to a perfect dinner. It felt like a weekend dinner and we both agreed we needed to pinch ourselves to remember it was Monday night.

Five Spice Fish
(serves 2)

Fish Ingredients
*3/4-1 lb of Atlantic Cod (or a similar mild, flaky white fish)
*3 small lemons
*Olive oil
*Handful of Kalamata olives (optional)
*Dusting of spice rub (see recipe below) for each piece of fish

Details
*Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
*Coat bottom of medium-sized baking dish with olive oil.
*Place fish in baking dish.
*Drizzle olive oil over the fish and squeeze the juice of two fresh lemons over the fish.
*Sprinkle the Five Spice Rub (see recipe below) on the fish.  You only need a little to lightly dust the top of the fish.
*Cut the third lemon into thin slices and place on top of the fish.
*Add the kalamata olives to the baking dish (optional).
*Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Five Spice Rub Ingredients
(makes enough for you to store long-term in a sealed jar or container)
*1 tablespoon dried Rosemary
*1 tablespoon dried sage
*1 tablespoon garlic powder
*1 tablespoon dried, crushed oregano
*1 tablespoon dried red pepper flakes

Details
*Mix with a fork and store in a glass jar for continual use.

Perfect Chicken Soup for all Ages

A bowl of Perfect Chicken Soup.

I have been exalting the cooler weather and the imminent arrival of Fall.  Unfortunately, cooler weather also brought our version of the plague to my house this week.  My son, Davis battled a nasty cold and since he likes to share (I know, what a sweet boy), my husband, Dan, has also acquired the beginning of a cold.  This left me feeling bad for my boys last night and wanting to make a warm, comforting meal for both of them.

A few years back, my mom shared with me a recipe for what I think is the perfect chicken soup.  If you are like me, you probably turn your nose up at the chicken soup sold in stores with the chicken that appears to be of questionable origins and is so salty that you probably fulfilled your daily sodium intake for a week after one bowl of soup.  I will fully admit that I am a bit of a chicken soup snob and so making the soup (almost) from scratch is my preference. 

This recipe could not be more simple and the outcome is delicious.  It's a great recipe for the weekend but also quick enough for preparation during the work week.  With a cup of brown rice, a cup of chopped carrots, one diced medium yellow onion, three to four stalks of celery chopped, low-sodium chicken broth, three chicken breasts and celery salt, you will have the most perfect chicken soup.

I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees and baked the chicken breasts in a bit of olive oil for 30 minutes.  While the chicken cooked, I added my chopped vegetables to my soup pot and cooked them in a bit of butter to soften them up.  I then added chicken broth to the pot, chopped the cooked chicken into pieces and added it to the soup along with the brown rice.  I seasoned the soup with a bit of salt and pepper and added celery salt.  After about 45 mins to one hour, the soup was ready to eat.

Davis and Dan loved the soup and we went to bed with full tummies and feeling better, as only a homemade bowl of chicken soup can make one feel.

Perfect Chicken Soup

Ingredients
*2 containers chicken broth (I like Progresso's reduced-sodium chicken broth)
*1 cup chopped carrots
*3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
*1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*1 cup brown rice
*3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 teaspoon celery salt
*Salt and pepper to taste
*1 tablespoon butter

Details
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Place chicken breasts in a baking dish with a bit of olive oil in the bottom. Salt and pepper the chicken and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
*Melt one tablespoon butter in a soup pot (I like the Le Creuset dutch oven).  Add chopped carrots, celery and onion to the pot.  Cook until slightly softened.
*Remove chicken from oven and cut into bite-sized pieces and add to the vegetable mixture in the pot.
*Add one cup of brown rice to the chicken and vegetable mixture.
*Add chicken broth to the chicken and vegetables.  Add 1 teaspoon celery salt.  Salt and pepper to taste.
*Cook covered on medium heat for 45 minute to one hour or until vegetables are tender and rice is cooked.

Mise en place envy

I've long enjoyed reading "Cooking with Dexter" online and in the New York Times Magazine.  A column about cooking with his son, I often find parallels between the author's cooking adventures and my own cooking fun.   Though I wish that I could have all my food prep (known as mise en place) done earlier in the day so it was good to go when I start cooking dinner at night, it's not the reality for this mom.  Unless, of course, my Christmas gift this year includes an assistant from the Food Network kitchens who will place my equipment needed for cooking neatly in my kitchen and have all the food prep done before I hit the kitchen.  Until then, on the fly food prep is my destiny!

Check out today's column and let me know what you think.  I really enjoyed reading this today.

Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination

Like so many of you, I was a fan before it became cool and everybody was seeking it out.

What, you may ask, am I speaking of?

Skinny jeans?

No.

Ballet flats?

No.

Lady GaGa?  Cosmospolitans?

No and No.

Pumpkin?

Yes!

Before Starbucks made pumpkin cool to eat on days other than Thanksgiving and in items other than pumpkin pie by serving the pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin scone, pumpkin cream cheese muffin or pumpkin bread, I was obsessed.  I could have eaten just pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and been perfectly happy without the turkey or the other dishes.

The proliferation of pumpkin to the reaches of the coffee counter and bakery case at Starbucks and beyond has only fueled my obsession and made it easier for this pumpkin junkie to get her fix.

After discovering the first pumpkin scone of the season last week, I declared to my husband that all was right with the world.  I also found myself inspired to produce some pumpkin goodness in my own kitchen.  Plus, I wanted to give my son a chance to experience pumpkin without all the additives and preservatives of the store-bought pumpkin treats.

The weather in D.C. turned cool late last week and with the arrival of a crisp, feels-like-fall morning, I set out for the grocery store with my son, Davis.  Both of us had our hoodies on as we embraced the cooler temperatures and you could see he was as excited about the mild weather as I was.  Little did he know, he was about to experience the delights of pumpkin post-nap.  We picked up the ingredients for pumpkin bread and once home, Davis took a nap and Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination commenced in the kitchen.

The batter took about 15 minutes to put together while the oven preheated to 350 degrees.  I used fresh ginger this time, but you could easily use the powdered form found in the spice aisle.

Since the recipe made six mini-loafs and I had four pans, I used my mini-muffin/cupcake pan (as featured in my cupcake recipe from last month) to create some pumpkin mini-muffins that were perfect for a snack or for a special and easy to manage treat for Davis and his small hands.

If you have children at home or you simply can’t polish off a whole loaf of pumpkin bread before it has that not so fresh taste, I highly recommend purchasing a set of small loaf pans.  Not only are these perfect for a quick snack for a small family but I find that bread cooks more evenly in the smaller loaf pan.  Less chance for the middle of the bread that just won’t cook as I often encounter when using a standard loaf pan.

While the loaves of pumpkin bread took about 45-50 minutes to cook, the mini-muffins were done in approximately 18-20 minutes.

And, neither disappointed.  I froze a loaf of bread and sent the others to family.  I also froze half of the muffins and kept more out and we snacked on the muffins throughout the weekend.  I placed the muffins to be frozen in an air-tight plastic bag and for the loaves of bread, I took each out of the pan and wrapped it in plastic wrap and then foil before depositing in the freezer.

As the muffins and bread cooked, I took a moment and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in through the windows and the smell of pumpkin and fall filling our home.  To say it was delightful, is an understatement.

Upon waking from his nap, Davis’ pumpkin indoctrination began.  He grabbed a muffin from me, took a small bite and then proceeded to shove the rest in his mouth as he pointed toward the plate with the remaining muffins, asking for more.

With that, another pumpkin junkie was born and Operation Pumpkin Indoctrination was declared a success.

Mission accomplished.

Perfect pumpkin bread and pumpkin mini-muffins

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups canned pure pumpkin (about 24 ounces)

1 cup sugar

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger or the powdered ginger found in the spice aisle

3/4 cup buttermilk

Details

*Preheat oven to 350°F.

*Spray mini loaf pans and/or mini-muffin pans with nonstick spray.

*Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl; whisk to blend.

*Using electric mixer, beat pure pumpkin and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil, then eggs 1 at a time, then minced ginger. Stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk, alternating between each.

*Pour batter into loaf pans or use a small scoop to deposit batter in mini-muffin pan.

Baking time

*Baking time for bread will be 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.

*Baking time for mini-muffins will be 18-20 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from Bon Apetit 2001, Miniature Pumpkin Breads

You say tomato, I say delicious!

One of my favorite parts of summer is the abundance of fresh, sweet tomatoes.

To my suprise, I have discovered that my neighborhood fish market, Black Salt, is my source for the sweetest locally grown tomatoes I have ever tasted.  Two weeks ago, along with the fish I purchased, I picked up a couple red tomatoes to go along with dinner and I couldn't believe it when I took a bite of the tomatoes!  Sweet beyond belief.  Almost like eating candy!

Tonight I remembered what a chef at one of my cooking classes taught me.  She used to say that the best dishes are not those with the most ingredients but rather a dish concocted with the freshest, best ingredients you can find.  For example, her theory was that a dessert made with the best eggs and a quality vanilla bean would be better than an overly complicated dessert made with processed ingredients any day.

This brings me to the side dish I prepared for dinner tonight.

I stopped at Black Salt to pick up scallops for dinner and told the chef of the restaurant (who happened to be in the market) about the amazing tomatoes I had purchased two weeks ago.  He suggested I try orange sunburst tomatoes he had in the market.  The tomatoes were the size of a cherry tomato but sweeter than any tomato I have ever tasted.  The chef said the tomatoes were particularly sweet given the hot weather this area experienced in August.

Once at home, I cut the tomatoes in half and cubed some fresh mozzarella cheese.  After depositing the tomatoes and cheese in a bowl, I added a pinch of sea salt and a few dashes of good balsamic vinegar.  

The result was delicious and frankly, almost like eating dessert for dinner.  What could be better?

And, since it is the middle of the week and my husband and I work full-time, being able to prepare a tasty and healthy dish in under five minutes makes this dish even better.

So remember as the final days of summer are upon us, take advantage of the farmer's market in your area to buy fresh, quality ingredients and keep it simple for a guaranteed delicious dish!

Sunburst Tomato Salad

Ingredients

1 small container orange sunburst tomatoes

1/3 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

Balsamic Vinegar

Sea Salt

Details

*Cut tomatoes in half and deposit in a bowl along with the diced mozzarella cheese.

*Toss tomatoes and cheese.

*Add a pinch of sea salt and 2-3 dashes of balsamic vinegar.  Toss and serve.

Giving in to the Cupcake Craze with Bite-size Goodness!

Has anyone else noticed that cupcake mania has consumed our country? No longer are cupcake consumers relegated to the sad looking cupcakes in the plastic containers at the grocery store topped with inedible wannabe buttercream frosting and sprinkles or tacky seasonal decorations. Instead, cupcakes of every imaginable flavor are accessible topped with real-deal buttercream or cream cheese frosting.

I should preface this by saying that I got burned out on cupcakes by the end of middle school. It seemed like for every birthday of a student in the classroom, we were “treated” to cupcakes. Yellow cake cupcakes with bad chocolate frosting or dry chocolate cupcakes with boring and sad buttercream frosting.

So it took a lot for me to try a cupcake again and I was very skeptical.

Clearly, the cupcake has been due for an extreme makeover for quite a while.

Or at least it needed one before I could look at a cupcake again.

And I have to admit, I got swept up in the craze a couple years ago. As you may know, Washington, DC is home to the now famous-because-of-a-reality-tv-show, Georgetown Cupcake. I am a frequent consumer of their vanilla cupcake with the most glorious cream cheese frosting you could ever imagine.

A recent visit to Georgetown Cupcake prompted me to try to make my own cupcakes. After waiting in the car with our son while my husband braved a one hour wait in a neverending line for the goodness that is a Georgetown Cupcake, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. The Georgetown Cupcakes were absolutely delectable but sitting in the car for an hour with a little boy who is ready to go to bed and desperately wants his nighttime bottle and pajamas is not pretty and not fair to the Little Man! Before Davis, it wouldn't have been the end of the world to wait in line that long but life with a one-year-old changes these little luxuries.

I mean, what were we thinking? One hour for four cupcakes? Really? Were they that good?

Sadly, the answer is yes, they are that good.  However, the waiting game is definitely not practical most days in our life.

I finally decided to take matters into my own hands.  This is how I found myself making mini-vanilla mascarpone cupcakes with a strawberry glaze on a recent Saturday afternoon.  In fact, I served them as an extra dessert at Davis' birthday party as they are so good.

The recipe is very simple and the mascarpone cheese is definitely the secret weapon to keep the mini-cupcakes moist.  Plus, the addition of the strawberry glaze which tops the cupcake doesn't overwhelm the cake portion but adds a little tinge of sweetness.  The end result is 48 bites of cupcake goodness.  Yes, you can really eat the mini-cupcake in one bite, too.

I loved the idea of mini-cupcakes because as I found, I didn't feel as bad popping five mini-cupcakes in my mouth as I did eating two regular-size cupcakes.  In addition, if you serve these for a party, tea or even as a light dessert at a late morning/early afternoon brunch, they are easy to eat without creating a mess when you are trying to chat with folks.

The best part is these will take you approximately 30 minutes from start to your mouth.  As I found, preparing the mini-cupcakes in the comfort of my own home in less time and for less money than it costs to buy four Georgetown Cupcakes is a win-win situation.

Vanilla Mascarpone Strawberry Mini-Cupcakes
Makes 48 mini-cupcakes

For the mini-cupcakes:
8 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
2 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box white cake mix
1 cup water

For the glaze:
1/3 cup frozen strawberries, unfrozen and strained
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Details:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Spray mini-muffin pan with cooking spray
*Combine mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil in bowl of a standing mixer.
*Once blended, add in white cake mix and water.  Mix until smooth.
*Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough into the muffin pan.
*Bake for 18-30 mins.
*While cupcakes cook, puree strawberries in a food processor.
*Mix strawberry puree with the powdered sugar and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
*Once cupcakes are cool, dip the tops in the strawberry glaze.
 
Recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

Plain Jane Granola

When it comes to certain foods, I have always been somewhat of a Plain Jane.

Hamburger?

Plain, please. Maaaybe with cheese if I am feeling crazy.

Pancakes?

You can keep the butter but I’ll take the syrup. But just a little bit.

Ice cream sundae?

I'll pass on the whipped cream, cherry and nuts. Just the ice cream and the hot fudge, please.

This brings me to my recent quest for the perfect granola. I really like the idea of granola.  However, the granola I find at the store either tastes like the plastic bag it is sold in or else has an untenable amount of nuts and raisins to suit my taste. Because I now have a bit longer commute to work and am always trying to find ways to save money, I am trying to eat a healthy breakfast at home prior to leaving for work each morning. And, because I want to spend as much time as I can with my son before I leave home for work, I want something that is easy and doesn’t require cooking each morning.

Finally I decided, why not make my own granola? Significantly modifying a recipe I found online, I omitted most of the nuts and a few other ingredients to create a delicious and stripped down granola. For me, the rolled oats and what they are coated in makes or breaks granola for me. During summer, there is a variety of fresh fruit in season that nicely compliments granola so I was even more eager to go sans the copious nuts and raisins in my granola.

All you need to make this hearty granola is rolled oats, maple syrup, butter, pecans (or any nuts you want to add) and cinnamon.

I melted the stick of butter (you can use less than a stick if you prefer) and added the melted butter and maple syrup to the oats and mixed thoroughly. Next, I added in cinnamon and stirred the mixture one last time. Then I spread the oats on a baking sheet and baked for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. I turned the oats with a spatula half-way through the baking process.

I would also highly recommend using a silpat mat when baking the granola. It makes clean-up so easy and nothing sticks to the pan nor do you have to worry about greasing the pan.

Over the weekend I layered granola between layers of organic, low-fat vanilla yogurt and topped it with fresh raspberries. My Plain Jane Granola was crunchy and a little sweet. The chopped pecans were about the same size as the oats and therefore blended together perfectly so that each bite of granola was a perfect harmony of oats and nuts and one ingredient did not overpower the other.

As I mentioned, you can personalize your granola. Adding dried fruit like unsweetened cranberries, different kinds of chopped nuts or fresh fruit to top your own granola parfait are all great options. This is delicious for breakfast layered between yogurt or even as a snack on the run. My husband said he will take the Plain Jane Granola with him for a healthy snack on the golf course and I caught myself grabbing a handful here and there while I worked around the house this weekend.

Plain Jane Granola
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon (you can use more if you prefer)
 
Details
*Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
*Pour four cups old-fashioned rolled oats into medium bowl.
*Melt butter and add to oats along with the maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir well with a spatula.
*Spread mixture evenly on a baking sheet using a silpat mat if you have one.
*Bake for 30 minutes and turn the oats with the spatula half-way through baking.
*Add dried fruit if you'd like or serve with yogurt and top with fresh fruit.