Friday, April 30, 2010

Because Complicated Is Overrated...


For me, Spring always represents the start of simple, easy food...

Our dinner routine in these months usually consists of throwing some meat or chicken on the grill or pulling together a little pasta and then roasting some veggies or tossing together simple salads (I live for salad.) Luckily the girlies are down with this plan. They especially love (now after much consternation and cajoling...I don't give up easily friends) roasted asparagus and cauliflower and are nuts for lightly steamed broccoli drizzled with a little butter and lemon juice.

When we were at the beach last week my friend Julie (who is a master of this easy, fresh cooking) threw together some potatoes that seemed not only ridiculously simple but were literally the best potatoes I've ever had...sounds dramatic I know, but it's true...
So I set out to recreate them last night to serve with some grilled steak and (yep) roasted asparagus. They were fantastic. Definitely going into the regular rotation.

I would highly recommend giving them a whirl this weekend!

Roasted Potatoes with Feta Cheese:
  • Medium Red Potatoes (1-2 per person)
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive Oil
  • Feta Cheese
  • Rosemary
Pre-heat oven to 400

Pierce potatoes several times with a fork and put into a microwave safe boil. Toss with a generous amount of olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Cook on high heat for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Transfer potatoes to a cookie sheet and transfer to pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes or until the outside of the potatoes start to crisp up a bit.

Once slightly crispy remove from oven and make a little slit in the top of each potato, smashing open a bit with a fork, put a good amount of crumbled feta cheese, chopped rosemary and more salt and pepper in each opening and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Before serving, smash the potatoes open a bit more and stir around in the olive oil that has collected on the bottom of the cookie sheet.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

In Praise of Al Fresco Dining...

I complain a lot about the Texas heat.

A lot...

But with a warm climate comes especially lovely Spring and Fall weather. (And often winter -- we've been known to have 70 degree days in December...it's true.) Otherwise known as ample opportunities to eat outside.

Food tastes better eaten outside...it just does. And somehow, my otherwise unruly-at-meal-time kiddos seem to mellow out when we dine in our backyard. Maybe they're blissed out by the chirping birds or maybe they're just vibing off Bryan's and my decidedly more mellow demeanor. Either way, it's a game changer.

Last Saturday we had some of our dearest friends over for a little al fresco dinner. We served that super easy orecchiette with sausage, asparagus and spinach + one of my favorite "salads" -- a tomato hollowed out and stuffed with goat cheese and honey and then baked served over some lightly dressed arugula.

A perfect outside meal for sure...



our little friend Gracie surveying the meal...

Monday, April 5, 2010

And Now The Reality...

Millie's first Peep, courtesy of her Grandmother...

There was lots of candy friends.

Lots more than I had planned for that is. I bought just a few things for the girlies' baskets, but then there was the school party and the school Easter egg hunt and the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and the ginormous basket that Bryan's mom gave each of them.

It was sugar-fest 2010...bigger than Halloween...epic even.

So I threw in the towel and let Sunday be a free day. Both girlies had the stomach flu a couple of days earlier, so I was feeling especially lenient (and they were especially hungry), and I just let them go for it, self-regulate. Honestly it wasn't as bad as I would have expected. They mostly wanted to taste everything, one bite and then they pretty much lost interest.

After they were in bed, I, well...(this is wasteful so I hesitate to admit it) discarded a good deal of what they had amassed, saving the best stuff in the treat bowl hidden way up in the pantry.

And then I ate the rest of it. Just kidding, but I did eat a lot, I'm just sayin...it was a bad scene.

I'm banking on the fact that one (incredibly) sugar fueled day won't kill us, right?