Cooking for One...

I'm lucky to be able to work out of my house a couple of days a week.

And while it's nice to not have to make the commute into the office, to be able to work in my yoga pants and to occasionally walk or ride my bike to get Audrey from school, the best part of this set-up is, by far, lunch.

I love knowing that exactly two days a week, I get to cook whatever. I. want. I get to create a little meal that is 100% completely and wholly for me. On those two days, I don't have to worry that Bryan doesn't like olives or blue cheese or tuna or that the girlies don't like, well...where do I start with what they don't like. There are no other palettes to consider, no other diners to cajole or convince into eating.

It's bliss.

Even during my most persistent cooking funks, these little meals feel inspired. I throw things in with abandon and take ample risks, as I figure if the dish is a flop, I'm the only one who will know (+ if all else fails I can eat a carton of Greek yogurt and some fruit...)

My go-to solo-meal of late is either a simple pasta with whatever is in the fridge or pantry (and usually involving some olives or few capers, just because I can) or an omelet with lots of feta and sauteed veggies. I've eaten some variation of this for the past month, and it shows no sign of waning.

So I'd love to hear, how does this work in your house? Do you ever cook for just yourself? What do you make?

The Polenta...

This polenta is literally my favorite thing to make of late. It's ridiculously easy (you make it in a slow cooker), but it reads complicated and special (which is really the best combination, no?)

I'd love to be able to report that my girlies love it (or would even try it for that matter) but (because they are clearly nuts) sadly, I can't. But I can attest to some level of kid friendliness, as (sans the mushroom and leek topping) my four-year old friend Gracie lapped it up.

The polenta easily stands alone (it's rich and hearty) but it's great as a side with roasted chicken or tenderloin for a more special meal...

Slow Cooker Polenta with Leeks and Mushrooms (from my friend Lisa Greene)

• 1 cup organic polenta (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 tbs. butter
• 3 cups organic chicken broth
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 small log goat cheese (room temperature)
• 2 cups sliced baby portabella mushrooms
• 1 medium leek thinly sliced
• a bit of white wine

Coat the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray, then add the polenta and 1 tsp of the butter. Bring the chicken broth to a boil on the stove and add to the slow cooker, wisk together until slightly thickened.

Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir well and cover. Set slow cooker to low and the timer for 3 hours.

At the 2.5 hour mark, add the room temperature goat cheese to the slow cooker, stir well and cover.

While the polenta is cooking, heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan and saute the leeks for a few minutes until slightly browned, add the mushrooms and continue cooking over high heat until softened and deeply browned. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine. Set mixture aside.

Serve polenta immediately when ready with a generous scoop of the mushroom/leek mixture.

The Birthday Dinner

Growing up, part of our birthday celebrations always included dinner of our choice cooked by my mother. My hubby's family had the same tradition -- he always picked crab cakes and I requested beef stroganoff, which is funny as neither of us ever eat those meals anymore, but I digress...

Today is our oldest daughter's 6th birthday, so in carrying on the tradition, I asked her earlier this week what she wanted for dinner tonight at our family party. She requested white beans and sausage pasta, which is technically two meals, but it's her day, so she can go wild.


Let me pause here to say how proud I am of her choices. Despite some evidence to the contrary on this blog, we've made progress friends, as I'm certain her request last year would have been pizza or nuggets and Annie's mac and cheese.

The white beans are just a simple pot of navy or great northern beans that we cook all day -- we just sauté some celery and onion, add pre-soaked beans, chicken broth + spices (usually some Tony Chachere's , kosher salt, some fresh ground pepper, a bit of sage...), bring to a boil and then simmer for the rest of the day. Served over brown rice, this is one of our all-time favorite meals... We love it, the girls love it, it's easy, healthy and cheap. A major win!

The sausage pasta is a new favorite we make about once a week and is pretty much a simple combo of orecchiette, turkey sausage and loads of Parmesan. I serve it with just the meat and pasta for the girlies + a side of steamed green beans, and after I remove their portion from the pot, I add sautéed spinach and asparagus for Bryan and me. Maybe by next year she'll be eating that too...

I can dream ;-)

Orecchiette with Sausage, Asparagus and Spinach

• 1 pound orecchiette
• 4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound), casing removed and crumbled
• Small bunch of asparagus, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed, and cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup organic chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon organic butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown for about 8-10 minutes, transfer to a bowl.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes; drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.

In the same skillet that you cooked the sausage in (don’t wash it out) add the olive oil and once hot, sauté the asparagus until almost tender, then add the spinach and continue sautéing until wilted.

Add sausage mixture to sautéed spinach and asparagus and mix together.

Add the orecchiette to the mixture. Stir to combine, adding chicken broth plus the cooking liquid if pasta seems too dry; add the teaspoon of butter, sprinkle with cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

One Of Our Favorite Things -- Green Tea Ice Cream

I have been on a quest for the best, most perfect green tea ice cream for the better part of a decade. It started in college; I'd go to Boulder a few times a year to visit my best friend Kirsten, and as soon as my plane touched down, we'd head to our favorite sushi restaurant and tuck into some rolls and sake. But the best part of the meal was always the little scoop of green tea ice cream they served for dessert. It was perfection. After much cajoling, we got the restaurant to tell us it was actually Dryer's green tea ice cream, but it was only available to restaurants.

We were bummed but certain we could find an acceptable substitute...which lead to tasting every. single. brand. of green tea ice cream we came across and a string of disappointments.

Until now. Last year, my sweet hubby spotted a carton of Maeda-en at our local Central Market and picked it up for me hoping it would be "the one". And friends, it was. It is literally the best ice cream I've ever had...green tea or not.

I highly recommend you find some stat and eat a nice big bowl. It will make you incredibly happy. I promise.

One of Our Favorite Things

I’m diggin these features on Cookie’s site that unearth some of the best snack foods and organic frozen foods, as despite my best intentions to never buy processed food, well, it’s just not going to happen. The reviews are a good reference if you need a few back-ups in the freezer or some snacks to ward off backseat meltdowns.

In that spirit, I thought do a weekly post sharing one of our favorite food “products” -- highlighting a few of the things that we’re really loving amidst all the “choices” at the supermarket.

This week’s favorite is the insanely yummy Sunbutter.

My friend Jodi turned me on to this nectar of the Gods when her family stayed with us a few weeks ago. We were chatting about how her daughter Arden has a few classmates with nut allergies, and in trying to find a sub for her fave p-nut butter sandwiches she came across Sunbutter, which is basically sunflower seed butter.

What started out as a stop-gap became one of her family’s favorite things... they like it better than peanut butter. I was totally intrigued as we’re HUGE peanut butter fans around here. Well, Jodi was right. This stuff rocks. Both girlies love it, Bryan loves it, and I’ve been eating it every morning on my English muffin in lieu of my normal smear of p-nut butter.

So, spill...what's one of your favorites?