More About Rules

What are your food rules for your kids? I'm always interested when we eat at other people's houses to see what's expected of their kids. (Or for that matter, their reactions to ours. I've had more than one comment about the fact that I let our kids leave the table when they're finished eating, even if others are still eating.) Our general guidelines are these:

(I) I am not a short order cook. I make one meal for everyone, and we all eat it, sitting down together. No separate mealtime or meals for the kids.

(I)(A) Provided, however, that we eat at a manageble time for them (i.e., early), and I always make at least one thing I know they will like. Or at least have eaten the past. I do understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. I will solicit frequent input into meal planning and feedback on dishes.

(I)(B) Provider further, however, that I may substitute items served to the adults with something slightly more child-friendly if circumstances reasonably warrant such substitution. For example, if we are having steak, the children may be served a grilled hotdog. Or, if we are having salad, one child may instead receive carrots with ranch dressing, and the other may receive canned carrots. I have been known, on Christmas Day when the rest of us were eating beef tenderloin, to let children eat Chef Boyardee, much to their absolute delight.

(I)(C) Rule (I) does not apply if Daddy does not make it home for dinner and we all just want to eat cereal or cheese toast.

(II) If you really cannot bring yourself to eat what I have served, either because you do not like it, because it touched another piece of food, or because it's the second Tuesday of the month, you will not be forced to. There are no required minimum bites, and you may always get yourself a banana or yogurt. I choose what to put on the table, you choose whether and how much to eat.

(III) You must use your good table manners. Good table manners includes putting your napkin in your lap and then actually using it as necessary, making pleasant conversation, and trying new foods. If you do not use your good table manners, you must leave the table. I am not troubled if this means you do not eat; breakfast will roll around again before you know it.

(III)(A) If you use your good table manners, you can have dessert.

(IV) As noted above, if you're finished eating you may either stay in your chair and continue talking with us, or you may go play in the other room.

(IV)(A) But you may not play in the dining room under the table while we are trying to finish eating.

What are yours?

If I Make the Rules, Can I Break Them?

Here's the situation. We are part of a really great supper club, which is basically just a bunch of incredibly busy couples with a million things going on who don't see each other often enough, so we've all committed to eating together as a group every 6 weeks or so. We rotate who hosts, and the hosting couple provides the main dish and the theme. One time we did Italian, another time tapas, then springtime picnic, etc.

DH and I are hosting this Saturday, and I thought a great theme would be Savannah chefs, where everyone could bring a dish inspired by a local chef (Paula Deen is our most famous, but Elizabeth Terry, Damon Lee Fowler, and Martha Nesbit are all well known and have wonderful cookbooks that should not be overlooked if you are interested in Southern cooking). Creative, right?

But here's the teensy problem.

I changed my mind.

About a week ago, I got it in my head that I wanted to do my paella recipe. It's a perfect dish, because it uses fresh, summer ingredients, it's a great showcase for Georgia shrimp, it has plenty of chicken and sausage for those in the group that don't love seafood, and it just looks darn pretty in the pan. It's a fairly big recipe, so I never make it except for company, and since the only company I've had lately tends to prefer peanut butter sandwiches with an apple juice shooter, I haven't had a reason to pull it out recently.

I do feel a bit bad about not following the format I imposed on everyone else. So here's my theory: if I post it on my blog, I've published it, right? And I live in Savannah. Ergo, I am a Savannah chef. (Ok, perhaps 'cook' is more precise than 'chef.' Whatever.)

Here goes. Supper Club Savannah Paella (serves 8)

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 strips each
4 Italian sausages (note: get 2 mild and 2 hot, and you'll have something for everyone)
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 diced Vidalia onion (if you can't find Vidalia, any sweet yellow onion will do)
3 cups good chicken stock (if you don't have any homemade stock tucked into the back of your freezer, try the Kitchen Basics stock that comes in the box - far and away the best grocery store stock there is)
2 pinches of saffron (yes, expensive. sorry)
1 and 1/4 cup basmati rice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme and parsley
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or a bit more if you like some kick)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 plum tomatoes, diced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 dozen mussels (you could substitute littleneck clams)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large, stainless ovenproof pan (even better, use a paella pan), and add olive oil. Brown chicken pieces, remove and set aside. Brown sausages, remove, slice, and set aside. Add celery, onion, and carrots to pan, and saute until tender. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Crush saffron in a small dish, add a smidgen of the hot stock to the saffron to reconstitute it, and then add it to the vegetable/stock mix. Add rice, spices, herbs, chicken, and sausages. Cover and place in oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove from oven. Add tomatoes and shrimp. Stir well, then arrange mussels on top. Cover and return to oven for 15 more minutes or until mussels open and the rice is tender. Discard any mussels that do not open.

Serve and enjoy!

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

I've written before about my menu planning approach: each week I plan 4 meals, and make one of them chicken, one red meat, one pasta/vegetarian, and one seafood. (The rest of the nights we either eat leftovers, breakfast for dinner, or something comes up and we aren't at home for dinner). Tonight is chicken night, and here's what I have marinating in my fridge right now:

Lemon-Herb Chicken (this will feed all 4 of us, but only because our little guys only eat a small amount. So double this recipe if you need more than 2.4 servings)

3/4 lb chicken cutlets (Note: use organic chicken if your grocery store has it. It really does taste better. Also, you can easily substitute chicken breasts, but I like cutlets for this because they grill more quickly and there's less angst about whether the center is done all the way)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 1 large lemon)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 big pinch of kosher salt
1 big pinch of pepper
1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh herbs (I used a combination today of rosemary, basil, thyme, and parsley)

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour over chicken and marinate overnight. Grill chicken for approximately 5 minutes each side (depending on thickness of the chicken, make it up to 10 minutes each side if you're using a nice thick chicken breast), or until just cooked through. Serve over mixed greens with crusty french bread and tomato slices. So easy and fast.

It's Hot. Damn Hot.

I think I am living in a reality TV show called Extreme Weather. First it rains for 40 days and 40 nights, and now we're having temperatures above 100 in June. While I hated the rain, I'll confess - I love this hot and humid weather. I like walking outside and having the air wrap around you like a blanket, never being too cold to get into the pool, and the dry, hot sensation of the sand on your feet. To me it epitomizes Summer in the South. But as much as I love it for being at the pool or on the boat, it does make it hard to even think about cooking.

So here are my favorite cool-you-down foods, things that are right out of the fridge, and just perfect for eating in the sauna known as the back porch.

Sliced watermelon

Lettuce wraps (romaine lettuce leaves wrapped around slices of turkey and brie, drizzled with just a smidgen of ranch dressing)

Frozen grapes

Smoothies (1 cup orange juice, 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, blend until smooth)

Tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil on a piece of crusty french bread

Pickle slices

Olive tapenade over cream cheese with triscuits

Cold fried chicken

Deviled eggs

Frozen peanut m&ms (why they're so much better out of the freezer I don't know, but they are)

Stay cool!

Happy Father's Day!

What will you do to celebrate Father's Day? We have a most unusual father's day tradition. It's one you've probably never thought of. But every year we...grill steaks. Yes, we, and we alone, throw a few steaks on the grill, open a couple of beers, toss a salad, and consider it a mighty fine celebration.

I know, you read this blog purely for new ideas and creativity, right? Sorry.

But I will share with you my ridiculously simple steak grilling tips.

1) Remove steak from fridge. Set on counter.
2) Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you want to get really crazy, rub some minced garlic on them as well.
3) Optional for those with pets: cover with tin foil so the damn cat does not abscond with them.
4) (And this is the really important step) Walk away and do not return for a full hour. Make the salad, open a beer, turn on the sprinklers for the kiddos, whatever.
5) One hour later, get your grill going nice and hot.
6) Sear the steaks on both sides, then cook just a smidgen under your desired doneness. Remove from heat and set aside (remember the cat! cover them up!) for about 10 minutes.

Happy eating, and most importantly, happy father's day!

Thursdays

Thursday meal preparation can be challenging around here. Actually, every day has its challenges, but Thursdays are particularly quirky. My oldest son has swim lessons on Thursday afternoons, which means we walk through the door around 5:30 with a starving and worn out little boy. I've gotten into the routine of putting together something that can cook while we're gone and be ready for us when we walk in ("delay start" on my oven might be my best cooking tool, but that's a topic for another post). In the winter it's not as tough to come up with ideas - soups, stews, casseroles and lasagnas all take care of themselves nicely in the 2 hours I'm usually gone, but in the summertime I'm finding I have to be a little more creative to think of something that is sufficiently independent but not so heavy and hot. Here's today's solution:

1) Pasta with Asiago Cheese and Spinach - this recipe is an old favorite, I've been making it for at least 10 summers now, if not longer.

4 oz sun dried tomatoes (I used to buy these in oil, because the dry-packed ones were so leathery. But the dry-packed ones are much more moist these days, so I generally buy those, but get whichever you prefer. If you get the dry-packed ones and they're too leathery for you, put them in a little bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for about 10 minutes while you pour a glass of wine, drain - the tomatoes, not the wine - and proceed with making dinner.)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (a strong pinch of each if you're me)

2 tablespoons minced garlic

3/4 cup freshly grated asaigo cheese (another favorite kitchen tool - my microplane grater for grating hard cheeses!)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

160z box cavatappi pasta (corkscrew).

9oz bag fresh baby spinach (Note: my original recipe says 10 oz bag, but in the grocery store today I discovered you can only get 6oz or 9oz bags. I'm annoyed on principal that they've decreased the amount, but since bulk baby spinach wasn't available, I went with the bag).

Chop tomatoes. Toss with the spinach, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook the pasta, drain it, and pour it over the spinach mixture while the pasta is still hot and steaming. It will wilt the spinach perfectly. Add olive oil and cheeses, toss well. Mmmm.

I'll make this ahead of time and serve it with:

2) Oven chicken wings.

Set oven to 350. Wash chicken wings and pat dry. Brush lightly with favorite mild barbecue sauce (mild because of the pasta I'm serving this with - I want the chicken to have flavor, but not so much it crowds out the pasta). Set on cooking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray, and cook for 45 minutes (but check them after 40 minutes).

Happy eating!

Come On Over

It appears I am not the only one traveling these days. In what can only be described as fabulous for Savannah and its tourism industry, it appears from my email inbox these days that a bunch of you are also traveling, and putting Savannah on your destination list. Excellent! I've had multiple requests for suggestions of where to go, where to eat, and what to do here, so here's my list. A warning, first. It is stinkin' hot and humid here right now. Seriously, it's the kind of weather that sucks the lifeblood out of you if you're not used to it. I personally love it, but take note and pace yourself.

1) For kids and adults alike, do not miss climbing to the top of the Tybee Lighthouse. The views are gorgeous and the exercise will do you good. But do it first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, because it's like a sauna in there. Call for hours, as they change around just to keep you guessing. A side note about Tybee - if you're thinking about a day trip to Tybee's beaches, be forewarned that the water to the public bathrooms has inexplicably been turned off this summer. Ugh.

2) Sunday brunch at Firefly Cafe may be one of my very favorite things in all the world. Everything on the menu is good, and it's in one of the cutest parts of downtown Savannah.

3) Eat dinner at B. Matthews (though I also hear the breakfasts are wonderful). Reasonably priced, great food, great by-the-glass wine list. Order a pinot and whatever salmon special they have, and you can't go wrong.

4) If you're staying at a place with a kitchen, hit the Market at Trustees' Garden on Wednesday afternoon (4pm - 7pm) or Saturday morning for local shrimp, fruit, veggies, fresh eggs (so good you'll never want grocery store eggs again), and baked goods.

5) Did I mention the fresh shrimp? If you stay in Savannah and don't eat fresh Georgia shrimp, it's a crime. Ask in restaurants if that's what they're serving (though it usually says on the menu). Look for this label.

6) Amble around the downtown design district. Park your car somewhere around the intersection of Gaston and Whitaker, and then head north on Whitaker on foot, exploring the wonderful shops and residential streets. I'm including a link to Circa lighting to give you a better idea of location, since I'm not know for my great direction-giving.

7) If you're shopping for antiques, or if you just want to tell your friends you went antiquing in Savannah, do not miss Jere's Antiques.

8) Traveling with kids? Check out the Pirate House Restaurant and Oatland Island Wildlife Center.

9) Eat at the kid-friendly and adult-friendly Bonna Bella Yacht Club. Impossible to find, but soooo worth it. Eat outside for a great view and fun people watching of all the folks who come here by boat.

There you go - my absolute favorite pieces of Savannah.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Whew. I am a traveling fool these days. Miami for 4 days last week, Atlanta for 3 days this week, and then Charleston this weekend. Not much time for cooking! But I did get to play sous chef this week at Atlanta Mom's house, which was so much fun. Since I don't have a husband who cooks, I rarely cook with someone else. It was a real pleasure to pour some wine, chop some veggies, marinate some shrimp, and catch up for a bit. Here's what we have determined is the absolute perfect summer meal:

Barefoot Contessa's grilled shrimp served over mixed greens tossed with mustard vinaigrette
Crusty french bread
Sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzerella and basil
Crisp and well-chilled white wine
Blondie brownies

Load up with bug spray, head outside, and enjoy. Heaven.

Off to unpack one bag and pack up another. Happy eating!

Breakfast of Champions

First, a totally unoriginal observation (hey, I think that means I qualify for my own cable news show!). It is impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling for work. It's been years since I've moved as little and eaten as much as I did during this 4 day conference. No stretching. No tennis. No racing in the backyard. No going up and down the stairs 50 times each day. Ugh. I am happy to be home and running after little boys again.

Now, back to topic. We are big breakfast eaters around here. Mostly because I wake up hungry. In fact, most mornings I wake up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off because my stomach is growling. Our 4 year old is the same way - the second he opens his eyes he wants to know what I've made for breakfast. So a bowl of cereal on the run is totally inadequate for our morning appetites.

One of our very favorite breakfasts is waffles - but tough for weekday mornings, right? Wrong! These cinnamon raisin waffles are my boys' all time favorite breakfast, and so easy. Make a big batch on the weekend and freeze them. Then just pop them in the toaster straight from the freezer in the mornings while coffee is brewing and OJ is being poured. Better than any Eggo you'll ever meet. Note: this recipe makes approx 25 waffles, so make it on a Sunday morning, have them for brunch, and then freeze the rest. If you want a little more protein in the morning, top them with cream cheese or peanut butter instead of syrup. Yum.

Cinnamon Raisin Waffles

1.5 cups of raisins, chopped finely (as I write that, it occurs to me that perhaps currants would be just as good and effective, since they're so tiny. But I haven't tried them, I just chop up my raisins. If you try currants, let us know how it turns out. Another thought - dried blueberries might be good as well. Mmmmmm.)
1 stick butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/3 whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
3.5 cups of buttermilk (shake it well before you measure it out!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Melt butter, set aside. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk liquid ingredients together. Fold liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Add butter and raisins, stir until just combined. Follow directions on your waffle maker. Happy eating!