Learing to Eat
RSS
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Book
    • For Book Clubs
  • Events
  • Press
    • Radio
    • Reviews
  • Contact

Pizza Now

October 4, 2010 By caroline in Uncategorized Tags: baking, dinner, family dinner, recipes, vegetarian


by Caroline

If you’ve followed this blog any length of time you know that I am no purist. I don’t make particularly complicated food, but I combine multiple recipes, I tinker, I replace fat (and sometimes eggs) with ground flaxseed meal. I experiment, but not in a scientific, note-taking, Cooks Illustrated kind of way, refining a recipe until I come to the Ideal Version. I like to start with recipes (unlike my children) and then, usually after I’ve baked it as written once or twice, I start making adjustments.

Banana bread is one of those evolving recipes for me, granola is another (these days I’m leaving out the cinnamon and tossing in some shredded coconut right at the end; I suppose it’s time to post an update!). And now pizza crust is another. Usually I make this crust that I first read about in Catherine Newman’s Wondertime column; Lisa’s family makes pizza regularly too (and, like me, is not above using store-bought pizza crust since so many good ones are available). But when I saw this recipe it looked worth a try, even though I know, deep in my heart, that a good pizza crust requires nothing but flour, water, yeast, olive oil and salt. And heat. Lots of really fierce heat.

So we made the pizza, exactly as the recipe is written. And it’s pretty good, though that could be as much the result of the second rise as the beer (I’m not sure how best to work out the timing so that the crust gets warm beer and the cook gets a cold one without any beer going flat or wasted.) Really, I think the main lesson here is to turn your oven (or grill) on both earlier and hotter than you really believe is necessary, because the main thing your pizza needs is heat.

Salad for Lunch

October 1, 2010 By caroline in Uncategorized Tags: produce, recipes, salad, vegetables, vegetarian

by Caroline

One of my favorite things, among the many small things that I love about my kids being in school until 2 PM, is that I have time now to make and eat lunch at home.

Last year, when my youngest was in preschool, I left the house at 11:30 AM to pick him up. It was too early to eat before leaving the house, and usually by the time we got home, I was too hungry to do more than warm up some leftovers or make a quesadilla or something else not particularly inspired. A snack might have been a good idea, but then I wouldn’t have been hungry for lunch until 2 PM, which doesn’t work well when you’re living with small people who need dinner at 5:30.

You see the little problem.

Now, I don’t have to leave the house until 1:30. And that gives me the necessary time to work all morning, and then rummage around inside the fridge and pantry and come up with a salad like this. I realize we’ve been posting a lot about salads lately; Lisa’s herby green salad is a staple in our house, too, and garbage salad is a regular in my lunch routine. Earlier in the summer, when I was I reminiscing about our glorious French vacation I posted three new recipes. Because salad can be a great meal for lunch. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it doesn’t need to take any longer to make than to heat up leftovers. But sometimes, the right combination of ingredients doesn’t present itself to you unless you can give it a couple moments of thought. And then maybe the combination, once you see it, seems so obvious it’s hardly worth remarking upon. But if the ingredients are fresh and you have thirty minutes to eat in peace, perhaps with a book by your side, the meal feels like a remarkable gift indeed.

So here it is, today’s fall spinach salad:

Spinach leaves
Halved red grapes
Crumbled goat cheese
Toasted walnuts
Balsamic vinaigrette

Toss and enjoy.

Seared Scallops with Herbed Corn & Prosecco

September 30, 2010 By lisa in Uncategorized Tags: appetizers, dinner, family dinner, fish, herbed corn scallops, scallops with corn

by Lisa

I am not so humble about my scallops, which I can cook to perfection in no time, in half a dozen different ways, depending on season and ingredient.  But truly, they’re so easy to cook, anyone can do this.

They are, however, one food my kids really don’t like–it’s a texture thing. They like the flavor well enough, but confronting a pillowy, tender sea scallop on their plate is just too much for them.  Plus, scallops are expensive, so they make appearances in our house as appetizers, or for special occasions, and once in a while the kids will get just one as a side dish.

My basic technique–like so many scallop recipes–involves a quick pan sear, removing the scallops from the pan, deglazing the pan with a seasonal alcohol that will compliment the scallops (think wine in summer, cider in fall….), and serving them over a starch (potatoes are classic, but I’ve used pumpkin and all sorts of squashes, which can be really beautiful).

This version I made earlier in the summer involves fresh corn, handfuls of herbs, and quickly cooked scallops. If you can get your whole family to partake, they really are a good weeknight dinner because they cook so very quickly.

Seared Scallops with Herbed Corn and Prosecco

  • 3 ears fresh corn
  • a handful of leafy mixed herbs (basil, cilantro, tarragon, parsley–whatever you love, but keep it fragrant)
  • scallops, figure on 3-4 per person
  • Prosecco or white wine
  • butter
  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, turn off the heat, let cook corn for five minutes.  Remove corn from pot. When corn is cool enough to handle, removed kernals the cob. This can be done several hours ahead of time.
  2. In a large pan, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter, add corn and herbs and quickly toss to coat corn.
  3. Set corn aside on a large family style serving platter, or in a separate bowl. Wipe out pan.
  4. Melt another 2T of butter in pan over medium high heat. When sizzling has stopped, add scallops. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, but be careful not to over cook.  The scallops should be nicely browned, but not overcooked.  If you poke one with your finger, they should feel tender-firm. Too firm and they’re over done.
  5. Remove scallops from pan and set aside on a small plate.
  6. Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup of the Prosecco, scraping up any brown bits.
  7. Add a scant tablespoon or so of butter to the pan. When it’s melted and sauce is coming together, taste for seasoning.
  8. Return the scallops and any accumulated juices very briefly to the pan, just to heat through.
  9. Serve scallops on top of corn, with a spoonful of the wine/butter sauce.

Eli’s Super Cake

September 28, 2010 By caroline in Uncategorized Tags: baking, chocolate, cooking with kids, dessert, recipes, sweets, vegetarian

by Caroline

It’s been a heady time for the youngest member of our family. In the months since he turned five, late last spring, he has learned to swim, learned to ride a bike without training wheels, graduated from preschool, started kindergarten, joined a soccer team — and scored two goals in his first game. (Not that anyone’s keeping score.) He has also done something that, as he has said, proudly and repeatedly, “the forty-three year old in the family [that would be me] has never done:” invented a cake recipe.

Coincidentally, he did it at just the same age his big brother invented a cake recipe:

. But Eli was two when that happened; he has no recollection of it. Apparently, for some kids, hanging out with their mom making weekly batches of cookies and muffins translates into the desire to abandon the cookbook and strike out independently. It makes sense, even though it didn’t happen to me; I helped my mom bake bread every week when I was small, and was sous chef to thousands of batches of cookies before I mostly took over family cookie production when I was eleven or twelve. But although I may combine three or four recipes, although I am casual with my measurements and I tinker, it has never once even occurred to me to just get out the flour and bake without a map. I always start with a recipe.

When asked what had inspired him, Eli said simply, “I was in the mood for cake.” I didn’t coach him on ingredients or method at all, I just wrote out exactly what he dictated (though some of the numbers, and the method, he wrote out himself):

When we had it all written out, it was time to get out the ingredients and start baking; I’ve been through this before, after all, when Ben invented a bread recipe (one that looked likelier to turn out well than that cake), and knew there was no question of trying it out. Besides, it seemed like it might taste pretty good.

We did endure one conflict, over the sugar. Eli, quite reasonably, listed it with the “dry stuff” and wanted to mix it in with the flour, baking soda and salt. I reminded him that usually the butter and the sugar are creamed together. He nodded and agreed — yes, he remembered that — and insisted on doing it his way. I really wanted his cake to turn out well, and so I pushed back. He stuck to his guns. And I, despite the little voice in my head telling me to just let the boy make his cake already (because when have I ever invented a cake? Right. Never.) started to insist a little more strongly. Eli started to cry. And then, thank goodness, I shut up and hugged him and let him make his cake the way he wanted: “Pour wet stuff in. Mix 10 sec. Pour dry stuff in. Mix 10 sec.” At the end of which process it looked like this:

You might want to mix your batter a little longer — I won’t tell — but maybe not. Because despite how lumpy and weird our batter looked, the finished cake looked like this:

We’ve made it twice now to prove it’s no fluke, and I have to say, the cake rocks — it’s moist and a little chewy from the honey, and it’s not too sweet nor too salty (amazing how the sugar and salt kind of cancel each other out). We bake it in a standard glass lasagna pan, and the only deviation we’ve made from the recipe is to bake it for 24 minutes rather than the prescribed 12, but we do set the oven to 360. I recommend you do, too.

2 Simple Salads: Green Goddess & Country Mustard Potatoes

September 28, 2010 By lisa in Uncategorized Tags: country potato salad, dinner, green goddess salad, Parties, salad

by Lisa

These salads are so simple that they hardly deserve a post, but they have become very popular in our family this summer, and since we write about all the ways that we eat here–the simple and the fancy–they are getting the attention they deserve.

If you’ve followed me for any time at all, you know I’m a purist. I like food that looks like food–impeccable, fresh, seasonal ingredients, prepared so we can (generally speaking) identify them on our plate. Simply prepared, simply dressed, simply presented. I think this helps kids to know what they’re eating, develop a range of taste, and connect more closely with what their food is and where it comes from.

So most nights our salads are simple–1 green lettuce–dressed with olive oil and a vinegar and maybe  a fancy salt.  But with the abundance of fresh herbs in our garden and at the market–especially basil, mint, chives, and cilantro–I’ve taken to tossing whole and chopped herbs into the salad, basically treating the fresh herbs like another green.  I was inspired by Green Goddess dressing, which is basically a vinaigrette-ish concoction of many different herbs and a creamy avocado.  Why not throw the herbs in whole? or in a fine chiffonade (thin slice) or roughly torn? So I did, and it was terrific–summery and surprising.

A tender butter lettuce works best, and I dress this herb-filled salad it with a simple vinaigrette of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part white balsamic and there you have it–a  fresh, aromatic plate of greens. The kids love it, but if you’re are ways, you can start slowly, with just one herb they love.  You can even add a chopped avocado to make it more closely hew to a true green goddess dressing.  My favorite green goddess dressing is from here, and we use it also to top grilled fish.

This was one of the salads we served on Saturday with the wings. The other was a country potato salad, which suddenly this summer the kids have decided they love.

Country Mustard Potato Salad

  • Potatoes (To serve 8 (we had leftovers) I used 3 red potatoes, and 4 large bintje potatoes–which are exceptionally tender, sweet, and creamy. If you can’t find them, any kind you like will do.)
  • Country mustard
  • White vinegar (rice, white balasamic…or whatever you prefer)
  • Olive oil
  • Mayonnaise
  1. Boil the potatoes whole in a large pot of well-salted water until tender but still holding their shape.
  2. When cool enough to handle, peel.
  3. Cut potatoes into large chunks (about 6-8 pieces per potato).
  4. In a measuring cup mix together 1 T country mustard, 1 T white vinegar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil.
  5. Pour dressing over potatoes and gently toss to coat.
  6. Add 1 large T mayonnaise directly to dressed potatoes. Toss gently to coat.
  7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
«‹ 77 78 79 80›»

Recent Posts

  • Vegan Chocolate Brownies
  • Polenta with Decadent Mushrooms
  • Tortillas
  • Food & Farm Film Fest!

Now Available

About Us

  • Caroline M. Grant
  • Lisa Catherine Harper

Archives

Tags

appetizers baking book reviews breakfast cassoulet book celebrations chocolate comfort food contributors contributor spotlight cookies cooking with kids Dad's cooking dessert dinner Drinks eating out family dinner farms and farming fast fast food fish fruit gardening with kids holidays ice cream junk food less meat lunch marketing new food Parties picky eaters produce recipes restaurants road food salad sickness snacks sweets travel unfamiliar food vegetables vegetarian
Learning to Eat
© Learning to Eat 2025
Powered by WordPress • Themify WordPress Themes

↑ Back to top