bethanydnichols's Profile

When I first started cooking, I would stress myself out to no end over whether I had "chopped" or "diced" an onion! Of course, I also have a pretty poor concept of how large 1/4 inch is. I'm glad I have a little more kitchen confidence now!! But this post took me back to those days :)

I know this is usually the first suggestion for any casual or large-scale dinner party on here, but what about chili? Set up the buffet of toppings in the kitchen or on your dining room table. We have a small place too and we do a lot of gumbo dinners-- pot of rice, pot of gumbo, loaf of French bread. Pretty much anything that just requires a bowl and spoon is ideal sitting-on-the-couch food. You have to lean over the bowl to eat even if you're sitting at a table!

I loved My Year of Meats. Such a compelling novel, for both the personal story and the food story.

One of my favorites is The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, about a young girl who can taste the emotions of the maker in any food she eats. The book gets a little bizarre toward the end, but with such a supernatural central theme, what else would you expect?

Make David Lebovitz's chicken with caramelized shallots.
Then make it again. Repeat until you are out of chicken thighs.
It is seriously that good.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/03/roast-chicken-recipe-caramelized-s/

I would probably serve something festive and fun for a meal like this, rather than too composed/elegant. It is family, after all! I'd serve a Lowcountry boil (throw in some crabs or lobsters if you can find them), a big green salad, and french bread, with strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Your only equipment would be one huge pot on the stovetop, and one pan of shortcakes in the oven. You could also get away with using multiple smaller pots if the cottage doesn't have a huge one, boiling each ingredient separately. And if there's not an electric mixer to whip the cream, you can be the judge of whether to labor with a whisk by hand or (yikes!) opt for cool whip :)

I have the Cuisinart Duet (small food processor and blender, both attach to one base), and the blender has never really worked well for me-- not only does it not blend very well, it also produces a hot motor smell... yuck. I do like the small food processor though!! I use it much more often than my larger food processor, which has been relegated to the back of a cabinet.
For blending, I now use the Cuisinart immersion blender many other people have recommended. It has a chopping attachment, so if you don't use a food processor for more than occasionally chopping onions or garlic, you may not even need a food processor in addition to the immersion blender. Plus, it takes up so little space, and is much easier to clean than a traditional blender!

My toddler (15 months old) eats a mini-frittata or two for breakfast almost every morning. I chop up whatever veggies I have on hand and drop them in the bottom of mini muffin tins. Occasionally I saute any harder vegetables (like carrots) or wilt some spinach, and sometimes I'll add chopped ham or shredded cheese. Then I whisk together a few eggs with some organic whole milk and fill the cups, and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.
I make a batch of frittatas once every week or two, and throw what she won't eat in the next few days in the freezer, then defrost in the fridge overnight. It's so fast and easy in the morning! She loves her "eggies" and actually prefers them over sweeter breakfast foods. It's easier for me to provide enough vegetables for her daily if I really load her up at breakfast...and if I don't have to cook anything at 6:30am!

chilaquiles!!!!!!!

Man, I miss living close to a Wegman's! I've used their Thai stock for a knock-off of Tom Yum and for rice noodle soups. I haven't experimented with it beyond soups, but I bet it could be subbed for chicken stock in any dish you want to impart some delicious Thai flavor into.

beatrix, I do the same thing! I keep plenty of cans of whole tomatoes on hand instead of jars of sauce. It takes just as long to reheat a jar on the stove as it does to pour in the can of tomatoes, a halved onion in half, and 5tbsp butter, and BTBRTS. So why not? If I want a less chunky, thicker sauce I'll use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of whole peeled.