Our massive lawn is buried deep beneath snow. Our driveway is still white, though passable even with my little Civic. And those big C9 lights that I rushed to put up a few weeks ago really glisten against the wintery backdrop. It’s a winter wonderland out there.

For the first time in years, Will got on a sled this weekend. It was a big thing. See, as a toddler, he tried sledding once and went flying. He wasn’t injured, but he was frightened by it all. So, this is the first year in years that he actually gave it another try. As it turns out, he now absolutely loves the rush of it all. Heck, so do I. Paige tried sledding too and liked it … until she started to get cold. And that was that.

It’s been hard to get fully into the Christmas spirit this year. It seems like in a blink of an eye we went from Halloween to the week of Christmas. I’ve barely had time to stop and enjoy it along the way. And since I did most of our shopping online this year (free shipping really does rock!), I wasn’t as exposed to the carols and hustle-bustle of mall shopping. I know most people hate it, but I kind of like it myself.

Anyway, don’t take any of this the wrong way–I can’t wait for Christmas to come.

The best news? This week things have started to fall mentally into place. A family holiday party this weekend was filled with laughs and the joy of seeing all the kids running around together. Then the Sunday snowstorm sent us outside to play. We’ve finally trimmed the tree and begun wrapping presents. Although I said I wouldn’t, I made some holiday treats too. We have more baking planned for later this week … and I think I might take the kids to their first ever Christmas Eve service. It is my favorite of the year.

Now, for Christmas Eve, I don’t cook. It’s a night for takeout in this house. However, if I were to cook Christmas Eve dinner, this recipe would be on the menu. These delicious shrimp are cooked in a rich sauce of butter, garlic, shallots and a hint of lemon (yes, it seems like a lot of lemon when you add it, but the flavor mellows during the cooking process). I just love these, and so did the kids.

I also love that they are easy and fast to make.

So, tell me, am I the only one who’s felt like the last few months have flown by? Have you had a hard time getting into the spirit too?

Buttery Roasted Shrimp
serves 4

1 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/4 cup unsalted butter
juice of 1 lemon
2 finely chopped shallots
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tsp Kosher salt
ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler on high.

In a shallow, broiler-safe dish, melt the butter over a medium-low heat (on the stovetop). Add the lemon juice, shallots, garlic, salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Broil the shrimp for 3-4 minutes per side until lightly browned and firm.

Transfer to a serving dish and pour the pan sauce over. Serve immediately.

NOTE: These shrimp are also delicious tossed with pasta.

What I’m Cooking With: A round, oven safe casserole dish, a wooden spatula and a slotted spoon.

Some foods you grow up with, so they naturally become a part of your adult eating repertoire. Other foods you discover as an adult and fall in love with. Flank steak falls decidedly into the second category for me.

Honestly, I hadn’t even heard of flank steak until a few years ago when I spied it on the meal plan at a weight-loss site that I frequented. Having never heard of it, it piqued my interest, so I kept my eye open for it. When I finally found it at Costco, I bought some to try. I am so glad that I did–the whole family loves it.

Flank steak is a lean meat, which is really good if you are watching your weight or fat intake. It’s also naturally boneless. According to The Food Lover’s Companion (Deluxe Edition), flank steak comes from the lower hindquarters of a cow. And broiling? That’s the usual method of cooking (and what this recipe uses).

What I love about this recipe is that it makes a flavorful flank steak that can easily feed my family for two meals. The marinade imparts a nice tang with accents of garlic and herbs. Be sure to buy about two pounds if you want to do that too — so that you have enough. Paired with macaroni and cheese, some corn and a salad, this is warming and comforting. But, served with roasted broccoli and rice, it’s a whole other meal. Love that.

Do you have a food favorite that you discovered as an adult? Share!

Marinated Flank Steak
serves 8 (or two meals for 4)

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 flank steak (roughly 1 3/4 – 2 1/4 lbs)
Kosher salt

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic and oregano. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish. Lay the flank steak on the marinade and let sit for 2-3 hours, flipping once.

Remove flank steak from the marinade and bloat gently with a paper towel. Place on a broiler pan and sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt. Broil on high for 4-6 minutes per side, until desired tenderness. You want it to be cooked to medium, at most.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before carving. When you do, slice into thin strips against the grain. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

Leftovers can be used on top of salads, in wraps or served over rice.

What I’m Cooking With: A wire whisk, small metal bowl, Pyrex baking dish, a broiler pan from Ikea

As an experienced blogger (I’ve been blogging here for four years!), I think more about the timing of topics when posting now. I didn’t used to. When I first started, I wrote about what I wanted to, no matter when it was. After all, I can’t be the only one who still makes some Christmas treats a few days after Christmas. Right? But honestly, although writing after-the-fact recipe posts about seasonal items might help some people, it really helps more people if I post earlier so that it can benefit the maximum number of people.

It was with that thought that I wondered if I should save this post for closer to Christmas or even next Thanksgiving. But these enchiladas were really good. I love enchiladas but absolutely hate the canned enchiladas sauce. If you’ve never had enchiladas with homemade sauce (which is super easy to make!), then you are totally missing out. I swear. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind this leftovers recipe, even though Thanksgiving was a full week ago.

Speaking of which, surprisingly, I ended up without an excess of leftovers this Thanksgiving. At least of the turkey variety. Of what was left, I gave some to my guests, made a Shepherd’s Pie and used the remainder to make this dish: smoky, rich turkey enchiladas with a zing at the end. These aren’t spicy per se, but they do have some heat at the end.

Are they kid friendly? That depends. I think Will would happily eat these with some avocado, but I think Paige would scoff at the heat. Does your child appreciate a touch of heat when it’s tempered with a cooling bite? If so, then they will probably enjoy this. Otherwise, keep it for the adults.

Hey, it’s okay to have an adult-friendly meal sometimes too, right?

If you are out of turkey, don’t worry, you can make these with leftover chicken too.

Do your kids like a little heat? Share in the comments!

Turkey Enchiladas
serves 4

1 1/4 lb leftover turkey meat, shredded
1 tbsp canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp minced canned chipotle in adobo
2 cups fresh turkey stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup water
8 corn tortilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking oil spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, shaking occasionally. Whisk in the flour, chili powder and chipotle pepper. Cook, continuing to whisk, for one minute. Then, add the stock or broth and water a little at a time, whisking to incorporate. Cook until slightly thickened.

In a large bowl, toss together the turkey and 1 cup of the sauce. Add two tablespoons of cheddar and mix well. Set aside.

Wrap the stack of corn tortillas in a damp papertowel and microwave for one minute to warm.

Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan and swirl to evenly distribute. Divide the turkey mixture evenly among the tortillas and wrap into a roll shape. Place in the baking dish, side by side. Pour remaining sauce over and took with the remaining cheddar.

Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (uncovered) until heated through and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve with avocado slices and/or sour cream.

After coming back from vacation last week, I had a rough time getting back into the rhythm of blogging. That transition from relaxation to dedicated workerbee sure is a hard one, isn’t it? That’s why there was only one recipe last week. Forgive me, there will be more recipes this week. Promise.

So let’s talk favorite comfort foods today.

There are some meals that I could eat several times a week and never grow tired of them. Among them is Chicken Parmesan, and I think Will, Paige and Shawn would agree. It’s comfort food at it’s best: tender, juicy breaded chicken with a solid, crisp crust that is neither too hard nor too mushy. Cooked with brilliant basil infused marinara sauce and topped with melty cheese that pulls apart in long strings when you eat it, it’s just mouthwatering good. For the sauce, I love homemade, but if not that then we all adore Bove’s Basil Marinara. It’s the freshest jarred sauce I’ve ever tasted.

Yum.

This particular recipe for Chicken Parmesan comes together really quickly and is super simple. And the results are something that everyone in the family just devours. Heck, we even fight over the leftovers. And with a limited amount of added fats, it’s not too bad for you either.

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Quick Chicken Parmesan
serves 4

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

Place one chicken breast in the middle of a long sheet of waxed paper. Fold the paper over the chicken. Using a meat mallet, pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Repeat with second breast. Cut each breast into two pieces.

Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all the chicken has been breaded. Set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned. Pour in the marinara sauce and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until cheeses are melted.

Serve over pasta.

Knock, knock!

That’s what Paige says when she’s running into a room. It’s her own special way of announcing her presence. It brings an ear-to-ear smile to my face just to think about it. She is so sweet, so smart and so loving … I couldn’t ask for more. And this weekend, she impressed me as she actually acknowledged and played with my niece, who is just three months older. It was nice to see the girls and Will get along so well.

We are back from the wedding and back to life (after hitting the minor speed bump of a half-day of power outage today). That means, as promised, we are back to food. YAY!

One of my very, very, very favorite things is a well-seasoned pork tenderloin. Particularly one that has the rich flavors of garlic, rosemary and white wine soaked deep through the meat. This recipe adapts those delicious flavors to the faster-cooking pork chop. It’s a rich, tender and tasty way to enjoy boneless chops.

Serve it up with some rice pilaf and a green veggie (like green beans) and you will have an easy and delicious meal.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Chops
serves 4

1 lb pork chops (boneless, thin-cut)
12 ” portion of rosemary, needles removed and minced (discard the woody stick)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp white wine

Rinse the pork chops in cold water. Place in a single layer in a flat-bottomed container and set aside.

In a small food processor, combine the rosemary, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and white wine. Process until well combined.

Spread the marinade mixture over the pork chops and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for at least an hour. Flip the pork chops, scraping the mixture off one side and rubbing into the second side of the chops. Get ready to cook, letting the pork site for 5-10 more minutes.

Cook to desired doneness on the grill or under a broiler.

Yesterday afternoon, Paige woke up long before Will from their afternoon nap, a very rare occurrence. Apparently all that fresh air really did him in. Finally, as it neared evening, I had to wake him up. Paige was munching on tasty low-fat chocolate chip cookies and scampered into their bedroom with me. Did she boast about her bounty? No, she proceeded to try to feed a barely awake (he didn’t even have his eyes open!) Will half-eaten cookies. She even climbed onto the bed to get a better angle for shoving the cookies in his mouth.

It was really cute. I daresay she missed her big brother. But then, it got even better. After finishing the cookies, she scooted down in the bed and laid her head on the pillow, pulling the blankets up and over her. Will was just starting to open his eyes when she grabbed a book and started leafing through. Adorable.

They laid there, side by side, looking at books for at least 20 minutes.

I love how much my kids love each other. It’s the best thing ever. I won’t fool you: they don’t always get along (who does?), and they have little spats of jealousy here and there. Paige loves to steal Will’s drinks and drink them in front of them. Will doesn’t always like to share his toys. But ultimately, that is pretty normal. And at the end of the day, they both have showered each other with plenty of kisses, hugs and wonderful shared moments like this. I have two pretty great kids.

Another pretty cute thing? Will sometimes will finish his food and help Paige with hers, stabbing her food with her fork and feeding her. Even when she isn’t interested in being helped by Shawn or I, she usually likes her big brother to help her with her favorite dishes like macaroni and cheese or chicken (any way).

Chicken makes very frequent appearances on our table here. It’s a lean protein that we all like and it’s easy and adaptable. It can be breaded into cutlets or cut into strips and stir-fried. It can be shredded and mixed with barbecue and put into sandwiches  too … the possibilities are endless.

But sometimes, you just don’t want to fuss. In cases like that, having an easy go-to recipe that can be used in a ton of ways is so helpful. This recipe is that for me. The chicken cooks up quickly and comes out juicy every single time. Since you only use a spray of olive oil, it’s also pretty low-fat and dare I say healthy. The simple act of salt and peppering really makes this chicken pop with flavor, but it can also easily adapt to being used with sauces, in sandwiches, with pasta (and sauce, over rice … or whatever you feel like.

And I highly recommend pounding the chicken. It’s therapeutic and makes the chicken so perfect.

Easy Low-Fat Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts
serves 4

1 lb chicken breasts
salt and pepper
olive oil cooking spray

Heat a large skillet on your stove’s medium setting.

Rinse the chicken breasts and trim away any excess fat. Place in the center of a long (about two feet) sheet of wax paper and fold the paper over the chicken. Use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the chicken to ¼ inch thickness.

Cut each breast into 2-3 pieces.

Spray the skillet with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken salt and peppered side down on the skillet. Sprinkle the other side with salt and pepper too. Cook for a few minutes on each side until opaque and cooked through. Remove pan from the burner and set aside (or just use the chicken like that).

NOTES:

• Alternatively, you can purchase chicken that has been thin sliced, however you will pay a big premium for it and really, pounding and cutting chicken doesn’t take that long or that much effort.
• I keep a pinch bowl filled with a 1:1 ratio of salt and pepper next to my stove at all times. It’s a great, inexpensive and easy way to flavor meat in a hurry. It also is great on veggies. Just make sure you pinch with clean hands.

Finally, after reading about it again and again and again, I gave in and tried it. As it turned out, when cooked just right, this lean meat is quite tasty. I’ve since marinated and stuffed my way through many flank steaks.

Earlier this week I pulled a flank steak from our freezer, intent on making my Guiltless Beef with Broccoli. As fate (and a bit of sickness-fueled disorganization) would have it, we’d already eaten the broccoli so that idea was nixed. Instead, I went with a nuanced rub that gave a burst of zing and a hint of sweetness. Just a tiny hint. It was tender, juicy and packed with flavor. Ooh, just so good.

The kids devoured it. Shawn loved it and commented on how close it is to a skewered beef dish that he likes at a local restaurant. And me? Well, we will be having this again very soon. Loved. It.

Honey Garlic Chipotle Flank Steak
serves 6-8

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 tbsp honey
2 lb flank steak

Stir together the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, chipotle and honey in a bowl. Lay the flank steak out on a large plate and rub half of the mixture into one side of the meat. Flip and rub the remainder into the other side. Place the plate in the fridge and let sit for at least three hours.

Remove the steak from the fridge and place on a broiler pan. Boil on high heat in the oven for 8-12 minutes per side, flipping once, to desired doneness. I aim for well done on the ends and medium in the middle so 10 minutes on the first side and 9 minutes on the second does that for me.

Let sit for about 10 minutes before carving against the grain into thin slices.

Serve over rice.

LEFTOVERS: Leftovers from this are a total hit. You can chop up the beef and serve atop a salad. Or slide the meat and make fajitas or burrittos. Diced meat can dress up quasadillas or even homemade nachos.

In my single days, a mainstay of my cooking was stir fry. It is just so easy. Chop up a few veggies, toss it in a pan with a little oil and stir, stir, stir until the vegetables are done, then add sauce and serve over rice. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you might add a hint of meat too, but it’s certainly not required. It’s high on taste, low on fat and calories and just good eating …

However, over the past few years, I have stopped making stir fries as often. Why? I really don’t know. Maybe I’ve been too seduced by other meals I have learned to make or maybe the chop, chop, chop just didn’t seem as fun anymore …

The other day though, when I was considering what I could possibly whip up with the sparse contents of my fridge, I decided to make a stir fry. By cutting all of the veggies into bite-sized portions before cooking, this meal becomes super easy to eat alone or with kids. Once finished, it can be just dished up and served, no further cutting required.

The sauce is a star in this dish. The nuances of cinnamon and allspice give the soy and garlic-based sauce a depth of warm flavor. It reminds me ever so slightly of a Moroccan chicken dish I make about once a year. Ever. So. Slightly.

So how’d the kids like it? Well, when I heated up leftovers the next day, they demanded more … I’d say it was a home run here.

Garlic Soy Stir Fry
serves 4

If you choose to add the meat, be sure to use a tender steak. For this, I used meaty trimmings from a filet rump roast I recently cut down into steaks.  As a result, the meat was tender, buttery and perfect.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 large carrot
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
5-6 ounces of beef, chopped into bite sized pieces

First, prep the vegetables. remove the stem and seed the peppers. Discard the waste. Then dice into small-ish pieces, about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Next, peel the onion and discard the peel. Dice the onion into about a 1/2 inch dice. Finally, peel the exterior of the carrot. Discard peelings. Then, use the peeler to cut the carrot into strips. Pile the strips and run a knife through them to cut them down into smaller pieces.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over just under medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, allspice and cinnamon. Add to the skillet and stir to combine. Add the beef to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes until it’s browned on all sides and the sauce is slightly reduced.

Remove from heat.

To serve: Place rice in a bowl and make a well in the center. Top with stir fry. Serve. A simple iceberg lettuce salad with carrot shards with soy-ginger dressing would make a great accompaniment.

A few years ago, Will was the kid on the beach afraid to leave his little chair and get his toes sandy. He used to scream about it being dirty. But children grow and change. Yesterday I watched at a distance as Will studied the periwinkles, hermit crabs and minnows that inhabit the tidal pools in this neck of the woods with his cousin. Separated by only a few months, it amazes me to see them play together. In a short span of time, they’ve grown from barely sitting infants to toddlers who weren’t quite sure how to play together to little boys who belted out songs on a little microphone last Christmas. They can now have conversations with each other. They’ve got opinions and ideas . . .

Time does fly, doesn’t it? It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was the one playing with my cousins on the beach, exploring the pools and chasing the birds. Okay, maybe we didn’t chase birds because we were girls, but you get the idea. Now we’re the moms sitting at a distance letting our boys get a taste of the freedom that comes with childhood.

Back when we were kids, dinner was often pork chops, German sausages, or sometimes steak. For vegetables, corn, green beans and peas made frequent appearances. These days, it’s different. Tonight’s dinner packed a heavy wallop of veggie action with a side of sauteed Swiss chard and pasta with kale pesto.

Kale is one of those vegetables that people either love or hate. I happen to fall into the faction of people who love the earthy taste of this stubborn green. That earthiness comes through loud and clear in this pesto. Mix about 1/4 of this pesto with enough penne to feed four as a side, slice up some crusty bread, grill up some tasty chicken and then enjoy.

Kale Pesto

1 bunch kale, chopped (15-20 stalks)
2 large cloves garlic
2/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese (you can substitute Parmesan, if you prefer)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
a generous amount of salt

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Kale pesto can be frozen in smaller portions to use thorugh the winter.

I love – LOVE – the ease of food that can do double duty. For instance, a roasted chicken like the one mentioned on the Everyday Food blog today can be Sunday dinner, Monday chicken tacos, Tuesday chicken and rice and Wednesday chicken salad. Talk about a blessing for a busy, harried mom — or any uber busy person.

That’s why I love this beef recipe. It doesn’t take long to throw together and it can feed a family of four for three meals. It’s adapted from a cookbook that I’ve had for several years, but rarely used, called Better Food for Kids. My version makes it a bit fresher and more to my style/taste.

Since you use it in different dishes, we didn’t get bored eating ground beef three times in a week. Will and Paige gobbled up the shepherd’s pie and devoured the beefy calzone that I made with this (see below for directions). And the bolognese was a huge hit too.

The recipe makes three cups of beef — three dinners worth. Now, I know, you are wondering how you can stretch three one-cup portions into three full meals for a family. Right? Actually, it’s pretty simple. Just forget the notion that protein needs to be the biggest thing on your plate. Toss that idea completely out.

Done? Okay.

Now, get used to the idea of using more vegetables and some good carbs too. It’s all about keeping meals well-rounded. A trip around the food pyramid, if you will.

So what can you do with this beef?

• Shepherd’s Pie: Mix one cup basic beef with two cups al dente vegetables in a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes (garlic mashed, preferably). Cook in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes begin to brown very lightly.
• Beefy Calzone for Four: Stretch one prepared pizza dough into a large rectangle. Spread one cup of cheese along the center length of the rectangle. Top with a single layer of sliced tomatoes (down the center only) and one cup of beef, then a second layer of 1 cup of beef. Cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
• Bolognese Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine one can of tomato paste with 1/2 cup of water and two large tomatoes, diced. Season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Add one cup of basic beef. Heat through. Serve over pasta with a salad.

Beyond these ideas, you could make beef quesadillas or burritos, serve it with rice and lots of peppers and onions, make sloppy joes . . . the possibilities are only limited with your imagination.

Enjoy!

Basic Beef
yields 3 cups
adapted from Better Food for Kids

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1 large tomato, diced
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef. At the same time, combine the garlic and onion in a food processor and process until chopped to a fine and uniform chop. Add to the beef and cook until the beef is browned. Pour off any excess fat.

Add tomatoes, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper to the beef mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.