Sometimes, cooking with kids is all about teaching them measuring, mixing and knife skills. We do this a lot. The kids and I talk about the different measurements we use and measure things out together. They are often the ones to whisk-shift dry ingredients for me or to stir together whatever needs stirring. But cooking with kids isn’t just about learning. It’s about having fun in the kitchen too. So other times cooking with kids is about letting go. I don’t do that nearly enough.

But I try. Last Friday, I’d been thinking of ordering a pizza all afternoon, but with the holiday season here and our budget already strained I just couldn’t justify spending the money. So, I did the next best thing: making homemade English muffin pizzas with the kids. Actually, Will and Paige did most of the doing and I just handled the oven, the hot tray and laying out the toppings.

See how happy they are? And they hadn’t even started doing anything yet. They love being in the kitchen and having a hand in whatever we’re eating. But they love it even more when they are super-hands-on for a meal, as with these English muffin pizzas.

With a simple, flexible ingredients list and a super-fast cooking time, these pizzas are perfect for an any-night treat. Of course, being easy doesn’t hurt either. Read the rest of this entry…

Caesar salad is basic. Predictable. Boring, even. I mean, maybe you’ll find some well-seasoned chicken or delicious shrimp on a special Caesar, but generally it’s the same thing: romaine, Caesar dressing and Parmesan, mix well. Oh, and croutons. Repeat. But who says it has to be that way? Who says that Caesar salads can’t be a little more exciting?

Guess what? They can be. This one is.

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The other night, when I was at Cate‘s house for our Blogger Thanksgiving fest, we were reheating a batch of these Homemade Seasoned Baked Chicken Nuggets that I made for the kids. Cate asked me if they were done right after I’d checked on them, and I said “No, they aren’t humming yet.”

It never occurred to me that would be a weird thing to say. It never occurred to me that the idea of food humming is something that not everyone thinks. Or hears. Or says. Yea. But Patsy, Joanne and Cate set me straight. It’s definitely a Sarah-ism. (In my defense, that’s really what I look for whenever I reheat food — the hum of sizzling warmed food.)

So, about the chicken nuggets … honestly, I had never thought of making my own until a recent Skinny Chicken Nuggets post on Tablespoon set off a wild obsession with baked chicken nuggets for me. My kids love chicken nuggets (I think it’s written somewhere in the kid handbook that they have to), and I like feeding them good, wholesome, homemade food that doesn’t take long to make.

Ding. Ding. Ding! We have a winner. Read the rest of this entry…

When my GPS system successfully directs me to a destination, it says, “You have arrived.” I love it. Beyond the words,  the way it says it is so special — as if I am a debutant being presented to society. It never fails to make me smile.

When I went away to college, I thought having arrived meant hosting awesome dinner parties and entertaining with charm and pizazz. I was so excited to have friends over and cook for them — although my cooking range was really limited. Among my go-to dishes? Sundried Tomato Pasta … from the Cooking with Friends Cookbook. Actually, it was my one and only specialty. Too bad not everyone loves sundried tomatoes like I do.

I don’t know that having great dinner parties mean you’ve truly arrived, but I have learned a thing or two since then — like how to plan a menu people love and that pasta cooking water is a genius addition to sauces.

Making this pasta is super simple. You start with a six quick and easy ingredients — most of which you probably already have. First thing, you start the water for the pasta. Once it’s boiling, toss in the pasta and let it cook while you prepare the sauce.

Sundried tomatoes — the dried kind, not the ones packed in oil — are sliced thinly. You’ll need a good, sharp knife and a bit of patience (don’t worry, it’s really not that bad). Once that’s done, you mince a clove of garlic and mix it all up with crushed red pepper and a little oil in a bowl. Once the pasta is done, you stir in a 1/2 cup of pasta water too before tossing with the drained pasta.

Finally, you chop up some prosciutto and stir it into the pasta. That’s it. You are totally ready to eat.

Now I want to invite over all the friends from my college days of making an old version of this pasta (which had no prosciutto, more oil, no pasta water and more garlic) so they can see how far I’ve come. In the meantime, I am just going to have a little more pasta for myself.

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So. I’ve had a couple of butternut squashes in my fridge. They’ve been taunting me. Staring me down. Begging me to do something, anything with them. But I was nervous. It’s been years since I handled and cooked squashes in their whole form. Typically, I take the easy way out and buy squash that’s already been peeled and cubed. But I couldn’t let the squash go to waste. I had to overcome my nerves and just use it.

Turns out, working with butternut squash is way easier than I remember. Since I ultimately wanted cubed squash, I cut the ends of the squash off to make them flat — easier to work with the squash that way. Then I used a regular ol’ vegetable peeler to peel the skin (which wasn’t as tough or thick as I expected), taking care to peel away until I saw orange flesh. Finally, I sliced the squash in half length-wise, removed the seeds and stringy things and sliced the squash into 1/4-inch slices. I used what I needed immediately, dicing it,  and stored the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.

Honestly, working with a whole squash wasn’t any harder or more time consuming than cutting down the big chunks of butternut squash into a quarter-inch dice. And it’s way more cost effective. Guess what I will be buying in the future? Yep … no shortcuts needed on this one.

I’ve been roasting most of the squash and using it in different dishes. When you roast butternut squash, it becomes soft and sweet — a natural, light caramelization that’s just awesome. For this, I tossed the squash with a bit of olive oil spray, cinnamon, paprika and salt (a killer combination on orange veggies), which gives it a rich savory sweetness once it’s been roasted for about 25 minutes.

One of my favorite things to do with this roasted squash is to sprinkle it onto salad. It’s amazing, and a little unexpected. This salad combines the sweet, soft bits of squash with sweet-tart dried cranberries and warm, meaty toasted walnuts. It’s served on a bed of romaine. And one of my favorite things about it? It didn’t take more than 30 minutes to make. Okay. maybe 40 minutes, if you haven’t already peeled and sliced your squash.

It’s a great fall salad for lunch or a light dinner. Who doesn’t love a great salad?

What shortcuts do you take in cooking? Dish in the comments.

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When I first started freelancing, Will was an infant — one who didn’t cry a lot but who was still vocal. Very vocal. Back then, I freelanced mostly for a local newspaper and my work required me to conduct phone interviews often with Will playing in a baby gym or Exersaucer nearby. Sometimes, I took him with me on assignments too. Fortunately, everyone I dealt with was understanding when our interviews were punctuated by yells of Ah-GOOOOOOOO.

That’s what made working online so alluring. Will could make as much noise as he wanted, and it was fine. I could cook, blog and later even photograph things and noise was a non-issue. And the freedom of it all? It made everything so worth it.

These days, with two kids I’ve learned that noise can get a whole lot bigger than baby coos. Also, I’ve grown accustomed to having the sounds of play around almost constantly … except with school back in, they aren’t so constant anymore. Several afternoons each week, I am all alone at home while both kids are in school. And instead of savoring the silence, it’s deafening. I find myself turning on music or the television for background noise. Go figure.

As much as I appreciate having those hours alone to work, it’s just different — and that can put me a little off-kilter. While I am still adjusting to the new school year, I find that a little comfort food (and of course background noise) helps.

These Rich Chocolate Toffee Brownies, served with a cold glass of milk, are perfect for that. These fall more towards the cake-y end of the spectrum, baking up moist and dense. Bits of toffee dot the batter and bake into it, a secret surprise that sneaks up on you. It’s delightful.

Besides the secret bits of toffee, these have another secret ingredient: Starbucks VIA. I use Decaf Italian Roast in them to really bring out the chocolate flavor. It makes them irresistibly rich (as instant coffee does for any chocolate baked good). Thanks to Starbucks for the VIA to make these, and be sure to scroll all the way down to the end of this post to learn about the giveaway.

Tell me, do you find the adjustment to a silent house hard when kids are in school?

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When you mention figs, many people hesitate to answer. There’s this pause, a long trying-to-find-the-most-non-offensive-thing-to-say pause. And then, there’s an “Eh … ”

Except most often, when you press those same hesitant people, they admit that their exposure to figs has been limited to a certain cookie and other baked goods. They haven’t experienced a delicate fresh fig, and they don’t know what a fig really tastes like.

So, I want to ask you all: Do you like figs? Have you had fresh ones?

Honestly, I fell into the hesitant category of people until a few years ago when I tasted fresh figs at an event held at Tom Colicchio’s Craftbar. A black mission fig was served with a piece of Olive Oil Cake and Rosemary Ice Cream … and though I was skeptical at first bite, I quickly discovered that I loved figs.

What are figs? Figs, pictured above, are a teardrop-shaped fruit with a smooth, edible skin, sweet flesh and tiny seeds in the middle. They can be eaten raw or used in fig recipes like fig jam, fig tarts and fig bars. I’ve also had figs on kabobs with Halloumi cheese – delish.

Figs are also rather good for you. According to the California Fig Advisory Board, figs are high in dietary fiber and have a good amount of calcium, iron and potassium too. They’re a total eat-without-guilt food.

The California Fig Advisory Board recently sent me a generous package of California Fresh Black Mission (top), Sierra (middle), and Brown Turkey (bottom) figs to experiment with in my kitchen.. Since this was the first time I used figs in my home cooking, I decided to ease in with a really simple fig recipe that I’ve been eying in a cookbook for years. This recipe with figs comes from Curtis Stone’s Cooking with Curtis.

Although the cookbook suggest this as an appetizer, it also makes a really easy lunch. It was the perfect re-introduction to figs. The salty prosciutto, sweet figs and sweet-tart balsamic with the crunchy grissini have all the right contrasting flavors and textures. It was amazing … and perfect for a quiet lunch while the kids were at school.

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Rhythm. It’s the stuff that our days are made of. It makes things regular and predictable and gives us a sense of calm, even when chaos threatens.

Finding a rhythm when something changes always take a little time. When Will started kindergarten in September, it took a couple of weeks back in to find the right morning rhythm. Ok. Maybe it was a couple months.

Right now? I am trying to find my own new rhythm. Recently, I started a new job with a company I love. It’s part time and includes some office hours for me — something I haven’t had in nearly three years. I’m still freelancing as well, and developing new recipes. Meanwhile, I am seeking that new balanced rhythm that keeps me calm, sane and focused to get everything done that needs doing. I hope I find it soon.

When you are seeking a new rhythm, basic things like making lunch or having side dishes planned and ready to go can be a challenge. That’s where simple, easy, tasty and versatile dishes come in. Dishes like this Balsamic Pasta Salad.

Sweet bell peppers, vinaigrette-soaked broccoli, soft but firm pasta and salty olives combine with a sweet-tart homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It’s summery, balanced and so fresh.

And when you are stressed about dinner or worried about getting all your work done or wondering what you will pack for your child’s lunch, having a batch of this in the fridge ready to go is a huge blessing.

Really. Truly.

More Pasta Salad Recipes:

• Lemony Pasta Salad
• Antipasti Pasta Salad
• Orange Pasta Salad

What’s your go-to dish to keep on hand when things get hectic?

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When I came home New York (and meeting Bobby Flay!) on Monday, I was totally inspired … by sandwiches. I haven’t worked much with sandwiches recently, and I couldn’t wait to work on some new flavors.

This sandwich is all about New England. Lettuce from Boston, cheddar from Vermont, cranberries from Cape Cod … Oh, and turkey! First Thanksgiving and all (is that too much of a stretch?). And it’s served warm, panini-style, on marble rye bread. Delish.

The big flavor punch in this comes from a super simple condiment: Cranberry Orange Mayo, which is more spread and less mayonnaise. It’s a little sweet, a little tangy and has a great citrus punch.

The Cranberry Orange Mayo is as easy as it comes to make. You combine dried cranberries, orange zest and a few seasonings with mayo in a food processor. Pulse it a bit and then add a little bit of cranberry juice and pulse it again. Then it goes into the fridge for the flavors to meld and marinate. That’s it.

What do you like on your sandwich?

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This morning, I found out that a friend of mine has cancer. No, wait, that’s Cancer, with a capital ‘C.’ I’ve been processing this all day and am still at a loss for words. I am praying for her health. But my friend’s story isn’t mine to tell.

Learning that this wonderful, kind, sweet woman has cancer hit me like a ton of bricks. Cancer doesn’t care how good or nice you are. It just attacks, a cruel and invasive enemy.

This got me thinking … What can we do so that we set ourselves up to avoid this monstrous disease? How can we give ourselves a fighting chance against cancer?

We can’t prevent it. But what we can do is take steps to give ourselves the best chance of avoiding it. How? Eat well. Live well. Be fit.

For diet, there’s something called The Anti-Cancer Diet, which stresses lots of fruits and veggies, healthy oils and fats and more plant-based food than meat. It sounds similar to the Mediterranean Diet and Clean Eating. It’s important to think about what you are eating and make deliberate, informed choices.

See also Eat. Live. Be. For a Better 2011.

Then there is exercise — regular exercise. As if by a strange coincidence, the kids and I started jogging this week, and I am considering running a 5K. But whether you jog or hit the gym or Zumba like crazy, doing something to raise your heart rate and keep your body fit helps.

So, with The Anti-Cancer Diet in mind, Paige and I made this for lunch today. This recipe draws on healthy, anti-cancer foods like cauliflower, sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans. The filling combination of sweet and savory is perfect over rice. If you want to up the health ante, use brown rice.

What’s your favorite anti-cancer food?
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