Every so often, we’ll be eating dinner at our kitchen table and Will will look up and say “Mommy, you’re a good cooker.” It warms my heart. Most of the time, he loves what I make (of course, there will always be a few duds … and we usually agree on those).

A lot of things that come out of my kitchen are made with the kids in mind. Two Cheese Meatball Grilled Cheese, Sausage Bolognese, Blueberry White Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes and Cocoa Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies are prime examples. We eat a lot of pasta and broccoli and yogurt because they love these things. And eggs, Paige is crazy for all kinds of eggs.

But as a mom, I think it’s important to do things for yourself sometimes too. A woman I met online a few years ago used to always sign notes “Take care of you.” At the time, Will was in preschool and Paige was still a toddler. The sentiment was lost on me, probably because I was so busy taking care of them. But now, I totally get it. You can’t get lost in the shuffle. And sometimes all it takes is whipping up a simple hummus to do something nice for yourself, especially if you are a mega-fan of hummus like me.

Yes, Will and Paige would love the sweet roasted garlic, tart lemon and meaty walnuts in this tahini-free hummus. It has a terrific citrus quality that’s complemented by the garlic and walnuts. Such great flavors together. Will and Paige would happily reach for the sweetest of the veggies on the plate and scoop up big globs of hummus. But this one is for me … just for me. I like to load up a plate with bell pepper strips, sugar snap peas and carrots for dipping with a good hummus like this. It’s a perfect lunch. Or snack.

Maybe I’ll share another day. But today, this is mine. Read the rest of this entry…

This dip, made in a mere 10 minutes or less, made me want to kiss Mark Bittman in gratitude. Not in a creepy way, but more in an oh-wow-you-just-saved-my-day way.

Let me back up.

This morning I roasted a whole cauliflower with garlic and rosemary. It filled the house with this wonderful aroma that left me drooling and contemplating if I really needed to continue with the recipe I was working on. But the roasted cauliflower wasn’t for a side dish — it was for a dip recipe that I am working on. A lovely, creamy, pureed cauliflower dip. Except it was awful – a total epic fail. I couldn’t get it into the garbage fast enough.

Of course, that left me totally bummed. So much for spreading it on bread for a sandwich today or enjoying it with crackers. So much for having a successful and ready to use recipe by the end of the day. It needs a complete revisiting and overhaul.

That’s when Bittman saved the day. (Ha! Sort of.) I started looking around for an easy, fast dip that I could make from what I had in my kitchen already (I am trying hard to break my daily grocery store trip habit). I stumbled onto this amazing white bean dip recipe that Mark Bittman wrote about on Diner’s Journal back in 2008. He said the secret to it is something he learned from Lidia Bastianich: lemon zest. It gives the dip the essence of lemon without the overpowering acidity.

The creamy dip is filled with a wonderful mix of earthy rosemary, pungent garlic (use less if you aren’t a fan) and citrus-y lemon zest. It’s perfect for dipping crackers into, or serving with your favorite chopped veggies. It would make a good sandwich spread too. And since it can be made ahead, it makes a great holiday appetizer too.

Speaking of holiday appetizers, I will be a guest tweeter at the Mediterranean Snacks Twitter Party this Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST. Follow hashtag #holidaysnax to join in the fun as we talk about holiday snacking, shopping and more. Get the full details on the Mediterranean Snacks blog. Scroll all the way down for details on a delicious Mediterranean Snacks giveaway too.

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Family birthdays and Sunday dinners are sacred for our extended family. It’s a time when we all get together around the table and share food, laughter and smiles. And some of the best family conversations happen as we linger before dessert, after eating delicious foods.

But our dinners (and appetizers too) aren’t without some degree of restriction. To moderate our fat intake, we aim for more healthful versions of family favorites. So when I was asked to partake in the November 2011 SideCar Series, featuring Bush’s Beans, on Kitchen PLAY, I knew it was a good fit. Beans are good-for-you food.

My contribution is a Hot Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip. Like many people, my family adores the traditional hot spinach artichoke dip. The cheese! The flavor! The dipping goodness! But it’s such a nutritional splurge that we almost never have it anymore.

Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip waiting to be baked.

Now we can. I turned that creamy hot dip on its head, making it a way-less-guilt dip by trading cream cheese and other creamy (read: full-fat) ingredients for white cannellini beans pureed with garlic and vegetable stock.

The dip is still fabulously creamy with a mix of Romano and mozzarella cheese, chopped artichoke hearts and spinach. Oh, and the salt and pepper — which is a necessary addition to any savory recipe.

My family shared this dip at a recent family birthday dinner. I have to admit that as everyone went in for the first taste, I held my breath a little bit. Would they like it? Would they miss the decadent ingredients? Considering how fast the dip disappeared, it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Hot and bubbly from the oven ...

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When it comes to grocery shopping, I am a grocer’s dream. They might as well stamp a gigantic “Impulse Buyer!” stamp on my forehead and call it a day. Display cases of fresh breads and cheeses just call to me. The produce department’s bright and beautiful wares are always beckoning to me. And the butcher’s station … Oh, what a life.

It was an impulse buy that brought these leeks home with me a few weeks back … only to be promptly forgotten. I’d really wanted to eat some, but it didn’t happen. Though I had the best of intentions of using them right away, I didn’t actually get to it until today. Thankfully, they were still pretty fresh (minus an outer leaf or two). (Yes, if you see yucky outer leaves, you can pull them off and wash and cut the leeks as usual for use.Within reason.)

But it is somewhat good that I waited on these because this morning, while playing around with ideas, I came up with this delightful Roasted Leeks and Garlic Spread. It’s amazing — especially on freshly baked bread (I used Pillsbury Simply French Bread).

The spread takes a little more than 20 minutes to bread and is perfect for everything from picnic to date. Heck, it would even make an awesome addition to the standard brunch fare too. Maybe even with a poached egg on top?

What’s amazing in this dish is how sweet the leeks and garlic get while roasting them in the oven. With a touch of olive oil and a bit of the moisture from soaking the leeks, the leeks and garlic are rendered tender enough to puree and so perfectly sweet. The garlic adds its own sweet savoriness to the mix too. Once it’s all done and pureed, slather it on the bread and sprinkle it with some freshly grated Italian cheese and a sprinkle of your very favorite finishing salt. One bite and you will be hooked.

No, really. I mean it.

Would you serve this for brunch?
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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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Mmm. Guacamole. Just add chips or chopped up veggies.

But this isn’t your typical guacamole. This one is infused with the tart fabulousness of tomatillos, a relative of eggplants and gooseberries. It’s unexpected, but delicious all the same. We have a big crop of tomatillos growing in our garden this year, so I foresee a lot more Tomatillo Guacamole in our near future.

Recently I served this fun take on guacamole as an appetizer at a family birthday party and the bowl was completely cleared. Not a stitch of leftover guac. I don’t know who liked it the best: the kids or the adults. If you (or your kids) like avocado, guacamole and the like, then this is a fabulous thing to serve. Even if they don’t like avocado, this is delicious.

On a side note, kids do eat avocado. And like it. I know plenty of children who are practically addicted to it (and guacamole too!). But when I recently featured this recipe in my Tablespoon column, in a post about Kid-Friendly After-School Snack Ideas, I got a surprisingly negative reaction. I took some serious heat on Tablespoon’s Facebook Fan Page for suggesting that kids (or anyone) would enjoy this.

Guess what? Kids do eat this. They do. Not all of them (because seriously, everyone has preferences and tastes). But there are plenty who do.

When I spoke at BlogHer last month, I made the point that approaching food and eating with positivity is so important to getting kids to eat well — and really it is. Avoid negative statements (“I don’t think you will like this but..” “You usually don’t eat this …” “It’s okay if you don’t like it …”) and kids will be more likely to try things. Will this work every time for every child? Of course not! But even if it only works sometimes, it’s better than having your child married to a diet of white foods or whatever. Just my two cents.

What do you think?

Some more recipes you might like:

• Lime Guacamole
• Tomato Tomatillo Salsa

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Back to school is heavy on my mind these days. We are less than a week away from Will starting kindergarten. But as I wrote recently on Tablespoon, it’s Will’s school lunch that I think about most. Ok, think might be an understatement. I obsess.

I’ve checked out the lunch menu for his school and its … not good. A packed lunch it will be (and he’s okay with that!). Still, what do I pack? How do I keep it from getting too boring? Thank goodness for good friends like Cate, who give me fab ideas (like frozen grapes as a snack/way to keep the whole lunchbox cold. Love that!).

One snack that I know I will be packing is homemade hummus and veggies. Will adores hummus, as does Paige. Toss in some slices of cucumber, red peppers and carrots and you have a delish snack (or even a lunch item!).

This fast, easy hummus is filled with the warm, smoky-sweet flavor of sundried tomatoes and my very favorite herb: basil. I made it this afternoon for a very special video shoot (more on that later!) and it totally got rave reviews.

Now, I need some more ideas. What inventive foods do you pack in lunchboxes?

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Oh tomatillos … are they fruits? Vegetables? Tomatoes? Something else? When I tried them for the first time a few years ago, I was totally filled with a bazillion questions. The papery husk, and slightly sticky skin, had me all sorts of confused. But I read up on them and figured out how to use them to make delicious dishes. For the record, they are a fruit that is part of the nightshade family — and a relative of the tomato, eggplant and gooseberry. They are popularly used in Mexican cooking.

Earlier this summer, I decided to try growing tomatillos in my garden. With just one plant, I figured we would get a few tomatillos .. enough to make a recipe or two. But not the plant is now huge. It’s branches have extended far and wide, bearing so many little husks for tomatillos that it’s almost unbelievable. Once they are all fully grown, it will be quite the harvest.

If you aren’t growing tomatillos though, you can also purchase them at grocery stores and farmers’ markets all over. The tart taste is fabulous in sauces and other dishes.

My favorite way to use them? In salsa. This easy, fast, raw salsa is a cinch to make and it pairs well with everything from tortilla chips to tacos to cheddar omelets. Tomatoes, tomatilloes, garlic, a shallot, a jalapeno pepper and lime juice are whirled together in a food processor with salt and pepper to make a delicious fresh salsa. And since it’s pretty mild, the kids love it too …

Of course, you could switch out the jalapeno for a hotter pepper and make it hot too. Just sayin’.

Also try my Tomatillo Guacamole recipe!

Do you have a favorite tomatillo recipe? Share a link! I am looking for more great uses for these delicious fruits.

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Sundried tomatoes are one of my favorite ingredients. Ever since college, when I first started making versions of sundried tomato pasta, I have been a huge, huge fan. So, whenever I see an alluring package of little, flat dried tomatoes, I have to buy them and use them. They are good in everything from pesto to foccacia to meatballs … and many things in between.

This past weekend, some good friends visited from New York and I wanted to make a few good dishes for them. But, the dishes needed to be mostly cook-ahead — I wanted to enjoy the company, not slave in the kitchen while they were there. On the menu was this spread: a high-flavor mix of white beans, sundried tomatoes, garlic and basil. Not only is it really tasty, but it’s also a cinch to make.

To make this, you start with some hot olive oil. Toss in some crushed garlic, chopped basil and chopped sundried tomatoes and let it simmer for a few minutes to bring out the flavor. I love the scent that is produced while the mixture is cooking. It’s positively intoxicating. Now, the sundried tomatoes I use are dry-packed. They’re simply my favorite — and I may or may not actually snack on them from time to time. Just sayin’.

Next, you toss the beans with the sundried tomato mixture — just enough to coat them. I use Great Northern beans in this recipe because I like the meaty taste of them. But if you prefer, you could use a different white bean.

Finally, everything gets poured into a food processor. Oil, tomatoes, garlic – the works. You whirl it around a bit until the beans are totally pulverized and it’s got an even, thick texture. Remember, this is a spread so it’s supposed to be pretty thick.

Transfer it to a bowl and serve it up with some thin slices of French bread. If you want, you can put some pretty basil leaves on top and drizzle it with a little (very good) olive oil, just before serving. Make sure you have a knife or spreader handy so everyone can help themselves.

What do you like to make when guests visit? Share in the comments! Read the rest of this entry…

When I woke up yesterday, I looked outside to see delicate snowflakes falling gently from the sky and adding a blanket of pristine white snow to the outdoors. The undisturbed snow looked so peaceful and inviting, like a standing invitation to come play. It was a perfect winter wonderland outside, one that I craved as a child every winter morning.

Live and learn, right?

My first thought when I saw the snow wasn’t about how pretty the scene was or how lovely the flakes were. It had nothing to do with snowdays or snowmen or snow angels. I didn’t think about skiing or sledding or any other fun winter pursuit.

No, instead the first thing I thought was “Not. Again.” with an assortment of colorful words dotting the sentiment. I am so sick of snow right now. In fact, winter itself is persona non grata for me at present.

Don’t get me wrong, I love snow. What I don’t love is the fact that I have shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and even sprung for a plow to help when it was too heavy to do ourselves (we have the mother of all driveways). But my too-wide, too-long driveway remains my nemesis this winter. An ice storm last week, followed by up and down temperatures and two (yes, TWO!)  more snow storms has left it a sheet of ice that five bags of salt can’t undo.

And it certainly doesn’t help that the temperature is so low that you could easily store all of the contents of your freezer outside without concern. It’s times like this that rich, delicious food can be a great comfort – a bright spot in an otherwise frozen day.

This artichoke sauce is versatile – use it for sandwiches, pasta or appetizers and you won’t be disappointed. But be warned: it’s addictive.

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