A few weeks ago, I bought some brown basmati rice for a night when my husband was working. Though we’ve never really loved any brown rice in the past, this time the kids and I enjoyed the nutty grain. But when it came time to make rice a few days later for the whole family, I pulled out white rice thinking my husband would never want to eat brown rice. So, you’ll imagine my surprise when he made some last week for dinner — without any prompting. Turns out, he was ready to give it another go. And he liked it too.

Well, I guess this makes us brown rice fans. Who would have thought it?

Anyway, when I went to whip up this spicy lunch for myself, I went right for the brown rice … it was perfect for it.

This dish is adapted from a Mark Bittman recipe. Recently, I was asked to join The Food Matters Project — a group of bloggers cooking our way through Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook. If you aren’t familiar with the cookbook (or the book Food Matters), the basic premise is that you should eat like your ancestors would have in the early 20th century. It’s not unlike the lessons I recently learned reading Why Women Need Fat. So, when asked to join in, I said yes right away. I could definitely use the lessons from this book to cook better food for my family.

And me too. Because sometimes recipes aren’t for everyone. This one? Totally not for my kids. And that’s okay.

This week’s recipe for the group was Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers. The recipe sounded amazing as is, and I am sure it would make a killer appetizer or side dish. But when I read the combination of flavors, it made me think of lunch. When the kids are in school and I am working, I love having something easy and not-kid-friendly to eat … this was totally that. So I scrapped the skewers, added sweet potatoes and more honey and served this over brown rice and raw kale. Hello. Read the rest of this entry…

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…

Sometimes the hardest thing you have to do is start something. Whether it’s as simple as getting up from the couch or more serious like starting a new exercise regime, the first step can feel absolutely insurmountable. Don’t worry, it’s not really.

Still, getting to that first step? So hard. I think that’s why we set arbitrary dates for change — like New Years Resolutions. In reality, it doesn’t need to be the New Year to make a change for the better. You can do that anytime. This is why we’re not waiting for the New Year to revive the Eat. Live. Be. Challenge. Cate, Joanne, Patsy and I all agreed that we need change to come now, not later.

Eat. Live. Be. Reboot begins on Wednesday. The new iteration of this challenge is a lot looser than before. We’ll be cycling through some basic topics, and talking a lot about inspiration — the things that inspire us. The first topic is magazines, so we will all be sharing something from a magazine that opened out eyes a bit. Want to join in? You can keep up with Eat. Live. Be. Reboot on our Facebook page. Also, follow along on Twitter with our new hashtag, #ELBR. And if you are interested in posting, just share a bit of magazine inspiration on your blog on Wednesday. It’s that easy.

Now, let’s get onto the food — sweet potatoes, actually. They’re so good for you — rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C. If you aren’t eating sweet potatoes yet, you should be.

Of course sweet potatoes pose their own special challenge to deal with. I mean, if the thing that you can’t seem to start has to do with sweet potatoes, then I can hardly blame you for succumbing to that challenge. Sweet potatoes are hard and tough to slice through. It takes some serious elbow grease and all that. But if you are willing to make the effort, it’s totally worth it. Sweet potatoes are seriously good for you. And the flavor? Love that natural sweetness.

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Paige, who turns four this weekend, saw me carry these carrots outside this afternoon and trailed behind. I could see her eyes peering at the plate, examining what I had. As I was styling them for the photo, she locked eyes with me and smiled sweetly … and I knew exactly what she wanted — a bite. Once all the photographs were taken and I was bringing my supplies back inside, she was quick with an offer of help.

“Would you like some?” I asked her.

And she did, skipping off to the kitchen. She ate a bunch before declaring herself full. Apparently, they are as good as they looked to her.

This is the easiest recipe for glazed carrots that I’ve ever made. And that was the point. I wanted a ridiculously easy recipe that I could whip up either last minute or the night before Thanksgiving. One that would be sweet, but really buttery. And one that everyone will enjoy.

The carrots are steamed until tender, which takes only 10 minutes when they are cut up like this. And because they are carrots, they can be cut days in advance and will still be perfect for cooking on Thanksgiving. Early preparation like that makes the making of Thanksgiving dinner so much easier.

Once the carrots are cooked, you toss them with a hot, bubbly mixture of butter and seedless raspberry preserves. It won’t seem like enough at first — but it is. Finally, you finish them off with some salt. Then they are ready to go. It really is that easy.

What I love about these carrots is the flavor. When you bite into them, the butter-enrobed carrots burst in your mouth in a perfect dance of creamy natural sweetness. Then, once you’ve enjoyed every last buttery bit, you are left with the subtle, pleasant raspberry afterthought.

And with only four ingredients that you probably already have, these are a great budget-friendly addition to the holiday table (or Sunday dinner!).

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There was a point yesterday when I discovered what the power company’s estimate for returning power was: Sunday at 11 p.m. When I read that, I felt my heart sink and all hope dissipate. Even as I watched the number of power outages in my town go down a few percentage points at a time, I wasn’t hopeful that we’d be among the lucky ones.

But we were.

Just before 9 p.m. last night, something — not really a sound or anything, but something — made me look up. I glanced at our thermostat and saw that it read 63 degrees. It was the first time the display had worked since about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. After about 5 days, 6 hours and 15 minutes (who’s counting?), we had power again. Shawn and I sprang into action, turning up the heat, starting the dishwasher and unplugging things from the generator. A mere 15 minutes later, I was standing in a hot shower, washing away all the stress and worry of the past few days.

It was blissful. And it was even better when I stepped out of the shower into warm, fresh pajamas to watch Revenge, my new favorite show (have you seen it? Love it). Still, I feel for the more than half of my town still without power — including some of our family. I hope theirs returns soon too.

Today brought a new round of to-dos and plans. I continued cleaning up from our days without power. It’s amazing how messy things can get when you don’t have running water and have to keep things like bottled water and flashlights at your fingertips.

We invited family over to shower and have a hot breakfast. And I cooked. First eggs and toast for everyone and then for some assignments that had been patiently waiting. Finally, as evening neared, I found a big, lovely cauliflower in the fridge and roasted it with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite things ever … and roasted cauliflower? It’s just divine.

This version is tossed with blue cheese and topped with pomegranate arils for a sweet-savory combination that was perfect for ending our dark days without power, water or heat. The kids were practically salivating waiting for a bite. Me too.

Oh, and in case you were wondering … we went for ultimate decadence with dinner tonight. I made my favorite easy creamy macaroni and cheese recipe. It popped into my head earlier and I just had to have it.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy cauliflower?

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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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Pillow-y gnocchi. Sweet roasted butternut squash. A buttery creamy sage sauce. We’ve been eating variations of this dish for weeks now, but tonight … tonight it was beyond perfect. It was blissful. The thing that made all the difference? Adding a ladle-full of gnocchi water to the sauce, something that I discovered after reading Aviva Goldfarb’s recipe for Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Sage and Walnuts.

I love the way roasting the seasoned butternut squash brings out its inherent sweetness. It’s a nice contrast to the buttery sauce that turns downright creamy when you add a little of the starchy gnocchi water to it.

Well, Paige and I thought so at least … Will wasn’t a fan. I am not sure that he liked sage, which is fine since the boy eats just about everything. It’s okay if he doesn’t like one herb. Right?

In any case, if you like sage and you like butternut squash, you will love this dish. It’s quintessential fall.

Of course, we are hurtling towards winter now. As my kids and I were walking through Target the other day, I tsk tsk’d at the Christmas decorations infringing on the Halloween candy and costume space. I mean we are still a week away from Halloween. Then comes Thanksgiving. And only after that does Christmas arrive. Come on, people!

Except, in some ways, you kind of have to at least put a little thought into the holidays now … budgeting, for instance, is something I do at the end of October. Though I likely won’t shop until after Thanksgiving, I need to know what I am spending so that I save specifically for that. And yes, I know it’s crazy that I wait to shop. But it’s my tradition.

And then there is the whole Christmas cards thing (or holiday cards — whatever you send). Personally, if I don’t order them early, then I won’t send them. I need time to write, address and stamp (the stamps are the biggest part for me) my cards to get them out in time.  That’s why I always try to order them in around the end of October or early November. It gives me that time.

Shutterfly recently contacted me, asking me to share their 2011 card collections with my readers … and how could I resist? This whole project means two things for me: I actually have my cards already created and ordered AND I get to help you do the same.

So, I’ve spent the past few days looking through the many styles of cards available. There are all varieties of cards: whimsical, religious, classic … and I found myself drawn to the simple classic ones with sweet sentiments like “Joy” or “Rejoice.” But with so many choices, it was so hard to choose one (thank goodness for the compare feature — I marked the ones that I liked and went back to decide which one was best). Finally, I decided to go ultra-simple “We Believe” design that I just loved. It reminds me of our favorite holiday movie, The Polar Express.

Now that I’ve ordered, all I need to do is get them addressed, stamped and mailed. With any luck, they will be on time this year.

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Today I went to the store with a short list that had maybe six things on it. But I left the store with at least a dozen items. How does that happen? Were the Brussels sprouts really so seductive that I couldn’t leave without them? (Yes.) Did I really need 18 eggs? (Yes.) And cake mix? (Actually, no, but I thought I did at the time.)

The grocery store is a wild temptress, for sure. Is it just me? Does that ever happen to you?

So, those Brussels sprouts. I didn’t really have any plans for them — I wasn’t even sure when I would use them. But, you know, I adore Brussels sprouts, so I knew I’d find a way.

I ended up whipping some up tonight as a little snack (they’d be equally good as a side dish). I roasted the Brussels sprouts with just a whisper of cooking oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Then I mixed them with walnuts and grated Asiago cheese. Finally, I finished it off with a drizzle of walnut oil. The slightly sweet roasted Brussels sprouts have a rich, warmth to them with the infusion of walnut throughout. Perfect.

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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 went into the kitchen this afternoon, Paige came running in, dragging a chair behind her. “Mommy, I want to help.” I was there to clean, and told her so. “Then I’ll watch.”

And she did, waiting patiently until the counters were wiped clean and the dishes in the sink were washed or transferred to the dishwasher. She knew what was coming when I was done: cooking.

Paige and Will both revel in helping me in the kitchen. Even if it’s as simple as washing basil at the sink or transferring chopped veggies to a bowl, they’re happy to be involved in any way. And as a result, they know the difference between kale and lettuce, eggplant and pepper, and so many other foods.

It’s a good thing too. Whereas some foods do give me pause, the kids are unaffected. Eggplant in this dish? Yum. Mushrooms? Paige’s favorite. Peppers? Oooh. This rice dish could have been a hard-sell, but it wasn’t.

Will and I really enjoyed the flavors and textures of this Tomato Basil Veggie Rice. Really, anything with the vibrant combination of tomatoes and fresh basil is a favorite for me, but this rice also had that richness that you want with fall and winter foods. Paige wasn’t as into it though … but that’s okay. She ate quite a bit anyway.

This is a one pot dish that takes a little more than 30 minutes to whip up (most of it is hands off time), which makes it totally weeknight friendly. The rice cooks in a bath of vegetable stock and the juices from a can of diced tomato, rendering tender grains with a hint of sweet gravy. It’s a complex, contrasting story of flavors and textures: sweet and savory, meaty without meat, substantial without heaviness. The bits of diced tomato are a shock of sweet next to the meaty mushrooms and eggplant bits.

We eat this as a side dish with chicken, but the recipe could be a meal in of itself too.

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