Tomato-Zucchini-Pesto Orzo

You know what's even more fun than cooking? Cooking with your completely fascinated six year old. While my daughter (age nine) avoids cooking like the plague, my son cannot absorb lessons fast enough. He wants to learn what everything is, how everything works, and do everything himself. Now, this certainly makes the cooking take a lot longer... especially since he wants to learn every knife skill and cut everything himself... but it also increases the enjoyment. And, in this case, not only was this meal delicious, but Asher (my son) contributed to nearly every step. He did 100% of the knife work. He blended up the pesto. He stirred on the stove. And, most importantly, he taste tested throughout. This means my once picky little guy is now tossing tomatoes in his mouth, stealing pinches of pesto, and, of course, gobbling down the fresh mozzarella. (One slice in his mouth, one slice on the cutting board... this may have also extended the timing of the process.)

It didn't hurt, of course, that this was an absolutely delicious dish and one that, if made solo by a decently adept adult, would come together fast enough for a week night. The orzo amused my kids with a new pasta shape while I was able to pack in lots of veggies. And the melted cheese brought the dish home. Make this alongside a salad for a delicious, veggie-forward meal. If you purchased all your veggies at a local farmer's market, as I did at this time of year, extra bonus point! Enjoy.

Time:

(sans children)

A Rosh Hashanah Middle Eastern Feast!

L'shanah tovah! There are many ways of celebrating, but all of them definitely involve food. In this case, I decided to embrace my Sephardic roots and cook a Middle Eastern feast with a special focus on Moroccan food. (My Mom is Moroccan and my grandmother cooked Moroccan food at many family meals growing up.) You'll find a veggie-heavy meal full of Middle eastern flavors, but served alongside some challah, Jewish apple apple cake, and chocolate honey cake to connect to a few Ashkenazi and traditional Rosh Hashanah dishes.

I served the meal across three courses - and the recipes included below are in italics. A few aren't listed since they are elsewhere on the site or were my husband's creations instead of mine.

We started with appetizers:

Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Confit (pictured above)

Matbucha

Hummus

Pita

(paired with some manchego, brie, and crackers)

We moved on to the main course:

Yemenite-Spiced Cauliflower with Schug Labneh

Roasted Citrus-Pomegranate Glazed Carrots

Egyptian Moussaka

Moroccan Lamb Shoulder

Couscous with Dates and Pistachios

Round Challah (challah is elsewhere on blog... just make it round instead of braided)

And we finally ended with dessert:

Tut (marzipan)

Chocolate Honey Cake

Jewish Apple Cake (elsewhere on blog)

We started prep the night before and I'll note below where I did that and then started cooking about five hours before dinner time. I'll note the time for each recipe below, but you won't find a total time for this meal since each piece may add up differently and not all recipes are in full detail below. Most importantly, though, it was absolutely delicious and everyone had a great time. Here is a to a good next year!

Crispy Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts

Well this was absolutely delicious! I've never made gnocchi in this way before, but I definitely will be again. Instead of boiling, the gnocchi is pan seared and then allowed to plump up, leading to a soft, pillowy inside but a slightly crisp and therefore intensely flavored outside. It's gnocchi at it's best.

In this case, it's paired with some crisp-tender brussels sprouts and an olive oil-brown butter sauce, but you could use the same technique with other sauces, pairings, and toppings. Give this one a whirl and let me know if you come up with other great combinations.

And - the best part of this meal? My eight year old daughter couldn't stop eating the brussels sprouts. She tentatively tried one, and then went back for more and more and more. It's kid approved!

Time: 20 min

Pesto Portobellos with Veggie Fried Rice

I must admit, this started as a bit of a grab-bag meal to use up leftovers in my fridge, but it is definitely going to now make it into the regular rotation. I always love mushrooms, but in this case freshly made pesto elevates them even more, making them the star of the plate.

Meanwhile, veggie fried rice not only lets me make use of a hodgepodge of vegetables (and leftover basmati!) but appeals to even the pickiest of eaters. It comes together in minutes, too, making it a great choice for a weeknight. (And it doesn't hurt that it helps fight food waste... tell your kids they are heroes for avoiding more methane emissions!)

Time: 30 min

Pizza Night! Blackberry-Basil-Honey, Wild Mushroom, and Pistachio-Red Onion

Welcome to the world of making brick-oven style pizzas at home! I got my husband an Ooni backyard pizza oven for his 40th birthday and suddenly we can't get enough pizza. He's eagerly mixing up dough (luckily, he hasn't yet started slinging it up into the air in the house) and playing with his pizza peel as he chars up the crust for delicious, fresh, at-home pizza. However, me being me, I quickly realized that sticking to classic pizzas wasn't going to be enough, especially if we were doing this often. I started crafting and am pleased to share three very delicious and very different pizzas: blackberry-basil-honey pizza, wild mushroom pizza, and pistachio-red onion pizza. I know it may sound a bit unusual, but trust me, give it a whirl, and let me know how it goes.

I do structure the recipes below for use in an outdoor pizza oven, which cooks very quickly. All of these can be adapted for an oven indoors, too. I tried to note where changes should be made, but mostly it means longer cooking times and that some delicate items (e.g. pistachios, blackberries) can go on sooner. You'll still want to just drizzle on things like honey, oil as a garnish, and herbs at the very end. And finally, if you're cooking on an outdoor oven, the cook process is just 60-90 seconds so make sure you have everything completely ready to go or else you'll miss out on the delicious fun!

Spinach-Salmon Wellington

I am ashamed to say that I have made poor use of my air fryer since purchasing it a couple years ago. I've concentrated on fries (delicious, of course) and perhaps some other similar items, with little attempts to explore all the myriad possibilities. Well, I realize the folly of my actions now! I was clearly missing out, as this delicious spinach-salmon wellington demonstrates. It is quick to come together, easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious. I will definitely be exploring more recipes in the future.

Keep in mind, the one trick here is to defrost your puff pastry in advance. It had been years since I'd last worked with puff pastry and forgot to remove it from the freezer the first time I planned to make this. I had to punt and try another day... so do remember to take out your puff pastry and spinach the night before and stick them in the fridge (or set on the counter about four hours in advance) so that they properly defrost!

Time: 25 min for two fillets, 40 min for four (assuming you only have space to cook two at a time)

Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon buns! I must admit, I was pretty new to this one. Growing up, cinnamon buns weren't a feature in my house. Sure, I'd occasionally fall prey to cinnabun like any other kid, but it wasn't something we made or focused on. They were vaguely out there but not overly on my radar. I'm not entirely sure why, then, that I woke up on a weekend recently and decided to surprise my kids with them but... wow, have I been missing out. These are surprisingly not so hard to make and are absolutely delicious. They are hot, with a slight crunch on the outside but warm and soft on the inside, with a delightfully sweet without being overly sweet topping. Needless to say, my kids (and husband) now ask for them regularly.

Are they the healthiest? Nope. But... are they worse than pancakes or french toast? I think not. So, I make them sparingly. I stick to one. (My kids sometimes go for more than one...) And I serve it with a giant bowl of fresh fruit. I wouldn't recommend diving into it all of the time, but I've lightened it where I could reasonably do so while maintaining the true quality of the cinnamon buns and every so often, I think it's fair to just dig in and enjoy!

Time: 45 min