A Message from Your Sponsor

Well, from me actually. I am teaching several cooking classes over the next few months. There's a class for you if you are interested in picking up some new skills, learning a new recipe or two, or just want to get out of the house and have something delicious to eat!

The Newburyport classes are held at Newburyport High School. The Middlesex Community College courses are held at the Middlesex Meetinghouse in Billerica (not at Shawsheen Tech as the Middlesex web site says). For more information on the courses or to register, click through on these links:

February 24: Quick Cooking from the Pantry, Newburyport Adult Education

March 17: Pestos, Salsa and Other Sauces, Newburyport Adult Education

March 18: Quick Cooking from the Pantry, Middlesex Community College

April 8: Pestos, Salsa and Other Sauces, Middlesex Community College

May 13 and May 20 (two session class): Kitchen Survival Skills, Middlesex Community College

Week of February 15

Has everyone finished their list of ten meal items? I'm going to give you a few more days to work on your list. In the meantime, here's my menu for the week. I'm trying out a few new recipes from blogs in almost every meal (it's hard to keep up with everything I read).

Menu for the Week
Sunday
Chicken milanese with escarole salad and pickled onions (Thanks Smitten Kitchen!)

Monday
Mushroom pastitio (my entry into this month's Taste of the Mediterranean contest, over here at Antonio Tahhan's blog)
Braised leeks

Tuesday
Spicy tofu stir fry (based on this Meat Lite recipe over here)
Spicy celery salad
Brown rice

Wednesday
Butternut squash and sausage bake (also a Meat Lite recipe)

Thursday
Bean and kale (inspired by Heidi at 101 Cookbooks)

Friday
Out on the town - we're getting our groove on at Funk the Farm. If you're near Newburyport, MA, grab your polyester and get ready to shake your money maker!

Dinner in Under 30 Minutes, Post 1 in an Unnumbered Series

I talk about food a lot. I talk to a lot of people about food. With all these conversations I've been having, it's become extremely clear to me that people really stress out about what they're going to feed themselves for dinner every night. I don't know why it to me so long to figure this out: that stress was the thing that got me to start this blog. The last two years have been all about my need to reduce that stress in my life.

I don't expect people to follow my menus by the week, or even by the day. This is what I cook for my family, but I've realized that there are a few things I do to ease my nights that apply to everyone.

First step:
Build your list of greatest hits: what do you cook that you enjoy eating? For some of you, this may be a fairly long list: I like variety, so my list of favorite dishes is rather long (well over a month's worth of meals). But if I were busier, I'd be happy with a list of ten meals. Don't think about it too much and don't go into too much detail. Here's a sample list for me:

1. Macaroni and cheese
   
2. Pasta with a long-cooked meat sauce
   
3. Some kind of stir fry with rice
4. Grilled meat (chicken, fish, beef?) with vegetables
5. Chili (maybe this one, or this one)
6. Some kind of Thai-spiced soup or curry
7. Pasta with vegetables, and maybe a fried egg on top.
   
8. Some kind of sausage (pork, hot dog, turkey) with beans and a salad or slaw
9. Breakfast for dinner: eggs, bacon and toast; an omelette; a frittata
   
10. Soup, soup and more soup

Now that's just ten items, but each one has multiple variables and so I've got hundreds, if not thousands, of variations to play with. On that list #1, #2, #5, and #10 can all be made ahead (a day, a week, a month - all depends on the size of your freezer). The rest can be made in 20-30 minutes, #9 can be done in less than 15 minutes.

Second step: Here's the hard part: You have to schedule a little time in to do some planning. You make time to watch Desperate Housewives, or 24, or America's Next Top Model, or [insert guilty pleasure here]. So, give yourself 20 minutes to plan your meals. Just 20 minutes, I swear. The added bonus is that it gets easier the more often you do it.

In the next post on this subject, I'll talk about the planning process. So your homework in the meantime is to write a list of five to ten greatest hits. By now, you've probably written 25 Random Things about yourself, so ten things you like to eat shouldn't be so hard. :-)

Hi there.

I'm back, sorry y'all. It's been fairly busy here in this neck of the woods. This lovely tart is from a pasta class party I taught and cooked for last week.

Over here, you can see an article on me and my business. There are also several Valentine's Day recipes there for you to take a look at. I'm going to post a copy of a scan of the actual paper soon, I hope.

So anyway, excuses, excuses, I haven't been taking very good care of you over the last week.

Though I haven't been writing very much, I have been thinking about you and what you're eating these days. I'm going to try to write up some ideas for you to help you plan and manage your weeknight eating. Hang in there, I'm back.

Eatchergreensnbeans!

I love greens and beans. When I do know what to make for dinner a "greens 'n' beans pile" usually fits the bill. Ideally, I have fresh greens on hand (1 big bunch per person being served), but if I don't I have no compunction about pulling a big bag of chopped spinach or collards out of the freezer.

I serve "the pile" over rice, quinoa or millet and sprinkle it with grated cheese (if I'm really under the gun, I serve over toasted bread: it's becomes a big, sloppy bruschetta). Depending on the night, I might top the dish with a fried or poached egg. It's a satisfying dinner that is quite good for you too.

This version was made with a bunch of dandelion greens, a bunch of beet greens and chickpeas and topped with some grated aged goat cheese. I served it over quinoa.

Beans 'n' Greens
Serves 2-3

• Quinoa, rice, millet or any other grain of choice or several slices of hearty bread, toasted
• 1 onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced into half circles
  
• 2 bunches of greens (chard, beet greens, kale, collards, spinach), stemmed and chopped or 1 bag (16 oz.) of chopped spinach or collards
  
• 1 can of beans (your choice), drained
• cheese for sprinkling

Start cooking your grains by whatever method you use (I like a rice cooker).

Saute the onion over medium-high heat in a little oil in a large skillet. When it is golden brown (about 10 minutes), add the chopped greens to the skillet. Using tongs or two spoons, turn the greens over and over as they wilt down (this can take about 10 minutes). If the pan gets too dry, add a little water to keep things "saucy".

Add the beans. Taste for salt and pepper.

When the grain is done, dinner is ready.

Serve the greens and beans on a bed of grain (or over toast), sprinkle the dish with cheese. Provide hot pepper flakes, lemon wedges and a fruity olive oil for garnishing.