Posts Tagged ‘Wonderful Wife’

My husband likes most foods, but the things he doesn’t like he really doesn’t like.  Zucchini is one of those foods, but it doesn’t stop me from cooking with it.  Sure, I’ve breaded it, grilled it, sauteed it, but the best way to make him eat his vegetables is by baking them in muffins!

This recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home and like most of their recipes it’s fabulous.  Simple and delicious.  I suggest you pick up a copy of a Moosewood Cookbook or two, but to get you started here’s sample of their terrific muffin recipe.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I’ve been using coconut oil which is all melty in my pantry in the summer heat–it’s perfect!), 3/4-1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.  Note:  I mix these with a whisk or fork and then switch to a wooden spoon for the rest of the recipe.

Stir in 2 cups grated zucchini, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and some freshly ground nutmeg (Moosewood suggests you use 1/2 tsp. of cardamom, but I use nutmeg and I don’t measure it because you can never have enough nutmeg!).

Add 2 cups unbleached white flour (I also use whole wheat flour or 1 cup of each), 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Stir until combined being careful not to overmix the batter.

Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more like 3/4 of a cup if you are a chocoholic like me!) and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts.

Spoon the batter into oiled standard muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.  A knife inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Muffins will keep in a sealed container for 3 or 4 days.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

I grew up with my mom making this peach cobbler as a special breakfast treat.  My husband still cannot believe we used to eat this for breakfast, but I think it’s perfect for any time of day.  It’s a super easy recipe that will automatically put you in the wonderful wife category.  We’ve always favored peaches as our fruit of choice, but it is delicious with apples as well!

First you’ll mix in a casserole or gratin dish:

1 ½ – 2 cups fruit, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup water and ½ teaspoon vanilla and top with cinnamon. 

Then, microwave it for about 1 minute until it is warmed up a bit.  (You can also do this in a pan on the stove if you prefer not to use a microwave and just heat for a few minutes on medium until warm.)

Grease a glass pie dish and put the fruit in the dish while you prepare the topping.

To make the topping mix in a medium mixing bowl:

1 egg, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon of shortening (I think melted butter is best, but I have used safflower oil and sunflower oil, too), 1 tablespoon milk, ½ cup flour, ½ tablespoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir with a fork until combined.

Pour the topping over the fruit and bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned on top.  Allow to cool for a little while before serving, but it’s delicious warm or cold!  Be prepared for praise.  Enjoy…and have it for breakfast.  Live a little!  It’s my favorite way to eat a peach!

Jacques Pépin is one of my kitchen heroes.  He rocks.  His Fast Food My Way series on PBS is inspired with a message that delicious food doesn’t have to take a long time to make (my mantra!).  This is a recipe I tried a few weeks ago for the first time and it will definitely be a welcome addition to my repertoire.  As usual you will see I made a few subs, but that’s what being a wonderful wife is all about–sometimes you’ve gotta use what you’ve got! 

Rhubarb and berry crumble–This recipe couldn’t be easier or more lovely.  The mint makes it pop.  With only 7 ingredients I think it’s good enough to serve in a restaurant.  Really.

You will need:  3/4 pound rhubarb, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups–which I found was about 2 really long stalks), 3/4 pound strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons flour, about 24 fresh peppermint or spearmint leaves, 1 cup granola (he suggests pecan granola, but I used a granola with coconut and sesame seeds from a local bakery), about 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp. (I used unrefined coconut oil which happened to be a room temp. and worked deliciously!!) and finally 1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche for serving (I skipped it and it was perfect.) 

A little side note:  I used cherries instead of strawberries because I didn’t have any yet and I can imagine several tart fruits working well.  I am going to try it again with black raspberries that are bountiful in my garden right now…maybe with a little lemon in there…I’ll let you know how it turns out! 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Put the rhubarb and berries in a bowl with 1/4 cup of the sugar, 2 Tablespoons of the flour, and the mint leaves.  Mix well and transfer to a 6-cup-capacity gratin dish or glass baking dish.

Put the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 T. flour, the granola and the butter or coconut oil in a small bowl and combine with your fingers (the fun part!) until crumbly and well mixed.  Sprinkle over the fruit.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned.  Serve with sour cream or creme fraiche if you choose.

My mother-in-law just happened to stumble into a book store one day when Jacques was doing a signing.  She picked up a cookbook, had it signed and after learning of my admiration she gifted it to me.  My mother-in-law’s name is Sheri, but no doubt due to his French influence he wrote Cheri before correcting it.  He also drew some scallions around the inscription.  Did I mention he rocks?  You can check out a slideshow of some of Jacques artwork here.

Happy cooking!  I know you will enjoy this recipe.  If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

My husband referred to his “awesome wife” while having lunch with a co-worker last week who then asked, “Dave, how long have you been married?”  He replied, “Almost 7 years, but we’ve been together for 12.”  “And you still think your wife is awesome?” his co-worker  asked.  I imagine this is where Dave said, “She gets more awesome every day,” but I am pretty sure he just said, “Yes.”

In truth my awesomeness tends to go hand in hand with my cooking.  I get most of my wonderful wife praise over a plate of food thus proving that the way to a man’s heart truly is through his stomach.   Since my clients transition from beautiful brides to wonderful wives I thought I’d share some of my fool-proof recipes so that you, too can achieve awesome wife status.  Turkey meatloaf, soups and chocolate cake tend to elicit the most enthusiastic responses from my husband and the soup recipe below has been one of his favorites this winter.  It is from the cookbook Veganomicon, but I have adapted and modified it many different ways to suit whatever ingredients I have on hand and it’s been a success each time.

Chickpea-Noodle Soup

You’ll need the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large yellow onion sliced thinly, 1-2 carrots (about 1 cup), 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms (I’ve done it with and without mushrooms), 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (I’ve used 1/2 cup chopped celery or shredded celery root instead), 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (oregano works here, too), 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 Tablespoons mirin (optional), 1/3 cup miso, 6 cups water or veggie stock, 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 6 ounces soba noodles (or just about any other noodle you like, try fusilli or whole wheat spaghetti)  Tip from Veganomicon:  The circumference of one 3-ounce bundle of soba noodles is about the size of a quarter.

Preparation tip:  Chop all of the ingredients and rinse the chickpeas before preheating the pan.

Preheat a soup pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onions and carrots for about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and mushrooms and herbs (and celery if you use it) , sauté for another few minutes being careful not to brown/burn the garlic.  Deglaze the pot with the mirin or use a splash of water.  Add 6 cups of water or stock and add the chickpeas.  Cover and bring to a boil.  When the broth is broiling, break the soba noodles into thirds and throw them in.  Lower the heat to medium to maintain a low boil.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can let it cook a little longer if you’d like.  Add the miso–you want to be sure not to boil the miso, so I try to allow the soup to stop bubbling before I add it.  You can add more miso to adjust the salt flavor.  If you use a barley miso instead of a rice miso you might start with 1/4 cup and add more after tasting.

This soup is hearty and really easy to make in less than an hour.  It tastes equally delicious whether you use water or veggie stock so if you don’t have a stock you will still get a great soup!  Whether you use soba noodles or any other whole wheat pasta it’s eats like a meal and you can add some chopped greens at the end of the cooking process if you’d like to add a little color. 

I hope you enjoy it.  And if you want to share any of your wonderful wife tips I’d love to hear them!

Chickpea-Noodle soup with whole wheat pasta