Recipe for the First Year

Our little boy, our joy, our Jude celebrated his first birthday the other day. Actually, he’s not so little anymore. He’s on the cusp of toddlerhood. In fact, he’s quite good at toddling. He’s been fearless. Where he used to cling to walls, he’s now crashing through the house at every chance. The word “headlong” was meant for this kid. It’s like he can’t wait to grow up, sprinting toward a future unknown to us. We can only... Read More

Irish Beef & Stout Stew

This St. Patrick’s Day, you can either: (A) Squeeze yourself into an “Irish pub” crammed wall-to-wall with drunk people drinking green beer (B) Drink alone with a bottle of your local liquor store’s finest Irish whiskey (C) Make this incredibly comforting stew, invite some good friends over, pour pints of Guinness, and eat well until the leprechauns come home. This St. Patrick’s, I propose you don’t go to a bar unless you’re actually... Read More

Brown Butter Bananas

It’s almost impossible for us to finish dinner without indulging in something sweet. It doesn’t need to be complicated. A scoop or two of ice cream (lately, we’ve been loving goat’s milk ice cream). Some mango slices or dark, dense dates. And, if all else fails, we break into our backup supply of terrifically dark chocolate. We are never without chocolate. But if we have some bananas getting ripe on the kitchen counter and a few minutes to spare, we make... Read More

Butcher’s Ragu

Rain doesn’t come easily to these parts. Southern California, I mean. During the dry months, not so much as a damp-against-your-face fog seems to roll through. In the wet season, such as it is, when clouds gather and suddenly you’re needing to turn on the wipers, you’re a bit shell-shocked. Down to the last driver stuck on the 405 Freeway because there’s a fender bender every few miles. In LA, the visceral reality of actual weather, from the faintest hint of humidity... Read More

Cranberry-Pecan Tart

As a young family with a new baby, we think a lot about traditions. The traditions that each of us grew up with and the traditions we want to create on our own and the things that become traditions by accident or laziness. Not surprisingly, most of our family’s traditions take place at the dinner table. Our family dinner is a nightly ritual we almost never skip, and one that we expect our kids to suffer through until they’re out of the house for good. Sunday suppers is another... Read More

Roasted Apples

Nothing signifies the holiday season more to me than the smells, especially the baking kind — cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, browned butter and caramel. In my dreams there would be an apple pie warming in the oven every night until Christmas. Instead, it’s Chinese takeout before getting back to business, hunched over our laptops until our brains begin to melt. But there’s one way to fill the house with the autumnal aromas of spice and fruit — with ten times less effort.... Read More

Mushroom Risotto

This is a story about making mushroom risotto in just 30 minutes. With intermissions. A lot of them. It’s a comedy, of sorts. And a bit of a tragedy. Me (husband, dad, man with a pan): What do you want for lunch? Kristen (wife, mother, self-professed picky eater): Dunno. Me: Hmmm… how about a salad? K: It’s too cold for salad. But definitely something vegetarian. We haven’t had vegetables lately. Me: We had eggplant pasta last night. K: There were little bits of eggplant.... Read More

Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp

Shrimp are one of the most forgiving proteins you can cook. You’re not likely to undercook or overcook them. They finish in a flash, turning bright pink within minutes. Basically, they’ve got a built-it indicator to let you know when they’re done. And if you buy them pre-peeled at the supermarket, you can use them without any prep at all. So, shrimp make for a perfect weeknight meal. You can have them countless ways — stir-fried in the Asian way, with... Read More

Braised Short Ribs

Truth be told, Suzanne Goin’s short ribs is a rather modest dish. Begin with beautifully marbled beef ribs, make your mirepoix, add some stock and wine, pour yourself a glass, and wait for three long hours. Yet, it may be the best known recipe ever for braised ribs. If a recipe can go viral, this one has certainly conquered the far reaches of the internets. You can find adaptations of it on numerous food blogs (including this one). Like molten chocolate cake, you simply cannot... Read More

Only White Food

For weeks during her first trimester, as our little Jude baked in utero, growing from the size of a blueberry to a Mission fig, Kristen ate only white foods. Bagels with cream cheese. Yogurt drizzled with honey. Gallons of full-fat milk and crackers.  Pasta dressed with olive oil and a dash of salt.  No meat, no greens. She did allow for the occasional bit of brown to sneak in — whole wheat sandwiches smeared with almond butter. And she had her chocolate, of course. Morning... Read More