Speed Bump

Hooray for us! We did it. We finally had a weeknight family dinner with the four of us. I've written in the past about how we struggle to eat with the kids during the week. Our normal routine is they eat at 6pm and Ryan and I eat dinner at 9pm after the kids are in bed. I cook for Charlie and Izzy, Ryan cooks for me. Two different meals, every night. It sounds crazy just writing that down. It isn't something we established intentionally, it just evolved over time and with the second child, etc. But we're making a conscious effort to make one meal for everyone and eat together. I know it won't be a quick change so I'm aiming low - a couple nights a week would be great. A few things that made our weeknight family dinner work: 1) I planned and shopped for our dinner over the weekend so everything was on hand and ready to go for the weeknight meal. 2) I prepped for dinner by chopping, measuring and organizing ahead of time. I did this in the morning just before ...

We've been on an Indian food kick lately. Spicy, fragrant, and filling - perfect for chilly fall nights. We're completely hooked on Kansas City's new Chai Shai restaurant for a quick fix. But this recipe for Chana Masala is easy to make at home and is currently on our menu list about every other week. If you've never made Indian food at home, this is a good place to start.

Once a week is pizza night. With a busy schedule, pizza is easy, quick, no mess, and generally a nice break in cooking in the middle of the week. Given the fact pizza is on the menu each week, I do what I can to mix it up. Pizza is so great by virtue of the fact it is like a blank canvas; add what you want, what you have on hand, what is in season. The secret to pizza is simplicity. Yet, if you're only going to use several ingredients, they each better be good. Tonight's recipe: 1 large pre-baked pizza crust (I recommend 365 Whole Foods brand whole wheat pizza crust) 3 tablespoons pizza sauce 3 cloves minced garlic 12 oz. hand pulled mozzarella 5 thin slices prosciutto Black pepper to taste Dried red pepper to taste Fresh basil Last week our oven stopped working. The top range works, the broiler works, the oven...not so much. Time to improvise. Typically, I place the pizza on a pizza stone in an oven (about 425 degrees for 12 minutes). Tonight, I placed the piz...