Listen, the world feels really noisy right now. Too noisy. When this happens in my life, I find that meal planning is my own kind of doomsday prepping. And look, I’m not a doomsday prepper of any kind, but there’s something about having control on my meal plan that gives me great comfort. I typically buy my food in bulk, so that means the oats are usually rolled and the rice is usually brown and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the time to cook homemade oatmeal every morning (and we’ve already established that overnight oats ain’t my thing). Meal prepping also helps me spend less during the week. My breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are almost always at home (or at…
a food journey
Posts tagged “Ina Garten”
Well, I’m sure you’ve been up all night pacing the floors wondering if my little baby southern heart got any snow (see previous post if you are confused right about now). We didn’t. Shocking, I know. We still have today (and the forecast is only predicting freezing drizzle and temps) so I shall HOLD ONTO SNOW HOPE. And because it may (probably won’t) snow, let’s bake some stuff!
Let’s start this snow day (see how resilient I am?) with buttermilk biscuits (cue angel noise from the sky). This will be a potentially controversial post. Why? Well, I live in Alabama and I’ve decided to make Ina Garten’s Buttermilk Biscuits (let’s pause while I imagine her sitting with her coffee reading the news with Jeffrey while snow falls at her home in the Hampton’s.) See? I can already see some of you Southerners side-eyeing me and I won’t let you deter me from what I know is the truth. I’ve made MANY buttermilk biscuits in my life. I’ve used all kinds of recipes: the ones with lard, the ones with butter, the ones with lard AND butter. I’ve decided (and so has my 12-year-old) that Ina Garten’s Buttermilk Biscuits are the best and the easiest. There. I said it. I love Ina. I loved Ina even before Jenn Garner(see previous entry) loved her. At least that’s what I tell myself. So, go forth with your closed heart dear Southerners and let me make my Ina biscuits in peace. And if you are asking why I chose not to cut the biscuits out with the ROUND biscuit cutter (not sure if that’s the technical name) I actually have, the answer is “I have no idea.” Here’s the link to the recipe.
I had 5 overripe bananas staring me in the face every day this week and now that my snow dreams have turned into a freeze warning (snore), I decided to make banana bread. Remember those Pumpkin Maple Muffins I made yesterday that are almost gone today (no judgement, please)? I didn’t want to make another non-crunchy sweet breakfast/snacky snack treat this time, so I used this recipe and used pumpkin seeds (thanks to Sara’s encouragement) instead of walnuts and left out the raisins because I am not a fan of raisins in anything. Not even in Ina’s recipes. No raisins.
Let’s keep baking shall we? I mean, it might just…BE VERY, VERY COLD (my snow hope is dwindling). I just found this Hannah Taylor’s Instagram account and I am totally 1000% bought in. After watching EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HER POSTS (yes, I did), I decided to try this Dutch Oven Bread. Who needs to raid the grocery store bread shelf when you can make your own bread on this (never ever going to) snow day? Off I go to snuggle up with all of these carbs to watch the freezing rain.
The other day, my mother shared a video from RG Lyons (a pastor at her church). I’ve always respected RG since the day I met him over 10 years ago at Urban Ministry mainly because of his honesty, transparency, and kindness. He’s the real deal. Anyway, his video was about “nuance” and especially the nuance that exists in this really hard time of uncertainty, anxiety, joy, and quarantine. I’ve been thinking about that video a lot and I think I’ve been stuck. I’ve been too afraid to embrace the nuance I feel because of the things I know I should be grateful for during this time. I don’t leave the necessary space to say the truth, whether it sounds good or fair or even nice. I feel like RG gave me permission to do that and so I’d like to share some of my own personal nuances here in case it helps any of you embrace your own. No judgement. Just truth.
I have downloaded and saved more “reflective” articles I can count. I have downloaded books, audible books, and magazines. It never fails: The minute I begin to read them, my internal shiny ball begins bouncing. Next thing you know, I’m researching COVID-19 and counting stats. Reflective time ends as soon as I clicked on the article and got to the second sentence.
I have spent an abnormal amount of time thinking about what I’ve gained during this time and how I don’t want to go back to the way things were. At the exact same time I am eager to get back to SOME kind of schedule and order. I find myself thinking, “When we get back to normal,” but the problem is all that “normal” wasn’t working either. Lots of feelings on this one.
I have spent more time with my kids than I ever have and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I’ve noticed things about them that I would have completely missed had we not been forced to pause. In just three months, I’ve witnessed so many small and big changes with them and it makes me wonder what I’ve missed over the years and what I may miss once the quarantine ends. At the same time, I wonder what quarantine would look like before children. Would I actually be reading books, learning stuff, completing projects, and strengthening my inner self? Or would I be just as distracted as I am with kids? Can you be sick and tired of quarantine while also feeling deep sadness if it ends tomorrow?
I never thought I had time to exercise before quarantine. I was too busy. There just wasn’t any time for it. Fast forward to quarantine and I’m still not exercising. Nuance? Sure. Personal truth exposed like a gut punch? Definitely.
There are folks that adapt to change and fear by creating structures to follow. I am not that person. I find comfort in cheetos. I also find comfort in thinking day-to-day rather than looking towards the future. There are many strengths that come with this mentality, but quarantine has been hard. There are only so many cheetos. And when I get to feeling guilty about all the cheetos, I begin thinking about how I could adjust my current style post-quarantine so that the cheetos don’t matter. And so every brand of clothing that looks like this is now a constant in my Facebook and Instagram feeds.
I am trying to stay in a place of hope. I’m trying to see the world through the eyes of my children. I am trying my best to reassure them. I am also biting my tongue constantly as I listen to others complain about being inconvenienced. I want to throw things at the TV when I hear the lack of empathy, the conspiracy theories, the political rhetoric, and the insanity. I want to shield my kids from all of it — the immaturity, the selfishness, the absolute reckless behavior, and I am constantly searching for words to explain it to them when there aren’t any. I think we are all struggling with this and I think no matter what we pretend, we are all vulnerable and afraid. Vulnerability and fear are very hard things to deal with internally much less at such a collective level and we are seeing folks react differently in such different ways: Some are pushing back and rejecting it entirely. Some are avoiding it and pretending it doesn’t exist. Some are embracing it wholeheartedly and living differently because of it. I guess this is nuance in its truest form and it hasn’t been easy to release judgement and blame from wherever you may be sitting in all of it. This is just hard. Can we all say that out loud together?
Finally, I feel guilty almost always for feeling inconvenienced and tired of quarantine because I know how lucky I have it. I know that having a roof over our heads, space to run outside in our yard, jobs we love, and income to provide for our family is the basis for our survival. I believe we should use that foundation as a springboard for helping those around us. I believe that if we have more than others, we share it and hope that they will do the same when we may not have enough. Isn’t that the point of all this anyway? Anyway, back to nuance. At the same time, I can’t help but think about how I’d do it different next time: I’d definitely have a lake house. That’s for sure. I’d also have a bigger house so that we could add more folks to our quarantine so that we could be together. I’d enter quarantine at least 30lbs lighter so that I would come out on the other side a little healthier. I’d focus on whole foods instead of cheetos at the beginning. So, see? There is a place in all of us that can know and appreciate where we are in this and still want something different. It’s such a difficult thing to sort out — even in non-quarantine times.
Today is Memorial Day and it is clear we are a very nuanced society. Some are celebrating with risks. Others are staying put. I’m doing what I always do and making Barefoot Contessa’s Summer Fruit Crostata and sharing it with my neighbors. May we recognize our nuances with space and grace while also agreeing to keep each other safe. Our family will be wearing masks, washing our hands, and keeping a safe distance from you because we want you to be safe and healthy and well. That’s the truth.
Time. That’s the key, y’all. I miss planning and cooking complicated and semi-fancy dinners. I miss trying out new recipes not knowing if they’ll turn out. I miss trying new recipes and being completely surprised how great they turn out. I miss my tried and true recipes. Let’s face it, I miss Ina Garten.
Reality is setting in. I know that next week when school and work start back up, we’ll be back in the routine where cooking won’t look the same when you have days off, but I’m finishing the break STRONG.
Truth is, I haven’t seen my friends this year. I’m not sure how in the world that happens, but it does and I’m sure you can relate. Last night, I had two of my dearest friends and my Mama over for dinner and I decided to throw down. Here’s the menu:
Appetizer:
Smitten Kitchen’s White Bean Soup with Crispy Kale
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/10/white-bean-soup-with-crispy-kale/
I started on this recipe earlier in the day so that all I had to do was warm it up when it was time for dinner. It’s rather straightforward and simple, but tastes incredibly complex and delicious. We added crispy kale and pancetta and a little bit of a sour cream as toppings. Truthfully, it was great on its own. The photo below is of my leftovers: White bean soup with crispy kale AND the walnut/parmesan/olive oil mixture I used on the cabbage (see below).
Main Course:
Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Piccata
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe-1952866
There are a few recipes that you know will be good no matter what and they tend to have one common denominator: Ina Garten. I love love love her Chicken Piccata and Chicken Parmesan recipes (both are similar). I decided to do the Piccata recipe. The trick is making sure you get the chicken breasts pounded (yes, pounded) flat. The other trick (and something I’ve learned from Ina) is to mix olive oil with butter when pan frying. The lemon reduction sauce on top (as well as the cooked lemon slices) added the perfect brightness.
Sides:
Smitten Kitchen’s Roasted Cabbage with Walnuts and Parmesan
https://smittenkitchen.com/2019/11/roasted-cabbage-with-walnuts-and-parmesan/
When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s website, I got excited. Sure, I could have done a salad of some sort, but I liked the idea of highlighting cabbage. First things first: Savoy cabbage is hard to find. I asked my colleagues atJones Valley Teaching Farm if any of our sites had it before trying grocery stores. Nada. Called every grocery store and they didn’t have it either. My heart was SET on this recipe, so I decided to grab a huge head of Napa Cabbage determined to make it work. I cut the cabbage horizontally in thick rounds and guess what? It worked. The only thing I’d add next time is a little sweetness (maybe balsamic?) to dress it up. Also, because it was Napa cabbage, it kind of fell apart on the plate, which was totally fine because it ended up coming together as a warm salad.
Alexandra’s Kitchen’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple Butter
https://alexandracooks.com/2014/10/03/roasted-acorn-squash-with-maple-butter-new-york/
So by now you can see that we have lemons featured in the chicken dish and lemons in the cabbage dish. I really needed a sweet side to round us out. I found this recipe on Alexandra’s Kitchen’s website. Pause. Do y’all follow her on Instagram? You should. Her stories and how-to videos are equal to 15 minutes of meditation. Okay back to the dish. I’ve never cooked acorn squash and was a little nervous. This couldn’t have been easier and during the meal it got the most comments. It was much easier than cooking a butternut or spaghetti squash. Embrace the acorn squash, y’all. It’s absolutely worth it.
Alexandra’s Kitchen’s No Knead Buttermilk Pull Apart Rolls
https://alexandracooks.com/2019/11/24/no-knead-buttermilk-pull-apart-rolls-overnight-or-not/
Shoooooo-wee! I was capital S-C-A-R-E-D to do these rolls. I don’t do bread. I don’t do rolls. Never have. I honestly never thought I had the patience. There were a few bumps in the road, but overall it turned out great. First bump was the yeast. I didn’t get instant yeast — I got active yeast (ugh), so I got behind in my timeline, borrowed some instant yeast from my Mom, and then just scrapped the part where the rolls were supposed to sit overnight in the fridge. See? This is the patience part that comes into play. The good news is that it all worked out in the end. I encourage you to watch her videos first before trying it out. Will you fold over the dough and perfectly separate them and round them out like she does? Nope. Not at all. Will it still work? Yep. The husband and kiddos are eating them this morning and can’t stop talking about them, so go for it. Go forth in your buttered roll confidence — you GOT this.
One other thing I wanted to share, was a book that was mentioned twice in two of these recipes. The husband checked it out from the library for me and I can’t wait to start reading it.
As the holiday break comes to an end, I’m completely aware that I may not post again until next break. It looks like the last time I posted was around the same time last year. I hope that’s not the case, but jussssssst in case, I’m sending love and light to all of you in this New Year.
High-res version
Once upon a time, I used to blog regularly. I also used to cook many recipes from scratch, document them, and post regularly on this FOOD BLOG. This was long ago before I had my children. Fast forward 5 years later and I’m barely cooking these days. I make no apologies, honestly. I’m just doing the best I can. I’m a huge fan of pre-packaged salads and frozen thin crust Homerun pizza. I’m also a huge fan of my mother. She delivers (at least) two proteins a week, which SAVES these precious children from having pizza every night. Don’t forget that I work at a TEACHING FARM and have access to the best produce I could ever imagine, but life is life and I’m rolling with it these days. (Thankfully, I roasted some Jones Valley Teaching Farm broccoli to go with the recipe listed below, used our lettuce in a salad last week, AND have enjoyed a few carrots.)
So you can imagine how I felt last weekend when one kid was at Gran’s and the 1-year-old was asleep and I had 30 free glorious minutes to watch Barefoot Contessa. She was cooking the most delicious looking skillet chicken recipe with onions, lemons, and white wine. It looked easy enough and I immediately thought I could accomplish this recipe. I could conquer the kitchen again. Wild and crazy thought, I know, but the next thing you know I’m buying a whole chicken and lemons and onions and feeling overconfident (and obviously delirious).
Then reality set in. I never found the time to take the backbone out of the chicken. I looked at that whole chicken in my refrigerator the entire week feeling defeated. I prepped for the 5-year-old’s birthday party. I made some frozen pizzas. I counted down the days until I HAD to do something with the dang chicken and I finally did! With the help from the husband, we managed to tag team the chicken prep and actually cook the recipe. You can find the recipe here: Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken. I omitted the fennel seed because, well, I’m not a fan.
I have to say this recipe was rather easy minus the whole chicken and backbone situation. I’d probably have the butcher prep the chicken for me next time to make my life easier and prevent the unnecessary pressure of a whole chicken staring me in the face day after day. Nonetheless, I’m really glad we accomplished something the husband and I used to love to do together. Even with little children running around.
I highly recommend this dish. But of course, I recommend almost every single thing Ina Garten makes. How could you not?
I probably won’t cook again for, oh, 3 more months so let’s all celebrate the little victories, shall we? I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Tagged: Barefoot Contessa, Chicken, Chicken Recipes, Ina Garten
There are two women I’d walk over hot coals for if asked. Sure, my Mom and my daughter mean a lot to me, but I’m not talking about them. At least not in this post. I am talking about Dolly Parton and Ina Garten. Nothing sounds better to me than spending time with both of these women drinking cocktails, eating high-fat, high-calorie snacks, and talking about our favorite things. Seriously. Then we’d stay up late talking, wake up in the morning and have coffee, make some biscuits, and I’d listen intently as they gave me the best advice on running businesses and life (in general).
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when my dear friend, Sara, sent me THIS article about Ina and her beloved Jeffery. The title? “Ina Garten’s 5 tips for a Better Date Night In.” Man, this article came right on time for me and my husband, Mike. Let’s review WHY it came right on time:
- It’s been (at least) 10 months since Mike and I have had a “Date Night In.” Who am I kidding? I only guessed 10 months because I CAN’T POSSIBLY REMEMBER THIS HAPPENING AT ALL SINCE HAVING MY FIRST CHILD FIVE YEARS AGO.
- Mike and I are approaching our 7th wedding anniversary on November 7th and this would be a perfect way to celebrate given the fact that we fell in love cooking our way through every single Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten) cookbook. Ah, the memories. And oh…those pounds. Ina don’t play in the love and butter business.
And so, I decided to read the article out loud to Mike as a way to celebrate who we are in this new phase of our life: Full-time working parents of two children under the age of 5. Yes, a date night in is JUST what we need, but how do we do this successfully? Well, let’s just follow the advice in the article:
1.Treat dinners together as a gift.
“You don’t need to go out of your way to create the perfect evening — with busy schedules, finding the time to simply share a meal together is special in itself.”
Well that’s good to know because the way our dinners currently operate is whenever I’m finished with dishing up one person’s plate is when they get it and immediately find their way to their respective spots at the table and immediately begin eating. So, if we can possibly manage to be eating at the exact same time and eating the exact same thing, we are winning already. And if we are eating something where I didn’t have to cut another person’s portion up in teeny-tiny pieces or fill a sippy cup, then we are living it UP, people.
2.Don’t go crazy on fancy food.
“That’s when you really connect — over a really nice, simple dinner rather than a fancy dinner that’s meant to impress people,” Ina says. “The key is to make something so when you’re done with dinner, you can still be present for the people who are there — that’s what makes them feel special.”
This is EXACTLY why I tend to focus my efforts on HomeRun Thin Crust Pizza straight from the freezer section at the grocery store. Thank you, Ina, for affirming my choice 3x each week.
3.Dress up your table — a little bit.
“Ina doesn’t go overboard when setting the dinner table, but she does rely on a few small touches to make things feel a bit more special, like fresh flowers, candles, and linen napkins.”
Uh, sounds like this is the perfect reminder to vacuum the random crumbs out of the table grooves, sweep up the bits of food Mae threw on the floor 4 days ago, shove the random rescue bot, puzzle piece, and sippy cup with sour milk to another part of the table, and wipe down (you know, because this is a special occasion) the plastic place mats. In other words, we are getting fancy.
4. Share the workload.
“When it comes to the cooking, Ina happily does it all — but that doesn’t mean Jeffrey doesn’t help in his own way. “He’s very good about clearing the dishes and stacking them, which makes it much easier for me to clean up afterwards,” says Ina. ”
Wait. We clean up after the date night in? Like, wash dishes? Scrape plates? What kind of a date is this, anyway???
5.Save your binge-watching for after dinner.
Ina and Jeffrey listen to a series of CDs released by Hôtel Costes in Paris; the eclectic mixes evoke fond memories of their time spent abroad.”
Ahem, for those of us experiencing life with a loved one alongside two children under the age of 5, I think we’d ditch the CD from Paris and instead sit in absolute SILENCE. Just listening to each of our jaws lightly chomping food sounds like absolute heaven if you ask me. No questions. No noise. No humans talking. Not even the ones on the date. Just straight up mastication in beautiful silence.
So, obviously we have some work to do in order to achieve the Ina/Jeffery Date Night Nirvana. Heck, we can’t even find a way to escape for our anniversary and I think the closest getaway we have secured is HOOVER (this is a suburb 15 minutes away for those of you unfamiliar with Birmingham).
In the meantime, I’ll just be over here dreaming about Ina cooking for me.
And perhaps the four of us (Ina, Jeffrey, Mike, and myself) running all over East Hampton looking for dinner clues and finishing our evenings on the beach complete with bonfires while a CD is softly playing in the background as we reminisce on NEVER having been in Paris like, ever. Oh, and then Ina and I would scrape and stack the plates so Mike and Jeffrey didn’t have it so bad during clean up.
Categories: Family, Uncategorized
Last year, my friends had a fabulous idea to host a potluck dinner with one little hitch: Everyone must bring a Barefoot Contessa (aka Ina Garten) dish. I know, I know…how terrible, right? There are a few of us who live and breathe Barefoot Contessa, so you can be very sure that the dinner was a huge hit. This year, our friends Mary Beth and David decided to host. Little did we know, they had a few surprises for us: Dinner outside facing an incredible sunset, lanterns hanging from trees, and plenty of candles to keep us company as it turned dark. I felt like we were on the set of a movie or magazine shoot. See what I mean? So as amazing as all…
Tagged: Appetizers, Barefoot Contessa, Decadent, Dessert, DInner, Farm Dinner, friends, Ina Garten, recipes, Stretch Pants
We love love love Barefoot Contessa’s Italian Wedding Soup at our house. How could you not? Delicious meatballs and CSA veggies all in one bite. Trust me, this dish is definitely worth making. And what’s even cooler is the recipe calls for carrots (CSA box), dill (CSA), swiss chard (CSA), and celery (after school market), which means I’m also putting my weekly purchases to good use! Bonus: my one-year-old ate quite a bit tonight, which is a major victory since we are having some challenges in the food area. So? Kid? Check Family? Check Lunch and/or Dinner? Check Clearly, I’m having a meatballpalooza these days (see previous post). You have to understand, I didn’t grow up eating meatballs. My mom never made them. I’m…
Tagged: Barefoot Contessa, CSA, Ina Garten, Italian Wedding Soup, Snow's Bend Farm, Soup
When I started my Food Revival journey, there was one person who truly inspired me. I mean, sure…I grew up with strong Southern women cooking all of my meals, which is a huge influence. You’d think they were my biggest influence, right? Well, they were and are in many ways, but there’s another woman who may have an even stronger influence. I would have never imagined a woman living in East Hampton would have the kind of influence she has had on my cooking, but it is true. I even abandoned my own mother’s delicious biscuits (trust me, her biscuits are well-known amongst my friends and family) for Barefoot Contessa’s Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits (gasp!). But don’t worry, my Mama approves this message (and those…
Categories: Family
Tagged: Barefoot Contessa, Biscuits, Cookbooks, East Hampton, Ina Garten, Mama, Southern
foodrevival 
