In what has become something of a Rosh Hashanah tradition, I’m delighted to once again feature a recipe from cookbook author Leah Koenig on Dinner: A Love Story. Leah writes the wonderful newsletter The Jewish Table, and even if you’re not celebrating the Jewish New Year next week, even if you are not looking for a modern, seasonal, delicious main dish for the holiday table,… Read more »
We were craving something light and flavorful on Friday night and somehow landed on Niçoise Salad. Only problem: We had no potatoes; Phoebe didn’t want eggs; I didn’t want olives; Abby begged for crispy chickpeas instead of tuna; I said YOU CAN’T HAVE NIÇOISE WITHOUT TUNA; Andy said YOU CAN’T HAVE NIÇOISE WITHOUT OLIVES. We did it anyway! The whole… Read more »
Six weeks as of today, April 24. Six weeks! I’m not sure what it adds up to exactly, but it’s a milestone nonetheless! On this rainy Friday, I’m pleased to wrap up the week’s content with a little help from Bean. (So meta!) Yesterday I ran in a state park, talked to my college friend on the old-fashioned telephone, video’d… Read more »
Before we started Operation Less Meat in my house, we’d have this pot pie for dinner all. the. time. It was one of the first things I made in my very first NYC apartment decades ago, and I basically just never stopped. I keep trying to make it more vegetable forward, as they say, but I just haven’t landed on something… Read more »
This salmon salad might be the meal that has made the most appearances at our dinner table over the past two decades. We made it pre-kids when we first got married and lived in Brooklyn; in the new baby years because it was fast and healthy; and in the nightmare toddler years because we called the pink salmon “princess fish”… Read more »
What I’m reading and eating this week: Wanna save Democracy? Read a novel. My kind of dinner: Crispy Rice with Shrimp, Bacon, and Corn. The Unbearable Sameness of Cities. Did you know that everyone has a cheese that matches their personality? Read of the week: The Education of Bill Oliver. This is amazing. Is anyone else addicted to Weelicious’s Smoothie… Read more »
Hearty, elegant, and slightly old-school, it’s been a family fall-back for decades. Wild Rice Salad with CranberriesServes 6 1 1/2 cups wild ricekosher salt3/4 cup dried cranberries1/2 cup pecans, toasted in a skillet on medium-high heat until roasty3 tablespoons scallions, finely choppedWhite balsamic vinaigrette (1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar whisked with 1/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper)2 tablespoons chives, finely… Read more »
. What we’re eating and reading this week: For starters: THIS CHALLAH (page 6, How to Celebrate Everything, it’s the half size). Every single time I bake one (usually for Rosh Hashana) I say to myself: I’m going to make a Friday ritual of this. Because seriously, what is the point of having a flexible schedule if I can’t make… Read more »
So I realize that last week, when I gave you the hard sell on my next book, How to Celebrate Everything, I talked a big game about childhood not being a race to the finish line. Well, today I take it back. Sort of. Exhibit A: Every year, on the last day of school, my friend’s sister, Diane, hangs “Welcome to Summer… Read more »
Those of you who are Chopped Junior fans (or have kids who are Chopped Junior fans) might recognize this young lady from last month’s battle, where she minced and sautéed her way to victory over three other (adorable) aspiring tween chefs. Me? I just know her as 12-year-old Elizabeth, the kid who lives around the corner, my daughter’s oldest friend, her… Read more »
This week I did an “instagram takeover” for @LalaLunchbox — a really cool meal-planning app for kids and parents that I highly advise checking out — and had a few revelations about the process, none of which, amazingly, involve the state of my mental health. 1) Phoebe, my 13-year-old, is content to have a turkey and cheddar sandwich with mustard… Read more »
Here’s something kind of cool: Every now and then I get to go to events where not one single person argues over the piece of cake with the flower on it. This was the case last week when I headed to Bon Appetit‘s annual Hot Ten event in downtown Manhattan celebrating the best new restaurants in America. Locals: Remind me… Read more »
I am so pleased to hand over the mic to Katie Workman today. You might say the two of us are sisters in dinner — we met in 2013 at The Family Dinner Conference (yes, it exists), she’s blogged for years, and has two books out on the subject, the latest of which might be my favorite. It’s called Dinner:… Read more »
Scrolling through our vacation photos was like the visual equivalent of watching Bubba’s famous Forrest Gump monologue: Barbecue Shrimp. Creole Shrimp. Popcorn Shrimp. Pineapple Shrimp. Coconut Shrimp. Lemon Shrimp. Pepper Shrimp. Wow, we ate a lot of shrimp! This, of course, made perfect sense in South Carolina — where we spent the last leg of our trip, and where we usually feel like… Read more »
Sometimes when I’m staring at a near-empty fridge at dinnertime, or struggling with ideas for how to celebrate my daughter’s birthday, or grappling with life’s great existential questions in general, I ask myself: What would giofrankie do? giofrankie, astute readers may recall, is the instagram handle for my friend Jen Aaronson, one-time food director at Martha Stewart, and now at… Read more »
Have you guys watched the documentary series A Chef’s Table? It’s a series of profiles about the world’s greatest chefs, from the director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi. (Which is all I need to hear to put it on the binge-watch list, but check out the trailer above if you need more convincing.) This will make a working mom feel pretty… Read more »
I can usually tell it’s June by all the sighing happening across social media. As in: “Final concert of elementary school. Sigh.” or “Last playgroup meeting of the year. Sigh.” or “Last game with this team. Sigh.” In a Facebook post about her son heading to middle school, my friend DeLauné didn’t bother with the sighing, instead going straight for… Read more »
The Letter: I get some version of this email all. the. time: Hi, Jenny. Here’s my dilemma: I am a full-time high school English teacher with a major meat-eater for a partner, a twelve year old who is STRICTLY vegetarian, and her twin brother who is a fickle eater who has just lost three pounds and whose doctor wants us… Read more »
Welcome! I’m Jenny, author of Dinner: A Love Story and The Weekday Vegetarians More
