Category Archives: family meals

Back to basics: almond flounder meuniere

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

One way to define basic cooking is as simple, unsophisticated, or plain. When I investigated the title of this dish, almond flounder meuniere (from Around My French Table) I learned that “meuniere” means “Miller’s wife” and thus refers to the rustic … Continue reading →

Posted in children, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Riffing on a classic: navarin [boeuf] printanier

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I’m usually inclined to follow Dorie’s recipes exactly, especially until I feel comfortable with the result.  This week, though, I had several reasons for making some signficant changes. Dorie Greenspan‘s navarin printanier sounded worth a try, but I have never … Continue reading →

Posted in art, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Pizza rustica and love cakes

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

This weekend, I baked Pizza Rustica in Baking with Julia, and loved it.  I mean loved, as in, I could eat this every day if the cheese and egg count alone wouldn’t kill me.  It was amazing — sweet dough … Continue reading →

Posted in cheese, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

A really hot cheese soufflé on a really hot day

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

It’s spring break, but it’s still winter.  It’s nearly 80 degrees in the yard, and the trees are all but bare, a few buds tentatively peeking through.  Daffodils are blooming, despite a shed perched right over the flower bed. Gorilla … Continue reading →

Posted in cheese, family, family meals, food | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Cheese-topped onion soup: lessons in patience

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Dorie’s recipe for cheese-topped onion soup says you have to be patient while waiting for the onions to brown.  Patience is one of those things that it is easy to have in abundance at the front end, but much harder … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, cheese, family, family meals, food, motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Stinky cheese: gorgonzola-apple quiche

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

When I was in France with KDM, she tried to get me to eat stinky cheese.  I gave it my best shot, but each stinky cheese, with its bluish veined ripples of bacterial and mold infection, and its pungent aroma, … Continue reading →

Posted in cheese, family meals, food, lessons, mistakes, paris | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Sunday dinner: a ritual that sustains us

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Sundays have become family meal times, like the old days when we had a big ham or a roast on Sundays, late in the afternoon.  A couple of weeks ago, when I made B &B Roast Chicken, we ate early, … Continue reading →

Posted in bread, family, family meals, food, ritual | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments