But out of respect for both my wallet and waistline, I cook most of our weekday meals at home. Since this too is, in it's own modest way, a quest of experiencing joy through my stomach, I'll share with you some of my latest dishes.
Before we jump in, let me clarify that I by no means consider myself a talented cook. I mean, In four years of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, I have yet to survive the day without burning or butchering something beyond recognition. With that honesty out there, I know delicious when I taste it. Here are a few ideas on how to bring it to your dinner table.
Crack Pie
Dessert first, that's my motto. This recipe comes from New York's famed bakery Momofuku Milk Bar. I snagged it from Bon Appetit, who kindly keeps it posted online here. I like to think of this treat as a cross between a buttermilk pie (in consistency) and pecan pie (in flavor). And, as Bon Appetit eloquently puts it, "Anyone who has taken a bite... immediately knows the reason for the sassy name."
This photo is mid-bake. I don't have an "after". It was eaten too quickly.
Root Vegetable Soup
For Christmas I gave Lane "Fire in My Belly," the new cookbook from Kevin Gillespie. This book is perfect for teaching at-home cooks how to to elevate their meals just a smidge by trying a few new ingredients and some trickier techniques. Kevin also has an amazing knack for find the God-given deliciousness in every ingredient and letting it sing. This soup was no exception.
This soup included parsnips, rutabaga, jewish artichokes and plenty of other veggies I don't typically buy.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
So this was an experiment gone right. You know, one of those nights where I had plenty of groceries, but nothing that logically combined into a meal. I let the creative juices flow and came up with these bad boys. And hot damn, were they good. The sweet potatoes were stuffed with sauteed cherry tomatoes and yellow bell pepper, warm goat cheese crumbles and toasted pecans. The trick is the potatoes themselves. I used the microwave (hey, no judgement), but rubbed the skins with olive oil and himalayan pink salt before they cooked. Do that and I dare you to try and skip the potato skins.
