black lentils with marinated beets + feta

Plans can be tricky. I really like to have them and I like to make them, but keeping them can be difficult. We’ve talked about menu plans which are notorious for needing flexibility. Things happen, people get tired, leftovers need to be consumed. I try to be open to change in our weekly menu and even build it in by having a free night or a night just for leftovers, however when we’ve got people coming to dinner, I really like to have a solid plan, which is to say, I need one to stay sane. Last weekend we had a flurry of visitors, all at the last minute which for me, is so much fun. I’m so happy that people feel like our house is a place where they can just drop in and crash for a night and they know they’ll be welcome. If you know me at all, you know that in these scenarios, I go a little overboard. I switch our toddlers room to a guest room (I set it up to function that way), I go into hyper clean mode and I always offer dinner. 

Deciding what to make for dinner guests can be a whole thing for me. I want to make something a little impressive, but not too difficult to execute and it needs to be something that won’t have me stuck in the kitchen all night (although, let’s be honest, with a toddler, those kinds of meals are basically a thing of the past). I usually give it a lot of thought, almost always falling back on some of the dishes I’ve made over and over like a roast chicken or lamb meatballs, but when it’s last minute, I’ve got to just make something. Sometimes, these end up being my favorite meals. Having to just use what I have and forcing myself to get creative sometimes pays off and occasionally it doesn’t. This time, I’m happy that it did. 

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This lentil salad was my favorite dish from our meal this weekend. I had already roasted and marinated beets a few days prior so all I needed to do was cook some lentils. It ended up being beautiful and even better, delicious. The recipe will give you more beets than you need, but they’re so good you might just snack on them out of the container. Put them on salads, chop them fine and sprinkle them over toast slathered with ricotta or make the best veggie sandwich ever.

Note: The beets need to marinate overnight so you'll need to start this recipe a day ahead. 

black lentils with marinated beets + feta // serves 4

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup black lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 3 medium yellow beets
• 3 medium purple beets
• 2 shallots, minced
• olive oil 
• sherry vinegar 
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• scant 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 6 ounces sheep’s milk feta, cut into 1/2” cubes
• 1/4 cup raw walnuts
• dill for garnish

Preparation: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle. Remove the green tops from the beets and scrub clean under cool water. Place the yellow beets in the middle of a sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Wrap the foil up around the beets and secure at the top, making a packet. Repeat with the purple beets. Place the foil packets onto a sheet pan and roast for one hour. Remove the beets from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Unwrap the packets and place each beet under cool water and rub off the skin. Set aside on a large cutting board, not letting the purple beets touch the yellow ones. You can use two separate cutting boards if you'd like. 
2. In a small bowl, add a 1/2 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar. Add the shallots and season liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper. 
3. Slice the beets into wedges and place in two separate air tight containers (otherwise the yellow beets will turn red). Divide the vinaigrette between the two containers and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. 
4. Add the water and lentils to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and bring to a low simmer. Cook until lentils are cooked but still have a bite to them, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils if there is still water in the pot and season with a small glug of olive and a splash of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
5. While the lentils are cooking, toast the walnuts in a dry medium skillet over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Be careful to not turn your back on them, they’ll burn quickly. Let cool and then chop coarsely or just break them apart with your hands. 
6. Divide the lentils among four bowls and top with both red and yellow beets. Add feta, red onion, sprinkle with walnuts and dill. Spoon over some of the vinaigrette left in the beet containers. 

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peach + yogurt popsicles

Keeping cool in California in the summer can be a little tricky sometimes. We've had several days of over 100 degree heat and no one functions well in those circumstances. I swore off wearing shorts years ago, but in the last three days, I've been wearing them nonstop because that's the closest I can get to running around naked. This week though, the heat confronted more than just my body issues, it questioned our parenting. 

Last Wednesday, the weather was mildly warm, not nearly as hot as it has been this week. Our house has air conditioning, thankfully, but even then, it's hard to keep our third floor condo cool even in temperate weather. We usually turn off the A/C at night and sleep just under sheets and little clothing. That night, Ollie was wearing more clothes than we would have normally dressed him in, but since the weather hadn't been too hot, we didn't think much about it. Around 2am he woke up crying, which is not totally unusual, but he seemed pretty upset. We went into his room and he was extremely hot. We stripped him to his diaper and brought him in bed with us. We took his temp and it was slightly higher than normal and with our 2am brains, decided to just try to get him back to sleep in bed with us. He seemed like he was calm but sleepy so we all dozed off. An hour later, I woke up to him seizing next to me. He was unresponsive, pale with blue lips and I thought he was dying. We called 911 and rushed out of the house with our lifeless toddler, hoping that intervention would save him. As we waited for the ambulance, he started to come out of his comatose state, crying periodically but still totally out of it. The ambulance deemed it unnecessary for them to transport him now that he was not seizing so we took him to the emergency room ourselves. The doctors told us he had a febrile seizure from a high temperature. His little brain couldn't regulate his body temperature, thus thrusting him into convulsions. It was by far the scariest moment as a parent to date and I hope that we don't have to experience that ever again. 

Thankfully, Ollie seems to be no worse from the wear, although we are completely traumatized. He's basically sleeping naked for the rest of his life and I will be forever obsessive about him staying cool. Three days of over 100 degree weather has not helped my cause much this week, so we are doing what we can to keep us cool (read: setting the A/C to 65 and not leaving the house). I'm hoping after this heat wave we'll be seeing fall approaching, but you never know in the sunshine state. We could be in the 80's well into Thanksgiving. Let's all hope for the quick arrival of sweater weather. 

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I don't know a much better way to beat the heat than with popsicles. Peaches are perfect right now, so they seemed like an obvious choice, but you can use any ripe fruit you have on hand. Apricots, pluots, plums or nectarines would be an excellent choice. 

peach + yogurt popsicles // makes 10 // adapted from this recipe by gourmet

Ingredients: 

• 3 ripe peaches, about 1 pound, chopped
• 3/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (you could conceivably cut this down if your peaches are really ripe and sweet)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation: 

Puree all ingredients with an 1/8 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth. Pour into molds and freeze 30 minutes. Insert sticks, then freeze until firm, about 2 hours. 

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savory oatmeal

One of the things I have enjoyed the most about being home with my family for the past year and a half is our breakfasts together. Our daily schedule has become like muscle memory to us by now, always starting with a little voice in the next room babbling about choo choos or "bubbie buh" which is his word for Bubble Guppies, his favorite cartoon. Jon and I usually roll over at the first peep, hoping it's a false alarm, but when he starts kicking the wall (undoubtedly annoying our new neighbors downstairs), we jump up and rescue him from his crib. A diaper is changed, a milk smoothie is made and the french press is poured while we all settle in on the couch to watch an episode of "bubbie buh". Our apartment doesn't see much morning sun, which creates a gentle environment to ease us into the day ahead, and the coffee gives us the jolt we need to get going. After the cartoons, we switch on the news, Jon hits the shower and Ollie and I make breakfast. Usually eggs, often with greens or squash with cheese, piled on top of buttered sourdough toast. We all sit down together at the table most mornings and Oliver makes our hearts swell when he puts out his hands to remind us to pray. After thanking the Lord for His goodness to us, we eat and we laugh, mostly at Oliver and then daddy leaves for work and Ollie and I go about our day. 

In just a few short weeks, I'll be returning to work full time. While I have missed the working world and look forward to joining it again, this decision was a hard one to make, with the obvious consideration of my son and the life we have come to enjoy so much. It's overwhelming at times to think about all the changes we will go through and all the adjustments we will have to accommodate. Only knowing life as a stay-at-home mom, I can't quite wrap my head around what our lives will look like in a few short weeks. My hope is that we will adapt with joy and marvel at all the new opportunities we have been given, though I must be honest, today I'm feeling like I'm going to desperately miss my son. 

I'm hoping our breakfasts will still be a part of our morning, even if they're slightly abbreviated. These savory oats definitely could be on the menu, especially if I make a big batch on Monday morning and just reheat them the rest of the week, only needing to cook a quick egg. I love that these take a savory turn as too much sugar in the morning generally doesn't do me any favors. They're a good way to start your day and could easily carry you through to lunch. 

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savory oatmeal with a poached egg

serves four

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick cooking steel cut oats (I love Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (plus more for garnish)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• sprinkle of freshly ground pepper
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1/4 cilantro, chopped

Preparation: 

1. Bring water and salt to a boil and add the oats. Decrease the heat to low and cover. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for two minutes. Transfer the oats to medium bowl and add the hot sauce, cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Stir to combine and cover with foil. 
2. In a clean sauce pan, bowl 4 cups of water and then reduce to a gentle simmer (you should see small bubbles coming up from the bottom, but nothing more aggressive than that). Crack an egg into a small bowl or cup. Swirl the water with a wooden spoon and slide the egg into the middle of the swirl. This allows the whites to wrap around the yolk in a little package. It may still look a little messy, but thats ok. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Remove the egg from the water with either a slotted spoon or a spider strainer. Transfer to a plate. Trim and wild bits of egg white. Repeat with remaining eggs. 
3. To plate, divide the oats among four bowls and top with an egg, onion, cilantro and a splash of hot sauce. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper. 

my dad's beans

One of the most exciting parts of having a family is creating traditions together. My late step-mom was tradition crazy. She never missed a beat. Every holiday was a huge to do and our birthdays were no exception. For every birthday we shared with her, she stayed up late the night before and quietly decorated the house so we would wake up to streamers and huge "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" signs while we stumbled through the house to the shower. Most likely by her suggestion, on the morning of our birthday, my dad would take each of us out to breakfast, just him and the birthday girl, for the $1.99 Denny's Grand Slam. It was really special. 

My dad's birthday was last week and to celebrate him, I made a pot of his famous beans. It felt appropriate, on his birthday, to offer a little homage to a time that seemed a lot less complicated for him than life is now. When we were kids, coming home to the smell of his beans in the crockpot was the absolute best. Nothing could beat a big bowl of smoky, savory beans with gobs of cheese and cornbread. Plus, that meant dad was making dinner instead of our step-mom. She was beautiful but a terrible cook.

I'd like to make it a tradition to make a batch of beans on my dad's birthday every year, to honor him and to re-live those meals we had together so long ago, with our TV trays, watching Andy Griffith, slurping up every last bean. I will enjoy telling Oliver about his grandpa over a warm bowl, laughing at all the crazy things my dad has told me over the years. Like the time he convinced a friend of mine who had come over for dinner, that our goat was going to be the main course. She about died, and so did I. He's a funny guy, that dad of mine. Those stories make it feel as though we aren't so far apart after all, especially when paired with a piping hot bowl of his beans. 

My beans are slightly different than my dad's version, but the essence is still there. I add herbs and lots of pepper, his are a bit more subtle. They're simple, really, but taste complex thanks to the long cooking time. I will often add rosemary and occasionally double the meat.

Feel free to garnish these the way you'd like. I took pictures of three different ways to eat them. I prefer cheese and sliced onion on top while dunking my cornbread into the salty broth. My dad always does cheese, diced onion and crumbles the cornbread over the top. Feel free to go whichever way you'd like. There isn't a bad way to do it really, it's all a matter of taste. 

For left over beans, I love to puree them and use them as "refried" beans. They're amazing in burritos. 

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slow cooker beans with smoked pork

serves 10

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• chicken stock (about 6-9 cups)
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves, quartered
• 1 rounded tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup butter (half of a stick)
• 1-2 pounds smoked ham hock (bone in)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish: 

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced or sliced, however you like it
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• cornbread, cut into individual servings, or cubed, or crumbled

Preparation: 

1. In a large bowl, add the dried beans and cover with cool water to at least three inches over the beans. Let them soak over night. If you forgot, or you don't have time to do an overnight soak, add the dried beans to a large pot and cover with cool water to at least three inches over the top of the beans. Bring to a boil and then take the pot off the heat and cover with a lid. Let the beans sit in the hot water, off heat for an hour. Continue with the recipe. 
2. Drain the beans and rinse thoroughly. Add them to a 6 quart slow cooker and add enough chicken broth to cover the beans by at least an inch. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, butter and pork. Season with a generously with salt and pepper (at least a few large pinches). 
3. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours, until the beans are tender and creamy, but not falling apart. 
4. With a fork, break up the pork and remove the bone. Divide among 10 bowls and garnish with onion, cheese and cornbread, if making. 

Note: these beans freeze wonderfully. This recipe makes a lot, so feel free to pack them up into an airtight container and freezer for up to one month. You can do that with the cornbread, too. Instant meal!

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