wtf do i feed you #31
existential dread? try banana bread!
Hi friends,
…welp. January was 1 year long and February is basically done. Everything is…terrible? Horrifying? We’re really trying to keep it together. All there is is food and family and friends and community. Friends and neighbours, that’s where it’s at.
Thanks so much to everyone who shared their regular rotations with us last month! It was heartening to know that many of us rotate through classics like pasta with pesto or ragu, dal, cheesy omelettes, meatballs, bagged salads.
Some other great & delicious highlights included:
Baked risottos, fish chowder with white beans, chili with biscuits and slow cooker pulled pork on buns or tortillas. We’re impressed and inspired!
DMs and comments are open if you want to share what you’ve made recently - we always want to hear from you, and love the insight into how other families do it!
Now for the recap…
What We Cooked:
Indie meats. A thing about us? We both really enjoy cooking and eating alt-meats. Rabbit, pheasant, bison, venison, we’ll gladly give it a whirl! On both sides of the ocean, we’ve been trying to cook meat which we can source at the local farmers market (rather than the supermarket). Understandably we’re in a privileged position to do this as (1) we both live near farmers markets (2) we have the time to visit (3) we can afford the premium for meat & produce from a small scale business. Buying local is something we believe is important to our food ecosystem, and when we can, we will always put our money where our mouths are to live those values. Moral standpoint aside, we’ve found that it turns out if your kids are into eating meat, it generally doesn’t really matter what the meat is, so it gives us a chance to feel a bit more creative as cooks, too. Over the past few weeks in Dublin, we’ve had venison meatballs, pheasant casserole, wild boar ragu. In Toronto we’ve recently enjoyed bison meatloaf, and in the warmer months one of our most frequented farmers market stands is the ostrich guy - he makes incredible ostrich dumplings and meat patties! Sounds like we’re living our best nose to tail life, but mostly we’re just out here trying to figure out how to ease our conscience as meat eaters AND the kids don’t give a toot, as long as the dinner is familiar and tasty enough.
ED: Veggie nachos. Indie meats aside, we are also always trying to get more vegetarian meals into our weekly rotation. Most of our veggie meals revolve around pasta or some sort of curry, and that’s great but we’re getting a bit tired of those. Thankfully, during a weekend shift at work our chef made us all vegan nachos - and there it was, staring me straight in the face - a family friendly vegetarian meal (turns out they’re hard to come by). This dish is a beauty. It requires fairly minimal input and you’re getting back maximum flavour, and the kids get to eat chips for dinner. You’ll find the recipe at the bottom of the newsletter, give it a whirl!
KT: Emotional support baking. When I am feeling bad about the world and need something to do with my hands that is not doom scrolling, there is nothing more comforting than baking, for me. This past month I’ve turned to lemon drizzle cake, a very slightly adapted version my beloved Nana’s (RIP) famous banana bread, a raspberry muffin with crunchy brown sugar/cornflake topping, back to the banana bread, and also an orange olive oil cake…all winners, all gave me a brief respite from my existential dread. If you could also use some emotional support baking, Nana Banana Bread is here 4 u. Recipe below.
ED: Marmalade! Each year towards the end of January it’s become a family tradition to make marmalade. We make enough to see us through the year (Laura and I have marm on toast most mornings), as well as enough to give as a gift to friends to brighten up their January. This year was the first year our toddler could take part in the process, as a big Paddington fan he was delighted to help. This is our emotional support baking.
What We Watched
Dog Man (Katie’s review: A great opportunity for a 90 minute nap! The kids were locked in, and I tuned all the way out)
Disney’s Robin Hood (Katie fact: DID YOU KNOW the Hamster dance comes from the tune that the rooster sings in the intro to Robin Hood? Now you know).
For the adults, some great options: Big Boys, Amandaland, Am I Being Unreasonable?, Paradise.
Movies that were solid: Companion, Anora, A Complete Unknown.
For when you need to just veg: Love Island All Stars, The Traitors, the new Bridget Jones.
What We Read
ED: Not Now Bernard. Laura and I hit a huge milestone recently, and had our first night away from both kids. We took a trip to London to see friends, get to know each other again and pretend to be young. A huge part of the negotiation that enabled this trip was to bring back three gifts for our four year old. While casually browsing bookshops without being dragged in every which direction by said four year old, I found a book I hadn’t picked up since (well) I was a four year old, ‘Not Now Bernard’ by David McKee. It’s a baffling, bizarre and funny read. I bought it home and Rowan has told me he’d like to take it back to London to switch it for another book, while at the same time bringing it into daycare to show his friends. Does he like the book? Would he recommend it? I couldn’t tell you, but it took me back to a time and place and I enjoyed sharing that with him.
KT: I read basically nothing but the news, hot takes of the news, threads about the news, and a few great substacks:
, , , & . My kids are extremely into the I Survived series currently. Some pretty grim topics covered there, but I am happy that they are reading together. Also, Katie the Cat Sitter.
What We Worried About
The end of the world. No explanation really needed here.
KT: Dopamine seeking behaviour. I use my phone too much, especially these days. I worry a lot about whether my kids' childhood memories are going to mostly feature me staring at my phone or holding up a phone to record them, and how I can curb my bad behaviour there.
KT: Summer Camp enrolment. Tell me WHY I am forced to figure out my whole summer in a panic during the first weeks of January?! Summer camp enrolment should start at LEAST the first week of February. Give us a BREAK!
ED: Getting into the right school! We’ve somehow reached the point in family life where one of our kids will be starting school this year. We had naively imagined our eldest getting a place at the brand new, multi-denominational, extremely popular primary school five minutes down the road from where we live. Naturally this would have been the perfect fit into each of our commutes to work (and creche for the youngest drop off). And naturally, this has not happened. We’re on a waitlist, and we do have back ups in the local area (although wrong directions). This was a harsh reminder that the juggling of family logistics truly starts here.
Nana Banana Bread
Makes 1 perfect loaf.
Equipment
Medium mixing bowl, measuring cups & spoons, spatula or wooden mixing spoon, fork, loaf pan, parchment paper.
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 cup/200 g sugar**
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup neutral oil or melted butter
2 heaping tbsp sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 ½ cup / 180 g all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp turbinado or raw sugar (optional, but encouraged)
Method
Preheat oven to 350F/180C
In your mixing bowl, mash bananas until smooth. Add sugar, egg, vanilla, oil/butter and sour cream/yogurt and mix until smooth and lighter in colour. Add flour, salt & baking soda and gently mix until combined & no dry streaks remain.
Transfer batter to a parchment lined loaf & top with turbinado sugar. Bake for 1 hour, checking for done-ness around 45-50 minutes (when a cake tester/toothpick/knife comes out clean).
Let cool slightly & enjoy plain, with butter or even a swipe of PB!
**To make this more baby/toddler friendly, you can greatly reduce or omit the sugar and add a few glugs of maple syrup instead. If you do this, also reduce the salt.
Veggie Nachos
Equipment
Not much! One decent sized pot, baking tray, measuring spoons, a knife for chopping.
Ingredients
1 bag tortilla chips
1 sweet potato, chopped into cubes
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 dried adobo chile
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
Olive oil
Salt
Choose your own adventure nacho toppings:
Sour cream
Avocado
Shredded cheese or our cheese sauce
Hot sauce
Pickled jalapeños (we love Lolo’s!)
Cliantro (coriander, sorry Katie), lime, corn, pickled shallots, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsa….
Method
Preheat oven to 350F / 180C
Peel and chop sweet potato into bite size chunks, drizzle with olive oil and salt - roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until a slight char.
While the sweet potato is roasting, chop your onion in half (not diced, just in half, skin removed - you’ll be discarding it later) and crush your garlic. Heat a big glug of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and cook the onions & garlic until soft (don’t let the garlic burn). Add your dried spices (cumin, paprika and chilli) and mix together, cooking until fragrant.
Now it’s time to add your tomato paste, followed by the can of diced tomatoes and a splash of water (recycle the tomato can as a water vessel), turn the heat down low and let it simmer while your sweet potatoes finish roasting. Stir often, and add splashes of water periodically if the sauce is sticking to the pan or looking dry. The longer the sauce cooks, the deeper the flavour will be. When your sweet potatoes are about five minutes out, add your drained black beans. Taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
When the sweet potatoes are done and you’re ready to eat, remove the half onion and dried chilli from the beans and toss the sweet potatoes together with the bean sauce. Remember to set aside undressed potatoes for any kids who may (or will definitely) object to sauce.
Now it’s time to assemble. Find your perfect nacho vessel or serve it family style on a baking tray or platter. Layer the tortilla chips and sweet potatoes/bean sauce. Choose your own adventure with the rest of your toppings - mashed avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, pickled jalapenos, cheese sauce or shredded cheese - you decide!
For kids, consider doing a broken down version with plain sweet potatoes and sauce on the side, or letting them load their own plate with chips and toppings. For babies/early eaters, a bowl of mashed sweet potato (either plain or sauced) and some avocado is a great option.