wtf do i feed you #36
we're back to school, wbu?
WE’RE BAAAAACK! Did you have a good end of summer? Well we hope so because it’s over now (harsh) and we are back to BUSINESS with TWO recipes to share with you today.
In Dublin our eldest officially started school last week. It was a momentous occasion, emotional (mostly for us parents) and brought a whole new layer of logistics to our lives which we’re just beginning to get to grips with.
This weekend we planned absolutely zilch. We knew that after a change in routine may come mixed emotions and unpredictable energy levels. Again, turns out it was mostly the parents that were affected. I went into sergeant major mode (stereotypical dad move) and tried to put the house in order and thought it would be a great idea (after seeing some aspirational instagram posts) to meal prep as well as start baking instead of buying bread. We’re one week in and let’s see whether or not this is going to stick.
Side note, the best meal prep move has been always having mirepoix on hand in the fridge - it feels like a game changer. Being able to start off a pasta sauce, risotto, soup and many other things without having to chop and peel every single day can unlock a LOT.
Here’s a gem from meal prep that I hope we see again:
Delia’s Potato Boulangère
It’s simple and sounds fancy. We love a spud over here but were getting tired of mashing and roasting so mixed things up. I have vague memories of scoffing potato boulangère on some French family holidays and so I turned an old battered copy of Delia’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course for advice and voila.
Equipment:
Oven/casserole dish, knife or mandolin, cutting board.
Ingredients:
900g Potatoes
1 Onion
1 Leek
150ml Stock
150ml Milk
2-3 tsp Butter
Salt & pep
Method
Slice those potatoes to about 3-4mm (using a mandolin if you’re brave enough - watch those fingers)
Slice your onion and leeks into discs
In an oven dish, layer your potatoes, onions and leeks leaving the top layer to be purely potato slices.
Mix together your stock and milk, season with salt and pep and pour over your spuds.
Dollop a few blobs of butter across the potatoes and stick in the oven for 45 minutes at 180c (350f) until brown and crispy on top.
Over in Toronto, well…time is a flat circle. We are back to school for the many-ith time, and this year? I’m leaning OUT. Partly because I am hella pregnant, but also partly because I have lost the spark that Ed has found. I wish him all the best in his endeavours and am truly jealous of his energy. Maybe I’ll get a second wind and find it again!!!?!
Back to school, at least for me, mostly means lunch/ snack boxes, and I have something to say. After many years of trial and error and pressure on myself, I have come to the conclusion that these do not need to be complicated. I see the cute bentos with fun shapes, the insane gourmet lunches, the articles telling me how to “up my school lunch game” and I just don’t THINK SO HONEY. I am pregnant, I am tired, and my kids love basic-ass food, so from henceforth I am keeping things SIMPLE. My formula remains the same as always: a sandwich or leftovers, a fruit, a veggie, something crunchy and something sweet. Bonus snacks if they need a little extra.
The fruit is usually an apple or a pear or a bunch of grapes, but it’s prune plum season right now so that’s also in the roster while we have them. The veggie is almost always sliced cucumbers, but I’ll try to switch it up if they’ll let me with celery, peppers, carrots, a handful of spinach. If they ask for it I’ll add a little container of ranch or hummus or green goddess dressing (recipe below!) to dip. Something crunchy depends on the kid - I dole out rice crackers, goldfish, seaweed, crunchy edamame, popcorn, veggie straws. Something sweet is usually lunchbox cookies or muffins if I have my shit together, fruit gummies/dried fruit/apple sauce pouch and a honey stick when we’ve got ‘em.
Things that make keeping it simple actually simple:
A sharpie and some masking tape to label everything because it will all get forgotten at school at some point.
A designated lunchbox station (a drawer, a corner, a shelf or two) in your kitchen, where you keep everything organized, for easy grabbing. Pictured here is my lunchbox corner & the end result. I keep the lunchboxes on a shelf, and shove all my snacks into a various buckets on top of electronics. Works for me!
Now, hard pivot, I want to talk about salad.
At the farmer’s market the other day, the salad stand was giving away free samples, and my eldest proclaimed it was the best salad he’s ever had. A simple spring mix with a green goddess situation. So I have been determined to get this dressing DOWN, and I think I’ve mostly got it.
I am constantly trying to make salad a thing in my house with minimal success. Some say you don’t win friends with salad, but I beg to differ. I WILL win friends with salad, and that journey starts now.
Green Goddess Dressing
Equipment
Food processor or blender, a spoon or spatula, a microplane or zester, a jar.
Ingredients
3 big handfuls of herbs - I use a handful each of dill, parsley & chives
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 anchovy filet (optional, but if you’ve got any anchovies on hand, I say add it!)
1 tbsp capers (also optional, but if you’re holding capers go nuts)
1 lemon, zested
Salt & pepper
Method
Put mayo, yogurt, oil, garlic, capers, anchovy, and herbs into the food processor or blender, in that order. Add a few big pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper. Zest the lemon into the blender, then add the juice, making sure no seeds get in.
Blend it all up until it’s bright green and you see flecks of herbs. Taste for seasoning and add adjust to your liking.
Transfer to a jar & enjoy on salad, as a dip, in rice bowls, on eggs, on sandwiches, on some fancy potatoes - anything can be green goddessed! The dressing should last for a week-ish in the fridge.
OK TTYL!
XO,
KT & ED