The Holy Trinity: Family Dinner New Orleans Style (an homage to Dinner: A Love Story)
About six weeks ago my husband and I got a copy of Jenny Rosenstrach's "Dinner: A Love Story." The book is a culmination of her devotion to writing down every meal she cooked for her family for months and months. It's the kind of book geared toward folks who have good intentions that often get lost between work, childcare and the just-get-some-fuel-in and get on with things kind of lifestyle. I'd imagine this applies to most Western families out there (in terms of marketing you can safely say she's thought this project through). It fits us to a T, and though we cook several nights a week we were really stuck in a chicken-pizza-pasta rut. Enter DALS.
We leafed through the recipes looking for one or two inspirational meals, and that's when her philosophy hit us. Have one family meal together. Every single day, or as many days a week as you can. She doesn't promise that it'll solve the world's problems or give you everlasting health--part of the beauty of the book is that she doesn't beat the idea over the head. She just shows you how to do it, one week at a time. Drawing from her empirically tested ideas, Todd and I sat down and came up with one week of meals. Our planning also took inspiration from Karen Le Billon's "French Kids Eat Everything"--try to go as long as you can without repeating a meal, go heavy on the vegetables and don't serve the same protein source more than once a week. It has been a big challenge, but it has been fun. We're proud to say that we've been doing it for more than four weeks now and the vast majority of our meals are made from scratch (which allows us to stay within budget and splurge on some gourmet items now and again:-). If anyone is interested in my own fanatical meal recording, here it is! About half of the meal ideas are our own, and many of them draw on the local culinary "Holy Trinity" of peppers, onions and celery (plus liberal does of Tony Chachere's and Tabasco). The rest of the recipes are directly from DALS:
Week 1
Pasta bolognese, made with green beans instead of pasta (will try homemade pasta soon!)
Pork chops, fauxtatos (made with cauliflower, butter and broth), oven baked brussels sprouts (salt, olive oil, pepper)
Pan seared ahi in soy reduction, wilted kale, new potatoes
Falafel, hummus, tomato and spinach salad with homemade vinaigrette
Udon noodles with shrimp, mung beans and bok choy
Pan fried chicken with farmer's market cheddar, black beans, cilantro and saffron rice (too intimidated to make our own tortilla's yet!)
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Homemade chocolate chip cookies rolled in sugared cocoa and served with ice cold milk
Week 2
Homemade pizza with traditional garlic and tomato sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella and served with spinach and olive size salad
"Fish presents" with halibut, radishes with sea salt as appetizer
Red beans and rice, with green peppers
Two Run Farms eye of round with broccoli, side of spicy oven fries
Chicken breast, curried with apples
Calzone with spicy sausage, mozzarella and vegetables
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Homemade mexican chocolate icebox cookies and homemade cinnamon ice cream
Week 3
Ful medames with catfish, middle eastern style and side salad with slivered almonds
"Gourmet" sandwiches on homemade wheat rolls, with spinach
Omelet with chevre and scallions
Chorizo and brie on homemade mini baguettes, with a side of sliced veggies, olives and plentiful wine
Whole chicken roasted in clay pot with the "holy trinity" (peppers, onions, celery...which will lead to):
"Skeleton soup" with fresh baked rosemary bread
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Mousse au chocolat made with orange zest
Week 4
Tomates farcies w/Mr. Pitt's (farmer's market favorite!) ground beef & onions, side of couscous/pine nuts
Drumsticks in apricot glaze with steamed kale on the side
Grilled chicken and asparagus
Quinoa, egg and spinach scramble
Dal Mahkni
Fettuccine with lardons and leeks (homemade pasta--nailed! It did take us 2 tries but we got it:-)
TAKEOUT!
Dessert
Strawberries in wine reduction sauce
Week 5 (so far)
Pork loin braised in red wine and pomegranate juice, with red cabbage
Pan-seared scallops
Wasabi salmon with rice, avocado halves with vinaigrette, cucumber salad
Black bean burrito (the tortilla dough made with homemade organic lard is ready to go!)
Dessert
Gâteau au yaourt (I'm preparing a homemade lemon extract so that I can do a lemon icing next time next time I make this)
Looking back, I am flabbergasted that we have been able to do this every day. And yes, I'm also a bit daunted by the thought that we will continue on this path for the next five weeks and beyond. But even though most days have been far from twee (hah!) we make it happen by planning strategically, organizing food shopping and preparation around work and other errands and hardcore stocking up on the staples so that we could save money and cut down on what we actually need to get every week. I have a great app on my phone called "Mighty Grocery" that lets me organize my shopping by store and even by aisle, so anytime I'm near one of the stores I can pop in and never forget that crucial item I need (the basic version is free!). Plus we keep it simple and don't try a brand new thing more than once or twice a week. It also helps that I ride my bike past a wonderful southern grocery on the way to work several days a week, and Berlin loves to pass out the moment I wheel her travel system into the farmer's market. Believe me, I'm counting my blessings.
Overall? The very best thing (aside from having healthy, restorative meals every day) is that this lifestyle imparts structure and a slower, more liveable routine to our week. That said, my husband and I will be the first to admit that we've had some stressful days when we've thought about throwing in the apron and ordering out. And you know what? We did (see "TAKEOUT" listed once a week). In fact, weekly restaurant meals are included in "Dinner: A Love Story." If anything, you've gotta take a break. The type B part of me thinks that is awesome and loves the chance to relax with a glass of wine and no dishes to do. The type A part of me (ahem) makes sure to try something new every week, which will help diversify our future meal planning;-)
I'll keep you posted--and if you have any tips or tricks I'm all ears!
We leafed through the recipes looking for one or two inspirational meals, and that's when her philosophy hit us. Have one family meal together. Every single day, or as many days a week as you can. She doesn't promise that it'll solve the world's problems or give you everlasting health--part of the beauty of the book is that she doesn't beat the idea over the head. She just shows you how to do it, one week at a time. Drawing from her empirically tested ideas, Todd and I sat down and came up with one week of meals. Our planning also took inspiration from Karen Le Billon's "French Kids Eat Everything"--try to go as long as you can without repeating a meal, go heavy on the vegetables and don't serve the same protein source more than once a week. It has been a big challenge, but it has been fun. We're proud to say that we've been doing it for more than four weeks now and the vast majority of our meals are made from scratch (which allows us to stay within budget and splurge on some gourmet items now and again:-). If anyone is interested in my own fanatical meal recording, here it is! About half of the meal ideas are our own, and many of them draw on the local culinary "Holy Trinity" of peppers, onions and celery (plus liberal does of Tony Chachere's and Tabasco). The rest of the recipes are directly from DALS:
Week 1
Pasta bolognese, made with green beans instead of pasta (will try homemade pasta soon!)
Pork chops, fauxtatos (made with cauliflower, butter and broth), oven baked brussels sprouts (salt, olive oil, pepper)
Pan seared ahi in soy reduction, wilted kale, new potatoes
Falafel, hummus, tomato and spinach salad with homemade vinaigrette
Udon noodles with shrimp, mung beans and bok choy
Pan fried chicken with farmer's market cheddar, black beans, cilantro and saffron rice (too intimidated to make our own tortilla's yet!)
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Homemade chocolate chip cookies rolled in sugared cocoa and served with ice cold milk
Week 2
Homemade pizza with traditional garlic and tomato sauce, topped with fresh mozzarella and served with spinach and olive size salad
"Fish presents" with halibut, radishes with sea salt as appetizer
Red beans and rice, with green peppers
Two Run Farms eye of round with broccoli, side of spicy oven fries
Chicken breast, curried with apples
Calzone with spicy sausage, mozzarella and vegetables
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Homemade mexican chocolate icebox cookies and homemade cinnamon ice cream
Week 3
Ful medames with catfish, middle eastern style and side salad with slivered almonds
"Gourmet" sandwiches on homemade wheat rolls, with spinach
Omelet with chevre and scallions
Chorizo and brie on homemade mini baguettes, with a side of sliced veggies, olives and plentiful wine
Whole chicken roasted in clay pot with the "holy trinity" (peppers, onions, celery...which will lead to):
"Skeleton soup" with fresh baked rosemary bread
TAKEOUT
Dessert
Mousse au chocolat made with orange zest
Week 4
Tomates farcies w/Mr. Pitt's (farmer's market favorite!) ground beef & onions, side of couscous/pine nuts
Drumsticks in apricot glaze with steamed kale on the side
Grilled chicken and asparagus
Quinoa, egg and spinach scramble
Dal Mahkni
Fettuccine with lardons and leeks (homemade pasta--nailed! It did take us 2 tries but we got it:-)
TAKEOUT!
Dessert
Strawberries in wine reduction sauce
Week 5 (so far)
Pork loin braised in red wine and pomegranate juice, with red cabbage
Pan-seared scallops
Wasabi salmon with rice, avocado halves with vinaigrette, cucumber salad
Black bean burrito (the tortilla dough made with homemade organic lard is ready to go!)
Dessert
Gâteau au yaourt (I'm preparing a homemade lemon extract so that I can do a lemon icing next time next time I make this)
Looking back, I am flabbergasted that we have been able to do this every day. And yes, I'm also a bit daunted by the thought that we will continue on this path for the next five weeks and beyond. But even though most days have been far from twee (hah!) we make it happen by planning strategically, organizing food shopping and preparation around work and other errands and hardcore stocking up on the staples so that we could save money and cut down on what we actually need to get every week. I have a great app on my phone called "Mighty Grocery" that lets me organize my shopping by store and even by aisle, so anytime I'm near one of the stores I can pop in and never forget that crucial item I need (the basic version is free!). Plus we keep it simple and don't try a brand new thing more than once or twice a week. It also helps that I ride my bike past a wonderful southern grocery on the way to work several days a week, and Berlin loves to pass out the moment I wheel her travel system into the farmer's market. Believe me, I'm counting my blessings.
Overall? The very best thing (aside from having healthy, restorative meals every day) is that this lifestyle imparts structure and a slower, more liveable routine to our week. That said, my husband and I will be the first to admit that we've had some stressful days when we've thought about throwing in the apron and ordering out. And you know what? We did (see "TAKEOUT" listed once a week). In fact, weekly restaurant meals are included in "Dinner: A Love Story." If anything, you've gotta take a break. The type B part of me thinks that is awesome and loves the chance to relax with a glass of wine and no dishes to do. The type A part of me (ahem) makes sure to try something new every week, which will help diversify our future meal planning;-)
I'll keep you posted--and if you have any tips or tricks I'm all ears!