Working With What You Have: Cabbage, Potatoes, and G-Chat

DISH: Potato and Cabbage Gratin; Vegetarian Pasta Carbonara
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Potato, Onion, Cabbage
TYPE: Wintry and hearty

It is evident that Phoebe and I should spend more time on g-chat. Below, our inspiring what-on-earth-do-I-make-with-what-I-have conversation (edited for idiocy, digression, and capitalization):

me: and now I have an entire green cabbage in my fridge and I am trying to fathom what to do with it
Phoebe: oh I had a cracked out dream about this
me: about cabbage?
Phoebe: you order from this weekly farmers market that delivers all these super weird veggies to your door every Monday
me: a CSA!
wait that was your dream?
Phoebe: haha yes, that you did this
there were these weird red and orange potatoes that were covered in leaves
me: tell me more
I'll turn it into a dish

...

Phoebe: but as for cabbage, is it red or green?
me: it's green
Phoebe: hmm
me: which is not quite as fun to play with
Phoebe: slaw of sorts?
me: also there are turnips (to be expected)
and potatoes and carrots
...and that's pretty much it
Phoebe: wait, so were these delivered to you?
me: no no I purchased them
with my own money
@ the farmers market
Phoebe: ahhhh
of course
well why did you get green cabbage??
me: I like it!
it is very good sauteed in butter
with parm and pasta

my thought bubble: (cabbage with butter, parm, and pasta)

Phoebe: mmm
true
me: it's just not the most exciting thing around
Phoebe: oooh or what about in a weird potato cabbage gratin
Eastern Europe meets France?
or I had an idea of an open-faced chickpea burgers with tahini slaw*
me: both sound great!
so for gratin, would you just cover in cheese? or make a bechamel-y thing?
Phoebe: maybe some paprika and/or other Hungarian spices?
prob a béchamel-y thing. but that’s your forte

From my computer, where I'm always talking about my next meal, to your kitchen,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

*This too will come to fruition. Stay tuned.

**Recipes**

Potato and Cabbage Gratin

serves 4

I don't think I'd ever made gratin before this one, probably mostly because the gooeyness of excessive heavy cream or bechamel always turned me off. What I ended up concocting is still plenty rich, but all I did was simmer potato slices in low-fat milk then pour them into the pan with the cheese. The idea, in retrospect, was to make the most of natural potato starch as a thickener. And, as per Phoebe's wise suggestion, I sprinkled some paprika over the top, confirming the Eastern European-ness of this invented dish.

Ingredients
2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced
1 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
about 2 cups of green cabbage, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (really any) cheese
pepper to taste
dash of hot sauce
dash of paprika

Butter or oil a 9 x 5" baking pan, or use 4 individual ramekins. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Melt the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cabbage and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Meanwhile, put the milk, potatoes, white wine, another 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and several grinds of pepper into a small pot. Over medium heat, bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer, gently, for about 5 minutes while the cabbage cooks. Remove from heat; add a dab or two of hot sauce; pour into the prepared pan.

When the cabbage and onion are softened and slightly browned, add them to the potatoes in the pan. Sprinkle about half the cheese and mix it all together. Dust with the remaining cheese, a bit of paprika, and some more pepper.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes on top are quite brown and the edges are crispy. Cool slightly before serving (with meat or fish, eggs, or a salad).

Vegetarian Pasta Carbonara
serves 2

Just as I'd never made gratin, I don't think I've ever really eaten Spaghetti Carbonara. It's made out of bacon, and it always just looked kind of gloppy. But I do have a predilection for dishes thickened with egg, which carbonara is.

My version uses a sweet sauteed cabbage-onion base just like the gratin, but the vegetables are then mixed with egg, cheese, and lots of salt and pepper to create a thick, rich sauce for noodles.

Ingredients
4-6 oz pasta (preferably spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, or angel hair)
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons butter
1 onion
2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Combine the egg, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, salt to taste, and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, and cook until soft and slightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

When the cabbage is nearly done, cook the pasta to al dente. When it's nearly done, scoop out about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add it slowly and while whisking to the egg-cheese mixture. Drain the pasta, reserving another 1/2 cup of pasta water. Quickly return the drained pasta to the cooking pot, pour in the egg, and heat, stirring constantly, for about a minute, over low heat. You want it to thicken but you want to make sure the egg doesn't curdle.

Add the egg and pasta to the cabbage and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

Read more...

Cooking for Others: New Ingredients, Old Friends

Sarah and Jessy: more posed than a high-school yearbook photo

EVENT: Dinner for Jessy and Sarah; high school gab session

VENUE: Phoebe's Apartment, Flatiron

PARTY SIZE: 3

TYPE: Casual Weeknight Dinner, Experimental Menu

MENU: Crispy Duck Salad with Pear, Pecans, and Ginger-Honey Mustard Vinaigrette; Sweet Pea and Ginger Dip

It has been passed down to me through firsthand tales and various internalized catch phrases from my favorite Food Network matrons of entertaining, that the golden rule of hosting is always to stick to the tried and true when it comes to the food. I can’t recall if my mother ever actually told me this. But I do know that every summer when my father inevitably invites 8 or more people over for dinner against all of our wills, that still without fail by 8 o’clock that evening the table is graced by one big, beautiful baked filet of salmon, simply adorned, perfectly cooked, and without so much as a pinched nerve or hint of effort from behind my mother’s kitchen door.

I, on the other hand, have not always stuck to this rule, and luckily, my reputation in and out of the kitchen has been left unscathed by multiple disastrous incidents. However, having suffered the humiliations of my failures, I still wholeheartedly advocate these risks for the sake of your repertoire.

That said, I would give the following advice to those who consider experimenting in the presence of company: do not do so if you are hypersensitive to fiascos or the smell of fire; always have some sort of arsenal of Plan B’s (extra ingredients on hand, Dean and Deluca downstairs, etc.), and don’t ever choose a daunting recipe just to impress someone, as the pressure alone will thrust you down a dark spiral of stove-top destruction. Of course, for most of us this last example usually involves a romantic interest, and thus brings back memories of one of the few times I have managed to burn chicken in a skillet, completely losing my cool in front of a new boyfriend.

But I digress…

Basically, the moral of this story can be directly taken from Bridget Jones’ Diary: If you are going to put yourself in a culinary situation that could possibly produce blue soup, you better do so for guests who love you, just the way you are.

Which brings me to dinner with my two high school friends, Jessy and Sarah, and my first attempt at making duck. This meal, full of trial and error, and the prospect of under-done duck breast, was a fun, even joyous experience in the presence of friends who have seen me in far more humiliating food and drink-related situations, and will, I can only imagine, continue to watch me do so.

From my small kitchen—full of experiments, failures, and good friends—to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipes**

Crispy Duck Salad with Pear, Pecans, and Ginger-Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Makes 4 Servings

I'm sure it will begin to surface on this blog that I am a bit of a fruit-phobe. Though I've warmed up to a few varieties over the years, even those I welcome into my home are rarely welcomed into the main components of my meals, and certainly not my salads. However, I made an exception with this dish, as duck is usually paired with various fruit compotes and demi-glaces. I opted out of all that fancy fruity stuff by simply slicing up a ripe Bosc pear for this salad. My guests, and the duck for that matter, can thank me later--the pear added a perfect crisp, tartness to the heavy duck and peppery arugula and, accented by the honey in the dressing, you did not even taste the sweetness of fruit at all.

Ingredients

2 Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced
7 oz baby arugula (watercress and mache work well too)
¾ cup pecans
2 boneless duck breasts (about 1 ½ - 2 lbs)
1 inch ginger, grated or finely minced, about 1 tbsp
1 garlic clove, pushed through a press or finely minced
½ tbsp honey
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
½ tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and olive oil. Rinse the duck breasts well and remove any extraneous fat on the bottom. Score the skin diagonally—this will help the marinade reach the inside of the breast and also allow the large layer of fat to cook out and become crispy when you sear it. Place breasts in a Ziploc bag and cover with the ginger-soy mixture, using your hands to make sure sauce is properly distributed. Marinate the duck overnight in the refrigerator or for 30 minutes to an hour before you begin cooking.

Heat a large cast iron or over-proof skillet over a high flame. Remove the duck from the marinade and pat each breast dry. Add the breasts to the pan, skin side down, and turn heat back to medium. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the skin is dark brown and crispy.

TIP: The duck will render a lot of fat during this time. You may want to spoon this out along the way to prevent excess splattering and for use at another time.

Turn breasts over and cook on the stove top for another two minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 10 minutes depending on your desired doneness. Since this was my first time tackling duck, I cut into it after 5 minutes, determined it was too rare, and returned the pan to the oven for an additional 5.

Return breasts to a room temperature plate, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the additional ingredients for your salad.

In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil or rendered duck fat over a low flame. Toast the pecans for 10-15 minutes stirring frequently (nuts are the easiest thing to burn if left unattended). Set aside and salt to taste as if you were going to eat them plain.

Toss arugula, pecans, and pear slices with the ginger-honey mustard dressing (recipe below) and distribute on four plates. Slice the duck breasts and place 4-5 slices on top of each salad.

For the dressing:

1 small shallot, quartered
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1 tsp honey
½ lemon, juiced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor or blender. If you do not have one, mince the ginger and shallot as finely as possible or use a micro plane to grate these two ingredients.

Sweet Pea and Ginger Dip
Makes 4 Servings

This dip was inspired by the memory of Cara's sweet pea crostini from many months past. I decided to add an Asian accent to the dish to better accompany the hint of ginger in my salad to come. While Cara added ricotta to give her pea mixture a more full, creamy texture, I found that with just a few flavor additions--garlic, ginger, shallot--the peas stood up just fine on their own.

Ingredients

16oz frozen peas
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp ginger, chopped
½ tbsp olive oil

In a medium sauce pan or dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Sauté the shallot for a few minutes until translucent and then add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for an additional two minutes. Turn the flame to low and add the frozen peas. Stir to incorporate with the shallot mixture, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes until peas are completely defrosted but not mushy.

Place ¾ of the mixture in a small food processor or blender and puree. In a small bowl, combine the pea puree with all but ½ tablespoon of the remaining whole peas and stir to incorporate.


Garnish with the tablespoon of peas and serve at room temperature with a crusty torn baguette or toasted flatbread.
Read more...

Baking for Others: Tins of Treats

EVENT: Boston Birthday/I Miss My Sister In Maine

TYPE: Sendable!

BAKED GOOD: Brownies with add-ins

I've been baking brownies from Molly O'Neill's New York Cookbook for as long as I can remember. Back when my metabolism was speedy, I'd bake a pan, then eat it warm, even uncut, from the oven. Now, I stick to picking at the crust as I cut the brownies into morsels to send to friends, in the process expelling them from my apartment immediately.

My main method of expulsion is to gift baked goods to friends—sometimes friends in the neighborhood, but sometimes people who live far off. They're a nice, easy way of saying "hi," "happy birthday," or "eat up, you're too thin," without spending much more than the cost of postage.

These brownies are sendable favorites, though I've made some changes in ingredients and techniques over the years, and it is this modified recipe I'm posting now. It produces brownies that are thin, almost like fudge, but are sturdy enough to be packaged and sent.

A note about sending sweets in the mail: though brownies and tea cake (more on that soon) both keep very well, still try to send them overnight or at least in first-class mail so they don't wind up lost. Send them early in the week so you don't lose a day when the mailmen take a break on Sundays. Find sturdy tins, tupperware, or boxes (my most recent vessel was an empty tea box), and pad them well. I often wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap, but sometimes I just layer them between sheets of foil.

From my kitchen, small but generous, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

cut and ready for packing!

The Best Brownies

16 normal-sized brownies

Though it sounds peculiar, under-baking and then immediately freezing the pan of brownies creates an incredible texture—sturdy but luscious. Recently, I sent a batch of these up to Boston, for my dear friend Becky's birthday, which I couldn't make in person. Those had toffee bits and dark chocolate chips mixed in. A week later, I stirred toasted almonds into a second espresso-scented batch, which I dispatched up to Maine to be enjoyed by my little sister, who needs extra sustenance to get her through the winter and her exhausting crew-team practices.

Ingredients

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup add-ins: chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, heath bar bites, or chopped toasted nuts.

Note: Though I like eating fancy brands of chocolate when someone else is paying, these brownies miraculously use good old Baker's Unsweetened chocolate squares to great results. If you're in the mood to splurge, the brownies are obviously also delicious with any of the new and improved unsweetened chocolate bars out there.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Clear a space in the freezer for the pan, and line the space with a dish towel.

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over low heat (this can also be done in the microwave). Remove from the heat and stir in the sugars. Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and optional espresso, and mix until smooth. Add the flour, salt, and nuts/chips/candy and stir until smooth. Pour into the pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is crackly but the brownies are still quite moist. Cool slightly, then put the whole pan in the freezer until thoroughly cool, or leave overnight.

Cut the brownies into squares and eat, serve, or send.

Read more...

Blogging for Others: Cooking Questions on Urtak!

It goes without saying that your beloved Quarter-Life Cooks, Cara and Phoebe, are the authors of this blog.

But it bears admitting that we're dying for input from you, our readers, on topics such as:

Do you have a raging sweet tooth?


Have you ever hosted a dinner party?

and

Do you like to look at photographs of food?

Clicking through Big Girls Small Kitchen's dedicated Q&A site is a fun and easy way to find out what those around you are cooking, eating, and thinking about eating. And as we’re two among many of quite a sprawling demographic, we’re really and truly eager for some good old-fashioned feedback. So...

Click here for the BIG GIRLS SMALL KITCHEN Urtak.

Think of Urtak as an amusing yet intellectual waste of time. Amazingly, it’s also a tool for gauging community opinions and interests—which will help us QLCs know exactly what we're up against. Even better, if you sign up over at urtak.com, you can pose your own questions to the community of our readers. (Here are directions on using it.)

With this added feature, we hope to bolster the spirit of participation in our blog. As your authors, we're the ones fiddling around in the kitchen and the ones documenting what we’ve made in order to share it with others. Already we’ve had some help with the cooking: Keith andLibbie contending at the cook-offs, Alexis baking and basting at the Christmas party. Before long, we’re hoping to involve more people—friends who are expert chefs, aspiring sommeliers, and dedicated eaters.

In the meantime, keep on clicking through to discover if anyone manages to spend less than $50 a week on food, whether we harbor celebrity chef crushes, and what proportion of our readers doesn’t own a single cookbook.

In turn, we’ll digest all this info and create new recipes and posts that best cater to you!

From our kitchen, where we’re wondering what your kitchen is like, to yours,

Phoebe and Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS

Read more...

Potluck Parties: Pack-a-Pie and Do-It-There-Dip

Event: NYC Inauguration Ball Pre-Party
Venue: Sarah's brilliant new Lower East Side apartment
Party size: About 15
Menu: Savory onion tart (C); gooey Mexican dip (P); cheese platter; Sarah's (addictive) pecan bars



The weekday potluck presents a very particular challenge to those of us with full-time jobs. On the one hand, there's little more appealing after a day of work than to sit in someone's cozy apartment with a bit of wine, some passable gossip, and a meal that everyone's contributed to. On the other hand, being punctual to the potluck often means there's no time to stop home to cook, or even just pick up, your tasty dish.

To combat this conundrum, we tend to take two distinct approaches:

1) Cook something so hardy and durable that subway travel, potential lack of refrigeration, and hours of elapsed time between preparation and service do it no harm; OR

2) Buy simple ingredients on the way to work or to potluck that can be combined without too much mess and imposition on the host into a fresh, impromptu contribution.

In weighing the ingredients in her fridge against the obstacles the poor dish would have to face between 8am and 7pm, Cara created a simple savory pie from ingredients as humble as onions and low-fat cottage cheese. Cut into quarters and stowed safely in tupperware, it made it to the party intact and no worse for the wear.

Phoebe, employing strategy #2, arrived at Sarah's with a bagful of ingredients. Within moments though, the oven was preheating, and Phoebe had opened up bottles and bags and emptied packets and cans into a saucepan. She had Mexican dip baking in ten minutes flat. The kitchen was no messier than when she started, and not one extraneous utensil had been dirtied.

From our small kitchen, where we're (still!!) celebrating the inauguration, to yours,

Phoebe and Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS

**Recipes**

Onion Tart

Makes 1 pie, about 12 small servings

Simple ingredients come together to make a savory pie that's more like a white pizza than a quiche. Cut in 12, the pie makes slices perfect for appetizers, but larger portions could certainly become the centerpoint of a light meal.

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold

1 egg yolk

2-3 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1 cup whipped low-fat cottage cheese (if the cottage cheese you have is higher in fat, that's fine; if it has a larger curd, give it a whirl in the blender)

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon flour

Paprika (optional)

Combine the flours with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter, which should be very cold, into a small dice. Add the butter, and, using your fingers, grind it into the flour until the whole mixture looks like fine crumbs. Beat the egg yolk with the ice water, then pour into the bowl. Mix with a fork or your hands until you can combine the dough into a ball.

Pat it into a small disk, then roll out to fit in your pan. If the dough breaks apart, don't stress: collect the scraps and use them to fill in any holes you make. Transfer to a pie tart with a removable bottom and patch as needed. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Warm the oil in a small saucepan over very low heat. Add the diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, fragrant, and golden.

Combine the other 1/2 teaspoon salt, mustard, cottage cheese, milk, egg, flour, and half of the grated Swiss in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Remove the tart crust from the fridge. Sprinkle the onions all over it, then cover them with half of the Swiss. Pour the combined filling on top and smooth it to the edges. Deocrate with the optional paprika and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is slightly brown and the filling has set. Cool completely before cutting.

TIP #1: I like to make the "walls" of the tart of double thickness: press extra dough along the sides of the tart to up its sturdiness factor.

TIP #2: If you won't be transporting the tart, you can make it in a pie pan without a removable bottom and serve it straight from the pan.

Gooey Mexican Dip
Enough to fill a large skillet or one large 9 x 13" baking dish

I owe the ingenious simplicity of this dish to my college roommate, Jillian, who ensured that it was on the table at every festive gathering and, as a result, helped me fully accomplish my Freshman 15 by Junior year.

Ingredients

1 package shredded cheese - Mexican fiesta blend or Monterey Jack
8 oz cream cheese
1 package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained of all liquids
½ cup half and half
1 jar of medium-spiced salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a large bowl (or in the skillet itself), combine all ingredients. Whisk together until fully incorporated, eliminating any large chunks of spinach or cream cheese.

Pour mixture into a large oven-safe skillet or baking dish and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the top has begun to harden. For the last 5-10 minutes, increase the temperature to 400°F to create a slight crust.

Serve with tortilla chips. If, as in this case, the occasion calls for it, make them blue.

Read more...

Working With What You Have: One Stop Shop, Dinner Times Two

DINNER ONE: Chicken Milanese, Rosemary Potato Galette, Spinach Salad with Cannelloni Beans, Red Onion, and Balsamic Vinaigrette
DINNER TWO: Rosemary-Balsamic Chicken, Tuscan Baked Beans, and Spinach Potato Cakes
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Chicken Breast, Potato, Spinach, Cannelloni Beans, Rosemary
TYPE: Weeknight Dinner for Two, One Stop Shopping, Reinventing Ingredients

One challenge inherent in cooking for multiple people multiple times a week is the time that needs to be allocated to pre-planning and picking up the ingredients. When I fail on both fronts, and am forced to combine menu-making with speedy grocery-shopping, the result is a panic-ridden, ingredient-induced, mid-aisle mess.

Such scenes tend to occur less than an hour before my guests are supposed to arrive, and, due to convenience, usually at smaller or gourmet grocers closer to my apartment. The proximity of these markets is undermined by what I end up paying for an organic chicken breast--more than the cab fare to a larger, cheaper market. And it all goes downhill from there: slightly over budget, I'm so frazzled over the price of arugula that I forget to buy lemons for my dressing and return home frantic, unprepared, and much to my type-A horror, irreconcilably late.

9am to 7pm work days have caused this to happen frequently enough that I am no longer fazed by having to cook the majority of my meal during the first half hour that my guests have arrived, and can usually manage to let go of the over-priced arugala, regroup, and execute under their watchful eyes and growling stomachs.

But as I’ve become more practiced in the behind-the-scenes skill of workweek entertaining, I’ve discovered that if I plan well on Sunday or Monday, and limit my trip to the grocery store to a one stop shop, the rest of the week’s meals unfold seamlessly. More importantly, I no longer have to welcome guests while I'm cooking, which means no more small talk while my broccoli silently burns in the oven (more on this particular incident in a later post).

The key is choosing main ingredients that can live in the fridge all week long and easily be reinvented as two or more simple, impressive meals without insulting your stomach with a repeat performance of the same dish. This particular reappropriation of chicken, potato, beans and spinach was prepared all at once and then served on separate nights, the second of which I found myself doing sprints at the gym instead of on the pasta aisle the hour before my friends arrived to eat.

From my kitchen, stocked for the week and moderately-zen, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipes**

Two Weeknight Dinners for Two
Budget: $30

To save time and make my second night of entertaining as easy as possible, I chose to make both meals at once, leaving only cooking the chicken and potato cakes to 15 minutes before the meal. Each meal is designed to stand on its own and can be made completely independently, just make sure to read the whole recipe through as each item is outlined separately.

Chicken Milanese, Rosemary Potato Galette, Spinach Salad with Cannelloni Beans, Red Onion, and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes 2 Servings

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin using a rolling pin or small frying pan
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp salt
four for dredging

For the Galette:

1 lb yellow potatoes (3 large), peeled, blanched, and thinly sliced (on a mandolin if you have it, but let’s be honest, who has room?)
1 tablespoon rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp butter

For Salad:

1/3 can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
4oz baby spinach
1/3 red onion, sliced in very thin half crescents

For the Dressing/Marinade:
3 tbsp balsamic
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
pepper to taste

Rosemary-Balsamic Chicken, Tuscan Baked Beans, and Spinach Potato Cakes
Makes 2 Servings


TIP: Double up the cakes, and you will have an incredibly hardy, protein-heavy vegetarian meal.

For the Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
Remaining dressing as marinade
1 tbsp rosemary, minced

For the Beans:

1 2/3 15oz cans cannelloni beans (using the remainder of the can used for salad)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes and their juices
2/3 medium red onion (leftover from salad)
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp rosemary, minced
salt to taste

For the Spinach Potato Cakes:

2 lbs yellow potatoes, halved
5 oz fresh baby spinach (or you can use frozen)
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Night One:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Fill a medium pot ¾ of the way with water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water reaches its potential, add the potatoes. Remove the unpeeled potatoes for the galette when they are slightly tender on the outside, but not completely cooked through. When you cut these in half, they will still have a lighter, hardened core. Set these aside.

Allow the rest of the potatoes to boil until fork tender, but not completely falling apart. Once cool, remove the skins (they will come off easily). Blend the potatoes in a food processor until smooth.

In a medium pan, sauté the spinach and garlic together until the greens are completely wilted. Add to the potato mixture and pulse to combine. Set aside, stir in the butter, and taste for seasoning.

NOTE: spinach-potato mixture can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve meal number two. The spinach mashed potatoes are also delicious on their own. If you are serving this as is, I would recommend using an electric hand mixer or food mill to mash the potatoes as the texture is lighter and less glutinous than doing it in the food processor. For the cakes, it's just important that the mixture is smooth.

For the galette, cut the potatoes into very thin slices as if you were making potato chips. On a rimmed baking sheet, lay the slices in overlapping rows making sure at least half of each slice’s surface area is exposed to the heat (see image below). In the microwave, heat the butter and rosemary until fully melted. Drizzle the butter mixture over the potatoes and place in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, until the top is browned and crispy. Sprinkle the chips with coarse salt and taste for seasoning. These will need quite a bit of salt for the french fry effect.


Meanwhile in a large shallow bowl, beat the egg together with 1 tbsp of water. Combine the flour and salt on a plate. Place the breadcrumbs on a second plate. Dredge the first chicken breast in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then cover the breast with the egg mixture and place on the breadcrumb plate, making sure both sides are covered. Repeat with the second breast.

In a sauté pan large enough to fit the breasts, heat 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium flame and lightly fry the chicken until cooked through and browned on both sides.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing. In a larger bowl, toss the spinach, red onion, and cannelloni beans with half of the dressing.


To plate, place half of the galette on each plate, top with one chicken breast and a large helping of salad.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the two remaining chicken breasts with the excess dressing. Marinate in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the next meal, up to three days.

For the beans, in a medium sauté pan or dutch oven cook the red onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and the rosemary and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another five minutes or so over low heat. Taste for seasoning.

NOTE: the beans can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve meal number two.

Night Two:

Reheat the beans over medium-low heat.

Form the potato-spinach mixture into patties slightly smaller than the size of your palm. Dredge the patties in flour. Be delicate as the patties can easily become misshapen.

Heat 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium non-stick sauté pan (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) over a medium flame. Lightly fry the patties three at a time in two batches until golden brown on both sides. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.


Clean out any burnt remnants from the pan, and recoat with olive oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Sauté over medium-high heat until golden brown and completely cooked through.


Place 2 -3 large spoonfuls of beans on each plate and top with 2 -3 spinach-potato cakes and one chicken breast. For the vegetarians, hold the chicken and add an extra patty or two.
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Cooking for Others: Hangover Brunch

Santa, hungry after a long morning commute from the North Pole. Or the Upper West Side...

EVENT:Santacon Hangover Brunch

VENUE: Adam’s Apartment, Chelsea
PARTY SIZE: 13 Santas, 3 Mrs. Clauses, 2 Christmas Trees, 1 Slutty Elf, and yes, Scrooge
TYPE: Casual Hangover Brunch Buffet
MENU: Breakfast Burritos, Big Kid Hot Chocolate

When I was little (we’re talking 7, 8, 9), I showed an early flair for service-sector food preparation. Every summer, I would open Phoebe’s Restaurant—a one-day-only affair where I exhibited shameless only-child, attention-seeking behavior and indulged in a burgeoning multiple-personality disorder, playing both the surly waitress, Shirley, and a greasy-spoon short-order cook, Bob, and dishing out breakfast to my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The placemats were finely crafted from the most refined fax-machine paper, the menus written in bold crayon, and the food—evidence that line cooks on egg duty have the most difficult job in the kitchen—was always a disaster.

It took a few years, but eventually I learned from my mistakes and began taking a more totalitarian approach by offering only one item on the menu: Phoebe’s Famous Breakfast Burritos. There was nothing particularly remarkable about these burritos, nor anything particularly Mexican come to think of it—just scrambled eggs (good ones at that) in a warm flour tortilla. More importantly, it was easy. And when you are functioning as the surly waitress, greasy short-order chef, and dealing with a crowd of family members who tend to lose their tempers when blood sugar levels drop, you learn to simplify.

Which brings us to the subject of hangover brunch, and the grown-up incarnation of this signature dish: the breakfast burrito buffet. This recipe is so foolproof and easy that I’ve found myself on more than a few occasions being coerced out of bed before 10am on a Saturday to whip up an eggalicious feast for 20 of my closest friends.

Though the holiday season has long since elapsed, this particular brunch took place before "Santacon," an event when 10,000 quarter-life fools dressed in santa suits descend on Manhattan for a bar crawl, and a particularly joyous example of the hangover cure-all meal. With the help of my friend Adam’s Big Kid Hot Chocolate, we all got in the early-morning Christmas spirit to grab a drink, eat some grub, and let the child in us rage all over again.

After all, what better time to regress than the holidays?

From my small kitchen, serving early-bird specials since 1992, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

Phoebe, the Seven Year Old Chef: still surly, but thanks to seven more years of orthodontics, no longer gap-toothed.

**Recipes**

Breakfast Burrito Buffet
Makes 20 servings (more if you increase the eggs)


Ingredients

3 dozen large eggs, beaten
2 15oz cans corn, rinsed and drained

4 tomatoes, finely diced
2 15oz cans black beans
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 - 3 8oz packages shredded Monterey jack cheese, or Mexican blend
30 medium flour tortillas (Santas, and other male guests, will usually eat two)

For the buffet:
1 - 2 large jars of salsa, medium
Premade or fresh guacamole (obviously, if you have time, make fresh—this is a gem in my repertoire, to be shared at a later date)
Pico de Gallo (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Wrap the tortillas in tin foil, one package at a time, to create three or four foil bundles. Place in the oven to heat while the meal is being prepared.

In a large bowl, crack and scramble the first dozen and a half eggs. Add about a ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, mix together 1 ½ can of corn and the diced tomatoes. Set aside.

On a back burner, empty the black beans into a medium saucepan. Season with the chili powder, and let simmer with the lid on over low heat while you prepare the eggs.

Drizzle the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat—you will need a bit more if you are using cast iron or other metal pan. Using a rubber spatula, continue to scrape the bottom of the pan, displacing cooked pieces of egg as they form. Since you are dealing with a lot of eggs, the scrambling process may take up to fifteen minutes. Once all the eggs are almost cooked, but still too runny to serve, bring the burner back to low and add in half of the tomato/corn mixture. This will add some moisture back to the eggs. Cook for 2 -3 more minutes until the eggs are no longer runny. Off the heat, add ¾ of the bag of cheese. Gently stir or flip to combine.

Once the first batch is served, repeat the process with the remaining eggs, tomato, and corn for late comers and unusually robust Santas.

For the buffet, set out the condiments, remaining cheese, remaining corn, black beans and warm tortillas on a long table or counter. Guests will assemble the bulk of the burrito and then migrate to the stove to top with eggs.


Adam’s Big Kid Hot Chocolate
Makes 20 servings

As a disclaimer, I should mention that, like many of the better things in life, the Big Kid Hot Chocolate recipe is pretty simple (despite Phoebe’s latent desire to somehow make it into bruschetta or a crostini). But this recipe also involves a lot of gut feeling and improvisation, so if you’re fully sober while you’re making this concoction, you’re missing out on half of the fun.

The biggest question before we start is to determine your desired effect. i.e. how drunk you want people to get. Since it’s her blog, I’d like to put it on a scale of “Phoebe snorting a bit more than usual when she laughs” to “Phoebe bumping into walls and not talking.” I generally aim for something in between, but add less or more vodka as you see fit; either you’re hoping for a quiet night with friends, or a room full of beer tears and morning-after regrets.

Santa Adam, hoping the kids will be a little naughtier next year

Ingredients

1 Full-Sized Nesquik hot chocolate mix carton (or another brand…basically just a poopload of hot chocolate)
1 Handle of Vodka (you’re not going to use the whole thing, but I only measure vodka in handles and you can probably figure out something to do with what’s left over)
1 bottle of Bailey’s

Fill the biggest pot you’ve got 2/3’s of the way with water and put it on medium heat. Dump in ¾’s of the hot chocolate mix and stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil and then return to low heat (don’t add in the alcohol until it’s on low heat or it’ll burn off). When the hot chocolate is cool enough to drink, pour in the full bottle of Bailey’s and some of the vodka (about ½ a handle should do the trick). Give it a taste. If it's a bit watery/vodka-y, pour in the rest of the hot chocolate mix. Stir and add any additional vodka you see fit. Then let the good times roll.

Big Kid Hot Chocolate: best enjoyed while wearing a Santa suit. Or in drag.

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Cooking for One, Cooking for Others: Really Just Cooking for Comfort

mac and cheese ready for eating

EVENT: Dinner with Kate and Elyssa; dinner for me

VENUE: Cara's apartment, Park Slope

TYPE: Cozy comfort cuisine

MENU: Traditional Baked Mac and Cheese with Breadcrumbs; Skillet White Pasta with Root Veggies

Did we mention in this blog yet that it's winter? So far that's meant stews, chili competitions, having people over so we don't have to leave the house, etc. But naturally it also means Macaroni and Cheese.

The Mac and Cheese my mom made us growing up wasn't orange, and it wasn't baked. It was really good though—thick, creamy, cheesy, and filling. At some point, when I started reading cookbooks, I realized that the butter-flour-milk sauce her dish was founded upon was known as bechamel, and when I made Mac and Cheese recently (on request by resident M&C-lover, Kate, pictured left), I also realized that bechamel was delicious licked straight from the spoon, pasta and cheese withheld.

So a few weeks later, when I had a half quart of milk about to go bad, I decided to fashion it into sauce for myself. With the other contents of my fridge (leftover roasted rutabaga, turnip, and potatoes) and my pantry (whole wheat angel hair) I mixed it, warmed it, and then put it under the broiler topped with just a bit of Swiss and Parmesan. The result was transcendent: rich with the taste of butter but still not heavy, and satisfying without making me feel a total glutton.

From my kitchen, small and prone to blue-plate creations, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipes**

White Sauce

This plain sauce is the building block for both recipes. It makes enough for one large casserole of Mac & Cheese. If you're only cooking for one, it'll probably last at least three meals.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk (low-fat is fine)

slightly less than 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard

dash of hot sauce (optional)

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent but not browned. Add the flour, blending it with the butter and cooking it for several minutes over medium heat.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in the microwave or a small pot almost to the boiling point.

Carefully add the warm milk to the butter-flour-onion mixture and stir it until it thickens. Add the salt, mustard, and a dash of hot sauce, and keep simmering for 4-5 minutes more. Set aside until ready to use. The sauce may develop a skin on top, but don't worry—just stir it back in.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 4

The rebel in me denied the traditional elbows a place in this dish, and the hippie opted for whole wheat pasta instead of white. Actually, I think the whole wheat "gobetti" I used stood up nicely to the sauce and the cheese, holding its own where a measly white pasta might have collapsed. On the other hand, I stuck with sharp orange Cheddar for the cheese, but you can substitute anything you think will taste good.

Ingredients

1/2 pound cool-shaped pasta

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (orange for beauty's sake)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (see TIP)

2 teaspoons butter

1 recipe white sauce

TIP: Because the bread crumbs are prominent in this, I'd avoid prepackaged if that's all that's available (then just top with cheese). If you have a slice or two of bread, toast them, then blend/food process to form large crumbs. Toast the crumbs in a small frying pan with 1 teaspoon of the butter until they're brown and fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

With 1 teaspoon of butter, grease a baking dish, skillet, or casserole pan that will hold all the pasta. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente and drain.

In a baking dish, layer the pasta, sauce, and cheese haphazardly, reserving 1/2 cup cheese for the top. Sprinkle this cheese and cover with the toasted crumbs. (This can be done a few hours ahead; keep at cool room temperature until baking.)

Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese melted. Serve with something green.

Skillet White Pasta with Vegetables

Serves 1-2

I've been roasting a lot of vegetables this season, basically taking whatever I buy at the farmers' market Saturday and then keeping it in a container to pick at the rest of the week. The root vegetables I had (rutabaga, turnip, and Yukon Gold potatoes) took well to the white sauce, but any veggies will do. I can imagine this pasta with some frozen asparagus and corn, for example, or some leftover steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

Ingredients

2-4 oz. angel hair or other thin pasta

1/3 recipe white sauce

1/2 - 1 cup vegetables, cooked

2 tablespoons grated Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

fresh pepper

Preheat the broiler and set a rack at the top of the oven.

Warm the vegetables and the white sauce in a small, oven-safe frying pan. Add spoonfuls of boiling water if the sauce is too thick.

Cook the angel hair in salted boiling water until al dente (angel hair cooks in 2-3 minutes). Drain.

Add the pasta to the sauce and vegetables and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese. Put the pan under the broiler for about 4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Grind pepper on top.

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Cooking for Others: Do You Want Bibimbap for Dinner?

clockwise from top: potatoes, edamame, scallions, sweet pototoes, zucchini, mung bean sprouts, and carrots - and shrimp in the middle

EVENT: Informal supper for the Urtak-ers

TYPE: Small dinner party
SIZE: Two guests and me
VENUE: Cara's apartment, Park Slope

MENU: Baguette with carrot dip; Bibimbap and condiments; Coconut pudding with star sables

My friends Aaron and Marc have launched an ambitious and attractive public opinion website called urtak.com. It's revolutionary in that it lets users generate their own questions as well as answer the queries of others.

While I was deciding what to prepare for the pair, I got to thinking how so much input might make dinner-party planning next to impossible. As hosts, we're always the ones mandating what to eat, so dinner parties are subject to the dictatorship of the hostess, not run by a democracy of the guest. I do try to take into account dietary restrictions and preferences, but in the end the menu's up to me. And thus my indecision begins.

Going back and forth among cuisines, styles, and ingredients, I considered posting questions on urtak. Maybe "Do you like Korean food?" "Do you like pudding?" "Do you like to eat dinner?" (it's yes or no questions only), etc. Instead, I quieted my wavering by choosing a dish that gives the power of choice back to the guests.

Anyway, this "democratic dish" was, of all things, Bibimbap, a Korean-style rice bowl topped with separate heaps of vegetables and protein and sprinkled with chili sauce. What seemed great about it to me was that each diner then gets to pick and choose among the toppings and condiments. So if you don't like celery, say, you can scoop up rice and zucchini and leave it out. If you're obsessed with peanut butter in all forms? Pile on that peanut sauce. And so on and so on.

From my kitchen, small but democratic, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

no smiles allowed

(Inauthentic) Bibimbap

Serves 4-6

Since the nature of bibimbap is so flexible, I used some unexpected ingredients, like potato. But then there's something about winter that might make me crave carbs with my carbs. Regardless, you can use the toppings of your choice and as few or as many as you'd like, though I'd try to include four or more. Each individual topping can be prepared ahead and then rewarmed in the wok over the rice before serving.

Ingredients

1 cup sushi rice
1 medium sweet potato, cut into fry shapes
about 6 small potatoes (like Yukon gold),

quartered

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 cup mung bean sprouts

5 scallions, sliced

3/4 cup frozen edamame beans, shelled and defrosted

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (see TIP)

3/4 pound shrimp, cleaned and de-veined

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon grated garlic

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot sauce (like Sriracha, or other Asian chili)

1-2 tablespoons safflower oil, or cooking spray

TIP: to toast sesame seeds, put them in a frying pan and watch them carefully. Shift the pan to toast them evenly, and when they've only just browned, remove from the heat. They burn easily!

Marinate the shrimp: combine the cleaned shrimp with the grated garlic and ginger in a bowl. Keep in the fridge for half an hour or longer, while you're preparing the vegetables.

Cook the rice: rinse the rice in several washes of cold water until water runs clean. Add it to a small pot with 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the water boils, turn heat to very low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for another 10 minutes.

For the potatoes: preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the sweet potatoes and potatoes separately with about 1 teaspoon of oil each, then spread on opposite sides of a baking sheet. Roast, flipping once, for 35-45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and browned.

For the carrots and zucchini: warm a large saucepan or wok over high heat. Add a tiny bit of oil or a coat of cooking spray, then add the carrot matchsticks and toss until they've softened and gotten a tiny bit brown. Remove and set aside, then repeat for the zucchini.

Re-coat the wok with oil and mound all the rice at the bottom. Top with the mung beans, scallions, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, edamame beans, carrots, and zucchini, in separate wedges. Sprinkle with thetablespoon of sesame oil and the chili sauce.

Cover with a lid or with foil, and set the whole wok over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are warm and the rice has developed a slight crust.

Meanwhile, warm 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a smaller frying pan. When hot, add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they are pink through. Pile the shrimp on the vegetables and rice and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve straight from the wok.

Condiments

Truthfully, the rice and toppings are delicious on their own, making the condiments optional. For ease, this is also a good time to bring out any favorite pre-packaged sauces—peanut, chili, miso, or ginger. The coconut-peanut sauce I served is not the thick, Chinese one I put on noodles, but thinner and sweeter, like satay sauce.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 small onion
2 teaspoons kosher salt

hot sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Peel the cucumber and cut it into half-moon shapes. Cut the onion into thin slices. Combine with the salt in a bowl for 1 hour, then drain off the excess liquid. Add the vinegar and chili sauce and chill until ready to serve.

Carrot Dip

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

This is a simple puree with a slight sweet-and-sour vibe. Some of the same prep work goes into this as the Bibimbap—like grating ginger and peeling carrots—which streamlines the cooking.

Ingredients

3/4 pound carrots (4-5 carrots)

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add salt and the carrots and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are quite soft. Reserve 1/2 of the water and drain the rest.

Add the carrots to a food processor or blender with the ginger, vinegar, oils, and salt. Process until you have a hummus-like puree, adding some of the reserved water as necessary.

Serve with fresh carrot sticks and some crusty torn baguette. I garnished it with sesame seeds I'd toasted for the Bibimbap.

Coconut pudding

Serves 4

(stars were the most normal of the $0.99 cookie cutters I had to choose from)

I made a simple sugar cookie recipe to add some crunch to the smooth dessert. You can serve the pudding without, or else grab some thin, crispy cookies from the store (gingersnaps might be nice...). I'll add the recipe I used in an upcoming post.

Ingredients

1 cup canned coconut milk

1 cup milk or low-fat milk

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup fruit or 1/3 fruit jelly or compote (optional)

In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolks and the vanilla. Set aside.

If you're using the fruit (I used apples that had been stewed in sugar, but you could use pears, berries, or a bit of good jam), spoon it evenly into the bottom of four custard ramekins, wine glasses, or regular old drinking glasses. Keep them near you on the counter.

Combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and about 1/2 cup of milk in a saucepan. Whisk until all lumps are gone, then add the rest of the milk and the coconut milk. Stirring constantly but mellowly over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Lower the heat and keep stirring until the pudding begins to simmer around the edges. When it does, leave it simmering for another minute without touching it.

Then scoop up about a cup of the thickened pudding and add it, 1/3 at a time, to the egg yolk/vanilla mixture, stirring constantly but still not vigorously. Remove the pudding from the heat, and slowly pour the egg-pudding mixture back into the pan, gently folding it in - don't beat it now or you risk thinning the pudding out.

Divide equally among the custard cups. Serve warm or refrigerate until dessert time. Garnish with cookies.

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Cooking For One, Two, Three: Pasta Repurposed

DISHES: Meghan's Turkey Lasagna; Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Turkey and Cremini Mushroom Bolognese
MAIN INGREDIENT: Ground Turkey, Pasta
TYPE: Repurposing Leftovers

When I haven't hijacked the kitchen for one of my weekday experiments, my roommate Caitlyn can usually be found there whipping up one of her sister's recipes for hardy, yet healthy comfort food. But what her dishes lack in fat (Meghan is a nutritionist), they make up for in serving sizes that defy the rules of portion control. Caitlyn's brother-in-law is a former football player, and judging from the family lore, eats more in one sitting than my entire high school field hockey team.

To the same effect, Caitlyn's boyfriend, Matt, when given double the time it takes a normal person to finish a meal, has also been known to really pack it in. But despite who's over for dinner, when Meghan's recipes enter the scene, there always seem to be pounds of leftovers.

Now, having grown up in a Jewish household with my father consistently wheeling out on Thanksgiving morning to buy a fourth turkey, I find this awesome. Because much like my childhood refrigerator, when the kitchen has cleared out and I get back to the weekday experiments, there's always a plethora of ingredients to re-appropriate, in this case, the sauce, a main component of Caitlyn's meal.

The recipes below are Meghan's original take on a killer, incredibly waist-friendly lasagna (so long as you do not attempt to polish off the pan), and then a dish (Turkey Mushroom Bolognese) that the quart of leftover filling inspired me to make later in the week.
From my kitchen, small but full of healthy appetite, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

Meghan (tiny) and Justin (not) with their son, Sander

Meghan's Turkey Lasagna
Makes 4 - 7 servings, depending on whether or not Justin is at the table

Ingredients

1 box lasagna noodles
2 lg containers cottage cheese (one low fat, one regular)
1 lg container ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded mozzerella cheese
2 lbs ground turkey
2 25 oz jars tomato sauce (if you have time, you can make your own)
1 box frozen spinach
2 tsp oregano
Salt
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped olive oil

TIP: Meghan and Caitlyn use "no boil" lasagna noodles, but they soak them in warm to hot tap water for a few minutes before layering them in the pan.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave until fully thawed. Drain well using a colander or dish rag to squeeze out excess moisture.

In a large saute pan, brown the meat over medium heat. Add all but a 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, until it's just beginning to thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat and mix in the spinach.

In the meantime, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, and cottage cheese in a large bowl. Add the parsley and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.On the bottom of a large baking tin or dish, spread the remaining 1/2 cup of sauce, making sure to cover the whole bottom in one thin layer. Line the pan with lasagna noodles, cutting pieces to fit if needed.

Spoon the meat mixture over the noodles in a thicker layer. Add another layer of noodles and cover these with the cheese mixture and a smaller amount of meat sauce.Repeat with remaining noodles, meat sauce, and cheese until you reach the top of the pan, making sure to end with one layer of noodles. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Test the lasagna with a fork to make sure the noodles are tender. Remove foil and bake for ten more minutes, allowing the cheese to brown.The inevitable leftovers will last for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Whole Wheat Rigatoni with Turkey and Cremini Mushroom Bolognese
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 16oz box whole wheat rigatoni (or any small, tubular pasta)
1 quart of leftover meat sauce (recipe above)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
crushed red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until all moisture has been released, and the mushroom are tender and reduced to half their original size.

Combine the leftover meat sauce and the extra can of tomatoes and add to the pan. Simmer for 10 - 20 minutes to allow all flavors to combine and the acidity of the fresh tomatoes to cook off. Season to taste with salt and red pepper.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss the rigatoni with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to prevent the pieces from sticking together.

Spoon mushroom bolognese sauce over the pasta. Serve with a simple salad (in this case, I chose baby spinach, diced tomatoes, and a balsamic-dijon vinaigrette).

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