It’s Monday, which means a new podcast episode! Today’s show features a recent conversation I had with food writer Michael Procopio from Food for the Thoughtless. It is safe to say that Michael’s blog is one of my favorites. He is witty and funny and sarcastic and his writing makes me laugh every time. Even his recipes are funny.

Michael lives in San Francisco and is a culinary school graduate who has had an extensive and varied career in the food world, from working as a pastry chef to food styling to waiting tables (oh, the stories) to recipe development to joining the Court of Master Sommeliers. In today’s show he shares a recipe that is perfect for the holidays (maybe not quite in the way you are thinking!) and a great kitchen tip, peppered with his always-entertaining thoughts and stories. I love this episode and it was a joy putting it together, even though listening to myself laugh and laugh and laugh some more was pure torture. Thanks for that, Michael.

Shownotes:

• Recipe: Kate’s All-Butter Pie Crust (mentioned in the intro)
• Recipe: Turkey, Cranberry and Sprouts Sandwich (mentioned in the intro)
• Michael’s Blog Post Man Buns
• The Coping Mechanism

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

 Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

Wow. Sunday is almost over and I just now realized I haven’t planned this week’s menu. We’ve literally been living off of leftovers. I guess I forgot they don’t last forever!

MONDAY:
– Turkey Boursin Baguettes

TUESDAY:
– Carnitas Tacos

WEDNESDAY:
– Chili

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Teriyaki chicken (crock pot)
– Rice and veggies

SATURDAY:
– Take out night

SUNDAY:
– Breakfast for dinner: Omelettes and fruit

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!

Okay, you know what’s next…share your weekly menu in the comments! And have a great week!

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! I hope you are all sufficiently stuffed. I know I am. Before we get on with this week’s Show and Tell, I need to tell you about my turkey this year. I spatchcocked it. And dry brined it. And roasted it in mayo. And it was PERFECT. So perfect, in fact, I am going to do a whole post about the process. In related news, I was so inspired by my podcast interview with Kate Lebo earlier this week I ended up making all of our pies from scratch. And it was good. So good. Anyway, more posts to come on all of that, but for today how about some links and TV shows?

First off, food links. For Cool Mom Eats I dug up some really delicious turkey leftover recipes, perfect for this weekend! And, on Babble this month, I kinda went crazy with the kids’ food art.

• For Cool Mom Eats: How to use leftover turkey in the most delicious ways.
• For Babble: Toy Story Food Art: Wheezy Cheese and Crackers
• For Babble: Rainbow Fraggle Rock Cupcakes

As I mentioned before, I’m wiped out after cooking all week, so we’re just gonna relax today. Much of that relaxing is going to involve getting caught up on The Voice and watching Netflix. Nate and I started Jessica Jones last night after the kids went to bed. We keep hearing how awesome that show is and, one episode in, I think it just might live up to the hype. Oh, and one more fun Netflix thing! ‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving…when a big box of funny goodies from Netflix arrived on our doorstep celebrating the new Care Bears & Cousins series. (The package included scrunchies. I don’t know if I can forgive Netflix for introducing scrunchies to my girls. Anna hasn’t stopped wearing them since Wednesday. Oh my.) I totally loved Care Bears as a kid (I had the Cheer Bear plush toy!), so it will be fun to watch it with the kids. Hug it out! 🙂

That’s it! Go eat some leftovers. And more pie. And, as always, comment with your own show and tell!

I am a member of the Netflix Stream Team, which means they send me cool stuff from time to time. For the record, I would be addicted to Netflix in spite of said cool stuff.

Thanksgiving is just days away, which probably means that many of you are on the cusp of baking a pie (or two…or three!). Lucky for us today’s podcast guest is a pie expert! I was actually planning to buy my pies at the store this year (GASP!), but after talking with today’s guest, I’ve decided to make my pies from scratch after all. So, who is this powerful enchantress who has bewitched me into making homemade pie crust? Kate Lebo is her name!

Kate Lebo is a writer, teacher, and baker from the Pacific Northwest and the the author of two books about the folk art of pie making, Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour, and Butter and A Commonplace Book of Pie. Kate’s essays and poems have appeared in Best American Essays 2015, Best New Poets 2011, New England Review, Willow Springs, and Gastronomica, and she writes the “Cooking the Books” column for the Spokesman-Review. Basically she is an awesome writer with an MFA from the University of Washington who also happens to be obsessed with making great pie and teaching others how to make great pie.

My chat with Kate was delightful and informative. And, while today’s episode is certainly timely for Thanksgiving, our conversation is perfect for any time of year because pie is always a good thing.

Shownotes:

• Kate’s website
• Recipe: Raspberry Pie with Walnut Crumble and Bourbon Whipped Cream
• Recipe: Raspberry Pie with Figs and Bay (bonus recipe that Kate and I did not talk about on the show but is one she said I need to share a link to anyway)
• Recipe: Kate’s All-Butter Pie Crust
• Kate’s Pie School (for the Seattle-based folks among us)
• Book Kate referenced: Roasting: A Simple Art by Barbara Kafka
• Kate’s article on the Spokesman-Review that Jane referenced: Old-school cookbooks combine heritage with practices of cooking
• Kate’s essay appearing in Best American Essays 2015: The Loudproof Room
• The food waste documentary Kate and I discussed: Just Eat It

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

 Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a rating and/or review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

Hello everyone! Well, it’s Thanksgiving week! Which for me means lots of easy dinners the first half of the week then a major feast on Thursday, followed by leftovers for as long as I can drag them out! I’ll put both our weekly menu and our Thanksgiving menu below. When you share in the comments, feel free to leave either your weekly menu, your Thanksgiving menu, or BOTH! 🙂 And, for the Thanksgiving menus, please link to recipes you’re using if they can be found online!

MONDAY:
– Chicken salad sandwiches
– Fresh fruit

TUESDAY:
– Breakfast burritos

WEDNESDAY:
– Chicken tenders (from Trader Joe’s freezer)
– Raw veggies and dip

THURSDAY:
– HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (see menu below!)

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Leftovers

SUNDAY:
– Leftovers

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!

And here is our plan for the Thanksgiving feast!

• Turkey (This year I am going to dry brine the turkey, then spatchcock it to cook. Also, I’m cooking two smaller turkeys instead of one big one.)
• Classic Mashed Potatoes
• Classic Stuffing
• Gravy
• Crescent Rolls and/or Squash Rolls
• Cranberry Slush (my great-grandmother’s recipe that we have EVERY YEAR NO MATTER WHAT)
• Cranberry Sauce (whole cranberry sauce from the can this year!)
• Sweet Potato Souffle
• Broccoli Casserole
• Butternut Squash (I’m going to cube it then pan fry it in browned butter)
• Rose’s Creamed Onions (this recipe is from Nate’s great-grandmother)
• Pumpkin Pie (buying it!), Swedish Apple Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (a recipe my mom would make when I was a kid)

Got a lot of cooking and shopping ahead of me! I’m already tired. But I’m also super excited to eat everything! As usual, please leave your menus in the comments! And this week if you want to share your Thanksgiving plans, we’d love to see them!

Happy Friday! Soccer season is over around these parts, so I’m looking forward to our first weekend with nothing on the calendar. Sadly I think most of that free time will be spent cleaning the disaster that is our house!

There is a lot to share today. Ready, set, GO!

I have a bunch of food links for today, most of them perfect for Thanksgiving!

• How to make the best turkey gravy on Cool Mom Eats
• 7 Awesome Stuffing Recipes on Cool Mom Eats
• Easy Turkey Recipes and Tips on Cool Mom Eats
• Kid-Made Snack: Bagel Snowmen on Babble (these are SO cute and easy!)
• Recipe for Nate’s Great-Grandmother’s Creamed Onions on Babble

And, before we go, just want to share two great causes quickly. It’s the giving season!

When Cate was in preschool many moons ago, there was a really wonderful group of moms in that classroom. We were all very different from one another but everyone got along beautifully. One of the moms, Rachel Lorkin, had a baby around that time, a little boy named Luke with chromosome 15q duplication. Rachel has an Etsy shop where she sells some of her artwork, which serves as a respite in her otherwise hectic life. From now through December, 100% of the sale price on any of her items will go to the Chromosome 15q Duplication Aliance, an organization that supports research and kindness for families like Rachel’s. If you’ve started your holiday shopping, check it out! It’s a great cause! (The robots on canvas are RIDICULOUSLY cute.)

Second, last week I had the chance to be a guest judge for a high school speech tournament at an non-profit called Reality Changers here in San Diego. It is absolutely astounding what this non-profit is doing for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to help get them into college. I was very impressed and loved meeting a few of the kids in the program. If you’re in San Diego and looking for a non-profit to get involved with, definitely check out the volunteer opportunities at Reality Changers. If you’re not in San Diego and would like to support the program with a donation, click here.

That’s it from me today. If you have anything you’d like to share, please do!

Hello! Today’s episode of the This Week for Dinner podcast is CHOCK FULL of awesome recipes and kitchen tips from my dear friend Christine Koh, the mastermind behind Boston Mamas, co-author of the book Minimalist Parenting and co-host of the podcast Edit Your Life. Christine was a blogging colleague who transformed into a dear friend after we spent 24 hours together in an SUV for a relay race. (For the record, Christine was running and I was driving.) Christine is super smart, super funny, and she knows good food. You’re gonna love her.

Shownotes:

• Awesome 5-Minute Green Smoothie
• The Yummiest Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
• Magic Mexican Casserole
• The Only Brownie Recipe You’ll Ever Need
• Post About What Knives You Need In Your Kitchen

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

 Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

There hasn’t been much Thanksgiving prep happening here on the blog because, honestly, there just isn’t much Thanksgiving prep happening in my kitchen! I AM cooking next week, and I haven’t done one thing yet to get ready. Honestly, I’m not stressed about it. I’m sticking with the old stand-bys this year, so I pretty much know what we’ll be eating. Just need to do some shopping this weekend. It’s all good. However, if you are actually planning ahead, you can click on my “Thanksgiving Prep” tag and see all kinds of posts related to Thanksgiving!

I do want to share a quick Kitchen Tip today related to Thanksgiving. It’s one of those tips that is kind of a “Duh” thing to share, but I didn’t figure it out until last year, so I imagine I’m not alone in having not done this before. Every year I make crescent rolls for Thanksgiving. And every year I use a sharp knife when cutting dough for crescent rolls. You know, once you’ve rolled out a circle and cut the circle into triangles. Well, last year, I was about to use the knife and then, for some reason, I thought of the pizza cutter. It worked beautifully. Also, what did I tell you? DUH. How had I never done this before?!

Please note that it works best to cut from the outside edge towards the center. If you cut from the center, sometimes the tips of the triangles roll up as you roll the pizza cutter.

Life changer, guys. Well, when it comes to making crescent rolls at least. You’re welcome and happy crescent roll cutting!

It’s Monday, which means a new podcast episode! In today’s show I chat with Pam Anderson, New York Times best-selling cookbook author and blogger at Three Many Cooks. In 2009 Pam started the food blog Three Many Cooks with her two daughters, Maggy and Sharon, and they’ve been sharing their wonderful family and food ever since! I love this family and can’t believe how lucky I am to call them friends. Pam worked at Cook’s Illustrated for years and has written several fabulous cookbooks, so this woman knows food. I hope you enjoy listening to my discussion with Pam. She is a gem!

Shownotes:

• Link to Three Many Cooks the book
• How to Cook Without a Book
• Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals
• Pumpkin Walnut Scones
• Cassoulet

It’s easy to listen to the show!

• Via the web: Just click play below!
• Via an app: For iPhone and iPad, subscribe to the This Week for Dinner Podcast on iTunes and listen to it through the purple Podcasts app. For Android devices, use the Stitcher, Podcast Addict or Pocket Casts apps. In all cases, launch the app, then search for This Week for Dinner Podcast. The benefit of using an app: once downloaded, you can listen to the show without an Internet connection.

 Other Stuff!

• If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes!
• Big thank you to d&m for providing the music for the podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS

Happy Sunday! My day has been very busy with soccer tournaments, and then Nate and I are going to see Matisyahu tonight (so excited!), so basically I’m squeezing in doing the weekly meal plan with 10 minutes I have to spare! Here we go!

MONDAY:
– Trader Joe’s mac n cheese from the freezer section
– A really good garden salad to make up for the lazy entree 😉

TUESDAY:
– Chicken Tortilla Soup

WEDNESDAY:
– Turkey Boursin Baguettes

THURSDAY:
– Soccer team party at Pizza Port

FRIDAY:
– Leftovers

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Carnitas Tacos

Click here for the free printable of this week’s menu plus the shopping list!