I have been trying loads of new recipes lately, I think partly due to the arrival of spring plus I needed something to shake things up from the winter rotation of soups and comfort food. Here's a menu plan for 5 delicious dinners for this week - or any week really. If your family is anything like mine, this will be the best week ever. 

Monday: Pasta with Peas, Bacon, and Ricotta - From Dinner: The Playbook, this easy-to-whip-up meal will surely please even the pickiest eater of the bunch. Cook 1 lb tubular pasta according to directions. Add 3-4 tbs of ricotta to a large bowl and toss cooked pasta with ricotta. Next, fry up 1/2 pound of bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Add 1/4 chopped onion and one 10-oz package of frozen peas to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped bacon back to the pan with the peas and onion. Then toss mixture onto pasta. Season with salt, pepper and grated parmesan. 

Tuesday: Miso-Glazed Fish with Rice and Spinach - Another winner from Dinner: The Playbook, this simple and fast cooking meal is now a family favorite. I substituted salmon with Mahi Mahi and served it with sautéed spinach and white rice. Healthy and delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Wednesday: Braised Adobo Pork Tacos - Okay, another recipe from Dinner: A Love Story. I admit it. I'm obsessed with all the recipes from Jenny Rosenstrach. They are just so good and easy. She suggests making this with polenta (which I'm sure is amazing). I ended up cooking this in a slow cooker and and we made tacos with this. You will die of happiness if you make this. Click here for the recipe.

Thursday: Burgers with Fruity Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries -  What's not to love about this meal? Tasty burgers, a simple slaw with kid-friendly fruit and healthy oven-baked sweet potato fries. This menu comes from ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families spring issue. This issue has four other great family dinners you have to try. 

Friday: Taiwanese Meat Sauce Over Rice with Baby Bok Choy - My family goes crazy for a good rice bowl. When I saw this recipe from Jennifer Che of Tiny Urban Kitchen in the Boston Globe, I just knew my brood would love it. Simple meat sauce is packed with umami as it's cooked with dried mushrooms and asian flavors. We completed this dish with a hard boiled egg and stir-fried baby bok choy. I can't wait to make this again. Click here for the recipe!  

Have a good week!

It's been a little quiet over here as I've been busy juggling duties here and here, all the while working as my kids' personal uber driver after school. But that has not stopped me from trying new recipes and cooking dinner almost every night. And yes, most recipes fall under the "Quick" and "Easy" categories as of late. So when I found this recipe for Brussel Sprouts with Sausage and Cumin from Ana Sortun in Food & Wine, I filed it in my "Recipes to Try" folder immediately.

For this week's meal plan I'm uncharacteristically winging it. Thanks to a busy weekend and ANOTHER winter storm, I was scrambling just to go grocery shopping before getting snowed in. So I did what umdaddy often does and bought anything that looked fresh, only later to figure out what to make for dinner.

I'm a planner. I like to follow a recipe (or use one to start with and modify as needed). So this week I'm a little out of my comfort zone. But can happily report we have yet to order take out!

I did have the wherewithal to buy basic ingredients to make a mirepoix (celery, onion, carrots) for a soup base. Plus with a handy stash of Muir Glen canned tomatoes, I knew I could whip up some soup perfect for a snowy day. Next time I'm making a double batch of a tweaked version of this soup from the Barefoot Contessa -- so I can freeze some and defrost for that day when I'm staring at a fridge with cilantro, pickles and a pomegranate (because they looked good at the time I was shopping).

Pappa al Pomodoro
Adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups (about half a loaf) diced day-old ciabatta bread
• 2 28-oz canned good diced tomatoes (san marzano or Muir Glen)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper

This week's meal plan from my 6-year-old

So this week I enlisted the help of my 6-year-old for this week's meal plan. I was half expecting it to look something like this:

Monday: Lemongrass Coconut Chicken Soup - he suggested "soup" on Monday. I suggested we make Ming Tsai's Lemongrass Coconut Chicken Soup from Simply Ming One-Pot Meals. One look at the photograph and the mention of coconut milk and he was sold.

Tuesday: Roast Chicken with Mac & Cheese and Green Beans - He drew a picture of a storm cloud and snow flakes. I asked him what we should make on a snowy day. He offered mac and cheese. I added a roast chicken (I'm anticipating we will have loads of time indoors for lots of cooking due to the impending blizzard) and green beans. He said okay, but would NOT be eating any chicken. Fine. 

Wednesday: Chili (or Beef Stew) - He suggested Turkey Chili, which we JUST had last night. I offered we make another "type" of chili (I was inspired to make Cooks Illustrated's Guinness Beef Stew by The Fortuitous Housewife). "Can I have it with chips?" Sure, kid.  

Thursday: Pizza - He reminded me we hadn't made pizza in a while. So I agreed we could make some this week. We'll do the usual plain cheese plus Hawaiian Ham & Pineapple. I'll be so sick of shoveling snow, perhaps this will magically teleport me to Hawaii? 

Friday: Scallion Pancakes - It's International Night at my kids' school, so we'll be feasting on a variety of cuisines from around the world. I plan on making and bringing these super easy and ridiculously addictive scallion pancakes by Joanne Chang. 

Have a great week!

(photo credit: ChopChop Magazine)

Monday: Mushroom Barley Soup - this hearty winter soup from kid's cooking magazine ChopChop will be a good lesson in patience. Plus a perfect Meatless Monday recipe.

Tuesday: Chicken Adobo - another recipe from ChopChop (if you're going to teach your kids to cook, this is THE place to go you guys). We've never made Chicken Adobo, but I have a feeling they are going to love this.

Wednesday: Maple Candy Pork Chops & Sweet Potato Fries - super simple lesson on marinades. Plus maple syrup and sweet potato fries? A sweet savory dinner from Dinner: A Love Story that will sure to please.

Thursday: Bittman's Fastest Chicken Parmesan - A different lesson from Monday's slow cooking soup. Bittman's shows you cooking need not take all day. With some planning and shortcuts, dinner can be on the table fast.

Friday: Baked Shells with Winter Squash - my kids love mac and cheese. I want to show them how to make a healthier, seasonal version from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

Have a good week!

Disclosure: I work for ChopChop Magazine, but really truly feel this is one of the best resources for teaching kids to cook! Really!

Monday: Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard & Garlic - This dish from Smitten Kitchen is one of the few things I look forward to during the winter. It is that good. I'll swap chard for kale to use up the leftover kale we have in the fridge. 

Tuesday: Sesame Ginger Chicken Meatballs - This is a new recipe from Food and Wine I'm going to test this week. On paper it looks like a winner - quick, weeknight dish. Asian flavors I know my kids will love. I'll serve this will Boston Bibb lettuce for lettuce wraps.  

Wednesday: Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken - My youngest refuses to eat chicken unless its breaded and in the form of fried chicken tenders. I'm going to try serving it this way from Dinner: A Love Story - but a little healthier and perfect for leftovers for lunch the next day. I'll serve this with some string beans (if the little one refuses to eat the chicken, he can fill up on something healthy). 

Thursday: Pasta Carbonara with Country Ham - My kids have been begging me to make this dish again. Thursdays are busy with back-to-back after school activities, so this is perfect since it comes together quickly.  

Friday: Beef, Shiitake and Broccoli Stir-Fry - The boys are also bugging me to make Beef and Broccoli, so I decided to shake it up a wee bit and try Ming Tsai's recipe. From Simply Ming One-Pot Meals, I'm sure this will be a hit just as everything else I've made from this cookbook.

Have a great week!

Happy New Year! 2015 is off to a good start so far: kids got up and got to school on time! This is short of a miracle after a 2-week break of going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 9am. I'm also back to sticking to a weekly meal plan which includes lots of healthier recipes. Because you know, it's not the start of the new year without some resolutions to eat healthier and to exercise more. And wouldn't you know it - got in a workout and cooked up this delicious winter pasta dish. 2015, let's do this!

Monday: Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes - inspired by this Everday Food recipe, I make this dish by roasting chopped eggplant, red onions, garlic and tomatoes in the oven with oil, salt and pepper until they're golden and the vegetables are almost crisp around the edges. I toss this mixture with some cooked pasta, leftover pasta water and chopped basil.

Tuesday: Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup - okay, this dish from Gourmet may not be super healthy but there's kale! My family goes crazy for this and it's even better the next day.

Wednesday: Curried Shrimp and Cauliflower - need something that comes together quickly? Rice with this curried shrimp and cauliflower from Martha Stewart is our go-to recipe. Plus some Trader Joe's Naan hot from the oven.

Thursday: Chicken and Chickpea Tagine - I love making tagines in the winter. The wonderful smells while it cooks plus this hearty meal will warm you up on a particular cold day.

Friday: umdaddy special - I'm leaving Friday's dinner up to the big guy. I suggest delegating one meal to your partner too!

Have a good week!

It's that time of year again. Highlights (and lowlights) of the past year are flooding my newsfeed. New diets and detox regimens for a "new you." New Year Resolutions. For me, I like to review some of my best meals and with that, moments in the past year. Drum roll please...

#10: Matzo Ball Soup - this was my second time ever making matzo ball soup. I made them with schmaltz (melted chicken fat). No matzo ball mix here. The result? Crazy good.

#9: DIY Rice Bowls with Fried Egg - Such a humble dish but all-around family favorite. Rice topped with some stir-fry veggies and a fried egg. One dish you won't need a recipe for.

#8: Scallion Pancakes - These golden beauties from Joanne Chang's Flour, Too cookbook are now a must-have during Chinese New Year celebrations.

#7: Roasted Pumpkin Soup at Henrietta's Table - I had the good fortune of getting a cooking demonstration by Chef Peter Davis for making this luscious soup. It's a bowl full of Autumn.

#6: Asian-Style BBQ Chicken - from one of my 2014 favorite cookbooks, Dinner: The Playbook, this BBQ chicken dish is packed with flavor. Plus my kids love it and it's so easy to make. Yep, it's a keeper.

#5: Warm Couscous Salad with Roasted Autumn Vegetables and Ginger-Scallion Dressing - from my other favorite 2014 cookbook, Flour, Too, this dish is hearty but so good for you, you can't help but love it.

#4: The Countdown - this was my favorite cocktail at one of my new favorite restaurants this year - Alden & Harlow. I can't recall what's in this drink (their drink menu changes regularly). What I can remember was this was a perfect drink for raising a glass to turning the big 4-0.

#3: Momofuku Noodle Bar's Shiitake Bun - this was a bittersweet meal. My long-awaited first visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC only happened because we were in the city for my grandmother's funeral. It was sad having to say goodbye, but so lovely being with family over some of the best food I've ever had.

#2: Sharing platter - there was nothing extraordinary about this charcuterie and cheese board. What makes it one of my favorite meals is the fact that this was our last picnic dinner on one of our favorite beaches on Cape Cod. Sigh.

#1: Mother's Day Breakfast - Oh my God, was this good. Umdaddy surprised me with the best breakfast a mom could ask for: Fried egg over baby arugula, skillet fried fingerling potatoes and monkey bread french toast. Not only was this out-of-this-world-good, but I got to share it with my family. I am so very lucky.

Here's to even more delicious meals with those you love in 2015!

I don't know about you, but I'm finding it particularly difficult to get into the holiday spirit this year. It could be due to the fact there is no snow on the ground, just sad, bare trees and dead grass everywhere. It could be I'm behind with my Christmas shopping (like, still making a list). But there's still time! Christmas is 10 days away. So if you're like me still looking for gift ideas, I've put together the mother of all lists of practical holiday gift ideas for the food-obsessed on your list. And no, it does not include anything from the Williams-Sonoma catalog. But do yourself a favor and read "The 2014 Hater's Guide to the Williams-Sonoma Catalog". FUNNY. Though, who couldn't use a set of Lampkins?

(photo credit: Cool Mom Picks)

For teachers, friends, neighbors, or public servants in your community, check out Mom Cool Picks "14 Easy Homemade Food Gifts To Make Besides Cake and Cookie". Two words: Homemade Nutella. 

(photo credit: The Kitchn)

For the newbie home cook just starting out, The Kitchn's "10 Essential Kitchen Tools to Gift Now and Use Forever" includes the stuff home cooks will remember you every time they use it - which will be often. 

(photo credit: Eat the Love)

For the cookbook collector, check out Eat the Love's "Holiday Cookbooks 2014 Roundups" He's divided his massive roundup into three parts, so you'll be sure to find something for everyone. 

(photo credit: Thinksource)

For the healthy snacker, POPSUGAR has their list of favorite Monthly Subscription Boxes. These make great last-minute gifts plus they are the gifts that keep on giving! 

(photo credit: Ryan Daush)

For yourself: yes, you should treat yourself! I love this list from the editors of Food52 of products they hope to get get this year. Some beautiful and fun things to brighten up your kitchen.