Gotham Gal: Question of the week #9

After all the talk last week about the storm, let's turn our thoughts to food. I have combined two questions together this week because they work well together.

How did you get your kids so interested in food?

What are your favorite go to recipes for dinner that are quick and healthy?

Food has always been an important part of my life. My Mom was an excellent cook and my Grandmother was an excellent baker. Even my father's mother had her special recipes she would make when she visited like kreplach and blintzes. Making good food has always been part of my life which includes spending time in the kitchen.

When the kids were young they always saw me making dinner. What I made that night was what we ate. There were no exceptions. If you didn't like it, you didn't eat. I was not a short-order chef. Granted there are some things that they kids might really dislike but the rule is that you must give it a try. I never really made food that was so out there that the kids had no interest. I stuck to the basics and gradually added a little more depth as they got older such as brisket.

I also engaged the kids in the process. Having them help me make the meal, bake the cookies, set the table, clear the table etc. That is probably why all three of our kids enjoy cooking and baking...and of course good food.

I really cook healthy and simply. I make a protein and a vegetable. When the kids were younger I used to also make a starch but at one point I stopped doing that but have brought it back into the mix for Josh and Fred.

Here are a few of my standards:

Roasted chicken with roasted vegetables and rice or broiled chicken.

Marinated hanger steak, large green salad and roasted potatoes on the side or pan-fried brussel sprouts.

Roasted pork loin with onions and apples with roasted broccoli and cauliflower on the side.

Bottom line, I mix it up depending on what it is in season and what everyone is in the mood for. The dishes are easy to make. Once in awhile I get creative making a stir-fry or a pasta sauce but on a day to day basis I go simple, fresh and easy.

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books of the moment

Peggy Riley: Amity & Sorrow: A Novel
A mother drives for days with her daughters and ends up in a random Oklahoma town after crashing the car. They come from a polygamous community where there were 50 wives. The mother had grown up knowing life outside that community. Over time, after leaving, she almost becomes deprogrammed. The realization of what she did to her daughters who no nothing outside the world they came from including how to read. Then there is the family that brought them in. It is a fascinating story. Well written. Worthy read.
Charles Graeber: The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder
An amazing true story of a male nurse who was arrested in 2002. I actually remember the story as I followed it in the papers. This nurse was a serial killer who had probably murdered over 400 patients that were under his care. A seriously well researched book. Great read.
Meg Wolitzer: The Interestings: A Novel
Wolitzer writes about a group of camp friends who all come from different walks of life (some on scholarship) as their friendships continue through their mid-50s. At the beginning the story seems trite but as you continue to read there is a lot of be said. The story is sticking with me. She makes the case that everything that happens to you from your childhood makes an impact on who you become or don't become. Worthy read.
Elizabeth Strout: The Burgess Boys: A Novel
Strouts last book won a Pulitzer. She focuses on family issues. I enjoyed this book much more than Olive Ketteredge which I found utterly depressing. This book follows two brothers and a sister who live in the shadow of their fathers accidental death. Like most siblings, all have turned out very different yet they are connected. I did not love any of the characters, like her last book, yet as The Burgess Boys moves forward and memories are revealed, it is an interesting perspective on human character.
Tamara Shopsin: Mumbai New York Scranton: A Memoir
Great book. A witty spare inventive personal diary of Tamara journey from Indian to New York to Scranton. Really really enjoyed the book.
Michael Lavigne: The Wanting: A Novel
An incredible book that tells the human side of the many layered issues in the Middle East. From immigrating to Israel from Moscow, to being a victim of a suicide bomber yet surviving, to being pulled into an Israeli radical group. Each character is connected. Very layered well written book. Powerful
Alessandro Piol: Tech and the City: The Making of New York's Startup Community
A history of the Internet that I lived through. Great job of recording what happened.
Amity Gaige: Schroder: A Novel
Not sure how much I loved this book. A father loses his child in divorce and decides to kidnap his own daughter. He is not a stable person but he obviously loves his daughter. His own childhood has made him a disconnected human being. An interesting journey but not sure I'd recommend.
Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea
Classic.
Janice Steinberg: The Tin Horse: A Novel
a good novel that not only tells the tale of another dysfunctional jewish family in the early 30's but interweaves pieces of los angeles history throughout the book.