The Culinary Bibliophile is Back!

It 's been more than seven months since I last posted on this blog. I'm not sure what happened. My guess is that it was summer and we were outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. Then school started. Then the holiday season was in full swing. In any event I'm back. Why? Because I found that I actually missed writing. I surprised myself by enjoying writing this blog for the sake of writing it, whether or not anyone reads it (although I hope someone does!) So here I am. And here's a sprinkling of what's been going on for the past seven-ish months and lessons I've learned:

Ben turned five and is now officially registered for Kindergarten for the Fall. Time flies!

My Beef Brisket and Chicken Pot Pie are great things to make to deliver to a friend in need.

I have taken of the roll of Fellowship Chair at church. Basically this means I plan the social events like the Easter breakfast, holiday party, Lego night and various potlucks. I'm not sure how this happened , especially since I've lamented about how I take on too much, but being Fellowship Chair has fulfilled me in ways I couldn't have anticipated. I'm glad I said "yes" when asked.

That said, I've learned to say "no" more often. I don't go to every single meeting of the preschool parents association. I don't sign up to volunteer for every event at Jake's school (but I do still help out at our favorites.) I have put hanging out with friends and family as a priority - more often than not I say "yes" to these invites. My life is less stressed and much richer as a result.

The Scotsman has been traveling a lot more for work. I'm trying to be grateful that he has a good job rather than stressed about childcare and household logistics while he's away.

Jake is into soccer big time (both playing and watching). He's joined two leagues and loves to watch games on TV. The Scotsman even set him up with his own fantasy league for the English Premiership. It's been fun to watch him grow in and embrace the sport!

The Americans on FX is a great show. The Scotsman and I can't wait for the new season to start at the end of the month!

Sleep is the cure for whatever ails you. I am finally getting a good nights sleep fairly regularly and I feel so much better because of this. Who knew!?!?

Books I have read (by the way, these are not affiliate links - I'm just trying to make it a little easier for you to browse. You can also see what I've been reading on my Goodreads profile): What Alice Forgot, The Man Who Ate Everything, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and Reconstructing Amelia, among others.

The Scotsman can't hate pasta as much as he says he does. He's been regularly requesting my Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese lasagna, as recently as last night. There is hope! And I promise to post the recipe soon.

A snow storm, great neighbors and a bottle of wine are a fabulous combination.

I'm learning to embrace my slow cooker.

Doing everything the night before (making lunches, laying out clothes, etc) is the key to a better day.

So that's what's going on with me - what's been going on with you?

Stuck in a Dinner Rut

I’m stuck in a dinner rut. You know what I mean – trying to plan your meals for the week and having no inspiration. What I don’t understand is that if you told me I needed to plan a dinner party or a holiday meal I’d be able to plan multiple, intricate, yummy, interesting meals in a matter of minutes. Ask me to plan some basic dinners for the family and I’m stuck staring at a blank page. Why, why, why? What is so hard about this?

I don’t know the answer to that question but obviously I’ve been asking it for years. I poked through some old and emails found an email to my husband from November of 2011 listing all the various meals I could think of for lunch and dinner. It must not have been very inspiring to either of us as it hasn’t been looked at since….November of 2011. And looking at it now isn’t exactly getting the culinary juices flowing, either.

I think this issue is a big reason why family dinners are so hard. And I’d like to think I’m not alone. It’s one thing to manage to get the family gathered around the dinner table. It’s a different matter to come up with what your going to serve. I think for me, the issue performance anxiety. I’m afraid to try something new in case someone doesn’t like it. My husband is not a fan of pasta so that’s out (although I’m working on him). The kids surprise me with what they do and don’t like. So rather than taking a chance I do nothing at all.

I still don’t know what we’re going to eat in the coming week. But in the meantime I’ll leave you with a recipe for an old favorite that appeared on that 2011 email. This is the best beef brisket you’ll ever have. I demanded the recipe from my friend Kerry years ago after eating it at her house. It was so good I made it for dinner that same night (it was THAT good). I’ve tried other brisket recipes but none of them have held a candle to this one.

Kerry’s Beef Brisket (aka The Best Brisket You’ll Ever Eat)

3 lbs single cut beef brisket

1 cup ketchup

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup cider vinegar

1 pkg dry onion soup mix

½ cup water

½ cup BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 375®

Place the brisket in a 13x9 dish. In a medium bowl, mix together the other ingredients and pour over the brisket.

Cover the brisket tightly with foil and bake for 3 ½ hours. Remove from oven and let cool.

Slice the meat against the grain and return to the sauce. Reheat in the over for approx. 20 minutes.