February 2012
1 post
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January 2012
4 posts
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Game Day Meatballs
Football. Beer. Meatballs.
All credit for this fine Game Day recipe goes to Uncle Gary, who wowed our extended family with these spicy-salty-sweetly-sour beauties on Christmas Day. These were the first appetizers to disappear from a table already laden with holiday goodness, and his recipe is already in heavy rotation with the grandparents, aunties and uncles.
On this, the first real...
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Split Pea Soup
Something smoky and soul satisfying for a bone-brittle winter day.
The combination of peas and pork is just too darn perfect — and it’s always been one of Owen’s favorites. Now that he’s fast approaching three years old (!), his palate has graduated to one of our favorite winter dishes: the humble split pea soup. Serve it up with a bit of crusty bread and a nice crisp...
December 2011
10 posts
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Whoopie Pies
We know, we know: cupcakes are great. But they’re everywhere, in every size and flavor, and everyone seems to have an opinion on the city’s finest (Magnolia, Buttercup, Baked by Melissa). It’s enough to leave us with a serious case of cupcake fatigue. So when it’s time to pull out the baking sheets and turn out something sweet, we make the official state treat of Maine:...
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Christmas Toast
After Owen’s safely tucked in on Christmas Eve, these two dads face the season’s stiffest challenge: helping Santa assemble Owen’s toys before dawn. It’s invariably a late and bleary-eyed night, and one or both of us might use some colorful language here and there. Morning comes far too quickly, and neither of us wants to waste time in the kitchen pulling together...
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Latkes
Of course it makes complete sense that these two dads, both former Catholics raising their son in the Episcopal faith, are now in charge of the latkes for their son’s preschool Hanukkah party. Complete sense.
If you can convince your grandmother to share her recipe, we’d be eternally grateful! For now, we’ll muddle through with these (and they sure are darn tasty).
Method:
4...
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Baked Pasta
Jerry and his colleagues recently attended a cooking class where among other dishes they turned out a lovely baked pasta. It was exactly what the doctor ordered now that the air has a chilly bite to it: toothsome pasta, studded with radicchio and mushrooms and coated with a decadent cheese sauce. Here’s our attempt to recreate it at home.
Method:
1 lb. dried penne
coarse salt
8...
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“Dad to Son: “I love you, Owen.”
Son to Dad: “I. Love....”
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Baked Beans
Baked beans hold a special place in Scott’s heart. This was the dish that simmered slow and steady overnight, buried (literally) in a stone-lined fire pit, then dug out and served hot and bubbling next to scrambled eggs and brown bread. Happily, this version doesn’t require digging a hole in the backyard, but it’s every bit as satisfying.
Method:
1 lb. dried kidney...
November 2011
5 posts
Thankful
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Spoon Bread
Dusk comes far too early in the northeast this time of year. So there’s nothing more welcome on our dinner plates right now than a good fist-sized wedge of this sun-yellow spoon bread. It’s a great accompaniment to almost any meal — here, pan roasted cod with some haricots verts and edamame dressed up with truffle salt and truffle butter. All just perfect for this rain-sleety...
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Coq Au Vin
On a recent crisp fall night at the shore, our neighbors, David and Margie, treated us to a lightly dressed salad, big bowls of coq au vin and a dense, chewy baguette just perfect for mopping up this delicious stew. Paired with a sturdy red, it was a one-pot wonder for a clear, windy night at the beach. We haven’t yet replicated Davis and Margie’s excellent version, but this comes...
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October 2011
3 posts
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Chili Verde
Method:
3 lb. pork shoulder
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
flour tortillas
cilantro
limes
For the salsa verde:
1.5 lbs tomatillos
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and choped
1/4 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
Trim the pork shoulder and...
September 2011
5 posts
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Grilled Radicchio
Method:
1 head radicchio, quartered
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
flaky sea salt
Place the quartered radicchio in a sealable plastic container. Whisk together the garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Add a three-finger pinch of coarse salt and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper....
August 2011
8 posts
Mac & Cheese
When your toddler’s favorite food is “cheese cheese cheese” (sung with squinted eyes and crinkled nose), you make a heck of a lot of mac & cheese. We’ll turn this one out on a Sunday afternoon and have leftovers for Owen’s lunch on Monday and Tuesday. Feel free to dress it up with peas and pancetta, shredded chicken, or even lobster. And grown-ups might like to...
Herb-Crusted Shrimp
These shrimp have been our go-to cocktail hour snack of choice this summer — just add a few cocktail napkins and a good white beer. The breadcrumb crust is a fine way to use the basil and parsley in your herb pots. And it’s extremely versatile, too: use it to coat chicken breasts, fish filets or roasted whole tomatoes, or generously sprinkle it over a plate of spaghetti with olive...
Gazpacho
Method:
6 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (optional, of course)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1.5 tbl. sherry vinegar
1 tbl. red wine vinegar
2 tbl. extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
pesto, for garnish (recipe here)
In a food processor,...
Grilled Lemons
Summer may soon be drawing to a close, but there are still plenty of nights of grilling ahead of us. When we’re firing up the grill for a heavily seasoned chicken or a whole fish, we’re always sure to have a handful of lemons at the ready. Blistered on the grill for just a few minutes, these beauties make a great accompaniment to almost any dish.
Method:
Heat an outdoor grill over...
Dressing for Greens
This dressing has been in heavy rotation in our house this summer. When it’s simply too hot to work hard in the kitchen, we toss simple greens with this dressing and top the salad with a bit of protein: a pan-fried fish, a bit of thinly sliced flank steak, or eggs fried in olive oil.
Method:
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
coarse salt
1 anchovy filet, finely chopped
3 tbl....
July 2011
5 posts
Marinated Cucumbers
Method:
1 cucumber, peeled
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. onion, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbl. honey
1 tbl. dried parsley, crushed in your palm
1 tsp. coarse salt
5 cracks of freshly ground black pepper
Slice the cucumber into 1/4 in.-thick rounds. Place the slices in a sealable container.
Whisk together the remaining 7 ingredients and pour over the cucumber slices. Marinate in the...
Grilled Corn & Sweet Pepper Salad
Method:
5 ears corn, shucked
10 grilled sweet peppers (recipe here), diced
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. red onion, peeled and diced
6 basil leaves, julienned
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat an outdoor grill over medium-high heat. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until nicely charred. Once cool enough to handle, stand the corn on one end and cut away the kernels.
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Cobb Salad
This salad contains two of Owen’s favorite foods — chicken and avocado — both of which he skillfully demanded from everyone’s plates at the shore this weekend, the little bugger.
Hats off to our friend, Gail Monaghan, for the inspiration here. We’ve always admired the salads Gail crafts in her in-home culinary classes — delicious, multi-component affairs that...
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Summer means one thing in this household: grilling. And we were at it all weekend long. These grilled peppers confidently hold their own as a side dish, but you can also fold them into sweet corn salads, dice them into fresh salsas, or slice them into rings and scatter them over leafy greens.
Method:
1 lb. small sweet peppers
1 palmful dried basil, crushed
coarse salt
freshly ground...
June 2011
4 posts
Couscous with Grilled Vegetables
Method:
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 orange bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 red onion, quartered and peeled (root end intact)
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped
10 oz. Israeli couscous
2. c....
Happy Father's Day
Piri Piri Shrimp
We’re big fans of piri piri, a Portuguese-style chili sauce. Its heated, briny flavor profile is a revelation and pairs well with just about everything — eggs, chicken, and especially shellfish. This roasted shrimp dish makes for a quick summertime appetizer when your pals are sitting on the porch, beers in hand.
Method:
1 lb. shrimp
extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt
freshly...
Happy First Anniversary to Two Dads Cook! →
May 2011
7 posts
Wheatberry Salad
We’ve just returned from a Boys’ Weekend at the shore, where Owen tore up the boardwalk like a mad man, excitedly pointing out the gulls and the sand and flirting with every female jogger that passed us. (This flirting is a skill he’s become frighteningly good at.) Those active mornings eventually yielded to more leisurely afternoons on the porch, and this is the lunchtime...
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