Kale and Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing

This one enjoyed her Holiday immensely - chocolate and whipped cream still on her face. 

Happy New Year! How was your Christmas? We had the perfect low key day with our family and closest friends this year. According to my father-in-law, Christmas dinner in Ireland is usually a roast turkey but after just having one on Thanksgiving we usually find ourselves wanting something different. This year we decided to do lamb.  We also had mashed potatoes, rice, roasted vegetables, creamed spinach, green bean casserole and finished with a lovely Guinness pudding from the Boutique.  

I don’t do resolutions, not in the strict sense, but I’m doing a little bit of reorganizing around the house, donating some old clothes and hopefully, going to get around to decorating those rooms of the house that we somehow haven’t gotten to in the last five years (how did that happen?). I’m also thinking about all of the new recipes I want to try in 2017.  Actually, I keep a list.  I’ve been keeping a log of each new recipe attempted and notes about what worked and what didn’t since 2011. I think I can credit this blog with making my 2016 list the longest one yet. In 2017, I want to have more people over for dinner and I hope to get Isla cooking and Emmett taking on more complex tasks in the kitchen.  Yesterday he asked me for his own knife, so I think he’s ready to up the ante.

Today we are keeping it easy. Salad. Not because it’s a new year or because we were particularly gluttonous over the holidays.  We weren’t too bad, except that Emmett discovered the frozen disks of cookie dough in the freezer and realized that it meant we could make fresh cookies whenever we want. Then he FORCED us all to eat way too many cookies.  Oops, not that last part, but still.

Greens. While kale has become ubiquitous and somehow, against all odds, loved by all, Brussels sprouts remain sort of polarizing.  You either love them or hate them. I love them (I’m so predictable).  They are adorable. Mini-cabbages! Grown on a stalk!  What’s not to love? I never make them for the holidays because I’m pretty sure my brother-in-law doesn’t like them but now that Christmas is over, here they are. I think that even a Brussels sprout hater could get behind this shaved Brussels sprout and kale salad with maple-mustard dressing. I like this just the way it is but you could add bacon or chicken or both and make it more of a meal. It also travels well. And, because it is best eaten at room temperature, it’s a great option for those times when you have to bring something.

Kale and Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing

For the salad:

1 cup shredded Brussels sprouts

2 cups shredded kale

1 large apple, thinly sliced

1 handful of dried cherries or cranberries

½ cup crumbled chevre, feta or blue cheese

½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped

For the dressing:

½ cup walnut oil, or canola oil

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons coarse-grained mustard

½ shallot, minced

2 teaspoons chives, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Ok. You know how to make a salad. For the dressing, I usually just shake up all of the ingredients in the cool little dressing shaker my mom bought for me, or when that’s already in use as it was today, a mason jar.

I think Paul and John were both happy that the kids wanted this toy cash register. The beginning of their training to work in the stores? Starting them young. 

Happy Holidaze

These kiddos made quick work of the extra crème brûlée. Emmett abandoned his spoon prematurely while Isla worked on scraping as much out of the dish as possible.

Are you ready for Christmas? Are you relieved that all of the preparing for the Holiday is over so that we can just relax, open presents and eat? Now that we have three kids, I definitely feel as though we are in the thick of it when it comes to Christmas.  So much to do.  So much excitement  (and two of them don’t even really know what Christmas is yet)!  Still, the Holidays aren’t just for kids. And being a parent doesn’t mean that you aren’t still all of the things that you were before. This is a time to celebrate health, happiness, family and friendships - all of the things that are important to us.

I’ve been going out to dinner with a group of girlfriends from law school for fourteen years. Yep. FOURTEEN YEARS! How did that happen? Together we’ve celebrated marriages, the birth of more than a few children and several job and career changes. We've also leaned on each other for over a decade's worth of disappointments, losses and bumps in the road. This month we decided to take some time away from our other obligations to celebrate each other by way of our own holiday dinner party.  Of course the weather didn’t cooperate the evening of the party and I wasn’t even sure anyone would be able to make it. But almost everyone showed and it felt so good to see each other face-to-face, these girls who I’ve been through so much with.  To talk late into the evening about a little bit of everything.  To laugh and reminisce over dark chocolate crème brûlée before heading back out into the snow (for them) and upstairs to bed (for me).  

I hope you had some time to celebrate your long standing friendships this month.  And if you forgot anyone on your gift list I’m currently coveting these, this and this (so cute!).  And I think this or this would be perfect for those hard-to-shop-for men in your life.

Happy Holidays!!!

Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée

(adapted from David Lebovitz)

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole or low-fat milk

1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for caramelizing

Pinch sea salt or kosher salt

6 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 oz dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) if using gratin dishes (or 325ºF (160ºC) if using ramekins or custard cups).

Place 4 individual gratin dishes on a high-rimmed baking sheet.

In a small saucepan whisk the cocoa powder with a little bit of cold milk until fully incorporated.

Place the saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream, milk, sugar, chocolate and salt until the sugar dissolves and chocolate is melted, which shouldn’t take long at all.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.

Gradually add the warm cream mixture to the egg yolks in a steady stream, stirring with the whisk until the cream is completely incorporated. Mix in the espresso or coffee powder and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Divide the mixture among the dishes.

Place the pan of custards on the oven rack and pour enough hot water into the pan so that it reaches at least halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake the custards for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are just set; watch them very carefully during the final few minutes of baking. If using ramekins, pour hot water in the pan, cover with foil and bake them a little bit longer 30-35 minutes, until they barely jiggle in the center.

Remove the dishes from the pan and set them on a cooling rack. Let the custards cool to room temperature. Then loosely cover and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each crème brûlée with an even layer of sugar. I use just enough to evenly cover the tops, particularly when using gratin dishes as they have a lot of surface area and you don’t want overdo it on the sugar.  Using a blowtorch, wave the flame over each custard, 1 at a time, until the sugar melts. Serve immediately.

And when the spoon was no longer cutting it, she resorted to this.

Split Pea Soup

"Bad hair day (every day)? Stained kitchen towel draped around my entire top half? Whatever. Nothing can get me down." - that's our Isla.  Keepin' it real. 

I’ve documented how much these kids love soup. Also, the utility of leftover Irish bacon. The ever-frugal provider in me loves that I can make a meal that everyone will eat (and ask for seconds of) that is essentially made up of scraps from the fridge and leftovers. The only thing that could make this a better Sunday lunch? S.N.O.W. Tons of it. Oh, and brownies, from our new neighbors - to counteract all of the calories burned making snow angels and shoveling the drive.  Days like this make me feel less sorry for myself that we have to put up with the “bad” weather so many months out of the year. Kids teach you a lot. Mine have taught me to see things differently, to appreciate the wonder and fun in snow, the joy in anticipation of Christmas. I’m still not crazy about digging the car out or tackling most of the items on my December to-do list.  But, instead of just feeling overburdened by the responsibility of buying gifts and fighting the cold, for the past few years, I’m also remembering to enjoy it all a little more.

I really enjoy making this soup and how everyone lingers around the kitchen waiting for it to be ready to eat. Even the kids who, like most their age like something one minute and detest it the next, are guaranteed to eat a big bowl of split pea soup. Why wouldn’t they? It’s like comfort in a bowl.  Perfect for a snow day.

Split Pea Soup

About 8oz of leftover Irish Bacon (cooked)

1 large carrot, cut into small pieces

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

About 3 sprigs of thyme

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1 ½ cups dried green split peas

½ tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Place butter and olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until butter is melted and starts to bubble.

Add carrots, onion and celery and cook until onion starts to become translucent, about 6 minutes, turn down the heat if vegetables start to brown.

Add garlic, bay leaf, thyme and a little bit of salt and cook about two minutes more.

Add bacon and split peas and stir.

Add chicken stock or broth, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 1 hour to 90 minutes or until peas soften enough to thicken the soup. Serve with fresh parsley, bread or rice.