recipe makeover Archives | Foodlets (2024)

MOTHER’S DAY IS A TRICKY ONE. At least for me. I know the customary “gift” is something along the lines of breakfast in bed, butthe only time I’ve eaten breakfast on a tray since becoming a mom has been inside ahospital, right after giving birth. Otherwise it’s off to the races startingaround dawn ever since….

Read More »

WE’VE BEEN MAKING A LOT OF LUNCHES around here. Foodlets Friday Lunch is a teeny, tiny pilot program that we started this spring. Every Friday I make lunch for the kids at Phoebe’s preschool and parents who are keen to buy one simply cover the costs. It’s not catering, not yet, but I hope it…

Read More »

THERE ARE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WHO LOVE MUFFINS. And we’ve made a lot of them. Banana muffins with millet, banana oat, chocolate zucchini and more. But none, not a single mini muffin, bug-shaped muffin or big ol’ muffin in the bunch compares to these. I have a toddler who now cries at the sight…

Read More »

WHEN YOU HAVE A FRIDGE FULL OF TURKEY and a house full of guests, the best way to handle both is a big casserole of turkey pot pie, just like this one. It’s a new riff on the Barefoot Contessa’s chicken pot pie recipe we made over once (and still the number one recipe of…

Read More »

I MADE THESE POT PIES TWICE RECENTLY, once big (for the family) and once small (for each person). The second time I used leftovers from Gwyneth Paltrow’s delicious Rotisserie Style Roast Chicken. Estelle LOVED it. Phoebe was sick. Paul liked them both though he did say that more crust on the bigger version was better….

Read More »

THE ORIGINAL VERSION, Banana Cake with Mocha Frosting and Salted Candy Peanuts, looks so amazing that I was tempted to bake the whole thing twice. And I still might. But for now, behold the oatmealy goodness that is the kiddy version of David Lebovitz’s prize-winning banana cake. (And you’d better do it quick because it’s…

Read More »

I MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY EATEN a whole cake this weekend. Yes, Phoebe helped and so did Estelle but really, it was my determination that got it done.

THESE TASTE LIKE EXTRA delicious Twinkies. That’s the first thing I have to say about this recipe. The second is, I’m sorry Mr. Lebovitz. (But I do hope you understand the method to my mini foodie madness.) Inspired by pastry chef David Lebovitz’s gorgeous book, “Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes“, we’ve started a new…

Read More »

CAKES! THIS IS EASILY Phoebe’s favorite food. Especially chocolate. Especially when she gets to help make them. So the fudgy chocolate brownies from “My Father’s Daughter” by Gwyneth Paltrow were a hit before they were even baked. And after.

CAN I PLEASE HAVE MORE POTATOES? These are words I like to hear. Especially when the alternatives are, “Her touching me!” or the newest installment in sass, “I don’t care”. Arms folded. None of that last night though, which was a welcome blessing because Paul worked a little later than usual, leaving me with the…

Read More »

IT DIDN’T START WELL. First of all the book took ages to arrive, three weeks after I ordered it from the usually trusty Amazon UK. Then there was the matter of buying a whole chicken. I’ve had poultry trouble before. But today I went to the butcher’s counter directly. Go to the source, I said….

Read More »

DESPITE THE UBER-URBAN SETTING, I WAS OBSESSED with all things domestic during my NYC days. Single, living in a series of 4th floor walk-ups and working all hours…it was an unlikely fit. (And definitely not very cool.) Then there was the question of space. None of the six apartments I eventually lived in had what…

Read More »

WE HAD COMPANY OVER CHRISTMAS, including a 3-year old guest from Amsterdam. Phoebe was thrilled to have another “big girl” around but as you may know (and be reminded daily), it’s not easy to guess what will go over at this age. But when in doubt, I say go for comfort food. This recipe is…

Read More »

Here they are! The healthy pumpkin mini muffins every kid loves. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Barefoot Contessa. But today’s makeover recipe from Paula Deen looked so good — and had so many amazing reviews (766 and counting!?) — on Food Network.com that I couldn’t really resist. They’re both big ladies with…

Read More »

WE’RE BACK TO TOAST around here. Every morning it starts around 6am. I hear murmurs from the next room, Phoebe’s ready to get out of bed and can I please make her some bekfist? On the plus side, she’s nearly two and a half and stays in her toddler bed until someone comes to help…

Read More »

WE WERE HEADED FOR THE BEACH and needed to bring a dessert for lunch afterward. The requirements were simple enough: must be baked ahead of time and also hold up for an hour in the car. (And if it could not involve a 30-pound Le Creuset baking pan, even better.) There would be six adults,…

Read More »

WE’VE HAD A BREAKTHROUGH in the potato department. Never a fan of them, Phoebe actually said, “I ont aunt tatoes” when I was trying to play up tonight’s dinner—a tough task considering that we were swimming (aka, the most fun activity ever) just before the potato conversation. But potatoes it was. Only I added a…

Read More »

WE LOVED IT, PHOEBE DIDN’T. Such is life, especially when you’ve got a toddler. This lentil soup, originally inspired by the Barefoot Contessa, is a favorite for Paul and me but this time I added a couple of special ingredients: lentils that Paul got from the Salone Del Gusto food festival plus fresh turkey sausage….

Read More »

I’VE MADE IT BEFORE BUT THIS TIME, I ADDED A LITTLE MORE OOMPH. By now you know that I love my Barefoot Contessa. But you also might be aware of her delicious yet wildly fattening food, a dilemma for someone who is already 14 pounds heavier than usual, also trying to keep a 17-month old…

Read More »