We had a lovely Mother’s Day brunch here yesterday, with J.’s homemade caramel sauce, espresso ice cream with ribbons of dark chocolate and caramel, and Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies for dessert. Hello, decadence. There was watermelon on the dessert table, too, but I sure didn’t see too many pieces of the fruit eaten!
A new spring schedule means we’re not home until after 6 more weeknights than not, which is new for us. I used to find time to cook dinner in the morning, but now I am finding myself using those bits of time to volunteer at our local SPCA instead. And hey, I usually get a warmer reception from the dogs I’m walking than I do from my kids receiving a home-cooked dinner.
We made a great family meal tonight: salmon, baby potatoes, and asparagus on the grill; plus Baked Ziti for the non-fish eaters. And, because we were celebrating a birthday, there were homemade brownies and Mint Chip Ice Cream for dessert.
J. did at least half of that cooking, but today’s puttering in the kitchen plus a batch of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread muffins make me feel somewhat primed for a week of real dinners after a long hiatus.
I had a plan in my head, and now it’s written down. Not in stone, though.
This week I’m getting a chance to eat out for lunch twice, for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. On Monday, I tried the Birdsall House in Peekskill (my first time there). Lunch was very good, and we were able to sit outside on their patio. Not what we expected in March! I chose to start with the Chicken Liver Pate, served with cherry preserves and warm crusty bread. I am a sucker for liver, and I don’t make it myself, so it’s hard to resist when I see it on a menu like this. Then I chose the Beet and Grain Burger, served with wilted spinach, caramelized onions and apples, goat cheese, honey mustard, and a challah roll for my entree. If you follow Chick in the Kitchen on Facebook, you saw a picture of it yesterday. I loved the flavor of this vegetarian main, though there was nothing burger-like about it; the beets and grains had the consistency of risotto and could not be eaten as a sandwich. Dessert was Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake with Rocky Road ice cream. Needless to say, I was stuffed.
Tomorrow I’m headed to Cafe of Love in Mt. Kisco for lunch, and I am already dreaming about their Truffled Chickpeas.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Moroccan Chicken Tajine: I recently had a chicken tajine dish at Fig & Olive in Scarsdale, and wanted to recreate something similar at home. This is an Ina Garten recipe, and she never fails me.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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