I have a confession.  I’ve deviated terribly from the diet I’d maintained for years. It’s not vegan, low-carb, gluten-free, high-protein, or anything like that.  I’d always just tried to eat mainly vegetables, grains, legumes and occasionally supplemented with good organic meat.  I’d even indulge in baked goods and other sweet treats. Sounds simple enough?  Not for me.  After the baby came, I was so busy adjusting to the life of a new mom that I would eat whatever that’s fast and easy, even if that meant driving through MacDonald’s four times a week.   Then it just became a habit to eat lots of meat, lots of refined grains, lots of junk.  I think it’s also one of the reasons I stopped sharing recipes on this blog.  I simply had nothing good to share.

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Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. In the tradition of most blogs and magazines, I should be posting inspirations for your romantic date. You know, food that’s considered sexy, like beef braised in red wine, chocolate fudge cake, or even these cute heart-shaped hand pies. So why, you may ask, am I writing about a casserole? Is that not the least sexy dish, ever?

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Nothing is as comforting as a pot of soup on a cold winter day. It warms up your bones after a morning at the park.  It’s the best companion if you choose to stay home in matching pajamas with your child. It’s also one of the easiest things to make.  Pretty much throw everything in a pot and you will have a delicious meal and many satisfying leftovers in no time.

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The great thing about having a toddler is that I get to use him as an excuse for all the comfort food I crave.  It’s not that I want to have grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. It’s just that the baby won’t eat anything else.  Get the drill?  We’ve had all sorts of childhood favorites in rotation around here—lasagna, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pancakes, and waffles.  But my favorite has to be macaroni and cheese.

I’ve said before that I am not a big fan of the orangey type that comes from a box.   Especially with the little guy to feed now, I am looking for easy homemade versions that are as nostalgic, but with much less salt and food coloring.

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We packed up the car and headed for the mountains last Friday.  We wanted to see the baby play in the snow for the first time in celebration of his 14-month birthday.  He’s not old enough to build a snowman or have a snow fight, but watching him try to walk on the slippery terrain alone was worth the drive.

Before we left the house, I threw some short ribs and chopped vegetables in the slow cooker.  By the time we got home, it turned into this melt-in-your-mouth roast with a sweet smell that permeated the house.  Before I get to the delicious recipe, let me just back up and talk about the slow cooker.

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Hi there!  I am back!  I wish I could tell you that I spent my sabbatical doing something grand—writing a book, travelling around the world.  Instead, I spent the past few months catching up with my day-to-day life.  I quit my newspaper job a few months after the baby came and started a part-time gig as a guidance counselor for high school students.  We moved from our first house into a new place with a couple acres of land.  Of course, I’ve been taking care of Cary, who is now a walking, babbling 14-month-old!  So no, I didn’t write a book, or travel around the world, but I took care of a loooot of business while I was away.

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I’ve been on a risotto binge. First the lemon risotto, now this butternut squash variety. Yes, risotto is creamy and irresistibly delicious, but you may ask why I am eating butternut squash in the middle of summer when there are tons of fresh green vegetables out there. I wish I have some sort of profound culinary answer for you, but the truth is that butternut squash is the baby’s favorite food right now. Since it’d take him a whole month to finish a butternut squash on his own, us parents have to step him and give him a hand.

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Have you ever heard of a recipe so good you had to jump on it right away? That’s what happened with this one. My mother-in-law and I were chatting on the phone and she told me she was making this salad with quinoa, garbanzo, cucumber and cumin. It sounded so good to me that I asked her to email me the recipe that day.

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One of the great things about living in southern California is that we have beautiful citrus all year long. Lemons, grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, tangelos, you name it, we have it. I have a Meyer lemon tree in my backyard that yields a bountiful crop every year with barely any maintenance.  A tree in my parents’ backyard produces a cross between a grapefruit and a lemon. The fruit is so delicious that I go steal them all every spring.

I thought I’d pay homage to the amazing fruits we have here by combining my favorite citrus, lemon, with Nick’s favorite dessert, crème brûlée. The result is a decadent yet refreshing treat.

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Nick has gone to visit his family for a few days. This means it’s time to make some soup around here. Don’t ask me why, I don’t get it either. Nick just doesn’t like soup. It’s either too broth-y or too chunky. I gave up making soup for him somewhere around the 2-year mark of our marriage.

I happen to love soup. I think it’s filling and comforting. It’s the perfect dish when you are alone. You can serve it with a salad when you are trying to stay healthy. Or have it with a grilled cheese if you are in the mood for decadency. Or just gulp down a bowl by itself and call it dinner, especially when you’ve got to chase around a 7-month-old who just discovered mobility.

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