My schedule was crazy yesterday, and though I knew about dinner guests, I hadn’t planned it out fully. I thought somehow it would all just come together. Most of the time this method works for me, but it was not one of those times—win some, lose some, pour yourself some wine.

As I dashed in the door (late) and ran between the kitchen and bath time for the girls, I realized that I had forgotten about dessert completely. Thankfully, I had gone to the farmers market earlier in the week and had cherries on hand. Even more thankfully, I have Elizabeth on speed dial and she offered up this Cherry Clafouti recipe she created for Martha Stewart Living. I’ve made clafouti before, but this was by the far the easiest recipe I’ve tried (and it was very forgiving with my limited pantry situation).

First, I pitted and sliced the cherries, tossing them in a bowl while I pulled together the rest of the ingredients. The best part about this dessert is that I could get it all prepped and let it sit on the counter while we ate dinner. Then, thirty minutes before we were ready for dessert, I poured the batter over the cherries in the pan and placed it in the oven. I may have mutilated the pork, but at least this dessert turned out fantastic.

Since I was under the gun, I did do a bit of freelancing—instead of crème fraîche I used buttermilk (in the batter, not for serving), and 1% milk in place of whole milk. I also substituted white whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose, because that’s how I roll. Admittedly, it would have been better with crème fraîche for serving; it creates a nice balance with the sweetness of the warm cherries. I’ll be sure to have that on hand next time. Trust me, there will be a next time.

Cherry Clafouti

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Serves 6-8

 

Unsalted butter, for dish

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup crème fraîche (this is where I used buttermilk), plus more for serving

3/4 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for dish

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 ounces cherries, halved and pitted

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter tart pan and coat with granulated sugar; tap out excess. I make a paste first so that the batter isn’t lumpy, whisking the eggs, yolk, flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Then, slowly add the rest of the ingredients- crème fraîche (or buttermilk), milk, granulated sugar and vanilla- until everything is entirely mixed together.

 

 

Arrange cherries in prepared dish, round side down. Pour batter over cherries by straining through mesh sieve (I put my sieve over my bowl of batter to remind me of this step come assembly time). Bake until browned around edges and set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly.

 

Clafouti is best warm, so bake it just before you serve dinner. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and scoop it into bowls with a spoonful of crème fraîche.

 

Mondays are for roasting chickens in my house.  Most of the time it’s a whole chicken (sometimes just the breasts — see my quick recipe below). I’ll roast on Mondays and we have it for dinner that night. The rest is “featured again” later in the week (don’t tell my husband — he hates leftovers).  Often, round two of the roast chicken becomes taco night or quesadillas con pollo, but if there’s enough I’ll make chicken salad.

Preheat oven to 375

2-4 chicken breasts split with skin and bones

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper

 

Place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet and splash olive oil on each of the pieces — cover evenly.  Then sprinkle your desired amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Roast for 40 minutes.

 

Note: I usually roast 4 breasts at a time so I have leftovers.  Two breasts will yield what you will need for the chicken salad.

Toast some good, crusty bread, smear with butter and marmalade or jam—simple and delicious.

Making pancakes in the morning is a breeze if you mix and store dry ingredients in a sealed container in your pantry — I often quadruple the recipe.  Then, come breakfast time just mix 1 cup of the dry mix with 1 cup buttermilk and 2 eggs.  This yields about 10, 4-5″ pancakes with ease.

Princess crepes are our special weekend breakfast treat (and I have it on good authority that princes like them too). To make them extra special, simply melt a handful of chocolate chips and brush into the crepes before rolling.

When Donald Link was here, he taught me this great tip for making the perfect egg. This quick video shows you a couple of tricks to get you to egg perfection.

Homemade granola layered with greek yogurt and fresh berries makes a beautiful parfait.

Photo by Erin Feinblatt

Banana bread, or banana toast is an even easier option that my mom used to make for me when I was little.

Mushroom frittata is an great dish that you can make using only one pan.

Whatever your plans are, if you’re a mom, I hope you feel spoiled all day!

Growing up, this simple, delicious treat was my Mom’s attempt at dessert. She’s a fantastic cook, but not a baker. Raised in Belgium (like most Europeans, even in the tiniest towns), my mom had the luxury of ridiculously good pastry shops just down her street. She never made what she could buy a better version of; at least that was her excuse.

Strawberries are in season and full of juicy flavor. For this dessert, simply put out a bowl of fresh berries, a small bowl of sour cream and a small bowl of brown sugar. If sour cream isn’t your thing, try Greek yogurt. Gather around the bowl (this is family style dining at it’s best) and dip your berry in the cream and then the sugar and just like that— a wonderful, fresh dessert. No measuring, no mixing bowls, and no oven…no wonder it was my mom’s favorite!

This would be a great dessert to serve up on Mother’s Day, when you are at the farmers market picking out flowers for mom, grab a few baskets of strawberries too. You can make this dessert feel extra festive by pulling out your good stuff and using special dishes— think porcelain and silver.

Strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar is a second-generation dessert close to my heart. I have such fond memories of dipping away with my sisters and treasured moments of my girls with strawberry juice on their chins sneaking in a double dip. I hope this little treat brings you some sweet, simple springtime memories with your own family.

This was one of the first recipes I posted on the blog over two years ago and it’s still a favorite. It’s my default lunch and there’s a reason it never falls out of rotation— it’s tasty, crunchy, healthy and fast to pull together in the middle of a busy day.

I always seem to have these ingredients on hand, and this recipe easily lends itself to substitutions. You can switch the cheese type; add some chicken or turkey or change out the greens or herbs. I have used arugula, Swiss chard, spinach…whatever is in my garden and fridge that seems to fit. Be sure to let your tortilla get nice and crispy, that’s what gives the crunch.

It’s not a sandwich, it’s not a quesadilla, it’s not a salad— it’s really a combo of all three.

Crunchy Green Combo

(Serves 1)

1 whole-wheat flour tortilla (I buy Trader Joe’s whole-wheat & corn flour tortillas)

2 slices of jack cheese

1 large handful of arugula (or other greens)

Squeeze of lemon

Drizzle of olive oil

Squirt of Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce)

5-6 thyme leaves

Pinch of sea salt

 

Get your grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it on medium heat while you gather the rest of your ingredients. Place your whole-wheat tortilla in the dry hot pan and let it toast there until it gets a little crispy. Once it’s nice and brown, flip it to the other side. Place the cheese slices on the now warm side and sprinkle the thyme on top.

 

As the cheese melts, in a small bowl toss the arugula with the oil, lemon and salt. Give a gentle squeeze of Sriracha or salsa on the warm cheese. By the time the cheese melts you are ready for the greens. Put the tortilla on a plate and scoop the dressed greens on top of the spicy melted cheese and fold over.

Take a seat and dig in— totally yummy and satisfying.