If you’re anything like me, there are numerous times during the year when the thought of eating, never mind fixing dinner, is just “No thanks!” It gets even worse when the weather gets pleasant and I’m out in the garden for long stretches. (It’s OK to groan if you are juggling a work schedule or, worse, working at home or out with children. I’ve been there, and I feel like I should take a nap for you!) A lifetime spent cooking has taught me, however, that without something just a little bit special on the plate, everyone around the table will push the food around.
Luckily, that does not mean going to great lengths to make the last fabulous recipe you read. If you’d like to contribute to Home Plates, send a recipe and a story telling us how you came to cook it, who you cook it for and why it’s found a place in your life to [email protected] .
Also, please tell us a little bit about your life as a home cook, include a photo of the dish, and yourself, possibly together, and let us know the source of the recipe. My go-to when the going is tough is fish – plain haddock, flounder or sole that can be coated in breadcrumbs and fried in a pan in five minutes or popped into a 400-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. If the kids in your life don’t want to eat fish, try cutting cod into “sticks” and cooking them the same way, or opt for chicken fingers.
Easy, right? Rounding out the meal, for me, means a salad. This might be greens left in the refrigerator that.
