Antonia Lofaso - The Busy Moms Cookbook

The

BUSY MOMS

COOKBOOK

The

BUSY MOMS

COOKBOOK

100 RECIPES FOR QUICK, DELICIOUS, HOME-COOKED MEALS

ANTONIA LOFASO

with

CANDICE L. DAVIS

AVERY
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
New York

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Copyright 2012 by Antonia Lofaso

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lofaso, Antonia.

The busy moms cookbook : 100 recipes for quick, delicious, home-cooked meals / Antonia Lofaso ; with Candice L. Davis.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN: 978-1-101-59647-0

1. Cooking. I. Davis, Candice L. II. Title.

TX714.L637 2012 2012014583

641.3dc23

Printed in the United States of America

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

BOOK DESIGN BY TANYA MAIBORODA

The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

To Xea, who makes the occasional craziness of the busy mom lifestyle worth every minuteas I pursue my passion, youre my greatest inspiration.

And to all the other busy moms trying to balance it alljust remember none of us can pull this off alone. Were all in it together.

Ever found yourself sprinting through the grocery store at seven oclock in the morning, hoping youll find something better than shrink-wrapped cheese and crackers to pack for lunch? When your son signs you up to make two dozen cookies for the school bake sale, do your thoughts immediately turn to slice and bake? Are you now, or have you ever been, on a first-name basis with every delivery dude from the local pizza place, and have you ever found yourself peeking out the window and hoping its the hot guy this time?

Whether youre a single mom like me, a stay-at-home mom, a mom with a demanding job outside the house, or some combination of all of those, theres one thing we all have in common: were busy! The recipes and tips in this book were designed to help bring the family together for meals, even as you juggle that busy lifestyle. At the end of the day, it doesnt matter if your experience of family is a mom and her preschooler coloring pictures and telling knock-knock jokes while they eat or a rowdy gathering of parents and kids, aunties and uncles, grandparents and best friends fiercely debating which team will win the next big game. Its all family, and its time to gather our families around the table again.

It couldve been Rice-A-Roni with scrambled eggs, or a big dinner I helped my mom or my dad make. Either way, it was very important to my parents that we all sit together and share meals when I was growing up. They demonstrated to me how people learn about family and community through food. People bond over food. Good food makes people happy!

Growing up in a traditional Italian-American household meant I was always surrounded by food and family. The two were inseparable for us. Food was one of the ways we took care of one another and shared our love. And it was meant to be shared with everyone. If the cable guy came to the house, my dad would make him a sandwich. Cooking was a natural part of life and experimenting in the kitchen was one of my favorite ways to spend my free time.

I always knew I wanted to be a chef. I just wasnt sure it was a possibility for me. It seemed like the type of career people dream of but few actually ever succeed atlike becoming an actor or an artist. It wasnt until my daughter Xeas dad, Dwight, asked me what I really loved to do that I started to think it might be possible to make a living doing a job I enjoyed. As I look back, it seems crazy that I thought working and doing what you love didnt go together.

By the time I decided to go to culinary school, I was waiting tables and pregnant with Xea. It was a serious struggle, but with help from family, especially Xeas grandparents, I graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. The most important lesson I learned during that period of my life is that the all-powerful supermom who does it all by herself is just a myth. We all need help, especially as we try to balance work and parenthood.

Right after graduation, I had the opportunity to work at Spago, back in Los Angeles. Although the pay was low and the hours were long, I jumped at the opportunity. Friends thought I was crazy, that I was wasting my time in the job, but I saw it as an opportunity to learn from some of the best in the restaurant business. I was making only seven dollars an hour, but I was gaining a wealth of experience. Early on, I figured out Id have to be incredibly organized to balance the demanding job with raising Xea.

Seven years later, I secured my first position as executive chef. While I was planning the menu for the new restaurant, I was offered the opportunity to audition for Top Chef: Chicago. I had never thought of doing a television show, but when I made it through the audition process, I knew I had to commit 100 percent. Leaving Xea for an undetermined amount of time, knowing Id be able to call home only once in a while, was incredibly hard, of course. Even though she was with her dad, I was used to being there to control and oversee all the details of her day, and letting go of that was a challenge.

But letting go was the only way Id have a chance to succeed on the show. On previous seasons of Top Chef, Id seen too many chefs crying about missing their kids, then getting eliminated in the same episode. I didnt want Xea to ever think that a few weeks apart would make or break our relationship. Instead, I wanted her to see her mom as focused and ambitious and great at what I do. I let that motivate me to make it to the finals.

Since I competed on Top Chef, so many new opportunities have opened up for me. The most amazing result of being on the show is that I now run into people all over the country who want to experience my cooking. They relate to my story and theyve seen how passionate I am about food. Its such a privilege to have that kind of support; without the show, it wouldve taken years to build this kind of career.