Heaton - Patricia Heatons Food for Family and Friends: 100 Favorite Recipes for a Busy, Happy Life

Contents

PATRICIA HEATON stars on ABCs hit sitcom The Middle and on the Food Network show Patricia Heaton Parties. She has received three Emmy Awards, one for Outstanding Culinary Program and two for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and has been nominated seven times. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Motherhood and Hollywood; runs the production company FourBoys Entertainment with her husband of more than twenty-five years, David Hunt; and is the mother of four sons. Patricia lives in Los Angeles.

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PATRICIA HEATONS FOOD FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. Copyright 2018 by Third Coast Productions, Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

Photography by Ed Anderson

Cover design by Lex Maudlin

Cover photographs by Ed Anderson

ISBN 978-0-06-267244-5

ISBN 978-0-06-285102-4 (B&N Signed Edition)

ISBN 978-0-06-285103-1 (BAM Signed Edition)

ISBN 978-0-06-285104-8 (BJs Signed Edition)

Digital Edition February 2018 ISBN 978-0-06-267248-3

I dedicate this book to all those
things that feed me: my faith,
my family, and my friends

Im an extrovert.

I know this because my son had to take a personality test and I figured, as a responsible mother, Id do it with him. But secretly, I wanted to make sure Id chosen the right profession because, well, maybe two decades of network television was simply a warm-up for a quiet career in a laboratory, right? Maybe I was destined to be a botanist! Maybe Im in the wrong life...

It sounds so peaceful, being a botanist.

But no. My Nobel Prize got stuck in Stockholm when the test declared me an extrovert, which explains my uncontrollable urge to dress up in costumes and play silly characters, but it also means that I like people; I feel activated and energized when Im with others.

Well, I could have told them that.

My whole life, Ive enjoyed all matter of mingling, chitchatting, and general late-night schmoozing. And I especially like feeding people. Theres nothing better than seeing a loved one close his eyes and exhale that this-is-really-good sigh as he tastes a bite of food Ive cooked. (I use he only because Im surrounded by bearers of the Y chromosome in my household, but more on that later.) Theres a real gut-level joy in feeding someone.

And I can get philosophical on the topic: I think bringing people together to eat is profoundly important. Whether its with family or friends, when we sit down (or stand up... cocktails and canaps, anyone?) and feast in one anothers company, we are doing more than storing calories; we are strengthening the fabric of our community. Humanity even. And yes, Im getting deep here because, although I love some gossipy small talk as much as the next person, I also relish some spirit-y big talk every once in a while, too, so I hope you can indulge me.

And indulge yourself! I wrote this book to help you serve up fantastic, mouthwatering dishes, so whether youre cooking to pamper Number One (Earl Grey Flourless Chocolate Cake), nourish your family (Hearty Lamb Stew), or throw a full-blown, fancy-schmancy soiree (Bite-Size Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli), Ive got you covered. My goal is to offer you inspiration, practical tips, and recipes that will stay in your family for generations. Because, of all the people in my life, my fans hold a special (and very big) place in my heart. Without you guys, Im just an unemployed actress pretending to be a strip of bacon on the floor of some acting class, and thats not pretty.

Or kosher.

So thank you for all your support over the years; for laughing and joining in on the funwhether it was with Everybody Loves Raymond, or The Middle, or my cooking show, Patricia Heaton Parties. You could have thrown tomatoes, but instead, you threw Emmys. This book is one way of returning that affection.

Remember, to feed is to love. When we cook, we stir our hearts into the food, and thats powerful stuff. Words are great, and we can say I love you til were blue in the face, but sometimes its the meatball that does the talking. Cooking is my chance to bond with my friends, love my husband, and to communicate with my teenage sons when they dont feel like mumbling at Mom. Which is often.

And when they bite down, close their eyes, and sigh, I feel like theyre loving me right back. Thats a great gift.

Although diamonds are better. Lets be honest.

Before we dive into the recipes and my philosophy on feeding family and friends, Id like to give you some of my background vis--vis nourishment. Like yours, my relationship with food snuck in before my earliest memories, and the foods I ate were intricately woven into the fabric of my life.

As we all know, eating offers more than good tastes and full bellies; it evokes family, places, and distinct times of our lives. Food gets under our skin because it actually gets inside our skin; its an intimate thing!

So as you read my story, I encourage you to let your own food memories bubble up.

The Herd

I was recently at a swanky L.A. bar with Eden Sher, who plays my daughter, Sue, on The Middle. We were laughing and talking shop over dinner when the bartender started hovering a bit. This sort of thing happens when youre a celebrity; people get nervous and kind of hover as they muster up the courage to ask for an autograph. Its sweet, and happens all the time since I won my third Emmy (whichyou might noticeI try to work into every conversation). The poor thing was holding a cocktail napkin for my John Hancock, so I smiled and reached into my purse for my special autograph pen, when he blurted, I think were second cousins!