Rodriguez - Lets stay in: more than 120 recipes to nourish the people you love

Soft dough rippling under my fingers, the scent of honey and yeast, make me eager for the piece of warm baked bread to come (slathered with a good bit of salted butter, of course). Sharp vinegar tames finely minced shallot as I toss it with blushing cherry tomatoes still warm from the garden. A hefty pour of grassy olive oil unites them and a few flakes of vanilla salt insist you stand up and take notice. Flour and water slowly evolve with a bit of hearty kneading (which Ill consider my workout for the day) from a shaggy heap into a soft dough that easily yields under my palms to form long, irregularly shaped noodles. After a quick bath in rolling water salted to mimic the sea, they are tossed with caramelized cremini mushrooms and a few ladles of the starchy pasta water until the sauce submits to a cohesive creaminess.

The only thing that comes close to the enjoyment I receive from cooking and eating is talking (or writing) about cooking and eating. I dont overly fuss with either. The food I enjoy the most is simple and comforting and yet you can tell theres a passionate cook behind the dish. Theres no question that I derive great pleasure from the kitchen, and since you are reading this, Ill assume the same of you.

While writing my first book, Date Night In, I thought often of this book, the one you now hold in your hands. I knew even then that I wanted to tell the story of how food happens in our home: our everyday food. The food in Date Night In is special, as it should be: it is date night, after all. Our typical food, however, rarely takes more than forty-five minutes from idea to table, is very reliant on our pantry, and leans heavily on vegetables and comfort. For the last few years Ive kept a running journal of some favorites, the dishes that get requested most and the ones I turn to again and again. This book tells that story and shares those recipes.

A big part of the story is missing if I only talk about our quick weekday meals, because thats how we celebrate: with food. Birthdays and holidays call for special menus that have us lingering in the kitchen for hours, filling up a sink with bowls licked clean of chocolate frosting and the table brimming with roasted turkey and billowing mashed potatoes laced with brown butter. Sometimes we create a special day with food. Sometimes I cant resist a few pints of bright cherry tomatoes at the market and they inspire a tart with a Parmesan crust and creamy goat cheese for dinner, on a Wednesday. Some days are marked by the simple foods that land on our table, reminding us that even in the everydayespecially in the everydaythere is beauty, gratitude, and pleasure.

Food is how I love, its how I heal, its how I care for others and myself. Dont misunderstand me, though: I am human, and there are days (many, in fact) where the thought of making dinner sounds very much like the last thing I want to do. Im lifted once the olive oil starts to dance in the pan and the onions let off their sweet scent. Its the pleasure I get from turning a few simple ingredients into something that not only nourishes my family but brings us together and connects us.

Im writing this book from my kitchen. The computer sits on the ledge above me, far away from the splatters of the sink and the stove, away from the flour and the crumbs. I write as I cook. The kids wander in and out, pleading with me for a snack and my advice on what said snack should be. Eyes roll when I immediately respond with Vegetables! They stand there staring at me until I offer other suggestions. There are Speculaas Graham Crackers () in the snack cupboard. They each grab a handful of almonds, gently sweet and crisp with a light perfume of cardamomenough to know its there but not enough to overwhelm the pickier eaters in the family.

Knowing dinnertime is quickly approaching, I grab my jar of rice from the pantry along with a carton of chicken stock. While in this moment I wish I had stock in the freezer, Im thankful for the store-bought stuff that seems effortlessly present. With the rice and stock simmering in the oven for our Oven-Baked Risotto (week. I stir them, gently sauted and then doused with a bit of white wine, into our creamy rice laced with lacy pungent cheese.

My desire for this book is that it will be stunningly practical. That you will reach for it regularly and that it will provide a glimmer of hope in those frustrating moments when you dont know whats for dinner. Im all too familiar with those moments. This book is filled with recipes that we use over and over in our everyday life, but it is also filled with recipes that we use to celebrate the special days or the regular days that need a bit of uplifting through the enjoyment of special food.

Because of this desire for practicality, which Ill admit is not always a strength of mine, Ive organized the chapters by how we eat through our days: starting with breakfast and ending with dessert. Scattered throughout the pages are menus for easy entertaining, holiday planning, birthdays, and days when you feel like lingering in the kitchen to prepare several dishes for your family or friends. The menus are made up of recipes found throughout the book and have a helpful prep schedule and grocery list so you can plan accordingly.

I hope this book will give you freedom. That it will teach you how to use the deep dark crevices of your pantry and to utilize the scraps that you find in the cavernous parts of your refrigerator. My first foray into food was through professional kitchens, where there is no forgiveness for waste. Food is a gift and should be treated as such: using it to its full potential, including all roots, stems, leaves, bones, and so on. Seeing how immensely practical a commercial kitchen can be, I take that knowledge and apply it to my own kitchen. Im thrilled to be able to share that information in the hopes of taking any drudgery out of the act of cooking every day and putting enjoyment in its rightful place.