Giada De Laurentiis - Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner

Copyright 2012 by Giada De Laurentiis
Photographs copyright 2012 by Amy Neunsinger

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com

CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
De Laurentiis, Giada.
Weeknights with Giada / [by Giada De Laurentiis].1st ed.
Includes index.
1. Cooking. 2. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX643.D43 2012
641.5dc23 2011018531

eISBN: 978-0-307-95322-3

Jacket photograph by Amy Neunsinger

v3.1

For everyone who comes home after a long day and wonders what to cook for dinner

I come from a long line of great cooks and eaters, and Ive always felt at home in the kitchen. In fact, its one of my favorite places to be, and I count my blessings every day that I get to do what I love for a living. I could happily wile away hours shopping at a local market and then cooking a three-course meal for dinner.

Except that these daysother than for a special occasion or gatheringI have a good reason not to because theres something I enjoy even more.

In just the past year or two, my daughter, Jade, who turns four this year, started eating real dinners. Those first couple years were such a whirlwind of baby food, different meal times, naps, and early bedtimes that I couldnt have imagined the day my husband, Todd, Jade, and I would all sit down together to eat a real dinner! Yet here we are, finally, and I couldnt be more thrilled. I look forward to our dinners and to spending as much time together at the table as possible.

I think back to when I was a child and how important it was for my family to gather each night for dinner. We had family traditionslike getting to order our favorite dinner for our birthdaysbut we always ate the same meal together; there was no way my mom was going to make four separate dishes for each of my brothers, my sister, and me!

I definitely dont have time anymore to cook for hours every daynot if I want to spend time at the table with Todd and Jade. But I still love food and cooking and want to eat a nice dinner! So Ive really shaken up my weeknight repertoire to include only dishes that I can pull together after a full day. All of these recipes (except the sides and desserts) make main-course servings. And they can all be accomplished in under an hourwith most on the table much faster than that: , which are also ready in just fifteen minutes.

Ive kept some of the traditions my family had while I was growing up and have added many of my own. I cook one meal for the whole family. I feel like I won the lottery with Jade because she eats pretty much everything. Part of it is definitely luck, but I have also worked at it. If Jade doesnt eat carrots one night, or the next time we have them, for example, I change it. Ill ; Jade loves digging for treasures beneath a buttery, flaky crust. If all that fails, carrots may go away for a while, but Ill try to bring them back in the not-so-distant future. Youve got to keep mixing things up so dinnertime isnt a chore or something to get through but, rather, something everyone looks forward to!

Once a week, we have breakfast for dinner, a new tradition in our house. Jade gets such a kick out of having pancakes for dinner! And I feel great about serving them, especially when theyve got , a surprisingly addictive savory-sweet combo.

Sometimes I fix sandwiches for dinner, and well take them with us for a picnic out on the patio or down by the beach. , bursting with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs, are so perfect for this, and just close enough to tuna salad to keep kids on board, too. And the change of venue is enough to keep things interesting!

If friends or my sister, Eloisa, and her son, Julian, are coming over, Todd might grill rib-eye steaks while I make a smoky , are a great way to stretch a meal to serve a few extra last-minute guests at the table.

In an effort to eat healthfully and mindfully, weve started having meatless Mondays in our house, which has coincided with my discovering my new favorite ingredient, quinoa. Its got a nuttier texture than rice and is higher in protein, which is great for vegetarian-friendly meals, like quinoa with purple Peruvian potatoes, green peas, black olives, fresh herbs, lime juice, and a little agave ( to make a refreshing vegan dish.

One thing that never changes is my desire for a little something sweet at the end of the meal. I like to bake a batch of combining ice cream, coffee, and warming spicesis a great dish to turn to when I havent thought of dessert in advance.

But I really do try to plan ahead so weeknights are stress-free. I always make sure I have my go-to ingredients on handthe ones that help me speed up prep work but dont sacrifice any flavor. For example, I love artichokes but theres no way I could spend time cleaning fresh ones on a weeknight! Frozen artichoke hearts taste great and mean I can still eat one of my favorite ingredients anytime.. Pasta is an obvious fast dinner and there are now so many great types of pastas out there, including different kinds of whole-grain and gluten-free ones. Try different brands to see what you and your family like. Brown rice and quinoa (and corn) pastas, which are gluten free, are great options, as are lentil and spelt pastas. I also make sure I have canned beans and lentils, some great jarred marinara sauce, and some fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables in my kitchen. Then I can pick up a rotisserie chicken if need be on the drive home and Im good to go!