Rebecca Davis 2/1/18 Rebecca Davis 2/1/18

Butternut squash shakshuka

Shakshuka is one of those traditional dishes with as many recipes as there are grandmothers with recipe books. But it’s also been modernized in a million ways and with a million main ingredients. This squash version is a celebration of fall that features a hefty amount of middle eastern spices, lamb, and chickpeas.

Take me to the recipe!

Is it technically a shakshuka if there aren't any tomatoes or peppers? I mean, if we can pretend that swiss chard is the base for shakshuka, then butternut squash is acceptable in my book. Yes? Yes. Moving on.

This week has been a test of how good I am at compartmentalizing. The answer is: not very good. I mean, I'm not terrible at it, but I'm certainly not myself with my mom being sick in the hospital. I think M is reacting by not sleeping and tantruming over some truly insane things.

Being a parent is really freaking hard, especially when your mental tank isn't full.

I keep reminding myself that it's not M's job to take care of me emotionally. It's okay for me not to be 100% all the time, but I also can't get mad at him for not somehow divining that I don't have it all together and being on his best behavior.

Anyway, M is fed and clothed and bathed and read to and sung to and danced with and we built the international space station out of blocks, so I think I'm doing okay. And he wolfed down this spicy lamb, chickpea, and butternut squash stew, so he's doing okay too.

A couple of notes about this dish: Use harissa spice instead of harissa paste. Some recipes call for the paste, but it's too spicy for my toddler. Don't be intimidated by the harissa or ras al hanout. Both are spice mixes that combine many of the usual suspects like cayenne, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin.

Our harissa is somewhat old, so if you're concerned about the heat level for your family, taste the spice first and then decide how much to use. You can also skip the Aleppo pepper or substitute 1/4 tsp cayenne if you don't have any.

Butternut squash shakshuka

Time: About 1 hour, mostly active
Yield: 5 servings

1 large butternut squash (1.5-2 lbs, or whatever type of squash you prefer)
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 large shallots
2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1 tsp sea salt, divided
3/4 tsp ras al hanout
1 lb ground lamb
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds
1-2 tsp harissa spice*
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper*
1 can chickpeas, drained
5 eggs
Lemon wedges
Feta cheese (optional)
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Naan or pita for dipping

Preheat oven to 400. Trim the top stem of the butternut squash (but not the bottom), split the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until the neck of the squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and remove the skin (it should slip off easily).

While the squash is roasting, slice and cook the onions and shallots in olive oil until deeply browned, about 30 minutes. Set aside half of the onions.

To the remaining onions, add 1 tsp of smoked paprika, half of the salt, and the raz al hanout. Saute for 1 minute and add to the blender or food processor.

Add the cooked squash to the blender or food processor with the onions and spices and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

Saute the ground lamb over medium heat until no pink remains, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the excess oil and liquid. Return to the heat and add the remaining smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, harissa, Aleppo pepper, and salt. Cook for one minute.

Add the drained chickpeas and pureed squash to the cooked lamb and stir to combine. Heat over a medium low flame for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Make 5 holes in the squash and lamb mixture and crack the eggs into the holes. Turn the flame back to medium, cover, and cook until the egg whites are solid and there is just a bit of jiggle in the eggs when you shake the pan, about 4 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro, feta cheese, the reserved caramelized onions, and a squeeze of lemon (all optional!)

Rebecca Davis 11/28/17 Rebecca Davis 11/28/17

Roasted fennel and salami pasta

Roasting fennel makes it taste super meaty, which means that a little salami goes a long way in this dish. Use your favorite marinara sauce recipe or just dump in some jarred stuff- whatever makes your weeknight meal prep easier! #meandthemoose #pastarecipes #pasta #easydinner #roastedveggies #easydinnerrecipes

Shake up your regular weeknight pasta routine with some roasted fennel and thinly sliced salami!

Take me to the recipe!

If you read my last post, you might be wondering if the turkey did, in fact, knock M out so that he slept away from home. The short answer is, no. The longer answer is, we didn't really let him try. After a disastrous nap attempt, we decided to drive home that night instead of risking another all-nighter.

I was definitely disappointed to head home so early and M was devastated, so it's gotten me thinking a lot about the danger of expectations as we head into the holiday season. Holidays with kids can be tough. They don't care that you've done the same magical thing for 10 years running. If they're tired or hungry or having a day for no reason at all, you just have to adapt.

For the past two years, that has often meant opting out of pictures with Santa and tree lightings because we knew that at 9-months and 21-months, M wouldn't really understand or appreciate them. And I struggled, especially seeing social media postings of others joyfully doing all of the things.

This year, M is older and more aware and so much more of a "kid." He understands holidays and wants to spend time with friends and family, so it feels like we'll be depriving him of something if we pull the plug due to an impending tantrum. He was SO sad to leave my parents' house after Thanksgiving that I worry about changing plans or setting him up by suggesting something if we can't follow through.

I think we'll try our best to be realistic about our plans and only share them judiciously with M. And we'll also try to be gentle with him and ourselves by acknowledging that this a season where everything is heightened in both good ways and bad. The calculus is always shifting about what's "worth it:" Our sanity versus making memories versus M's immediate happiness versus our overall health.

Anyway, back to the food! I love roasted fennel so so much; it’s just a little bit anise-y and roasting it takes away almost all of that medicinal bite. We often put roasted fennel on pizza because its taste is satisfyingly meaty without adding any actual meat.

I guess it's gilding the lily a bit to add meat to the roasted fennel, but the combo of roasted fennel and salami is top notch. I don't cook the meat at all because heat often turns cured meats a bit too gamey for my liking, but if that flavor is your jam, go ahead and saute the salami for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

I always use Marcella Hazan's famous sauce with a couple of small changes: I halve the butter and slightly brown it and then saute the onion a bit before adding the tomatoes (she tosses everything together). The sauce recipe is a perfect amount for about 10 ounces of pasta (a bit more than half of a box), but if you like a saucier dish, opt for 8 oz instead.

Salami and roasted fennel pasta

Time: About 25 minutes, all active
Yield: 6 adult servings

2-3 large bulbs fennel
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Large pinch of fine sea salt
10 oz dry pasta (a little more than half of a standard box)
2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite jarred sauce or the recipe above from Marcella Hazan)
Salami to taste, thinly sliced or chopped
Parmesan cheese, optional
Chili flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 425. Wash fennel and thinly slice, trying to keep things as equal as possible. This will be difficult, so don’t sweat it too much. Toss with olive oil and a large pinch of saltl and roast for about 15 minutes, until the smaller bits start to brown and the larger pieces have softened.

While the fennel roasts, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.

When pasta is cooked, drain it and return to the pot. Cover with marinara sauce and stir to combine and heat through if the sauce was refrigerated. Add the roasted fennel and chopped salami and stir a few times to incorporate.

Top with parmesan and chili flakes if desired.

Rebecca Davis 6/24/17 Rebecca Davis 6/24/17

Banana bread doughnuts

These banana bread doughnuts are the best way to use up old, overripe bananas, cook faster than regular banana bread, and are a perfect bite-sized treat for breakfast or a snack.

Take me to the doughnuts!

I've been thinking a lot about feelings lately as M, in typical toddler fashion, has all of the feelings, all of the time. Well, not all of the time. But while it makes life harder for me when he has A DAY, I want him to know that feelings are fine and that "managing" them doesn't mean suppressing them. That reminder is for me more than him because he wants to fly his feelings flag high. Unfortunately, my first instinct is to talk him out of it in an effort to make him "feel better," but which is probably more like "feel nothing negative."

I've read a few articles lately about parenting boys like this one, which was a good reminder of things I already think about and do (and wrote about here). Most writings about raising feminist sons (or just sons who aren't jerks) mention encouraging their emotional vocabulary, but don't give a lot of specific data or instructions. However, this article gives both and made me think about how I talk with M about everything, not just his feelings.

Since reading this article, I've tried to be more curious with M, particularly when we're cooking together. He takes his little step stool and stands next to me at our (tiny) counter. I give him jobs and we make a huge mess and in the mean time, I have the opportunity to ask him a million questions about what he's doing, choices he's making, and what he feels while we work on this whole project. Baking is also a great way to teach patience because we can't eat the finished product right away.

M made (and tasted) every batch of these banana bread donuts with me. He loved them all, but I liked my final batch with a little more coconut sugar and a second egg, the best. This is truly a one bowl recipe: We mixed the wet ingredients first and added the dry ingredients directly to the wet batter and they've turned out really well each time (with minimal dish doing at the end). This recipe could easily be made as mini muffins, regular muffins, or a loaf of banana bread. But I quite like them as doughnuts because they bake very evenly and very quickly.

Banana bread donuts

Time: 20-25 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 10-12 doughnuts, depending on how much you fill the tins

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

3 medium bananas, smashed
¾ cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup full fat plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick oats
2 Tbsp flax seed meal
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a large bowl, smash the bananas. Add the coconut sugar, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and no dry flour can be seen.

Spoon the batter into greased doughnut pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pushed. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to let cool completely.