I love this new little addition to our family default dinner list. I bought a grill book last summer, and have primarily used it to compile rubs and massage steak accordingly. During summer that meant lots of last minute skewers, but now that it is chilly outside I typically throw the steak under the broiler. The best best best part of this entree is that I can:

1. Make it. (Cut up meat in 1 inch cubes; rub, then place in freezer bag—I usually buy tri-tip).
2. Freeze it.
3. Grill or Broil it. (Let defrost overnight in fridge, then pop under the broiler for about 6 minutes… done!)

As you may know, I love to have homemade entrees made in advance and waiting in the freezer. It is my way of facing head-on our sometimes too-busy-to-make-a-decent-dinner schedules. And unlike my secret lasagna, this steak takes very little time to prepare. I make a big batch, then portion it into freezer bags (enough to serve 4 in each bag). Come ’steak night’ I just make a simple salad and roast some vegetables and dinner is made—it really IS as simple as 1-2-3.

Basic Rub
(from book Grill Every Day by Diane Morgan)
Makes 1 1/4 cups.

1/4 cup kosher salt
2 T coarsely ground pepper
1 T ground coriander
3 T ground cumin
2 T sweet paprika
2 T dried thyme, crushed
2 T chili powder
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

I love making rubs. I see them all the time at the market and in specialty shops. If you have access to bulk herbs and spices, then I recommend making your own (Costco has inexpensive big batches of herbs and spices; during summer I actually grew and dried a bunch of herbs to make rubs. Especially my default herbs). It is far more cost effective and makes the best gifts. Just last month I put together this basic rub in a handsome jar, and gifted it to my brother for his birthday. Although homemade gifts take time, your thoughtfulness and effort on behalf of the recipient is worth it. I even have a whole category dedicated to food-inspired homemade gifts: hostess gifts. (BTW rub keeps for 6 months—away from light and heat).

I have also made and given this Latin Rub (notice the jars!).

My friend knows how to collect good recipes. When my kitchen is on the brink of a lull, all I need to do is call her up for an injection of inspiration. In fact, it was through her that I finally found a chicken curry I could trust. And now, this. She has done it again: supplied me with a blue ribbon recipe, another recipe that my family will adopt, adapt and come to adore.

Now as much as I am a sucker for high quality and time considerate recipes, I will gladly take a fabulous recipe and try my hand at cutting down on the extras (like trimming a budget of unnecessary glut). Bring me an impressive recipe with a long list of ingredients and an even longer lister of ‘to-do’s’ and I will roll up my sleeves, grab my delete key and get to work. I enjoy the challenge of keeping the preparation and ingredients as simple as possible—without, of course, sacrificing the final outcome.

So in the case of this pork, with what seemed a lengthy coconut rice recipe, I decided to make a reduction sauce from the pan drippings with coconut milk. I made sticky rice, and the pork, then we poured the sauce over (fyi: this is especially handy when one of the kiddos isn’t into coconut or sauce and is more than happy with ‘plain’ meat and ‘plain’ rice).

Island Pork Tenderloin
2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp coarse pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pork tenderloin (for family of four, I use a 1 – 1 1/2 pound loin, if I have guests I use 2 loins)

optional:
2 T brown sugar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp Tabasco

Jasmine or sticky rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 T flour
1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat oven to 400. Combine first five seasonings; rub all over pork. Brown pork in skillet over medium high heat (in 1 T olive oil, 1 T butter). Optional: combine brown sugar, cardamom, garlic and tabasco and rub over top of pork just before inserting into oven. It isn’t necessary but really punches up the flavors. In same skillet, add chicken stock, 2 T flour and coconut milk, let simmer. Make sticky rice. Roast loin in oven for 20-25 minutes; remove, drain drippings into saucepan. Let meat sit 10-15 minutes before serving (I cover the meat with a foil tent; also this is the perfect amount of time for your sauce to finish simmering).

You caught me, my family enjoys pork (and I like how easy it is to prepare, with great results). Here are two other pork recipes my family loves:

• Honey Garlic Pork (plus thyme, cream, dijon…)
• Soy Braised Pork
  • • Brandon Eats offers Roast Pork and Sage
    • Kalyn’s Kitchen brings Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze
    • Karen from FamilyStyle Food shows us how easy it is to make Tuscan Style Pork
    • FoodBlogga nails the season and give us Persimmons 101 with her Pork Chops, Persimmons and Pomegranate
    • Find Mandarin Pork & Rice on Kristen’s Dine and Dish

  Fellow bloggers have made these:

And tomatoes of coarse!

I was browsing through my category of default dinners, and realized that this token fall, hearty and warm recipe was missing. Sure, you can eat it any time of year but truth be told, this is the time when we bring out the blankets, crank up the heat and draw the curtains. We love being warm and cozy inside while it is blustery, wet and dark outside.

This year, my whole family is into it. We turn on some nice jazz music, light a few candles and heat up the stove. When schedules are busy, it is a treat to be at home, together, with a bowl full of pasta… And then you sautee garlic, the aroma sneaks through the whole house, and everyone’s mood is elevated.

Actually, the garlic is optional. When I make this sauce, the ingredient list ranges happily between 4 and 9. The key is to let is simmer long so the flavors marry and develop. Here is the recipe topped out at all 9 ingredients:

Sausage Pasta
2-3 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped onion (I have used sweet yellow and red onion, both are great)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, plus (go for the more expensive brand here, with fancy Italian labels. In the end it is only a $4 splurge, and it IS your whole meal)
1/2 cup red wine
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T tomato paste
Italian herbs

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium. Add garlic and onions and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine and vinegar, continue to simmer for another 30 minutes (or longer!). Add tomato paste if you want to thicken the sauce, or skip it. Add herbs, simmer on low another 10-15 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta.

Note: my bare minimum version is: skip the garlic & onions, and just sautee sausage in olive oil, add tomatoes, wine (skip vinegar, paste, herbs). I simmer for 30-45 minutes and serve. BTW if I were inclined to add just 2 more ingredients it would likely be the onions and herbs. Good luck!

Note: this is lovely warmed up for lunch the next day. Just because of that: when I want it to stretch a bit further, I am generous with all the ingredients and add another 1/2 can of tomatoes.

The truth is, I make a lot of default dinners.

We are a busy family, with school and extracurricular, sports, music and you name it pulling us in a million different directions. Though my pie in the sky would be to cook an elaborate meal with new recipes every evening, it just isn’t practical. Instead, I aim to add maybe 1-2 new recipes in a given week, hoping that one will be a ‘keeper.’

When I am not trying a new recipe, I am grabbing, tossing and otherwise throwing together a meal for my family. My priorities in the midst of fashioning a family meal are 1. well-balanced and 2. quick. So, with no room for thought I start making ‘the usual.’ Though if you know me, I take great pride in my list of usuals and have even given these fall-back recipes the token term Default Dinners. This week I leaned on some old favorites:

• Roasted Fennel
• Roasted Peppers and Sausages
• Sausage Cream Pasta
• Buttermilk Chicken
• …and for the kids’ lunches: Ginger Sugar Pecans

AND I have to admit, when time is screaming in my face, I even reach for meals from my freezer. Battered cod was baked this week; my contribution was tartar sauce. I confess it is hard for me to use jarred tartar sauce (or salad dressing for that matter). So while the oven bakes the ‘it’ll do’ meal in 18 minutes or so, I grab my little blender and make a nice tartar sauce from scratch.

This little recipe has traveled with me for years; I have almost lost it numerous times (which nearly caused me to panic). But alas, it is still lovingly tucked in my semi-organized but adequately disheveled recipe binder. And now, you too can have it to use and to lose:

Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 T minced shallots
1/4 cup dill pickles
pinch cayenne pepper

I know: lose it? With this short ingredient list, you would think I had this one committed to memory. I figure I will memorize it right around the time my memory begins to slip. Timing is everything, right? The instructions, however, I can remember: place all in blender and blend. And this tartar sauce is also great on a salmon burger with big leaves of basil… yet another easy meal…

Prosciutto, peas, Parmesan, parsley and pasta. What is not to love? (Maybe guilt from all the cream and butter)? Well, at least the peas are healthy: so I add a ton of them! The fresh, sweet peas perfectly compliment the salty prosciutto and rich cream. The more peas, the less guilt in my mind.

I am a fan of the book French Women don’t get Fat and have just started reading the sequel: French Women for all Seasons. The beauty of this rich dish in context of her espoused food philosophy is this: enjoy it. Slowly savor… each creamy, salty, herb flecked, pea popping bite. Let the flavors loll about on your tongue, sip some fruity red, momentarily close your eyes. What I love about this book—and her orientation toward food—is that it encourages you to focus on the pleasure of food. This luxurious and rich dish, Mireille would recommend, should be offset by smarter, less fatty foods in the days surrounding. But in the end, when you are eating this dish: be present with it. Enjoy each bite.

And be a food snob. Not in a nose up way, but in a way that makes you focus on the flavors and bites, not just eating to pass time or until your tummy hurts. Don’t eat and forget that you are eating, don’t eat just to finish your plate: eat for the pleasure of your palate. And when your palate is satisfied (usually before your belly is bursting), then stop. Make every bite earn its place; it must be highly satisfying and delicious or you won’t eat any more. Try it: it is an interesting experience.

And a wonderful excuse to have and enjoy this indulgent, satiating dish. But when you have enjoyed these flavors enough, leave the rest on your plate and use your food snobbery to pick and choose only the bites that are most satisfying each and every meal, each and every day. I sometimes find myself thinking ‘that flavor isn’t worth any more bites’ or ‘I definitely need a few more bites of that.’ Or ‘this dish is so worth each singular, pleasure-filled bite.’

It may sound silly, but for me, slipping into this French philosophy, helps me focus more on flavor profiles, and ultimately the pleasure of food. I don’t deny myself a rich and creamy bacon laced pasta dish—in fact I enjoy each and every bite—but I usually don’t need too many bites because invariably it IS really rich and for me that means my palate is happier sooner.

This is almost a one dish meal, though if I serve it to guests I will certainly start the meal with a selection of olives, bread with dipping sauce and perhaps a light salad. Dessert shouldn’t be too complex or overwhelming: perhaps a fruity sorbet or fruit and cheese to drink with a friendly port. Or better: some simple cookies with coffee. Mostly, though, I make this for a weeknight meal for my family; it is quick and easy to make, and a dish I love to warm up for lunch the next day!

Tortellini Carbonara
4 T butter
6 oz prosciutto
3 T flour
2 cups heavy cream (though I sometimes cut it in half with milk)
1 cup cooked peas
1 tsp ground pepper
3 T fresh Parmesan
1 T chopped Italian Parsley
1 LB cheese tortellini

Melt butter in pan, sauté prosciutto (low/medium heat) for a minute, add flour and cook, stirring for another 3 minutes. Whisk in cream, stirring a bit, let thicken for 7-10 minutes (aim for low simmer). Add the P’s: peas, pepper, Parmesan and parsley. Lower heat and keep warm. Make pasta, drain, toss and serve. Pass the peas please! I always add extra pepper, parsley and Parmesan on top…

This Butter & Sage Ravioli certainly qualifies as a default dinner: it is easy, quick, mindless AND delicious. It is perfect for a weaknight meal (weak as in: out of time/energy/ideas to figure out ‘what’s for dinner?’).

And I say ‘weak’ lightly; by no means am I suggesting you are not an iron chef. It is simply an acknowledgment that midweek meals have a reputation for being an afterthought, or may even feel like just one more requirement in the middle of our harried routines. When not imitating iron chef on weekends, as I am sure you all do, have your list of default dinners—brilliantly easy midweek meals—on the ready:

Butter & Sage Ravioli
5 T Butter
12 or so Sage leaves, whole
10 oz. Ravioli, cooked
(optional): Parmesan for dusting

Place butter in skillet on medium; when foam subsides—and before butter is brown—add sage leaves. Cook for under a minute, flipping leaves once. Pour over ravioli and serve.