The Blue Binder

2003.  I had three little kids (ages 2, 5 &7) who I was raising full-time.  I was sick to death of everything I cooked so decided to reach out and host a good old-fashioned recipe exchange.  

Staying at home was hard.  It was great to be around for my kids and present for all their milestones and to answer their questions and read to them and be available for those early school years when you have to be there so often.  It was a real privilege to be a part of that and it was well worth opting out of career for those years.  But the day to day reality of being a stay-at-home mom is, well, sometimes brutal.  I remember those days that stretched on forever, days when we'd finish our big outing for the day and it was only noon.  I remember feeling desperate for doug to get home, then for 8pm so I could put them to bed and feel like a grownup for a few hours.  It's just a weird, wonderful netherworld that nothing prepares you for.  I wouldn't trade a minute of it but I think a lot of at-home moms feel like they can't admit how freaking hard it can be and how desperate we  felt at times. 

Part of what I found hard was that I felt this pressure to enjoy the domestic stuff more - like decorating or party planning.  I never enjoyed that crap and still don't.  I finally learned to release, outsource and leave most of it to the experts (thank you, Jenny Martell!).  But cooking I got on board with.  Cooking was a gear I knew, a tradition I appreciated from my own childhood, and a basic necessity that I could make my own and turn it into a positive ritual.  

Hence the recipe swap.  I emailed (or called?  Was email widely used in 2003?  I just tried to find the originals and went down the email rabbit hole.  But I digress...)

So I called or emailed or sent smoke signals to my neighborhood friends and asked everyone to bring five of their favorite recipes that would fall under the categories of appetizers, sides/soups/salads, quick & easy dinners, kid friendly, dinner parties & desserts. I went and bought a bunch of blue binders and separators and when everyone came, they distributed their sheets and we all left with a cookbook, which we named "It Takes a Suburb."  I still have it and use it all the time, although I've added hundreds of recipes to it and removed a few I never used.  So now, whenever I find or ask for a recipe I like, or clip one from the paper or a magazine, I three-hole-punch it and stick it in the binder.

Some recipes have gotten a LOT of use,

And I've made a few additional categories, like cocktails.

But the blue binder?  It's a key part of my kitchen and my favorite cookbook.

A couple favorites (and transcribing the above):

Easy Turkey Meatloaf:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, ¼ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, if desired to turkey mixture; mix well. Press into 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Spread remaining ½ cup ketchup over top.

Bake 1 hour or until the internal temperature of meatloaf is well-done, 165ºF. as measured by a meat thermometer. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing. - See more at: http://www.jennieo.com/recipes/223-Best-Ever-Turkey-Meatloaf#sthash.oIT0C0lh.dpuf

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic minced

1 (20-ounce) package Lean Ground Turkey

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

¼ cup egg substitute or 1 egg

¾ cup ketchup, divided

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

salt, if desired

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, ¼ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, if desired to turkey mixture; mix well. Press into 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Spread remaining ½ cup ketchup over top.

Bake 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing. 

Tilapia Piccata with Snap Peas 

 

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 4 U.S.-farmed tilapia fillets (5 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons capers
• 12 ounces snap peas
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup white wine, divided
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Season tilapia with 1/2 teaspoon salt; place 1 fillet in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Sprinkle each fillet with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon capers. Toss snap peas with potatoes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; divide evenly among packets. Dot each fillet with 1 tablespoon butter. Fold foil to close and crimp 2 sides of each packet, leaving 1 side open; pour 1/4 cup wine into each packet. Crimp third side of packets to seal; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 12 minutes. Carefully cut foil to open. Serve with lemon wedges.

Sangria II

• 2 bottles chilled dry red wine
• 1 cup cognac
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
• 1/3 cup superfine granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 orange, sliced thin
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 2 cups chilled seltzer or club soda

In a bowl, combine wine, cognac, Triple Sec and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the orange and lemon slices and chill for 1 hour.Transfer to a punch bowl, stir in seltzer, and add a block of ice or ice cubes.  



Fresh Lime Margarita

• 1 1/2 cups gold tequila
• 3/4 cup Triple Sec
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 8 cups crushed ice
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 lime wedges

Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons sugar in large pitcher; stir to dissolve sugar. Add crushed ice. Mix salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in shallow bowl. Moisten rim of 6 Margarita glasses with lime wedge. Holding each glass upside down, dip rim into sugar-salt mixture. Pour Margarita into glasses. Garnish with lime wedges.