BK (“before kids”) I used to spend a great deal of my free time either cooking, planning what I want to be cooking, or shopping for ingredients.
I would spend my weekend mornings watching The Food Network, flipping through food magazines, and coordinating a way to spend my afternoon cooking. I used to frequent the store multiple times a week to obtain fresh ingredients for an impromptu fancy dinner for that very night… always thoughtfully paired with the perfect wine of course. Whatever meal ideas came into my head that day, I made them for dinner that night. Then I had kids. Two of them. At the same time.
In the five months that I’ve been a mother of twins my strategy has changed (BIG TIME). I quickly learned that frequent trips to the store are just not happening, nor do I have the time to spend my afternoons coming up with a fancy wine and food pairing extravaganzas night after night! Nope. No longer can I spend hours planning and preparing a fancy meal on a Wednesday morning to prep and eat that same night. I just don’t have that kind of time anymore.
So how does one still get the joy and pleasure out of cooking while taking care of her career, her fitness, her house, her dogs, and her kids???
One word: PLANNING
I, my friends, have become … a planner!
I’m still spending my Sunday mornings watching The Food Network, reading my magazines, and letting myself get inspired – but now I’m simultaneously playing with the twins on their play mats, changing diapers, picking up toys, feeding them, and cleaning up after drool and other baby messes while planning for the week ahead. These days I’m planning an entire weeks worth of meals and prepping as much as I can on Sunday – while I have help from my sous chef and prep cook (my hubby), so that weeknight dinners are quick and easy to prepare (but still homemade, nutritious and fun to make).
We call them Sunday Suppers!
For us, this idea consists of prepping multiple meals on Sunday so that they are ready for the week ahead. This means that while we’re making Chipotle Maple Salmon (recipe below), I’m simultaneously making a big pot of red sauce that I can use for 2-3 different meals during the week (spaghetti and meatballs, baked ziti, etc). Or while slow simmering beef stew for Sunday’s dinner, I’m also preparing a blue cheese mac and cheese for later in the week while cleaning my herbs and veggies so they are ready to go for weeknight salads.
The best part is that, five months strong, I have not lost the pure joy I used to get from cooking and pairing wine with my creations! Hubby and I take turns cooking, prepping, while also taking care of the little ones. And it is still fun AND manageable!
So as we have success at our Sunday Supper dinner planning I will share with you some of our favorites.
This past weekend we made what is becoming my favorite way to cook salmon indoors (that is, of course, when we’re not smoking this salmon recipe). We make it with one of my new favorite side dishes, Mediterranean Cous Cous (recipe below). Hubby made this meal for me for my birthday last fall, and we’ve been tweaking and refining it and it has now become a staple meal in our house. And as always it is paired with a fabulous wine selection.
Chipotle Maple Salmon
Makes 2
Ingredients:
2 (6-8oz) salmon fillets
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Dry Rub:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon each salt & pepper
Directions:
Combine dry rub ingredients; brown sugar, cumin, chili powder dried chipotle, salt, and pepper, in a bowl.
Brush salmon with olive oil, and then coat with dry rub (you may have some leftover).
On an ovenproof skillet, over med-high heat, sear the salmon skin side down for two minutes. Then take salmon (still in the pan) and broil it on medium for five minutes (brown sugar will caramelize giving a nice crust).
Take salmon out, coat with maple syrup using a brush.
Put back under broiler for up to two minutes or desired crust (note the sugar will caramelize, so watch it closely while under the broiler)
Mediterranean Cous Cous Smorgasbord
This side dish came about because my hubby has developed a serious addiction to buying tubs of olives from the olive bar every single time he goes shopping, so we always seem to have excess olives in the house and with no Grey Goose vodka for martini’s we decided to put the olives to use another way…. By jazzing up boring ‘ol cous cous.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cous cous (or rice or quinoa) cooked to package directions
- 1 small palmful (about 1/4 cup) of chopped mixed olives with pits removed (fresh from the olive bar at your grocery store works best, just make sure to remove the pits)
- 1 small palmful (about 1/4 cup) of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 green onions, diced (shallots or red onion also work well)
- 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
Cook rice, cous cous*, or quinoa according to package instructions. I always cook in chicken or veggie stock, instead of water, for better flavor. Once cooked, remove from heat and add in the remaining ingredients and toss together with a fork. This works great with either rice/cous cous or quinoa.
*I actually love this best with whole wheat cous cous because it really enhances the favors or what usually tastes like bland, cardboard flavored, plain cous cous. For the picture above we used brown jasmine rice.
Wine Pairing:
Trisaetum 2007 Estate Riesling
Willamette Valley, OR | $24
Considered somewhat of a newcomer in the Oregon wine world, Andrea and James Frey founded Trisaetum (tris-say-tum) in 2003 focusing on Pinot Noir and Riesling.
I purchased this particular bottle at the winery well over a year ago and never got around to drinking it… well, first because I was preggers… then it was winter (non-Riesling weather in my house)…. Then, finally on a warm day in spring, I found an appropriate reason to open it.
This wine is a beautiful example of what a good Oregon Riesling should taste like and instantly made me homesick. Fragrant nose of sweet apples, pears, sweet honey, with a mouth full of crisp mouthwatering acidity. Slightly sweet and refreshing on the palate this wine is also fairly low in alcohol (11.5%), which makes it a great choice for pairing with food.
This particular vintage is sold out but you can find information on the current vintages on their website. On a similar note, if you are in the area I have to recommend a visit to the winery as they have some of the most breathtaking views of vineyards from the glass windows surrounding their spacious tasting room. And if you get bored peering at the vines through the windows (although how could one ever tire of looking at vineyards?) you can walk around the 1,500 sq foot gallery that surrounds the tasting room with the artwork of owner James Frey. The wines and tasting room are definitely worth the experience on a trip to the Willamette Valley. Heck, their Rieslings alone make it worth the stop.
Why this pairing works?
This was an excellent pairing for the salmon because this particular wine has a slightly sweet mouthfeel, good acid, and is very refreshing. The salmon has a bit of a spicy/fiery bite from the Chipotle, so the sweet and spicy combo balances out the heat of the meat. Riesling, especially one that has even a slightly sweet touch, is always an excellent choice for spicy dishes. In addition, the acidity in the wine cuts through the creamy buttery texture of the salmon so well.
Throwing in to the mix the cous cous, with the salty olives and feta, those were also pleasantly balanced by the sweetness of the wine. Salty, sweet, savory, and spicy, all gather together in one happy place – my belly.
Alas, while savoring this delicious meal on a warm spring evening, I almost forgot the fact that there were two babies crying simultaneously in the next room. Perhaps they were disappointed that their own dinner consisted of formula and baby cereal? Soon enough, boys, soon enough and you too will be indulging in salmon and participating in our Sunday Suppers. And in about 20 years or so you can have some Riesling of your own. In a glass, not a sippy cup 
