Making memories at dinnertime

Lately, I can’t seem to get out of the kitchen. I never would have thought the time in my life I would cook the most would be just a few months after having a baby! But spending time at home this winter taking care of our son and the sheer difficulty of going out with a newborn have created the perfect storm of need for homemade meals for our family.

I dabbled in cooking when I lived in different cities and worked as a reporter. But busy schedules and the difficulty of cooking for one meant I wasn’t always doing it consistently. Growing up, Mom always made dinner for us every night. Dinnertime meant family time. We chatted, caught up and spent precious moments together. I want to do the same and continue the tradition for my growing family.

A few months ago, I was introduced to an Indian American blogger and foodie who blogs under the name The Chutney Life. I was struck by the simplicity of her recipes and the fact that they called for ingredients we typically already had on hand.

Italian Quinoa Casserole. Mmm cheese

I had been wanting to cook quinoa at home, so I tried a recipe called Italian Quinoa Casserole. I was happy the recipe has an abundance of veggies, including eggplant and zucchini. Plus, I got to make it in my cast iron skillet, which is always fun. The dish came out great. Amar and I loved it, and we had leftovers for lunch the next day. That has been the case for a lot of the recipes I’ve made.

From there, I made another quinoa dish – Enchilada quinoa. It is a tasty combination of the staple ingredients – onions, jalapeños, garlic and bell peppers. Since first discovering Palak Patel’s recipes, I’ve made Taco pizza with “Crack” sauce, Instant Pot Lasagna soup and black bean soup with avocado salsa, Masala fried rice, Masala corn toast and more. I’m definitely a fan! What I love most about cooking is knowing the time spent preparing, cooking and cleaning puts a meal on the table for my family that we can all enjoy together. When you place a hot dish on the table and the aroma of homemade food fills the air, it is a moment of pure bliss.

Enchilada quinoa

I was also introduced to another Indian blogger, who blogs as Zheelicious. Amar and I are huge fans of her Enchilada pasta.

Enchilada pasta. Seeing a theme here?

Although these recipes have inspired me to start cooking regularly, I’m also gaining the confidence to veer off the recipe occasionally. It’s perfectly okay to add more veggies (who would have thought?) to any recipe, or replace some with others you have on hand. And in our household, it’s always okay to add more garlic, onion and really, spice of any kind. The results will be just as good.

I plan to tackle Indian cooking next. Again, I’ve done some sporadically in the past. With my newfound confidence and increasing time spent in the kitchen, I’m sure our next dinner will turn out great.