"Midweek Meals" news and stories

When I can come home and cook up a meal in under 20 minutes that tastes as good as it looks and smells, I'm a very happy camper. This dish comes from Giada de Laurentiis's new cookbook, Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites. I found myself flipping through it and marking off multiple pages. Having made several of her dishes before, I know that they tend to be straightforward and always full of flavor. This was the second recipe I tried. The roasted halibut was flaky and incredibly moist, while the grapefruit and fennel salsa brightened up the palate with bursts of citrus and bits of tangy olives.

There are certain meals that just taste like mom's home cookin'. Oh wait! This was my mom's cooking. Stopping home for a quick dinner after voting, my mom presented me with this dish: beef braised with bacon and served over a bed of egg noodles. I couldn't resist myself, I had to have seconds. The aroma of the beef and bacon permeated the house, which created an instant sense of comfort and nostalgia.

While I know this isn't the type of dish you want to start making when you come home from a hard day at work, it's perfect for a Saturday or Sunday meal- there will be plenty leftover. Reheat mid-week, boil up a new batch of egg noodles and relax.

I had been eyeing this recipe for a long time. Once I heard that this burger won the Burger Bash at the Food & Wine festival in New York this past month, I had to make it. This "hamburger" has since been part of a controversy- is it really a burger, or just a glorified patty melt? I can honestly say, along with my taste-tester, that we were a little doubtful about it, as well.

After indulging in not one, but TWO of these burgers- I succumb to this conclusion: call it what you want, it doesn't matter. This is an unbelievable, buttery and juicy burger/ sandwich/ patty melt. Who says a burger has to have a bun? I applaud Katie Lee Joel for thinking outside the box. I look forward to reviewing additional recipes from her cookbook, "The Comfort Table."

As you can see I've changed this week's "Midweek Meals" to "Weekend Meals." This recipe, while delicious, takes up a goodly amount of time and so after a long day, this isn't the quick meal to prepare for yourself. After acquiring "The Paley's Place Coobook," I was instantly drawn to this recipe and had to make it immediately. So that's what I did Sunday afternoon - all of Sunday afternoon.

After a hard week at work, I like to reward myself with a meal exactly like this one, hearty and unique. This recipe has become an absolute must - the pork shoulder is divine and the robust blend of cinnamon, ground fennel, allspice and ginger made this dish unlike anything I've ever tasted before. If fall could taste like something, it would taste like this dish.

Adapted from the cookbook: The Paley's Place Cookbook by Vitaly Paley and Kimberly Paley with Robert Reynolds

Rack of lamb is a popular dish served at many restaurants, but many home cooks fear trying to reproduce it. Elegant and usually bursting with earthy flavors, rack of lamb is easier to make than you think - especially with this recipe. The October issue of Gourmet Magazine was bursting at its binding with tantalizing recipes, but this was the first one I tried.

Tip: Roasting the meat over sliced potatoes enhances the lamb with savory juices.