In Jennie's Kitchen

granola + berry smoothie

New year, new goals, right? I'm determined to add a workout routine to my 2010 calendar, but first need to get through sleep training the baby. I have the great fortune of an enormous kitchen by New York City standards. The downside is we only have two bedrooms, and any hope of sleep training goes out the window when child number two comes along. So, I've decided to take control of my eating habits until I can negotiate the puzzle pieces and carve out time to get the heart rate pumping (besides racing to rescue the baby from climbing stools, chairs and stairs).

french onion soup

Here's the recipe you've been waiting for all week. I tweeted, twitpic'd and it was day six of project 365. I'm pretty sure it has also driven a twitter pal crazy since I mentioned a secret ingredient but wouldn't divulge it until I posted the recipe.

I should take a few steps back before giving up the goods. I was minding my own business, catching up on food blogs, when I came across Jen's tempting pictures of what she'd been cooking while visiting her parents. They'd just recently made Julia and Jacques' French onion soup, and next thing I knew I was slicing onions. It just so happens I'd bought some at the farmers' market the week before for that very purpose but got sidetracked by the New Year holiday. No beef stock on hand, I started improvising. I could've made a quick vegetable stock, but work had piled up over the vacation and I needed a quicker solution.

pizza for project 365

I'm easing into the New Year with some photos of last night's dinner. I've been making pizza for over 15 years, and there's always room to learn a few new tricks. While I live right across the street from the infamous Lucali's, I haven't dined there in about two years. Why pay $24 for a pie when I can come pretty darn close to recreating the results in my own kitchen?

I used this recipe but nixed the food processor and decided to mix the dough, using 2 cups of the flour, in a bowl with a wooden spoon. I kneaded in the remaining flour, and what a wonderful way to relax it proved to be. I know no-knead dough is all the craze right now, but frankly, I loved connecting with my meal in such a primal way.