Helen Barrionuevo

Chippy Dippy Hummus Salad and Grandma Pizzas : A New Year’s Eve Spread

/ More Time at the Table / Leave a comment
When you still want chips and dips but feel you should lean a little more into the healthy lane…

I can’t imagine who would name a recipe something like, “Chippy Dippy Hummus Salad.” Surely not me but here I am. It’s the silly, but sticking name that came first to mind when I threw this little baby together as a combination appetizer-salad course to go with two big grandma pizzas Dave made for our Florida family on New Year’s Eve using my Pizza Class recipe. I began by whirring together my take on Jacques Pépin’s basic hummus recipe, meanwhile planning on chopping up a big green salad as well. But as I sliced up a few fresh veggies for dipping, I thought, “Why not dollop — or doll up– this dreamy hummus down the center of a big bunch of arugula seasoned within an inch of its life and stand up the perky veggies around the sides?” I grabbed a 3-quart, rectangular Pyrex casserole from my sister Helen’s pantry and began to put it together, only wondering a minute later about sticking the casserole in one of her large baskets for appearances’ sake. And, if I was going to do that, why wouldn’t I include a few tortilla, pita, and Kettle Salt and Pepper chips for good luck? And, if I’d gone THAT far, how about adding an on-the-rocks glass full of onion dip (I had to make that quick like a bunny), as well as one with pico de gallo, which I’d bought premade at the market? I mean, there was all that extra space needing filling. Sure, I could do that. And did it get eaten pronto? Yes, it did!

I’ll tell you a little about the pizzas and, in the meantime, you can think about the hummus salad for dinner now that you’ve just about decided to embark on healthy January. Haven’t you?!

25+ Scrumptious Dishes to Jumpstart Your Healthy January

20 Main Dish Salads to Continue Your Healthy January

Continue reading →

Salsa-Cheddar Omelet with Pickled Onion

/ More Time at the Table / 1 Comment
Beating eggs with salsa instead of water or milk is one of Alyce’s tricks that you absolutely need in your kitchen. This omelet also features an extra-easy cooking method you’ll want to try if omelet-making has been baffling you.

When people talk seriously to me about why they don’t cook or why they dislike cooking, there are a few oft-repeated reasons. One is the time it takes. (So does getting to a drive-through.) Another is “too many ingredients.” (Buy Jamie Oliver’s 5-Ingredients Cookbook.) Third is not knowing what to cook. (Food and Wine: Meal Planning 101.) A fourth favorite is, “I hate the mess.” (That’s why God made dishwashers.) The other day on Twitter, there was a thread that began with a comment that went something like this, “If I had known that as an adult I’d have to come up with something for dinner every night the rest of my life, I’d never have grown up.” A multitude of responses intoned the same lament. While those feelings indicate any number of problems (“That’ll be 5 cents, please.), cooking truly needn’t be one. Devoting a little time to planning, shopping, and learning how to cook your favorite meals solves a lot of it. One can’t just show up in the kitchen at 6:30 a.m. or p.m. and hope for divine inspiration. Unless, that is, you’re counting on breakfast for dinner (or breakfast!) and know you have eggs in the fridge — or, if you’re elsewhere in the world — on your counter. In that case, you have a million options. And my Salsa-Cheddar Omelet with Pickled Onion is just one. You can come up with the other 999,999.

Continue reading →

Father’s Day: Dave’s Easy Huevos Rancheros with our CHEEP A** BLOODY MARYS.

/ More Time at the Table / 1 Comment

When my husband Dave and I became empty nesters several years ago, we began to eat brunch out on Sundays after church and rarely cooked it at home except on holidays or special occasions. Then came COVID-19. No church except online. No restaurants open until recently. (We’re still not going, though we did go to our local dive drive-in for ice cream the other day.) We immediately hopped to and began cooking brunch at home again–just like in the old days. We shared the work–Dave making eggs, etc. and me happily baking a goodie like the Blueberry Buckle below, which I hadn’t been doing in eons. We’ve taken turns on what we now call our Cheep A** Bloody Marys (more on that later) and now eat brunch BEFORE church for the most part. We’ve even gone way old school and made Dave’s mom Lorna’s comforting egg casserole a time or two as it provides excellent lunch leftovers. (Recipe in photo below.) Could we ever have imagined all this? No. You probably hadn’t either.

Jump to Recipe Continue reading →

Meatless Mondays: Curried Lentil Soup with Fresh Greens

/ More Time at the Table / 3 Comments
 Originally published three years ago, April 2, 2014 on my dinnerplace.blogspot.com site.

Once, while visiting my sister, I said, “How about some lentil soup?” (I knew I was cooking dinner.)  She shuddered and made as if to retch, all the while saying, “I love lentil soup, but…”  Turns out that years ago, when she was still cooking for her family, a very large and delicious kettle of the soup went uneaten by anyone except by her.  Days went by, the soup remained, she kept eating until….well, you might get the picture. Continue reading →

Helen and Alyce’s Fish Tacos in Five Minutes

/ More Time at the Table / 5 Comments

…
What a fun thing this blog has turned into. My kitchen is full of notes for current and future recipes, as well as ideas from other people for meals they’d like simplified so that they, too, can spend more time at the table together. Looking at life OUT of the fast lane.

..
I have been a little amazed by how many people have said, “Oh, I bought the stuff to make ________ and I’ll make it this weekend.” This is for a meal that takes 20-30 minutes to fix. It makes me realize that folks who work full-time often don’t cook at all during the week. Maybe sandwiches or leftovers, certainly take-out and I’d guess a couple of restaurant meals. So, try this fish taco meal. My sister Helen made a version of this once while visiting and we’ve been making it ever since. This dish is faster than going and picking something up at the local pizza shop. The fish is done in FIVE MINUTES. You can make other things to go with it and it will take longer, but you can make a fairly balanced meal in nearly the time it takes the fish to cook.
…
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like fish tacos. They’re on menus as main courses with beans and rice; they’re also listed as a starter some places. They may come with tartar sauce and lettuce and tomatoes or with coleslaw and jalapenos. However you like them, I am sure you’ll make this super-easy and incredibly fast version one day soon—maybe today. This is one of those meals for which you would want to shop the day you’re cooking or, at very most, the day before.
…
Could serve with: A can (or homemade) of black or pinto beans mixed with sautéed bits of onion and green or red peppers. A side of Southwestern rice if you’ve got time. Homemade pico de gallo–why not? If you have a Cuisinart, you have pico in 30 seconds.  Easiest: some finely shredded lettuce with minced tomatoes on top. Continue reading →