Twice a year I go to conferences as part of my graduate studies and every time I’m scheduled to leave at least one person will give my husband sorrowful looks. “Poor you!”, they exclaim, patting him on the shoulder, “What are you going to eat while Ari’s gone? Has she been cooking meals and putting them in the freezer for you?” I think it’s sweet of them to care but I also think it’s funny, because the truth is that my husband is probably a better cook than me. Sure he may be an unassuming businessman by day, but at home he has the culinary prowess of a kitchen superhero. It’s a hidden talent that, sadly, has no place on a business resume!

Some folks are surprised since I’m the one who has a foodblog, but it’s true. I may have my husband beat in the baking and desserts department, yet he’s my superior by far when it comes to soups/stews and breakfast. We’re about equal when it comes to savory dishes, but while I create chilis, pastas and stratas at home, he produces the same meals while also controlling at least twelve teenagers. No, we do not have an unusually large brood of children. Rather, my husband teaches a cooking class for teens - something I could never, ever do and that takes an uncanny amount of humor and patience.

So as I finish packing for a week-long trip I thought I’d honor my hubby’s unrecognized skills by sharing a recipe for one of his favorite stews. This is the sort of meal he makes on Sunday afternoons (as he did today) then takes to work for lunches throughout the week. It’s a one-pot dish with rich flavor, gorgeous colors and all the warm, filling qualities you want in your mid-day meal. I hope you enjoy it and though I’ll be away I’ll still be checking email, so I’m curious: what are your hidden talents?

// Edit: Katie reminds me that I forgot to share my hidden talents, which include making digital artwork & disco dancing. I love disco dancing! Someday I hope to dance just like this - and you better believe I’ve been practicing.

Don’t forget about the August book giveaway! You can find out more about this new, monthly event by clicking on the photo to the left or by clicking here.

Butternut Squash Stew with Rosemary and Tomatoes
Adapted from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop. Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients: Makes 4-5 main course servings

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Salt
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice (about 3 1/2 cups) *See notes.
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dry ground rosemary
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Zest of 1 small orange
• 1/4 cup premium orange juice
• Rosemary foccacia

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, squash, tomatoes, Parmesan rind, and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the cover, add the orange zest and juice, and continue to simmer until the stew thickens, about 15 minutes.

To serve, remove and discard the Parmesan rind. Stir the stew, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place a slice of focaccia in each bowl, ladle the stew into the bowls, and serve. Alternatively, you can serve the focaccia on the side.

* How to peel a butternut squash: With a sharp knife, chop off the bottom and top of the squash, then split it vertically down the middle. Remove the seeds with a spoon, then peel each half by placing it flat on a cutting board, pressing down, and using a regular vegetable peeler.

Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of requests for quick & easy weeknight dinner ideas: “I loved the tofu scramble and sweet potato post,” wrote one reader named Nikki, “but even though the recipes were easy, I don’t want to wait for a potato to bake! Do you have anything faster? Please tell me it’s possible to have good food without spending much time in the kitchen.” Thank you for taking the time to send your thoughts my way Nikki, and your wish is my command. Not only am I featuring one of my go-to busy weeknight meals in this post, which I hope you’ll love, but I’ve added a “Quick & Easy” category to this site so that I can share more time-saving recipes in the future.

The yummy meal pictured above takes about 30 minutes to make, start to finish. 25 minutes once you’ve done it a few times and have it down pat. Recipe #1: Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, Sage and Thyme requires nothing more than toasting slices of artisan bread and doing some minor prep-work while the slices are turning golden brown. Mince a few cloves of garlic, throw some minced thyme & sage into the mix, then add it all to fresh goat cheese and begin assembling. A couple tips? Much as I love homemade bread I’m all for buying a good quality loaf at Whole Foods or a local bakery for weeknight meals. I also recommend using a couple hours one weekend to create a small herb garden for your home, if possible. If you look at the upper right hand corner of the first photo on this page, you can see my oregano plant peeking in. (That oregano plant is such a camera diva, I tell ya!) The plants are in a window box that lives on my porch during the summer months and will be moved beneath a sunny window indoors once winter arrives. Having a few staple plants growing at home - oregano, sage, thyme, basil and mint are my picks - will save you both time and money in the future, especially since most recipes only call for a few teaspoons of each herb.

Recipe #2 is for a refreshing Strawberry Melonade, which in my humble opinion, really pulls this summer meal together. Made with honeydew melon, strawberries, fresh mint, and Midori it takes mere moments to put together and I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face. Simply juice two lemons, then add the liquid to a blender with your strawberries and melon, plus a handful of mint leaves and some sugar water. In order to make this recipe as quick as possible you can make the “simple syrup” (which is the technical term for the H2O + sugar mixture you’ll be making, see below) the night before, even in larger batches if you plan on making this drink more than once. I also recommend either purchasing pre-sliced melon & strawberries or carving up your melon on the weekend. It will keep in your fridge for about five days and significantly cuts down on mid-week prep-time.

I hope these recipes demonstrate the amazing possibilities of a fast weeknight meal, while also piquing your interest in my new “Quick & Easy” category. Also, Nikki’s question made me wonder: are there other kinds of recipes, types of posts, etc, you’d like to see on Baking and Books? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Finally, before you go, take a moment to look around the site as there are new features (and quite a few back-end modifications, which you can’t see, but I’m very happy about them!). They include: a “Related Posts” section at the end of every entry, a “highlight author” feature that will mark my responses to your comments in blue, a “Share This” option for sending posts you like to social networks or emailing/IMing them to friends, and info about a monthly giveaway, which is particularly relevant to this entry. Check it out in the right-hand sidebar or by clicking here.

Have a great week!

Bruschetta with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes, Sage and Thyme
Adapted from Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley
Ingredients: Serves 2-3

• 9 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 3 large, fresh sage leaves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• Coarse river or sea salt (kosher salt works too), black pepper
• 6 large slices of good quality artisan bread (I prefer whole wheat ciabatta), about 1-inch thick
• 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and sliced
• About 4 large handfuls of baby spinach
• About 4 tablespoons pine nuts
• Balsamic vinegar to taste (Use the best quality vinegar you can find. I prefer one that has been aged at least 6 years - available at Whole Foods)

Toast your bread slices until golden, set aside. Combine the minced thyme and sage in a small bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add half of your thyme-sage mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the toasted slices of bread on a rimmed baking sheet. I prefer to arrange them side by side, so that they’re touching and the goat cheese mixture is less likely to fall onto the baking sheet. Spread the goat cheese mixture onto each slice, using a tablespoon and your fingers to gently pat it onto each piece.

Top with the sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with the rest of the thyme-sage mixture. Place under the broiler until the tomatoes have softened a bit, about 4 minutes. Keep an eye on your bruschetta when it’s in the oven - your broiler may be hotter than mine.

Top each bruschetta with baby spinach. I generally grab a handful and roughly tear the leaves with my fingers before placing it on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of pine nuts per slice. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste.

Strawberry Melonade
Ingredients: Makes 4 servings
Based on this Food & Wine recipe

• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 cups peeled honeydew melon, cut into a 1-inch dice
• 1 1/4 cups strawberries, stems chopped off
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons + 1 lemon for garnish
• 1/4 cup tightly packed mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• Ice cubes
• Seltzer water
• Midori Melon Liqueur, about 1-2 tablespoons per glass

In a small saucepan, combine the water with the sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely.

In a blender, puree the melon and strawberries with the lemon juice, mint and sugar syrup. Fill 4 large glasses with ice and pour in the melon puree. Top with seltzer, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Midori to the glass. Garnish with mint and lemon slices and serve.