Soup, Salad, Souffle

It was a busy week. The sorbet never got made. But the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souffles were a huge hit...with two of them. I know Greta will fall

into line someday. Really, how can you say no to a cheese souffle?

I'll have to get her more involved in the making. They are easy. The girls can make them (except for the final folding step which takes a bit of patience).

And you can make them ahead and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Pop into a 425 oven for 5 minutes and serve.

And for the soup we slaved over this Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup in a box.

No, Mike did. As I was running out the door, I whispered to him to pour it in a pot, heat and serve it as if it were homemade.

It went down to rave reviews.

I love that the kids like homemade food but it is sometimes a nice change to serve something nutritious from a box.

Clementine the Mad Chemist made the dressing.

I distilled our favorite vinaigrette recipe into general guidelines:

2 diced shallots
4 tablespoons of vinegar or citrus juice

1/3 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Clem chose to experiment with:

Four kinds of vinegar

Four kinds of salt

A dash

A pinch

A taste

Just right!

I came home to hear that Ev and Clem had devoured their own souffles, Greta's, the spare, their soup. Clem mowed the salad.

Greta had yogurt.

And they saved a souffle, washed and dried greens, and Clementine's secret recipe vinaigrette for me to have for lunch the next day.

The recipe for a happy mom is really no secret. A dash of loving gestures and a pinch of ready-to-eat delicious lunch is all it takes.