SOS - The Six O' Clock Scramble

Otherwise known as "the witching hour" to moms of toddlers and young children, this post is about that time of day when no matter how much planning and organizing, cleaning and preparation you have done (or on certain days complete lack-thereof - can anyone say playdate, swim lessons, soccer practice, grocery store, etc. - ugh) you can't seem to manage a peaceful evening. Managing my tasks along with my kids is hard at any time of day, but then you throw having to prepare dinner in the mix, and well, if you're relating to this, chances are you're in the same season of life or have been at one time.

My mom sent me a new cookbook for Christmas, and while I'm always excited to add new recipes into the mix, I was reluctant because the cooking over here is so different than what I'm used to.  That said, this one seemed different.  If there's one thing I've learned since I've been living in Australia, it's been how to cook with less prepared foods and more from fresh ingredients, or from scratch.  American's get so used to convenience, that we forget how simple things can be sometimes by just going back to the basics.  When we first arrived and I saw how few of the canned, boxed, and jarred things I was used to buying, I panicked.  I think we ate from the same menu of about 10 dishes for the first three or four months!  Talk about boring. Slowly I started adopting new tactics and trying new dishes, and before you know it, I became one of those moms that loathes having to buy a box of macaroni & cheese off the shelf!  Don't get me wrong...there are definitely still nights where that's the easiest thing to fix along with some frozen chicken nuggets, but really, there are better things out there that don't take that much more time!

Case in point - The Six O' Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb (visit her meal planning website thescramble.com). She has received praise from Real Simple Magazine, The "O" Oprah Magazine, and The Washington Post.  I have found her recipes to be nothing short of brilliant.  They are quick, healthy, use fresh ingredients (most of which I can actually find here in Australia!) and they are delicious, even to my kids!  She groups her recipes in the cookbook by season, so that you know that the fresh ingredients are in season and more than likely available.  This helps you to buy local, which means you get an added bonus by helping the environment.  One of my favorite things that she does is includes side dish suggestions with many of her recipes, which takes the thought out of meal planning, and also suggests ways you can boost the flavor in case you find it too bland.

A few of my favorite recipes out of her book are Creamy Baked Risotto with Secret Squash, Hoisin Baked Chicken with Sesame Stir Fried Green Beans, Cuban Black Beans and Rice with Sweet Corn, San Francisco Joes, and best of all Italian Sausage Linguine with Grated Carrots. Is your mouth watering yet?  It should be...and if I haven't convinced you to run right out and snatch this book up, go read what other busy women and moms are saying about what her method and meals have done for them  by clicking here.

My one (and only) complaint about the book is that it doesn't include any pictures.  I'm a visual girl myself, so aside from not getting a preview of what I'm about to cook, it makes it a bit harder to find the recipes I'm looking for in the book when all the pages look identical.  But hey, with all the enjoyment that I've gotten from SOS, I can hardly complain about such a minor detail.

I wanted to share this in the hopes that you too might want to try something new.  If you do, please leave a comment...I'd love to hear what your favorite recipes are from this book!