The Clever COOKBOOK Get-Ahead Strategies and Timesaving Tips for Stress-Free Home Cooking RECIPES AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY Emilie Raffa WWW.THECLEVERCARROT.COM Begin Reading Table of Contents About the Author Copyright Page Thank you for buying this Page Street Publishing ebook. To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters. Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy. This Book Is Dedicated to My Family INTRODUCTION Let’s face it: The problem with cooking, is cooking. It wasn’t until I had kids, and basically no free time, that I realized putting a homemade meal on the table was a constant struggle. There were nights I dined on Rice Krispies and was perfectly okay with that. There are still nights I reach for a box of cereal or bottom-feed off my kids’ leftover PB&Js. But at some point, my habits had to stop. Not only was it detrimental to myself, it wasn’t a good example to set for my family. And the irony of it all? I went to culinary school. But change for the better wasn’t always easy. My youngest was born with colic and screamed and cried for six weeks straight. There was no putting him down, no showering, none of that stuff. I thought about food to keep me sane. As a distraction, I learned how to bake sourdough, studied photography and scribbled down recipes on junk mail. This noisy time in my life turned out to be quite productive because one day, the crying stopped. Just like that. I gathered my thoughts and recipe scraps, and my blog, The Clever Carrot, was born. This creative outlet chronicled my journey toward a more balanced lifestyle. Growing up, I was surrounded by a strong European influence. My grandmother (on my mother’s side) was French and worked in a family owned bistro in Paris. Everything was homemade: soups, stocks, braises—you name it. My grandmother (on my father’s side) was Sicilian and created the most delicious and thoughtful meals on a tight budget. She wouldn’t be caught dead with a bottle of jarred tomato sauce. But nowadays, how do you fit homemade cooking into a modern schedule? We’re all so busy being busy, we tend to gravitate toward quick and easy solutions (cereal, anyone?). Of course, takeout is a more popular option and who doesn’t secretly wish to outsource cooking and cleaning to somebody else? The premise of this book is to share my get-ahead strategies and time-saving tips for stress-free home cooking. More and more of us want to get back to basics, connect with our food and make it ourselves. We just need a way to get there. So I’ve applied my formal culinary training where it counts most, real life. For example, cook one batch of my Triple-Duty Chicken Stock and you’ll have easy meal ideas for the rest of the week. Learn how to make authentic takeout- style dishes using my simple Master Stir-Fry Sauce. I’ll even share my secrets for the best Banana Cloud Cake you’ll ever sink your teeth into. My approach is not a gimmick, rather an alternate route that empowers the home cook and squashes the stigma associated with cooking from scratch. We could all use more time; it’s about using your time wisely. This book is for everyone. Flip through the pages and be inspired. Pick what works best for you. With a little