Tips for the newlyweds

One of my dearest friends in the world got married Saturday. Annette was the last of my college roommates; in fact, most of my favorite college memories include her. I was thrilled when she announced her engagement, and I was saddened when tight finances made it impossible for us to make it back to North Dakota for the celebration.

Her wedding, though, got me thinking back to my days as a newlywed (it's been 10 years; I can hardly believe it myself). I wasn't nearly as good a cook then as now. I was just discovering how much I enjoyed cooking, but as with all new things, there certainly was a learning curve. Fortunately, Aaron was (and still is) willing to try almost anything I made -- even when it wasn't good.

My mother had given me some recipes that I had always enjoyed, but I was eager to try new things. We had received a beautiful cookbook as a wedding gift. However, it didn't last long -- our beloved dog chewed it up not long after we adopted him. But I refused to let that deter me. I wanted to start our own menu of favorites and/or go-to recipes when that inevitable "what's for dinner?" question came up.

So I sat the other day thinking about this very thing when I had an idea: a list of recipes that every couple should have. My first thought, kinda obviously, was meatloaf. However, this wouldn't work for Annette. She's a vegetarian, and I wanted to give her something she could make for her husband -- or better yet, something he could make for her.

My first idea was for pancakes. It's an ideal recipe for many reasons. It's easy, you can make them for more than just breakfast, and they whip up quickly -- especially after a long night with an infant who refuses to go to sleep. My mom gave me a recipe she has used for years. It is delicious, but for some reason my pancakes never turn out quite as good as hers. I discovered another one a few years ago, and it has turned into my favorite. Check out the recipe below. One tip: If you can find passion fruit syrup (it's hard unless you're in Hawaii), it makes an incredible topper for these pancakes.

Another idea I had was stir-fry. It's one of my favorite meals, but for many reasons (most involve our picky 4-year-old) we don't make them often. To me, stir-fry is a dish you don't really need a recipe for. I've found lots of good bottled sauces to top stir-fried vegetables, meats, tofu, whatever you want to include. Just make some rice to go with it, and you've got a delicious vegetarian feast.

My third idea was a good pasta sauce. I can't tell you how many times I've made a big pot of sauce, then froze half of it. On those nights when I can't think of anything, a big bowl of spaghetti is only a few minutes away -- and it's better than almost any Italian restaurant. Just grab a bag of salad mix, and dinner's ready!

My next idea was soup -- it's a lot like the pasta sauce. Many are easily freezable, and some can be made in half-hour or so. And there are tons of options for vegetarian soups.

Lastly, every newlywed couple has to have a good dessert recipe. Something for dinner parties, or holidays, or birthdays and anniversaries, or just because. I would suggest an apple crisp (or any other kind of fruit, for that matter). Here's my reasoning: Pie crusts are hard and intimidating (that's a blog for another day), and it turns out that not everyone likes cake. Apple crisp, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream -- I can't ever remember anyone telling me "no, thank you" to that.

There's my list. Congratulations again, Annette and Kelly. Here's wishing you all the happiness in the world!

This first recipe is from the 2003 book "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" by Ina Garten.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
Butter
2 ripe bananas, plus extra for serving
Maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on the top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

This is, without a doubt, the best recipe for pasta sauce I've ever had. It was from Aaron's Grandpa Pete.

Grandpa Pete's Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb. ground hamburger or turkey, cooked and drained
5 small cans of tomato sauce (rinse out each can with water and add to pot)
1 (15 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
3 large carrots, shredded (optional)
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. parsley
2 bay leaves
1 can mushrooms, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring all the ingredients to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Sauce will thicken. Remove bay leaves, then serve. Note: This sauce freezes beautifully!