Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend

Introduction

One atypical evening last year, when I was in the thick of writing this cookbook and the country was in the beginning of a pandemic, my family was sitting around the kitchen table after dinner. The plates had all been cleared, but much to my surprise, Zach and Anna, my two teenagers, had not bolted upstairs to finish their homework or escape our nosy questions; rather, they were lingering at the table discussing their crazy new normal: missing their friends, kids dozing off during Zoom class, and how bored they were being stuck at home 24/7 with us. One conversation rolled seamlessly into the next, and soon we were talking about politics and world events. My husband, Michael, and I looked at each other in astonishment here were two bright kids with their own thoughtful points of view, engaging in meaningful conversation at the dinner table. This was new!

In 2020, family dinner and breakfast and lunch, for that matter took on a whole new meaning. Life slowed to a crawl. All the kids extracurriculars were erased from our schedule. Michael was working from home, literally in the next room. Suddenly my family was sitting together around the kitchen table several times a day. It was a ton of cooking, even for me, but the silver lining was having more time to cook and connect over family meals.

When I first started collecting recipes as a new mom, years before I started my website Once Upon a Chef, I kept them in a giant three-ring binder divided into two main sections: Weeknight and Weekend. That binder is long gone it eventually became my blog but to this day, it s how I think about cooking. Like most everyone else, I need lots of quick and delicious weeknight dinners, but I don t always want to rush around the kitchen sometimes, I want to find joy in it.

With everyone suddenly working or schooling from home, I relied heavily on those easy weeknight recipes to get meals on the table without stress or fuss because, let s face it, we all

Jennifer Segal is a professionally trained chef and the founder of the blog Once Upon a Chef. Her first book, Once Upon a Chef, was a Washington Post and Publishers Weekly bestseller and she has been featured in The Splendid Table; O, The Oprah Magazine; Food52; and Parade; among others. She lives in Potomac, Maryland, with her husband, two teenage children, and her two chocolate labs Ollie and Gus.

Jennifer really knows how to write a cookbook that will have you saying yep, need to make that to every single recipe. Her approachable demeanor, expert tips, and unfussy ingredients are exactly what you need to get delicious, fool-proof meals on the table fast. Lisa Bryan from Downshiftology

In Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend, Jenn answers the question we ve all asked a million times: What should I make for dinner? Whether you want a fast, flavorful, and family-friendly dish for a weeknight or a leisurely cooking project for a weekend, Jenn has you more than covered. With all these gorgeous recipes, you won t know what to make first! Jeanine Donofrio, author of Love and Lemons Every Day 

Once Upon a Chef is full of luscious, sure-fire family favorites. I can t stop thinking about Lasagna Soup; Flat Iron Carne Asada; Arugula, Crispy Feta and Watermelon Salad; and French Apple Cake (plus a whole section full of meatballs that are sure to please even the pickiest families). Jennifer s recipes are welcoming, vibrant, and most importantly, doable! Organizing recipes by weekend and weeknight fare helps even the busiest parents approach the family table as the grounding, unifying force we all hope it can be. Sarah Copeland, author of Instant Family Meals 

Don t we all wish we could make restaurant-worthy meals for our families? Former chef Jennifer Segal gifts her drool-worthy dishes just as she does for her lucky family every night. Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend is layered with meals you can cook and eat together, creating culinary memories in this magical inspired cookbook. You want to jump through the pages and devour everything including Ginger Pork Sliders and Kids-Love-It Beefy Chili Mac! Home cooks, it s time to rejoice with your new go-to cookbook! Catherine McCord, author of Weelicious

Jenn Segal s stellar new cookbook shines a bright spotlight on that perfect