Winter Nesting & A Mixed Berry Crisp

At the end of the year, especially a year filled with so much amazing travel like this one, I usually hit a wall. A wall of missing home and of just generally wanting to sleep. So I nest. And I cook.

I read cookbooks like they are best-selling, page-turning novels - I take them to bed with me at night and read them alongside the other countless books on my nightstand (recent favorites: Wild and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling is my dream BFF). I consider myself a decent home cook but I have been loving the super simple, incredibly delicious recipes in Jessica Seinfeld's new book, The Can't Cook Book. It's designed so that if you are an alien life form with no previous knowledge of how to cook, you'll be able to make all of the recipes. But even for those of us who know how to chop an onion and deglaze a pan, the book is awesome.

I made this mixed berry crisp for Christmas dessert and my first thought was "I'd rather eat this than almost anything else for dessert." Serve it with Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream of course.

Other awesome recipes I've tried in the book: Soft-boiled Eggs with Toast, Crispy Shrimp, Stewy Shrimp with Tomatoes & White Beans, Freaky Greek Pasta, Roasted Cauliflower & Sage, Minty Sugar Snaps, and Broiled Honey-Nut Bananas. Plus there's a whole section on "Quickies" - meals a 3-year-old could put together - like Tomato & Ricotta on Toast and Tuna & Apple Pita Pizza.

Mixed Berry Crisp
from The Can't Cook Book, by Jessica Seinfeld

3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
3/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2t nutmeg
1/4t kosher salt
1/2 c. plus 2T whole wheat flour (most flours should work - I had all-purpose at the time, plus my arsenal of healthy flours like almond, garbanzo bean, brown rice, chickpea, etc. So I just used all-purpose)
6T cold unsalted butter
8 c. mixed berries, such as blueberries, blackberries & raspberries (fresh or frozen - I used frozen & it worked great)
1/4 c. granulated sugar
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Heat the oven (with oven rack in the middle) to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, oats, almonds, nutmeg, salt & 1/2 c. of the flour and mix together. Cut the butter into small pieces, add to the bowl, and, using your fingertips, squeeze & combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This is your crisp topping.

3. In a large bowl, toss together the berries, granulated sugar, and the remaining 2T flour. Pour into the baking dish (2 to 2 1/2 qt. - I love this Emile Henry set). Sprinkle the crisp topping over the berries, squeezing it into small clumps as you go. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet pan & transfer to the oven. Bake until the top is crisp and golden brown and the berries are bubbling, 40-45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if you please.