Tag: cooking


Jan
2013

Broccolini and Feta Tart

categories: Recipes

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My friend Melissa (at Smells Like Brownies) and I are trying to make our lunch date a weekly thing, so hopefully these posts will become more frequent.  The last two times we made quinoa dishes, so we wanted to stay away from that this time.  I saw this recipe for a broccolini and feta galette that looked yummy, but thought it might be even better on puff pastry like this broccoli rabe tart.  I suggested this to Melissa, who agreed it sounded delish, and she decided to attempt making the puff pastry herself!

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I was super impressed that she was willing to take that on – brave woman!  But she said that it wasn’t as difficult as she thought it was going to be, so I may have to try it myself.  I mean, it was pretty freaking delicious.  I believe she used this recipe, and I will add a link to her blog when she posts about it.

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So, we pressed the beautiful dough into a pan (through we probably should have used a bigger one, as the crust ended up being pretty thick), and layered it with blanched broccolini, feta, garlic, scallions, and pine nuts.  Then we baked it at 350 until the crust was golden, adding some Parmesan towards the end.  This took a while because the dough was a bit thick, but it was so worth it! (more…)


Jan
2013

Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Broccolini

categories: Recipes

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It’s time for another vegetarian lunch dish with Melissa from Smells Like Brownies!  Similar to our last lunch (post here) we went with quinoa and roasted butternut squash, but changed up the rest of the flavors.  This time we added in broccolini, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and a delicious avocado cream.

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We started out by cooking the quinoa and roasting the squash, which should take about the same time.  We followed the directions and added the broccolini into the partially cooked quinoa to blanch, but it wasn’t really cooking, so we put the lid on to steam it which turned it brown.  Next time, I think I would blanch the broccolini in a separate pot from the quinoa. (more…)


Jan
2013

The Hunger Games Stew – Food ‘n Flix

categories: Recipes

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Holy Mockingjay, Batman – I am so excited about this post!  Food ‘n Flix and Cook the Books have teamed up to do a double post for The Hunger Games, with Heather from girlichef hosting!  Announcement post is here.

The Hunger Games is the first book of a trilogy about a dystopian alternate timeline where war has reduced America to 12 Districts ruled by a Capital.  As punishment for a rebellion, all 12 Districts must offer up 1 boy and 1 girl between the ages of 12 and 18 as a tribute to compete in the Hunger Games each year.  These children must then fight to the death in a televised spectacle with only 1 survivor.  To make things even worse, all of the Districts are purposefully kept in a state of starvation except for the District of the winner – which is given ample food for a year until the next Hunger Games (hence the name).  Food, therefore, is extremely important and a focus throughout the series.

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The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is an extremely tough teen who would do anything to protect her family and especially her little sister, Primrose.  When Prim is selected as Tribute (a death sentence for the timid 12 year-old), Katniss volunteers to take her place.  Before being entered into the death-match proper, the Tributes are primped and pampered and paraded around the Capital.  It is here that Katniss experiences luxury and an overabundance of food for the first time in her life.

Her favorite dish is a Lamb Stew with Dried Plums – it is mentioned frequently and even sent to her as a present when she is fighting for her life.  I decided that the stew would be the perfect dish to make for this post, served on some wild rice that seemed fitting for the setting.  I also served it with goat cheese rolled in herbs (inspired by the cheese that Primrose makes from her prized pet) and rustic seed bread (inspired by Peeta – Katniss’s love interest and fellow Tribute, whose family owns a bakery). (more…)


Jan
2013

More Figs!

categories: Recipes

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I’ve stated before how obsessed I am with figs.  I snatch them up whenever I see them at the store.  Jasper does not share my love of these little jewels, which means more for me!  Bwahahahaha!  …Okay I’m fine now, sorry about that.

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Mostly I like to eat my figs with cheese – this makes me ridiculously happy.  Coincidentally (or not), I also like to eat my cheese with fig jam.  Anyway, one of the most popular pairings for figs is blue cheese, so I wanted to play around with that a bit.

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I broiled the figs with blue cheese so that they were hot and melty, but I didn’t stop there…

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I topped them off with crispy prosciutto and honey.

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It’s okay if you drool a little, I understand.

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Going in a sweeter direction – I also made some balsamic glazed figs with mascarpone.

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Adapted from this recipe – I tossed the figs with a glaze made from balsamic vinegar, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest and broiled them.  Then I served them on top of mascarpone whipped with cream and sugar.

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The cream melting into the hot figs with the sweet and tangy glaze… yeah – this was pretty much heaven.


Jan
2013

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

categories: Recipes

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Spiced butternut squash puree?  Creamy bechamel?  Gooey cheese?  Yes please!  This dish is so comforting and delicious – just perfect for fall.

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Roast  some butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Mash it up with mascarpone, Parmesan, brown butter, garlic, and shallots.

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Stuff the filling into large pasta shells – I used whole wheat to add a semblance of health.  I found one box of shells to be too many, actually – so I filled the others with cheese and tomato sauce. (more…)


Dec
2012

Christmas 2012

categories: Recipes

I wanted to do a big Christmas dinner, but I didn’t want to be in the kitchen all Christmas Day. I also wanted to try something different than the usual rib roast and Yorkshire pudding. So I decided to do dinner on Christmas Eve and to do some easy, low-prep dishes for Brunch on Christmas Day.

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I ordered a half fresh ham through Whole Foods to try cooking a Christmas ham for the first time, but I made a few mistakes.  I wanted to cook it in the slow cooker with brown sugar and cider to make a glaze, but I didn’t realize that “fresh ham” is not really what we consider ham – without the curing or smoke, it is more like a pork roast – so I didn’t really get the flavor that I wanted.  I also couldn’t get the whole thing to fit in my (very large) slow cooker insert, so I had to chop a chunk off – which actually ended up being a good thing because I roasted that piece and it came out better. (more…)


Dec
2012

International Burgers

categories: Recipes

Just because it’s cold outside, doesn’t mean you can’t still make burgers.  And they don’t have to be the standard plain burgers, either.  Here are two recipes that put a bit of a twist on the classic burger.

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First up – a Middle Eastern inspired spiced lamb burger with a creamy yogurt sauce.

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To make the patties, combine bread crumbs, lamb, turkey, onion, an egg, parsley, garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper.  Use a grill pan, griddle, or electric grill to cook the burgers.

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Make a sauce with yogurt, scallions, parsley, mint, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, sugar, and pepper.

Place the burgers inside pitas and stuff with fresh tomatoes and the yogurt sauce.

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For a Southwestern twist, we have Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers with Avocado Mayonnaise.

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To form the burgers, simply combine ground turkey, jarred salsa verde, breadcrumbs, and an egg.  Combine avocado, mayonnaise, and garlic to make a sauce.  Cook the burgers on a griddle (turkey falls apart too much to grill) and top with Pepperjack cheese and the sauce.  If they are in season – green tomatoes are also an excellent topper. (more…)


Dec
2012

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

categories: Recipes

The recipe calls this “mac and cheese”, but I feel like it is more of a “cheesy casserole”.  Either way, it is tasty and good for you – packed with protein rich quinoa and tasty veggies.  You can make it even healthier by using fat free milk and fat free cheese.  It is also totally customizable to your tastes!

Start by sauteing whatever veggies you want to use.  I went with leeks and tomatoes as suggested by the recipe, but you could do onions or shallots, bell peppers, corn, spinach, anything you want.

Add the quinoa and allow to toast a little bit to get extra flavor. (more…)


Nov
2012

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs with Couscous

categories: Recipes

This is a super quick and easy weeknight meal that works any time of year.  Orange zest and juice tie the kebabs and pasta together and the sweet and tangy sauce for the chicken is delicious.  Couscous cooks ridiculously fast, but you could use quinoa instead if you have more time to cook.  You could also add whatever vegetables you like to it to change it up. (more…)