I have a double post today! Fantastical Food Fight had a Chocolate Covered Treats theme, and Improv Cooking Challenge had a Chocolate and Chiles theme! What a perfect time for a crossover recipe!
I found this super interesting recipe that took chocolate chip cookies and added cayenne and rosemary, then dipped them in dark chocolate and topped them with sea salt. Perfect! (more…)
Valentine’s Day is coming up. Are you wanting to stay home and cook something special? I have some ideas for you!
I consider Beef Wellington to be very romantic – it’s decadent and it takes a lot of work, so it’s definitely a special occasion food. Check out this post for the recipe.
Steak is a quintessential Valentine’s dish. I have long used a method of quick aging with salt to tenderize and season even cheaper cuts. Find the method in this post, along with recipes for Spinach and Gruyere Souffle and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Mixed Berry Compote. I used a compound butter to top the steak in that post, but since then have more often made a pan sauce by deglazing with sherry, then adding butter.
For one of our earliest Valentine’s, I made an herb crusted standing rib roast; along with a chopped salad, heart shaped roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus, and Yorkshire pudding. All of the recipes are in this post, along with some pretty decorations. (more…)
I get a lot of emails with recipes from blog subscriptions, magazines, etc… Some I delete, knowing they aren’t my style. Most I archive to make later. Very few inspire me to make them ASAP; this recipe was one of those few. Shakshuka is a dish of Egyptian, Tunisian, Algerian, and Moroccan origin that consists of eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce.
This recipe, from Bessou restaurant in NYC (via Tasting Table), puts a Japanese spin on the dish. It was that fusion element that caught my eye. The tomato sauce is spiced with Japanese curry powder and cumin. Roasted kabocha squash is added, along with poached eggs. The original is topped with miso marinated tofu – I went for miso flavored labneh, instead. Lastly, it is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and served with toasted Japanese milk bread.
The tomato sauce is so fragrant and spicy (the original recipe uses harissa, too, but the curry powder was enough heat for me). It is counterbalanced by the sweet squash, tart pomegranate seeds, cool labneh, and creamy egg yolk. The squash and the pomegranate add varying texture, too, along with the crispy toast. And the miso adds this funky umami note that adds to the complexity. Dipping that perfectly crispy toast into the runny yolk and velvety tomato sauce is just so insanely satisfying. (more…)
I fell behind on posting over the holidays, which I wouldn’t too bad about, except that it means I haven’t posted about these empanadas yet! These were Melissa’s idea for one of our amazing vegetarian lunches. You can see from her post, which is from all the way back in October, just how far behind I am!
Anywho, back to the empanadas! Crispy, buttery, flaky crust. Smoky, creamy, hearty filling. Cool, creamy, vibrant dipping sauce. Yes, yes, yes!
You will need to bake some sweet potatoes, the fastest and easiest way to do this is in the microwave. Then scoop out the flesh and mash it with a fork. (more…)
Time for another Improv Cooking Challenge! I haven’t done one in a couple months due to the holidays and not being super interested in the ingredients. But this month the challenge was Rosemary and Lemon, and that pairing sounded great to me! I was torn between a cocktail and a cake recipe, so I decided – why not do both?
The cake is light and fluffy from whipped egg whites, dotted with rosemary, and iced with a lemon cream cheese frosting. Delicious.
The martini is sweet (but not too much) and tangy, with a base not of rosemary. Dreamy.
Together they are absolutely perfect. I don’t like overly sweet anything, and these were so well balanced. I brought them to my book club and they were a huge hit (not an exaggeration, they were the most popular items I’ve ever brought). Some of you may roll your eyes at the mention of a book club, but don’t worry – we aren’t the pretentious kind where everyone hates the books. We are sci-fi, horror, and fantasy only and we have a great time! (more…)
I have another post from Fantastical Food Fight – a monthly blog challenge who’s theme this month was Slow Cooker Soups. Yum – so perfect for cold weather! I knew immediately that I wanted to do this Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup that I had made before, but didn’t post about. It is so insanely easy and delicious.
All you do is add diced onion, carrots, and celery to a slow cooker, along with wild rice and raw chicken (you don’t even have to cut it up).
Add chicken broth and poultry seasoning. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. (more…)
I’ve had to pause my Try The World subscription, because I have been so slow to go through the boxes, plan a meal/blog post, make it, and write it up. Oops! So I’ve made a goal for 2017 (I don’t like the word “resolution”) to work on 1 Try The World post per month. This month I made tapas with the Spain Box! So much food!!!
The Spain Box came with El Navarrico salsa tumaca con ajo (tomato sauce with garlic); El Avión paprika; Oleum Hispania extra-virgin olive oil; and Espinaler canned white tuna – all of which were used to make the tapas.
It also contained P. listo jasmine floral jam; Ines Rosales cortadillo citrus crumble cakes; and El Almendro turrón (almond candy). (more…)
As we begin a new year, let’s take a look back at some of your favorite recipes.
#10 – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole
It’s that time again! Whether you are having a traditional family gathering with lots of old favorites, or a funky gourmet “Friendsgiving” – I hope that you find some inspiration here. Happy Thanksgiving, my lovelies!
Salads:
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale, Apple, and Red Onion
Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Broccolini
Sides:
Sage Stuffing with Sausage and Apple
Mashed Potatoes and Hard Cider Gravy
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole
Bacon Popovers
Corn Pudding
Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
Bourbon Bacon Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter and Sage
Balsamic Honey Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (more…)
The Secret Recipe Club may be over, but the Fantastical Food Fight is just beginning! Instead of being assigned a blog, secret Santa style, we are given a theme (similar to the Improv Cooking Challenge that I also participate in). For our first month, the theme was deviled eggs – yum!
I knew that I wanted to do a fun take, and while I looked at Caesar Salad, Curry, Mexican Street Corn, and Crab Rangoon variations, I was really drawn to a Smoked Salmon idea. Filled with the flavors of a traditional Lox bagel, this twist is as delicious as it is pretty. (more…)