February 2012
6 posts
2 tags
Huevos Rancheros
Living in New Mexico when I was younger, I am used to having a fried egg atop my Mexican fare. My father loves New Mexican food, especially NM enchiladas; complete with a fried egg on top. He would make them for us every now and again. He is a good cook, my dad, but boy can he destroy a kitchen like nothing you have ever seen; my poor mother. Following a regular theme in my kitchen: simple,...
3 tags
Thyme Potatoes
Every kitchen needs a cast iron pan. I am lucky enough to have the one my great grandmother used. I am always looking for new reasons to use this pan; add that to my love of potatoes and this is what I came up with last night. This dish requires a bit of time in the oven but is so, so worth it.
4 scrubbed and peeled Idaho potatoes thinly sliced 1/2 small onion sliced into thin ringlets 1 ½ TBS...
4 tags
Ship Wreck Pasta Toss (with kalamata olives,...
In our house when we are hungry and it has been some time since our last grocery trip we have a little something called “ship wreck”. Ship wreck is basically anything left in your cupboards and veg drawer that can be thrown together for meal in an emergency; or in our case a lazy day.
Today a friend popped over for lunch quite last minute. EEK! I was forced to expose her to a ship...
5 tags
Potato Leek Soup
Soup is love and there ain’t no way ‘round it.
Ingredients 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop. 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups water 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan option)* 2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ tsp...
6 tags
Raw Kale with Grapes and Almonds Salad
Several summers ago I ate the most fantastic lunch in Santa Fe, NM at Pasqual Cafe. It consisted of a raw kale salad, smoked trout sandwich, and vichyssoise. By far, one of the best lunches I have ever eaten. Since then I’ve been on a search to duplicate the salad. This is my own version, as the original did not have grapes. The nut used in Pasqual’s salad is a pine nut, which was...
4 tags
Poor Mans Dinner. Potato Pancakes
My grandma always said “if you had a cup of flour and an egg you will never go hungry.” She was yugoslavian and she made a wonderful hot porridge of sorts called “moochinc”(spelled phonetically). We ate it with red wine vinegar and salt. It was a boiled egg that was tossed in a bit of flour.(and a bit of bacon fat.) Weird, I know, but so so delicious.
So to my sweet...
January 2012
17 posts
4 tags
Noicoise Salad with Salmon
1 head of Romaine lettuce washed and torn to bite size pieces
¼ medium onion thinly sliced ¼ pound thin green beans blanched and cut into 3” pieces 4 Campari tomatoes cut in to quarters 4 skin on red potatoes large diced and roasted* 4 hard boil eggs sliced ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives halved 1 6 oz can premium de-boned salmon preferably oil packed flaked 1 TBS capers * to roasting red...
7 tags
Thai Inspired Spicy Noodles
Need a quick fix for a perfect “in house” date night? Cook this up in the time it takes to boil some noodles. With a homemade infused oil, some fresh veg, and a glass of White Rajah and a spicy night lies ahead. Mix in a Wes Anderson film and it’s a sure thing. Enjoy!
Ingredients
8 oz bag of lo mein noodles ½ cup seasme oil ¼ cup veg oil 2 tsp crushed red pepper (you can...
6 tags
Basic Roasted Acorn Squash: Sweet or Savory
“You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook’s year. I get more excited by that than anything else.” ~ Mario Batali
I do wonder why people reserve acorn squash only for holiday dinners. It really does have a lovely presentation; throw in some dried...
5 tags
Pistou Soup ~ A French Minestrone
One of my favorite Christmas gifts from a few years past is a wonderful cookbook by Amanda Hesser. Not only does it include a history of published recipes in the New York Times, it is an intriguing look back on the way food in America has changed over the last 200 years. Everything from the influx of immigration to the invention of the refrigerator have all taken their place in the history of...
5 tags
Spicy Roasted Green Beans
Preheat the oven 375*
Ingredients
1 pound skinny green beans
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
In a large bowl toss 1 pound cleaned skinny green beans with olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Coat evenly and spread onto prepared rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer. Preheat oven 375*. Roast for 10...
4 tags
Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Bisque
At a birthday dinner party last Sunday, I had the fortunate experience to be seated by a girl named Alex whom I had never met. As it turns out, Alex is a pastry chef at The Sugar Cupcakery in Milford Ohio so food became the subject of much of our conversation. Alex had recently been commissioned out to prepare and serve a complete dinner for a group of friends. As a first course she served...
7 tags
Tomato+Basil+Red Wine=Saucy Love
A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat. ~Old New York Proverb
With neighbors with names like Piccolo, Fiore, Maniscalco my street in the suburbs of Chicago smelled like olives and garlic; mix in a few Greeks and some nice Jewish families and you have my neighborhood. My best friend, an Italian triplet, had a father who would feed you calamari salad and good...
4 tags
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Turnips
This dish showed up at my house on Thanksgiving with my brother Jonathan. Understand, my family loves food. We eat off each other plates. We find it incredibly insulting if you don’t taste what we are eating, right off our forks. It’s a common fact that my interest in what you are ordering at a restaurant is solely because I plan on enjoying at least one bite of it with you. So...
Asian Spinach
Simple, simple, simple. There is no excuse not to add this tasty little side dish to your dinner tonight or for lunch with some brown rice or quinoa. This has only 4 ingredients and takes under 10 min to make. Did I mention how good it is good for you? PF Chang’s has this little number on their menu; they call it “Garlic Stir Fried Spinach.” This is a guaranteed rival. Hit...
5 tags
Tomato, Italian Parsley, Lemon & Feta Crostini
I make a lot of “no knead bread.” This does not make me a baker, this makes me someone who knows the easiest bread recipe, dare I say, in the history of the world. It is a rare instance that we have any leftover from the day it is baked; when we do I make crostini. (My mouth just watered a bit). You can top crostini with just about anything you taste buds will signal your brain to...
4 tags
Eggplant Parmesan
This dinner was a genuine pain in the ass. It took entirely too long to construct and bake. (Keep in mind the kitchen is my favorite place to spend time, right behind being on my mountain bike or kayak.) The worse part, after one bite myself and 2 of my kiddos realized that we are apparently allergic. Tingly lips and itchy roof. Yeah.
Most vegetarians tell me that this is one of their...
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