02 Feb 2012
by Emilyin Chicken, David Favorite, Emily Favorite, Quick and Delicious, Soup
I really don’t have many words to describe this recipe from Bon Appetit except it’s…amazing, savory, spicy and deep in delicious flavors. This is one of my most favorite things I’ve made in really long time and it’s super simple to boot. In fact it was so good, I was a smidge jealous that David was getting the leftovers for lunch the next day…jealous, over leftovers, now that’s saying something.
Chickpea Stew (photo by Jonny Valiant)
22 Nov 2011
by Emilyin Dose of Veggies, Pasta, Quick and Delicious
There is a hilarious photo on the interwebs that just make me giggle and, after last Tuesday night, it definitely hits closer to home.
Although my situation had nothing to do with baking and creating what looks like a very difficult Cookie Monster cupcake, this recipe was actually much easier which makes it even more pitiful in my case. I chose this Pumpkin Agnolotti from Bon Appetit because it sounded insanely good and was quick to boot. I was super tired after the kitchen, but got right to work on these when I got home. Reason number 4,023 I married David – the two of us can sit and talk for hours and hours. So you can guess what happened, right? I made the pumpkin raviolis and then placed in the colander after boiling to sit while I made the sauce. Yep, we start chit chatting and I come back 30 minutes later to a pile of coagulated pumpkin won tons. Ha! I made the decadent butter and creme fraiche sauce anyway and plopped my now pile of pumpkin/wonton goodness in the sauce. It all fell apart, but I was so tired, I said “screw you agnolotti” as I threw my fist in the air as a very weak sign of defiance and then helplessly plopped the finished pumpkin/wonton mass in our bowls. But you know what? It was still freaking delicious and we ate with sloppy abandon. Heck, I’ll take that 30 minutes of talking to David over perfectly pretty pumpkin ravioli any day. And for your viewing pleasure (I’m sure you are giggling too right along with me), here is the photographic evidence.
Oooohh pretty Pumpkin Agnolotti from Bon Appetit
Not-so-perfect Pumpkin Agnolotti
07 Nov 2011
by Emilyin Potato, Quick and Delicious, Vegetarian Tags: Cooking Light
I love making dishes where you have people asking you for the recipe over and over again. This, my friends, was one of them. We went to a friends cookout last night and I thought I would test this for our upcoming Friendsgiving celebration to see if it was delicious as it sounded. Yes, and then some.
This was unbelievably easy to make especially when you have a mandolin (thank you Leigh and Raul!) to shave the potatoes on. I think I won the Darwin award however, because as I was testing the mandolin with a potato, I sliced my pinky on the blade. WOW. Yeah, don’t do that. I’m typing like a five year old right now and it took quite a chunk out of my poor finger…I so smart. After sanitizing and Neosporin, I got back to work. All you do is layer the potatoes with salt, thyme and truffle oil. So easy, so delicious and a real crowd pleaser. YUM! Bless you Cooking Light, bless you.
Truffled Pommes Anna (Photo by Charles Masters)
02 Nov 2011
by Emilyin Beefy McBeefy, Cheesy Cheese, Fruit, Quick and Delicious, Salad, Turkey (Gobble!)
Typically through my menu planning process, I go through pretty much everything I purchase if not in the first week, then definitely in the next. But there are those rare occasions were the beckoning of a Polvo’s Crackerita is too strong or I’m just too darned tired to cook after baking in the kitchen. I decided to check my pantry for these rare occasion relics that might be lurking in my pantry and found cream of mushroom soup, piquillo peppers in a jar and canned whole cranberries. As I sat trying to remember what recipes these ingredients were for originally, I started researching some new fun ones to try and voila lambs, I found two!
Bobby Flay’s Loin of Lamb Marinated in Merlot, Garlic and Parsley with Piquillo Pesto. Now I didn’t change much except for, well, the main protein. We are on a tight budget after all the wedding festivities so I turned to my most favorite, cost-effective cut of meat – flank steak. It’s juicy, flavorful and worked beautifully with this marinade. Talk about simple and quick. I marinated the steak, made the pesto (in our new food processor, yippee!!) and then when David got home, I threw the steak on the grill and bam dinner was done. I turned this into a small salad with arugula, bleu cheese, halved cherry tomatoes and then placed the steak on the greens and drizzled the pesto on top. I also had enough pesto the next day to make David a snack with pita chips. Am I getting good wife points yet?
Moving on to the cranberries. I found this Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa from Cooking Light…yum! Keep this one in mind for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays for sure. Although I substituted
Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa (Photo by Randy Mayor)
rotisserie chicken for turkey, what really makes it is the salsa. I can see canning this and giving it as pretty holiday gifts or it would even be great over some baked brie or on an old shoe, seriously it’s really good. I made extra and now we both have quesadillas and cranberry salsa for lunch today. YAY!
Now, what the heck am I going to do with that Cream of Mushroom soup?
10 Oct 2011
by Emilyin Beefy McBeefy, David Favorite, Emily Favorite, Quick and Delicious Tags: Cooking Light
I’ve been meaning to post this Cooking Light recipe since I made it because it was absolutely INSANELY good. And get this, it’s only five ingredients. Tack on three more and you’ve got a eight ingredient meal that was sinfully delicious and fast to boot.
If we were a band name while eating this it would Snarfy McSnarf and the Snarftones. We inhaled this in no time flat. I mean, how can you go wrong? Beef Tenderloin with cherry preserves, balsamic vinegar, shallot and butter? Yep, here’s your drool cup. To make this even better – yes it’s possible – I boiled chopped parsnips until fork tender and then mashed with a smidge of low-fat milk and creme fraiche, plus a little salt and pepper. Serve the tenderloin over the parsnip puree and you’ve got a winner for dinner. Here’s the before and after photos for proof the of the tenderloin annihilation.
Make this right now! I don’t care if it’s midnight, go, go, go!
17 Sep 2011
by Emilyin Breakfast, David Favorite, Dose of Veggies, Eggs, Emily Favorite, Quick and Delicious
Stop the press, I’m giving you one of my own recipes! Wheeee! I tend to make this little beauty once or twice a week because it’s simple, healthy, and pretty good if I do say some myself. It all started when I had leftover tomatoes and spinach and was hankering for eggs. Voila, Fried Egg Panzanella! I would love for you to give this a try and let me know what you think.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper, divided
Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil starts to shimmer, add garlic and breadcrumbs. Mix together until combined (careful not to burn the garlic). Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until softened, about four minutes. Add spinach and combine with tomato/breadcrumb mixture until wilted. Create two little pockets and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to each pocket evenly. Crack the eggs in the pockets, like so…
Cover skillet and cook eggs for about five minutes or until whites are set. I like my yolks super runny but cook however you like it. Scoop out tomato and spinach mixture into a bowl and top with fried egg. Repeat with remaining mixture and egg. Top with each with 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and salt and red pepper.
15 Sep 2011
by Emilyin Cheesy Cheese, Quick and Delicious, Sandwich, Vegetarian Tags: Cooking Light
I do like grilled cheese with bacon. I do like grilled cheese with tomato. I do like grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. Grilled cheese with sun-dried tomato and olive tapenade? You betcha.
Sorry, I was reading to two very cute kiddos today and I’m channeling my inner Seuss. I got back late from the kitchen last night and after a brief wedding catch-up with David, it was time to start cooking. I’m using the term “cooking” loosely since this took two seconds to make. As David took our dog Cricket on a walk, I had these d.o.n.e. done. This felt so super indulgent but actually, the tapenade and the tomato filled the sandwich so much you got just enough cheese to feel satisfied. Plus, what a fun and different twist on a grilled cheese! If you are mouthbreathing like a champ and want something slightly decadent but actually a little good for you – tomatoes, olives, whole wheat bread – keep this recipe on hand.
Grilled Gruyere and Olive Tapenade Sandwiches (Photo by John Autry)
09 Sep 2011
by Emilyin Chicken, Dose of Veggies, Global Flavor, Quick and Delicious Tags: Food and Wine
Well, you will with this Sautéed Chicken with Olives, Capers and Roasted Lemons from the gentle Italian lamb and talented Chef Lidia Bastianich. This hails from the same great line-up of female chef recipes I tried last week and was so lovely in every way. The lemons were muted a bit due to roasting them in olive oil and were contrasted by the briny olives and capers. I also loved the crispy breadcrumbs and arugula (it calls for spinach but I wanted a bit of spiciness to this) that made it feel like a substantial but not too filling meal. The one thing that really gave a “zing” to the chicken was the simple light dusting with flour before sautéing. A simple but effective step that made the chicken slightly crispy while still retaining its moisture. I felt the simplicity and bright, clean flavors of the dish is what really made this a winner for us. Serve this to your loved ones or at a dinner party, trust me, their will be licked plates.
Sauteed Chicken with Olives, Capers and Roasted Lemons (Photo by Tina Rupp)
21 Apr 2011
by Emilyin Bacon is always awesome, David Favorite, Emily Favorite, Global Flavor, Italian, Quick and Delicious Tags: Babbo, Bon Appetit, Mario Batali
Bucatini all’Amatriciana, try saying that three times fast or if you are me, at all. I’m going to go ahead and tell you right now that Bon Appetit is batting a thousand in our house this week as this was also an Emily and David favorite, hands down.
Still with me or have you gone to the store to get the ingredients? Good.
I looked up the translation of this dish and of course the first link that comes up on Google is from none other than the Italian Chef god, Croc wearing and super gentle Mario Batali from the Babbo restaurant website. Let’s all gather around and see what they have to say:
This dish is one of the most celebrated in Italian cuisine and a favorite here at Babbo. Named for the tiny town of Amatrice, located 100 miles east of Lazio from Abruzzo this dish can be made both with or without tomatoes. Ever since Abbruzzese shepherds begin the tradition of eating this spicy pasta after a day in the chilly mountain air, the cooking process has always begun with the rich smell of a fatty piece of pork bubbling in the pan. At Babbo, we use our homemade guanciale, or cured pig jowls, with its distinct pork flavor, to achieve the same rich taste that comforted the shepherds of old.
If you count shepherding around a lot of pie plates, Crimps, bags, ties, labels and then cooking in the kitchen for hours, I was one tired shepherd last night. I decided to prep the sauce before I left and then came home to boil the spaghetti. I simply combined the drained spaghetti with the sauce and dinner was d.o.n.e. We ate this with abandon. Like there was no tomorrow and this was our last meal. OK, a little dramatic. But we did slurp this and both went back for seconds. So rustic, so deep in flavor, so simple and so authentically Italian. Make this, now, no, no, go on, go to the store. I want to hear your reviews after you’ve tried it for yourself!
13 Apr 2011
by Emilyin Asian, Global Flavor, Pork-a-licious, Quick and Delicious
Tuesdays are my late night in the kitchen, but I still find it very important that we get a good meal on the table. Before I left to bake, I mis en placed (yes that’s a word…) all of the ingredients for this Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile from Bon Appetit. So, I combined the soy sauce, dry sherry and cornstarch; trimmed the asparagus, minced the red jalapeno chile and garlic; and finally, combined oyster sauce, honey and remaining soy sauce.
I’m so happy I did this prior to leaving because when I got home this was done in about 10 minutes. I was a little worried that this might too heavy given it’s a little hot outside, but actually it was really light and refreshing. The flavors were delicious and it had a great spicy zing.
If you want a SUPER quick meal that’s delicious, light and spicy make this tonight!
Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile (Photo by Nigel Cox)