Simple Fancy Fan Garlic Potatoes

I really love yukon gold potatoes & usually use them to make mashed potatoes but recently I tried making hasselback potatoes with them instead. A hasselback potato (or what I’m calling a fancy fan potato) is simply a potato that is cut in very thin slices almost to the bottom (but not quite through) so that the potato still holds together like a fan. All that really means that these potatoes look really pretty & you can stuff yummy ingredients in between the slices (like lots of garlic!). They were a hit (read: Chris loved them) so they’ll be making more guest appearances on our dinner plates in the near future. Although these taters look fancy they’re pretty easy to make once you get the slicing down.

Easy Black Bean Soup

I've been eating this black bean soup since Saturday & I'm happily having it for lunch again, today. Granted I made enough to feed a small country but it was too easy not too & I'll confess when I cook with dried beans I always forget that those 1lb bags make A LOT.

As I just hinted at I used dried beans for this recipe, so while it is easy it is time consumptive as in the beans take about 2 hours to cook. If you have a free afternoon or some time on the weekend I recommend making this & then eating it for lunch for two weeks. You can also easily freeze it after it has cooled down.

One thing that I ask you to do to fully enjoy this soup is to top it with this cream sauce. The tanginess of the yogurt & acidity of the lime take this to another level. Do it!

PS: you can totally make this recipe gluten-free if you don't eat it with tortilla chips that have flour & you can make it vegan by using veggie stock & skipping the cream sauce.

PPS: if you don't wan to make 2lbs of beans cut the recipe in half!

Fresh & Unique Summer Salads

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I’m salad obsessed these days.  Here are a bunch of my faves that are as fresh as they are unique.   I’ll be working back them into the rotation for summer dinners. Grab the links below:

1. Spinach Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing 
2. Crunchy Spring Salad  
3. Bang Bang Grilled Shrimp Salad 
4. Carrot Curl Salad

Simple Vinaigrette

It’s unofficially summer - it’s just getting hotter & I love it! Every time the temps rise I want to eat cooling simple meals - mainly salads.  I rarely buy salad dressing at the super market with the exception of blue cheese dressing to compliment Chris’s love for anything buffalo sauced & that little packet of raspberry vinaigrette that comes in that delicious spinach salad mix from Trader Joe’s.  Other than those two exceptions I usually throw lemon juice or vinegar & some olive oil on my salads & call it a day.  Sometimes I like to make my own (like here & here).  This simple vinaigrette is great because it’s made from stuff you most likely shop for on a weekly basis & even if you don’t you can find them at the most basic grocery stores - no specialty stores necessary.  It’s a great dressing that turns plain mixed greens into a salad with no other toppings. We ate mixed greens tossed with this dressing with some pizza for dinner. The salad was so good I made two giant serving bowls of it & not a leaf was left!

If you’ve never made your own dressing, give it a try. It really is easy & usually tastes better than anything on the shelf. Oh & with this recipe you’ll be able to identify all the ingredients.

Simple Rice Pudding

In case you haven’t been watching the news because you live a warm sunny area & have been spending any of your free time outside & at the beach - it’s blizzarding in the northeast… again. Since I hit the grocery store on Sunday, our fridge & pantry were fully stocked & I headed straight home after work as opposed to standing on line to pick up some basics at the super market.

Fortunately, I stock up on basic things on a regular basis. For all those that don’t - this a practice I’ve adapted to in the past few years - so don’t worry if you’re not there yet.  Not too long ago I used the word “pantry” very loosely, as I used a bookshelf to store food in my 500 square foot little Italy apartment (man, that was a great apartment!). Said pantry also housed our silverware & other paper goods. Did I mention that it was actually a “street treasure” that I found on the side of the road & carried home with my sister - yeah I did & it was great.  Now that I’m (ahem) an adult, we have a pantry & it is built into the kitchen & I didn’t have to go out & hunt for it so now I try my best to keep it stocked.

Some easy things to stock up on are rice, quinoa, pastas, canned beans, raisins & other baking needs that don’t need to be refrigerated. I used some of these basics to whip up some rice pudding for dessert last night using this recipe. So grab some basics (milk, eggs, rice, raisins) on your next super market trip & try this recipe next time you are snowed in your house.

Thanksgiving Appetizers

Clockwise from top left: A Simple Cheese Plate; Apple Parmesan Basil Bites; Whipped Feta Crostini; Simple Mushroom Crostini

My sister & I were talking about how we usually don't eat much the day of Thanksgiving - until we get to "the Thanksgiving" portion of the day.  If you're the same way you probably think the appetizers  (or antipasto at my Grandma's house) portion of the night is key since it might be one of the first things you're eating that day (besides all the tasting while cooking, of course).  These were some of my favorite simple, light appetizers from previous posts that I think would be great for Thanksgiving this year.

What are you making for appetizers?

Simple Herb & Lime Farro

Farro is a new whole grain to me. After hearing my gal Alice talk about how good it is I thought I should at least try it. I found it in the bulk grain aisle at FairWay & filled up a bag to go.  I have to admit it sat in my pantry for a week or two before I tried it.  I wasn't sure exactly how to cook it & I wanted to give myself ample time to prepare it, which is usually rare on "school nights." I finally had time on my side & gave it a try.  Turns out this is an Italian grain. It looks & tastes more like rice (to me) but you cook it like pasta - go figure.  It's surprisingly easy to make & Chris likes it.  So we'll be having it again soon.

PS: HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of the best people of all time,  Maggie! Love ya girl!

Homemade Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

I love to make fresh pasta. I find it therapeutic in some sense. So I thought making my own ravioli would bring me the same zen. It did not. It brought on a need for a glass of wine.  I made about half the amount I had anticipated because, well, I guess I'm a quitter. I made the rest of the pasta dough into linguini and called it a night.

If you have the patience that I apparently lack, I encourage you to give these a go. Why not, you can always quit, right? I won't judge.

Salmon & Melting Cherry Tomatoes

So I like fish & I'm trying to get Chris to like it as much as I do. This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof Cookbook for salmon & melting cherry tomatoes is a keeper. The fish comes out moist & the tomato topping is addictively tangy & sweet.  Even if you don't like fish I would recommend making this tangy tomato topping with some chicken or even add to some plain pasta or quinoa.

Click through for this truly foolproof salmon recipe.

Hot Cardamom Milk

I love the cardamom coffee at Hampton Chutney in Soho NYC.  This year I've resolved to lay off the caffeine for 2013 so the coffee part of this delish beverage is out but I can still have the yummy cardamom warm spices in a delicious drink all thanks to this recipe for milk with cardamom.
It's a great creamy hot drink for those really chilly days.

Ingredients

• Milk - 2 cups (unsweetened almond milk might be tasty too!)
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Cardamom - 1 pod,crushed

Make it!

1. Pour the milk,sugar and cardamom in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes,or till the milk boils.
2. Close with a lid and keep aside for another 5 minutes.
3. Just before serving,strain the milk and pour into individual cups.
4. Serve when it is still warm.

PS: it's caffeine-free so if you sip some at the end of the night you'll still be able to sleep!

Simple Mushroom Crostini

My husband, Chris, loves mushrooms & my sister, Jennifer,  kind of likes them.

I think it's kind of funny since my sister who is mostly vegetarian has only recently warmed up to them (she hated them growing up) & still isn't a huge fan.  Chris on the other hand has just recently started being force fed enjoying veggies more than his meat laden twenties because "that's what's for dinner" lately at our house.

The irony makes me laugh in my head.  I guess mushrooms are a meatier veggie, maybe that's why carnivores like them more than vegetarians (food for thought…).

Nevertheless, I have always liked mushrooms & even if they're not top on your list I will guarantee you'll love these simple mushroom crostinis.

Click through for the full recipe.



P dot S: make sure to check in tomorrow, I have some really exciting news for you!

Cherry & Goat Cheese Chicken

Sometimes chicken can get so boring, yet we eat it all the time.  Last night I whipped up this chicken that was different from the usual boring grilled version.  In fact, Chris said he'd order it again. 

Get the recipe after the jump!

PS: Thanks for doing the dishes, Chris ;)

Immaculate Chicken Salad

I used to make this salad all the time at my collegiate coffee house job at Immaculate Consumption (man, I miss that place).  My gal Maggie recently reminded me of it. So naturally, I had to make it.  It's a great take on chicken salad full of crunch & flavors & is mayo-free!  You can eat it served between some lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone (like Immaculate) & bread as a sandwich or over some lightly dressed greens as a salad.  Click through to get this yummy recipe plus a bonus salad dressing recipe that really makes it sing in your salad!

Sprouted Kitchen's Tomato & Burrata Salad

I'm currently obsessing over this blog, I love the recipes & the photography & the messages.  It's a good blog written by a good person. You really don't need more than that.  I was inspired by some end of summer tomatoes & Sprouted Kitchen's Simple Tomato & Burrata Salad, so I mad it in my own kitchen. You can find the recipe here.

Burrata, by the way, is a basically a purse of mozzarella with a creamy center. If you've never had it you really just need to know that it's delicious & that's all.

Fusion Roasted Chicken & Kale

Since my post was, well, lack there of yesterday I'm dishing out an extra special one with a tasty dinner you can make at home!  I call this dish fusion roasted chicken & kale, mostly because I think it makes it sound more chi-chi but really it's more comfort food than anything.  Using some tasty hawaiian salt, garlic, honey, soy sauce & olive oil (read: a sauce that I stole from my sister-in-law, Dulcie) this speaks fusion-eese to me. 

Read on for my pics & the full recipe!

Disclaimer: Dulcie, I hope I didn't butcher what I remember to be in your sauce recipe too much :) xo

Grilled Corn & Lime Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grilled corn
  (approx 2 ears)
• 1 lime (juice & zest)
• 7 fresh basil leaves
  (cut into ribbons or tear)
• 1 clove garlic
  (grated into super fine pieces)
• 1/2 red onion (finely chop)
• 3 plum tomatoes
  (seed & chop into small pieces) 
• 2 big handfuls arugula
• salt
• pepper

Nothing is better than grilled Jersey corn in the summer (yes, NJ has more to offer than MTV's diluted & polluted view of the people that supposedly reside here, there' actually farms, food & other fun things).

To make this salad,  grill up some corn & cut it off the cob (no corn stuck in your teeth now - you're welcome) & toss it with all the other ingredients!  You may have noticed this salad has no oil so yeah it's light & delicious perfect for hot summer nights or an outdoor lunch. Bon appetit!

What do you eat when it's super hot out? 

Figure 8 Braid Bun

When it's hot, the last thing I'm going to do is blow dry my hair, so I braid it instead.  All you need for this messy braided nest is a comb, some clear rubber bands, bobby pins, some hairspray & patience!

Read on to learn the simple steps to this braided updo for hot days or any days.

Garlic & Lime Grilled Shrimp

When it's as hot as it's been the only way to cook is on the grill & then run back inside to the air conditioning to eat.  Shrimp is so quick to make I feel I could make it every day, Chris wouldn't mind, believe me.  I served up this shrimp along side a tomato panzanella salad for a fresh summer dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp  (peeled, deveined, with tails on)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic (minced)
• salt & pepper
• 3 limes (cut into wedges)

Make it!

1. Add shrimp, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper to an air tight container (use a plastic food storage bag or container) & chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (over night will work too & it will definitely keep the vampires away when all of the garlic flavor is absorbed).
2. Skewer shrimp & lime wedges.  I used metal skewers but if you have the wooden ones just be sure to soak them in some water for at least 15-20 minutes so they'll burn less.
3. Grill over medium-high heat, for about 7-10 minutes.  Be sure to flip the skewers with tongs at least half way through so they cook evenly on both sides.
4. Shrimp are cooked when they turn opaque (white) & slightly pink.
5. Remove from grill & skewers. Squeeze the grilled limes over the shrimp & enjoy.

 

Goat Cheese Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions
• 3 shallots
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup fresh goat cheese
• 2 cups arugula
• 4 pieces trader joe's whole wheat tandori naan bread

Dressing:

• 1 lemon (juice + zest)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper

Jane is one of my favorite places in NYC to eat. They have killer bloody marys & excellent bites. I basically took this flatbread right off their menu. It's so simple but so so tasty & holds a special place in my memory book.

There are two distinct times in my life when I remember savoring this at Jane. The first time was with my mom, right after we had finalize THE fabric that my wedding dress would be made from. The second was the day before my rehearsal dinner for my wedding, with my sister. This flatbread makes my heart & belly warm & of course it helps that you-know-who (my hubby!) likes it too!

Make sure to click through to learn how you can serve it up at home yourself!

An Easy Spring Bouquet

can you guess what types of flowers these are? mouse over to see if you're right!

This weekend Chris and I spent some quality time with some of our family at a small dinner party at our apartment. I whipped up this easy sprint bouquet to bring some fresh cheer to our table with some fresh flowers from Trader Joes and tape! Learn the easy steps to make your own after the jump!