February 2012
1 post
3 tags
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Ingredients & Directions:
1 lb brussels sprouts, washed, cut in half (or quarters as long as they are about same size)
3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 T diced Garlic
1 T Soy Sauce
1/4 C White Wine
1. Heat pan on medium heat then add bacon. Fry up till bacon has rendered a good amount of the fat, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic. Stir garlic well into the...
December 2011
1 post
2 tags
Orange Cream Scones with Craisins
Here’s a pretty simple, but tasty scone recipe I made the other day.
Ingredients & Directions:
2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1/3 C sugar (and a little extra for sprinkling on top of precooked scones)
3/4 tsp salt
1 T grated orange peel
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C cold butter
3/4 C cream (and a little extra for brushing tops of precooked scones)
...
November 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Cranberry Clafouti
I made this Cranberry Clafouti for a family gathering this past weekend. It’s from Martha Stewart’s November 2011 issue.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 T Butter
1/2 C plus 2 T of Sugar
1/4 C plus 2 T of Flour
Pinch of Salt
2 Lg Eggs
1 C Chilled Heavy Cream
3/4 C Milk (I used 2%, the recipe recommends whole)
2 tsp Orange Zest
...
3 tags
2 tags
Cheddar Cheese Soup
My friend John gave me a cook book from the Epcot International Wine & Food Festival. I read through the entire things and decided that this soup would be the first thing I would try making.
Ingredients & Directions:
1/2 pound of Bacon, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4” pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/4” pieces
4 T Butter
1 C...
October 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts with Maple-Cinnamon Glaze
I don’t eat doughnut that often. My boys, on the other hand, have their ‘usual’ that they get at Dunkin Donuts on on Sunday mornings. They get chocolate munchkins and a chocolate frosted doughnut. Every so often they’ll ask to make doughnuts at home. This past week we made these pumpkin doughnuts with a little help from Taste & Tell’s recipe. Only one of my...
3 tags
Baked Egg & Ricotta Scramble
I went to brunch in Brooklyn with some friends recently and got a delicious pancake while they both got a baked cheddar egg. I had been thinking about that egg dish since then and decided I would try my own version at home. I had everything in my refrigerator and grab some fresh basil from my garden and whipped this up. I think the best thing about this is that you can really just add whatever...
September 2011
1 post
2 tags
Avocado Lime Crema
I have been really bad about updating this blog. I’m just going to blame it on the summer and vacation and just being busy. Anyway, here’s a really simple recipe I used on some tacos I made recently.
Ingredients & Directions:
2 Avocados, peeled, pitted, & chopped
1/2 C Sour Cream
Juice of 1 Lime
1/3 C Cilantro
Salt & Pepper
Put avocado, sour cream, lime...
August 2011
3 posts
4 tags
Grilled Garlic & Honey Lamb Chops
I grill all year long and I live in New England so there are times when I am grilling in the snow; it’s just what we do. Fortunately, it’s still summer and I grill almost every meal. I got some lamb chops for a starter last night. I use a similar marinade for chicken wings and thought it would translate nicely to the lamb chops.
Ingredients & Directions
8 Lamb Chops, bones...
4 tags
Red Velvet Ice Cream
Getting an ice cream maker seemed like the most logical next step in my culinary adventures. I had already planned making Red Velvet ice cream before I even went through the check out line. Here’s what I came up with based on this recipe. The only thing I need to make sure of doing next time is making sure the cocoa is sifted multiple times (I only sifted it once).
Ingredients &...
3 tags
Vanilla Bean Fig Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon...
I have been on a cupcake kick lately and since I’ve been eating them I think you should totally make them too.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 1/2 C Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 C Butter, room temperature
1 C Sugar
1 Egg plus 2 egg whites
1/2 C Whole Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Vanilla Bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and...
July 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Zucchini Fritters
I went to my local farmer’s market this past week; it’s great to have in my city, but it’s really small compared to the markets right in Boston or Cambridge. I did buy a basil plant and some zucchini, though. That same day I was in CVS and was reading through the latest Martha Stewart Magazine and noticed that there was a bunch of zucchini recipes. Pretty much kismet, right? ...
1 tag
(Just about) 30 Minute Meal: Saffron Risotto
Ingredients & Directions:
2 T Butter
2 T Olive Oil
5 C Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock)
3/4 White Wine
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 1/2 C Arborio Risotto Rice
1/4 C Grated Cheese (I used Asiago)
Large Pinch of Saffron
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat the butter and oil...
3 tags
Cold Eggplant Salad
I had this eggplant in my refrigerator and needed to use it before it went bad. I normally would make a small eggplant parm, but needed a side for a BBQ. I found this cold eggplant salad from the NY Times Recipe of the Day and followed their instructions exactly.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Large Eggplant
Salt
1 T Sesame Seeds
2 T Soy Sauce, or to taste
2 T Lemon...
2 tags
Inside-Out S'mores
The first time I made these was at my friend’s house in Los Angeles when I went to visit last month. We were having a barbecue and needed a dessert and what summer barbecue is really complete without s’mores?
I was curious as to where the s’more originated so I headed over to wikipedia, “S’more appears to be a contraction of the phrase, “some more”....
June 2011
2 posts
3 tags
Mango Gaucamole
I planted a garden recently and in that garden included cilantro, but I needed it sooner so I figured what better way to have it than with guacamole? I also had a mango in the refrigerator that needed to be used, hence the mango guacamole.
Ingredients & Directions:
2-3 Ripe Avocados
1 Tomato, chopped
1/2 C Mango, chopped
1/3 C Onion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 C...
3 tags
Bacon-Wrapped Eggs with Polenta
There was no way I wasn’t going to make these once I saw the recipe a few weeks ago. I bookmarked it and then last Sunday knew it was time. I had never made polenta before and this seemed like the perfect excuse to do so. I mean what better way to try it than with bacon, eggs, and cheese? I followed the recipe from Epicurious almost exactly (I did make a smaller batch, though).
...
May 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
I’ve been super busy lately and haven’t had too much time to update. I made these cupcakes about two weeks ago for a friend’s birthday and then made them again this past week for my mother to bring to work. My friend is a vegetarian so I attempted to make vegetarian cupcakes without eggs. I got a lot of compliments so I figured it was safe to share.
Ingredients &...
1 tag
Cherry Pepper Mayonnaise
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Lg Garlic Clove
1/2 tsp Salt
1 lb Cherry Peppers
1/4 C Mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Roast Cherry Peppers and then remove skin. Chop peppers and put into food processor with salt. Dice garlic and transfer to a blender with peppers. Purée until smooth. Add mayonnaise and juice and blend.
I put the Cherry Pepper Mayonnaise into a small...
April 2011
3 posts
2 tags
Lemon Cornbread
Every so often I’ll get a craving for something and satisfying that food craving becomes a priority. I started craving cornbread the other day and with a day off this week decided that it was time to bake. I found & adapted this recipe for a Meyer Lemon Cornbread. I didn’t have Meyer Lemons so I just used regular lemons.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 T Lemon Zest...
3 tags
Braised Chicken Wings
I had a craving for chicken wings the other night and fortunately I had some in my freezer. I let them thaw out and then got right to work a little while later. There’s nothing better than in the summer being able to eat some delicious chicken wings that were grilled on the grill, but it’s not summer yet so I decided to try something that I haven’t done before: braising chicken...
3 tags
Chicken Burger Sliders with Avocado Dressing
I love the Food Network show Chopped and wanted to have my own version of the show. I polled a bunch of bloggers to get five ingredients to create an appetizer and then invited anyone to create a recipe as well. The five ingredients picked at random ended up being: avocado, panko, chipotle sauce, bacon, and lime. I decided to make a chicken burger slider as an appetizer for dinner the other...
March 2011
5 posts
3 tags
Chocolate Dougnuts with Chocolate Glaze
Last Friday I went to York, Maine with my mother to go to Stonewall Kitchen and then shopping at the outlets in Kittery. Stonewall Kitchen is one of my favorite places and I could hours there eating and browsing. We got lunch before we started shopping. I got a lobster roll (You have to if you’re in Maine, right?) and my mother got a delicious salad with a piece of grilled honey teriyaki...
2 tags
Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Merlot Reduction
One of my new favorite starters to make at home is a pan seared lamb chop. I have been experimenting with different sauces to accompany the chops. I found a recipe for a Port Reduction, but didn’t have Port wine so I replaced it with Merlot and was really happy with the results.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Rack of Lamb, made in to chops & trimmed
1 Clove of Garlic, diced
...
2 tags
Lemon Mint Cake with Lemon Syrup
I was watching the Food Network a few weeks ago, like I usually do on Sunday mornings, and saw Giada De Laurentis making this Lemon Mint Cake. The crusty outside and soft inside of the cake that she was describing made me instantly look it up online and jot the recipe down to make later. I am so glad I did; it was exactly how she described it, but somehow even better, probably because I was...
2 tags
Vanilla & Orange Flavored Beignets
I made Chicken & Waffles the other night for dinner and since I was feeling in a Southern mood I decided that I wanted a southern style dessert. I found a recipe for a simple beignet, but I needed something a little more. I decided a little vanilla & orange flavor would be just the thing to kick the beignets up to the next level.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Stick plus 1 T...
2 tags
Saus, The Newest Pommes Frites in Boston
First, I wanted to say I haven’t been posting for about a month now since my computer died and just this past week I got a new one. Ok, with that out of the way I need to tell you about Saus. They opened, finally, this past week and on my way to grab the bus home I stopped in to grab some of their pommes frites and I am so glad I did.
Saus is located right on Union St. in Boston close...
February 2011
1 post
2 tags
Prosecco Cookies
One of my favorite things to get at our local Italian Bakery are champagne cookies. They are always colorful, delicious, and the perfect snack. We usually get them on holidays, but they are really good anytime. I’ve been thinking about making them for awhile now and since I had a half bottle of Prosecco in the refrigerator I figured it would be a good time to try them with a little...
January 2011
5 posts
2 tags
Roasted Chickpeas
Someone on twitter recently mentioned that roasted chick peas have become their favorite snack and I thought that was a statement I could get behind. I was really excited with the prospect of a new healthy snack to eat while watching tv at night. These did not disappoint. I am also looking forward to playing with different spice blends, maybe trying something sweet next time with a...
1 tag
Red Velvet Fried Chicken
I read about a restaurant, American Cupcake, in San Francisco that was serving these and knew I had to try and recreate it myself. I went to one of my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipes and bought some chicken wings. The final product might be one of the best things I have ever made. Seriously, stop what you are doing and make these now, you won’t be sorry.
Ingredients & Directions:...
2 tags
Jennifer's Carrot Cake
My friend Jennifer gave me this recipe about a year ago and said it was a great recipe. I needed to make a cake to celebrate my birthday (yes i make my own cakes) and this seemed like the perfect time to try it out.
Ingredients & Instructions:
1 1/2 C Salad Oil (I used Vegetable Oil)
2 C Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 Ground Cloves
2 C Flour
2...
2 tags
Sauteed Broccolini
I’m still continuing my exploration of different vegetables at dinner time. I know broccolini isn’t that far off from our traditional broccoli side at dinner, but it’s just different enough right? This recipe is from one of my favorites, Ina Garten.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Bunch Broccolini
Salt
2 T Butter
1/2 Lemon, zested
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 T Lemon...
2 tags
Mini Cranberry Meringue Pie
I made these a little bit ago when I was on my cranberry kick, but they were too good not to share. The combination of the pate sucree (the pie crust), cranberry filling, and meringue in one bite was delicious. This comes from a Martha Stewart recipe.
Pate Sucree
1 1/4 C Flour
4 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C Cold Butter, cut into small pieces
1 Lg Egg Yolk
...
December 2010
5 posts
Gingerbread House Contest
This past weekend my family got together for our annual gingerbread house making competition. We break off into teams a few weeks before to strategize and come up with a design. Each team has a gingerbread house kit that we can use in anyway we choose and the entire structure and all adornments must be edible. This year each team had to use the same exact materials, previous years we could...
3 tags
Banana Cranberry Muffins
I bought way too many bags of cranberries for Thanksgiving and since I didn’t want to waste them I had to use them before they went bad. I found this recipe on The Wooden Spoon and adapted it slightly by using Chobani Honey yogurt.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 Egg
1/4 C Vegetable Oil
1/4 C Chobani Honey Yogurt
1 C Mashed Bananas
1 3/4 C Flour
1/2 C...
1 tag
Satsuma Vodka-tini
This will be the last of my Thanksgiving recipes, but trust me this one is worth the wait. The satsuma tangerine and cranberry blend make for such a nice holiday mixture, but I would totally drink this all year long. This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 C Fresh Cranberries
1 C Vodka
1/2 C Sugar
4 Whole Satsumas
3/4 C Grand...
2 tags
Maple Glazed Carrots & Parsnips
This was my favorite vegetable dish that I prepared on Thanksgiving. I am definitely going to be adding this to the rotation of vegetables I regularly cook for dinner. I never knew parsnips could be so good. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart and adapted it just a little.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 1/4 pounds (about 6) parsnips, peeled
3/4 pound thin carrots, (about 12), peeled
...
1 tag
Panko Covered Pearl Onions
I went to a blogger meetup about a month ago and there was some sort of pearl onion fried as a passed hor d’oeuvres. I decided to try and recreate those hor d’oeuvres as a starter for my Thanksgiving dinner. I can’t wait to have a party to make a ton more of these.
Ingredients & Directions:
Jar of Pearl Onions
1 T Sugar
About 1 C Panko
1/2 C Flour
...
November 2010
6 posts
1 tag
Thanksgiving in Boston, 2010
Thanksgiving is that day, as another blogger, put it that “Everyone is a food blogger!” I spent a night last week planning out our Thanksgiving menu with my mother and then put it up on the chalkboard wall. I will be posting the full recipes to many of the items you see below throughout the week.
I made an apple & a blueberry pie for breakfast on Thanksgiving. There is no...
2 tags
My First McRib
I visited the swanky little restaurant McDonald’s, near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston, recently to eat my first McRib. I was really excited to see what all the hype was about and couldn’t believe I waited all these years to experience it…and it was an experience.
I was surprised by the cost of the McRib meal. Most of the other meal deals are over $5 and this one just came...
3 tags
Eggs Benedict Cupcakes
I spent awhile the other day googling breakfast themed cupcake recipes. I wanted to make a bacon cupcake, but that just seemed so played out and my bacon was frozen. I did have some Canadian bacon though in the refrigerator and at first thought about candying the Canadian bacon until what I assume was an angel whispering a secret to me. That secret? Eggs Benedict Cupcakes.
Ingredients &...
2 tags
Pumpkin Hummus
I like to keep my lunches at work simple and inexpensive. I had been meaning to make hummus for a few weeks now and had an open can of pumpkin puree in the refrigerator that needed to be used. This begs the obvious question: how much pumpkin can you (meaning me) seriously eat in the fall. My answer: more than you care to know and I am not done yet!
Ingredients & Directions:
1 T...
2 tags
Cinnamon Craisin Bread
I spent Sunday morning making this bread. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning while catching up on some DVR’d tv shows in between rest times. I substituted Craisins for raisins just to change it up a bit. I will be eating this bread all week for breakfast for sure. This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.
Ingredients & Instructions:
For the...
2 tags
French Macaroons
I often think about what dessert will be the next big thing. I’m not going all out on this prediction, but I have seen a large number of macaroons making their appearance in places they weren’t before. With that in mind, I wanted to try my hand at making them. I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for French Macaroons.
Ingredients & Directions:
1 C Confectioners’...
October 2010
6 posts
3 tags
Brussel Sprouts & Bacon
I went grocery shopping with my mother the other day and we decided that I would try cooking some new vegetables with dinner. I usually cook the same 5 or 6 vegetables so we were ready for something new. The first up in our adventures in vegetables: brussel sprouts. I remembered reading a recipe on We Are Not Martha where they made brussel sprouts with bacon & knew that’s what I had...
3 tags
Pumpkin Fettucinne & Roasted Shallots
I have been dying to break out my pasta machine for awhile now and with Oldways celebrating World Pasta Day today it seemed like the perfect time to do it. Of course, I had to keep it seasonal so I decided to make homemade pumpkin fettuccine.
Ingredients & Directions:
Basic Pasta Dough
2 C Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 C Pureed Pumpkin
1 T Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
Start by putting...
4 tags
Boston Blogtoberfest 2010
I attended my first Boston Blogtoberfest last night. This was the fourth anniversary of the meetup. I always love getting off the computer and meeting other bloggers in real life. I run Boston Tumblr Meetups (usually) monthly and that is always a fun time. If you are a tumblr from Boston you should keep an eye out for a meetup soon.
The event last night was held at Ginger Park. I had never...
2 tags
Cinnamon Cardamom Snickerdoodles
After deciding that Cardamom needs to be the spice of the fall, I started collecting recipes that included it as a main ingredient. The first recipe was from a Sweet Spoonful and I only adapted it slightly.
Ingredients & Directions:
2 2/3 C Flour
2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 sticks Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
...
1 tag
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
I love the fall. I love the weather, the changing of the leaves, wearing sweaters & light jackets, and especially love cooking with seasonal items like pumpkins. My boys & I did some pumpkin carving this week and not to waste the seeds I decided to roast them. When roasting them didn’t seem like enough, I knew a brittle would be just what I needed.
Once the pumpkins were cleaned...
3 tags
Ricotta Griddle Cakes with Blueberry Syrup
A month or so ago I went to meet my friends, Alison & Becca, for an afternoon of shopping and eating at the SOWA Open Market. I first met them at Rocca where they were just finishing brunch and I, of course, tasted both of their meals. Top Chef cheftestant, Tiffani Faison, is now the head chef and I have heard great things about the transformation she has made here (I had never been...