Archive for July, 2007
by TT on January 23rd, 2012 | Recipes, Salads
After spending most of the afternoon at our daughter's gymnastics tournament, we were thinking of a meal that would be quick to prepare and filling. My husband suggested homemade steak subs with lots of veggies, and that seemed like a perfect solution. Knowing that the subs themselves may not be filling enough for my husband and teenage son, I suggested we have a side with it.
Yes, chips would have been the quick answer, but I was hoping for something healthier. I also knew that our fruit bin was filled with apples. I haven't consumed many servings of Waldorf Salad;
by TT on November 8th, 2010 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Salads
While my husband and I often bemoan the lack of specialty markets, as we live in a rural setting, we also are grateful for the abundance of local farms. Unfortunately, many of our local farms close after Halloween, and we are left with nothing but grocery stores for our produce, cheeses, and more. However, we discovered a farm that is only 30 minutes away is open year round and has a magnificent offering of produce, locally raised meats, cheeses, and other items.
While shopping at this farm this weekend, we were seeking some vegetable to use as the base in a
by TT on August 13th, 2010 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Salads
In our house we always are trying new recipes. Sometimes they fail miserably, sometimes they simply exist, and sometimes they are huge winners. Last night I tried three new recipes, and all three were hits. It was kind of like a hat trick for me. Granted, two of the recipes were courtesy of cookbooks and online searches, but the third was all mine. So, it was quite pleasing to have such good results.
As the other two dishes were ribs and french fries, I wanted to have a healthy veggie dish to round out the meal. Broccoli is always popular in
by TT on June 28th, 2010 | Recipes, Salads
Warm weather arrives in New England, and we become excited to cook outdoors. Of course, there is the typical fare of hamburgers and hot dogs to please the palate, but a little variety makes grilling so much more enjoyable.
This past Saturday we decided to try our hands at more interesting grilled food. Instead of hamburgers, we made buffalo chicken burgers with blue cheese sauce. In place of coleslaw or pasta salad, we opted to give a grilled salad a try. Like most salads, it is best made early and allowed to sit in the refrigerator to chill and allow flavors
by TT on June 11th, 2010 | Recipes, Salads
Summer, the season of salads. We tend to make many salads at our house, both as main and side dishes in this season. Some have a base of greens; others are a combination of fruits, vegetables, or both. Although we have our go-to salads, such as Caesar, we tend to be creative with our salads. (I guess that's not too surprising when both adults are foodies, and the kids seem to be following suit.)
Last week, I had created a main dish of lamb and wanted a cool side dish to accompany it. Of course, the obvious answer was salad. However,
by TT on February 12th, 2010 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Salads
I am a foodie. I love trying new flavors, textures, cooking methods, etc. I also am a little bit finicky about how my food is prepared. I don't like fried food; I prefer not to have a lot of fatty ingredients, such as cream, oil, or butter, in my foods on a regular basis. Sure, I like to indulge occasionally, but for the most part I prefer healthier foods.
Because of this obsession with healthy foods, I prefer not to put salad dressing on my salad. Yep, I am that annoying restaurant customer who orders her salad, "With dressing on the
by TT on July 15th, 2007 | Recipes, Salads
In the midst of summer, it seems that most of us are busy trying to keep cool. Whether it be by consuming many ice cold beverages, finding a shady spot in the yard to lounge, or staying inside an air conditioned home, we have the same goal. We want to avoid the heat and humidity.
What herb speaks best of keeping cool? In my opinion, it would be mint. The very flavor of mint conjures thoughts of the icy cold: enjoying a peppermint candy, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream, or chewing on spearmint gum.
by TT on July 11th, 2007 | Breakfast Dishes, Recipes
Recently, I reviewed my Toastmaster Belgian Waffle Maker. I received a comment to that posting requesting my waffle recipe. Here is the recipe that I have used for countless morning meals.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tb. sugar
1 Tb. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk (I use skim)
2 eggs
3 Tb. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
Heat waffle maker, per owner's manual.
In an 8-cup measuring cup, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a 4-cup measuring cup, whisk together milk, eggs, cooled melted butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir until just moistened. (Batter will
by TT on July 9th, 2007 | Equipment Reviews
A year or two ago, my two children, who were 7 and 9 at the time, slept over a friend's house. For breakfast the next morning they were offered waffles. They thought it was a great idea until the waffles were taken out of a box in the freezer. At this point in their young lives they had never seen waffles that weren't homemade. Needless to say, the waffle maker at my house is very well used.
I have owned my Toastmaker Belgian Waffle Maker for more than a decade, and I love it for its
by TT on July 4th, 2007 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Salads
The end of June is a great time to pick strawberries in New England. These berries are ripe and prevalent at this time of year. On a recent weekend morning, my children and I went to a local pick your own farm and in less than 30 minutes had harvested five pounds of sweet, ripe strawberries.
Upon bringing these berries home, I knew I wanted to use them in a new recipe. Having used strawberries in many of the typical recipes: shortcake, jam, fruit salad, sauce for ice cream or waffles, I wanted to make something different. With the heat of summer upon us, I
by TT on July 1st, 2007 | Equipment Reviews
It seems that wherever you go today you can find espresso-based drinks. What used to be found at only upscale bakeries and Italian restaurants, can now be found at gas stations and convenience stores. With such a surge in popularity, it makes sense that there are now many options for making lattes, cappuccinos, and espressos at home.
Having become a fan of lattes, I received a
DeLonghi Espresso Maker a year ago. I found this to be the perfect home model for me. It was very reasonably priced, taking about 20 barista-made lattes to equal the
