Broccoli Salad
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…
Balsamic Chicken
Sometimes simple is what you are seeking in food. Sure, I enjoy making sauces, sautéing vegetables, and creating new flavor combinations. However, it also is nice to enjoy food that is less complicated.
This was the case on a recent Sunday. That Sunday was a day of indulgence. We had no plans that required leaving the house, and the weather was crummy. So, we spent the entire day in pjs, cooking, reading, watching tv, and enjoying a couple meals. After making a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast, there was no need for lunch. After spending hours on breakfast,…
Egg Drop Soup
So, the last recipe that I’ll be posting from our belated Chinese New Year dinner is the simplest. As I was writing my articles last week, I thought about the order in which I should publish them. I’m glad that I had a moment of clarity and considered how hectic Mondays can be and saved the shortest recipe for last.
Mondays are busy due to the nature of my job, but this Monday is extra busy. First, it is February break, which means that I have a 12 and 13 year old hanging around the house, and although they understand…
Kung Pao Broccoli
After a week and a half away from my kitchen, I was excited to spend some quality time cooking last night. Sadly, the reason for my kitchen absence was not a vacation to a tropical island nor a business trip in a fun city; a kitchen-based injury was the basis. Needless to say, my mandolin and I are not on speaking terms. It even may take some therapy to repair our relationship.
So. . .after a week and a half of letting others prepare meals and making the simplest of dishes on my own, I was ready to embark on a…
Pear Vinaigrette
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…
Balsamic Roasted Veggies
For the second Tapas Night of 2010 I decided to give it a Greek theme. My original plan was to serve lamb sausage. However, when I checked the freezer I discovered that we had lamb sausage, but it was bulk sausage. A scoop of sausage just isn’t as appealing as one that is served as a link or slice. So, I decided to save the lamb sausage for a different meal.
Luckily our meat freezer was pretty full after a December trip to our favorite butcher. Within seconds of being disappointed by the lamb sausage, I found the perfect replacement: chicken…
Roasted Broccoli
After a weekend of travel and eating meals out, there is something nice about returning home and cooking in your own kitchen. Thankfully, this weekend of travel was filled with excellent meals, so the excitement to return to my kitchen was more about wanting to cook than needing decent food.
However, our return home wasn’t scheduled to be a quiet night. In addition to the company of our 11 and 13 year olds, we also would be watching our two and four year old nephews. So, after an evening of playing chase the preschoolers, simple foods seemed to be our best…
Coffee Rubbed Pork
Sometimes a dinner recipe just falls into your lap. A few weeks ago, we made a trip to the butcher’s and returned home with a freezer’s quantity of meats. One of those items just happened to be a boneless pork loin roast.
The next day we made a stop at Starbucks while we were out running errands. Our trip to Starbucks coincided with their VIA promotion. Take a taste test to determine which cup was the VIA instant coffee and which was the brewed coffee, and get a large coffee for free if you bought a 3-pack of the VIA. As…
Garlic & Parmesan Squash
A couple weekends ago, we had a simple version of Thanksgiving dinner. We didn’t make stuffing or gravy, but we did roast a whole turkey. We also made homemade cranberry sauce, mulled cider, and two veggie dishes. With all four kids here for dinner, it was my hope that one of the two would appeal to each of them.
The two veggies I made were brussel sprouts and butternut squash. Typically, all of the kids like brussel sprouts, and half of the kids like squash. At our house, everyone receives a “no thank you” serving of every dish, but you can…
Black Bean Cakes
Working on dinner ideas for last week, I knew there were a few nights that my husband would be away on business. Although he is one of the most open-minded eaters I know, he doesn’t eat legumes. So, when he is away, a side dish of green beans or a Mexican entree with refried beans is often part of the menu.
I had heard someone talking about black bean cakes recently and thought that would be an excellent recipe to try while my husband was away. Even though I knew that my 13 and 11 year old dinner companions would eat…
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