June 10, 2014

Braised Asparagus & Spring Onions

The beauty of cooking asparagus is that it’s best when left to humble methods with few ingredients. Simply grilled with a little olive oil, salt & pepper is divine. Steamed with a squeeze of lemon and garlic salt is incredible. Asparagus doesn’t need much to be an amazing side dish.

This recipe follows suit: few ingredients and a simple preparation. I stumbled upon this recipe while reading Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy (a phenomenal book/cookbook). It called for braising the asparagus. I was curious; I haven’t done a lot of braising — it’s a technique I tend to shy away from because in my head it’s synonymous with “it takes a really long time.” Well, apparently it doesn’t. This dish is ready in 20 minutes. It’s fantastically simple and enormously flavorful. The veg is cooked just past al dente and you’re left with a light buttery sauce you can soak bread in. It makes for a nice, light meal or a hearty companion.

there’s more! >>>

June 3, 2014

Strawberry Bruschetta w/ Nutella & Whipped Coconut Cream

I’ve been making this ultra simple dessert for years and I look forward to strawberry season specifically for this treat! Grilled bread, topped with Nutella, sliced strawberries and whipped coconut cream is the perfect ending to any springtime meal, especially when you’ve already got the grill fired up.

In years past, I topped the strawberries with homemade whipped cream (the dairy kind), but this year I decided to give whipped coconut cream a try…and all I could think was, “Why the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks didn’t I try this sooner?” It’s good. Darn good. So stinkin’ good. I. like. really. lots.

there’s more! >>>

May 28, 2014

Grapefruit Tarragon Gin & Tonic

If I was to choose one boozy beverage to sip for the rest of my days it would be the classic “G & T”…gin & tonic, with a squeeze of lime. It’s refreshing, lightly fizzy, lovingly sour, perfectly bitter, and just a smidge sweet. Most people tend to sip it in the warm spring or summer months, but I indulge year ’round – although there is little else that’s better than an ice cold gin & tonic on a hot, sunny evening after a long day’s work. And that’s about where we’re at right now – it’s officially G & T season!

there’s more! >>>

May 8, 2014

Radishes with Tarragon – Garlic Chive Butter

Often the best snacks or party appetizers are the simplest ones that highlight fresh, raw ingredients. With spring in full force and my local farmers market having just opened up, I wanted to taste the season. Literally. I found three kinds of radishes from one vendor and tarragon and garlic chives from another. These had to join forces somehow…but with minimal manipulation.

there’s more! >>>

April 24, 2014

Pea Shoots, Oranges, and Avocado with Orange-Chili Vinaigrette

Pea shoots, pea tendrils, pea sprouts…what’s the difference? Pea sprouts are the first thin stems that sprout after planting, are light green, and may or may not have leaves. Pea tendrils are the delicate, curly vines at the top of the stem. Pea shoots are the more mature stems with leaves and tendrils attached. Pea shoots are sometimes called pea tendrils, pea greens or pea tips.

there’s more! >>>

April 17, 2014

Avocado Hummus

Hummus and I go way back. During my college years in San Francisco, my husband and I lived on bagel and hummus sandwiches. It was vegetarian, it was filling and it was cheap. It was the broke-college-student-Californian version of ramen noodles. After that, I couldn’t eat hummus for years. Especially because the cheap hummus we bought was akin to eating spackling paste…I did say it was filling (horribly bad pun intended). But years have gone by, I’ve birthed a human, landed back in the Midwest, and I can once again eat hummus. Time heals all wounds.

Hummus tends to be the go-to party dip and I’ve found the best hummus is either at a Mediterranean restaurant or homemade. So skip the store-bought paste and make your own!

there’s more! >>>

April 2, 2014

Garlicky Spinach Frittata

Egg cookery can be intimidating. The perfect fried egg with completely cooked but silky whites and totally runny yolks. Beautifully round poached eggs with no craggy whites dangling off. Fluffy, barely golden omelets with a creamy yet adequately cooked center. Eggs can be a real trip. But they don’t have to be. Frittatas are your friend. They’re the lazy (ahem…impatient) cook’s omelet. They’re easy, they don’t require careful flipping or folding or just-simmering water, it’s easy to tell when the eggs are fully cooked, and you can do it all in one pan — that’s the kind of cooking I love.

there’s more! >>>

March 27, 2014

Dill Pickle Grilled (Goat) Cheese Sandwiches & Creamy Tomato – Dill Soup

Winter is over (’bout dang time!). Spring produce isn’t quite ready (asparagus, I’ve got plans for you). But I’m already craving the familiar flavors of summer…tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and dill to name a few. Lately, I’ve really needed a hot-weather food fix. So I decided to seek solace in the comfort of my pantry and freezer. Last summer my dad taught me how to can tomatoes and pickles. This is a life skill no Bloody Mary-loving, spicy pickle-obsessed gal (or dude) should be without. It ranks right up there with knowing how to change a car tire (which I don’t) and knowing when to pull the pot off the heat before the sugar burns when making kettle corn (which I do!). Priorities, amiright?

there’s more! >>>

March 19, 2014

Homemade Ricotta Cheese and Ricotta-mole

There’s something incredibly satisfying about making your own cheese. It feels a little Laura Ingalls Wilder. Sorta like you’re accomplishing something you thought could only be done on some far-away farm surrounded by grazing sheep, arcadian meadows, and rickety wooden fences…or in a cheese-making factory. But it doesn’t. And it’s really simple.

there’s more! >>>

March 11, 2014

Irish Stout Floats

Although there isn’t a drop of Irish blood in my family tree, without fail every March 17th my mom would cook up a HUGE batch of corned beef and cabbage…I say huge because I’ve got 6 brothers and sisters, so 9 of us all together–we’re pretty much our own baseball team. We all devoured it, dressed in as much green as we could possibly find to cover us head to toe. And woe betide the sibling who forgot…our pinchers were at the ready, and we weren’t a gentle bunch!