organizing my most useful kitchen tools
I love healthy food, but I love it more when it doesn’t taste like healthy food. Best of both worlds! Click around to find some of my tried and true staples - and new recipes too, whether my own ideas, inspired by other blogs, torn from the pages of a magazine, or passed through friends or family. Learn more about me and My Utensil Crock HERE.
I learn so much at every Cooking Club, and enjoy so many of the dishes ... but here are some of my favorites!
Work last week was one of those where meetings, projects, and emails were unrelenting - and then I had work-related social events after work every night, to boot. While looking back, such a week can be satisfying because of what was accomplished, what was not satisfying was the food I ate. Rushed mornings getting out the door, "working lunches," … [Read more...]
I am often asked, "What is your favorite thing to make?" I hem and haw and say I can't pick just one thing ... but this Pumpkin - Gruyere Focaccia recipe may be it. I originally posted the recipe, without pictures, in March, but now that we are in full-pumpkin-season-swing, I made a batch this week and wanted to post the pictures. I … [Read more...]
In this recipe, you make your own ground chicken. Are you both intrigued by, and skeptical of, that statement? I admit that I would have been, before I first processed my own meat. I promise you though: a food processor will make short work of chicken breasts; add a few mix-ins and you have a healthy, fast dinner with a complex taste. This … [Read more...]
Traditional pesto is made with basil, garlic, parmesan reggiano, olive oil, and pine nuts - but there is nothing that says we can't mix that up a bit. I find that pesto made with all basil is just a bit too basil-y for me - and pine nuts are disproportionately expensive recently. That brings us to Spinach - Walnut Pesto. Equal parts basil and … [Read more...]
July 4 weekend has come to a close, but grilling season is still in full swing! You may recall from my Homemade Grilled Bread post that at a recent Cooking Club (Hostess: AWP; Theme: Grilling; Date: 06.09.13), I tried my hand at making fresh bread dough - and grilling it. The bread was delicious - my guess is it was the sour cream that made it … [Read more...]
At this month's Cooking Club, I acquainted myself with a propane grill at a good old-fashioned barbecue in AWP's backyard. My apartment building has a community grill on the roof, and I had not made much use of it - until now. Yes, the success of this bread has made me want to grill. For Cooking Club, I selected to make Grilled Flatbreads; we … [Read more...]
I was so intimidated by the thought of cooking a whole chicken - until I tried. Turns out, there is very little more to it than putting a chicken in the oven. It is something I do with regularity now - they are so versatile. This recipe is a Cooking Club Instant Classic (Hostess: me; Theme: Back to Basics - Cooking Techniques; Date: 05.19.13) … [Read more...]
Is there any better appetizer than a dish that is both healthy and full of flavor? This recipe is another Cooking Club Classic (Hostess: TK; Theme: Mediterranean Tapas; Date: 03.04.12). I make it all the time - when I see red peppers next to eggplants in the produce section, I cannot help myself! Add a tomato and you are most of the way there. … [Read more...]
This recipe is a Cooking Club Classic (Hostess: TK; Theme: Pumpkin; Date: 10.15.06). I look forward to each fall, when I buy a sugar pumpkin or two, and prepare pumpkin puree to have on hand and bake a few dishes. Although the recipe is titled "focaccia," it is not at all like a traditional focaccia with herbs and tomatoes and fingerprint … [Read more...]
