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!
Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year – does everyone feel that way every year? I had suggested to my parents that we embrace “Thanksgivukkah” and serve a Jewish-themed appetizer course, followed by the traditional Thanksgiving meal. They did not require much convincing. Any excuse to eat latkes, lox, and pastrami is welcomed around these … [Read more...]
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...]
