does anyone even still read this? Well if you do, I’ve switched to a new blog for the recipes I make and deem worthy of posting — follow me here if you like!
This was a really nice change from your typical meatloaf. The sauce tasted as though it had some wine in it, but I think it was just the shiitake mushrooms. Definitely makes a lot of sauce/gravy, which is perfect for a side of mashed potatoes.
I think this is the second time I’ve ever made lamb. This was really good!
4 lbs lamb breast, separated into two pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, basil)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 pinch salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Whisk olive oil, salt, cumin, black pepper, dried Italian herbs, cinnamon, coriander, and paprika in a large bowl until combined.
- Coat each lamb breasts in the olive oil and spice mixture and transfer to a roasting pan, fat side up.
- Tightly cover roasting pan with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork, about 2 hours.
- Remove lamb from oven and cut into four pieces.
- Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place lamb pieces on it. Brush the tops of each piece with fat drippings from the roasting pan.
- Bake lamb until meat is browned and edges are crispy, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine chopped parsley, vinegar, fresh lemon juice, garlic, honey, red pepper flakes, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Increase the oven’s broiler to high and brown lamb for 4 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Serve lamb topped with parsley and vinegar sauce.
Mushroom Mashed Potatoes
6 yukon or red potatoes, quartered
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
6 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sour cream
Boil potatoes until soft, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute onions and mushrooms until tender.
Mash with a potato masher (or bottom of a drinking glass).
Add onions, mushrooms and remaining ingredients and stir into mashed potatoes.
Garlic Green Beans
Good, but was missing something. Next time I think I’ll add sliced almonds or something.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb green beans, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, sliced salt, to taste
Blanch the green beans: Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add green beans. Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and run cold water over the beans.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic. Once garlic is fragrant, add the beans and salt and saute.
We are spending the weekend in NJ, and there won’t be a fridge, so I made a couple things in preparation, just in case Marcy gets hungry and/or won’t eat what we have at our meals. Basically, I wanted something that didn’t need refrigeration (at least for the weekend) and that had some kind of substantial nutrition. First, were zucchini muffins, which I think were more for me in the case that I get hungry, too. 🙂 And then my friend sent me the recipes she uses to make homemade Lara bars for her child. I chose the pineapple (sunshine) version.
The muffins have the perfect sweetness, and could maybe even use a bit more, but it doesn’t matter, because they have the most excellent crumb (I think, because I added some whole wheat flour).
Zucchini muffins
(makes 12 large muffins)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ginger
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 apple peeled, cored and grated
Stir first 8 ingredients into large bowl. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Stir into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Stir in zucchini and apples. Spoon into well greased muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Pineapple “sunshine” lara bars
- 1 c. (160g) dried, unsweetened pineapple
- 1/3 c. warm water
- 1 c. (120g) cashews
- 1/4 c. (20g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- dash salt
Soak the dried fruit in warm water for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, gather remaining ingredients and pour into a food processor. Drain the fruit and add to the food processor. Process for 30 – 60 seconds or until the mixture sticks together when pinched with your fingers. Pour into a loaf pan and press firmly into bars with a spatula. Chill for 10 minutes and then cut into 6 bars. Store refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Noah recently bought a cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated, The New Best Recipe. It’s really cool – they test out all the factors that go into making each dish and share with you their process and results. For example when making chocolate chip cookies, they test how brown sugar vs white sugar affected the taste and texture, along with different ratios of ingredients, what type of baking sheets work best, etc. They even sometimes test out various brands of butter or some other ingredient.
Anyway, we’ve used a few of their recipes since, and last Friday Noah fried up some wonderfully crisp and light catfish using our new cookbook. It was really good, but we did think it was a bit wasteful. You end up using a lot of oil and flour, but maybe it was worth it?
The weekend before we had invited some friends over for a clambake (also using the cookbook, but we thought the recipe was just ok), and I used the leftover juices to make a soup.
Pan Fried Catfish
To minimize splatters and maximize safety, use a Dutch oven with sides at least 5 inches high (instead of a regular skillet) when frying the fish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
- salt and ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
- 2 catfish fillets (about 12 oz each), skin and dark fatty flesh just below the skin removed, fillets cut in half lengthwise
- lemon wedges
Directions:
1. Place 1/2 cup of the flour in a wide, shallow dish. In another wide, shallow dish, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup flour, cornmeal, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and the cayenne. In a third shallow dish, whisk the eggs with 1 tbsp of the oil until combined.
2. Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper to taste. Drop the fish into the flour and shake the dish to coat. Shake the excess flour from each piece, then, using tongs, dip the fillets into the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the fillets with the cornmeal mixture, shake off the excess and set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 400 degrees. (The oil should not smoke, but it will come close.) Place 2 catfish fillets in the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 mins. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil between 385-390 degrees. Remove the fillets from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels; blot to remove any excess oil. Set aside. Bring the oil back to 400 degrees and repeat the cooking process with the remaining fillets.
4. Serve the fried fish immediately with either lemon wedges or dipping sauce.
Soup
Ok, so this isn’t really a recipe, but it was my first time making soup from leftover broth. Basically, add whatever you want, but make sure there’s enough liquid to boil everything.
I had about a cup of clam broth leftover, so I added 1 cup of chicken broth and boiled some diced potatoes and leftover shredded carrots. Before serving, I topped it with sliced scallions. It was super good!
I loved Moroccan food when I was in college (still do, but just never have opportunities to eat it). And suddenly, last week I found myself longing for beautifully spiced, tender chicken and veggies over a bed of couscous. This recipe, did not disappoint!
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 3 chicken legs
- 1 (16 ounce) can garbanzo beans
- 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 30 oz chicken broth
- 2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup golden raisins
- salt to taste
Directions:
- Prepare the couscous according to package directions.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook onion and garlic until tender. Mix in bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Place chicken in the pot, and cook until well browned. Pour garbanzo beans, tomatoes, carrots and broth into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes.
- Mix zucchini into pot. Season with salt. Continue cooking 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve stew over cooked couscous.
*Found this post in my drafts, so it is about two months old!
I suddenly had a craving this week for cold cake with ice cream and berries. I used the poundcake recipe from my Moosewood book of desserts, and unfortunately, overcooked it just a bit. But, it was still delicious!
Poundcake Loaf with Ice Cream and Berries
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the loaf pan.
Cream the butter until light. Add the sugar and cream until fluffy. Add the ggs one at a time, beating welll after each addition. Add the vanilla, baking powder and salt and beat well. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing until well incorporated. Add the milk and beat until well blended, another minute or so.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool the pan on a rack before serving.
Our local grocery store had advertised brisket on sale so I decided make it for the first time. When I got there, it wasn’t on sale… but I bought it anyways. Then, I couldn’t think of what else to make along with the brisket and honey cornbread, so randomly made some roasted curried cauliflower. I’ve been searching for a yummy roasted cauliflower recipe, and believe I may have found it!
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon onion, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of fat
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce (I like to use Bull’s Eye brand)
Directions:
- Combine thyme, paprika, pepper, salt, onion, garlic, cayenne, and cumin in a small bowl; set aside. Rub brisket all over with liquid smoke, then rub with spice mixture.
- Pour Worcestershire and barbeque sauces into a slow cooker; place beef on top. Cover, and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours, until fork tender.
- 12 cups cauliflower florets (from about 4 pounds cauliflower)
- 1 large onion, peeled, quartered
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place cauliflower florets in large roasting pan. Pull apart onion quarters into separate layers; add to cauliflower. Place ground coriander and cumin in a medium bowl. Whisk in oil, vinegar, curry powder, paprika, and salt. Pour dressing over vegetables; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in single layer. Sprinkle with pepper.
Roast vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 450°F oven 10 minutes, if desired.)
I came across this WholeFoods recipe on theKitchn and made it for a bunch of guys from our church group who came over for breakfast one morning. I wasn’t sure if it would taste all that great, since I’ve never used a recipe from WholeFoods, but how can you ever go wrong with gruyere? This was super easy, I was able to prepare the entire casserole the night before and just had to wake up and pop it in the oven of the morning of. Served this with some more morning glory muffins and fruit.
Mushroom, Tomato & Gruyere Breakfast Casserole (makes 8 servings)
- 4 English muffins, split
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1 pound button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 onion, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Arrange English muffin halves in the bottom of a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish, cutting them to fit, if necessary; set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and liquid is thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Spoon tomato mixture over the top of the English muffins, distributing it evenly; set aside to let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over tomato mixture, then sprinkle with basil. Cover and chill overnight.
Set dish aside at room temperature for 1 hour and preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle casserole with cheese and bake, uncovered, until puffed, cooked through and cheese is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve immediately.
New York City summer heat waves have begun and I made these in an attempt to keep cool while cooking for a large group. I also happened to be craving some good old Chinese zha jiang mien. Super tasty and refreshing on a hot summer day.
- 1 pound spaghetti, soba or Chinese egg noodles
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sesame paste, almond butter, or peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon or more chili-garlic sauce
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded cucumber
- 1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper
- 1/2 lb shredded chicken
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs cilantro, chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until tender yet firm. Drain the noodles and shock in ice-cold water. Drain again.
In a large bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame paste, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and chili-garlic sauce until smooth. Add the noodles along with the shredded chicken and chopped vegetables, and toss well to distribute the sauce evenly throughout. Garnish with the scallions and cilantro and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
the simple cook 