So I have to start this post with what seems to be my mantra when it comes to recipes…This is so easy to make and it’s super delicious and nutritious, too.But it is.I really urge you to try this. It can be served as a side dish or if you want to go meatless itContinue reading “Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Cashews, Garlic, and Hot Peppers”
Category Archives: Home Cooking
There’s more than one way to cook an egg…
Eggs. They really are incredible aren’t they. They have so many uses in cooking, and they are of course a food itself. There is a lot of lore behind them, including that of the old fashioned chefs toque…which is said to have 100 pleats in it representing the 100 ways a chef knows how toContinue reading “There’s more than one way to cook an egg…”
Cook Like Your Grandmother…how to make tallow or lard
Okay. I do realize that this is not the healthiest food in the world, but as an ingredient is it very useful and every cook should know how to make it (and it is so easy to make). My cooking fat of choice these days is olive oil. But I’m spoiled. By this I meanContinue reading “Cook Like Your Grandmother…how to make tallow or lard”
Two Loaves; Two Recipes…
I’ve posted both of these recipes before but not in a while and I made them recently and thought that I would re-post them. They are both two of my favorites, Whole Wheat Maple-Oatmeal Bread and Spicy Turkey and Pork Meatloaf. Recipes are below. Whole Wheat Maple-Oatmeal Bread Makes 2 or 3 loaves 6Continue reading “Two Loaves; Two Recipes…”
Two Loaves; Two Recipes…
I’ve posted both of these recipes before but not in a while and I made them recently and thought that I would re-post them. They are both two of my favorites, Whole Wheat Maple-Oatmeal Bread and Spicy Turkey and Pork Meatloaf. Recipes are below. Whole Wheat Maple-Oatmeal Bread Makes 2 or 3 loaves 6Continue reading “Two Loaves; Two Recipes…”
Polpette di ceci (senza carne)
So I’ve mentioned before on this blog that while I am not a vegetarian I do not eat a great deal of meat, and there are plenty of days when I simply do not want any. Today was one of those days. These chickpea balls are definitely not a replacement for meatballs because they tasteContinue reading “Polpette di ceci (senza carne)”
On Cooking for One’s Self…
That’s Maxwell and Franklin above staring at me while I cook my dinner. By the look in their eyes you’d think that I never feed them…but they just finished eating their dinner. So what do they have to do with cooking for One’s Self? Well, not much on the one hand, but on the other,Continue reading “On Cooking for One’s Self…”
Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Pickles (in just five minutes)
This is a basic refrigerator pickle recipe that can be made in just a few minutes but is really delicious and will keep excess produce for months (if kept refrigerated). I make this nearly every year at summer’s end to store cucumbers still hanging on their vines. You can make it with just cucumbers orContinue reading “Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Pickles (in just five minutes)”
Pasta d’oro con fagioli
This is an easy and delicious variation on the classic pasta dish, pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans), which is often meatless but when it does contain meat it is usually pork. In this particular recipe I used smoked turkey which offers some of the smokiness of bacon or other pork products. I also addedContinue reading “Pasta d’oro con fagioli”
Chop This! (The easiest and likely the most nutritious and delicious salad you’ll ever make.)
Okay. So if you have a garden–or even if you don’t–now is the time to seize summer’s bounty. Whether you grow it yourself or purchase it at the store, the time is ripe for summer vegetables. And when the vegetables are as perfectly ripe as they are right now, eating them raw (or some lightlyContinue reading “Chop This! (The easiest and likely the most nutritious and delicious salad you’ll ever make.)”
Five (or Seven) Quotes from Julia Child
Julia Child (née McWilliams) August 15, 1912 — August 13, 2004 “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” “I think every woman should have a blowtorch.” “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” “Everything in moderation… including moderation.” “Remember, ‘NoContinue reading “Five (or Seven) Quotes from Julia Child”
Chicken and Vegetable Ragout with Lebanese Seven (or Eight) Spice Seasoning
Okay, so this is good. Really good. Delicious (if I do say so my self). It’s easy to make (about 30 minutes once the vegetables are cut) and it’s likely pretty healthy, too. It’s a basic braised chicken and vegetable dish with Middle Eastern seasoning. This, like most of the recipes on this blog, isContinue reading “Chicken and Vegetable Ragout with Lebanese Seven (or Eight) Spice Seasoning”
Two Mediterranean Inspired Recipes
These two recipes are both easy to make and really delicious (but don’t I say that all the time). And, other than boiling the pasta for the stew and caramelizing onions for the rice, these are both made in a single pot (easy cleanup). The stew (ragu) that is pictured below (second recipe) was madeContinue reading “Two Mediterranean Inspired Recipes”
Pan-Roast Spiced Chicken with Golden Beets, Potato, Asparagus, and Orange…
There really is nothing more satisfying to me when I cook at home than being able to do it all in one pot or skillet. This (pictured) is something I made for my son and I for dinner this evening. And this post is really more about a method rather than it is an actualContinue reading “Pan-Roast Spiced Chicken with Golden Beets, Potato, Asparagus, and Orange…”
A Really Easy Five Minute Recipe To Make Cauliflower Taste Delicious
Okay, so maybe this will take more than five minutes, but not more than ten. And while I made this with cauliflower this could easily be adapted to other vegetables as well. The key factors are onion, garlic, spices, and caramelizing the vegetable. It is really easy, and this is how I made it. SliceContinue reading “A Really Easy Five Minute Recipe To Make Cauliflower Taste Delicious”
How to Make a Really Flavorful Vegetable Soup in Twenty Minutes (seriously!)
Okay, so it may take longer than twenty minutes to cut all the vegetables, but if you have them cut (or in my case–being the chef–have someone else cut them for you), this is a really quick and simple process. What is a soup anyway? Just some chopped up stuff cooked in broth, right? Well,Continue reading “How to Make a Really Flavorful Vegetable Soup in Twenty Minutes (seriously!)”
Spicy Lebanese-Style Whole Wheat Spinach and Toasted Walnut Pies (Yum!)
This is a variation on the classic Middle Eastern fatayer (savory pie). These are slightly different in a few ways. One is that rather than using white refined flour for the dough I used 100% whole wheat (delicious). I also used an egg wash on the dough and added sesame seeds. And in the fillingContinue reading “Spicy Lebanese-Style Whole Wheat Spinach and Toasted Walnut Pies (Yum!)”
Hummus with Fresh Herbs, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Seven-Spice Chicken
This is something I made for an employee meal today. It is really, really delicious (I ate so much I wished I had a bed to take a nap afterwards) and of course really simple to make. It is basically a hummus recipe layered (loaded, actually) with all sorts of good things. But the prize,Continue reading “Hummus with Fresh Herbs, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Seven-Spice Chicken”
A Recipe for Spring (whether it feels like spring or not)
So yes it is officially spring, but no–like much of the country–it does not feel like it. Nonetheless, I’m cooking as if it is. This is a really simple and really delicious recipe for stove-top braised asparagus. It’s really just a variation of any of my aglio e olio recipes…but with a couple more steps.Continue reading “A Recipe for Spring (whether it feels like spring or not)”
How to Make Edible Parmesan Cheese Baskets in Three Simple Steps with just One Ingredient (the Cheese!)
These are so easy to make. They take just a few minutes and you will add the “wow” factor to a salad. The only ingredient you need is the Parmesan cheese, and only three basic tools are required: a pan (I used non-stick, but steel or cast iron would work as well), a spatula (eitherContinue reading “How to Make Edible Parmesan Cheese Baskets in Three Simple Steps with just One Ingredient (the Cheese!)”
Urban Simplicty 