You know those fancy breakfasts with the poached eggs covered in a hollandaise sauce made from ingredients you never questioned? Well, with this simple Cilantro Hollandaise those otherwise breakfast classics lose just a little bit of their mystery. Cooked in a double-boiler on a low heat, hollandaise is not as complicated as you may think. How did I use it? Since I don't like to waste ingredients, I cooked the remaining egg whites with shredded chicken seasoned with butter and garlic, and layered them with black beans in a toasted tortilla for a Breakfast Burrito a la Hollandaise. See? I can do "fancy" too. Enjoy!!
Seeking a new way to season an otherwise dull dinner or to amp up an already amazing dish? This Zesty Cilantro Pesto will add a little 'zesty' flare to those savory dishes with a kick of spice and a mouthful of flavor! How did I use it? Heated and drizzled over a homemade batch of chicken ravioli for an absolutely delicious finish! Now it's your turn!*
When you notice fruit in its later ripened stage, do you accept its fate or use it as an excuse to create? If you choose the latter, you may end up with some pretty nifty desserts, dishes and sides, even though it may seem an unlikely outcome. Fruit jams or banana bread are only some examples, but Marinara Sauce can be as well. This tasty tomato sauce can be made in advance and used across upcoming individual meals or doubled, tripled, and quadrupled for a pasta night or two. It may not mirror a traditional Italian kitchen, but it is a simple enough recipe to personalize. Enjoy!
A Basic Barbecue Sauce is a lot easier than people think. With more control over the ingredients going in, the easier it is to make adjustments later. Want it smoky? Add smoked chili pepper. Want it sweet? Add honey. It's a flexible combination that you can truly make the way you want. How did I use it? I prepped a BBQ Chicken Lasagna, personal-sized, with this sauce, fresh veggies, and chopped tomatoes, baked into a sweet and spicy mouthful.
Well it's the new year - a time where you may want to simplify what goes into the body - and this could be a great higher protein snack before planning the next cheat meal. It's a simple concept and more of a shortcut than a recipe, but a Giant-sized Stuffed Meatball is certainly a meal in itself or a great addition to one (stuffed meatball hoagie, open-faced stuffed meatball sandwich, or classic spaghetti with stuffed meatballs?!). However it is served up, this is an easy recipe to put together before the day is started and pop in the oven after the day is done!
"I feel like having a dip...but not sure what, maybe hummus?" I said on the phone, weighing my options. I continued my thought and the response was "I can grab some before I head over, does that work?" No, no it does not, especially since hummus is so easy to make. "No, don't worry about it, I'll make some." With that, I ended the call, pulled out the ingredients, and set to work. Ever wonder why this dish is such an entertaining standard? No? Neither have I, though I have seen the packaged Spicy Garlic Hummus often and my mind wonders why not just take the few minutes to make it fresh, and make it better!
Remember the tangy flavor of a Deviled Egg, sitting on a serving platter at a barbecue? Remember trying to figure out who made them? Remember thinking 'wow, that either seems too hard or too easy'? Well, whatever the memory is, hopefully the ease of these Deviled Eggs make it worth a revisit. Deviled eggs are as simple as you want them to be, and to be honest, I have never put too much time into making them. I prefer mine creamy with a subtle tang AND a spicy kick. Sure, I could get more impressive by crisping bacon with a maple brown sugar and topping each egg with a nice little square, but a little paprika (classic to most barbecues I've attended) keeps with the simple theme and drives up the nostalgic ring. Enjoy!!
When a friend asks "what should I bring" - if it's easy enough, just buying the ingredients can make for a great social experience. A while ago a friend brought over Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus which became a hit for my dinner party guests. On another occasion I bought some low sodium bacon and created the essence of the same plate. As before, everyone loved it. Bacon-wrapped Asparagus can be a quickly made and quickly eaten appetizer that seems consistently favored to that otherwise lonely asparagus spear. Pair the two side-by-side, and you can see why: I'm already splurging with this mound of food, and this is both a veggie and a protein, so what's the harm? Whatever the choice justifying words are, invite a friend over, make a batch, test it out, and enjoy!!
Throughout my life, I've had a devoted interest in crust and crumble, usually my favorite part of a dessert. This Homestyle Apple Crisp is a hearty version that renders that thought a reality. The filling is a combination of sweetened, sliced red apples and a homemade apple sauce. The crumble topping is a flour-sugar-butter blend that brings the 'crisp' true to its name. It takes a little more time to make than using canned ingredients, but I believe that fresh is best for these types of homestyle desserts. Enjoy!!
Holidays may come and go but sometimes the food remains for days...along with those additional pounds. This Thanksgiving, I made a Bacon Stuffing for a dinner party co-hosted among friends, a variation from a recipe I introduced last year. The stuffing was a hit, the bacon a favorite, but of course in wandering my own leftover woes, I had a decision to make: toss, re-heat, or fry. Of course I explored the latter and I wanted to share it as an alternative to serving stuffing the traditional way.
The days are upon us: gathering together with family, friends, or sometimes even alone but still accompanied by a table overloaded with great holiday food. Pumpkin Cheesecake definitely hints of the holiday season and I find myself craving it come Thanksgiving. It could be the resurgence of pumpkin lattes, bakeries boasting of seasonal treats, or some misguided internal clock that designates that this time, is cheesecake time. However it happens, this no-bake rendition of a cheesecake, looks particular impressive despite its overtly simple approach. Make it at the start of the day and just forget about it until it's time for dessert!
Tis the season for breads and loaves...or at least an excuse to make some of the sweet variety. My grandma makes a pumpkin bread every year that remains fluffy and moist, and I wanted to create something of the sort with a different gourd. This Butternut Squash Loaf also gets fluffy, remains moist, and has that slightly varied flavor to be certain it is not pumpkin (the resulting bread survived my friends less than 24 hours). With the coming holiday parties, this could make for a great homemade treat to add to the dessert table. Enjoy!
I was introduced to Clotted Cream during my youth, accompanying the warm scones and jams I ate during snack time. It was my "non-butter" - it would melt similarly, if not more quickly, was a bit creamier in texture, and contained a mild sweetness. If it was a mini-container of cream, I would warm the pack between my palms and allow my body heat to bring it to room temperature. In imagining my own adult version of a snack time (including scones and jam), clotted cream surely needed to make its way on the menu. This recipe is an adaptation of how it is made in factories and uncovered through a series of online reading. The basic principle: thin layer of heavy cream + heat source + time, and a clotted cream one will make.
'Food-astrophes' happen all the time in the kitchen, how can they not? The kitchen is a creative forum for a different kind of artist to explore various food thoughts, theories, recipes, and ingredients. Over-whipping whipped cream, for example, minutes before serving isn't unheard of; this do-it-at-home trick can validate those times the whipped cream was over-whipped ("Oh...I meant to make butter..."). Needing buttermilk? That can be done at home too. With a little research of recipe alternatives over the years, these tricks become less tricky and bolster the taste of most given dishes. As it can be guessed, this isn't a recipe as much as it is a shortcut to fulfill a few items absent the grocery list.
