October 2011
12 posts
5 tags
Chicken Stuffed Carnival Squash
I’m a sucker for decorative gourds…so of course, I jumped when my local market was offering a sale on beautiful orange, green and cream speckled carnival squash. However, my vegetable bounty runneth over so I started looking for a way to put it on the plate and came across Food Mayhem’s recipe for Chicken Stuffed Carnival Squash.
Alterations: Instead of poaching a chicken leg,...
5 tags
Coconut Ginger Curry with Vegetables and Halibut
We had a blustery day for Los Angeles which made for a perfect occasion to tuck into a satisfying curry dish. I have a nasty habit of ripping out recipes from magazines and have had this Sunset Magazine recipe of Coconut Ginger Curry with Vegetables and Halibut since January 2009.
Alterations: I made several…starting with subbing lime juice for tamarind concentrate. I visited four...
6 tags
Gnudi (Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings)
A year ago, I was in Italy eating some of the best food of my life. I’ve been cooking Italian food ever since looking to recreate the memories from that trip. One of my boyfriend’s favorite dishes, which he ordered throughout the trip, was spinach filled ravioli and tomato sauce. So when I saw this recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi on the Daily Meal, I knew I had to try it. Gnudi...
5 tags
Roasted Tomato Soup with Chile Cream
While I’ve mentioned my excitement for fall flavors such as pumpkin spice and caramel apples, it is also necessary to say farewell to the spoils of summer. Heirloom tomatoes, I will miss you most of all. That is, until we meet again in a few seasons. To honor the final crop (which I purchased at the delightful Pasadena Farmer’s Market), I made a beautiful Roasted Tomato Soup with...
5 tags
Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables & Ginger
I’ve gone through many stages where almost all of my cooking has involved roasting and/or caramelizing vegetables which is why I was attracted to The Kitchn’s recipe for Orzo with Caramelized Fall Vegetables and Ginger. This would have been a real steal to make too if my local grocer didn’t charge nearly $7 for a bag of orzo!
Alterations: I used some cremini instead of shitake...
5 tags
Caramel Apple Bread Pudding
My mom and I both traveled to the East Coast a few weeks apart and I missed her birthday. Since she was traveling on her birthday, she didn’t get a proper celebration and it gave me an excuse to make something special. I had been saving a jar of cinnamon cajeta (goat milk caramel) at Fat Toad Farm in Vermont and figured it would be perfect to make a fall treat. Originally I had planned to...
5 tags
Avocado and Mint Bulgar Salad
Sometimes (like when you’ve had an afternoon ice cream at Sweet Rose) you need a salad for dinner. Last Sunday was one of those nights. Luckily I had picked up some pretty stellar ingredients at the farmer’s market. Some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes, mint and avocados came together in this Avocado and Mint Quinoa Salad for a healthy end to the day.
Alterations: So you may have...
4 tags
Broccoli and Feta Pasta
I often start the week off intending to participate in Meatless Mondays, flagging vegetarian recipes to try and even picking up the necessary ingredients. But then I slip and have leftovers with meat in them for lunch. This Monday I was fully intending to get back on track for dinner… but then my boyfriend IM’ed me: How about pastrami sandwiches for dinner? No way I was going back...
6 tags
Chiles en Nogada
A dozen years ago (yikes, I’m getting old) my family took a trip to Cabo San Lucas and ate at a restaurant that is now a family favorite - Felix’. In addition to feasting on the amazingly varied salsa bar, it was also our first time trying Chiles en Nogada (chiles in walnut sauce). This sinfully delicious meal commemorates Mexican Independence Day because the colors resemble the...
5 tags
Mojito Shrimp and Garlicky Green Beans
I get too many emails. I sign up for multiple cooking newsletters and deal sites so every morning is a party in my inbox. My boyfriend calls a lot of it junk, but sometimes there are treasures in there, like this NoTakeOut recipe for Mojito Shrimp and Coconut Rice. Cocktail inspired cooking gets an A+ in my book. So I picked up some ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and paired...
5 tags
Spicy Turkey Meatloaf
Despite my tendency to order the most exotic fancy sounding thing on a menu, I also have a soft spot for some American classics like meatloaf and tuna noodle casserole. So imagine my delight when I came across a recipe on Food52 which quite literally spiced up the standard meatloaf with Apartmentcooker’s Spicy Turkey Meatloaf recipe.
Alterations: I used the same amount of spices for 1.25...
3 tags
LeBron's Swordfish Tacos
Earlier in the week, it was National Taco Day and since my local supermarket had a sale on Swordfish, I did some googling for a good swordfish taco recipe. To my surprise the recipe that caught my eye most came from LeBron James’ website. And lucky for me, my boyfriend volunteered to do the cooking while I was at the gym!
Alterations: Once again we substituted Fage nonfat Greek yogurt in...
