adventures in a {not-so-tiny, thank you} kitchen
My made-up pasta dishes seem to follow a certain theme—namely, chicken sausage, veggies, and deeeelicious cheese. This is definitely comfortably in that wheelhouse. But somehow I like it better than other recipes I’ve made, it had this great mellow flavor.
I think the key was forgoing red peppers in favor of their paler yellow and orange siblings, and using red onion instead of white. That, combined with roasting instead of sauteing, took this up a level. [Read more…]
I’ve mentioned how much I rely on frittatas to have a real meal when I haven’t really planned ahead. Lately, with all the house drama and packing and such, I seem to be constantly caught off-guard when it comes to meals. A lot of the time, I’ll just throw together a pasta with whatever’s on-hand, but frittatas are actually a healthier, protein-packed option.
I’ve already shared what is still my current favorite, the spinach frittata with sweet potato hash crust (and goat cheese). So you may be sensing a theme here. I used the same idea of scallions and sweet potatoes to create a delicious, almost caramelized crust, but made a few changes based on what I had in my fridge. I still used the goat cheese, but added kale instead of spinach and threw in a red bell pepper I’d bought for no good reason. Plus, I pre-baked the sweet potatoes in the microwave to cut down on cooking time—cut it almost in half.
As long as you use basic frittata proportions (for me, that’s 8 eggs and a 1/2 cup of milk), you can basically add anything you want based on what’s in season or in your fridge—zucchini, tomatoes, corn, peppers, greens, any kind of cheese, fresh herbs, potatoes. Go crazy with combinations! [Read more…]
Guys, I was REEEEEEALLY skeptical about this one.
Unlike many people, crockpots actually scare me. I’m on board with soups and chili, but pretty much everything else I’ve ever made in a crock pot has turned out burned, dry, soggy, or otherwise not very good. It’s like I’m incapable of mastering it. But I needed a make-ahead breakfast option for my “breakfast day” at work, so the crockpot was really my only option. And guess what? It turned out surprisingly great!
The final result wasn’t *pretty*, mind you, but it was very flavorful, not dry at all, and got a thumbs-up from my co-workers. Plus, the assembly the night before was quick and painless—cooking the bacon was the most involved piece, everything else was just layering. [Read more…]
That’s right, I’m on a super-healthy kick…
I pinned this a long time ago but have just kind of ignored it since. On the surface it sounds great and healthy and easy. But I’ve never really understood the appeal of “beans and rice” as an entree. I like beans, I like rice, but somehow as a stand-alone meal it just kind of sounds…meh.
As really healthy meals go, this one’s okay—chock full of vegetables with all their fiber and antioxidants, protein and fiber from the rice and beans, with a dash of cheese. Wasn’t too hard to put together either.
I originally got this “recipe” (in quotes because the word implies consistency) from my awesome friend Casey, who brought it to a Mexican-themed summer get-together we had with friends. I was immediately smitten because it didn’t include 1) green bell pepper, 2) hot peppers, or 3) cilantro. I’m just not that fond of those ingredients, and finding a salsa without them is quite difficult. However, that’s not to say this salsa CAN’T include them—its beauty is in its versatility. I’m pretty sure I’ve never made it the same way twice (let’s face it, mostly because I can never remember how).
So I’m just going to give you the guidelines and some other thoughts on how to adapt. You’ll have to play around with it to figure out how you like it best. People seriously scarf this, and rave about it every time I bring it somewhere.
finding time for cooking 