I love breakfast meals. They’re filling, nutritious, relatively fast to make, and usually cheaper than other meals. Why not eat the most important meal of the day (breakfast!) for any meal? The recipe below is for one serving, because I’m sad to say my husband doesn’t like breakfast foods (aside from eggs, sunny-side up or scrambled), but also because this makes it easy to adjust for any number of people. Oatmeal Ricotta Pancakes with Cherry Topping (Yield: 1 serving) 2/3 c rolled oats (I used Quaker Old-Fashioned) ¼ c plus 1 TB ricotta cheese, divided 1 egg ½ small banana, mashed 1 […]...
Turkey-Sausage and White Bean Jambalaya
For a fun fusion recipe, this dish is a cross between Louisiana Cajun/Creole jambalaya and Spanish beans and rice. Turkey sausage and beans are used instead of the jambalaya mix of chicken/seafood/andouille sausage (I would love to use andouille but I don’t know of any brand that doesn’t contain pork…anyone who knows of a pork-free andouille product, please let me know!). Other than this dish being delicious and healthy, it’s great to make because it’s a one-pot meal that feeds a crowd. Turkey-Sausage and White Bean Jambalaya (Yield: 12-15 servings) 2 TB olive oil, divided 14 oz turkey sausage, cut into […]...
Have You Heard of Restaurant.com? If Not, It’s Definitely Worth a Look!
I’ve been using Restaurant.com for a couple years now, and I love it! They sell discounted gift certificates for thousands of restaurants across the U.S. (apologies to non-U.S. readers). They sell $25 gift certificates for $10, $10 certificates for $4, and if you’re lucky you can find certificates in higher amounts, like $50 certificates for $20, $75 certificates for $30, and $100 certificates for $40. There are usually minimum purchase reqiurements; for example with most $25 certificates, you need a $35 minimum purchase. Right now I’ve got an 80% off discount code for Restaurant.com (Discount Code: NAPKIN, which is good until 7/28/09). This discount is on top of their […]...
Quick Shrimp Bisque
This soup makes a great weeknight meal. It’s quick to make, healthy, and easy to clean up. Since this soup is thick with so many veggies, I served it in cute little breadbowls (actually, just soft Vienna rolls from Wegmans), but it’s also great on its own. If you don’t like shrimp, feel free to use any canned, frozen, or fresh seafood you’ve got on hand. I took the spice cues from the ingredients from Old Bay Seasoning (because I ran out of Old Bay), which includes salt, celery seed, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, and […]...
Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream (A.k.a. Inside-Out Twinkies)
Be careful, these cupcakes are dangerous. And I dont just mean because theyre addictive. The other day my husband tried to convince me that its been a really long time since I had made sweets of any kind. I reminded him of the wonderful giant Hoho birthday cake a few weeks ago, but he had a point, it wasn’t his birthday cake. Anyway, I caved and these cupcakes ensued. Mike loved these cupcakes so much he wanted to share them with his coworkers. I arranged the cupcakes on a plate and sent my husband off to work. Mike put the plate of cupcakes on the […]...
Caramel Apple Oats
I love summer for so many reasons, one of them being the carnivals/fairs/amusement parks and the carnie food that corresponds. The food smells wafting through the air are the best part of the carnival…sausage/peppers/onions, corn-on-the-cob, grilled chicken, cotton candy, funnel cake, fried dough…need I go on? One of my favorite summer food indulgences are caramel apples topped with nuts. Of course you could eat a caramel-nut apple from the carnival and justify it to yourself (hey, it is basically an apple), but why wait for the carnival, or even summer for that matter? You can enjoy caramel apple oats any time! Caramel Apple […]...
Cheesy Broccoli White Pizza
I can’t think of a more comforting food than pizza at the end of a long week…hot from the oven, oozing cheese, with crust that’s crispy outside and soft inside…the whole house filled with the smells of Italy (or your favorite pizza place, close enough, right?)… I usually make thin-crust pizza, but for some reason I was dying for thick-crust, and this pizza did not disappoint. I made my own dough (it literally took less than 5 minutes to make – of course, not counting rise time – and it required no kneading!), but if you want you can buy pre-made dough. You can […]...
Sweet and Spicy Slaw
Coleslaw is an essential component of summer barbeques, but who doesn’t get bored with the same old slaw? This dish is perfect to serve at just about any BBQ…it can be made in ~10 minutes, its got sweet and spicy flavor components, and its vibrant colors are beautiful. I served this slaw with grilled teriyaki salmon (see here for a homemade teriyaki recipe), and it was a perfect combination. The day after making this slaw I sautéed up the leftovers with a handful of edamame (for ~3 minutes on the stovetop) and served it over brown rice for a quick stir fry. (I love double-duty […]...
Spaghetti with Homemade Meat Sauce
I think everyone has a favorite go-to tomato sauce for their pasta. This sauce is my variation on spaghetti and meatballs. If you’ve never made your own sauce, don’t be intimidated! It doesn’t take more than a couple of hours to make (and it takes less than an hour if you use ground beef instead of cubed meat), and it’s so much better than jarred sauces! This sauce gets real depth of flavor and a touch of sweetness (to balance out the tomatoes’ acidity) from the almost-caramelized onions. Spaghetti with Homemade Meat Sauce (Yield: ~14 servings) 1 ¾ lb beef, trimmed […]...
Fruit & Nut Granola
This recipe is really versatile, since you can add any kind of dried fruit, nuts, and cereal you like. This granola is great by itself, with milk, with yogurt, on ice cream, or even on top of your morning oats (it doesn’t get much better than oats on top of oats!). :) Mixed Berry and Almond Granola (Yield: About 10 c) 4 c rolled oats ¾ c honey 6 TB salted butter or canola oil (if using canola oil, add ½ tsp salt) 2 TB virgin coconut oil ~1 tsp cinnamon (more or less depending on your taste; you could also use pumpkin pie […]...