I can’t resist picking up a unique (or better yet, strange) food item, and even something that seems as ordinary as pasta is no different. (Food bloggers, I know you get this…everyone else, I know it’s a little weird.)...
Smoky White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Leeks {And a Round-Up of Recipes Using Thanksgiving Leftovers}
Smoky White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Leeks is comfort food at its finest! You can use smoked turkey legs or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. In just a few days we’ll be enjoying my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner – leftovers! Lately I’ve been going crazy making a sandwich with deli turkey, and I can’t wait to try it with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Here’s what goes into that glorious sandwich…...
Pizza Mac and Cheese
It had to be done. Had to. Last week I was talking to a friend; Ramadan was about to end, and she and I were discussing food. (Because really, during Ramadan sometimes food is the only thing you can think of.) So, anyway, I told her Ramadan was ending in a couple days and she said I should enjoy my favorite foods for a week straight. (See how awesome she is? Truly a girl after my own heart.) She said if she were me, she’d be making mac and cheese. I had to laugh; she completely read my mind. Not 10 minutes earlier I had texted […]...
Vegetarian Bolognese
Ouch, I think I just got a splinter in my face!, I muttered. I was not a happy camper. I had been (quite literally) bitten in the face by the spring-cleaning bug and I was tackling that cupboard in the kitchen. You know the cupboard I’m talking about, the one you let go for months telling yourself it really isn’t that bad. You probably have one too…it has random pots, pans, bowls, lids that doesn’t seem to match anything, plastic containers, glass jars of all sizes (why is it that for the life of me I can’t part with a single glass jar?), all manner […]...
Succotash-Style Pasta Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing
Summer is the season of pasta salads. They feed a crowd and are quick and easy to throw together, which makes them perfect for potlucks, picnics, and barbeques. Plus they’re a great way to sneak more veggies into kids (or adults) who claim to not even like fresh corn (ahem, Mike). Succotash is a Southern dish that usually has lima beans, corn, and bell pepper, and it was the inspiration for my pasta salad....
Beet Greens Pasta with Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese
Funny story about this pasta…the other day my friend Brandy (none other than the mastermind behind the beautiful blog Nutmeg Nanny) and I were talking on the phone. We happened to both post Marzipan Hearts within two days of each other without knowing beforehand what the other was posting, and Brandy called me to let me know. She asked what I was posting next, jokingly saying that she’ll be sure to post the same thing. I started laughing and told her that my next post will be for Beet Greens Pasta. She laughed too, and I promised her it’s not as off-putting as it sounds (in […]...
Poached Salmon Pasta Salad
Mike has been on a real salmon kick lately, and I’m not going to complain since it’s better than him being on a lamb (ugh…lamb is not my favorite), chicken wing, or rice-with-every-meal kick (again). Our favorite way to eat salmon is poached in salted water with onion, garlic, dill, bay, and peppercorn. Cooked this way, we eat our salmon with a little drizzle of olive oil on top, usually with sides like asparagus and wild rice. This meal is fantastic, being both delicious and healthy, but even so, variety is the spice of life and one night I wanted to switch it up a […]...
Minestrone
I know, I know, what happened to my soup/stew strike? Lol, I guess that was a lot of big talk (the moral of that story is never believe me if I swear off soup!). This time of year I really can’t stay away too long from a warm and comforting bowl of goodness, plus I’m on the popular mission to empty out my freezer/pantry; since this soup uses a few different canned items, it helped make a small dent in my stash. (Every little bit helps when you’re cleaning out your pantry, right?) And just look at all the goodies in this bowl…it’s chock full […]...
Chicken Piccata
Cold nights long call for hearty, warming meals the way birthdays call for cake and snow days call for pajamas and steaming cups of hot cocoa. We’ve been having our share of snowy, cold weather here since late fall, and along with it plenty of bean, fish, chicken, and beef soups and stews. Mike and I really are soup people, and meals like this always seem to hit the spot…but the fact of the matter is, we’re easily in for at least another three months of cold (and more likely than not, snowy) weather, and if I’m going to last the winter without going stew crazy (that would […]...
Pierogi-Style Ravioli
As you probably can tell, I really enjoy cooking. For me it’s a great creative outlet and means of expression, and when I’ve had a long day at work cooking can also be a great way to relax and unwind. But I’ll admit there are some nights when I’m just too exhausted to even cook. On nights like that, it’s a meal like this paired with a simple salad that I love. As part of the Tastemakers program, I recently received a coupon for a package of Buitoni ravioli from Buitoni and Foodbuzz. I love ravioli but Mike on the other hand, not so much. […]...