Monthly Archives: March 2013

Chicken, David Favorite, Dose of Veggies, Emily Favorite, Global Flavor, Lengthy recipe but worth all the whisking, sweat and tears, Side Dish

Let’s Talk Tikka

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Mind blowing is the only phrase I can think of for this Tikka Masala recipe from Bon Appetit. My husband and I love Indian food but don’t typically make it at home (as you can tell from this blog), but after making this it will go on heavy rotation in our house.

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This was a bit of lengthy recipe with a bunch of steps but the end result was well worth it. We loved the deep, rich and spicy flavors the marinade and sauce provided. We also made the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce and Spicy Sautéed Spinach. I loved the surprising addition of mustard seeds in the spinach, YUM! The only thing I didn’t make in their fabulous Indian food smorgasbord was the onion naan. Seriously, HEB store bought works just fine. :)

David was taking the leftovers for lunch and when he was about to leave them behind, I almost didn’t say anything so I could have them all to myself. Haha, that’s so wrong. If you are up for a unique dish for a crowd, this line-up is definitely an excellent choice. Make this now!

Menu Plan

Game of Thrones Menu Plan

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Squee! It’s finally back pandas! We can’t wait for the new Game of Thrones premiere and I hope that little Geoffrey finally gets his comeuppance. Brat.

We have a few friends who are also die hard GoT nerds that come over every Sunday to watch and I’ve decided to make a meal that is inspired by the show. First up is this Buttermilk Brined Chicken with Cress and Bread Salad. I guess “cress” is the new way to say watercress? What do they have against  water? I digress. I made this last night and the buttermilk brine keeps the chicken super juicy and moist, plus the dressing is delightful on the bread salad. I’m probably going to add some roasted potatoes too.  This will be a perfect roast meat for us to enjoy while watching Khaleesi kick some butt!

To represent the beautiful red tree in Winterfell, I’m making this Mesclun with Raspberries and Sweet Spiced Almonds  from Cooking Light and to top it off a White and Dark Chocolate Pudding Parfaits that gives a nod to those creepy White Walkers and awesome Night’s Watch that I hope will keep them at bay. I highly doubt it though lambs. Ugh, don’t they freak you out? I’ll keep you posted on how it goes this Sunday, along with my thoughts of the premiere!

Cheesy Cheese, David Favorite, Dose of Veggies, Lamb Lambs!, Pasta, Turkey (Gobble!)

Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

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It’s no secret that I love Cooking Light, well I’m obsessed with all of the food magazines I’ll admit, but I love that Cooking Light can still throw a mean punch even with one hand tied behind it’s back. While others can lean on butter, tons of cheese, fatty meats etc, Cooking Light has to bring flavor AND nutrition to the table and this Turkey Sausage and Spinach Lasagna recipe is perfect example of how they can nail it. KAPOW!

Our little one was still sick and had actually gotten worse (cursed daycare!) and while she was screaming and yelling, I still wanted to get a home cooked meal on the table for us both. You need something to keep your strength up right? When I looked up what I had chosen for the night, I sighed loudly and thought about making something else given that we have a screaming kiddo and lasagna can take time and patience, both things I was running very short on at the moment. However, and maybe it was the heat of the moment, the lack of sleep or both, I whizzed through this recipe in no time. It was in the oven and done and what felt like five minutes later my husband and were gobbling this up. I’m not a ricotta fan at all and really shy away from lasagna at most places for this reason, but, because Cooking Light can’t put in too much ricotta this recipe was right up my alley. It’s a very different take on lasagna and to me (and David) it was just perfect. So perfect that even I went back for seconds which is something I rarely do since I want to get to my dark chocolate after-dinner treat as soon as I can.

Once we were done hoovering our food, we looked up at each other, bleary eyed and covered in who knows what of bodily fluids (I never knew so much snot could come out of something so small), holding hands we went back to her room to check on our little sick one. I have to say, I have a whole new appreciation for my parents, and any parents for that matter, now!

Beefy McBeefy, David Favorite, Emily Favorite, Global Flavor, Lengthy recipe but worth all the whisking, sweat and tears, Potato

Chile Braised Short Ribs

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It’s no secret that The Hubs and I like short ribs, heck, we had them at our wedding (bless you Primizie, bless you) and when I see a recipe for them I have to make it, it’s like an itch I gotta scratch!

With that, I just had to make these Chile Braised Short Ribs from Bon Appetit because of our aforementioned love of short ribs and because I randomly had a ton of dried New Mexico chiles in our pantry. What an odd thing to have a lot of huh? I was worried that this dish was going to be too spicy for my gentle husband, who loves spice but let’s just say it doesn’t love him back. Actually, the weren’t spicy at all but instead had a great smoke flavor and they were perfect in the falling off the bone department that all great short rib dishes require. We also loved the addition of the fingerling potatoes, carrots and the salty olives. I served this over some braised collard greens since it is my goal for us to eat a leafy green each day. We will be healthy damnit!

I would recommend this for people who have been around the short rib block a few times and want to try a new avenue of short rib deliciousness – you won’t be disappointed, trust me!

Dose of Veggies, Global Flavor, Italian, Soup, Vegetarian

Italian Vegetable Stew

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“A bowl full of health” is what David calls this Italian Vegetable Stew from Bon Appetit.  I made this a few weeks ago for the two of us when the plague was attacking everyone and everything in Austin, including the three of us. It was the first time little Lila was sick and I was on pins and needles but just like everything else with kids, you get through it and you learn that your “gear” is everything. Bless the NoseFrida, the humidifier and saline spray is all I can say.

David and I were so impressed with this stew the first time around we decided to make it again for friends last night for dinner and once again, it didn’t disappoint.  I did make this without adding in the bread since two of our friends are gluten-free and served up toasted garlic bread on the side so everyone else could dip as much as we wanted. Also, I did add a splash of red wine vinegar at the end just to give a hint more acidity, which seems counterintuitive given all the tomatoes but actually, we all agreed it needed it.  Winter does seem to be winding down so be sure to put this into your rotation before the hot summer months get to you…heck, it’s already 80 degrees here today, yeesh. Mangia!italian-vegetable-stew-646