finding local flair anywhere
As I mentioned last week, I am a recent mushroom convert. When I made these, I sent a photo to my dad, who is not a mushroom fan. He was hoping it was a piece of meat or bread on the bottom! He is convinced his taste buds are not meant to like mushrooms, as after all his years, he still doesn’t like them. There may still be hope, right? I’ll try again in 7 years.
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I think that every single culture may have a version of a potato pancake. You know why? Probably because they’re easy and delicious. And surprisingly contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. I have some very fond memories of potato pancakes: my friend in middle school sharing latkes with us at lunch during Hanukkah, grating potatoes on the porch in silence with my roommate’s grandma who spoke no English when on a homestay in Korea, to this Oktoberfest, mooching off of someone’s German version. My grandma (Oklahoman) told me that they used to make them from leftover mashed potatoes.
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This is a better-than-Olive Garden version of Zuppa Toscana – complete with local food flair!
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This tomato basil risotto is savory and perfect for a light meal by itself!
This dinner came together when I didn’t have a plan and went digging through our kitchen and garden. We finally dug up the tomato plants this week and used the very very last of the tomatoes. Check out the size of those roots. Our basil plant has been chopped down, but there are still a few sprigs left for propagating for winter. Garlic is in the ground for the first time, and even our spaghetti squash still has a chance! We’re feeling pretty good as we brace ourselves for winter.
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Fall is now in full swing, and if your weather is anything like ours is, I hope you’re enjoying it! I watched this hilarious video on “leggun’ weather” two nights ago and seriously can not stop watching it. Over and over. Seriously. You’re welcome.
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This week, I’m hitting you with two posts, since last week I was unfortunately forced off the Blog Boat by a hard drive crash. It was so sad, but I am up and running on El Capitan and everything is good to go!
This is an easy recipe for game day. Any game day. Baseball is in an exciting time, basketball is about to start, and of COURSE football is in full swing. No sporting weekend can be complete without chips and salsa. Tortilla chips are even naturally gluten-free friendly, for my football fanatic bestie.
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Last year, Justin and I attended a free technique class at Williams-Sonoma for risotto. Little did I know I would come away with a love for risotto and the process both. It was so much fun to watch and experience, and was a great way to show a food that is notoriously daunting isn’t all that hard after all! Plus…free food always tastes better!…
Everybody loves macaroni and cheese, right? It’s very high on my list. Partly because cheese is a main ingredient, and it is on “the list” of foods I would live on. I’ll eat it all – fake cheese, real cheese, rotini, shells. Like…I love a good greek yogurt mac but also would kill over a bowl of Velveeta shells. Foodie struggles. My dad always used to say if I kept eating so many noodles, I would turn into one. Luckily…I’m almost 24 and still not a noodle!
This is a quick weeknight meal that we make often, with or without the bacon. Leave out the bacon for a simple vegetarian dish. We seem to always have the ingredients on hand and it comes together very quickly. You can use any combination or type of cheese you want….
I have not always been a tomato fan. In fact…This is one of the few ways I will eat a raw tomato, just purely based on the fact that there are too many other things involved that I like to eat. (Other ways include and are limited to: Pico de Gallo.) Traditional Caprese Salad is made with plain basil leaves, but what’s the fun in that, really? All of the following forms you’ll see today have incorporated pesto. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make them hard to make!
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Simple Dill Pickle Spears
Confession 2 of Cucumber Month: I don’t eat these, either. I know, I’m terrible. But I do trust my tried-and-true taste tester hubs that does happen to like pickles, and he thought very highly of them. I also made him a jar of “special” spicy pickles with a quartered jalapeño in it. Let me just tell you: don’t rub your nose after stirring that brine with your fingers, mmkay? Your nose will go numb.
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