Main Dishes | 20something cupcakes

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fried oyster tacos with tomatillo-avocado salsa.

September 6, 2012 — 4 Comments

Oh, how I enjoy fried oysters.

Fried Oyster Tacos

It’s like biting into a little pillow from briny seafood heaven. Creamy oyster surrounded by a crispy-crunchy deep-fried coating? Can’t go wrong with that!

If ever I see them on a menu, I order. Love them on a sandwich, po’ boy-style, and I also love fish tacos – so fried oyster tacos seemed like a perfect idea.

The fried oysters are so good on their own, you just might want to eat them that way. And they’re easy to make at home, as long as you don’t mind getting down with a big pot of oil.

You could serve them on their own as an appetizer with the salsa (probably better more puréed than chunky as it is used in the taco) or the crema as a dip. And really, you could even play with the flavors in the coating to give the oysters a different spin. As in, use 1 cup all-purpose flour and then your own favorite spices to replace the adobo. If you wanted to keep it true to New Orleans, you could make a rémoulade sauce, for example. Major yum.

Fried Oyster Tacos

And of course, you can go with the Mexican route I’ve provided here. I love the tangy tomatillos and creamy avocados with the crunchy oysters, and the smoky-spice and coolness from the chipotle crema adds another layer of flavor.

These bad boys are just begging to be enjoyed over a pitcher of margaritas, don’t you think? And don’t forget to buy some tortilla chips in case you’ve got extra salsa.

In Main Dishes, Obsessed, Uncategorized avocado, chipotle, fried, mexican recipes, oysters, seafood, sour cream, tacos, tomatillos

chorizo + quinoa {stuffed} zucchini.

September 3, 2012 — 6 Comments

First off – I’m all about a quinoa salad. It’s super-easy to make, the quinoa gets your protein in, and you can throw in whatever veggies you’ve got on hand and call it dinner.

Chorizo + Quinoa {Stuffed} Zucchini

But because that’s all been said and done in my kitchen, I chose to go a different route with this week’s quinoa inspiration à la The Food Matters Project. Perfect timing because I’ve been craving stuffed zucchini in a major way.

You could take this basic idea and go a number of ways, but since I had some chorizo on hand, I went with that. Chorizo adds crazy flavor to the whole mix, since you’re cooking the vegetables in the fat that renders from it. You could stick with all veggies if you prefer – remember, the quinoa makes it a complete meal for you – or you could… who can guess where I’m going with this… use bacon!

In Food Matters Project, Main Dishes chorizo, mexican recipes, queso fresco, quinoa, zucchini

greek {chicken} nachos.

August 21, 2012 — 15 Comments

Easy. Healthy. Delicious. And guess what? There’s practically no cooking involved.

Greek {Chicken} Nachos

Summer eating at its finest.

This is … a Greek take on nachos. How fun is that?! I’ve been eyeing this recipe in The Food Matters Cookbook since we began and so I was more than pleased to help fellow member Megan out with her selection when she asked me.

The original recipe is titled Greek “Nachos” with Feta Drizzle, and because I was so into the idea, I stayed pretty true to it. The general theory is that pita chips replace the tortilla chips, and then summer veggies like tomato and cucumber form a salad on top. Mark combines the feta with yogurt to form a drizzle, but instead I opted to melt the feta over the chips with chicken. Hello, store-bought rotisserie chicken! You could brown up some ground lamb instead if you’re feeling extra Greek. And if you want to keep things meatless, add hummus or roasted chickpeas in place of the chicken.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Main Dishes cucumbers, feta, greek yogurt, mediterranean, pita bread, rotisserie chicken, salsas + relishes, summer recipes, weeknight fix

loaded {summer vegetable} fried rice.

August 16, 2012 — 5 Comments

I made fried rice once before, and I was very “ehhh” about it.

Loaded {Summer Vegetable} Fried Rice

Now, fried rice is not something to be indifferent about.

No! Fried rice is something to crave. On a bad day, a good day … most definitely a hungover day.

Seriously. This fried rice does it for me. Why? Well, let’s start with the fact that we’re really eating a big bowl of vegetables. I have nothing against eating such things, but other people might – so I know this is a big deal. And as much as I enjoy vegetables, sometimes I’m not exactly satisfied after eating them on their lonesome.

This is a big bowl of vegetables that I’m happy to eat with a hangover. Tell me you’ve got veggies with that going on! No, really – tell me. One can never have too many healthy hangover cures.

In Healthy Eats, Main Dishes, On the Side asian recipes, brown rice, mushrooms, summer recipes, summer squash, zucchini

baked {shrimp + bacon} egg rolls.

August 13, 2012 — 11 Comments

How often do you get a craving for Chinese food?

Baked {Shrimp + Bacon} Egg Rolls

For me, it’s easy to define: When the hangover strikes. It’s either Chinese, or something Italian with red sauce like lasagna or pizza. Every time.

Eating after a night of drinking is, for me, why I’ll always carry an extra few pounds. This is why I’m convinced I’ll be at my thinnest when I’m pregnant – no drinking so no hangovers so no gorging myself for an entire day every time. Ha!

One thing I’ve been trying to work on is not to give in to this vicious cycle any longer. Or at least, clean it up a bit.

Enter healthy(-ish) Chinese food you can make at home. Score!

In Main Dishes, Starters asian recipes, bacon, cabbage, carrots, shrimp, soy sauce

prosciutto-roasted sea bass.

August 9, 2012 — 11 Comments

Guys, I made fish. (!!!)

Prosciutto-Roasted Sea Bass

What, not exciting enough for you? Allow me to elaborate.

Fish is something I love ordering out, but I rarely cook it at home. I’ll do it occasionally during the week, but I’ve never really took it upon myself to make something delicious. It’s usually more along the lines of getting something together for dinner that’s fast and healthy. I’ll throw a piece of salmon in the oven with a little lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper and call it a day.

And I wonder why I’m not excited to cook it!

I watched Ina make this the other day, and I was inspired. Finally! Just what would we do without Ina Garten? I don’t want to think about it.

Her version looked lovely for fall but I thought, this sea bass idea would be equally perfect anytime of year. I served it alongside my summery peach panzanella but you could do virtually any side. A simple roasted tomato dish would be perfection right now, too.

The beauty of this dish is that it comes together in NO TIME. I am not exaggerating. This is shockingly simple.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple, Main Dishes dijon mustard, fish, prosciutto, sea bass, seafood

mexican {street} corn chowder.

July 31, 2012 — 7 Comments

I suppose it’s safe to say that this soup comes with a story.

Mexican {Street} Corn Chowder

Weird, I know.

This was the soup that I conjured up to take to my audition for that lil’ cooking show I told you about. You know … the one with Nigella and Anthony. On a major network. Small fries. Small potatoes? Whatevs.

I’m going to tell you the story of that audition, although you won’t be getting the results, because I don’t know them yet myself. Unless someone out there knows something otherwise – we’re in full-on wait-mode right now.

Except I’m not really waiting, because I think the word “waiting” signifies that you’re sitting around, in a state at least somewhat close to inactivity – which clearly, I am not.

Between being engaged – is this a real thing that people already have a gift registry by now, because that scares me – planning an engagement party, going to Key West last weekend which, by the way, I’ve decided is like Vegas in the fact that I shouldn’t be allowed to stay there for a period longer than 3 nights … oh, wait – and that reminds me, I will be in Vegas the weekend after my engagement party for my BFFs bachelorette party, and then there’s another one in the DR and then wedding after wedding after wedding after … and don’t I have my own wedding to plan, or even think about, for that matter?

ANYHOO.

In Main Dishes, Starters chowder, corn, cornbread, cotija cheese, lime, mexican recipes, quick breads, soups, summer recipes

how-to: the perfect burger + super-fast buns.

July 26, 2012 — 5 Comments

I bet you didn’t know that burgers are just full of secrets.

How to Make the Perfect Burger Plus Fast Hamburger Buns

{And not the K-Stew/Robert Pattinson type}

I’ve shared them once before, but just in case you’re more of a visual person – and who isn’t? … I made a video, just for you!

What’s even better is that we’re making homemade buns that’ll be done just in time for the burgers. Are you skeptical? I was, when I first discovered this 40-minute hamburger bun recipe that I used a base to form my own.

If you don’t know much about bread-making – and I won’t pretend to be an expert, either – just know that when you’re messing around with yeast, you usually have to deal with all sorts of rise times and the like. There’s nothing hard about it – it’s can just get time-consuming. With these buns, however, you’re using a lot more yeast than you normally would, so this makes up for the lack of resting/rise time. Don’t ask me why, I’m no scientist – just watch and see!

In Main Dishes, Sassy in the Kitchen burgers, ground beef, homemade bread, summer recipes, whole wheat

skirt steak + {summer} squash tacos.

June 25, 2012 — 20 Comments

Tacos, allow me to introduce you to the classic Argentinean combination of skirt steak and chimichurri.

Skirt Steak + {Summer} Squash Tacos

This isn’t, however, the traditional chimichurri made with parsley that you might be thinking of. This one’s made with arugula and basil – and it’s pretty divine.

Also – we’ve gone ahead and added grilled summer squash to these beauties, up-ing the health factor, and an easy goat cheese crema – which is really just a fancy term for goat cheese mixed with Greek yogurt.

This is one of my favorite meals I’ve made in a while, and it’s so super-simple – and perfect for summer! Cranking up my good ol’ Griddler to its highest heat got me the grill marks I was looking for, and I didn’t have any pots and pans to dirty up in the process since I used it for the meat, the squash, and even the tortillas.

In Food Matters Project, Main Dishes arugula, basil, beef, chimichurri, goat cheese, skirt steak, summer recipes, summer squash, tacos

clam sauce with bacon + linguine.

June 19, 2012 — 7 Comments

Who is it that you cook for on a regular basis?

World's Best {Bacon} Clam Sauce

Your husband … your girlfriend … your parents … your dog … yourself …

Well, this question might not be applicable if you cook for yourself. Hang with me for a minute. If you’re cooking for yourself, I get that there are pluses and negatives. A negative might be that you have too many leftovers, or that you get lonely on occasion. The big positive I see is that you get to cook for you. Your own taste buds, your own texture preferences, your own everything.

The reason I ask is that, many of you know by now that Daniel is the person I cook for everyday. When you’re in a situation like this, you tend to get stuck making their favorite things all the time. Or at least, if you’re a crazy person like me and don’t repeat dishes very often because there are always 658523 new dishes you need to try at any given moment, you get stuck repeating their favorite things more often than anything else. Now, this is only if you really love this person … though if you don’t, why are you cooking for them in the first place?

I say “get stuck” with a smile, because in truth, nothing makes me happier than cooking one of Daniel’s favorite dishes for him. I also say it with just.the.slightest sigh when speaking about clam sauce, because it’s one of his favorite dishes that I’ve never really gotten into.

Until now, that is.

In Main Dishes, Recipe Arsenal bacon, clams, pasta, seafood