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rigatoni with brussels sprouts + gorgonzola dolce.

February 27, 2012 — 14 Comments

If this is any indication of how the success of The Food Matters Project is going to go, then we’re in for a ridiculously good ride.

Last week, I was so happy to be introduced to that brilliant roasted red pepper “pesto” concoction. And this week, I’m positively thrilled that this totally unexpected combination made its way into my kitchen.

The original recipe can be found on Marcia’s blog, Twenty by Sixty. Marcia – thank you! You rock for picking this recipe. It’s easy to pick something that feels safe, but that’s not what went down here. In fact, I’m curious to see how many people in the group had big enough cojones {excuse my Spanish} to try it.

I replaced the figs with dates since figgy season is over, and I absolutely loved the result. There is something a little freaky about fruit baked into your pasta, if you ask me…so I think the dates were a great choice, since they’re less watery than, say, pears – which was what I was toying with trying. I will say, however, that this recipe has opened up my mind to trying the pears or even apples in the future.

The dates added a delicate sweetness that just came around every now and then – the perfect amount. And then, there’s the cheese. It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with cheese, any and every type; the smellier, the better. Dates are a classic pairing with blue cheese, and so I went with gorgonzola dolce – also known as the sweeter, milder, and creamier cousin to classic gorgonzola. If intense blue cheese turns you off, this might be a good starting point for you.

In Fabulously Simple, Food Matters Project, Main Dishes blue cheese, brussels sprouts, dates, italian recipes, pasta, prosciutto

truffled mushroom lasagna.

February 15, 2012 — 5 Comments

Allow me to introduce to this truffled lasagna, also affectionately known as “sink lasagna.”

No, it doesn’t mean that this lasagna bears an ingredient list including everything but the kitchen sink. It means that this lasagna was so good, that I proceeded to eat it after dropping it…face-first…into the kitchen sink.

Not only did I eat it, but I actually served it to a friend. A poor, defenseless friend….I mean, really – what could she have said when I asked her if she minded eating it, once the laughter subsided and we got over the fact that yes, we just watched this lasagna plop right into the sink as I was trying to pour off the liquid that had accumulated in the dish from being refrigerated overnight?

Poor thing didn’t even like truffles.

This might be a good time to point out that I like to keep my sink super-clean. It’s true that Daniel’s the neat freak in the house but I get on his ass probably four times a week about the sink. My sink must be totes spotless, at all times. I don’t get why he refuses to understand this. It’s like, for someone who insists on cleaning the coffee table every time as much as a coaster has been placed on it – true story – how the hell can you not care about the fact that there is crusted food stuck to the side of the sink!? I don’t care if it’s the size of an earring back and no one can see it but me. It needs to go, and it needs to go now.

Thank goodness for my complete insanity, because I had just squeaky-cleaned my sink mere minutes before the incident. A bit of it fell too close to the garbage disposal for comfort, and so I had to part with it, but most of it was salvaged.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes fall recipes, italian recipes, lasagna, meatless, mushrooms, pasta, truffle, vegetarian, winter recipes, worth the effort

how-to: the steakhouse filet.

February 8, 2012 — 8 Comments

Call me old-fashioned, but I think every woman should know how to cook a steak for her man.

And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, what better time to knock this one off of your bucket list?

{To all of my meat-loving lady readers: You might just decide to make this one for yourself – and there ain’t no shame in that}

I’ve heard of engagement chicken, sure. And there are few things I love more than a good roasted chicken. But – if I were a betting woman, and the future of your relationship status depended on one meal and one meal only, I’m putting my money on steak.

Lesson of the day: Cooking up steaks better than they do at Ruth’s Chris is the real way to a man’s heart. Fact.

And guess what? No grill required! You might be surprised to know that many steakhouses don’t use use a grill to cook filet mignon. I don’t even remember where or when I first learned how to do it, but I’ve been cooking them this way for years now. I know it was before I saw Ina’s recipe because I remember feeling so proud when I saw that she made them the same way! You know, me and Ina, on the same page – NBD.

The method is super-simple – so simple that you’re going to be dumbfounded when you sink your teeth into one of these delicious steaks.

Here’s the secret: Sear on the stove, and finish in the oven.

That’s it. Seriously. This is so simple, you don’t even need a recipe. Get a little oil going over high heat in a cast-iron or stainless steel oven-proof skillet, sear the meat on each side for a minute or two until it develops a beautiful browned crust, and then just add a pat of butter to each steak before throwing ‘em in the oven for 6 minutes or so. Let them rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes and you’ll get the most perfectly cooked medium-rare filets every time.

In Fabulously Simple, Main Dishes, Sassy in the Kitchen dude-food, filet, romantic dinner, steak, valentine's day

seared scallops + beurre blanc.

January 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

One of the very first recipes I ever posted was for seared scallops.

Not just any seared scallops…seared scallops to die for.

But, in reality, all seared scallops are to die for – as long as you’re working with deliciously plump, fresh sea scallops and you know how to get a good sear going. When you get a good sear on a good scallop, it’s heavenly.

And the best part of it is…it’s so. freaking. simple. It makes me wonder why I haven’t made these since, um, Valentine’s Day – that’s two years ago, hi – to be precise. Special thanks to my dear friends Zan and Scott for reminding me of how great these are (they wrote to tell me they enjoyed them, along with this chive pasta and mushroom dish, for New Year’s Eve – which makes me really, really happy…it’s like you’re somehow with your friends, a part of their night, even though they’re thousands of miles away).

I do need to be reminded sometimes, because as much as I obsess over so many different dishes I make, I’m always looking to try something new. It’s rare that I repeat a dish, and I can only hope that soon I’ll become a good enough cook that I’ll start repeating – because repeating dishes is what makes you really good, it’s what makes you learn the dish inside and out. I think, maybe, I’m getting there.

In Fabulously Simple, Main Dishes beurre blanc, chives, french recipes, romantic, scallops, seafood

kale + white bean stew.

January 6, 2012 — 1 Comment

Greens ‘n beans…get ‘em while they’re hot.

That’s right – greens ‘n beans are totally hot. But you knew that, right? They’re super-healthy, and they taste really good if you know how to cook them. Though Dan might argue with you on the whole kale situation. What does he know!? He spent 95% of his life hating mushrooms and refusing tomatoes. He’s not exactly one to trust in the vegetable domain, if you ask me.

I have a slight obsession with kale, and an even bigger crush on white beans. Kale chips? Yes, please. Raw kale salad? You know it. White bean dip, white bean soup, puréed white beans in just about anything? Get. In. My. Belly.

So me and this soup – stew, soup – whatevs…we get along.

In Healthy Eats, Main Dishes kale, soups, vegetarian, white beans, winter recipes

tomatillo chicken soup.

January 4, 2012 — 7 Comments

Let’s talk soup.

‘Tis the season, right? I know it is, even if only for a day, for all of my fellow warm-blooded brethren. It was 40 degrees this morning in sunny South Florida!

Even when it warms back up to the 70s this weekend (don’t be jeal) – it will still be soup season. Why? Because we’re talking healthy soups. And no matter where you live or what the weather, healthy soups should be on the menu.

In Healthy Eats, Main Dishes chicken, mexican recipes, slow cooker, soups, tomatillos

huevos rancheros bake.

December 30, 2011 — 7 Comments

Huevos rancheros is high on the list of my all-time favorite breakfast dishes.

And it’s a super-simple concept: Fried eggs, corn tortillas, and some type of tomato sauce. There are, of course, a few variations you can toss in there – like black beans, or salsa instead of a tomato sauce – but those are the building blocks.

When I discovered Deb of Smitten Kitchen‘s way of frying the egg on top of the tortilla over a layer of cheese, I fell in love with this breakfast. Daniel really fell in love with this breakfast. In fact, on any given weekend when I ask him what he’d like to eat in the morning, this is probably his most frequent answer. Sometimes if I have store-bought salsa on hand, I’ll make it with that – though I do prefer the homemade stuff.

Now that I’ve created this new way of making huevos rancheros, however, I have a feeling I’ll be making it much more often.

You heard the story – one of my bestest girlfriend’s also loves her some huevos rancheros, so it’s really her and Daniel you can thank for inspiring this idea. I wanted to make this dish for a group, without frying eggs to order. As I surfed around for a recipe, I couldn’t find what I was looking for – but I did stumble upon this recipe using chipotle and an avocado salsa. It wasn’t a bake, it was still going the traditional fry-to-order route, but I figured I could take the same flavors and create a recipe for a bake. So, that’s what I did – and here it is.

In Main Dishes, Weekend Brunch avocado, black beans, breakfast casseroles, chipotle, corn tortillas, eggs, mexican recipes

{tree-trimming} onion soup.

December 8, 2011 — 2 Comments

If you’re in need of something to get you into the holiday spirit, nothing gets the job done quite like tree trimming.

{Though I can imagine, if you’re not in the holiday spirit, you might not be looking to get into it}

I think tree trimming needs to happen the weekend after Thanksgiving, and here’s why: I want to get the most out of my tree, my decorations – my favorite time of the year. I totally get it if you’re exhausted after Thanksgiving and the last thing you want to think about is
Christmas decorations…you know, getting those life-sized boxes from the attic, lugging them down and…

In Main Dishes caramelized onions, celebrate, christmas recipes, comfort food, gruyère, soups, thyme

the amazing five-hour roast duck.

December 4, 2011 — Leave a comment

There are certain things you can cook at home that just make you feel like you know what you’re doing.

The good news is, thanks to this life-altering recipe, you don’t have to know what you’re doing.

Does cooking duck scare you? If it does, I don’t blame you. I’m fairly certain that I might have been apprehensive about cooking duck before I read this recipe. But you know it’s from my favorite book, one that I’ve never made anything remotely bad from, and one written by people that I now trust explicitly.

I have no time to waste on a bad recipe after all, you feel me?

So, this duck…this duck is foolproof. That’s all you need to know. Duck roasts for 5 hours – yes, 5 full hours – slowly, skin becomes so crispy it will just blow your mind, and meat ends fall-off-the-bone tender. I’ve never had duck like this before.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes 150 best american recipes, duck, everything's better roasted, rosemary, thyme, white beans

short ribs + goat cheese mash.

November 26, 2011 — 7 Comments

If you’re tiring of turkey, stuffing, and cranberries right now, I have a solution.

Although I must admit, mashed potatoes are involved. These are not, however, your average mashed potatoes. These mashed potatoes are a tangier, creamier version thanks to the addition of goat cheese. And thus, a perfect match for short ribs.

I had never cooked short ribs before, and like so many other things, I found it to be very simple and delicious. This is why I guess it’s hard to find dishes I love and keep cooking them again and again, which is how the best chefs say you are to really become good at cooking. I can’t help myself – my time to cook is so limited, and there are so many things I want to try, that I continually find myself trying new things.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes beef, comfort food, fall recipes, mashed potatoes, rustic, winter recipes