The leading authority on basketball cupcakes and Basil-Lime martinis…
Adapted from this recipe on Herbivoracious.
2 changes:
I couldn’t find Delicata squash right now (I suspect it’s not in season until the weather gets a bit warmer,) so I used acorn squash, instead, and baked it before stuffing at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
I pan-toasted the orzo before boiling it.
This was really delicious, although a bit time-consuming (and dirty pan-intensive.) Surprisingly, all four of us liked it (even Hubby, who normally detests ANY dried fruit.)
From January 2009 Cooking Light. Recipe here.
Another Girl-friendly vegetarian meal. I clipped this one out of Cooking Light magazine about a year ago and the kids plucked it from my recipes files at last week’s “family meeting/menu planning session.” I was worried that they were just tired and eager to get the meeting over with and weren’t being too careful about their choices. I was worried that I would spend an hour cooking it and they wouldn’t like it. Hubby doesn’t like raisins. Boy isn’t wild about large amounts of onins and Girl isn’t a fan of too-exotic spices. But…my fears were unfounded. They all liked this and it also proved to be much quicker and easier than the recipe, at first glance, would seem. After cooking this, I read some of the reviews of the recipe on Cooking Light’s website (Duh! I should be doing that FIRST, right?) and I agree with most of what’s written there, namely:
Don’t skip the onion topping. In fact, consider making extra. It adds a TON of flavor.
Add a bit more ras el hanout spice to the veggies before roasting. (FYI – if you have a hard time finding Ras el Hanout, try CostPlus World Market. It is possible to make your own, but most recipes call for some pretty exotic ingredients that you’re not likely to use for anything else…best, in my opinion, to buy it, if possible.)
I highly recommend this recipe and I suspect that it’s one that will hold its own as leftovers (probably will even freeze well, although I’m going to test that theory, as I made a larger-than-called-for batch and we have quite a bit left over.)
Hubby and I will be happily devouring some of the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Coriander-Crusted Pork Tenderloin recipe link
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Vegetables recipe link
Brown Rice with Walnuts and Golden Raisins recipe link
Wow! This whole menu is from Dec’09/Jan’10 Fine Cooking magazine and it was OUTSTANDING. The kids loved the veggies and rice and the pork was really amazing. It was definitely the standout of the meal. The crust on the outside was a TINY bit too spicy for Boy, but he just cut the edges off and ate the “middle.” Hubby and I loved the crusty edges. Yum.
Fine Cooking’s website can be a bit persnickety, as it is a mostly-subscription site, but try these links and see what happens. If all else fails, you can try googling the recipe name and see if someone else (who is less afraid of copyright attorneys than I am) has typed in it.
Oh, also? This meal was really quick, easy and well thought-out. The fact that the veggies and pork cook at the same temp was really helpful. It’s a very simply executed meal, in terms of juggling all three dishes easily at the same time.
(Vegetarian Girl just ate the rice and veggies.)
Recipe here. Click on the pretty photos to see them bigger.
This recipe looked delicious when I saw it in the magazine, although it strikes me as a bit strange. I mean, really…something that has to roast for 3 hours for BREAKFAST? Am I supposed to wake up at 3 am? And roasting grapes in the first place strikes me as a bit odd, but the photos were SO pretty and the ingredients are all things that we like, so I wanted to give it a try.
First off, I highly recommend roasting the grapes the day before and storing them in the fridge for the next morning. If you do this, however, you should start before 9:45 so that you don’t have to go to bed and then set an alarm to wake yourself up in the middle of the night to pull them out of the oven. Not that I know that from personal experience, or anything…
So, these were a hit with all of us. The flavor and sweetness of the grapes gets concentrated and they soften a bit, but you still get a little crunchy “bite” from the grapes’ skin. I substituted pecans for the walnuts and used vanilla yogurt instead of the plain because plain yogurt makes Hubby gag because we prefer them. I also forgot to add the mint very intentionally decided against using the mint (even though I remembered to buy it at the store and now will have to use it elsewhere…grr). Oh, well…it will make a nice garnish for tonight’s brown-butter raspberry tart (stay tuned.) This is a very filling breakfast…you really don’t need anything to go with it and BONUS: The grapes smell DELICIOUS as you’re cooking…seriously, you’ll think that there’s a grape jelly factory in your kitchen.
This recipe is strange and a bit time-consuming, but I would make it again. This would be perfect for a festive brunch or when you have out-of-town guests staying with you and you want an impressive breakfast. This would be a VERY easy recipe to double, or even triple, if necessary. This also could serve as a healthy dessert, if you’re so inclined.
***Correction: It just occurred to me that maybe this recipe was actually SUPPOSED to be a dessert? Oh, well…we just had dessert for breakfast. My kids will be thrilled to hear this.
Just checked Cooking Light’s website again and this is, indeed, a dessert. There are even dessert wines listed that are suggested to pair with it. So, my thought is that the serving size is WAY to big for a dessert. If you decide to prepare this recipe that way, I’d cut the serving size down and make 6 desserts out of one batch, instead of 4, but I still say it makes a great breakfast. You could also use the sugar-roasted grapes to top pancakes, waffles or ice cream, etc. Oooh….they would be STELLAR over peanut butter ice cream. Might have to explore that option…
This dinner tasted a lot better than my stinky photo makes it look. I overcooked the steak a little bit and I undercooked the brussels sprouts a little bit, but both dishes tasted WONDERFUL. The pasta was very rich and cheesy and creamy and the steak had just enough spice on it. Girl, of course, only ate the pasta, and the meat was a tiny bit too spicy for Boy, but he still ate it enthusiastically. The leftovers would be great tucked into a pita with some tzatziki and lettuce.
I highly recommend d’Arenberg Stump Jump Shiraz with this. There’s a straight shiraz and there’s a shiraz-mourvedre-grenache blend. They’re both good, but the straight shiraz is better and the 2008 is better than the 2007, but even the 2007 blend is still pretty good.
These recipes are, again, from Fine Cooking’s website, but I’m including the links…just in case.
Orecchiette recipe here.
Flank steak recipe here.
Absolutely wonderful. We all loved this. Girl had her stew, obviously, sans chicken.
Flavorful and spicy, but not too hot. Savory and tangy. The chicken was moist and meaty. Not too difficult or time-consuming.
Fine Cooking’s website is subscription-only, but I’ve included the recipe links, anyway, because sometimes they will let you look at certain recipes for free or they’ll let you look at two or three before they shut you out and ask you to sign up for a membership. Good luck; I hope you can see them! In general, I don’t like paying extra for the website membership if I already subscribe to the magazine, but for Fine Cooking, it’s worth it.
Acorn squash, with sauteed spinach, chicken-Gruyere sausage and a black-truffle mashed potato pancake.
This yummy squash dish (recipe here) was OUTSTANDING. It took a while to make, since you have to make the glaze separately and both bake AND grill the squash, but the investment of time is well worth it. My only other issue with this is that half a squash is just too much, because it’s VERY filling. I would say that one-fourth of a squash is a more appropriate serving size, so I’d recommend preparing them as in the recipe and just cutting them in half right before serving. Delicious, though, and a very creative use of an underutilized vegetable. If you’ve never cooked acorn squash before, this is a great recipe to start off with.
Mashed potato pancake recipe here. I adapted the recipe by using leftover truffle mashed potatoes. Fabulous.
Yum. I overcooked the quiche a tiny bit and got the egg a bit overbrowned, but this was still quite tasty. A hit with all 4 of us. Recipe (by the wonderful Kerry Saretsky) here.
Another fabulous recipe from Gourmet magazine (Boo, hoo!) Recipe here.
This is an all-around winner: sweet and creamy and rich and cool. I mean, really, who doesn’t like chocolate pudding? Add fluffy whipped cream and flaky pastry and it becomes transcendent.
This post is LONG overdue, but we went to the Blanco Lavender Festival with my in-laws (who are lavender farmers) this summer. We met at our house beforehand for a light breakfast before the car ride and lots of walking around at beautiful lavender farms and markets. I thought, in light of the occasion, that it would be fun to make this recipe with lavender in it. It was tasty, rich, moist and sweet floral without being cloying. Recipe here.
