There are some nights when you just don’t have the pluck and energy to throw together a good meal. That is a fact of life. And that fact of life hit me hard on Sunday night when my husband and I drove home from a trip to Harrisburg, after having slept on an air mattress all night (“slept” is a generous term for the tossing and turning and propelling your partner into the air when you roll over on your side) and having hiked up and down a mountain earlier that day. We were exhausted and starving when we got home close to 6:30. It would have been all too tempting to just order Chinese food, but we had eaten out all weekend (ingredients like duck fat, bacon, and beer fondue come to find) and I was determined in my quasi-functioning state to throw together something of at least a little culinary merit. At this point, I eyed the Zatarain’s in the pantry. Continue reading
Month: October 2013
Kitchen Snapshot: Cooking Meals for the Week
I think that spending a Sunday afternoon cooking is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself (and for your family)! I know that this is coming from someone who a) loves to cook and b) loves to cook, though. If spending time in the kitchen isn’t your favorite, cooking a week of meals ahead of time also has the following benefits:
- You save time during busy weeknights, because you can heat up your meals and go.
- You save money by having food prepped and ready (so you won’t have to resort to the ever-tempting takeout)!
- 99% percent of the time (I’ll admit I don’t have a reference to back up that statistic but…) it’s healthier for you to eat at home than going out.
So, to recap: If you spend a few hours on Saturday or Sunday cooking meals for the coming week, you’ll save time, money, and calories. I don’t see how you can lose! Continue reading
Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast (AKA The Reason My Husband Married Me*)
The first time I made this dish for Jay, I’m pretty sure he realized we were going to get married (*we do joke about this all the time). This was also the recipe I’d share with guy friends during college when they wanted to make dinner for a girl they wanted to impress. It’s that good.
I’m not sure where the original recipe came from, but I know that I’ve modified it over the years from something my mom gave me, via telephone, when I was maybe… a sophomore? in college. It hasn’t lead me wrong yet, although I don’t make it terribly often (I don’t want to spoil how awesome it is by making it too much, and it’s also not really that healthy). Oh, sorry. Did you think this was a healthy dinner? It’s not… not really. Too much butter, and there is the heavy whipping cream…
Are you intrigued yet? Continue reading
Quick Mulled Apple Cider
Ever since I made a gigantic crock pot of mulled wine for Thanksgiving last year, I have been loving hot mulled drinks this time of year. I wanted to come up with one that didn’t take hours in a slow cooker, so I whipped up this recipe for quick stovetop apple cider! Continue reading
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
If looking for a lower-carb, nutrient-and-protein-dense dinner, look no further. My husband came up with this adaptation based on his mom’s traditional lasagna recipe, and we’ve never looked back. If you cook the meat ahead of time, too, (BONUS) you can easily freeze this and have a quick dinner for another night down the road. This is also, obviously, gluten-free (awesome!) and can be adapted to suit whatever additional veggies or fillings you’d like to include.
Here goes!
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Make Ahead Breakfast: Frittata
I had the first day of my (new!) full-time job today, so this post is going to be a quick one! I think in addition to providing you all with some quality recipes, I’d also like to occasionally provide you with some that can be altered based on your mood/tastes/what you have in the fridge.
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Baked Swai with Mediterranean Salsa
Sometimes recipes are inspired by complex ideas, and other times… you just have to use up what’s in your pantry. My parents brought us a generous supply of garden-fresh tomatoes when they came to visit a few weekends ago, and the last few needed to be used. I’d also been in the mood for olives (I think at this point I’ve gone through three 16 oz cans in as many days?), and thus, this mediterranean “salsa” idea was born.My husband, Jay, and I also stock up on frozen Swai… it’s a really under-appreciated white fish in my opinion! It’s fatty, buttery, and cheap. (You can get “river farmed” swai for $3-4 a pound.) I like to think of it as a fattier version of tilapia, but it’s apparently a catfish-like fish found in Southeast Asia. Anyway, yum. Continue reading
Spaghetti Squash with Sage and Walnut Sauce
Spaghetti squash, like eggs, is one of those foods that gets me so pumped about what food is. It’s a squash like any other squash, but then you run your fork through it after baking and BAM! Perfectly formed spaghetti strands. Food can be amazing, and spaghetti squash needs no embellishment, which is why I paired mine with a simple and quick sage and walnut butter sauce. This is a classic sauce…you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel in the kitchen. But it pairs so perfectly with the delicate squash, and it’s so yummy to boot. Vegetarian or not, this is a fantastic Fall supper. Continue reading
Slow Cooker/Pressure Cooker Chicken Broth
I think it’s a definite staple for every home cook to know how to make their own stock. In the fall/winter, I make so much soup, stew, etc. that we literally buy cartons upon cartons of the grocery store variety. With the recent arrival of Jay’s new pressure cooker (which I, of course, quickly stole and learned how to use), I figured I should probably start making my own. Armed with a couple of chicken carcasses left over from roasting, and a basic knowledge of how not to kill myself with the pressure cooker, I have to say I’m really pleased with how it turned out! Continue reading
Herbed Olive Oil Potatoes
Sometimes when bags of potatoes are on sale buy-one-get-one free at the market, my husband and I have to indulge, even though it leaves us with 6-10 lbs. of potatoes on our hands. Our worst fear is that we’ll decide against it, but then next week we’ll need potatoes and feel like total chumps because we missed out on a free bag! However, that leaves us with a bunch of potatoes, and in need of recipes! Continue reading
The Little Red Kitchen 