Last weekend, we were invited to a potluck brunch for a friend’s birthday. I wanted to bring a savory breakfast dish that would work well for a crowd.
With the big game this weekend, my mind went to making a breakfast version of spinach artichoke dip. I live in Philadelphia, so I clearly had to make a green dish too!
This Spinach and Artichoke Breakfast Casserole is packed with spinach, artichokes, bell peppers, onions and cheese. The result is a flavorful dish that can feed up to 12.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (14 oz) can artichokes hearts, drained and chopped
I’m a huge pumpkin fan, and I don’t mean “pumpkin spice” when I say that (although I do love pumpkin spice things as well!)
I haven’t made a savory pumpkin dish for a while, so I was excited to try this recipe for Pumpkin Polenta with Fall Vegetables I found on the Food Network. I adapted it slightly, but for the most part kept it the same.
This recipe adds pumpkin puree to creamy polenta and then tops it with roasted butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, making for a perfect fall meal!
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered (about 4 cups)
Spaghetti Alla Carbonara is the definition of simple, elegant decadence.
Carbonara is typically made with pork fried in olive oil, grated hard cheese, raw eggs, and pasta. Versions use pancetta or bacon for the pork, pecorino romano or parmigiana reggiano for the cheese, and spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine for the pasta.
With just a few (ok, 6) ingredients, you can make this oh so delicious recipe.
I made a more traditional version of this, using a Mario Batali recipe as my inspiration.
NOTE: I was sent a pack of Sourdough Crackers and Szechuan Candied Pecans from Aida for this post. All opinions are my own.
I love a good cheese plate, they are great as an appetizer or as an end to a meal.
I was contacted by Aida, a specialty food brand created by the owners of the East Village wine-on-tap bar, Lois. Aida, recently launched, features handcrafted cookies, nuts, and crackers inspired by the products they created for their wine bar. I was sent their Sourdough Crackers and Szechuan Candied Pecans, which I thought would make for the beginnings of an awesome cheese plate!
Aida is a New York City-based, women-owned business that makes a curated line of pantry staples and entertaining essentials. Founded in 2016 by Nora O’Malley and Phoebe Connell, Aida products are inspired by the recipes and customer relationships that they developed in their tiny East Village all-tap wine bar, Lois on Loisaida Avenue. Today, Aida’s mission is to make eating well and entertaining easily simple by offering inspired and reliable go-to products.
In my opinion, you can’t really do a cheese plate wrong, whatever sounds good to you will work just fine. I wanted to play off of the spicy-sweet flavors of the pecans, so I went to my local cheese shop and asked for help choosing cheese that would work well with spicy and sweet flavors. Here is what I ended up with:
1605 Manchego: A sheep milk cheese from Spain, this Manchego is earthy and sweet. I added a drizzle of honey on top to bring out more of its sweetnes.
Von Trapp Oma: Made by the famous Von Trapp family, this cow’s milk cheese from Vermont is very creamy, buttery, and slightly funky. I added a bit of spicy whole grain mustard to balance out the funkiness of this cheese.
Delice de Bourgogne: A cow’s milk cheese from France, this cheese is creamy and slightly salty with a buttercream flavor. I served this with a spiced peach jam that my sister-in-law gave us.
I also added dried apricots, hot sopressata, and the Szechuan candied pecans to the plate, and served the sourdough crackers alongside the cheese plate.
Each of these cheeses worked well with either something sweet or something spicy on the plate.
The sourdough crackers were the perfect accompaniment, because the flavor is relatively neutral so it lets the rest of the ingredients shine.
I had to keep adding more and more Szechuan Candied Pecans to the plate because my husband kept eating them all! The spicy-sweet flavors are addicting!
Aida has a bunch of other offerings as well, including:
Currant Crisps: a spiced interpretation of the shortbread cookie.
Lemon Candied Pepitas: salty pepitas with a healthy dose of sweet citrus and a subtle peppery kick.
Rye Crackers: Old World flavors, both complex and comforting.
In addition to being available online, Aida is currently available in the following specialty food shops throughout New York City: Bedford Cheese Shop, BKLN Larder, Stinky BKLN, Alphabet City Beer Company, and Malt & Mold. More retail locations to come, but food lovers everywhere an purchase the products at www.AidaEats.com.
What are some of your favorite add on’s to a cheese plate?
There is a little cafe in Old City Philadelphia that I absolutely love called Wedge and Fig. It’s essentially a cheese shop converted into a bistro, so they really know how to choose the best cheese for a particular dish. One of my absolute favorite dishes they serve on their brunch menu is a spinach and cheese strata “savory layers of egg, Cantal cheese, spinach, shallots and bread.” It’s absolutely fantastic.
This weekend, I kind of had an epiphany: strata is a great make ahead option! I decided to make a batch of my own ahead of a busy week, and then portioned it out into containers to bring into work.
Like Wedge and Fig’s version, I used Cantal cheese, spinach and shallots. Cantal is a farmhouse cheese from France that has a flavor somewhat similar to Cheddar — buttery and tangy. I added in some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as well as some sourdough bread to bring a bit more tanginess to the dish.
My husband grew up on Long Island, so it’s probably no surprise that one of his favorite foods is pizza. I’ve made a few different types of pizza on my blog, including this yummy pan pizza. This time, with the help of OXO, I decided to make a thin crust pizza.
OXO has a bunch of tools to make pizza making super simple. Their Non-Stick Pro Pizza Pan features a micro-textured pattern to improve airflow for even baking and rigidity for strength and durability. The Complete Grate & Slice Set includes coarse and medium grating and straight and julienne slicing surfaces. Each can be used over bowls or plates or placed on top of the lid, which doubles as a container for collecting and measuring. The set helps prep all your toppings for your pizza including slicing veggies and grating both hard and soft cheeses. I actually used the julienne slicing surface for this salad I made last week. The OXO 4″ Pizza Wheel‘s clear plastic wheel won’t damage non-stick pans, and the slick surface prevents cheese from sticking.
Pizza is a great weeknight meal, and can be made in under 30 minutes!
We decided to keep it relatively simple, but you can add whatever you’d like on top. This pizza is topped with a homemade pizza sauce, mozzarella and fontina cheese, and prosciutto slices. After cooking, I garnished it with some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, and thinly sliced fresh basil.
Tomorrow is one of my favorite events of the year: Flavors on the Avenue! I’ve written past posts about this event, but this year, they are switching things up a bit. The event, usually held under a tent, is coming out onto the street to make for what should be a pretty awesome five block street festival tomorrow, April 30 from noon to 5 pm. The event will be held around the Singing Fountain at the intersection of S 11th, Tasker and Passyunk.
Tickets aren’t required to attend the event, although they are strongly encouraged. Cost is $50 each and include all of the dishes, two glasses of beer or wine, and valet parking – a $130 value. You can also pay as you go; each dish will be priced at $3 to $6. Further details can be found here.
East Passyunk Avenue is known for its fantastic restaurants, and a bunch of them (27!) are participating in this event. There will also be free kids’ activities and a crafter’s market. Here is a list of participants and the food they will be serving: (note: options shown in photos above are in bold)
Bing Bing Dim Sum: Pork Buns, Corn Rangoon
Birra: Pizza slices, plain and pepperoni
Brigantessa: Chorizo Cotto with whipped ricotta and peas
Cantina los Caballitos: Tacos al Pastor, Elote, Classic and Cucumber Margaritas
Chhaya: Fried chicken and waffles, Iced coffee
El Sarape: Tacos al Pastor, Pina Coladas
Fond: Salmon Tartare with sesame, nori and avocado
Izumi: Pork Gyoza
Laurel: Chocolate egg cream pudding pops
Le Virtu: Octopus and chick pea salad
Mamma Maria: Cheese ravioli
Marra’s: Mozzarella pizza
Noir: Arancini balls, watermelon salad
Noord: Bitterballen (Dutch meatballs with nutmeg and mustard)
Paradiso: Arancini Di Riso
Perla: Pork Belly, Adobo with garlic rice
Plenty Cafe: Choripan (Traditional South African sandwich with chorizo, chimichurri, and pickled red onion on a baguette)
Will BYOB: Caramelized onion crepes, Banana and caramel crepes
I had the opportunity to go on a media tour a try a bunch of these bites. Noord’s Bitterballen remains one of my favorites (they serve it every year, and every year I love them). New to Flavors is Sate Kampar, and all of their offerings are fantastic! Absolutely go try the Achat, Sago Hula Melaka, and Chicken Sate.
One of the restaurants on the media tour was Brigantessa. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my high praise for their Charred Ramp Arancini. They were absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, Brigantessa is not serving these for Flavors, but is serving Chorizo Cotto with Whipped Ricotta and Peas that sounds right up my alley as well. There will be plenty of arancini available though, a few restaurants are serving it.
I wanted to try my hand at making the Brigantessa Aracini, so here goes! I adapted this recipe to include charred ramps, which adds a slight onion flavor to the cheesy rice ball.
This recipe for Arepas Pabellón is inspired by a visit to an absolutely delicious Venezuelan restaurant. Last week, I checked out one of Philly’s newest restaurants: Puyero Venezuelan Flavor.
source: puyeroflavor.com
Located just off of South Street on S 4th, the restaurant serves Venezuelan street food including arepas, patacones and tequenos, plus yummy desserts like churros.
The 22-seat restaurant is vibrant and colorful, very welcoming. I enjoyed reading a selection of Venezuelan sayings that decorate one of the walls; my favorite: “Más hambre que piojo en peluche” or “I’m hungrier than a tick on a teddy bear.”
Owned by brothers Simon and Gil, and Gil’s wife Manuela, the restaurant has a very “homey” feel to it. The entire menu is available for lunch and dinner, with brunch options coming in the spring. You can also order delivery through Caviar (which I’ve totally already done. Hence the photos below, showing my delivery food).
While there, I tried quite a few menu items, but my favorites were the tequenos, white cheese wrapped in deep fried dough, and arepas pabellon, which is an arepa filled with shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, and white cheese.
I wanted to try to make Arepas Pabellón for myself at home. This recipe can be made ahead of time, reheated, and assembled when ready to eat.
Shredded Beef:
garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup crushed tomatoes
4
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Arepas:
1 1/2 cups masarepa (a type of cornmeal found in the international section of most supermarkets. white or yellow is fine)
This blog post has been compensated by Borden® Cheese. All opinions are mine alone. #BordenCheeseLove #CollectiveBias #Ad
As I’ve mentioned in the past, pasta night is a very important night in my house. Both my husband and I come from (partially) Italian backgrounds, so pasta once a week is basically a necessity.
There is something about pasta dishes that is so comforting. It’s the meal that my grandmother would make for me every time my sister and I visited, and it’s the meal we most look forward to when visiting my husband’s parents. Pasta dishes always feel like they are cooked with love, don’t they?
I also have quite a love of cheese, so baked ziti ranks pretty high on my list of favorite pasta dishes. Pasta + love + cheese = the perfect comfort food!
Food, especially cheesy food is one of the best ways to show love for those who are special to you. This weekend, I made a super cheesy, meaty, baked ziti for my husband and me, with the help of Borden® Cheese. This casserole-style dish is the perfect way to know you’ll have leftovers for later in the week, or to feed a large (or hungry) family!
This baked ziti is tossed in a ricotta-tomato mixture with ground meat. It is then topped with Borden® Cheese Mozzarella Shreds, which results in a wonderfully gooey, cheesy dish.
I found my Borden® Cheese at my local Acme, but check out this store locator to find Borden® Cheese near you. Borden® Cheese has a bunch of tasty cheese options, including Borden® Cheese Finely Shredded Four Cheese Mexican Shreds that I also picked up to use for tacos later in the week.
Pasta night at my house is a very important night. Every Sunday, we have a pasta dish, but like to switch up what exactly the dish is. It’s always fun to experiment with new ingredients, with pasta always being the constant.
So it is pretty important for me to use premium pasta, like De Cecco Authentic Italian Dry Pasta. Since 1886, De Cecco has made its pasta in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The 130-year-old company still uses its original family recipe and high-quality ingredients to create a variety of pasta types.
De Cecco pasta is made with only the best coarse durum semolina, whereas flour is used in most other ordinary pasta brands. This translates into De Cecco being a firmer pasta that doesn’t get mushy or fall apart, even if you overcook it by a minute or two.
This week, I had a hankering for eggplant, so I decided to make Pasta Alla Norma. Pasta Alla Norma is a pasta dish with fried eggplant slices tossed in a chunky tomato sauce. The dish is topped with grated ricotta salata and basil.
Note: Ricotta Salata in America doesn’t pack as much punch as its Italian counterpart. If you can find it, go for an Aged Ricotta Salata. If not, use a bit of grated pecorino Romano along with your Ricotta Salata.
Ingredients:
4 medium sized eggplants (look for ones that feel heavy for their size)
½ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (28 oz) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, undrained
I recently received a nice email from Deiss Kitchenware, a German-based company that makes some snazzy kitchen products. They were kind enough to send me their Citrus Zester and Cheese Grater. I knew I had to make a dish that let me zest and grate my little heart out to try their product, like this recipe for Linguine with Lemon Sauce!
This recipe for Linguine with Lemon Sauce is so simple, and uses mostly ingredients you probably already have on hand. (What? I’m the only person with some Parmigiano Reggiano on hand at all times?)
Ingredients:
4tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
the zest of 1 lemon
1 (16 oz ) box dried linguine
1/2 cup heavy cream
the juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus extra cheese to serve on the side
My mom recently put in a request for braciole. And by put in a request, I mean she went to Esposito’s in the Italian Market, purchased braciole, and told me I was going to make it. So. Slow Cooker Braciole it is!
I was excited to try; I’ve never made braciole before. Braciole is a thinly pounded meat that is topped with a filling and then rolled up and secured either with string or toothpicks. The rolled meat is browned and then added to a tomato sauce to cook.
I have to let you know. Braciole is a labor of love. There is so much prep work! The version I am sharing below is a recipe from a family friend that my parents have been using for years. I decided to make it in my slow cooker so that I could leave and run some errands while it cooked. Because of the prep work involved though, this is definitely a weekend meal.
Ingredients:
For Braciole:
3 eggs, hardboiled, diced
2 russet potatoes, boiled and diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 lb mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
8 pieces of braiole, or 2 lbs top round, cut into half inch thick slices
In the past, I’ve made Arugula Pizza with Poached Eggs, so I went a bit more traditional this time with a Mexican inspired Cheesy Skillet Eggs and Hash.
This recipe is easy to make but has a ton going on: potatoes, chorizo, eggs, cheese, salsa, and avocado all together to make a truly delicious breakfast (or breakfast for dinner)!
Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
~10 oz uncooked chorizo, cut into bite sized pieces (I used 3 chorizo)
There are some nights where I just don’t want to cook, mainly because I don’t want to clean up after I cook — so many dishes!
On such nights, I reach for a one-pot meal. This Cheesy Pasta Bake from this month’s Cooking Light is all made in one pot and has dinner on the table in 30 minutes. I doubled the recipe so that it would work for a normal sized box of pasta (16 oz), so now I have lunch for the week too!
