But I’m sick of waiting for spring to arrive to make delicious spring food!
So this recipe for Spinach Lemon Ricotta Pasta has spring ingredients that are still comforting in chilly weather – spinach with a lemony ricotta sauce over fettuccine.
I’m sure this happens to everyone: you go out and buy ingredients for a specific recipe, but then are left with “extras” from that recipe. Normally, it’s not a big deal and you can just incorporate it easily into another recipe. But when I went to make Sheet Pan Paella recently, my supermarket was only selling 50 packs of clams. That’s a lot of clams!
To use them up, I decided to make Linguine and Clams, but used what I had on hand to make it work. So, technically, I made spaghetti and clams. And it tasted just as good. 🙂
I love the relative simplicity of this dish. It also reminds me of my grandpa; linguine and clams were his favorite. So I was surprised that I hadn’t posted a recipe for Linguine and Clams on my blog yet. Time to fix that!
I adapted this version of Linguine and Clams from Bon Appetit.
Ingredients:
1 heaping tablespoon salt
12 garlic cloves, divided
4 oz day old bread, cut into smaller pieces (I used half of a sandwich roll)
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup olive oil
the zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 dozen clams, scrubbed
1 (16 oz) box linguine (or spaghetti)
1/2 cup chopped parsley (I randomly had curly parsley on hand. Flat works too)
One of the perks of being a friend of, or related to, a food blogger, is random food deliveries. I try to keep my sister’s freezer stocked with comfort foods, but have been neglecting her a bit recently. So when I saw this recipe for Chicken and Brisket Brunswick Stew, it seemed right up her alley and I knew I had to make it for her.
I adapted the recipe for what I could find/what I had on hand, but the general gist is still there.
My sister doesn’t live in Philly, so I need to pack her goodies up in freezer-friendly containers to give her when I see her. Zyliss recently sent me a 10 piece fresh plastic food storage container set, which is perfect for freezable foods.
The containers are 100% leak proof and airtight, and are freezer, dishwasher, and microwave safe.
Zyliss was kind enough to send a second set my way to giveaway! More details at the end of the post.
Ingredients:
3 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups beef broth
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb shredded barbecue beef brisket (I purchased this at my local supermarket)
I’m not going to lie, the idea of a salad in the winter is not exactly appealing to me. I prefer warm food when it’s cold out, so hooray for this Warm Salmon Salad!
Note: Bob’s Red Mill and OXO provided items for this giveaway. All opinions are mine alone.
Seven years ago today, I started this blog. How crazy is that? It started as a way to archive recipes I tried and what I liked about them, and eventually morphed into a way for me to learn how to cook and experiment along the way. 780 posts later, I’m still at it!
Bob’s Red Mill and OXO are helping me celebrate this milestone in style. They were generous enough to provide some goodies for a giveaway! Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite company for grains, flours, beans, and baking mixes. Their commitment to quality products makes any recipe better. Similarly, you can find OXO products throughout my kitchen. They are my go-to for kitchen and household gadgets.
Naturally, I used a bunch of OXO and Bob’s Red Mill products to produce this recipe. With the holidays fast approaching, this giveaway is filled with all the goodies you need for your holiday baking!
This giveaway includes baking ingredients from Bob’s Red Mill:
Details on how to enter the giveaway are at the end of this post.
I decided to make a very “me” cookie to also celebrate. These cookies are made with some of my favorite flavors – lemon, almonds and chocolate! Meet Dark Chocolate Dipped Lemon Almond Sugar Cookies!
Ingredients: (makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar, such as Bob’s Red Mill Cane Sugar
Note: I was sent a Labell Board to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
Cutting boards are a staple of any kitchen. They (of course) are used to cut, chop, mince, and dice vegetables, fruits, and protein for meals, but I love to also use them for presentation. There are some cutting boards, like this one from Planches Labell, that need to be shown off!
Labell boards are made from premium Canadian recovered/recycled hardwoods and are produced with the highest production standards. With the new abilities in wood manufacturing Planches Labell has the capacity to take this raw material, otherwise disposed of, and turn it into culinary works of art. Offerings include Rustic Tree-Cut Serving Platters, Paddle Boards, Utility Boards and Butcher Blocks.
To show off this beauty, I decided to make a White Bean-Tahini Dip inspired by a recipe I found on Food Network. This dip is very similar to hummus but uses cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. The added spices of cumin, za’atar, chile powder and garlic powder really amp up the flavor! (Za’atar, specifically the blend I used, is a combination of sumac, thyme, sesame, and salt.)
Ingredients:
Toasted Pita Chips:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons za’atar
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 pitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
White-Bean Tahini Dip:
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained with liquid reserved
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)
Note: I was sent a box of various Bob’s Red Mill products to make the below recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
I love pistachios. So when my friend and I were determining what freezer-friendly recipes to make for a cooking marathon last weekend, I immediately suggested we make pistachio muffins.
Luckily, my friend was willing to make a batch with me!
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
This past weekend, we had my parents over for dinner. I had a hankering for Lamb Kofta, which is a dish of ground lamb with spices formed into meatballs and grilled.
My dad isn’t exactly the most adventurous eater, and doesn’t like lamb, so I instead decided to adapt the spices added to kofta into a marinade for beef kebabs. Kofta can be made with any ground meat, but I had some beautiful Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat on hand, so kebabs it is!
Kofta can be made with quite a range of spices, so this recipe is very adaptable. This version uses fresh parsley as well as dried spices to add a different dimension of flavor. I also served it with some tzatziki for dipping.
Ingredients:
Tzatziki (omit to make dairy free):
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, seeded, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
the zest of one lemon
the juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Kebab:
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs kebab meat (I used Moyer Beef’s Rib Kebab meat)
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
One of my favorite parts of working with Moyer Beef this summer is that I am trying cuts of beef I’ve never had before, like a T-bone steak. T-bone steak is a bone-in steak and includes the strip loin and tenderloin; it’s named a T-bone, because, well, the bone looks like a T.
T-bones are considered pretty high-quality steaks, and as such, don’t need much effort to make them taste amazing. They are also huge (in my opinion), usually 16-24+ ounces. So I invited over some friends to help my husband and me enjoy our bounty (they didn’t seem to mind too much).
For these steaks, I decided to add a simple dry rub and top with gremolata to add some freshness. Because it was absolutely beautiful this weekend, there was no way I wasn’t grilling them outdoors! The result was this Grilled T Bone Steak with Gremolata.
Ingredients:
2 t-bone steaks (I used Moyer Beef’s T-Bone Steaks)
Note: This post is sponsored by Moyer Beef. All opinions are mine alone.
I’m excited to share that my blog is about to get considerably more beefy! For the next few months, I’ve partnered with Moyer Beef to share some awesome beef recipes. Moyer Beef sources beef and angus beef locally from small family farms in the Northeast. I’ve been sent a bunch of different cuts, so I can’t wait to share some recipes!
Source: moyerbeef.com
First up, I decided to make a grilled meal using Moyer Beef’s Angus New York Strip Steaks. New York Strip Steak is also known as Kansas City Strip Steak or Ambassador Steak in the US and Sirloin Steak or Porterhouse Steak in Europe. This cut is particularly tender and flavorful. Angus New York Strip Steak, known for their marbling, are even more flavorful (marbling = flavor). This cut of steak comes from the short loin, along the back of the cow. (Fun fact = a T-bone steak is a New York Strip Steak with the bone and tenderloin still attached.)
So, in my opinion, the flavor of a New York Strip Steak should be allowed to mostly shine on its own. Adding a bit of fancy butter on top won’t hurt though, right?
Playing off the flavors of the Honey-Tarragon Blue Cheese Butter, I also made Grilled Tarragon Potatoes to go with the steak. The result is these crave worthy recipes for Grilled New York Strip Steak with Honey-Tarragon Blue Cheese Butter & Grilled Tarragon Potatoes!
Chicken Yassa is a popular chicken dish originating from Senegal. This meal is the epitome of comfort food: marinated roasted chicken with onions, lemon juice, olives, garlic, and broth served over rice. It has a subtle heat to it as well that really makes for a flavorful meal.
This recipe makes quite a bit of food, a good 8 servings. However, in my house, leftovers this good don’t last very long!
My house is filled with pomegranates and pomegranate arils. Being a food blogger is tough 🙂
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so I wanted to share a recipe for one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes: cranberry sauce!
This recipe uses pomegranates two ways: in a pomegranate molasses and as whole arils, or seeds. Pomegranate molasses can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or Middle Eastern food stores. But I also show you how to make it below if you so wish.
Ingredients:
Cranberry Sauce:
1 bag (16 oz.) cranberries, thawed if frozen
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar to make less sweet)
I love love love pomegranates. The burst of tanginess is awesome in both sweet and savory dishes.
It is once again pomegranate season (the season runs from ~October through ~January), so I am thrilled to be cooking again with one of my favorite ingredients.
POM Wonderful must have heard about my love of their products, because I was contacted to try out their POM POMS Fresh Arils and pomegranates. I will have a few recipes over the coming weeks, but lets start with something a little sweet.
This recipe for Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake is from the POM Wonderful website. It is topped with a Vanilla Crème Anglaise, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh pomegranate arils.
