My daughter turned 26 last week and she requested a Chopped birthday party. If you’re not familiar, Chopped is a cooking competition on the Food Network. She wanted to reproduce the show in a party format so we stocked the kitchen with food, organized utensils and invited lots of friends to cook, judge, cheer and…
Category: Weekend Cooking
After Thanksgiving Turkey Stew with Fresh Sage and Thyme
When the weather gets colder, I’m ready for warm, rustic, flavorful stews. This is a perfect recipe to make after Thanksgiving, allowing you to use up any leftover turkey or with chicken if you want to make it any other time of the year. Hearty herbs, like sage and thyme, are excellent in winter soups…
Grilled Pizza Perfected
Want a fun, festive menu for a party with friends? Set-up a “make your own” pizza bar. My husband and I have been trying to perfect grilled pizza for about a year. He is the proud owner of a Big Green Egg, which is a ceramic smoker/grill, so this has become our pizza oven. You…
Rhubarb Oat Shortcakes
Delicious. One word to sum up this delightful summer dessert from Melissa Clark, food columnist for the New York Times. Fresh rhubarb is ready to harvest in late spring (my husband picked some beautiful rhubarb from our garden, featured below) and you’ll find it at produce markets throughout most of the summer. The colors in rhubarb are lovely…
Amaranth “Oatmeal” with Raisins, Toasted Walnuts and Maple Syrup
Move over quinoa, make way for a new kid on the whole grain block. With slightly more protein and twice as much iron as quinoa, amaranth is beginning to get some attention. Amaranth is a gluten-free, whole grain (technically a seed) about half the size of quinoa. It has a nutty, earthy taste that works…
Garden Lasagna (without the noodles)
Who needs lasagna noodles to make vegetable lasagna. Here’s a gluten-free option, using only vegetables, cheese and tomato sauce for each layer. Grill or roast sliced eggplant, zucchini and red peppers. Saute chopped kale in olive oil. Layer the vegetables with tomato sauce (homemade or your favorite jarred sauce), and a cheese mixture of part-skim…
Easy Egg Salad
If you’ve made hard-boiled eggs over the weekend, why not use a few to whip together a delicious egg salad. I love egg salad but it often has a heavy mayonnaise base. To lighten it up, I use half mayo and half plain, fat-free Greek yogurt. Chop 4 hard-boiled eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of…
Fish and Chips with a Lighter Twist
Say no to frozen fish sticks and stop the frying. This recipe is a deliciously light and crunchy alternative to traditional fish and chips. However, I have one suggestion for this recipe; “mise en place”. Mise en place is a French term which means “putting in place”. It’s a culinary reference for organizing and arranging…
Sunday Steel Cut Oatmeal
My husband eats steel cut oatmeal every weekday morning. To keep him from buying sugar-laden oatmeal on his way to work, I make a batch on Sunday. When cooking the oats, I use 1/2 water and 1/2 milk (4 cups liquid to 1 cup oats). This makes a creamy oatmeal and ups the protein and…
A Change in Dinner Plans
Another example of why prepping on the weekend helps you to eat better throughout the week. A last minute schedule change has me eating in instead of out so I opened the refrigerator to see what I could find. Since I still had leftover salad bar fix-ins (see There’s a Salad Bar in the Fridge post)…
Pantry Pancakes
Who doesn’t love pancakes? But with time at a premium, we often grab pre-made frozen pancakes or make them from a boxed mix. I have a healthier solution. Make your own mix. Pantry Pancake Mix 4 cups white whole wheat flour 3 tablespoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons…
A Salad Bar in Your Fridge
Packing a healthy lunch can be daunting. My solution is to create a salad bar in your refrigerator. It just takes some time over the weekend to peel, chop and prep the ingredients but it saves time throughout the week. First, prep the veggies: wash and dry lettuce (or use a mix right out of…