Lentil Soup
January 12, 2012 | Print | E-mail | Filed under lentil, soup
Even though it’s raining outside instead of snowing, it’s still perfect weather for soup. I didn’t realize just how easy it is to make soup from scratch until last fall, and now I can’t get enough of it. If you can chop things up and throw them in a pot, and have time to let them simmer while you’re doing other things around the house, then you can make soup. I like to refer to Kate’s post over on Aimée’s blog on how to make soup from scratch without following a recipe; I find it so much fun to experiment with new flavors and also to try and recreate some of my favorite restaurant soups at home. I like to serve many of my soups with cheddar and parsley biscuits as well, mostly because soup alone doesn’t quite fill up the hubby, but also because I love them too and because they always seem to go well with whatever we’re having. Happy soup making!
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Nutella Rice Krispie Bars
January 10, 2012 | Print | E-mail | Filed under chocolate, nutella
How is your New Year going? So far, mine is moving along a bit faster than I expected. Usually in my neck of the woods the snow and cold have settled in by now, which seems to slow things down and make us upstate New Yorkers want to hibernate as much as possible. Instead, the weather has been crazy warm for this time of the year and I’ve been inspired to be extra productive, at least in the morning. By the time the afternoon comes though, I find my motivation waning, and I’ve decided that what I need is a little afternoon pick-me-up. You know, when it’s 2:30 in the afternoon and your energy level drops to about zero, and your motivation for doing anything suddenly plummets? I originally created these bars a few weeks ago to bring for dessert at a fun girl’s night, but I also found that when cut into halves or thirds, they make a light, perfect afternoon snack for when my energy levels are low and I need a little something to make it through to dinner time. Everyone at my girl’s night was asking me for the recipe, so I can definitely say they were a hit. Plus, since I’m slightly obsessed with nutella, I can’t get enough of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
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Sausage, Kale, and White Bean Soup
January 5, 2012 | Print | E-mail | Filed under beans, kale, sausage, soup
First, I just wanted to thank you for your comments on my last post – I’ve really enjoyed reading about all your food-related goals for the year! It’s exciting to see that many of us have similar ones, and I’m looking forward to hearing about all your successes. Here’s to a prosperous and fruitful new year meeting our goals!
Now that the bustle of the holiday season is over and we’re left to cozy up and settle in for the winter, I’ve been making many a pot of soup around here for dinner. This is one of my new favorites – it’s hearty and satisfying, quick enough for a weeknight meal, and perfect served piping hot on a cold day. Serve it with biscuits as well if you’re extra hungry…either way, make it this week and stay warm!
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Irish Cream Brownies and Food-Related Goals for 2012
January 3, 2012 | Print | E-mail | Filed under blog, brownie, chocolate
If you’ve come here looking for a list of healthy recipes to kick off the New Year, I’m sorry to disappoint. The fact of the matter is that I just don’t buy into the intense dieting and working out at the gym everyday craze that happens in January and invariably drops off steeply by the end of February. Instead, I’m going to continue to stick to my mantra: everything in moderation. Yes, I bake a lot. I’m going to continue baking a lot. Not only do I enjoy it, but baking and cooking from scratch also allows me to avoid artificial preservatives and allergens in store-bought foods, and to use seasonal and local ingredients as much as possible. With that in mind, today I’m also taking a page from my friend Aimée’s book and sharing my food-related goals for 2012. I hope you’ll share yours in the comments as well! And, enjoy these Irish cream brownies…because a little chocolate never hurt anyone.
My 2012 Food Goals:
1. Eat more meatless meals.
One of the biggest changes I’d like to see in 2012 is for the hubby and I to eat at least one meatless meal a week. Since hubby is most definitely a carnivore, I know this is going to be a challenge for us, but I’m definitely up to the task of experimenting in the kitchen in order to find satisfying meatless meals that we’ll both enjoy.
2. Eat more organic foods.
Tying in with #1, I’m hoping that some of the money we save by eating meatless more often will allow us to buy good-quality, organic meat when we do eat it. I’d also like to buy more organic vegetables and dairy as our budget allows; I’ve been buying organic milk for the past year, and I can definitely say that the change both in taste and how I feel after drinking it is noticeable and worth it.
3. Eat more local foods.
For the last couple years, hubby and I have participated in an organic CSA, and it has really opened our eyes to how we can support the community around us rather than buying what’s at the grocery store that’s been trucked in from another state. It has also allowed us to really understand what it means to eat seasonally. While I’m not sure if we’ll participate in a CSA this year, I’m definitely planning on shopping at local farmer’s markets and stands as much as possible for food that is fresher, cheaper, and much tastier, too.
4. Preserve more foods.
I already do a ton of preserving during the summer and fall when fruits and vegetables are at their peak in upstate NY, but I hope to do even more, and of greater variety. Popping open a jar of strawberry preserves on a cold winter day that I picked and then canned the same day during the previous summer is one of my favorite parts about the canning process. Stocking up on other favorites such as relish and bread & butter pickles also helps us cut out more corn syrup and other processed ingredients from our diets by avoiding the store-bought versions.
5. Bake more bread.
Although I’ve come far in how much I’ve learned about different methods of making bread and working with yeast (and even make some types such as homemade pizza dough and bagels frequently), there’s nothing like good old sandwich bread, and I have yet to find a homemade recipe that I like. This year, I’m hoping to find that perfect recipe so that I can begin making all of my sandwich bread at home.
What about you? What are your goals for 2012, food-related or otherwise?
Top 10 of 2011
December 31, 2011 | Print | E-mail | Filed under blog
Following in the footsteps of the first “Top 10″ post I did last year, I decided that since it was so much fun, I had to make listing your top ten favorite recipes from throughout the past year a tradition. I also just wanted to take just a minute to thank you, my readers and my friends, for all of your love, interaction, and encouragement this year. I’m totally serious when I say that every single comment, e-mail, and tweet makes this blog so worthwhile. I can’t thank you enough!
Now that we’re past the sappy stuff and without further ado, here are your top 10 favorite recipes from 2011, starting with #10 and ending with the most popular recipe at #1:
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Black-Eyed Pea Salsa
December 29, 2011 | Print | E-mail | Filed under beans, vegetables
I hope you all had a wonderful and happy Christmas! We did indeed; it was great to catch up with family and play games, share food, and simply enjoy one another’s company. I think my favorite part of our Christmas gathering was making homemade pierogi for Christmas dinner – just about everyone had their hands in the dough at some point, so you know the pierogi were made with love! Though the fun is over now and we’re back home and settling into our normal routines, I’m also looking forward to the new year with anticipation. We’ll be having a small gathering with a few of our close friends on New Year’s Eve, and I’m really looking forward to it. Also, since I read that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity, I thought it would be fun to throw together this simple salsa, which is made even simpler by using canned black-eyed peas rather than dry. I hope you’ll give it a try for your New Year’s celebration, too!
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Fruitcake
December 24, 2011 | Print | E-mail | Filed under cake
I know what you’re thinking: fruitcake, seriously? Hear me out before you run away though, because I wasn’t a fruitcake fan either…that is until last year when a friend of mine gave me a mini loaf for Christmas. She also included the recipe with her gift, and I can’t thank her enough for that, because I fell in love with this fruitcake at first bite. Unlike the dry, fake fruit-tasting versions I’ve had in the past, this cake is moist and full of flavor from the rum-soaked dried fruit, and the lemon and orange zests add a little touch of freshness to an otherwise spicy cake. Following my friend’s lead, I made a few mini loaves to give as gifts this year myself, and I’ve received back nothing but praises about them. If you’re looking for a few more gifts, or even just an extra Christmas dessert if you bake this up in a regular loaf pan (you may have to increase the baking time), I hope you’ll give it a try. Have a very merry Christmas and enjoy your holiday with family and friends!
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