Saturday, July 24, 2010
How to make a wedding cake in 3 easy steps
Friday, May 28, 2010
The Skinny on Fats
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Cold Summer Salads
Friday, May 21, 2010
Shrimp and Corn Risotto
- 3 medium ears fresh corn, husked
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 qts. reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 1 1/2 cups Carnaroli, Arborio, or other risotto rice
- 1 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
- 3/4 pound cooked bay shrimp, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon coarsely shredded lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh grated Asiago cheese
- Salt
1. Prepare a grill for direct high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). Rub corn with 1 tbsp. oil. Lay ears on cooking grate (close lid if using gas). Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove and let cool. Holding ears upright in a deep bowl, cut kernels from cobs with a large knife.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring broth to a simmer. Pour remaining 2 tbsp. oil into another, large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, just until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring often, until grains are slightly translucent at edges, about 3 minutes longer.
3. Add wine and cook, stirring often, until almost absorbed. Add broth one ladleful at a time, cooking and stirring until almost absorbed, before adding another. Continue cooking and adding broth until rice is barely tender and mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes. (You may not need all the broth.)
4. Stir in corn, shrimp, butter, tarragon, lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add more broth if risotto gets too dry.
5. Spoon risotto into wide, shallow bowls and place fresh Asiago shavings on top (only a few...keep it classy).
Friday, May 7, 2010
Fish Chowder for Mother's Day
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Stuffed In A Good Way
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Want to look like a model? Read on!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Ohhhh La La
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Use some paper towels to pat dry your shrimp after you've peeled and devained them-leave the tails on. Rub both sides with olive oil, salt and pepper. Pop them in a preheated oven at 400 for about 5 minutes- they'll cook fast. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl- mix and then pour into another pretty bowl and garnish with lemons. Voila!
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Biggest Loser Saga, Week 2
- Cod, Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Garlic
- Cannelloni Beans with Seitan, stir fry
- White Eggplant Lasagna
- Salmon with Elizabeth Salad (see the recipe below)
- Tofu Stir Fry
- Split Pea Ginger soup
- Haddock with Mushroom and Asparagus risotto
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Biggest Loser-Tulloch Family Style
- Monday: Chicken Cesar Salad-homemade spelt bread croutons, light Cesar dressing, shaved Parmesan and roasted chicken.
- Tuesday: Stuff your own Sweet Potato-onions, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, cheese, beans.
- Wednesday: Lentil soup, flax seed bread
- Thursday: Cod with roasted vegetables-carrots, eggplant, and onions with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Friday: Grilled venison, quinoa, and kale.
- Saturday: Mediterranean pizza-olives, feta, spinach, and garlic on whole wheat crust.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Why do I only blog about soup? Here's another one...
Monday, January 25, 2010
Seven Dollar Wine? Delicious!
I wrote this little article for a position I applied for as a "Boston Budget Wine Reviewer." The first time I bought this wine was when I was living in the North End and pretty much exclusively buying my groceries from the Golden Goose, which basically costs you a Golden Bar every time you go in there. Unless I was able to snag a ride from Kendra or brave the long haul to Shaws, I would just walk over to the Goose. Obviously once I got there I felt like I should treat myself to a bottle but because my checkbook was going to bounce once I left I would always go for the cheep stuff, and often regretted it after. However, this little bottle surprised and impressed me- since, it's a staple for me, I suggest it should be for you to- Cheers!
Seven Dollar Wine? Delicious!
By Sarah Tulloch
When you want an inexpensive bottle of wine but don’t want to feel like your drinking from a box, grab the bottle with the little red chicken on it, Le Coq Rouge.
At about seven dollars a bottle, this fruity, slightly tannic wine from France will pair nicely with pretty much anything from hamburgers and Chinese take out to steak or roasted lamb.
A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Grenache makes it appealing to most everyone because it has a nice blend of flavors and not overpowering. Fits perfectly as the final touch on a weeknight meal or the stand out at a dinner party. The chique bottle makes a statement as well. Very simple in design, it appeals to the younger crowd who doesn’t want to spend thirty dollars on a bottle of but also don’t want to compromise on taste.
Since more quality wines are available at a lower price point these days, this once reserved beverage is now making a big come back. Showing up on the dinner table most any night of the week isn’t such a far fledged idea. Wine has a way of taking an everyday meal and turning into a romantic evening or adding the perfect touch to any dish. Luckily, with bottles like Le Coq Rouge low cost just means you’ll be able to buy two.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Chicken Tomato Soup
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Elizabeth's Salad
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Healthy Cookies? Yes my friends, here they are.
No butter, flour, eggs or sugar in these babies. And, they're good! I make them frequently and they're always a big hit. They're great to make for kids because they're free of junk but also taste like a cookie. You can freeze them as well and just pull out a few at a time if you like, I do that a lot.
So here's to a new year, I'm sure many of you are doing the whole "I'm not eating junk and loosing those last 5 pounds" resolution. If so, this is a recipe that might just help you get there.
Note- for the almond meal, I always just process 2/3 cup of almonds in my food processor to a mealy texture (sort of like course sand). Don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter.
Healthy Cookies:
3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and olive oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a baking sheet (spray it first). Bake for about 15 minutes. You'll want to check towards the end of the baking time and maybe move the baking sheets around a bit-bake them for as long as possible without burning the bottoms.
Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.
I found this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs: 101cookbooks.com. Heidi Swanson is a photographer and cooking blogger extraordinaire. Her recipes are healthy, vegetarian and always delicious-I can spend hours on her site-check it out, it's a must!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Biscotti
Heat oven to 350. In one bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt- whisk to combine or sift through. In another bowl beat sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time until combined. Add in flour mixture just until blended, then fold in nuts and chopped chocolate. Form the dough into a "flattish" log, about 16" long, bake for 40 minutes then cool for 30. Using a bread knife, cut 1/2" thick pieces and place cut side down on a baking sheet, cook another 15 minutes, cool. Take the melted chocolate and reheat. Dip the cooled Biscotti in the chocolate and place on wax paper-sprinkle with shredded coconut. Cool again to let chocolate set-I like to do this in the freezer or place outside if it's freezing.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Really.Good.Soup.
(This is a big recipe- it makes 8 large servings....make it all, you can always freeze it!)
-2 pkg of chicken sausage (al dente, whole foods or Trader Joe's makes them...you can find them anywhere..comes 4 to a pkg)
-1 pkg or container of fresh spinach
-4 cups chicken broth or stock
-2 cans white navy beans or cannelloni beans
-2 cans diced tomatoes
-salt and pepper to taste
-feta cheese -to crumble on top
Here's the directions..... Add it all to a pot and heat!
Let it heat through and simmer on medium heat for awhile so the flavors combine.
(except for the feta- sprinkle it on top of your own soup right before you dig in)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Granola and Yogurt
Friday, November 20, 2009
Rustic Lasagne
I simply made a quick no cook sauce of a few cans of crushed tomatoes, two jars of pesto my Mom had, a little salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and oregano. I layered the sauce, mozzarella cheese, and the venison that I sauteed with salt, pepper, and green onions. I also put some shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano between the layers. Also, I don't pre-cook my lasagna noodles- I just use plenty of sauce and add a little water to the bottom of the pan before I bake it (just pour it in the side and tilt the pan-it will disperse to cover the bottom). I also cover it for most of the cooking so the moisture steams the pasta. I uncover for the last 10 minutes or so just to brown the top. When you can insert a knife easy into the middle and you see it bubbling up- it's done!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
It's always good
The recipe varies depending on how big you want your frittata. I make mine in a standard 9" pie pan. All you have to know is to use 8 eggs with 1/3 cup of milk for a standard 9" pie tin, then add whatever you like. These are great for lazy Saturday breakfasts or a quick dinner.
Here's what I did when I made mine:
-Rendered the fat of 3 strips of bacon, removed the bacon and in the same pan added half a potato, small dice. Once that was mostly cooked I added onion.
-Removed the potato and onion and added it to the bacon bowl to cool. Added some sliced mushrooms for just a minute and then removed.
-In a separate bowl I whipped my eggs and milk together, seasoned with salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes. Once my vegetables were cool I added them to the eggs and then folded in a large handful of spinach and about 1/2 a cup of shredded cheddar. Then, poured all the filling into a greased 9" pie pan and into the oven for about 20 minutes. Check after 20 minutes and once a toothpick comes out clean in the center it's finished. Allow to cool some and serve! I like to add a little "dollop" of sour cream, diced tomato and fresh cut chives on top.