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Good (Food) Reads

May 11, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

I have a confession: writing these G00d (Food) Reads posts makes me so hungry! I’m aching to get into the kitchen and start whipping up some of these fantastic looking recipes I’ve found around the web. I got a head start with the fabulous Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad pictured above. The recipe is featured in the NY Times cooking section this week and is a great mix of texture and flavor – and bonus! – it features radishes, a perennial spring favorite around here.

Another favorite in my kitchen is anything Deb of Smitten Kitchen does. Right now, she’s got a recipe for Crispy Tortellini with Peas and Proscuitto and I seriously can’t even wait to try it! Genius.

Grilled Chicken, Burst Tomato, and Artichoke Skewers with Goat Cheese Dip via How Sweet It Is will be my weekend grilling experiment. I’ve got a serious thing for artichokes and have never thought to put them on the grill before!

Veggie Brown Rice Sushi from Minimalist Baker. A beautifully photographed vegan take on a sushi staple. Might be a great option for a fancy take to work lunch treat.

Jalapeno Mango Margarita Popsicles. Yup, you read that right. MARGARITA POPSICLES. Mark my words: the next 80 degree day we have here, these little lovelies will be making an appearance.

Minty Watermelon Cucumber Margaritas. Apparently, I’m really on board the margarita train these days. Must be a Cinco de Mayo hangover effect.

Do any of you have an electric pressure cooker? I got an InstantPot last year and have just recently started branching out into the world of electric pressure cooking. I can’t wait to try this Pressure Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry. There are traditional stovetop instructions as well!

Chez Panisse Green Goddess Dressing with Little Gems lettuce . Alice Waters can do no wrong in my book and here, Alexandra’s Kitchen pairs it with Little Gems lettuce, the cutest little greens in all the land.

Well friends, that’s it for this week’s Good (Food) Reads. What recipe inspiration have you found around the web? Comment, tweet us, or send us a message on Facebook and let us know!

Good (Food) Reads: Cinco de Mayo and More

May 4, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

It’s Wednesday and time for another Good (Food) Reads. The internet was particularly full of foodie riches this week so grab a cold beverage, cozy up, and get ready to find your foodie inspiration!

First, excuse the less than quality iPhone photo above but have ya’ll made Smitten Kitchen’s Sesame Spiced Turkey Meatballs with Smashed Chickpea Salad yet? Do yourself a favor, go here and order her cookbook if you don’t have it already and make this dish immediately. SO. Darn. Good. It’s a staple around here and I’m having a major craving for it right now.

Herbed Avocado Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches from Simple Bites. What a great addition to a ladies lunch or just perfect excuse to add avocado to your egg salad sandwich!

There are so many things I love about spring, but the fresh crop of asapargus is definitely near the top of that list. I love to eat it roasted or grilled with a simple dressing of olive oil, salt and pepper. Here, Half Baked Harvest serves it up in a gorgeous Panzanella Style Caprese Asparagus Salad. Can you say yum?!?!

In another drool worthy entry from Half Baked Harvest, there is Crockpot Mexican Chili Lime Chicken. I think this sounds perfect for a week night dinner. And since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, it would be a fabulous festive but easy themed dinner!

DIY Chicken Burrito Bowls a la Chipotle from Ambitious Kitchen. I have a serious Chipotle habit so might have to try these as a home made alternative. Maybe it will keep me from those darn chips!!

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, these Grapefruit Jalapeno Margaritas. You’re welcome.

Tiramisu Brownies from Broma Bakery. Two of my favorite things in one gorgeous dessert. I’ll definitely be making these this weekend.

Creamy Baked Sausage Risotto. I know risotto seems more of a wintery recipe, but I still occasionally want some comfort food after a long day at work. I love risotto but don’t love all that standing over the stove and stirring. This recipe from The Clever Carrot seems like a great alternative!

Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad on Honey Butter Biscuits. Say what? Yup, a whole bunch of southern yumminess in one adorable little biscuit sandwich. I can’t wait to try these for a fun take on a classic.

Pickled Radishes. I know, I know Radishes are a controversial vegetable. I happen to love them (fresh from the garden, sliced with butter and coarse sea salt) and I think these quick pickled gems would be great on the burrito bowls from Ambitious Kitchen or as a topping for your Cinco de Mayo tacos!

Well, that’s it for this week’s Good (Food) Reads. I’d love to hear what new recipes or foodie articles you’re reading and making right now. Email, tweet, or send us a message on FB or Instagram!

Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake

April 29, 2016 By Holly 3 Comments

I think we all have those recipes, tucked into the back of a recipe box or a binder, that gets pulled out once a year for a specific occasion. This Chocolate Espresso Layer Cake, from the genius Ina Garten, is exactly that recipe for me. Each April, I lovingly make this cake for my husband’s birthday and then – for no good reason – it tends to be tucked back into my trusty recipe binder until the next spring. I can’t quite figure out why I don’t make it more often. It is really the best cake ever: layers of rich, dark chocolate with a hint of coffee to cut the sweetness and buttermilk to keep it moist. When the recipe was published in Food and Wine years ago, Ina declared it “the most fabulous chocolate cake I’ve ever made.” I agree wholeheartedly….

Good Food Reads

April 27, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

Well friends, it was another good food week here on the old internet. Maybe I’m just really hungry, but I’m finding foodie inspiration and Good (Food) Reads all over and can’t wait to share some of my favorites. So, let’s get on with it:

Sometimes I really love a table full of healthy foods. And sometimes, all I want is a cupcake. Today, I want these Twix Cupcakes from The Foodwright. I’m not a huge candy bar person but the mini Twix bars around Halloween get me every time.

Another guilty pleasure in my life: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Potbelly. I don’t know what they do to those things to make them so addicting, but man are they good. One of these days I’m going to attempt to recreate them, but until then, I’ll be trying these Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

I’m not Jewish, but I have a special place in my heart for matzo ball soup. Growing up in Minnesota, my dad used to take me to The Lincoln Del almost anytime we were in the Twin Cities, and I fell in love with their Matzo Ball soup. The restaurant closed more than 15 years ago and I still randomly crave it at times. As we are in the midst of Passover, there are a lot of kosher recipes floating around right now and I was particularly intrigued by a recipe Molly Yeh posted for Chickpea Flour Matzo Ball Soup. I have no idea if it’s a kosher recipe or not, but it sure sounds yummy!

As we are rolling into garden season, I’m always on the lookout for zucchini recipes to use when the inevitable bumper crop arrives. These Roasted Curry Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini have been bookmarked as a must make!

Speaking of garden bounty, I’m hoping for a huge number of basil plants this year and can’t wait to try this 20 Minute Basil Cashew Chicken. Yum, yum, yum!

Finally, an article from Bon Appetit about the rising industry of foodie “influencers” on Instagram. It’s a Good (Food) Read and definite food for thought.

Good (Food) Reads

April 20, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

(My fave macarons from Laduree in NYC.)

Diving right in to this week’s Good (Food) Reads with a little love for Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook, It’s All Easy. I picked it up at Costco the other day (is it just me, or is anyone else nearly incapable of leaving Costco without a new cookbook?!?!) and have been loving it. The mix of simple foods with fun flavor combinations is perfect for busy foodie mamas like myself. I’m having her take on cacio e pepe, made with zucchini noodles. While it’s definitely not a classic italian pasta dish, it is a great everyday (and healthy!) alternative and I’ll be making it again. What new cookbooks are you loving these days?

Speaking of classic Italian pasta dishes, I’ve had a real thing for meatballs lately. As an ex-vegetarian, it’s a little outside of my wheelhouse, but just so darn comforting. Broma Bakery featured some Sunday Meatballs this week and I think they’ll be just the thing for a cozy dinner tomorrow night. While my waistline would definitely appreciate them being served with zucchini noodles, I think I’ll stick with classic spaghetti for this one!…

Good (Food) Reads: Hungry Girl!

April 13, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

(My daily snack: Fresh pears, cottage cheese, brown rice crackers. Yum!)

I don’t know if it’s the weather (spring is FINALLY here!) or what, but I am HUNGRY this week. Like, can’t stop, won’t stop, hungry. Which means I’ve been trolling the old internet for new recipes to try and foodie inspiration. Which means, we have a Good (Food) Reads chock full of inspiration this week. So let’s get started, shall we?

First, I dug out my copy of Gwyneth Paltrow’s first cookbook, My Father’s Daughter (and before you scoff, it’s actually really good!), and have been eating her Italian Chopped Salad all week. It’s fresh, with plenty of heft from the bocconcini and green beans, and easy to make. Total winner! Looking forward to checking out her new cookbook It’s All Easy….

Good (Food) Reads: Quick and Easy

April 6, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time yet again for another Good (Food) Reads. The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind around here and that has had me on the hunt for quick and easy recipes that the whole family will love. With that in mind, here are this week’s Good (Food) Reads:

Do any of you have an Instant Pot? I got mine last summer on super sale as part of Amazon’s much (over) hyped Prime Day. Since that time, I’ve heard countless people rave about the amazing – and quick! – meals they’ve prepared courtesy of their IPs. Sadly, until now I’ve only used it as a glorified quinoa cooker. Last night I tackled this recipe for Instant Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken. Now, before you guys go nuts, I know there is no bourbon in the recipe. It was a super quick recipe that produced really flavorful, tender chicken in about 20 minutes. I served it with steamed broccoli and Trader Joes’ Organic Brown Rice. I will say that the chicken was a little sweet for me (though my toddler and husband loved it!), so next time I’ll cut the honey down a bit, add a little more soy sauce and may sauté in some actual bourbon at the end….

An Epic Dinner Party

March 25, 2016 By Lane 6 Comments

Some dear friends of ours decided to start a supper club and invited 6 women to join them, including Holly and I. The first Epic dinner party for our little group. It was a no kids, no spouses, affair held at the beautiful home of our friend. We ate, we drank, we laughed-until almost 1 am. We all agreed it was a truly fabulous time. And our dear friends-chefs extraodinaire! We were served an 8 course dinner, complete with wine pairings. It was a foodie dream. And by the end of the night, all 8 of us agreed to pair up and keep the tradition going, at least quarterly….

Good (Food) Reads: It’s Finally Spring!

March 23, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

One week later and I’m even more excited about spring! It’s officially here (well, at least according to the calendar, if not the actual weather) and this week’s Good (Food) Reads is going to celebrate that with recipes and articles for the new season. We are forecast for some snow here in the good ole midwest, so I’m going to freshen up my kitchen with salads, bright desserts, and a few Easter goodies. Here. We. Go.

I have a longstanding obsession with Yotam Ottolenghi. His recipes can be a little involved and sometimes call for some less-than-standard pantry ingredients, but they are absolutely worth it. His Turkey Zucchini Burgers with Spring Onion and Cumin are one of my spring and summer staples and a great way to use the garden abundance of zucchini each year. The NY Times is featuring a recipe for Baby Spinach with Dates and Almonds that sounds amazing. It does call for sumac, which can be hard to find, but you can order it at Penzey’s, or I’ve also found some at Cost Plus World Market….

Good (Food) Reads

March 16, 2016 By Holly Leave a Comment

I’ve spent the better part of the last week in the beautiful Arizona desert (seriously, the desert is gorgeous – especially in spring when everything is blooming!) and it has definitely colored my picks for this week’s installment of Good (Food) Reads. I know St. Patrick’s day is just a few days away and I should probably be posting green cocktails, Guinness cupcakes, and corned beef recipes, but it is to think about other things when you’re surrounded by great tamales, prickly pear lemonade, and (just being honest) In-and-Out Burger. With that in mind, here are this week’s Good (Food) Reads. Enjoy!

Let’s get the shame out of the way first, shall we? I’m not much of a fast food gal, but when I’m in AZ, I always stop at In-and-Out Burger for a cheeseburger animal-style with extra crispy fries. Yum. If you’re not familiar with the not-so-secret-secret menu at In-and-Out, here’s a little cheat sheet to help you on your next visit….