Does anyone else feel like it is already February 425th? This month has gone on and on and on and on. Although it is warmer that usual here in Minneapolis, this is the point in winter where everyone is needing a good dose of sunshine. Enter the Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad.
My teenaged daughter. Don’t you love when a post starts with “my teenaged daughter”? I’m sure all of you with teenagers know what is coming next. My teenaged daughter has a complicated relationship with food. Loves all sweets, but historically she’s much more picky when it comes to food with any nutritional benefit. (Read on to learn all about where we went wrong with teaching her to eat!) So when she recently found a salad at a local restaurant that she liked, I raced to recreate it so she could eat it at home. And although it’s not exactly the same, Asian Chicken Salad with Grilled Vegetables was a hit with everyone, but especially with my teenaged daughter. #momwin
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I have a confession to make. I have never tried Chipotle’s Beef Barbacoa. Oh sure, I’ve been to Chipotle a million times. But I’m a more of a carnitas kind of a girl. So my family all thought it was a little odd when I came home with a chuck roast and announced I was going to make Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa. Oh ye of little faith! All three of them actually got off of the couch to come and check it out as I pulled it out of the crock pot…the house smelled delicious!…
Are you looking for a decadent dessert? Maybe for a dinner party, or maybe for Easter? Search no more. I have come to bring you what you are looking for. I was headed to a dinner at our friends’ house not too long ago, and my task was dessert. I am not much of a baker and I often struggle with desserts (although I sure do love to eat them!). My daughter, the baker in the house, was gone for the day, so no help there. I couldn’t decide what to make, but actually had a whole day to create, so I decided to make two desserts (it is just in my nature). I chose this Key Lime Cheesecake from Crazy for Crust as well as Churro Cupcakes (don’t worry- that will be a post for another day…)….
These Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles have been a huge hit with my family. Brunch, is my favorite meal, and if you haven’t noticed don’t worry, there will be many more brunch posts coming!. So many different things you can eat for brunch-sweet, savory, sweet AND savory! My kids, however, lean towards the sweet, every time. So when I was rifling through my many cookbooks (Shhh…I might have a little cookbook addiction) and food magazines, I found this beauty. We happened to be up at the cabin for the weekend, and when I decided to make these waffles for breakfast on our last day up there, there were three very enthusiastic supporters.
Waffles are a “all hands in” food in our house. My daughter measures ingredients, my son cracks the eggs, who ever is the most awake stirs the mixture, and my husband mans the waffle iron. We can churn out a very respectable stack of waffles in a very short amount of time, which is good when my clan is hungry. Luckily, these waffles are pretty quick, even if you’re making them on your own-hopefully while enjoying some alone time in the kitchen with a strong cup of coffee.
These waffles were perfect. Not overly sweet, just right. Tangy due to the addition of the lemon zest. Best of all, these Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Waffles allowed me to use up that last bit of ricotta left over in my refrigerator, and I do like to use up leftovers! Speaking of leftovers, if you run out of blueberry syrup before you run out of the waffles, you could try topping the waffles with a little bit of lime curd (from our last post)-I bet it would be fabulous!
What are some of your favorite brunch foods?
The winter months are not known for their abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. After the heavy meals of the holiday season, the arrival of the mid-winter citrus crop is always a welcome addition to my kitchen. A few weeks ago I bought a giant bag of fresh limes at Costco, and while a few wound up in gin and tonics, I was left with pounds of limes and a little inspiration. Enter: Lime Curd with a Hint of Vanilla. It’s an easy, creamy, bright and versatile treat that can be added to baked goods like tarts, cupcakes or scones, or simply eaten with a spoon (my preferred method!).
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Well, it’s Wednesday, and time for another batch of good (food) reads. Here in the blustery midwest, we are digging out after our first real snowstorm of the year. The blizzard conditions made travel a bit anxiety provoking, but also made cozying up inside with a good book and comfort foods (give me all the carbs!) even more appealing than usual. On days like this, I love a piping hot cup of Aveda’s Comforting Tea and a slice of earthy, slightly spiced pumpkin bread (recipe coming soon to the blog!). What are your snow day favorites?
It may be a few days beyond meatless monday, but these Cauliflower Steaks with Romesco sauce look CRAZY good. Using chickpeas instead of bread to thicken the romesco is genius!
Speaking of bread, this Panzanella with Winter Squash and Sage, is next on my list. I had always thought panzanella was a summer-time only dish, with it’s heavy reliance on bright and fresh tomatoes, but this recipe uses roasted squash instead. Bring on the carbs!
Mardi Gras kicks off in one week! Do any of you make King Cake? NPR has a great article on the history of the king cake and all of it’s pop-culture permutations.
And because winter is the season for roasted everything, do yourself a favor and check out this piece from The Splendid Table featuring Michael Ruhlman talking about roasting. I particularly love the bit about testing your oven with Pillsbury biscuits! LOVE. Mostly because it’s an excuse to eat those totally-processed-but-oh-so-delicious weird little dough balls…
Take advantage of all the amazing winter citrus right now and make these Crunchy Chicken Spring Rolls with Blood Orange Dipping Sauce. Please. Thank me later.
Speaking of citrus, Heartbeet Kitchen featured Roasted Citrus Bowls with Honey Mascarpone and I almost drooled on my computer. Please go check it out. And while you’re there, someone convince me to get over my beet aversion and make these Fermented Beets. They are so pretty! (And I love pickles and they’re just like pickles, right? Right)
Finally, if you’re itching for some of the Avedea tea I mentioned and you want to try a DIY version, here’s a recipe from Wisdom and Honey. I think my next trip to the co-op will be in search of licorice root.
Until next week….