Smashed Potatoes w/ Goat Cheese & Parsley
I have recently gotten hooked on a new food addiction- goat cheese. I have always loved cheese, but never had tried goat cheese until a few weeks ago on a boat in Cape Town. Many thanks to the guys who bought the large assortment of cheeses for the party. Many people do not like goat cheese, probably because of the funky kick it has compared to other cheeses. For me, that is what makes me love it! I have given into the prices and decided to suck it up and buy good cheese. It really does make such a difference when you have fresh real cheese.
Garlic Roasted Asparagus w/ Poached Egg & Food Photography Insight
As many of you know, the world of food blogging is huge. How can you follow all the good food blogs there are? The answer is you can’t, there are just too many! So this brings up the crucial question- how do you get people to read and follow your own blog when you are just a tiny ant in the food blogging universe? Maybe the answer is in the recipes; but what kind will people want to read- healthy, hearty, easy, quick, gourmet? Or maybe the answer is in the writing; maybe your witty sense of humor or helpful information will win you followers. Personally, I think these two things are important, but every food blog reader has different tastes and personalities. You can never meet everybody’s standards. You need to be yourself and post what you want, and the way to still gain followers when doing this? I believe it’s all in the photos.
Throwback Thursday: Spiced Pork Tenderloin w/ Sauteed Apples
There is something peculiar about combining sweet and salty flavors. I used to find my self being skeptical about pairing strange flavors, but recently they have really begun to intrigue me. Pork and apples is an old favorite combination of sweet and salty that never has seemed to bother me, probably because it is so common. Today, I find myself trying to find more unique combinations, but this is one recipe that will definitely still stay in the back of my head.
This recipe is great to serve when you have guests. The shallots give the sauteed apples a unique salty kick which pairs perfectly with a tasty slice of spiced pork tenderloin. A nice scoop of garlic mashed potatoes serves as a great side for this dish.
Baked Lamb & Spinach Manicotti Bundles + Awards!
While continuing my quest for unique Italian meals that aren’t pasta dishes, I came across an article in Clean Eating magazine on ways to make hearty Italian food a bit healthier. Although I didn’t take their advice on using fish instead of red meat, I did take their advice on using low-fat dairy products and whole wheat pasta. For this recipe I was sure to add lots of spinach for added nutrients.
Throwback Thursday: Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
Since I began blogging, less than a year ago, I have been following a blog called EFC Cooking on Tumblr. It is a great blog for East, Fast and Cheap recipes for any occasion. This past fall I stumbled across this recipe on the EFC blog.
These muffins are so simple, but so addicting. They are really just plain muffins dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar, but what could be better than butter and cinnamon sugar?! These are a quick way to become everybody’s new best friend at a party or hang out.
Baked Shrimp w/ Tomatoes
This week the weather has gotten nicer and it is starting to feel a bit more like summer, finally! The sunshine and warm weather has caused a shift in my food cravings; I’m sure many of you experience the same thing each season. For me, warm weather makes me crave light food and summery flavors, such as citrus.
These individual dishes are light, and not to mention kind of cute! They are great for a dinner party. It does not take long to make and the individual gratins make serving much easier. This recipe is very light and healthy, perfect for summer. The balsamic vinegar gives a great tangy kick to the dish as well. I also baked some extra tomato slices to drizzle with balsamic and serve with the dish. These go great served with roasted asparagus with lemon or a nice salad.
South Africa Pt. 2: Cape Town Restaurants
After 30 hours of traveling to the U.S. and a weekend in NYC with my brother, I finally made it back to the mountains and back to my own bed. I was welcomed back by a nasty snow storm that still hasn’t let up. Since when is May included into the winter months?! This has made it even harder to come home, but the benefit of the snowy weather is that it gives me time to sit in my cozy apartment and reminisce of my trip.
Cape Town is one of the largest cities to really still have it all. They have amazing restaurants, delicious meat and seafood, vineyards, wildlife, nightlife, beaches and mountains all within twenty minutes of each other. What more could you ask for?!
South Africa Pt. 1: Cooking With Kids & Pizza Bread Recipe
The main reason for my trip to Cape Town was to volunteer in a surf/swim outreach program with underprivileged kids from the local townships. In the mornings, we taught computer classes at a local school. Then, in the afternoons, we taught the kids how to swim so that they can eventually go to the beach and learn to surf with future volunteers. On our days off we got surf lessons and had time to site-see.
Throwback Thursday: Cajun Crab & Shrimp Casserole
Since I have returned to the U.S. I have been craving hearty, spicy meals. I immediately had to get Mexican food when I got to New York City and have been craving it constantly. Unfortunately the fact that I have gained over 5 pounds during my three weeks abroad means that I need to get going on a health kick for summer. Today I ran while watching the Food Network and drooling over comfort food. I feel like I am kind of doing the same thing here by posting a delicious hearty casserole recipe for you to drool over as well.
This seafood casserole has it all- spice, zest and creaminess- all packed into a one-dish meal. I love casseroles because they are so easy to make and include everything for your meal all in one. Enjoy!
Falsomagro
My roommate recently went to visit her brother in Switzerland. While she was there she ventured over to Italy and was nice enough to get me an authentic Italian cook book. To thank her for the cook book, I told her I would cook her a recipe out of it. I spent hours reading over all of the unique Italian recipes. Eventually, we decided on Falsomagro.
I had never even heard of Falsomagro before seeing it in this book. Vegetarians beware… Falsomagro is a protein loaded Italian meat dinner from Sicily. It is a large flank steak filled with bacon, Italian sausage, eggs and cheese, then rolled up and slow cooked. I am 100% a meat eater, so I was pretty excited about packing as many proteins as possible into a big hunk of beef. I was a bit worried about cooking the meat for so long; I thought it was going to end up over-cooked, but it ended up being surprisingly tender! This is a great meal for a dinner party; it serves a lot of people and is very filling. I served my Falsomagro with parmesan roasted asparagus and potatoes.