Recipes »Glazed Salmon with Cucumber Mint Slaw

salmonfrom Real Simple

I’m almost sorry to admit it with so many friends (lots of pregnant ones at that!) suffering through crazy NYC heat waves, but the summer here has been downright pleasant. Still, even if balmy, it feels right to make hot weather food in the summer.

This Glazed Salmon with Cucumber Mint Slaw certainly fits the bill. It’s refreshing, tangy and slightly sweet and a great new way to make salmon – which we eat a lot of these days as we are surrounded by the best local fish and seafood.

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Posted on July 21, 2013

Desserts,Recipes »Peach Crumble Bars

photofrom Brown Eye Baker

I feel like I completed a mom right of passage: First school bake sale! Delicious summer peaches at the markets inspired me to make these Peach Crumble Bars that taste like a dense crumbly pie.

Once the peeling and slicing is done, these are super easy and they are good enough that I bought a couple myself.

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Posted on July 14, 2013

Recipes »Hamburgers with Lemon and Soy Sauce

photo-5from Real Simple

It may not look like much, but for the first time in a long time Van gobbled every single bite of a meal Jim and I were having. No last minute peanut butter and jelly, just this Hamburger with Lemon and Soy Sauce. You don’t know what a big deal this is.

I cooked his all the way through and broke up the meat while leaving the medium rare, added caramelized onions and a touch of Sriracha to the adults.

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Posted on July 10, 2013

Recipes »Citrus Soy Glazed Black Cod

photo-1from Martha Stewart

Seafood in Seattle is great. I’ve never enjoyed so many simply prepared fish dishes before. When something’s fresh in the market, I just look up an easy prep and enjoy.

One such quick meal is Martha’s Citrus Soy Glazed Black Cod. Lime gives the glaze a unique and delicious tang.

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Posted on June 12, 2013

Recipes »Rain City Burgers

rain6501 Roosevelt Way NE  Seattle, WA

There’s lots of talk about seattle’s Red Mill Burgers. They are featured in GQ’s “The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die“, Oprah is a fan and locals wait on long lines for them.

But for my money, if you had one burger to eat in the city, I’d direct you to the far less known  Rain City Burger.

Don’t get me wrong, Red Mill was very good but it all comes down to personal preference. I don’t like my burgers too substantial. I like them squishy and salty (two things new York’s Shake Shack always got right) and Rain City delivers.

I tried their Rough Rider which has a hint of teriyaki sauce and couldn’t resist the garlic Parmesan fries I saw all the customers eating. Excellent. I will be back.

They also boast all natural beef without added hormones and added antibiotics – a claim that in the past I probably would have not noticed but as our food is becoming increasingly alarming (see the wealth of terrifying Monsanto info out there), it’s nice to feel less like your destroying your body when you indulge in fast food burgers and fries.

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Posted on May 19, 2013

Recipes »Springtime Veggie Pasta

springfrom Bird and Cleaver

Sometimes I am amazed how quickly some extraordinary meals can come together. This Springtime Veggie Pasta is an easy weekday dish but looks and tastes restaurant worthy. Of course, as the name suggests it’s the perfect time of year for the ingredients – fresh asparagus, peas, and tarragon.

I used proscuitto pasta instead of the recommended spaghetti and it added a nice saltiness. I imagine other ingredients could be changed easily to suit your taste.

It’s recipes like this that get me excited about trying to cook more with limited time on my hands.

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Posted on April 24, 2013

Recipes »Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich

salamiMartha Stewart

Sometimes the simplest recipes are best. This Martha Stewart Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich is a creative take on salami that elevates the brown bag classic from my childhood days.

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Posted on January 28, 2013

Desserts,Recipes »Strawberry Marshmallow Cookies

photo-2from Confessions of a Recipe Junkie

High off my success at baking sugar cookies, I decided to get more inventive and found a delicious sounding Strawberry Marshmallow recipe that was very intriguing.

As I may have mentioned elsewhere, baking is not my speciality and the usual round of mishaps followed: I only had dark brown sugar instead of light, an extra trip to the store was required to get parchment paper, and when my egg broken open out plopped two yolks (which, I’d like to point out was entirely beyond my control).

Still, an interesting batch of cookies were made. They are cake-ier than I imagined and the marshmallows are sort of lost in the process. Once I got past my expectations, though, these were quite tasty – almost like a strawberry shortcake in cookie form.

PS: You, whoever you are, are presumably a better baker so yours will likely be even better.

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Posted on January 6, 2013

Desserts,Recipes »Sugar Cookies

from Allrecipes

I’m not much of a baker, in fact my initial plan was to use that roll of frozen stuff, but even I could whip out tasty Sugar Cookies with this easy recipe. Of course, the best part is decorating – and Van helped this year.

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Posted on December 25, 2012

Recipes »Avocado Panini with Brie, Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Basil

 from Serious Eats

With deli meats off the table for now, I’m always eager to find a good meatless sandwich recipe.

Serious Eats was a great spot to find one that promised to be unique. This Avocado Panini with Brie, Mozzarella, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Basil boasts gooey cheese – both mozzarella and Brie (!) hugging avocados and sun dried tomatoes.

Make sure to use a good baguette that can handle all the messy goodness.

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Posted on August 4, 2012

Drinks,Recipes »Watermelon Lemonade

Summer Perfection

While I wait to make this myself, I’d like to share this refreshing concoction of Watermelon Lemonade while the days are still so steamy.

Thanks to Chloe who made this for a recent party. It’s really a pregnant woman’s dream but, of course, delicious for everybody:

I used one of those mini watermelons. In 2 or 3 batches in my food processor i blended up the watermelon then put it through a sieve. Once it was all processed I put the whole batch trough the sieve again to take out more of the solids.

Juice of 5 or so lemons and a lime or two. Add to the watermelon juice.

Then I added maybe 1 part water and some simple syrup to taste (not necessary if you like it less sweet of course)- the turbinado sugar gives it a slightly more caramel flavor.

I like it diluted with seltzer too.

The photo comes from Smitten Kitchen, which has a similar recipe.

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Posted on July 25, 2012

Recipes »Easy Barbecue Ribs

from Mmmm… is for Mommy

How good can it be when BBQ ribs meet the slow cooker? Well Van, who’s usually sort of vegetarian (not through any effort on my part) yelled “meat!!!” for the first time.

So, pretty darn good.

These were actually more tender than many I’ve had at restaurants. We used Stubb’s sauce.

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Posted on June 20, 2012

Recipes »Thai Steamed Mussels

From Epicurious

The original recipe is called “Spicy” Thai Steamed Mussels, but this is completely mild. Not bland, mind you, just not spicy.

It is flavorful and super easy once you’re past the tedious de-bearding and cleaning stage.

Don’t forget bread to mop up the fragrant broth.

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Posted on June 15, 2012

Recipes »Spicy Cucumber Gazpacho

from Luna Cafe

Cucumber is the kind of refreshing food that I don’t have to feel bad about craving during my pregnancy. As the weather gets hot, I’ve been envisioning it in every and any form.

A recent gazpacho from Calyer inspired me to make some myself.

I found this easy recipe.

It wasn’t a hit with the whole family – Jim found it a bit overwhelming in taste (there’s lots of garlic) but I really loved this and it’s just right for summer time.

I omitted the jalapeños so I could share with Van, but I’m sure a spicy kick would be a great addition.

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Posted on June 7, 2012

Recipes »Gazpacho

20120520-152741.jpgfrom Ina Garten

It was hot, I wanted gazpacho, Ina Garten gave me an easy peasy recipe that is simple and delicious.

Great for a healthy last minute lunch. The recipe can be modified and expanded on to fit your fancy, but the original is good too.

Yay for summer weather and cold soup goodness!

 

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Posted on May 20, 2012

Recipes »Spaghetti with Ramps

20120508-104912.jpgfrom Babbo

Ramps! Everyone loves them! And here’s an easy way to cook them up for dinner (via the city’s most visible celebrity chef, Mario Batali)

Despite the hoopla over them, there aren’t a ton of recipes for the much sought after greens and what I like about this is the simplicity which lets the ramps shine.

PS. I added a bit of shaved parm.

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Posted on May 10, 2012

Recipes »Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

from The Pioneer Woman

When you’ve been under the weather for seemingly forever as I have, you crave comforting food that’s simple and easy to make. This Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce recipe from The Pioneer Woman fit the bill in every way without being the least bit boring (all that cream and parmesan helps).

It’s great as is, but also a good based for experimenting. We made ours to the letter except substituting bucatini (my favorite pasta) for the fettuccine.

 

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Posted on April 30, 2012