Korean-style chicken curry fried rice (kare bokkeumbap)

We had a craving for this recipe: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kare-bokkeumbap. Our modifications: first, we used 2 boneless chicken breasts (1/2” dice) as well as 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper instead of the green bell pepper. We also used 2/3 lime instead of lemon. We rinsed the 1/2 cup kimchi as directed before chopping, but we…… Continue reading Korean-style chicken curry fried rice (kare bokkeumbap)

Mediterranean-style lemon garlic pan-seared chicken breast

This NYT Cooking recipe was intended for the grill, but we pan-seared it instead: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/783022762-lemon-garlic-grilled-chicken-breasts?unlocked_article_code=1.wFA.v_8B.jedgwudgn_k8&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. We followed the marinade instructions. For the fresh herbs, we used only parsley. We marinated the chicken for 20 mins. We heated two large nonstick pans, added 1 Tbsp olive oil in each and then once it was shimmering, we…… Continue reading Mediterranean-style lemon garlic pan-seared chicken breast

Cuban black beans (frijoles negros), vegetarian and Instant Pot style

We have been craving Cuban black beans for a few weeks. We initially planned to follow a traditional recipe (overnight soak, then hours on the stovetop) from a 1973 NYT recipe (see Note 1 below). But then we stumbled upon this Instant Pot recipe for vegetarian frijoles negro on Instagram (we recommend watching the video…… Continue reading Cuban black beans (frijoles negros), vegetarian and Instant Pot style

Banana bread with chocolate chips and nuts

We have a lot of frozen bananas and decided to try this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020899-chocolate-chip-banana-bread?unlocked_article_code=1.tlA._8nF.4xy-IUtCydSN&smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, instead of plain Greek yogurt, we used 1/3 cup Siggi’s nonfat vanilla Icelandic yogurt. Second, because our bananas were on the larger side, we had extra batter for a mini-loaf (pictured above) in addition to a 9×5”…… Continue reading Banana bread with chocolate chips and nuts

Lemon-garlic sour cream dip

I had a craving for French onion dip, but wanted to try a version using fresh ingredients. We tried this recipe, which combines full-fat sour cream with fresh lemon juice and zest, salt, and 1 clove microplaned garlic: https://www.allrecipes.com/3-ingredient-sour-cream-dip-11989936. Despite not having dried onion, it does evoke French onion dip and is very tasty. (June…… Continue reading Lemon-garlic sour cream dip

Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs

We have made Italian wedding soup in the past, but we tried this version with turkey meatballs: https://www.feastingathome.com/italian-wedding-soup/ We followed the recipe except we used spinach instead of kale. We also used stelline (tiny star) pasta, which may have been too tiny (we may try ditalini the next time). In addition, we found the lemon…… Continue reading Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs

Simple frozen fruit smoothies

Years ago, my husband loved ordering fruit smoothies from Whole Foods’ kiosks. Those smoothie bars are long gone, but we had a craving this weekend. Taking inspiration from recipes such as this one (https://www.thekitchn.com/pineapple-smoothie-recipe-23761690), we experimented with two flavors: Pineapple smoothie: 1/4 cup Greek vanilla yogurt (we used Siggi’s Icelandic-style), 1.5 Tbsp honey, 1.5 cups…… Continue reading Simple frozen fruit smoothies

Roasted vegetable pasta with Italian flavors

We tried this Feasting at Home recipe, and it was delicious and satisfying: https://www.feastingathome.com/roasted-vegetable-pasta/ For the vegetables, we used 1 large zucchini (1/2” half-moons), 1 large bell pepper, 10 oz grape tomatoes, 8 oz cremini mushrooms (stemmed trimmed and cut into quarters, and for large mushrooms into 1/6), and 1 medium red onion (first halved…… Continue reading Roasted vegetable pasta with Italian flavors