Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • Combine 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if vegetarian) and 5 cups (about 1 large head) cauliflower, rough cut, in a medium-size Dutch oven. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and leave on burner. In the mean time, heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter in a medium sauté pan, then add 1 onion, chopped and ½ tsp salt. Sauté for a few mins, then stir in 2 tsp curry powder (here, we used a 3:1 ratio of McCormick’s curry powder and Jamaican curry powder) and 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger. When fragrant, add the onion mixture to the cauliflower broth mixture, then cover and simmer for 10-13 mins. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup mixture and then remove from heat. Fold in ½ cup each plain yogurt (we used nonfat Greek) and whole milk (we used 1%). Garnish with cilantro or parsley and a small dollop of plain yogurt. This recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated,The Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook. (Aug. 2016)

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  • Pasta alla Norma is rigatoni with eggplant, tomatoes, and ricotta salata. Preheat oven to 450. Cut 2 lb eggplant (about 2 medium) into ¾ inch cubes, toss in about 2 Tbsp olive oil, a little salt and black pepper, place in a single layer on a sheet pan, and oven-roast for 30 mins, tossing midway. Separately, heat a Dutch oven with 1 Tbsp olive oil, sauté 3 large minced garlic cloves and ¼ crushed red pepper for 30 seconds, then add a 29 oz can of diced tomatoes. Fold in the roasted eggplant, then let simmer for 5-10 mins until flavors meld. Separately, cook 1 lb rigatoni until al dente. Drain, setting aside ½ cup pasta water. Add the drained rigatoni, ¼ cup julienned fresh basil, 1 cup freshly grated ricotta salata (a hard cheese), and 1-2 Tbsp olive oil to the eggplant sauce, folding gently. Add the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Serve immediately. This recipe is from The Best 30 Minute Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated, with modifications (oven-roasted eggplant instead of sautéing it), available here: The Best 30-Minute Recipe http://a.co/6HR8Kgf (Aug. 2016)

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  • We tried this quick, chicken broth-based soup from Cook’s Illustrated. Soak ¼ oz dried porcini mushroom in hot water, then remove and mince the reconstituted mushroom. Set aside the mushroom soaking broth and save ½ cup dor the soup. Heat 5 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, ½ cup mushroom soaking broth, ½ cup uncooked long grain rice, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, and ¼ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Heat a large frying pan with 2 Tbsp unsalted butter on high heat, then sauté 1 chopped onion, 1 lb cremini mushrooms (quartered), and ¼ tsp salt until all moisture has evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown (10 mins). Add 2 chopped carrots to the simmering broth, add the mushroom mixture, then simmer until carrots are tender (about 10-15 mins). Highly recommend The Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook by Cook’s Illustrated, available here: The Best 30-Minute Recipe http://a.co/2ONUkir (Aug. 2016)

    Our modifications: We added the porcini soaking broth to the soup for extra depth, which meant we reduced the corresponding amount of chicken broth.

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  • We tried this meatloaf and potato recipe from Molly Gilbert’s Sheet Pan Suppers: http://www.grandparents.com/food-and-leisure/recipes/bruces-barbecue-meatloaf-and-potatoes-recipe. We used an 18 oz bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s original barbeque sauce for the recipe. Instead of creating a free-form loaf on top of the perforated 10×6″ foil, we lined a loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving extra parchment flaps along the long side of each pan. We gently poured the meat mixture into the lined loaf pan, trying not to pack it too tightly (but the next time, we may pack the meat more firmly). We then placed the perforated foil on the open end of the loaf pan, then gently inverted the entire, filled loaf pan (with the perforated foil securely on top) onto the baking rack. This allowed us to form a decent meatloaf prior to baking. We sliced the potatoes with a mandolin, but the next time we will hand-cut them to make sure they are at least ¼” thick so that they do not burn. (Aug. 2016)

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  • We tried this Cooks Illustrated recipe: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/7987-cream-cheese-brownies (Aug. 2016)

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  • We followed this recipe: http://www.primaverakitchen.com/roasted-lemon-chicken-legs/. Instead of using a baking pan, we lined a baking sheet with foil, placed a rack in the sheet, and placed the marinated chicken on the rack. We roasted it until the chicken juice ran clear (about 10-15 mins longer than the directions). We served this with Greek spinach dill rice (spanakorizo). (Aug. 2016)

    Note: This was less flavorful than expected. For a chicken recipe with stronger lemon and garlic notes, I recommend roasted lemon-garlic chicken from Chef Kamal Al-Faqih’s seminal Lebanese cookbook available on Amazon: Classic Lebanese Cuisine: 170 Fresh and Healthy Mediterranean Favorites https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U58AZA/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_lMOQxb5HHDMBT.. I summarize that recipe here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/114591281156/lebanese-lemon-garlic-chicken-djeaj-bil-furrin

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  • Recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/guacamole-recipe3.html (July 2016)

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  •  I have loved BLTs since childhood. Easy to make: http://www.food.com/recipe/classic-blt-sandwich-129615 (July 2016)

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  • We tried this baked egg recipe from Laura Vitalo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dCUF6Q99o9w Preheat the oven to 425 and bake for 15 mins (runny yolk) to 20 mins (fully cooked yolk). We did not have hot sauce on hand, so we whipped up a simple salsa similar to this online recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/simple-salsa-128822, except that we used ½ tomato, 1 small shallot, 1 small garlic clove, ¼ of a jalapeño, and a few sprigs cilantro, all chopped and then tossed together with a little salt and black pepper. (July 2016)

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  • I grew up eating buffalo chicken wings, and we tried this ingenious supper version from Molly Gilbert’s Sheet Pan Suppers cookbook. The Buffalo chicken recipe is available here: http://fleurdelolly.blogspot.com/2015/04/sheet-pan-suppers-buffalo-chicken.html?m=1 and the charred romaine hearts recipe is here: http://fleurdelolly.blogspot.com/2015/04/sheet-pan-suppers-charred-romaine-with.html?m=1 (July 2016)

    Our modifications: We increased basic cooking time from 30/35 mins to 40 mins. We also made extra buffalo sauce, increasing the ratio by 50% to ¾ cup hot sauce and 6 Tbsp melted butter. We garnished with carrot and celery sticks.

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