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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.
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We tried this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-baked-ziti-parmesan-cream-recipe Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb (not 1.5 lb) whole wheat penne, 24 oz Rao’s marinara sauce mixed with 8 oz no-salt tomato sauce, 8 oz shredded low-fat mozzarella, and 4 oz diced Monterey Jack cheese. Finding the parmesan sauce too fatty (heavy cream + parmesan), we tried a low-fat parmesan sauce instead, which is in this post: https://piglettedc.wordpress.com/2022/05/18/low-fat-parmesan-sauce/. This image depicts the baked pasta without the parmesan sauce topping. (May 2022)
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We found this recipe that uses store-bought marinara as a base: https://themodernproper.com/easy-bolognese Our modifications: first, for meat we used 1 lb minced beef and 1 lb minced chicken. We also used 24 oz Rao’s marinara sauce. Second, instead of heavy cream, we added 2 Tbsp unsalted butter at the end. Finally, we found the sauce lacking depth, so towards the end of cooking we added 2 tsp Worchestershire sauce, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp black olive tapenade, and 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes. (May 2022)
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We had 1 lb minced chicken and made a healthy, vegetable-filled version of this classic dish. We tried this recipe: https://www.babaganosh.org/chicken-sloppy-joes/ For vegetables, we finely minced 1/2 bell pepper, 1 jalapeño pepper, 1 shallot, and 2 celery stalks. This was really tasty. (May 2022)
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We tried this recipe: https://mahatmarice.com/recipes/chicken-albondigas/ Our modifications: first, we added 1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2″ quarters along with the meatballs. Second, we found the soup a little bland and added 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, and 1/4 tsp allspice at the end. (May 2022)
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We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023125-keema-shimla-mirch-ground-chicken-with-bell-peppers?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share We followed the recipe exactly, including the order of cooking the aromatics, chicken, and spices. We used yellow bell pepper. This was very tasty. (Apr. 2022)
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We tried this recipe: https://www.thespruceeats.com/tfaya-moroccan-carmelized-onions-with-raisins-2394940 For 1 lb onions, we used 2 large red onions, halved and sliced along the grain. For raisins, we used 1/2 cup golden raisins. In lieu of orange blossom water, we added freshly grated zest from a navel orange along with the spices, butter, and water. (Apr. 2022)
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We tried this recipe: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/moroccan-lamb-and-seven-vegetable-couscous Our modifications: First, instead of lamb, we used 4 skin-on drumsticks and 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Second, for vegetables we featured carrot, eggplant, purple topped turnip, kabocha squash, zucchini, and red cabbage; the next time, we will omit the eggplant (soggy and unappetizing). Third, because we exceeded volume in both meat and vegetable, we ended up using 17.5 ounce plus 4 cups no-salt chicken stock. We also doubled all of the spices. We served the stew over couscous (https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/couscous.html), which we tossed with 3 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds. (Apr. 2022)
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We followed this recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-eggplant-garlic-sauce/ We used 4 slender Japanese eggplants and 1/2 lb minced chicken (increased from 1/4 lb minced pork), and we microplaned the ginger (about 2 tsp). This was delicious, and we inhaled it. (Apr. 2022)
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We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022905-roasted-vegetable-burritos?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share For the roasted vegetables, we reduced the mushrooms to 8 oz and supplemented with 3/4 jalapeño and 3/4 of a small shallot (see Note below). We had only 2 poblano peppers, so we added 1 Fresno. For the roasted vegetable seasoning, we used 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp Turkish oregano (reduced from 1 tsp), and we added 1/2 tsp Penzey’s adobo seasoning. We found 20 mins of roasting at 450 was appropriate to dry out the mushroom liquid. We used shredded Monterey cheese per the recipe. We omitted the sour cream and added mixed baby greens instead of shredded lettuce. This was very tasty. (Mar. 2022)
Note: We made a small amount of pico de gallo, loosely following this recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/203800/pico-de-gallo/. Based on one Roma tomato, we used 1/4 jalapeño, 1/4 small shallot, 1/2 garlic clove, 1 tsp minced cilantro leaves (frozen), and juice from 1/3 lime.
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We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022751-mixed-sabzi?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share To transform this recipe from a side dish to a full meal, we added 14.5 oz chick peas (drained and rinsed) and doubled the aromatics, onion, and tomatoes as follows: 6 Tbsp ghee (not quite double); 2 tsp each cumin seeds and black mustard seeds; 2 Tbsp each grated ginger and garlic; 2 onions; 2 Thai chilis; 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp sweet paprika, and 2 tsp salt (we didn’t quite double). For the liquid, we found 3/4 cup of diluted stock (instead of water) sufficient, and we covered and simmered until vegetables are tender (about 30 mins). This has become a weekly favorite. (Mar. 2022)
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Cooking Adventures 