Sheet-pan chicken tikka with bell pepper, cauliflower, and shallots

We found this recipe intriguing and decided to give it a try: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025554-sheet-pan-chicken-tikka-thighs?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share This was remarkably flavorful, with great mouthfeel; it’s definitely a keeper. Our modifications: first, 1.25 lb was the smallest unit of boneless chicken thighs we could find, so we slightly rounded up the other ingredients. For the yogurt, we used Fage nonfat…… Continue reading Sheet-pan chicken tikka with bell pepper, cauliflower, and shallots

Giada’s sheet pan eggplant parmesan

At the beach, we decided to try this simple sheet pan recipe by Giada de Laurentiis: https://giadzy.com/blogs/recipes/sheetpan-eggplant-parmesan This was an easy, delicious meal that needed only a handful of ingredients. The panko topping was particularly good, adding a light crispy texture to the tender eggplant. Our modifications: first, due to a very sensitive smoke alarm…… Continue reading Giada’s sheet pan eggplant parmesan

Simple pumpkin pie

We had a craving for pumpkin pie, but we wanted something straightforward and simple. We tried this: https://www.thekitchn.com/easy-pumpkin-pie-263086 The beauty of this recipe is because it uses condensed milk, it doesn’t require additional sugar. Our modifications: First, we used a Marie Callender frozen pie crust, which we blind-baked for 20 mins following these instructions: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_blind_bake_a_pie_crust/…… Continue reading Simple pumpkin pie

Vietnamese ginger onion chicken broth, pressure cooker style

This simple pressure cooker recipe yields a fragrant broth in about an hour. It's loosely based on the stovetop broth component of this chicken and celery rice recipe by Andrea Nguyen: https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2015/04/chicken-back-and-celery-rice-recipe-com-ga.html. First, place 3 large (or 4 small) skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and 1 skinless boneless chicken breast (see Note 2 below) in the… Continue reading Vietnamese ginger onion chicken broth, pressure cooker style

Mafaldine pasta with roasted eggplant

I love the curly edges of lasagna sheets, so mafaldine pasta piqued my curiosity. We decided to try this recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/mafaldine-pasta-with-eggplant/ Our modifications: first, we halved the recipe, using 1/2 lb of mafaldine pasta. We used a low-walled Dutch oven to cook the pasta. Second, as a shortcut we used 15.5 oz Rao’s marinara sauce…… Continue reading Mafaldine pasta with roasted eggplant

Simple broth for frozen dumplings

This post is more of a shortcut method than an actual recipe. We made a simple lunch from frozen dumplings (purchased from a local dumpling shop). For the broth, we combined 6 cups water, about 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor, 1 Tbsp yondu seasoning (Korean vegetarian liquid seasoning), and 1 Tbsp Korean soup…… Continue reading Simple broth for frozen dumplings

Indian savory amaranth porridge (rajgira upma)

For weekend breakfasts, we routinely make amaranth porridge drizzled with maple syrup. However, one day after cooking the amaranth seeds (but prior to adding any seasonings), I craved a savory breakfast. We figured out how to make upma with the already-cooked amaranth. First, follow this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014313-amaranth-porridge?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share, which provides instructions for cooking 1/2 cup…… Continue reading Indian savory amaranth porridge (rajgira upma)

Roasted eggplant pasta

We had one medium eggplant and one zucchini, so we tried this recipe: https://asimplepalate.com/blog/roasted-eggplant-pasta/ We cut the eggplant and zucchini into 1" dice, then separately tossed in enough canola to coat, and placed on separate baking sheets (because zucchini leaks more liquid). We roasted at 450 for 20 mins, tossing midway (and we broiled the… Continue reading Roasted eggplant pasta

Baked pasta with store-bought marinara

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… Continue reading Baked pasta with store-bought marinara