On this chilly day, we craved a healthy, warming soup. We tried this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015767-chickpea-stew-with-orzo-and-mustard-greens?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. It was very tasty and satisfying. Our modifications: first, for the aromatics, we used 1 small fennel bulb, 1 stalk celery, 1 large leek (white part only and in lieu of onion), and two medium carrots. Second, along with the…… Continue reading Italian-style chick pea and orzo soup with mustard greens
Tag: western
Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce
We made these Italian-style turkey meatballs from NYT Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018723-turkey-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share. Our modifications: first, we doubled the recipe. In the doubled recipe, we also reduced the salt in the meatball mixture to 2 tsp (from 1 Tbsp). Second, to manage sodium in the marinara sauce, we combined 32 oz (4 cups) Rao’s marinara sauce with 16…… Continue reading Homemade turkey meatballs in store-bought marinara sauce
Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti
My husband had a craving for stuffed shells, and we settled on spinach and ricotta manicotti. We tried this recipe: https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-ricotta-cannelloni/. Our modifications: first, we used 1 lb uncooked manicotti shells, which were the right amount for the spinach ricotta filling. The stuffed shells also fit in a 13 x 9” baking dish. Second, instead…… Continue reading Italian-style spinach and ricotta manicotti
Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese
Mac and cheese is one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I always imagined it was too complicated to make at home, but we decided to try this recipe from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: https://www.seriouseats.com/ingredient-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-recipe. It ingeniously calls for 6 oz each uncooked elbow macaroni, evaporated milk, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. Our modifications: first, we doubled…… Continue reading Simple (3-ingredient) mac and cheese
Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth
After having the most delicious chicken rice soup at Nick’s Sandwich Shop (Saddle Brook, NJ), we searched online for a recipe that had similar characteristics. Nick’s scratch version featured a clear broth with a golden yellow hue, dotted with diced carrots and lightly poached, diced chicken breast. The soup was flavorful yet uncluttered, and the…… Continue reading Simple chicken rice soup with homemade broth
Molasses cake with fresh ginger
For the past few days, I have dreamt of a molasses cake that I used to buy in the early aughts at Marvelous Market, a now-defunct local chain that served delicious baked goods. They sold their molasses cake in square-shaped slabs, similar to the freshly baked cornbread at Whole Foods. The cake had notes of…… Continue reading Molasses cake with fresh ginger
Minced turkey and vegetable soup
We had a craving for a vegetable-heavy soup with minced meat, so we tried this recipe: https://www.sandravalvassori.com/ground-turkey-soup/ For the vegetables, we used: carrots, celery, onion; Yukon potatoes (skin on), fresh tomatoes (see below); and fresh corn off the cob and baby spinach. This was a delicious and relatively healthy soup. Our modifications: first, instead of…… Continue reading Minced turkey and vegetable soup
Senate navy bean soup, Instant Pot style
We have been curious about Senate navy bean soup for a while, and we decided to try this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027174-slow-cooker-senate-bean-soup?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, we converted this recipe from a 6-8 hour slow cooker recipe to a Instant Pot (120 min high pressure) recipe. We based this conversion on RecipeTin Eats’ recipe for pea and ham…… Continue reading Senate navy bean soup, Instant Pot style
Easy banana chocolate chip bread
We had three overripe bananas, so we decided to try this recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/ Our modifications: first, we used 1/2 cup white sugar. Second, after folding in the flour, we added 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter. (Oct. 2025)
Classic scrambled eggs
We make scrambled eggs only a few times a year. This is one of those dishes that we take for granted as basic, yet has mixed results if the proper technique isn’t followed. This was a good opportunity for us to refresh best practices: https://www.seriouseats.com/fluffy-scrambled-eggs-recipe (Oct. 2025)