First, lightly toast 2 Tbsp pine nuts and then set aside to cool. Second, sauté ½ lb minced beef (80%) in a large wok until no longer pink, then add 1 ½ cups chopped onion (about 1 medium plus one small onion), 1 ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp allspice, and ¼… Continue reading Lebanese stuffed zucchini in tomato sauce
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Rice Krispie treats
A favorite childhood memory. I’m posting this mainly to provide a link to the recipe: https://www.ricekrispies.us/recipes/the-original-treats-recipe (July 2015)
French bread pizza with pepperoni
This is a clever riff on Stouffer’s frozen pizza, using store-bought ingredients that you assemble. Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a baking rack on top of the foil, then lightly spray the rack with oil (the rack will stabilize the uneven baguette crust and the oil will make… Continue reading French bread pizza with pepperoni
Sri Lankan eggplant curry (vambotu curry)
Cut 1 lb eggplant (about 2 medium) into ½ inch rounds. Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil, then place eggplant pieces on it, spray the pieces, and then broil for about 7 mins total (turning over the pieces midway) until each side is a browned. Cut each round into quarters. Toss the quartered… Continue reading Sri Lankan eggplant curry (vambotu curry)
Indian yellow squash curry
Wash 3 small yellow squash (1 lb), then cut into ¼ inch rounds. Separately, heat 3 Tbsp neutral oil in a Dutch oven on medium heat, then add ½ small onion (grated). Saute until onion is golden brown, then reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 small fully ripe tomato (halved and sliced). Cover the… Continue reading Indian yellow squash curry
Couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates
We followed this Food Network Kitchens recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cauliflower-couscous-recipe-2105437.html?soc=itksocialshareSMS%7Cios%7Cp However, we made substantial modifications: first, instead of sautéing the cauliflower and shallots (which we increased from 1 to 3 shallots), we seasoned them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper and oven-roasted them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (we increased heat to 450 for… Continue reading Couscous with roasted cauliflower and dates
Greek chicken lemon soup with rice (avgolemono soupa)
Chef Cat Cora's recipe is here:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/avgolemono-chicken-soup-with-egg-lemon-sauce-recipe.html We didn’t have leeks, so we substituted with shallots, which we sauteed along with the onion before adding to the chicken stock. (July 2015)
Leftover steak and vegetable soup
We used our leftover strip steak from the steakhouse for this hearty soup. Recipe here: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/214556/steak-soup/. We sauteed the onion in butter and oil, then added the seasoned flour and then the cooked steak pieces. We then added the parsley, marjoram, celery leaves, and bay leaf to the same pot, sautéed for a minute, then… Continue reading Leftover steak and vegetable soup
Oven-roasted s’mores
Preheat oven to 450. Melt 1 tsp butter in a 6 inch cast iron pan, then place a single layer of semi-sweet chocolate chips, topped by a single layer of mini-marshmallows. Bake in oven until marshmallows are toasted (about 4 mins), then serve with graham crackers. Recipe athttp://www.thrillist.com/recipe/nation/skillet-s-mores-dip-thrillist-recipes (June 2015)
Polish stuffed cabbage leaves (galumpki)
Recipe here: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/stuffed-cabbage-with-tomato-sauce-recipe-2011549.amp We used red cabbage instead of savoy, which required us to parboil the head of cabbage in order to loosen the tightly wrapped leaves. Before parboiling the cabbage head, we cut off the base and then use a melon baller and a small knife to remove the core from the head; this… Continue reading Polish stuffed cabbage leaves (galumpki)
Cooking Adventures 