For a minute there, I was convinced that winter was behind us and spring was here. And the way my brain works, it may as well be summer...
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One of the more admittedly alien things about me is that I do not care about chocolate. I was raised on Christmas stockings full of Sour Patch Kids and Lemon Heads, 'pig-out parties' with my Grandma devouring Twizzlers and Starburst, and meandering trips down the bulk candy aisle before long car rides...
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Coconut milk and red curry is, hands down, one of the most divine combinations on all of planet earth. Absolute no-brainer. And although it's unbeatable from an authentic Thai place, it's such a tasty thing to make at home for dinner or in advance for weekday lunches with whatever vegetables/proteins you have in your fridge. I especially love it because once you have purchased a couple of the pantry staples, the rest can really be improvised.
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On Friday night, I threw a Mexican themed birthday party for Ellie. Although there are many more pictures to come in a later post, I thought I'd kick off the week with one of my favorite recipes from the night. It sort of doubles as a salad and a salsa—it's as good eaten with a spoon as it is on chips. But really what's not good on a chip doe?
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This is a simple, easy lunch that comes together very quickly with only a few ingredients. It's nothing fancy or complex, but with the right spice blend, it becomes a great lunch standby. I almost always have everything on hand, which is probably how this dish (and a few variations on it) came into being. All it takes is canned tomatoes and chickpeas as a base, with add-ins such as garlic, spices, spinach, kale, sharp cheese, parsley or other herbs, or topped with a fried or poached egg. It's always delicious, but also healthy and filling.
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Please don't be scared away by the strange name that immediately goes to the same vault in my brain as "split pea soup" and "shepherd's pie" for some reason (even though none are anything alike—there's just so much in a name that has held a certain connotation for everyone since childhood). This soup is rich, decadent, and just delightful—you might never want regular old chicken soup ever again...
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I’ve been back at it with make-ahead lunches after a few weeks (months?) of buying lunch on the go most days...
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Things I always (weirdly) have in my cupboard: chickpeas, 14 different kinds of rice, sweetened condensed milk, and lentils. This is a result of those grocery shopping trips in which I wander down each and every aisle and robotically throw things in my cart. My thought process is something like, "Think about those times you've wanted to bake something without leaving your house and the one thing you need is sweetened condensed milk." (Has that ever even happened??) And then there are all the recipes I've made that have called for various kinds of rice—jasmine, long-grain, arborio, the list goes on. And since it seems like 1 grain of rice uncooked magically turns into 35 grains when it's cooked….my supplies are never ever depleted. My digression is leading me to a discussion of lentils.
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This is one of those weekday lunches for which noon cannot come fast enough.
*Checks clock.* *Checks clock again.* *Checks clock and IT'S STILL ONLY 10:30.*
The worst.
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As I've said before, Sundays are my favorite day to cook, but I really prefer the recipes to be of the low-and-slow-comfort-food variety, so that cooking feels leisurely and low key, especially in the winter. I made this dish on a freezing cold Sunday at about noon, and it had my apartment smelling like absolute heaven by 2:00. There is nothing on earth that smells like a red wine braise, especially with garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Oh my goodness.
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Have you guys ever had lettuce wraps before? They are so tasty. And it seems strange to say, but the lettuce actually makes this meal, in my opinion. In contrast to all those recipes out there that sub lettuce for some kind of carb, this one isn’t making any substitutions. The lettuce is purposeful and right, and I promise you—you will not want to eat this dish any other way. It consists of ground turkey (or chicken, I've used both!) and sautéed onion and garlic with all the best Asian flavors: fresh ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and Sriracha. And water chestnuts! One of the most underrated ingredients—such great texture and flavor. The result is such a satisfying light lunch that just might rival the version you’ve had at that one Asian restaurant chain that I secretly love.
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As much as I love cooking, I just as much love being cooked for. Why does it always taste better when someone else makes it?! Fact. And even if by ‘cooking’ I just mean being poured a bowl of cereal...it’s still the best! Whether it’s a hearty dinner or something simple and thrown together, it just always feels special. It sounds strange, but I so look forward to a day of having little munchkins running around my house who might one day decide to make me breakfast or something special for Mother’s Day—I think I’ll find it the absolute sweetest thing on earth.
Anyway, Jon makes a great lasagna, and it’s one of my very favorite home-cooked, indulgent comfort foods...
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Done right, this is an appetizer that holds its own among the greats. The green goddess dip is key here with its seriously zesty zip from garlic, green onion, lemon juice, and lots and lots of fresh basil. It is a perfect appetizer to throw together at a moment’s notice during this party-filled time of year. Because it is relatively simple in nature, I really like to focus on a pretty presentation, which is no more work but results in a slightly classier finished product.
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Punch is such a communal way to drink a cocktail. I love it! It's the ultimate party drink, and it has been since childhood days.
Looking back at chorus concerts and band concerts in 4th grade, the best part (probably for all involved) was the mini reception afterward that undoubtedly served either lemonade or punch the old school way—with sherbet in it. This remained true for birthday parties throughout childhood, as well as in college for my sorority's events: punch was always a no brainer.
And now in adulthood, the idea of punch has had a bit of a rebirth, especially due to the recent cocktail Renaissance that I've been closely exposed to through Jon. His bar/restaurant, Ox & Stone, serves "Punch with friends" which is quite literally a big punch bowl with customized spirits for the group of friends who orders it. It's my favorite way to imbibe at Ox!
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I feel like brunch is one of those meals that is supposed to be relaxed. It’s a Sunday morning, or even Christmas morning, and it’s cold and quiet and snowy outside, and I'm with my favorite people. In my mind’s eye, I see myself floating around effortlessly, sipping on a cup of coffee, chatting with my friends or family, and serving up a casual but delicious meal. But in my actual eye, I see myself juggling the timing of each dish, handling hot pans dripping with grease and making a mess everywhere I go, and trying to tackle the salty-sweet dilemma that everyone faces at breakfast time.
This dish is the answer to this real struggle—it’s the perfect meal to serve comfortably, unrushed, and still with that hint of decadence that brunch always begs for—i.e. it can rise to the Bloody Mary and mimosa occasion.
Oh and it also makes the best leftovers for lunch and dinner!
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Me and everyone else after Thanksgiving: diet starts tomorrow
Me and everyone else after the weekend following Thanskgiving: diet starts Monday
Me and everyone else Monday: diet starts January 2nd
The. struggle….
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I’m a little amazed that this is my first coconut recipe on the blog, but it’s a fitting first because it’s a tried and true favorite. Coconut is so, well, special. There’s no other flavor like it, and it ramps up everything that it’s in. Some of my favorites include: coconut curry, coconut gelato, pina coladas, and coconut macaroons. I even love that weird fake coconut scent a la tanning lotion from 9th grade. I love putting coconut oil in my hair even though I’m not convinced it’s even doing anything other than staining my leather couch when my pigeon brain forgets that I’m doing a coconut oil treatment. I love eating fresh coconut, and speaking of, how much better does coconut anything taste when you’re on the beach? Take me there!
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While stuffing may not be the star of the show, it’s nearly always the fan favorite. I know it's certainly my favorite part. It’s everything I love combined into one giant casserole, or better yet cooked right inside the turkey itself. But as much as I love it, I also secretly love that for whatever reason, it has mostly remained a Thanksgiving-only dish. I hate to think of any part of the meal becoming monotonous if we served it more often.
This is a really, really tasty take on stuffing with a little bit of a Southern spin. Its base is cornbread, and it's filled with sausage, bell peppers, celery, onions, corn, and lots of those fresh herbs more traditionally associated with Thanksgiving. It’s spicy and a little sweet, with great depth of flavor from all the vegetables and different herbs.
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One of my favorite absurd games to play is the “no calorie” game. Here’s the game: if you could pick three foods that would magically become zero-calorie foods, what would you choose? The rules are flexible and pretty much anything goes—but you can’t say things like “sweets.” However, you can say “pizza” even though it consists of many different food items. Everyone I introduce to this game takes it very seriously—which makes sense because it’s really realistic/important/relevant/topical. Just kidding but for some reason everyone loves it. After 20 minutes of consideration and back and forth about contenders, it’s oddly depressing when you remember it’s not actually going to happen. But *~*dReAm BiG*~*
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As hard as I try to change it, I’m just not a huge fan of salmon. It’d be the last thing I’d order off a menu, and I’ve had too many bad versions of it to leave me very hopeful about having my mind changed. However, I can name a lot of people whose favorite fish is salmon! It’s just a divisive taste, I suppose. I absolutely love, though, all of the flavors that are so often served alongside of it—dill, lemon, creamy yogurt and sour cream, red onion, etc. And I’ve discovered a particular kind of smoked salmon that I really, really enjoy.
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