All posts tagged: for the love of cooking

A Pasta Recipe and Other Topics To Share

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While serving my mother chicken Fajita last night for dinner, she asked if there were any surprises for her to look forward to – in terms of dinner. So I told her, I was considering making this pasta and she actually grimaced at the idea of lemon in pasta. Which happens to be my favorite – ingredient – Shrimp Scampi, which I often substitute with Salmon.  Artichoke steamed in olive oil and lemon – all recipes I learned from my Mediterranean family. Anyway, back to the pasta – check out the simple ingredients making up a very flavorful meal – and will pair nicely with a glass of my favorite cab and sure, salad too. Recipe: Spaghetti With Creamy Lemon Sauce Serves 4 2 lemons 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil Scant 1 cup of half-and-half 1 egg yolk 3/4 pound (about 4 portions) spaghetti A small bunch of thyme Fine sea salt Freshly ground black pepper {more} I keep thinking I want to share my personal recipes with all of you – someday soon, …

Dessert: Coconut Pie

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I woke up today craving all sorts of desserts – so you know where my mind was about dinner tonight – or maybe after dinner tonight: INGREDIENTS CRUST 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon Domino® Golden Sugar 6 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed COCONUT FILLING 4 large egg yolks 1/4 cup cornstarch 2 (14 ounce) cans full fat coconut milk 1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon Domino® Golden Sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons salted butter 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut 1 cup cold heavy cream zest of 1 lemon toasted coconut, for serving  {more here} Featured image and recipe source and full credit 

Food: Homemade Ready Meals

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I’m not a fan of cooking a batch of something and then freezing a portion for another day. But I do know folks that brag about the technique. So if you are curious, here’s some options to consider stocking up in your freezer for a ready meal. Maybe I’ll test it out the next time or when I can solo travel, with my family meals prepped and ready for their dining pleasure 🙂 Featured image full credit. For the complete list of meals go here

Food: Dinner Tonight – Beef Bourguignon

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Although this recipe calls for beef short ribs, I am going to go with grass-fed organic beef stew chunks I’ve purchased from the grocers and was wondering which direction to take our dinner tonight. For the stew: 1/2 pound boneless beef short ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 pinch each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 large shallot, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1 dried or fresh bay leaf 1 cup red wine (I used a Côtes de Bordeaux) 1 cup water 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 small carrots, thickly cut on the bias (about 4 ounces) Mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice, for serving For the gremolata: 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs 1/2 garlic clove, grated 1/2 lemon, zested 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 pinch each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste  {more} Featured image and full recipe credit here On another note – what films have you seen lately? If you’ve run out ideas, may I suggest…

Food: Dinner Tonight – From Taco to Chicken Skewers

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I spent the entire morning in line, plus grocery shopping with not much luck in finding everything in one store. What I dislike the most about this sort of shopping experience, is that it is difficult to stick to a menu for the week, like I used to when I trekked over to my favorite Trader Joe’s and picked up the same proteins, plus the ingredients for my weekly, taco, pasta, chicken, seafood, salad and soup dish.  Not complaining hopefully, just painting the picture. Anyway, while stuffing my freezer with all the things I bought  on “I think I might need,” since we can’t just run to the store anymore on a whim to pick up missing ingredients, I had trouble settling on what’s for dinner tonight.  So, I’ve included my first and second choices just in case one stands out over the other 😉 Option One – If you are craving chicken Option two – Taco for any day of the week and then some     {recipe and photo source} {featured image source}

Food: Dinner Tonight- Spicy Eggplant Pasta

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I love eggplant and have incorporated the veggie in many pasta dishes, similar to this recipe I found online. Just a hint for the meat-lovers – you can saute and add ground Italian sausage to the mix and serve it up with freshly crated Parmesan cheese Ingredients  2 medium eggplants 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups chopped plum tomatoes or one 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dry oregano 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, plus extra for finishing 1/4 cup fresh, chopped basil, plus extra for finishing 1 pound linguine pasta  {more}   Although I normally buy ready-made apple dumpling from Trader Joe with every visit, I have found a recipe here which I am going to try over the weekend.    {photo and recipe source}

Holiday Series: Thanksgiving Preliminary Prep

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I start out with one menu – and then shift it throughout the week leading to Thanksgiving, so with that mindset, here’s what I am considering for the holiday, perhaps even leading to smaller dinner parties up to New Year’s eve. {featured source and inspiration for this blog post}

Food: Dinner Tonight – Beef Stew Updated

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My mother is so cute. She attempted a beef stew last night and when I walked into her kitchen to check in on her after the craziness called my life, she told me she had no idea why the meal tasted bland. I took a peek into the pot and noticed, a dozen pieces of cubed beef simply boiled with a few slices of onion and peppercorn – which makes the best of broth, but not really the ideal beef stew without the veggies and some sort of sauce. I reassured her that I could salvage the boiled beef cubes by turning it into a mouth-watering meal with a side of mashed potatoes (her eyes lit up). So guess what’s happening for dinner tonight? INGREDIENTS 3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cubed kosher salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 shallots, thinly sliced 6 carrots, chopped 2 cups apple cider 1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon can also use beef broth 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons tomato …

Food: Dinner Tonight – Chicken In French Wine and Mustard

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Told the hubs I wanted to go to dinner tonight. But what I was meaning to say is that I wanted to indulge in a meal that is different from the normal cooking I do in my household. So while he thinks we are going out, I am going to surprise with this wonderful variation to the otherwise mundane chicken. INGREDIENTS 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc 1/3 cup heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 2 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard 2 shallots chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated kosher salt and pepper 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, skin on or off 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage 2 tablespoons salted butter 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1/2 bunch kale, chopped mashed potatoes or steamed rice, for serving {more} Followed by this Avocado-Chocolate pudding dessert and if avocado isn’t your thing, here’s a list of other healthy dessert options.   

Food: Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup

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First craving for soup means my body is acknowledging that Fall is around the corner and although we normally have our Indian Summer this time of year, too bad, soup is officially on the menu and this one is a great start – at least I think so: INGREDIENTS • Drizzle of coconut oil • 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped roughly • 2.5cm/1in piece of root ginger, peeled and chopped roughly • Pinch of salt • 1 tsp ground turmeric • 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped • 1 tbsp tamari • 1 x 400ml coconut milk, plus a little to serve • 1 ltr/1 3/4pt vegetable stock • 4 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast • Dried chilli flakes and sliced fresh chilli, to serve {more} {featured image source and recipe inspiration} On another note: Do you adore watching classic films during the Fall/Autumn months? I do – here’s a list in case you’ve forgotten which ones.