Pumpkin Cornbread with Lemon Ricotta 30 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Bread & Rolls.add a comment
I lurk on cookery blogs like no-body’s business. I have this fiendish tendency to print out the recipies, take them home, write out the grocery list….but never actually make the dish in question. Terrible. I know. Someone slap my wrist. So, today while I was clicking around The Internets I decided to go ahead and try this particular recipe from Pleasant and Plump. I knew I had all the ingredients and even though January isn’t typically a “pumpkin” month, I am a personal believer that pumpkin and gingerbread should never be “out of season.”
This recipe was a complete disappointment. I was hoping for something more cake-like. I was hoping for something less gritty and cornmealy. I was hoping for so much, and this dry-ish, gritty result just didn’t cut it for me. Perhaps I had my expectations too high. Now I need pumpkin cookies or pumpkin bread to soften the blow. However, the ricotta, which was my addition, was delightful.
Broccoli-Craisen salad 30 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Family Specialties, Salad, Side Dish.add a comment
I don’t know what it is lately that is making me crave “Summer Foods.” First chicken salad, and now this! My Aunt D. would make this particular deliciousness for all of our family BBQs. I must have been feeling broccoli-deficient or something, because the other day this is the only thing that sounded tasty. So I called her up and was quite pleased to find I had everything that was needed in my cupboard. Score! This recipe takes all of 7 minutes to make and it is essential that you use the freshest broccoli possible. Try it, you will like it!
Vegetable Stir Fry with Ginger Shrimp 30 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Chinese, Quick and Easy Meals.add a comment
I’ve been experimenting with veggies lately, and many of my attempts have been somewhat ho-hum. For the record, adding radicchio to anything is a bad idea. Radicchio is a pure, vegetable FAIL. This was actually a second attempt at dinner after radicchio ruined a perfectly lovely quiche. I basically just threw together some veggie left-overs from the week and Viola! The result was a fantastic stir-fry. I didn’t bother cooking rice although I’m sure it would have filled me up a bit more.
The fresh ginger gives this dish a delightful kick, add more if you are feeling gingery. Red pepper flakes or Thai Hot sauce would also be a tasty addition if you are feeling a bit spicy.
Crunchy Chicken Salad 30 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish.add a comment
During the summer one of my meal staples is chicken salad in croissants, it just says “no-heating-required meal!”. And “cliche wedding reception.” And “baby/bridal shower.” Even so, for whatever reason I was craving chicken salad. I decided to change it up a little and add extra veggies instead of grapes and walnuts–I don’t like walnuts. The result was a typical chicken salad, but with all the extra veggies it was crunchy instead of mushy and quite satisfying. You could also add some pasta to make this a more filling snack.
Sauteed Shrimp with Baby Bok Choy 9 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Chinese, Quick and Easy Meals.add a comment
So, while I was at the grocery store the other day I saw these cute little baby bok choy’s. I’ve never had bok choy, but they looked so fresh and sweet. So I picked up a handful of them. And then I thought “hey, shrimp might go with bok choy”…like I know what “goes” with a vegetable I have never tasted. But I picked up a handful of them (the butchers, plastic gloved, handful).
When I got home, I scoured the fridge for additional bok choy-y veggies to make a stir-fry. The end result was pretty good, although I think I’d have added a little more ginger, and maybe even a little balsamic vinegar.
Rosemary Chicken and Breadsticks 9 January 2009
Posted by heidikins in Bread & Rolls, Pasta, Poultry.1 comment so far
Rosemary Chicken, one of my favorite dishes of all time. This was my first time creating it on my own, and I had quite a few changes to the original recipe. Plus, I have been having cravings for breadsticks for ages. Mmmmmmm, so delicious.
I think I could have doubled the sauce and added some kind of tangy cheese to better the sauce…definitely something to tinker with.
Also, the breadsticks didn’t really rise as well as I thought they would and were a bit chewy, but I think that might have something to do with the yeast that had been sitting in the freezer for a year, and the coldness of my house. Like always, the recipe is after the break.
