“30 Seconds to Taste” is what I call my trusty tactics for making fresh herbs a quick and easy part of a busy lifestyle. Some nights I have less than an hour to throw together a nutritious meal for my teenage son Ben, and I often have to make do with whatever I can rummage up in the refrigerator. With a family and a small business, I hardly have time to cook, and at the end of the day, do I really want to anyway?
I was looking for some way to brighten up yet another gray February day, when I happened upon this sunshine-bright (my new favorite food blog). There’s so much delicious citrus being harvested on the West Coast right now, and no time like the present to take advantage of it, so I went for it. Combining the herbal zip of fresh lemongrass, the lush flavor of vanilla bean and the sweetness of honey with fresh grapefruit, oranges, and oroblanco, this salad is easy to whip up and fun to eat. Even Ben had seconds–and that’s saying something. Don’t forget to garnish with lime zest and a sprig of fresh mint.
A good casserole can be a girl’s best friend. Do a little prep, pop it in the oven, and you and your family can eat for a week. But, so many casserole recipes are filed with an excess of ground meat, high-fat cheese, and calorie-laden carbs. A healthy, tasty, and satisfying casserole recipe can be hard to come by.
That’s why I was so excited to find this from Faith Durand’s new cookbook Not Your Mother’s Casseroles. This casserole gets flavor from fresh parsley and rosemary, a touch of tartness from fresh lemon juice, and just enough creaminess from yogurt and cottage cheese. Topped with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, it has a crispy golden crust that will make this recipe a seasonal standby in no time.
I’ve been working on making a special cocktail for my sweetie this Valentine’s Day. It has to be special, and of course, it has to be red! So, I’m going with this Tart Cherry and Tarragon Chiller. And, the good news? It’s simple. Just get our your cocktail shaker, and muddle together 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice with 1 teaspoon of superfine sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of minced, fresh tarragon. Add ice cubes, 1/4 cup light rum, and 1/2 cup of tart cherry juice. Shake, and serve garnished with fresh tarragon. For an extra special touch, soak a few dried, tart cherries in dark rum; skewer on a toothpick; and serve alongside the tarragon. This recipe makes enough for two, and it is sure to make your Valentine’s Day a special one.
I want my family to eat healthy, so a big, hearty salad is one of our favorite go-to-meals. But in the winter when it’s cold outside, a salad of chilled lettuce and vegetables loses its appeal. All I want is something warm!
Thank goodness for this . In addition to hot, homemade croutons that you toss in just before serving, this salad combines winter salad greens, like radicchio, red-leaf lettuce, frisee and endive, with hazelnuts, bacon, Parmesan cheese, and to create a warm, filling, and healthy side dish. Served with grilled chicken breasts, shrimp, or steak, this is a quick and easy meal that is guaranteed to keep the winter chill away.
It’s the holiday season—that time of year when work gets crazy, the family is super-busy, and my schedule is packed. I can hardly find time to sleep much less cook a wholesome meal for Tom and Ben. Sure, you can always just cook up a chicken breast or a piece of fish in a sauté pan, but what do you serve alongside? Some nights even the thought of chopping and tossing up a salad seems like too much work.
Thank goodness for that uses just five ingredients—cornmeal, water, fresh thyme, butter, and black pepper—to make a warm and comforting side dish perfect for any occasion. Topped with soups and stews or served alongside chicken, fish, or steak, polenta is not the long-cooking, hard-stirring cornmeal everyone once thought it was. In just ten to fifteen minutes and a few swirls of the whisk, it’s on the table and ready to eat so that you can get back to enjoying the holidays.
“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…” It’s one of my favorite Christmas carols. And in honor of the “partridge in a pear tree,” I really wanted to come up with a cocktail that involved pear to serve to guests on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, . With a beautiful green hue from fresh pear slices, pear nectar, and fresh basil and just the right amount of punch from pear-flavored vodka, this cocktail is sure to have your guests singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in no time. Be sure to garnish with more fresh basil.
Family is one of the best and, sometimes, one of the most challenging things about the holidays. Tom’s sister is coming to town with her kids for the holidays this year, which is great because Tom and I both adore her! But (and you knew there had to be a “but”), she’s a vegetarian, and what’s more, she’s chosen to raise her kids as vegetarians too. Which wouldn’t be a problem, except that it means that not only can I not rely ca on my go-to carnivorous mains, but I also have to do my best to do the impossible and make something that’s kid-friendly.
As is so often the case, the folks over at MarthaStewart.com had the answer: . All the tastes of the season, none of the meat, and what kid can resist a hot, cheesy slice of lasagna?
Yes, this recipe calls for homemade lasagna noodles. And yes, I know what you’re thinking: Who has the time? Nobody. I buy mine from my fresh local pasta shop. Don’t have one? Don’t worry. More and more grocery stores are offering either fresh or frozen homemade pasta. Either of these options will work wonders in a pinch, and help make this meal come together fast.
Filled with lots of fresh sage, sweet butternut squash, and creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, this dish is sure to please both young and old, both omnivores and herbivores, alike.
Flipping through Southern Living last month, I came upon for sparkling autumn Chianti. A brilliant red color, this fruit-forward autumnal beverage is filled with festive flavors from fresh slices of apples, pears, and plums as well as sprigs of fresh rosemary. Combining sparkling white wine and rich Chianti, this drink is elegant and packs a punch. I’m thinking of making it for my annual holiday open house. Don’t forget to have extra rosemary sprigs on hand for garnish!
Much to Ben’s chagrin, I try not to serve pizza for dinner on a regular basis, but when I do, I always make sure I serve a side salad along with it so that I can at least claim to be serving a “healthy” dinner. Unfortunately, more often than not, that salad goes uneaten, sitting forlornly by as Tom and Ben go back for seconds, and thirds, of pepperoni ‘n’ sausage, thick-crust, cheesy, gooey goodness. But, no longer!
I’ve finally found the way to foil their salad-less plans, with this arugula-topped pizza. I just take a basic pizza dough (I actually buy mine from Sam’s club, but you can whip one up in about an hour by following ), roll it out, brush it with olive oil, top it with grated mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of salt, and then it pop it into a 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes. While it’s baking, I toss lots of fresh arugula in a tangy lemon vinaigrette, and when the pizza comes out of the oven—no need for tongs!—I just dump the salad on top. It’s actually delicious and surprisingly refreshing. Not quite pepperoni ‘n’ sausage, mind you, but still—we’ll be having a pizza for dinner a lot more often.
I was paging through my copy of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine when I happened upon these and immediately thought—hold the phone! These seemed just too cute. And of course, they’re “mini,” which makes them perfect if you’re concerned about portion control. So, I got out my mixing bowl and whipped up a batch, and it was easy as pie–or, well, muffins. I had them ready for Tom and Ben as a snack on Sunday afternoon along with some Rosemary Tea. It was a hit! As Tom said, if I keep making these, I might even be in the running for mom/wife of the year!
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