This is a salad I learned from my mother. She makes it all summer long, to accompany salmon or steak, or as a light lunch with tomatoes and sourdough bread.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Baked Fries
As a food blogger with a picky eater in the house (my little miss), life in the kitchen can get frustrating at times. I am super happy to report, therefore, that this recipe by Gwyneth Paltrow for baked fries, which I first spotted in Self Magazine, was a winner with Little GG.
Baked Eggs with Herbs
This endlessly adaptable recipe is perfect any time of day. In addition to herbs, you could add any cooked chopped vegetables or protein you have on hand. Serve with fruit and toast for an elegant breakfast, or toss together a quick salad for a light lunch or dinner.
Rosemary Popovers
The first time I had popovers was at the Neiman Marcus café in San Diego’s Fashion Valley Mall. They were light and flakey, and pulled apart as easily as cotton candy. Served with warm chamomile tea and pristine white linens in the elegantly hushed tearoom, the popovers were a taste memory I returned to again and again.
Please, Take My Pepper
I’d rather eat a pig’s ear than a pepper
As a food blogger, my own personal challenge is to seek out and discover new cultures through food. If I can’t travel to Morocco, at least I can prepare a savory lamb tagine. While visiting Paris every year is out of the question, making a cheese soufflé is not. And so on.
As a food eater, however, I’ve hit a roadblock: peppers. Bell peppers, red, green and yellow; jalapeño or poblano chili peppers; cayenne chile peppers; cherry chile peppers…the list is endless. If a pepper has so much as touched a mere micro-area of my food, it’s all over for me.
You’d think I could just get over it, right? After all, I can’t stand the thought of having an olive with my afternoon cocktail, but sprinkle a few on a Parmesan flat bread and I’m in heaven. The notion of eating pigeon doesn’t appeal, but if a three-star Michelin offered one up I wouldn’t say no. But there is simply nothing, nothing anyone can do with a pepper that will make me rejoice.
I do not like them cold in salads. I do not like them hot in soups. I do not want them roasted with onions over my chicken. I do not want them for crunch in a sandwich. I do not want them grilled with my cowboy steak. I do not want them sprinkled throughout my couscous. I do not want them stuffed with meat, orzo or rice.
So please, take my pepper.
The point is, there are simply foods we cannot learn to love. There is clearly something in my DNA that forbids my taste buds from appreciating the biting, hot flavor of any pepper in any way, shape or form. And that’s okay. I’ve come to terms with my distaste for all things pepper related. I don’t think it makes me less of a foodie, cook or blogger to recognize my shortcoming. After all, every personal challenge needs a hiccup here and there.
Thanks to the always sassy Mama Kat for her weekly writing workshop. If you’d like to get it on the fun, check out this week’s prompt here and submit your essay here.
Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
This is a simple, elegant vinaigrette that slips as easily over spinach salad as it does fresh salmon. Tightly sealed, it keeps well in the refrigerator. With its crisp combination of Champagne vinegar and lemon juice against the sweet fresh basil, this dressing tastes of spring.
Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
¼ cup Champagne vinegar
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon scallions, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (optional)
- Whisk together the oil and vinegar until combined, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
- Salt and pepper to taste, using a lettuce leaf, not a fork, to taste.
Congo Bars, A Family Recipe
When given the option between sweet and savory, I’ll inevitably select savory. Rosemary roasted almonds versus chocolate truffles? The almonds win nearly every time. With that in mind, there are very few baked goods recipes that I know by heart.
Chicken & Spinach Flatbread Pizza
Lately I’ve been craving pizza, most likely because I spent the month of April burning every pizza pie that crossed my path. This flatbread pizza is easily adaptable to whatever leftover meat, vegetables and cheese you have on hand.
It’s easy enough to whip up for lunch, and filling enough to satisfy for dinner. I use Trader Joe’s flatbread, but if you’re ambitious enough to make your own, this version from Smitten Kitchen looks tasty.
Chicken & Spinach Flatbread Pizza
1 large whole wheat flatbread
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup goat cheese (feta works well, too)
3/4 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Smear the tomato sauce over the flatbread, leaving a 1/2 inch or so on the edges.
3. Pile on the spinach, chicken and goat cheese, spreading evenly over the flatbread.
4. Bake for 6-10 minutes, or until the cheese turns brown. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
Adapted from The New Abs Diet Cookbook.
Greek Salad Sandwich
Lately I can’t get enough rosemary garlic bread. It’s an artisanal bread that I buy locally, at La Costa Farms, and it’s good enough to eat plain, better with butter and sublime when turned into a Greek salad sandwich.