On any given night at our house, my daughter will request this, a spicy, garlicy pasta that she adores. To say her adoration of this dish defies all odds is putting it mildly; this is a girl for whom mac and cheese on a day in, day out basis poses no problems. It’s perfect for days when she hasn’t really eaten much, primarily because I can feel she’s getting her fill, what with the omega-3 fortified pasta, the antioxidants found in the parsley and the garlic, and the healthy fat provided by the olive oil.
Spatchcocked Rosemary Chicken
Chicken caught in a compromising position: You could call it butterflied or split, but why bother when there’s a word like “spatchcock” to be bandied about? By it I mean the process of wrenching out the backbone of a chicken and smashing its breastplate flat with your bare hands, turning the already dead chicken into the equivalent of culinary road kill.
Strawberry-Banana Protein Smoothie
Try this breezy little treat after a workout, to hold you over until dinner or any time you need something crisp and refreshing. I even added a secret ingredient, lime juice, to get some tropical sweetness into the mix. Plus it’s packed with protein to help you feel full longer on fewer calories. I’ll drink to that!
Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil
I like meat. Specifically, I like grilled meat, hot and with a savory crust. So it obviously makes sense that when my vegetarian friend came to dinner, I made my fabulous Best Chicken Ever.
Rosemary Garlic Grilled Chicken
I am a collector of recipes. I find them everywhere, from the most obvious sources (cook books, magazines and websites) to the least (backs of herb packaging, insides of couscous boxes).
But it never occurred to me to search inside the pages of literature until I found the one recipe that changed my life. (And really, the lives of all chickens I’ve met since then.) I even grow rosemary, me with the black thumb, specifically for this dish.
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
I love that this dressing makes me feel like I’m in a small French café instead of my kitchen surrounded by dishes.
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (even lovlier with white pepper)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1. Combine all but the olive oil in a small bowl; slowly whisk together.
2. Drizzle the oil into the dressing, a quarter cup at a time, whisking all the while.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Store unused portion in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. Stir before using.
Basic Vinaigrette
Please close your eyes, gloppy half used bottle of Trader Joe’s Green Goddess. Stop looking at me that way expired Cindy’s Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette that I bought at Costco last spring. It couldn’t be helped. We all knew that one day we’d have to part ways. That day is here.
Pistou, Part Deux
Turned out, the substitutions didn’t really fly for me, although my Gonzo husband liked it. Hey, one out of two ain’t bad.
And that’s the thing when cooking – it’s an experiment. It’s subjective. As with all things that embrace opinion over fact, some folks will like it, others won’t. But the important thing is to keep trying. Or in this case, keep cooking.
Here’s the scoop. I took the Penne with Zucchini Pistou recipe from July 2010’s Cooking Light magazine and tweaked it a bit.
Case in point:
• Instead of pine nuts (super expensive at $8/bag) I subbed in sunflower seeds (über cheap – already in my pantry!). Never mind the fact that the sweet buttery richness of the pine nut is far superior (I think, at least as a snacking food) to the humble sunflower seed.
• Then I used half basil and half wild arugula instead of all basil.
What I ended up was, obviously, a perfectly edible dish, one that was light and fresh but without any oomph to speak of. It completely lacked the creamy, cheesy richness of the version I enjoyed at my friend Shannon’s house. So instead of following my suggestions on this one, I’d suggest heading over to www.cookinglight.com and checking out their much better version (search “Penne with Zucchini Pistou”).
And if yours doesn’t turn out, do what I should have done: add more cheese!
Visiting the Vista Farmer’s Market
I’ll admit that, in the past, a visit to the farmer’s market has been mystifying at best. Oh sure, I’d buy peaches and strawberries and lettuce, all far fresher than what’s on my grocery store’s shelves. But once home, I made the same things with my purchases that I’ve done a million times before. Boring!