steak salad with fennel and pomegranate
I can’t believe that this is the first salad that I am going to post. I love salad above all other meals (most of the time) and eat them all of the time. But I guess this is the first one that seemed “special” enough to share. Usually I go overboard and try to add too many ingredients — use any and all veggies that I have in the house — so I made an effort to keep things simple and it resulted in a delicious dinner.
Happy New Year! Did you all have fun ringing in 2013? I was at work, but it was good non-the-less. So I was still drinking bubbly today to celebrate on a night off. Champagne with pomegranate seeds. Yummy! You could definitely crush and strain the seeds, only adding the juice but I liked biting into one with each sip for a little sweet/tart burst. And it went so well with dinner, something a little different than red wine with steak.
a smitten dutch baby
I just got back from such a wonderful vacation. There is nothing quite like being home for the holidays — spending time in the house I grew up in, visiting family and old friends after being away for too long. It felt so nice to be (Minnesota) home. So I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long for this next installment on the what-to-eat train, but I, like most, got swept into the exciting buzz of the season. But now that I am (Montana) home, I am here to dazzle you anew with tales of pastries and pastas, and plenty of vegetables.
I was so so so excited to get a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (thanks, Lauren!). Part of the 16 hour drive back consisted of me reading through a solid quarter of the book, drooling over recipes to try upon arrival. Reading about food is maybe not the best idea on a road trip, however, because it inevitably results in serious hunger. So Andy and I stopped for lunch and when we returned to the car, my shiny new book looked like this:
Apparently dogs drool over the Smitten Kitchen too. It kind of brings new meaning to the phrase, “My dog ate my homework.” Only this time, it’s more like, “My dog ate my textbook (sized cookbook).”
“How’d you do that? I’m not even mad… that’s amazing.” Continue Reading →
zucchini quiche with sausage
I love Christmas. I love Christmas music. I love decorating. I love making hundreds of cookies to (hopefully — that’s a lot of cookies to eat) giveaway. I love hot, tasty beverages that feel right to drink this time of year. I love wrapping and giving presents. I love getting presents. I love that I get to go home this year and spend Christmas with my whole family. I love that Christmas comes once a year and is the perfect opportunity to nerd out on tradition. And if any of you know my family (or more likely are my family), you know that tradition is HUGE. Here are a few things you may or may not know about Christmas:
- It is sacrilegious to eat pie with Cool Whip. Whipped cream or bust!
- A few batches of cookies will never do. You need enough to feed a small army.
- Pop-y Christmas music is just the worst. Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, anyone? That’s where it’s at. Continue Reading →
breakfast bulgur wheat
Nom, nom, nom. I love this tasty, healthy breakfast. It has all the elements that make a breakfast great. There is whole grain (from the bulgur wheat), calcium (from the yogurt), vitamins and sweetness (from the berries), and a little protein (from the nuts) — and of course a cup of coffee for good measure. All this is important to getting my day started well. Oh yeah, and it tastes really good. Perfect before heading out to find and cut down this years Christmas tree, which was a bit strange as it was 50+ degrees and there was no snow. My Sorrels proved to not be necessary. When you pick a tree do you like a full and fabulous one or a Charlie Brown-y? Ours turned out to be somewhere in the middle this year.
Continue Reading →
spritz cookies
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderfully long holiday weekend, full of food, fun, and family. We had a great day here. It started with a snowy walk in the mountains to whet the appetite (and check out the ice in Hyalite!). When we got home, we put the chicken in the oven to roast (turkey seemed a bit excessive for two) and it only took two hours (!!!) to cook. What a wonderfully easy Thanksgiving it was.
But now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time for Christmas. This weekend I had my first brandy eggnog and taste of White Christmas (thanks Nick and Jocelyn!). Our moms love that movie and seem to have made it a holiday tradition. So after that the night before, what better time to start baking Christmas cookies than on a snowy Sunday afternoon in late November? Continue Reading →