pesto pea salad

from ina garten's barefoot contessa at home comes my new favorite salad.  srsly.

ingredients

1 package baby spinach

1/2 package frozen peas, thawed and slightly cool

fresh pesto (recipe to follow)

parmesan cheese (for grating on top)

4 tsp. (or whatever) toasted pine nuts

method

rinse and dry spinach.  put in salad bowl.  (duh.)

to make pesto, place 2-3 handfuls fresh basil, 1 clove of garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  turn on machine; as it is blending, slowly add olive oil until it reaches a relatively pureed consistency.  turn off processor.  grate parmesan cheese into the bowl, and add about 5 tsp. toasted pine nuts.  continue to blend, and add ingredients as you see fit.

finally, add peas to spinach, spoon pesto on top, toss, and serve with extra grated parm. and toasted pine nuts on top.

so simple.  so delicious.  so summertime.  yum!

cha-ching chicken

extra, extra.  i have a very important news announcement.  this might come as a shock to some of you, but i have learned that IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO GO TO THE SUPERMARKET EVERY SINGLE DAY.  i know what you must be thinking (seriously...is this girl dumb or what?) but i admit that, once upon a time, i had a very time-consuming, annoying, and expensive habit of going to the grocery store every day.  my indecisive brain was unable to come up with a dinner idea until i was hungry for dinner a couple of hours before i'd start cooking it.

but last night, i was converted to a meal-planning, smart-shopping, money-saving gal.  sitting around the dining room table, feeling the familiar, faint pangs of hunger that signal that it's time to start cookin', my darling boyfriend gently suggested that rather than shopping for just that night's meal, we do something insane and plan ahead.  whoaaaaa crazy spring break keg stand ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!11!!!!!

now, initially i screwed up my nose at the idea.  sure, portobello mushroom lasagna sounds good now... but i might have a craving for something else by the time wednesday night rolls around!  but ultimately, i was swayed by my better, more practical half (and my incredible shrinking bank account) that planning ahead was indeed a wise idea.

indeed: wise, swift, efficient, and amazingly cost effective.  after a 30 minute trip to the supermarket, we emerged with 4 shopping bags (which we remembered to bring along!) filled to the brim with enough food for 4 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, all for a grand total of....$84.13 (and we always split the bill).

that's 12 meals for about 40 bucks!  amazing, i say.  simply amazing.

so, what's on the menu for this week? 

last night- dr. praeger's veggie burgers (previously existing in freezer), bean salad, corn on the cob

today- roast chicken, pesto pea salad, and roasted veggie potato skins

tomorrow- ginger chicken salad (lunch), thai peanut noodles (dinner)

day after tomorrow- bean salad and bread with hummus (lunch), portobello parmesan (dinner)

 

right now, there's a delicious chicken roasting in the oven which will provide us with 3 meals (2 dinners and a lunch).  stay tuned for more recipes involving the amazing roasted stretch-a-chicken, perfect for penny pinchers everywhere.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have better things to do instead of queueing in the god-awful self checkout at acme.

secret weapon

last night, there was a surplus of fresh raspberries in the fridge that were going to mush if i didn't do something with them quickly.  solution?  ding!  enter the torte.

thank me for giving you this recipe.  it is my secret weapon, my go-to, never-fail delicious dessert that is so easy that you won't even believe it.

the best thing about the batter is that it is not only foolproof, but it is a great base for doing whatever you want with it.  when i first learned this recipe, it was for a plum torte, using small italian plum halves.  in the winter, i use the same batter but layer cranberries and apples on top, and load up the spices.  so, last night, with no plums, cranberries, or apples, but a surfeit of raspberries, i knew exactly what to do.

raspberryplumcranberryapple torte

ingredients

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 c. raspberries, rinsed; OR 3 c. cranberries, rinsed, plus 3 apples, peeled and sliced; OR 12 italian plums, rinsed, pitted, and halved; OR whatever else you could possibly imagine

sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg

method

in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  add eggs, flour, baking powder, and vanilla and spices.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  butter and flour a springform pan*, then slowly spread the batter over the pan (it will be a thick, almost dough-like consistency).  carefully sprinkle your fruit of choice over the top of the cake.  sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top.

bake on a rack positioned 3/4 of the way down in the oven, for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

*i didn't have a springform pan last night, and the pans that i did have were all too big to hold the small amount of batter.  solution?  double batch.  problem solved... more torte for everyone!!  

from mexico to the mediterreanean

i just got back from an incredible trip to mexico.  for a whole week, i was living like a princess.  our meals were cooked, our beds were made, we walked down old cobblestone streets that were reminiscent of the 1913 revolutionary days.  but after a week, my body was begging for me to feed it something that did not revolve around corn tortillas (my arch-nemesis).*

that being said, last night we concocted a delicious creation that filled the house with the old, familiar smell of garlic sizzling in a pan of olive oil.  after uncorking a bottle of charles shaw shiraz (c'mon, 3 buck chuck?  we are in a recession, after all) i was happy to be bustling around in my own kitchen once more cooking yet another delicious, creative, and satisfying meal.

so...away we go...

*don't get me wrong, the food that i ate in mexico was some of the best i have ever had in my life.  none of your run-of-the-mill, neighborhood mexican joint fare.  we're talking delicious fresh papaya and mango, luscious pollo con mole, churros, silky smooth mexican hot chocolate, sumptuous homemade guacamole (sorry, did i just dribble a little drool on you?)  i got some of my favorite recipes from our house cook, veronica, and when i get a little more energy back, i will be posting them.  ole!

mediterranean chicken with israeli couscous

mediterranean chicken 

ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar artichoke hearts

1 jar roasted red peppers

1 jar whole, pitted kalamata olives

1 can diced tomatoes

feta cheese

italian seasoning

parchment paper

method

rinse chicken and pat dry.  cut four segments of parchment paper, big enough to wrap around chicken breasts with room at the top.  pile on a couple of spoonfuls of tomatoes, peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, feta, and seasoning (don't use the entire contents of all your ingredients, just however much you think you'll want on your chicken).  

place on baking sheet.  repeat with other chicken breasts.

cover pan with a large sheet of aluminum foil.  bake chicken packets in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes, or when the insides are white.

israeli cous cous

ingredients

1 package (or 1 1/2 c.) israeli cous cous (available at [where else?] trader joe's)

1 3/4 c. water

2-3 large cloves of garlic

4 large white mushrooms, sliced

3-4 tbsp. white wine

handful pine nuts

handful parsley

1/2 lemon

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt and pepper

method

in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and add garlic.  saute for a couple of minutes, then add mushrooms.  add wine, half of the lemon juice,  and a touch more oil.  add salt, pepper, and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.

once mushrooms are semi-soft, add cous cous and sautee, stirring constantly, until cous cous becomes slightly golden brown.  add water to pot, cover, reduce heat to low, and leave the hell alone until the cous cous has absorbed all the water.

while cous cous is absorbing said water, heat another pan and toast a handful of pine nuts.  remove from heat and set aside.

once all the liquid is absorbed, add the rest of the lemon juice, diced parsley, pine nuts, and more seasoning (if needed).

with this dish and side, we had an arugula salad with sprouts and raspberry dressing (homemade, with fresh-picked raspberries, natch.)  the chicken is totally simple, and the cous cous is so versatile that i am excited to make it again with different goodies inside.

i'm baaaaa-aaaaack!!

hello?  is anyone still out there?  it's me, molly!  remember me?  i used to blog several times a week, you know, about cooking and stuff?  yeah, remember?  that was cool, wasn't it?

sigh.  i guess i should explain myself.  this summer i was living away from home, in an apartment with limited internet access, and a schedule that pretty much resigned me to quick *shudder* frozen dinners.  yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses, but hey, it's the goshdarned truth.

but never fear, i have returned with a vengeance, with new inspiration and new ideas, and just itching to get back in the kitchen to experiment!  so please check back, and check back often.  i promise i'll never leave you like that again!