A food related photo every day til 2012. Here’s week 9:
63/365 Wine at lunch is ALWAYS a good thing.
365- Week 9
Caramelized Banana Loaf Cake
WANTED: A simple banana dessert that could easily pass as a snack or breakfast item. Must have a juicy caramelized layer because I’m looking to impress the internet. Bonus if you’re easy to make and require very few ingredients. I’m a working mom so it’s gotta be quick. Must be OK with toddler fingers poking at you and multiple chunks taken out of you by the hands of a greedy baker. You must pair well with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Please don’t be too ridiculously sweet. If you’re up to the task, I’d love to talk to you. No weirdos please! Well…maybe.
FOUND!!!!!!
And oh boy was it good.
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Sun-Dried Tomato Arugula Pasta Salad
Just when I thought I couldn’t love a salad more, I went and tried this one! After posting what’s on my coffee table the earlier this week, my friend Erica tipped me off on this superb recipe from the cookbook I’m slightly obsessed with– Appetite for Reduction. All she had to say was that it tastes like pizza and instantly, a grocery shopping list was made. Thanks Erica!!
There’s a lot to love about this pasta salad. I love how the dressing coats the pasta…getting into every little nook and cranny of the fusilli I used. Look at that picture. Do you see what I’m talking about?? There’s something absolutely magical about the combo of walnuts & fennel. It actually mimics the taste of sausage! I could probably eat the entire batch of the dressing-plain. It’s THAT good. When added to this pasta salad it’s killer! The tang of red onions…the sweetness of roasted peppers…that peppery bite of arugula…the creaminess of the cannellini beans…and the crunch of toasted walnuts…oh dear. I think I’ve fallen in love with yet ANOTHER salad. I’m totally looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
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Spring Decor 2011
Over the weekend I took down my Valentine’s Day decorations off the mantle. IT. WAS. TIME. I eventually want to put a pop of color on there…but I am not sure what color yet. This is what I came up with!
Everything is black & white…..just the way I like it.
What’s on my coffee table?
There’s nothing that excites me more than a big stack of books & magazines waiting to be read. In the past few weeks I’ve been seeing more of my UPS man because I went on a little Amazon binge! I thought it might be fun to share with you what I’m reading; you can see what I’m up to!
1. The Food Matters Cookbook, by Mark Bittman (I can’t wait to get cracking! I’m so excited!! I love Mark Bittman)
2. Appetite for Reduction, by Isa Moskowitz (I already have made 3 recipes!!)
3. Power Foods, from the editors of Whole Living (GOOD food- organized in a great fashion. I want to eat it all!)
4. Potty Training Boys the Easy Way, by Caroline Fertleman & Simone Cave (yup, we’re in the middle of THAT)
5. Commited, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Checked out from the library. A fascinating look at marriage & commitment)
6. 3191 Quarterly (I love seeing glimpses of Stephanie & Mav’s lives)
7. Stress-Free Potty Training, by Sara Au & Peter L. Stavinoha Ph.D (you figure out what approach to take based on your child’s personality. Neat! Cross your fingers.)
1. Donna Hay (STUNNING food photography, simple recipes, a lovely Australian publication)
2. Jamie (very cool layout, the recipes intrigue me & I love anything Jamie Oliver)
3. Food & Wine (a magazine that Casey & I can enjoy together)
4. Martha Stewart Living (do I really need to say more?)
5. Sunset (great ideas for trips, quality recipes & great gardening tips! I’d love to work there one day!)
6. UPPERCASE (graphic design, cooking, FUN FUN FUN stuff!)
7. Anthology (living, style, design, interior decor, GORGEOUS photo styling)
8. Everyday Food (the magazine I thank for igniting my passion for food!)
365- Week 8
A food related photo every day til 2012. Here’s week 8:
56/365 Insalata di Spinaci with my parents & Cooper
Asian “Cool Slaw”
Two facts you might know about me:
1. I am a Leo & I’m pretty proud of it. But then tell me a Leo who isn’t…
2. I hate mayo and cringe at the mere sight of the word mayonnaise. I didn’t even know how to spell mayonnaise (THANKS, spell check!) because there is simply no reason for me to. EVER.
OK so I’m a Leo. Let’s discuss this briefly because I tend to go ON about astrology– especially at parties where I’ve been drinking too much… Being a Leo means that I live by the code “Productivity fueled by laziness.” As a result, I spend most of my time searching for recipes with ingredients I already have sitting in my pantry. I wonder if my incessant need to stockpile food is a Leo thing too? My grandmother who is a Leo does it… But then again I have a Capricorn mom so that could be the reason why. So yeah… I test out a lot of recipes that don’t require me to go to the grocery store more than twice a week. I also love coming up with things on the fly. I love tinkering with recipes because it fuels my pride when I get it right. This salad is definitely a product of that. I’m a Leo. RAWR.
And then the mayo thing…Uggh the mayo thing. You can imagine how repulsed I was to see Richard Blais DEEP FRY MAYO on Top Chef this week. I turned my head and plugged my ears like a 2 year old until the Quickfire challenge was over. Barf! There are thousands of recipes I pass by the instant I see “mayo” as an ingredient. It’s a shame because there are SOO many good ones out there…that are ruined by mayo. When I found this “cool slaw” recipe that uses cashews as the creamy base, I was intrigued. If the Everyday Chickpea Salad I recently made & fell in love with had the same cashew base, wouldn’t I love this one too? After mixing up the ingredients & letting it sit, I took a taste and thought it needed something. Because I set out to eat a substantial salad for lunch, I couldn’t see myself eating a whole bowl of the “cool slaw,” like I planned. Back into my pantry & fridge I went and came up with a few additions of my own–soy sauce, green onions, toasted sesame oil & toasted slivered almonds. A pretty fricking delicious Asian inspired coleslaw was birthed and it maintained the “vegan” status on the original recipe. Although I’m thinking of dipping into my freezer stash and adding shrimp or chicken…just cuz.
