So I think you guys know where I stand on easy desserts, I think they’re great. They’re perfect for dinner parties, especially if you don’t have a ton of time to prepare. My mom made me an amazing crostata while I was home this summer, and I’d been wanting to make my own. I did this with a classic summer fruit, peaches. But if you wanted to make this in the fall or winter, you could easily use a different fruit, like apples.
Monthly Archives: September 2013
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney
While home this summer, my parents served this dish for a dinner party we were having. It was mostly motivated by the fact that they have a very excited little plum tree that is giving them tons of fruit and they were looking for ways to get rid of it. But it turned out to be delicious. So even though you guys don’t have plums growing in your backyards, you should make this. Who doesn’t love meat cooked on the grill? Oh, and then wrapped in prosciutto?
Buttermilk Scones with Jam
Have you ever experienced a proper tea? Like the kind you have in England with mini sandwiches and amazing scones with cream and jam? Well if not, go online right now, book a ticket to England, and experience a proper British tea. If that’s not an option, then find your nearest fancy hotel that offers a tea. But find some reviews online first to make sure they do it up right. Because the best part of a tea, is not actually the tea. Well at least not for me. It’s the scones with the cream and jam. OH MY GOD. So amazing. Just thinking about it now is making me hungry. Sadly, I don’t do heavy creams or dairies anymore, but I can still get down with a scone and jam. I tested these bad boys out last month for my anniversary. I wanted to surprise Dave with breakfast so I made these and served them with three different fruit jams.
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Corn Cakes and Green Bean Salad
To me, this is one of those quintessential summer dinners. It involves a lot of different vegetables, and is healthy and light, but also filling. The corn cakes are similar to the zucchini fritters I posted previously, so if you liked those, definitely try this out. These have quickly become a new favorite in my house, made even better by the tomato and avocado home-made salsa we served with them. The green bean salad is another light and healthy item with a lot of diverse flavors, but it takes very little time to throw together.
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
There was this place growing up called Muffins, etc. that had the best muffins. It’s probably been at least 15 years since I went there, but I still remember the atmosphere in that place, and the amazing muffins. If I could get a place like that in DC, I would be so incredibly happy. But in the meantime, I guess I just have to make my own muffins. I made these back in July to eat on a drive up to Hamilton for a friend’s wedding. We were going to be in the car for 7 hours each way, so I figured we could use some sustenance. These treats served their purpose quite well.
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Baked Salmon
Salmon is another one of those things I’ve only come to enjoy as an adult. It’s been a battle (even when I started eating white fish, I couldn’t do salmon). But recently, I’ve been wanting to try a salmon dish at home because the last couple times I’ve had it at restaurants, I’ve really enjoyed it. Dave had a recipe from his mom, Carmen, that he really wanted to try on some frozen salmon he’d found at Trader Joe’s, so I decided to be the taste tester so that I could share it on the blog. And I have to say, while I may not have helped, I did supervise and it’s very easy to prepare. We just served ours with some sautéed broccoli.
Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Syrup and Bacon
Yeah that’s right, these have bacon. I am a full hearted supporter of bacon. I also fully support a person’s decision to be a vegetarian, but as long as bacon exists, that’s just not something I could do. But for those of you who don’t like (gasp) or don’t eat bacon, these would also be delicious without the bacon. So go forth and make them, regardless of your level of love for bacon.
My Favorite Meal of the Week – Ceviche
Ceviche is one of those things I’ve only more recently started to like. For a long time, I avoided almost all seafood. This really only ended when my parents took me to Turks and Caicos for Christmas and I realized that if I was going to eat anything on the trip, I really needed to start enjoying fish. So while I was home this summer, I got my dad to make his famous ceviche. And I have to say, I deserve no credit for this recipe. I just simply sat back, photographed the steps, and then ate the amazing food.
Angel Food Cake (GF and Regular)
I have very fond memories of angel food cake from my childhood. This cake is so light and fluffy, and goes so well with so many toppings, which is probably why we ate it at lots of family birthday celebrations. So in honor of my birthday tomorrow, my grandmother’s birthday on Wednesday, and my mom’s birthday next Sunday (yes Septembers were really crazy in our house), I wanted to share these recipes with you all.
While I was home in California this summer, I decided to do a taste test and bake a regular angel food cake, and a gluten free version (my mom has celiac disease). My awesome friend Jenny (who also has a birthday this coming week) helped, and I have to say they were both equally delicious. So if you’re entertaining anyone in the near future who has celiacs, I definitely recommend this cake. And if not, well go ahead and make it for yourself. Just be prepared to go through a carton of egg whites!
the petite croissant 