Month: February 2018

Make This Now: New Year, New Recipes!

Lauren2 Comments

Um why do I feel like it’s been a really long time since I did one of these posts?  I mean it HAS been since October, and we’ve had something like 8 holidays between then and now, so I guess it really has been a while.  I’m not going to lie, I write posts like this and they feel so stupid and unimportant in comparison to things that are happening in the world at large.  In the past couple of months, I’ve bailed on this post more times than I can count.  My heart just isn’t fully in it.  But then I remember mornings where eating this granola made me happy or cooking pasta with Joey made me feel whole or baking hot pink slider buns felt meditative and I can’t discount those feelings or not share them with you.  Soothing by way of food is totally a thing ♥

img_3370

Tahini-Cardamom Granola

I recently splurged on a jar of cardamom — spices can be so pricey sometimes! — so I was extra delighted when I came across this granola recipe that made use of my new purchase.  I made a few nut modifications, subbed apple cider for orange juice and had to bake it for an extra 20 minutes (!!) but it turned out SO GOOD.  Perfectly crispy, subtly spicy with a hint of sweetness and delightful over some full fat Greek yogurt.

img_3393

Pasta with Mushrooms, Crispy Sage & Garlic Bread Crumbs

I don’t own/cook from cookbooks very often so pardon how often I mention The Savvy Cook but I’m at it again with this insanely delicious and even more insanely easy pasta recipe.  I didn’t think I’d be able to share it with you but then I found it on the internets!  You’re welcome.  The sauce is simple yet so flavorful and my noodle slurping game felt very on point the night we made/ate this.  An instant keeper!

img_3543-1

Chickpea Sliders with Whipped Feta & Cucumber Slaw

Honestly, baking little slider buns has become one of the greatest joys in my life.  And the moment I saw these hot pink brioche buns, I knew I had to have them!  They came out so pretty and more importantly, tasty.  I’ve never whipped feta (and I actually I still haven’t because Joey did that part), but now that I’ve tasted it, I don’t think I can live without it.  I wish I had seasoned the chickpea sliders better but loaded up with feta and slaw (don’t skimp on that stuff, the contrasting crunch really makes a difference!), these were amazing!

img_3728-1

Chicken Chili 

Joey made this for me Monday night, as the snow was coming down hard and I was curled up on the couch watching the Olympics.  Can you even believe how beautifully he garnished it?!  I think it was the homemade taco seasoning, leaving the chicken is bigger chunks and putting Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, green onion and pickled jalapeños on top that really made the dish.  The best food is food that makes you feel loved, ya know?

Tell me the best thing you’ve cooked recently!

Weekend Things

LaurenLeave a comment

This morning I had a cavity filled and last night I broke the glass container I brew kombucha in and all 14 cups of liquid leaked out in my kitchen.  These sound like bad things, but really, the rest of the weekend was a good one and if you already had to pull everything out of the drawer and cabinet plus move the fridge and mop the floor three times then things can only go up from here.

img_3701

Saw our very last Best Picture nominee on Friday night and look, Darkest Hour is very interesting from a historical standpoint and I guess Gary Oldman was good?  But I actually have no idea what Winston Churchill was like so who knows if his performance was uncanny or not.  I guess I was getting too many Fat Bastard vibes from both the makeup and the personal hygiene to really enjoy the film.  Also, there were so many underground scenes that had me craving sunlight afterwards.  The train scene was a pure delight though ♥

How strange that there happened to be two movies about Dunkirk this year!

img_3717

Saturday morning, Joey felt like making eggs, hash browns and toast, so since I was on my own, I made Joy the Baker’s “Single Lady Pancake” and look, I’m never not making ONE GIANT PANCAKE ever again!  Okay, not really but this big fluffy pancake was very fun to eat.  Afterwards, we drove up to Windsor to watch my nephew’s basketball game and it wasn’t until I saw him standing next to other kids his age that I realized how tall he is!  Joey caught a video of him making a basket!  Also got to soak up some time with my niece and sister-in-law.  Gennaro’s team won 29-4!

img_3719img_3716

We spent the rest of the day with Lori and Adam, seeing the Oscar Nominated Shorts.  The animated shorts were up first and I thought they were sort of lackluster this year.  I really enjoyed the animation and bittersweet tone of “Negative Space” and “Revolting Rhymes,” which is based on a Roald Dahl book and weaves a bunch of fairy tales together, was creative and such fun to watch but overall, we weren’t blown away.  Also, a group of young guys behind me talked through THE ENTIRE THING.  Ugh!

The live action shorts were SO INTENSE.  They usually are but this year’s nominees seemed heavier than usual.  We went from school shooting to the story of a deaf child to the night of Emmett Till’s abduction when they threw a funny one in and I’ve never been so ready for a laugh.  I think my very favorite was “The Silent Child” though honestly, they were all very powerful and well done.  Afterwards, we put our hearts back together with pasta at Dio Mio.  It was a busy Saturday night but we were able to grab a table fairly quickly and my cocktail and rotolo were so so good.  I truly love that place!

img_3721img_3722

Aside from the giant mess I made, Sunday included breakfast at Stowaway (I heard the guy at the table next to us say he hadn’t been in in a while and his significant other snapped “it’s only been two weeks!” but hey, that sounds like “a while” to me too :P), grocery shopping, salad prepping, cookie baking and dinner making.  Oh and it was absolutely lovely outside (except for the wind…) so we went for a run and how is it possible that it was my first outdoor run of the year?!

I guess it’s a good thing that quiche took so long to bake because it gave us time to clean up the kitchen.  Oy!  How was your weekend?