In my head, there's a whole post written up about how this may not be a very fancy or creative recipe, but I wanted to share it anyway, because this is my absolute favorite, go-to recipe for grilled chicken. But I am still recovering somewhat from this nasty combination of a cold, cough, strep and a sinus infection, so the whole complicated post isn't going to be written. (You might have also noticed that I didn't post a Photography Friday post, for similar reasons.) Instead, I am going to say very simply that this recipe is delicious. It's super easy to make. It's totally versatile. I cut this chicken up into little cubes and make a salad, or make a sandwich with the chicken and some creamy … [Read more...]
Creamy Basil Dip
Tonight's post is going to be a short one, mostly because I spent the night writing up my next magazine column, and I am all written out. Also, I was sick in bed today with a cold, so I don't have much energy for writing, but I wanted to share this amazing recipe with you while there's still fresh basil in the grocery stores. My family loves dill dip, but I can't stand dill (shocking, right?) so I decided to make a dip out of my favorite herb instead. Enter creamy basil dip. Remember how I love basil? Well this is like pesto on steroids. Delicious. Dip your veggies in this, spread it on a cracker, or use it as a salad dressing. Either way, you can't go wrong. Creamy Basil … [Read more...]
Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
You know how they say that some of the world's best discoveries have come about through accidents? Well, I wouldn't quite equate this with turning moldy bread into penicillin, but it was a pretty lucky- and awesome- discovery. It started on a day like today, when it felt like it was a million degrees outside, but in actuality, it was only about a hundred. Either way, it was the kind of day that makes you want a tall glass filled with ice- and some refreshing drink poured over it. I walked into the house, grabbed a glass, and discovered that there was no ice in the freezer. Oh, the horror. After searching the freezer and determining that there were, indeed, no ice cubes, I started to look … [Read more...]
Grilled Vegetable and Pesto Panini
Grilled Vegetable and Pesto Panini is a healthy and summery lunch that only takes minutes to prepare! As a food blogger and recipe developer (does saying that make me sound pretentious? Cause I'm totally not pretentious, but I do have a baking column in a magazine and my mother likes to call me a professional food writer and food photographer which may or may not be getting to my head a bit.) Let's start over. As someone who writes recipes, I often wonder what the line is between basic cooking instructions and a recipe. Take last night's supper for example. I found a nice looking zucchini in my veggie bin, so I sliced it, tossed it with some olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper … [Read more...]
Black Bean, Corn and Mango Quinoa Salad
Have you ever known that you had to do something, but you kept putting it off because you assumed it would be unpleasant? Then you finally bite the bullet and the task you were dreading turns out to be no big deal at all, or even, at best, a positive experience? For example, last week at work, a purchase order landed on my desk. I was super busy at the time. I glanced at it briefly and recognized it as coming from a rather problematic account of mine. I decided to get other stuff done meanwhile, and deal with the problem order when I had a few minutes. It sat on my desk over the weekend, and finally I got to it. I completed the order and sent a confirmation of it to my contact there, Ryan. … [Read more...]
Homemade Cherry Pie and a Lattice Crust Tutorial
When I was growing up, there was a store my family frequented that had an amazing bakery section. They baked everything fresh on premises, and it was all super delicious. My parents still shop there often, and they never leave the store without a loaf or two of their amazing homemade bread, or maybe a couple of bagels. There's one treat we often used to buy from this bakery that stood out in my mind above all else. Their cherry pie never looked very elegant. It was wrapped in saran wrap that often stuck to the top a bit, and the "lattice" crust was made from a cutter, not an actual lattice. But nobody could care about that, because it was just so delicious. We didn't get this pie often, and … [Read more...]
Dairy Free Basil Pesto
I love basil. If you've been reading this blog for a while, this shouldn't be news to you. I have posted quite a few recipes that use basil in them. My friend even guest posted a recipe with lots of basil in it. And there are so many more times that I reach for the basil, whether dried, frozen of fresh, and somehow these recipes don't all make it to the blog. Obviously, homemade basil pesto is pretty much the epitome of a basil lover's favorite foods. I know that people get all adventurous with pesto, they use arugula, kale and other greens. And they experiment with walnuts, pistachio nuts and various other nuts. But I am a purist. A basil pesto lover. And while I knowthat the … [Read more...]
Blueberry Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
I'd like ramble about two things today. I hope you will bear with me, as these ramblings end in...cupcakes. Do I have your attention? Awesome, let's start. With blueberries. Is there anything that really screams out "summer" like sitting down to snack on (read: completely devour) a bowl of juicy blueberries? I don't think so either. I tried to cheat the system a couple of months back, and bought myself a package of blueberries. Many dollars later, I discovered the disappointing truth: for the real goodness of juicy, summery, deliciously plump blueberries, you gotta wait for the summer. Here's my second rambling. (Patience my friend, we're getting closer.) Where's the line between a … [Read more...]
Passover Apple Crumb Kugel
I'm exhausted right now. Want to know why? Here's a partial list: Doughless potato knishes, cabbage kugel, chocolate chip cookies, crispy shallot breaded chicken, marinated almond crusted chicken, butternut squash kugel, and of course, apple kugel. All for passover. All made after I got home from work the last two nights. I am a little breathless thinking about the multitudes of food I still need to cook, but I had to stop and post my apple kugel recipe. I searched and searched every corner of the internet for a proper Apple Crumb Kugel for Passover, and came up empty. I am sure one exists, but I couldn't find it. And so I set out to make up my own recipe. I am not simply happy with this … [Read more...]
Chanukah Style Peanut Butter Blossoms
***Before we start – have you signed up for my email newsletters? You’ll get new recipes, cooking tips, menu suggestions, kitchen deals – and more! Click here to signup.*** Who is ready for some chanukah cookies?! I've had this idea for ages. There are many cookies that involve pressing a chocolate or some other candy into the finished cookie, and a while ago I realized that a Chanukah chocolate coin would be the ultimate item to finish off a cookie for Chanukah. I waited for ages until the local stores started their seasonal displays of Chanukah merchandise. I happily purchased a couple of pouches of these delicious coins, and settled into my chair with a stack of cookbooks to … [Read more...]