While hiking in one of my favorite haunts near my house, I stumbled upon (and nearly right into) a HUGE patch of prickly pear. Having seen the spiny, pink and green fruit in the grocery store on occasion, I more or less knew what I was looking at. My limited experience with prickly pear cactus, however, meant that I was woefully unprepared to snag any to take home with me. …
gluten free
Quail Egg Shakshuka with Zoodles
I’ve been on quite the vegetable kick lately. Before now, I never realized how easy it was to just throw together a meaty main dish for dinner and call it a day. Now I’ve really had to get creative so that salad is not the only thing on the menu. One of the most hearty vegetarian dishes on my rotation is shakshuka. It has an earthy yet spicy kick thanks to some key ingredients, and it spoons just so perfectly onto a steaming loaf of Homemade Bread….
Mastering the French Macaron
I finally had a free day to myself this Sunday with zero commitments, so my friend and I decided to try our hands at the French macaron. The macaron is probably one of the most intimidating baking challenges out there. If you mess up a ratio, forget to pop a few bubbles, or simply open the oven too soon, all can be lost. That said, we were determined to tease out the tricks of the pesky macaron. We made a number of different batches and tried a few different techniques to get the very best version – which, I won’t lie, took a good amount of time. After a few mishaps and broken macaron cookies (poor babies), we finally started to get the hang of it!…
Grilled Garlic Prawns + Verde Sauce
Until about the time I graduated from college, I was definitely not a shellfish person. I didn’t like the briny flavors or the idea of slurping down a slimy oyster. Fast forward to now and I can’t get enough of the stuff. Maybe the palette change comes with maturity? (hah!) With my new found crustacean proclivities, I hit up my local market for my usual Monday shopping routine and noticed that they had a huge pile of fresh prawns for sale. I couldn’t help myself. I filled an entire bag while my head swam with recipe ideas….
Grilled Whole Branzino with Cilantro + Mint Relish
I have to say, I am really proud of how this dish turned out. I cooked it on a whim after finding whole branzino at my local fish market and couldn’t resist snagging two of them. Turns out I probably should have bought at least double that since the fish flew off the platter so fast I almost didn’t get to eat any of it! These little guys were on the smaller side (a little over 1 lb each), so plan on about 3/4 – 1 lb per person when making this deliciousness.
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One Pot Vegan Bolognese
This week when one of my best friends received her masters degree (woohoo!), I decided that I would be a great excuse to throw an impromptu dinner party. If you know anything about me (besides my undying love of cheese) it’s that I love a good dinner party. Realistically, I even love a sorta okay dinner party. Basically if there is food involved, I’m there and happy as a clam….
Homemade Mozzarella Cheese
As you may know, cheese is my favorite food group. Yes, I said food group. In my book it deserves its own group separate from dairy in which it can shine to all of its cheesy goodness potential. …
Spanish Flan
The first time I attempted to make flan was Thanksgiving of this past year and I still have the scars to prove it. Hint for those who, like me, weren’t aware: melted sugar is HOT. The second time around I tried a different tactic with decidedly better results and significantly fewer sugar burns. It also tasted great, so that was a big plus.
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Gluten Free Dutch Oven Boule
In case you (like me five minutes ago) didn’t know, boule is a fancy word for round loaf of crusty bread. It also happens to be pretty fun to say, though to be honest I’m not entirely sure that I’m pronouncing it right. Either way, mastering gluten free bread has lately become kind of an obsession of mine.
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Cheesecake with Guava Sauce [GF]
Ah, the beloved cheesecake. As far as I’m concerned the cheesecake is about as American as an apple pie and a hefty scoop of super creamy vanilla ice cream. Which is why for the Opening Ceremony tonight, I’m having a few friends over to celebrate all things America over some snacks and this cream cheesy goodness.
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