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A Thanksgiving Staple

 I went on a bit of a tirade over Halloween, but no such words will be used against Thanksgiving. This is the best holiday because it revolves around my two favorite things: food and family. Every Thanksgiving, I’m responsible for making the Applesauce Bread. It’s a family recipe, scribbled on a piece of paper with enough fading and smudges to know it’s a tradition. Several years ago, I famously made a teeny, tiny error that I will never live down. I’m going to blame the shorthand in the recipe (and less than stellar handwriting). In the heat of the moment, I mistook the “t”, meaning teaspoon, for a “T”, meaning…

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Asparagus to Rival Balthazar

 Continuing with my pre-Thanksgiving veggie loading, I decided to try and one-up Balthazar. The asparagus in my puff pastry and eggs last week was simply to die for. It was soft throughout, like it had been blanched or steamed, yet flavorful. I spent the past few days at work thinking about how to create asparagus just as delicious. I think I did it. Blanched and Pan-fried Asparagus ~ 1 lb. asparagus, ends cut off 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced salt and pepper ~ Fill a medium pot with water and bring to boil. Once boiling, add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender and easy to poke…

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Easy Minestrone Soup

 Before an endurance race, athletes are supposed to carb load to maximize the storage of glycogen in their muscles. Before a big holiday, I like to vegetable load. Somehow or another my house is filled with Sara Lee Pumpkin Cheesecake (AMAZING), Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownies (AMAZING), Dove Peppermint Bark (AMAZING), and Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream (AMAZING). Yes, the holidays have arrived, which is why I decided to make minestrone soup. This simple soup is filled with vegetables. It’s my favorite version of minestrone because it cooks up quickly and doesn’t have herbs. Sometimes, you just don’t need them. Garlic, onion, and tomato are enough to make the Italian soup flavorful.

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Skillet Tamale Pie

 The first tamale I ate was in high school Spanish class. Our teacher passed them around the room for a holiday I can’t remember. What I do remember is the stupid thought that ran through my head. Do we eat the husk? I went through a lot of frozen tamales from Trader Joe’s in college. But to be honest, I much prefer this tamale pie. I love that it has beef, black beans, and tomatoes with a much better filling to cornbread ratio than the tamales of my past. It’s one of my top five favorite recipes. I crave this pie all the time.

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Barleyburger Stew

 I’m coming back from NYC today. I can’t wait to upload the pictures and share the beautiful fall views of Central Park and insane amount of eating we did. It was a great trip! However like any vacation, this weekend has left me craving a simple home-cooked meal. Barleyburger Stew is just that. My favorite part is the barley. It creates a nicely thick stew when it soaks up the tomato juice as it cooks. Fried hamburger, onion, and plenty of chili powder round out the perfect return meal for any trip.

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Mozzarella-Stuffed Bruschetta Turkey Burgers

 I don’t eat hamburgers. This isn’t for health or moral reasons, I just don’t like the taste of them. At barbecues, I hope there are chicken breasts or veggie burgers. Sometimes at burger joints, I’ll make a meal out of sweet potatoes fries. The only time I’ve felt left out is when I’ve gone to specialty restaurants like Bartley’s in Harvard Square and didn’t get to order a burger with a fun name. I’m sorry, “Southwest Salad” is not as fun as “the Lady Gaga.” I’ve made this turkey burger recipe several times now and I love it. I’d never eaten a turkey burger before but my love of bruschetta…

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

 I don’t want to offend any of the Chinese restaurants near my house but this Sweet & Sour Chicken was the best I’ve ever eaten. I love making Asian dishes during the workweek because they fry up quickly and make delicious leftovers. I have to forewarn you though, my brain completely escaped me when I made this. Let’s count the ways. The first ingredient is red wine vinegar. In my mind, I saw rice vinegar to which I said, “I don’t have that. Hmm, I’ll substitute cider vinegar.” I have red wine vinegar! (The recipe still tasted amazing, perhaps a bit more sour but I loved it. Phew.) Secondly, I…

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