Fast Fish Tacos with Spicy Chipotle Seasoning
May 3, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Main Course, Mexican, Seafood
Our spice cabinet is chock full, and although some spices see more use more than others our quick taco seasoning mix goes into a variety of dishes and makes it easy to whip up these fish tacos in a jiffy. Even on a busy weeknight, we can literally have dinner on the table in about 15 minutes which almost makes up for not having a good taco truck anywhere nearby. Read more
Tatsoi with Garam Masala
June 23, 2009 by Andrea
Filed under Asian, Grow Your Own, Vegetables
When we planted tatsoi last October, I didn’t realize that it wouldn’t sprout until spring. I had heard it would even grow in the snow, so I impatiently drummed my fingers while checking the garden daily, waiting for signs of life. I had planted the seeds under a cold frame and thought for sure we would have greens in December. When the seeds finally sprouted in March, they grew slowly at first, then as spring went on the leaves suddenly jumped from just four or five centimeters long to as much as 15 centimeters. We will continue to plant tatsoi as a cool weather green because we like the flavor and it grew very well in our garden, much better than the spinach which never grew any taller than a few centimeters. Read more
Roast Leg of Lamb with Cracked Peppercorns and Herbs
March 28, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Holidays, Main Course
Big cuts of meat scare me. No, I don’t have nightmares about them, but for years I have studiously avoided them because I hate to ruin a good piece of meat. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter were the only times of the year when I would break out a big roasting pan and tackle anything bigger than a chicken. The thought of botching a beautiful piece of meat and inadvertently turning it into a tough piece of shoe leather offends many of my sensibilities. Read more
Maple Cranberry Butter
November 20, 2007 by Andrea
Filed under Condiments, Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
I’ve had trouble keeping my boys out of this butter! They watched intently as I made it on the stove and kept asking when it would be ready. We have enjoyed it on toast and homemade biscuits and bread, and the boys can hardly keep their spoons or fingers out of it. Hopefully there will be some left for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!
The sweet maple syrup and brown sugar balances out the tart fresh cranberries, and the cinnamon adds a bit of smokiness. I was pleasantly surprised at the addition of vanilla extract. You don’t really taste it, but the butter had a fuller, richer taste with the vanilla. It is easy to make and comes together in about 30 minutes with very little work. The original recipe doesn’t specify type of maple syrup, but Grade B is my choice for cooking because the flavor is richer than Grade A, which is commonly used as table syrup for pancakes and such. Trader Joe’s has their own brand of Grade B maple syrup, and I buy it faithfully.
The recipe makes about 12 ounces of maple cranberry butter, which you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 months and in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
[Updated February 6, 2009] Read more
Roasted Butternut Squash Puree with Ginger
November 18, 2007 by Andrea
Filed under Vegetables
I’ve been roasting squash all during the month of November, and every time I use up all the squash in my kitchen, more seems to magically appear. Well, actually I just get more because I keep thinking of ways to use it. This gingered puree was an experiment that turned out pretty well. Originally I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger, but we felt that it overpowered the sweetness of the squash, so a teaspoon seemed to work quite nicely. This will make a delicious side dish for a Thanksgiving meal, or any night of the week.
Experiment: Jamaican Jerk Chicken
We both enjoy jerk chicken, but we’ve never made it, so with the summer grilling season upon us, it just seemed like a good time to give it a go. Boy, do we feel silly for not trying it before now! It’s really, really simple—you just marinate and grill. I used only one habanero instead of the recommended two simply because they are so devilishly hot. Call me a wimp, but I’m pregnant and those things will eat me alive. Even with only a tiny bit of habanero and no seeds, the marinade was very flavorful.
The recipe calls for seven to eight pounds of chicken, enough for a small party. For just us and the boys, we grilled two large chicken breasts on the bone and used only one-fourth of the marinade. Read more
