Tag: Recipe

Spaghetti Carbonara for #SundaySupper

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The theme for this week’s #SundaySupper is “Celebrate Your Heritage” and, in case my last name didn’t give it away, I am Italian-American (and Hungarian, and other stuff too, but mostly Italian). Although my family hails from the South of the boot, I couldn’t resist bringing Spaghetti Carbonara – a decidedly Roman dish – to the table. Although I didn’t grow up eating it, a family trip to Rome my senior year of high school was the beginning of a lifelong love affair. Today it’s something my husband and I make often if we have the ingredients on hand. It’s actually a specialty of my husband’s, and a dish I would venture to say he makes better than I.

Family Photos
My Italian great grandmother in the kitchen, and my Italian family gathered around the table

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Armenian Cucumber Salad and a Cucumber Blog Hop

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One of my favorite parts about living in Israel is the incredible quality, low price, and seasonality of the produce. That and learning about new ingredients. It’s nearing the end of the time when we see Armenian cucumbers at the shuk, recognizable by their light green color and peach fuzz. I didn’t learn until recently that these sweet cucumbers aren’t cucumbers at all – they’re in the muskmelon family along with cantaloupe and honeydew (although these, I’ve learned, are more closely related to cucumbers than I could have imagined). Their slightly sweet, melon-like flavor should have tipped me off. Also called yard-long cucumbers and snake melons, I’ve heard that you can actually find these tasty fruits at farmers markets in the US.

Armenian Cucumbers
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Cheese-Stuffed Burgers for World on a Plate

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Just in time for Memorial Day, this month’s theme for World on a Plate is grilling! I don’t have a backyard, or a grill, but I do have a cast iron pan, which can be a worthy substitute. Since I’m representing America, I immediately knew that I would be bringing burgers to the party. But I didn’t want to go with just any old burger – so I stuffed some cheese inside to make them extra special. That’s right: a cheese-stuffed burger. When you cook the burger, the cheese inside melts, creating an ooey-gooey surprise that any cheeseburger-loving person is bound to go nuts over. You can even go extreme and put more cheese on top, but that’s just crazy talk (which I fully support).

Cheese-Stuffed Burger
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Guest Post: Zucchini with Ricotta and Mint and a Mint Blog Hop

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I love Fridays, don’t you?! Today is particularly special because not only do I have my weekly blog hop for you, but I am also guest posting over at Everyday Maven! If you don’t know Alyssa of Everyday Maven then you are missing out on some seriously simple, healthy, delicious recipes (yes, she hits the nail on the head with all three!). She’s a total sweetheart, a great blogger friend, and I don’t think I’ve met a recipe of hers that I don’t want to make. Yesterday I shared a recipe for zucchini, ricotta, and mint appetizers presented in two different ways over at her blog.

Zucchini with Mint and Ricotta

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Pesto Pasta for #SundaySupper

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I am very excited to be participating in a new group this week – the #SundaySupper movement! After seeing that some of my favorite bloggers were involved, I was of course intrigued. “Our Mission,” according to founder Isabel “Foodie”, “is to Bring back Sunday Supper Around the Family Table in every home. The Family Table can be anywhere as long as the main ingredient is Love.” Cheers to that!

Pesto Pasta

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Shakshuka and the Israel To Go Book

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If living in Israel has done anything, it has been to instill in me a lifelong love of shakshuka (also spelled shakshouka). This North African egg dish is an integral part of the fabric that is Israeli cuisine, and it’s commonly eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, served in a sizzling cast iron pan, on a sandwich, or in a pita. Essentially eggs poached in tomato sauce, this is one of those dishes where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And the recipe that I bring you today is from another book that I’m thrilled to have contributed to, Israel To Go: Look & Cook Book Vol. 1 (LunchBox Press, 2012; see it on Amazon here).

Shakshouka (Shakshuka)

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Black Bean and Corn Salsa and a Bean Blog Hop

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With the weather heating up (and it is scorching here already!) I’ve got light, bright, fresh, raw salads, salsas, and sauces on the brain. I whipped up this delicious Black Bean and Corn Salsa to top the fish tacos that I just posted about, but I was also eating the leftovers with tortilla chips as a dip. It would be great with grilled chicken or fish as well. In addition to the black beans and corn, I also included pineapple for a hint of sweetness, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice. I could seriously eat this one way or another every day of summer. What are your favorite bean recipes? Link them up in the blog hop below!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

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Freekeh Salad Recipe and a Grain Blog Hop

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freekeh

Have you tried freekeh? Also called farik, frikeh, and green wheat, it is wheat that is picked when young (i.e. green), and then dried and roasted. It looks a lot like bulgur or farro, and can be used in many of the same ways. While it is an ancient grain that has been popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa for centuries, I’ve noticed that it’s starting to get its due in the US as well. Living in Israel it is readily available in the bulk bins, and it has become one of my favorite ways to add a wholesome grain to my meal.

 

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Edamame, Basil, and Ricotta Pasta

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Here’s another simple, delicious, healthy weeknight pasta for you. Spring is in the air, and this dish is the perfect way to celebrate. Shelled soy beans are combined with plenty of chopped fresh basil and creamy ricotta to create a simple, flavorful sauce for pasta. I used try-color penne here, but any shape or flavor would be delicious. To save time, cook the soy beans briefly in the pasta water. This dish is on the table in about 20 minutes flat and is packed with nutrients – not to shabby! Don’t you just love easy pasta recipes like this?

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Skinny Penne a la Vodka

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And I’m back! Thanks for bearing with me while I traveled and spent time with my sister. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. I promise I’ll catch up with all of you soon. Penne a la vodka is one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s not one that I ate much growing up, but I remember ordering it as a teenager in restaurants and feeling very grown-up. My most vivid memory of this dish is from one of our high school haunts called Stingy Lulu’s on St. Mark’s Place in New York City, where the drag queen waitresses would pretend to check our ids before serving us frosty margaritas and steaming bowls of penne a la vodka.

Skinny Penne alla Vodka Recipe

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