It is definitely winter in the northeast, and I know a lot of people are not too thrilled. I personally kind of like the cold, and in particular, I love soup season. Soup is perfect for make-ahead dinners and healthy lunches, a major necessity this time of year in my house. In light of my 2018 food goals, I tried my hand at converting one of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes soups into a ketogenic-friendly Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup. It is packed with rich mushroom flavor, deeply rich and creamy, and has all the gluten and most of the carbohydrates eliminated. … [Read more...]
meal planning 101
January. For many of us, it is the season of renewal. A time to start fresh on something that did not go as well as we wanted it to last year. I am right there with you. I wrote earlier this month on my food goals for 2018, and one of them included sticking with a change in eating habits I started last year. I am personally choosing to follow a ketogenic diet (more on that here), but it doesn’t matter what you want to change. No matter the flavor, changing how you eat is hard. … [Read more...]
the best of the Barefoot Contessa [or, how I learned to cook]
I am a self-taught cook. Sure, I learned a few things along the way in my mother’s kitchen, but as a trailblazing working mom, she was more about practical survival and less about Julia Child. My favorite aunt added a bit of French-inspired flair to the mix, and I picked up a few tricks every holiday season when all the women gathered to cook. But admittedly, I wasn’t really paying close attention. When I set out to learn to properly cook, I was essentially starting from scratch. … [Read more...]
Roasted vegetable and goat cheese pasta salad
This is my go-to recipe for fall entertaining, so it was time to share it with all of you. I am pretty sure I first found this recipe 15 years ago on the side of a Gladware storage container. My attempts to find the original source were futile, so here's the version I keep in my Evernote recipe file. Not claiming full originality here, but hey, it's pasta salad. … [Read more...]
we tried Terra’s Kitchen. here’s my view.
I write a lot here about the trials and tribulations of cooking for family. I have a love-hate relationship with weekday dinner. On one hand, I am relaxed by the simple act of preparing a meal for myself and those I love. I am rejuvenated after even just a few minutes of happy chatter from my children and a glance of contentment from Gary. On the other hand, it is stressful. The advanced planning is hard enough; after a long day, a commute, and probably arguing with those children about not ordering pizza for the third time this week, cracking a cookbook and tackling a recipe is the last thing on my mind. … [Read more...]
Lemon-Thyme Roasted Chicken and Asparagus
I am always on the hunt for simple, healthy weeknight dinners. The perfect ones require little to no preparation prior to the moment I arrive home, use ingredients I regularly have on hand, and don’t require major mental energy to work through. If I am shooting for the stars, they are something the entire family will enjoy, at least in part. They usually involve chicken. … [Read more...]