This was the perfect summer meal. The salmon used lots of fresh herbs, and I didn’t mind turning on the oven to roast it because it was really only on for ten minutes or so. The recipe calls for green onions, but we got red/purple scallions from our CSA that I used instead. The Snap Peas were also from our CSA farm, and we really liked them this way. Bonus: the whole meal was cooked in about 20 minutes. Both recipes came from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?
Filed under dinner, Side dishes and Vegetables
This recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?
If I had actually followed the directions, it would probably look a lot more like the photo in the cookbook. Instead, I substituted garlic scapes for cloves of garlic and summer savory instead of oregano and thyme. I also substituted chicken stock for wine, and used way too much of it, both because I’m too lazy to go out and buy wine, and not motivated enough to actually measure anything. And of course, I used thighs instead of breasts because that’s what we had.
These are garlic scapes. They look weird, don't they?
The results were still good, if ugly. It has been deemed worthy of repeating, at the very least. It’s great to have another use for chicken, and we’re always looking for something (hopefully a protein) to go with our vegetables in the summer. I think that these ingredients would make a nice marinade for the grill, too, if you didn’t want to heat up the oven.
Filed under dinner
I’ve been drooling over this recipe (Barefoot Contessa at Home), waiting for our CSA to send more arugula. The online version of the recipe also includes broccoli. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have known that, but because we have several friends participating in the same CSA, one of our friends e-mailed me the online version of the recipe and pointed out that our CSA box had all of the vegetables for this recipe last week. It was as if it was meant to be. This was even better than it looks, which is saying something. I would definitely make this for guests (including vegetarians!), and the leftovers were just as good cold the next day. I’m toying with the idea of making a spring version next year with asparagus and spinach. I used a whole grain pasta (Barilla Plus rotini), which held up well to the flavors of the sauce and the vegetables.
Filed under dinner, Side dishes and Vegetables
… make tzatziki! We love this with grilled pork or lamb, or just as a dip with crackers and raw veggies. Plus, you get to feel like an ancient chemist when you drain the cucumbers and the yogurt. That’s just me, you say? Well, just leave me with my delusions, then, please.
Unfortunately, a photo can’t do this dip/sauce justice. It can’t capture the creamy coolness of the yogurt and the brightness of the lemon juice, paired with the crispness of the cucumbers and the earthiness of the dill. You’ll just have to make it yourself to see.
Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Filed under Appetizers
I tried this recipe (Barefoot Contessa at Home) for the first time several years ago, and it has become a favorite standby, especially in the spring and summer. I’m sure it will make even more appearances at our table now that wild shrimp are easier to find (thanks, Trader Joe’s!). I love that it’s easy, and that I can make it in advance. It’s pictured here without the addition of the fresh herbs, feta and scallions, because we brought it to share at a party, and I didn’t know how our friends felt about the herbs in question. The dill, especially, can get to be overwhelming if you’re not crazy about it. So, they traveled separately, but I still made everything far enough in advance that the dressing had time to really combine with the orzo, shrimp, and cucumber.
Filed under dinner, Side dishes and Vegetables
This chicken (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics) was supposed to be a whole chicken, cut up and grilled. As I made it, it was chicken pieces (thank you, Trader Joe’s) made in the oven (thank you, Minnesota spring winds). It was delicious. Not pictured: the chicken breasts that were still cooking in the oven, which were frozen after they cooked to be used in another recipe calling for cooked chicken.
Filed under dinner
So, this is not nearly as pretty as it would have been had I followed the instructions and used a proper gratin dish. Still, there were no complaints as we liked the Pyrex clean.
Barefoot Contessa at Home
From Barefoot Contessa Parties!, this recipe is not so different from the Lemon Yogurt Cake found in Barefoot at Home. The real citrus zest and juice in the cake, syrup, and glaze give a very fresh taste, and it smells fantastic.
Once the lemons have been zested and juiced, I rub the remains of them over the kitchen sink to freshen it, and then shred them in the garbage disposal, making the whole kitchen smell good.
Filed under Dessert
The fact that I made homemade hollandaise sauce (well, along with the fact that I birthed his child) pretty much secures that I am indispensable to my husband. Asparagus with Hollandaise (Barefoot in Paris) looks, smells, and tastes like Spring to me. I’d never made it before, and it was surprisingly easy. We have a friend (whose name I will protect) who pretends not to know how to cook, but whips up a fantastic hollandaise for every holiday meal, and I will always think of her when I make this.
Filed under Side dishes and Vegetables
This recipe (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics) used flavors with pork that I would usually reserve for poultry (lemon, thyme), with a nice result.
