Mushroom Almond Pate
This amazing Mushroom Almond Pate is a vegetarian answer to the rich flavors and textures of liver-based pate. The depth of flavor and richness of this spread belies it’s vegetarian (or vegan) roots. This is a great alternative to the more common party offerings such as onion dip and cheese balls or a fantastic treat just because. It doesn’t take much work beyond chopping the onion and mushrooms and the willpower to leave it alone in the fridge (though I won’t tell if you eat it straight out of the processor bowl–it’s pretty amazing before it’s ripened too). Have it with crackers or toast points for parties, or with chunks of french baguettes, apples and brie for a simple dinner with a glass of wine. Once you’ve made this pate it will earn a permanent spot in your repetoire and I can guarantee that you’ll be passing out the recipe afterward.
Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Eggs poached in tomato sauce is one of those really delicious dishes that you can tell came about at some point because someone was both creative and faced with leftovers that needed using up. However it originally came about, it’s a delicious combination that makes for a super easy meal any time of day that tastes like way more work than it was. I am a particularly big fan of having this for breakfast on weekend mornings or dinner when I get home from work and don’t really want to cook. The proportions I use here are rough and would feed either one very hungry person or two average people with an extra couple hunks of bread. If you want to scale it up you can bake the eggs in a casserole dish with the sauce rather than cooking it on the stove–the end result is just about the same and all methods yield scrumptious results.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
About a month ago, I bought a wheat grinder. I felt like I was saving money by buying one because I could get wheat kernels from my church cannery for a lot cheaper price than at the store. I also don’t have to pay a lot of money for prepackaged mixes. Whole Wheat ones seem to cost at least twice as much. Now I have a ton of whole wheat flour and I am looking for what to do with it. I decided to make pancakes since my family really likes those. We even have them for dinner sometimes.
Hungry Monkey Book Review (Giveaway)
Amster-Burton and his wife were already foodies (and very big fans of cheese) when Iris joined their family. Upon learning of her impending arrival he describes his first thought as “Are we going to have to eat fifties rejects like sloppy joes for the next eighteen years? Or feed our kid food we’d never eat ourselves?” He read books on feeding babies and toddlers and wasn’t terribly impressed with much of the information he found, so he eventually decided to write his own and Hungry Monkey was born. He states at the end of the introduction that this effort is “the book I wish someone had handed me before Iris was born so that I would have known that breastfeeding is challenging (even for dads), that there are two simple rules to take a lot of the stress out of feeding kids, and that it’s okay to feed a baby sushi and spicy enchiladas. Most important, I would have been reassured that having kids doesn’t require dumbing down your own menu: if you love to eat, a new baby presents an opportunity to have more fun with food than ever before in your life. And yes, more frustration.”
Baked Kale Chips
his method of cooking kale is my new favorite. Kale chips made by baking the leaves with a little olive oil and salt results in an almost potato-chip like treat that is genuinely good for you. You can season them with whatever spices you like or keep them simple and plain. There is no easier way to eat green leafy vegetables, or at least no way more genuinely enjoyable (and that’s coming from a true salad lover). Make a batch of these today and you’ll probably make three more before the end of the weekend. Even my dog begs for these chips, and I’m pretty sure I could convince my dad to try one too. These more than make up for the minimal effort involved in making them.
Make Your Own Homemade Bread
As a young child I remember my grandmother making homemade bread. Her specialty was yeast rolls. I remember thinking the process was so fascinating and exciting. It was not until I was a mom though that I learned to really make homemade bread. As a busy mom, I decided to buy a bread maker and, while I loved how it cooked and did all the work, I really did not like how it looked when it came out of the machine. So I mostly just used it to make the dough for me. For my anniversary this year, my husband bought me a Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have wanted one of these ever since I watched my grandmother using hers. The first thing I wanted to make with it was the dough I use to make homemade bread. I thought it would be so hard and time consuming, but it was really quite easy and took less time than I thought. Of course you can always break down and knead the dough the old fashioned way if you do not have a bread maker or stand mixer with a dough hook. I also love the look on my kids’ faces when I make them homemade bread; they think it’s a dessert or something. I also think bread making is a great way to save money.
Homemade Chicken Chimichangas
Chicken Chimichangas are a favorite from the frozen food isle but the frozen variety has a lot of extra fat and preservatives that you do not want. These homemade chicken chimichangas are super simple to make and can be created to fit your family’s tastes. This easy mexican recipe can be frozen so you have it on hand for a quick weeknight dinner. While the ingredients in these may be simple but the flavor combination is fantastic. The mouth watering smell alone is enough to bring the whole family to the table.
Homemade Granola Bars
My kids love granola bars. Some are actually pretty healthy. The problem I have is the healthier ones seem to be more expensive. When I start feeling like that, it’s time for me to make some homemade. These were very easy to make and not very time consuming either. My kids loved them!
Homemade Granola Bars
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Palak Paneer
I adore Indian food. I don’t cook much of it at home, as even I am intimidated by the ingredients lists sometimes and the time involved so most of the time I’ll just enjoy it in a restaurant. I’ve overcome the fear to learn how to make one of the simplest and in my opinion,tastiest, dishes–Palak Paneer. Palak Paneer is a spinach curry studded with cubes of paneer cheese, a fresh cheese related to ricotta. Unlike my other favorite dishes Palak Paneer is relatively simple and doesn’t have to contain dozens of ingredients. It can be made restaurant-rich or be adapted to be a bit less of a fat bomb and still come out a winner.
Paneer Cheese
Paneer is a fresh cheese used in Indian food. It’s related to ricotta and is super easy to make at home and a lot cheaper than buying it. If you don’t happen to have a well stocked international market or Indian grocery nearby this might also be the only way you can get it for use in your favorite Indian recipes. Fortunately it only takes two ingredients and both are available everywhere. This is also a great way to take advantage if your grocery store marks milk down just before it expires. The cheese is best with super fresh milk, but it’s still pretty amazing made with slightly older milk as well.
