cucumber tomato sandwich

This recipe is a revamp of my previous cucumber sandwich which I felt needed to taste fresher.

These taste like spring.

{ingredients}

• 4 pieces whole wheat bread
• 1/2 pkg cream cheese (low-fat), room temperature
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnishing
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced
• 1 English cucumber, sliced

{directions}

Combine the cream cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix it well until the cream cheese becomes a delicious paste.

Smear the cream cheese on the bread. Add tomato and cucumber slices. Top with a little extra salt, pepper, and parsley, if desired. Add a second slice of bread and enjoy!

valentine's curry

Another Valentine's Day meal which may soon become our yearly treat. We're two for two right now, so we'll see.

The best way to describe this delicious curry is "delicately sweet." Yes, I coined that phrase while cutting up the vegetables. It tastes almost like a dessert. You can put as much or as little heat as you'd like, and the best part is that it's very easy to make. Once the vegetables are cut, the hard part is over. You could even throw this in the crock pot in the morning and have it ready by dinner time.

{ingredients}

• Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (1.5 cans--save the other 0.5 for the rice)
• Thai Kitchen Red (or green) Curry Paste
• 1 sweet potato or yam or regular potato, diced
• 1/2 butternut squash, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced very fine
• 1 zucchini, quartered and halved
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and halved
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced

{directions}

Like I said, this is super easy. Once your vegetables are diced finely (you can cut them larger, but it will just take longer to cook), pour 1.5 cans of coconut milk into a large pot. Add two or three teaspoons of the curry paste. You can add more or less depending on your spice tolerance. Stir it once. Add all the vegetables. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until the vegetables are nice and tender.

Really so easy, and all the ingredients, even the Thai Kitchen ingredients, are sold in the Asian section of your grocery store. They aren't very expensive either, and the curry paste lasts forever because you don't need a lot to make it super spicy.

Now all you need is some rice:

Sweet Coconut Rice

(adapted from The Food and Cooking of Thailand)

{ingredients}

• 1.5 cups water
• .5 can of coconut milk (see above)
• 1 cup Jasmine rice
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

{directions}

Combine the above in a rice cooker, stir, and cook for twenty minutes.

Do you see what I mean by easy? I was even able to throw together this amazing chocolate souffle while the curry and rice simmered away. Enjoy!

stuffed shells

I made these for dinner last night. It was one of my favorite meals growing up. I've changed my mom's recipe to give it a little more gourmet taste, but it's still easy and delicious.

{ingredients}

• 1/2 box of shells, cooked according to package directions
• 4 cups cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• Your favorite jarred marinara (my recommendation)
• Asiago/Parmesan, or both

Preheat the oven to 350°. While the shells are cooking, prepare the filling. Mix cottage cheese with the other cheeses. You can choose to add different types of cheese if you'd like. Parmesan would be great. Add the eggs, garlic salt, and dried herbs (crush them in your hand first). Mix it thoroughly and set aside.

Drain the shells when al dente. Spread 1/3 of the marinara on the bottom of an 8x8 pan. LineRun a little bit of cold water over them to avoid burning yourself. Stuff the shells with the cottage cheese mixture. People always tell me not to stuff them too much, but I love it--so I stuff it! (Okay, a little too cheesy there--um... that was too. Sorry.)

Line the pan with your pleasantly plump shells, open side up. It's okay to squeeze them together to fit them all. Top with Asiago or parmesan cheese--or both, like I did.

Bake at 350° covered in foil for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 10 more minutes.

Bonus~A Poor Couple's Garlic Bread

 

When we can't afford gourmet artisan bread or don't want to go to the store (or when dinner is almost ready and your significant other says, "Where's the bread?"), this is what we do:

• Take a few slices of whole wheat, store-bought bread.
• Toast them.
• Undress one garlic clove (a.k.a. Smash it with a can and remove the peel.)
• Rub it on the toast. 

Voila! Instant, cheap, and tasty garlic bread. It literally takes a couple minutes.

balsamic brown butter ravioli

{image}

I adore Giada. I won't make a secret of it. Her recipes are inspired, and her style is ... awesome.

I think you could say my gourmet cooking spirit came from watching her create elegant food despite the circumstance. Whether it be a dinner party or hiking, her food doesn't lose its gourmet quality. And she's so enthusiastic about every ingredient. I love it!

In honor of Giada, here's one of my favorite recipes. It's elegant, easy, and I could eat it all day.

{image}

{ingredients}

• 18 to 20 oz. frozen ravioli
• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

{directions}

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

{Romantic Additions*}

DO: Roast squash while this is cooking and eat them together. Delicious.

DON'T: Forget to keep an eye on the butter. It will burn if you're not careful.

FOR ME: I'm trying to acquire a taste for walnuts. I know they're healthy and everything, but something about the texture... (exagerated shudder)... I either don't add them or crush up some almonds instead.

{source}

*Whenever I post recipes that I don't create, I will always add my own suggestions at the bottom called "Romantic Additions."