Start of Spanish chicken...

Another recipe found on Pinterest...

for some reason I started this at 11:30pm and so I just didn't take pictures of the final product but here is the start of it...

Insert: 

chicken thighs

bacon

red onion

small red potatoes

top with: 

S+P

paprika

orange zest

dried herbs (prob oregano is good..I didn't have any)

bake for like..an hour. Really quite simple.

Cheesy buttery garlicky bread

I saw this heart attack in bread form on Pinterest and had to make it ASAP...

My modifications...I discovered something called Ficelle from TJs which I think is the bread version of frozen cookie dough (i.e. all the joys of eating something fresh from the oven without making it from scratch). I also made my own "garlic butter" which involved mincing garlic and mixing with softened butter. Some fresh or dried herbs would have been nice though.

I think the trick is...if you think you're adding too much butter and cheese..you need to add more. There is no "light" version of this recipe that is sensical! The second time around I even made smaller slices through the bread so I could stuff in more butter and cheese. 

Now since eating all this bread doused in lard, I'm going to eat alfalfa sprouts the rest of the week.

Tabbouleh

Excellent..well would have been except for the mushy quinoa (see previous post)!

LoVe

Quinoa

I've been a fail at making quinoa so far....so I found this online and wanted to save it for next time



How-to Make Fluffy Quinoa Every Time: Tips

Tip 1: Rinse it.
Rinse your dry quinoa in water before cooking. This removes some of the 'mush-promoting' grit on the grain.

Tip 2: Less is More. (Water)
Most boxes of quinoa say to add 2 cups of water for every one cup of dry quinoa. I say that is too much! And remember if you are rinsing your quinoa you will be adding a bit more water anyways. For fluffy quinoa, less water is more. I do 1 part dry quinoa : 1 1/2 parts water ratio - then I rinse the quinoa and drain as much water as I can. For the Spiced Quinoa recipe below I added in some dry spices so the water amount increases a tad.

Tip 3: No Peeking!
Once you close that pot lid over your cooking quinoa - no peeking! And no stirring! You don't want to disturb the quinoa fluff factory bubbling inside.

Tip 4: Let it Sit.
After cooking and before you lift the lid, turn OFF the stove and in the words of Kelly Clarkson, "Just Walk Away." Let the quinoa sit for a good 5-10 minutes. Again - no peeking!

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

I've been buying this at au bon pain for years..finally decided to make my own (following Giada's recipe). I couldn't find pastini so I used orzo instead-not a bad substitution as it is quite slippery and good for soups. Also I think my area has shockingly poor produce selection...two stores later and no curly endive! I never end up loving the soups I make myself..maybe it's because of store-bought chicken stock? Will have to start making my own.....

knick knacks

Four homey things I'm digging right about now

"good trick to keeping Champagne from going flat is tin foil on the top, that way, when drinking alone, you can do it multiple nights in a row" --> dream come true as le bubbly is my drink of choice!

Although health claims about wheat grass are abundant and I suspect, over hyped and unscientific, the idea of growing and juicing my own verdant green drink appeals to my inner rabbit. 

Wine..cheese..'nuff said!

Grey ikat

New Idol

Meet Pippa Lord!

She cooks! She's Australian! She's super chic! She has a dreamy day job! She loves Mad Men!

Beachin'