Author Archives: jessica

Hazelnut Cookies

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So remember that we joined the olive oil of the month club? They also sent us this recipe, which I knew we had to try right away. But we spent the day making amazing fresh pasta, and had no time for silly dessert. So the next Sunday, I whipped these up really quickly, and Steph shaped and baked them while I bathed Richie and put him to bed. Teamwork! They were actually very simple to make, as long as you have a food processor and microplane…right now I take those tools for granted, but it wasn’t long ago that those were not in my kitchen (Mom has no kitchen gadgets!). Continue reading …

Breakfast Egg in Avocado

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Recently, Leat sent me and Steph a recipe for the best looking breakfast I had ever seen. I knew I had to make it right away…so I went out and bought an avocado ($1 ripe one…why are avocados so expensive these days?) and make this for breakfast the next day. Zeke is crazy and didn’t eat his avocado! He thought it would be weird warm. I think he’s crazy. It was amazingly delicious. You should make this as soon as possible.

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Turkey Potstickers

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We really have to thank our good friend and culinary school graduate Adam Mimran for this recipe. He’s the one who’s tested it many times and took the time to make them for a crowd during the Superbowl. Funny thing is, this has been on mine and Steph’s to do lists for quite some time. Oh well. Sometimes you have to rely on friends to cook things for you. If you plan on making them for a crowd, double the recipe. Continue reading …

Beef Ribs and Cabbage

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Zeke requested red meat for dinner, so when I saw these baby back ribs at the butcher, I really wanted to buy them and slowly barbecue them or smoke them. But I didn’t really have the tools for that, so out came my trusty dutch oven, and a new dish was born! Cabbage and ribs is something I have never made before, but I searched a few recipes online and decided to go with the flavor combination and just add some tomato paste, since tomato sauce and cabbage is a good combination. Besides being very hard to eat, this dish was definitely successful. If you like hearty meals and eating like a caveman or woman, give this one a try! Continue reading …

Chicken with Rice and Veggies

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Another baby recipe by Tyler Florence! And another one-pot all-in-one meal! Can’t go wrong here. I think I’m just trying to work my way through this cookbook until I find my favorite recipes. Why? Not only are they healthy recipes geared towards your family’s eating, they’re also SO easy and quick to make. And easy but still super delicious recipes are my favorite! Continue reading …

Chiffon CUPcakes

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Ever wonder why they’re called cupcakes? Well, probably because you bake them in cups!

Seriously. Once I found out that my dairy dishes are oven-proof, I knew I had to make these. I watched Alton make them a few times, and once my Good Eats 3 arrived, it made me want to try it even more. So when Stephanie came over and we made dinner for some friends, we knew his was the perfect dessert to make. Each of us would have a mug, and we would freeze the cupcakes we made in tins. Yum! These came out light, fluffy, and overall delicious, especially with Alton’s buttercream spread on top.

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Israeli Couscous with Brussels Sprouts and Chick Peas

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My husband loves Brussels sprouts. Problem is, he always eats them the same way: cut in half and roasted. Boring! So when I saw a recipes for Israeli (pearled) couscous with brussels sprouts and chick peas, I decided to try it. I would see if Zeke would actually eat couscous, and have a more original way to eat his favorite veggie. Continue reading …

Caesar Roasted Striped Bass

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I am always boring when it comes to fish. I always make salmon or tilapia, and don’t often vary the recipes. Well, the first time I saw Ina make this fish, I knew I had to try it. But I didn’t. And then I saw the episode again, and I remembered how badly I wanted to try it last time. And then I saw it yet another time, and still I hadn’t made it. Well, come one random Wednesday night, when I just didn’t know what to make for dinner. And Stephanie wasn’t helping, but she knew she didn’t want anything with tomato sauce (she had red sauce two nights in a row) or meat (since she had meat the night before). Fish it was! And I racked my brain trying to think of some easy (I was cooking in my mom’s kitchen with limited resources) yet delicious fish recipes I heard of recently, and immediately looked this one up. Continue reading …

Mushroom Lasagna

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I love making lasagna for company. It’s not so easy, but it’s something that can be made ahead of time, making the day-of much easier to handle. This lasagna is a little different and “dressier” than the classic cheese-and-tomato-sauce or meat-and-tomato-sauce kind. Plus, it is a nice filling main dish! We all really enjoyed it, and I’m glad I made the entire box of lasagna noodles and made a little extra of this for the freezer. That’s right, lasagna is a great freezer food!

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Short Ribs with Apples and Root Veggies

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We have a baby foodie in the house! He’s older than 6 months, which means we are thinking about food. And although right now he survives only on breastmilk and single veggies, pretty soon he’ll be sharing family meals with us. Which is why when he was born I had to buy Tyler Florence’s new baby food cookbook Start Fresh. First of all, Tyler Florence is awesome. Second of all, I love people’s takes on what babies should eat. He thinks baby’s first food should be baby carrots (the real kind, not the cut and bleached processed kind). Continue reading …