Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars

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I love granola bars. They are a great snack at my desk (boo, desk job) at work. They are a great oh-my-god-I-don’t-have-time-to-eat-breakfast quick breakfast. They are also useful for when I actually DID eat breakfast, but am still hungry. I just grab one and eat it on my way to the subway station. The problem with granola bars is that they usually have a few ingredients that I don’t really want to eat in them. Or the are covered in chocolate (a few chocolate chips? Not the same). Or they are just very expensive, and there are only 5 in a box. Continue reading …

Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake

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I have been wanting to make this cake ever since I bought this cookbook, and that was a while ago. But first I didn’t find kosher mascarpone cheese, then I didn’t have an occasion to bake it for, and then I had a baby who didn’t really allow me to do much multi-step cake baking. Well I baked it. It took a while. I juiced lemons one day, made curd another, worked on the frosting the next morning, and that afternoon finally baked the cakes. So it took a while, but it was done, decorated, and waiting in the fridge to eat. I wanted to skip lunch and just eat cake. Continue reading …

Homemade Pasta with 7 Yolks

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After attempting to make French macarons, I had plenty of egg yolks left over (and no cookies!). Sure, I could make ice cream or pudding with them, but I didn’t feel like it. So even though I don’t have a pasta roller, I decided to make pasta dough and roll it out with my rolling pin. When the dough was finished, I was scared to ruin it, so I took my pasta over to my parents’ house, instructing my sister to bring her Kitchenaid pasta-rolling attachment there as well, and we teamed up to serve our family the best pasta dish ever! Continue reading …

Tomato Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

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Or Chicken as the Farmer’s Wife Would Make – or – Polla al la Contadina

I love Mario Batali. Yes, he wears Crocs and high socks and talks so quickly it’s hard to understand him, but his use of simple ingredients and fresh flavors to make the most amazing meals is truly a talent. Plus he went to Rutgers (just like Stephanie!) and used to work at Stuff Yer Face in New Brunswick. Best yet is that he didn’t forget about his roots! Oh, and he sports a red beard. Continue reading …

Another Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

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I love butternut squash soup! I love any butternut squash, actually. But the best way to eat it is definitely in soup.

Last year, we posted a recipe from Jamie Oliver. And while that sage-infused oil soup was amazing, and definitely a go-to recipe for me, I definitely have to change it up a little bit. Eating as much butternut squash soup as I do makes me need to experiment with different flavors and interesting ingredients. This is actually the first butternut squash soup recipe I have ever made, and it was years ago when I was still in high school. Continue reading …

Grilled Baby Bok Choy

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That’s right, I’m still grilling. Okay, fine, so I made this on my cast iron grill pan. But it still turned out awesome. It required more cooking time than the outdoor grill and set off my smoke detector more than once. I used all the ingredients from the original recipe but changed the quantities a lot. It’s also the type of recipe that you really don’t have to measure. Just wing it. Continue reading …

Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas

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This post is in honor of the best news ever!

Whenever I buy bananas, some of them start to turn brown before I can eat them. Seriously, they’re green when I bring them home, and when I wake up the next morning they’re already overripe! I usually peel them, cut them into chunks and freeze them for smoothies, but there are other things you can do with frozen bananas; You can dip them in chocolate and coconut or pistachios and eat them for dessert!

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Carrot Ginger Dressing

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The best part of going out for sushi is salad, because it comes with carrot ginger dressing! Jessica and I have been known to pick up a quart of dressing from our local sushi joint. That is, before we learned how easy it is to make at home!

Since I tend to experiment with Asian cooking, I always have most of these ingredients at home, such as rice vinegar, ginger and sesame oil. I did have to go out and find some miso paste, which was pretty easy; there are a few brands of kosher miso paste available at Whole Foods. Now that I have that, I can make this whenever the urge strikes, since it lasts in the fridge for quite a while. It’s also good to have around for my favorite lazy miso soup dinner, which consists of mixing miso paste with water and adding whatever veggies I have around, and maybe some greens or soba noodles.

While you’re picking up your miso paste, make sure to buy an avocado, our favorite vehicle for carrot-ginger dressing!

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