Food

Recipe: Summer Succotash

Posted on June 4, 2013 by vmacandcheese

When’s the last time you heard the word ‘succotash?’ When a cartoon character was saying the word, ‘sufferin’ before it? Or never? It’s one of my favorite words, not only because it’s kind of fun to say, but it includes one of my favorite summer vegetables: corn.

Technically (and depending on who you ask and in what part of the country), a succotash is a dish that consists mostly of corn kernels and some type of bean. In Texas, where I grew up, that bean was always the humble lima. While I do enjoy lima beans every now and again, earlier this week, I decided to take advantage of some seriously good looking asparagus and use that in place of any legumes.

The thing I love about this recipe is that 1) it’s about as simple as you can get, and 2) it’s a great jumping off point to add lots of other ingredients or come up with plenty of delish pairings. For example, hot out of the oven (yes, I roasted it!), this would taste amazing with some goat cheese swirled in. You can serve it as a hot side dish, like we did with a roasted chicken, but it would also taste good on top of a salad, or even mixed with noodles and vinaigrette for a cold pasta salad at a summer picnic. You could add shredded chicken to the mixture for a one dish meal, or serve it cold on its own as a snack.

Hungry yet? Here’s what you do: Read more »

Filed under Food, Recipes, Take to work, Veggies, Weeknight Meals | 10 Comments »

Recipe: Easy Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry

Posted on May 9, 2013 by vmacandcheese

I have a confession to make. Out of all the different genres of food, Asian cookery is by far my weakest subject. Since I tend to gravitate more towards Mediterranean flavors, that’s what we typically cook at home. But every now and again, you just get that deep craving for the flavors of the Far East – whether it’s complex, bright Thai food; bold, spicy Korean; or even just the classic flavors of good ‘ol Americanized Chinese take-out.

Earlier this week, I had a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies on hand, along with some chicken thighs, so I decided to try making my own stir-fry sauce (the ready made versions at the store are always so sugary!). Here’s the thing I’ve learned about most stir-fry sauce recipes: they’re usually pretty simple, and it’s up to you to add your own preferred flavors to make them shine. In my case, that meant lots of garlic and chili to make it extra spicy, but you can really do whatever you want. Ginger, orange, mushrooms, Chinese black bean sauce — all great routes to go!

This recipe is so perfect for a weeknight meal, because you can throw in whatever veggies or protein you have on hand, and serve it over rice, noodles, or even something like quinoa if you were being extra healthy. Was it the best stir-fry I’d ever had? No. Was it the best I’ve ever made at home? Probably. I’ll keep working on my Asian cookery! Here’s what I did: Read more »

Filed under Asian, Food, Recipes, Take to work, Veggies, Weeknight Meals | 12 Comments »

Recipe: Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Swiss Meringue

Posted on April 18, 2013 by vmacandcheese

I’m so excited to share Erin’s take on this beautiful Lemon Olive Cake with Swiss Meringue! Be sure to check out her blog, The Sparkle, which features a great mix of beauty tips, fashion advice, and delish recipes like this.

I was looking for something to take to my girlfriends place for a lovely Sunday lunch, and came across this recipe. The cake looked perfectly delicate with an impressive flair because of that pillowy Swiss meringue. Lemon is usually a crowd pleaser; a perfect finish to a light lunch with friends. It’s always a tad nerve-racking baking something for the first time to share with others (what if the cake falls? What if it tastes, well, gross?). I was up for the challenge, and borrowed a kitchen blowtorch from a friend. It didn’t fail me: the cake was moist, perfectly dense, yet fluffy, very lemon-y and plain delish.

OK, so it may look difficult, but it’s no more so than any other cake – just think of the meringue topping as icing! Using a spring form pan is definitely the way to go with this one, especially if you’re transporting it like I was. The easiest way to do this, so the topping doesn’t get completely crushed, is to let the cake cool in the pan and then top with the Swiss meringue, and torch as you normally would, peeling off the pan with you get to your destination.

As I found out, it’s important to use a light extra virgin olive oil as to not overwhelm the subtle flavor of the cake. I used a darker variety because it was what I had on hand, and you could taste the EVOO more prominently. It’s also crucial to zest your lemons with an actual zester to get the most zing out of the lemon and mince finely as opposed to zesting it with a microplane. If you don’t have a zester, peel off only the yellow part of the lemon (making sure you miss the white stuff) with a pairing knife, and mince it. Allowing the ingredients to get to room temperature makes for a much more fluffy cake.

I left the rest of the cake with my friends, but I did think twice about breaking the code of etiquette and bringing it home with me! Here’s how to make it: Read more »

Filed under Desserts, Food, Indulgences, Recipes | 8 Comments »