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 »
Tiffany’s blog Savor Home is one of my favorites for delicious, easy recipes, pretty photographs, and a great mix of interior design and fashion. I loved her recipe for orecchiette with sausage and broccoli so much (the photos are amazing too!) that I asked her if I could share it with you all today. This recipe would be a very easy thing to make on a weeknight, and perfect to reheat for lunch the next day!
I found this orecchiette pasta in one of Giada’s cookbooks and I’ve seen her make several versions of it on her show. I have always been fascinated with the shape of that pasta, so I decided to try it out. Let’s just say my taste buds were ecstatic! This was incredibly delicious, slightly spicy (I used hot Italian sausage cause’ I love spicy food) and so easy to make. The juices from the sausage and the pasta water create this light and wonderful sauce that is SO good! It look me less than 25 minutes to make this from start to finish, so it would be a great weeknight dinner.
A little side note: The recipe called for broccoli rabe, which can be a little bitter. So I substituted baby broccoli, which is slightly sweet and much more tender than broccoli rabe and regular broccoli. If you have kids, they might favor it more as well.
Get Tiffany’s adapted recipe, right here: Read more »
This recipe, as I mentioned before, is inspired by a chili recipe I saw on Barefoot Contessa. I’ll just come right out and say it — as a girl who grew up in Texas and has had her fair share of chili, this one was pretty darn good. I personally did not grow up eating chili with big chunks of beef in it (we were more of a ground beef recipe-type family), but I have to say, this might have me converted.
On the show, the gals used 5 pounds of brisket for the recipe. I opted to use a top sirloin roast, because I personally don’t really love the texture of brisket (sacrilege for a Texan to say, I know), and also, with just Joe and I, there was no need to buy five pounds of meat! And just a warning, if the title wasn’t enough: this chili is SPICY. I personally love spicy food, so it wasn’t a big deal, but if you’re sensitive to it, you’ll want to cut back on the cayenne and chili flakes pretty significantly.
The chili recipe is really easy to do, though it takes a little bit longer than what’s probably reasonable for a weeknight meal. However, you’ll have plenty of leftovers to take to work the next day. Nothing like a hot bowl of zesty chili to brighten a winter day, right? Here’s how to make it: Read more »
