Raw nuts make a tasty and satisfying snack. They are a little on the bland side, so it is not hard to stick with the recommended daily serving of a dozen or so nuts. Roasting and salting the nuts really increases their appeal, and you'll probably find yourself eating at least a handful or two before trying to find something to wash them down with. Adding sugar to the roasted, salted nuts makes them dangerously addictive.
Fortunately, candied nuts are also very easy to make. All you need to do is toss the nuts in some egg white and coat with a generous amount of sugar and spices. For this recipe, I used cinnamon and allspice, which combine with the flavor of the pecan to produce a result that tastes exactly of fall and the holiday season. In fact, a batch of these nuts would make a wonderful gift for family or friends, though you'll want to make two so you can keep some for yourself.
Since tomatoes seem to ripen all at the same time, those who grow their own in summer often struggle with ways to use them up quickly. Sauces and salads are very nice, as are fresh tomatoes when eaten out of hand, but a simple open-faced tomato sandwich, as Dawna from Always in the Kitchen made, might be an even better application. Her sandwich starts with a piece of toasted, crusty bread (sourdough might work very well here) and is topped with slices of red onion, tomato, mozzarella cheese and a few sprigs of fresh basil. She also added a generous amount of salt and pepper. Simple though it seems, a sandwich like this one is guaranteed to be one fantastic lunch.
Pasta salads are not usually considered to be particularly elegant dishes, in large part because people think of them as bowls of mayonnaise that happen to have pasta mixed in. A pasta salad could really be any kind of cold or room temperature salad that has a dressing (as opposed to a sauce) and veggies in it. If you use a long, thin noodle, your pasta can quickly be transformed from a picnic side to an elegant main dish. Elise from Simply Recipes used this techinque with her inspired Sesame and Cilantro Vermicelli Salad. The asian-inspired pasta uses a honey and sesame soy dressing over a mix of thin noodles, cilantro, peanuts, green onions and red pepper, creating a perfectly satisfying summer pasta dish - no mayonnaise required.
I debated over what to name this dessert. The recipe that inspired it was in a recent issue of Cooking Light and was called a sorbet, but I felt that the rich, smooth taste of the dessert did not really fit the sorbet name. To me, sorbet inspires an icier treat and not a creamy one, not to mention the fact that most sorbets contain no dairy products at all. Ice creams usually have cream in them, but I think that in this case we can make an exception because the dessert, Black Cherry Buttermilk Ice Cream, is delicious enough to satisfy any ice cream lover.
I saw this recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light (from 2003) that I had lying around and it immediately caught my eye. Why I didn't make it the first time I saw it, I'll never know, but I'm glad I did it now.
Waldorf salad isn't something that you see too often, but the combination of apples, raisins, celery and walnuts is not only addictive, but crunchy and satisfying. Coleslaw, too, is crunchy and refreshing, which is why it is such a popular side to accompany rich and meaty meals. Of course, both salads are slathered in mayo, so they're not exactly healthy foods despite having low-cal ingredients. This is one of the reasons why I liked the Cooking Light recipe, since it eliminates a lot of the fat but still tastes great. Combining the elements of the two salads into Waldorf Coleslaw worked beautifully.
Fritattas could very well be the most popular brunch food there is. Not only are they relatively easy to prepare, but they are very versatile. You can put almost any combination of meats, cheeses or vegetables into the egg base and turn out a fantastic dish. Fritattas can also be served hot, cold and at room temperature, so they fit easily into party preparation and, when it comes time to serve them, they can be cut into bite sized pieces or meal-worthy wedges. The problem is that many recipes call for both stove-top and oven cooking or specialty cookware. This is not the case with this recipe.
This particular fritatta recipe is one of my favorites. Not only is it simple, but it eliminates any confusion over what sort of pan is best for cooking. The whole thing is poured into a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish and cooked in the oven. The large, finished fritatta can be sliced easily to fit any occasion. And the flavor? With a spinach and feta filling, it tastes just like spanikopita: delicious.
Bisquick is buttermilk baking mix, a blend of shortening, powdered buttermilk, flour and leaving agents, which has
a long shelf-life when kept in a cool, dry place. It is popular for everything from pancakes to dumplings, but when you
usually make homemade versions of those things, a box of Bisquick can last you a long time.
I searched through Allrecipes.com to find a way to use it up and came across a
semi-homemade recipe that was ideal for springtime pantry cleaning: bisquick cookies. The recipe also calls for boxed pudding
mix – mostly sugar and cornstarch – to be used. Fortunately, I had a box of pudding mix remaining after I
disposed of the packages that looked as though they were bought in the 1980’s. The only thing you really need to
make these cookies that can’t be found in your pantry is an egg. And if you keep your eggs there, I strongly
recommend using some fresh ones.
I like cereal as well as the next person, even the plainer kinds like Rice Krispies and regular Cheerios, which
are not exciting enough to be "kids cereal" nor are they healthy enough (i.e. made to enhance
"regularity") to be strictly for adults. Let's face it: they're pretty uninspiring as far as cereal options
go. I'll buy a box on sale and eat it when I run out of other things. They will last quite some time when the
box is unopened. This is an excellent feature since it is only rarely when I put plain-jane cereals to their best use:
marshmallow cereal bars. With three ingredients, there is hardly any simpler snack and few more delicious. Since these
involve no baking, prepared entirely in the microwave, a batch or two is a great way to clean out the cupboard and make
room for newer, more exciting breakfast options. It's also a great thing to make with your kids.
This is a great recipe for Cooking Live because it is so quick. It's definitely the kind of meal that can go from
nothing to the table in under 30 minutes - provided that you have the ingredients, of course. Fortunately, the
ingredients are things that you are likely to have around the house, so if you pick up some pork chops on your way home
from work, you will be good to go. First, we'll prepare the rice and as it cooks, we can cook up the pork chops. Serve
the pork, with a bit of sauce, over the rice and add a small side salad and you have a delicious and simple meal.
Ants on a Log is a kids snack food that has been around for a long, long time. Though I never personally saw the
resemblance, it gets its name from the fact that the raisins dotting the celery are supposed to look like ants. On a
log, obviously.
These are very simple to make and your kids should be able to make them by themselves (with a dull knife or spoon,
for safety) without supervision. Simply wash and dry several stalks of celery. Spread some with cream cheese and some
with peanut butter, then dot them with raisins and dried cranberries, though any kind of dried fruits will work
beautifully. The Ants on a Log can be prepared at the last minute or in advance and they're a great addition to party
food. Not only are they a fairly healthy snack for the kids, but the grownups will enjoy them too.
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
