food - 2/9 -

November 13, 2012 In food

french onion soup

I had such a great weekend and not only because we won a vacation! (I still can’t believe it!) Ryan’s sister and her hubby went away for the weekend to celebrate their 10 year anniversary so our nephews stayed with us for the weekend. On Saturday we took them to Union Beach to volunteer and they were such good sports! I felt like it was a really great opportunity to teach them a lesson and to give back to the community. I wasn’t sure how they’d react, but my oldest nephew came up to me at the end and said how good it felt to help others. How sweet is that?!

I’ve been meaning to try making french onion soup for a long time now and figured this was the perfect Autumn lunch since our family would be over! This recipe is based off of several different recipes I pulled from books or magazines and was delicious and filling!

French Onion Soup Recipe
6 Servings, 15 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1.5 pounds onions
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1.5-2 large boxes of low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
6 slices french bread
6 ounces sliced Gruyere cheese
6 ounces shredded Parmesan
6 beef bullion cubes

1. Melt butter in a very large, deep pot over medium heat. Add onions and stir to coat. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are very soft and begin to turn a golden brown color. (Yum!)

2. Uncover and increase heat to medium/high heat. Add sugar and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle onions with flour and cook for another minute. Stir in broth, wine, 1 cup water, and beef bullion cubes. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.

3. Toast slices of bread in the broiler until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Place six ovenproof bowls (I love these) on a baking sheet and divide soup equally.

4. Place a piece of toast on the top of each serving of soup and top with Gruyere slices, followed by a generous sprinkling of shredded Parmesan. (The cheesier the better!) Heat under broiler for about 3 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and deliciously melted. Carefully remove from oven and enjoy while warm!

July 24, 2012 In food

herbs and seafood

I have to admit I haven’t been very inspired to cook lately because of the heat. I took full advantage of a few lazy days this past weekend and tried some new recipes to use some herbs from my garden. I’ve been craving seafood and have been waiting to try this grilled shrimp recipe for a while now. I am so glad I did, because honestly… I have never gotten high fives for something I’ve cooked before until this weekend. This may be one of the best shrimp appetizers I’ve had and I highly recommend you try it.

I also made this herb mustard glazed salmon yesterday and it was so delicious. The glaze adds a nice flavor and balances the fishy taste of the salmon. The recipe calls for broiling it, but I use my grill pan to get the nice grill lines without having the fish fall apart.

July 17, 2012 In food

garden party

This weekend we had some friends over for a casual little garden party. I kept the food simple and made my go to shrimp scampi, a garden salad, and my sangria that always gets people silly. I set the table with a simple white linen table cloth, and made a runner out of burlap from the local craft store. I didn’t even sew it, I just got 3 yards of fabric and folded it length wise! (I asked the cashier if they had any coupons and got it for only $8!) I love the way the candles and flowers dress up a typically utilitarian fabric.

May 25, 2012 In food

seared scallops

Ryan and I both had busy work weeks, so on Wednesday I decided to make a “fancy” dinner to make the middle of the week feel a bit more special. Trying new recipes and cooking is relaxing to me and was exactly what I needed to pause this hectic week. I found this recipe in Cooking Light (my new favorite magazine) and paired it with a Chardonnay we got on our recent wine tasting tour. It was so simple to make, and gave me an excuse to start using fresh herbs from the garden!

I’ve been a busy bee working on a few different projects, so this weekend I’m going to do some gardening, celebrate Ryan’s birthday(!) , and catch up on some reading. Take a look at my facebook page to sneak a peak at some project updates!

April 25, 2012 In food

grow cook eat

I have become obsessed with gardening. And that might be an understatement. Since living on my own after college, I’ve slowly taught myself how to cook by following recipes and watching the Food Network. This newish obsession somehow seems natural to me that I would now grow the ingredients to use in my recipes.

I absolutely love my new book “Grow Cook Eat” that I recently picked up. It gives you tips on how to grow each veggie (including when to plant the seeds and how much to water them), how to store it, and how to cook it by using the books fresh recipes. I started dogearing the recipes that looked interesting, but now the entire book is dogeared! This is definitely helpful for beginner gardeners, or people who are just learning how to cook!

January 22, 2012 In food

comfort food

This weekend we had the second snow storm of the season on the east coast. After a trying week, it was nice to be lazy and enjoy a quiet Saturday morning of coffee and catching up on work. I’ve always wanted the kind of house where guests just stop by and feel comfortable to put their feet up on the sofa or help themselves in the fridge. On Saturday our nephew needed help with a school paper, so Ryan’s sister and her family came over for a little comfort food. I love how my dining table went from being my desk, to being filled with family brainstorming ideas, to eating this family style meal together, to a serious Jenga competition. This house is now starting to feel like home.