Category Archives: Recipes

Sometimes I cook things. Well, often I do.

Potato/leek chowder

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This was SUCH the perfect thing to have on a cold winter’s night. A bit of smoked hot paprika gives it a kick, and the cream made it just oh so very very tasty. The day after I made this, Nick told me he was dreaming about this soup.

To make it: 
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 piece turkey kielbasa, cut in quarters lengthwise and then cut into 1/4″ thick slices
  • 2-3 leeks, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
  • 4 smallish carrots, sliced thin (or 2 larger carrots, sliced in half lengthwise and sliced thin)
  • 1 small head celery, chopped
  • 4 medium red potatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp herbs de provence
  • 1/2 tsp smoked hot paprika
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 quart veggie stock (you can also use chicken stock, but use less salt)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pint less 1/4 cup light cream

melt butter in a stockpot and add vegetables and kielbasa along with the herbs de provence and paprika. Sauté on medium for about 10 minutes until the leeks have started to disintegrate a bit. Add flour and continue sautéing for another 5 minutes to brown the flour a bit. Add stock, stir to incorporate, and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add cream, stir to incorporate and heat through.

Jazzy No-bakes

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I learned this recipe as a little girl from my mom, and modified it as I got older. My version incorporates some orange zest, garam masala and candied ginger. Mind, they’re insanely rich - so you don’t want to eat too many of them.

To make it: 
  • 6 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
  • 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup light cream
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth)
  • 2 tbsp candied ginger, chopped
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats

Melt chocolate over double boiler and add in honey and cream. Fold chocolate into peanut butter along with zest, garam masala and chopped ginger. Fold in oats. Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Stick in the fridge for about 3-8 hours until set.

Baked mac and cheese

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I grew up eating my grandmother’s mac and cheese - pretty good, but BLAND as all get out - I think she used Velveeta and Cheddar for most of it, and almost no salt or spices. Finding myself in need of a kid-friendly, but adult-palatable meal last week, I stumbled upon this beautiful recipe. Using a bit of gorgonzola gives it a bite without too much punch, and the ground mustard and leeks just makes it magical. With the exception of my eight-year-old neice (who seemed crestfallen that it wasn’t Kraft), all 7 people in my house that night devoured this. It’s not low-fat by any stretch of the imagination, so make this on a cold night when you have a lot of people to feed. It keeps pretty well, too - but I don’t recommend freezing it.

To make it: 
  • 1 pound of pasta (preferably a medium-sized shell shape - I don’t like elbows much)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 leeks, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into thin half-moon shapes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped roughly (you want largish pieces)
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp paprika (regular)
  • 1 tbsp ground mustard (I grind my own in a mortar and pestle)
  • a couple of pinches herbs de provence
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 1 cup grated colby
  • 3/4 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles
  • 1/2 grated parmesan or asiago
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, unseasoned

Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta until it’s about 3/4 done - you want it to still have a lot of bite to it, but be a bit softer. Drain and spread out into a 13*9 casserole dish or Bar pan.

To make the sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan and sauté leeks and garlic until they soften. Add flour, paprika, mustard, salt, pepper and herbs and sauté for a bit longer until the flour gets pasty and a bit brown. Add milk and whisk to incorporate anything. Heat on medium, whisking constantly until everything is well incorporated and milk is heated through. Add colby, gorgonzola and sharp cheddar along with about 1/4 cup of the grated parmesan or asiago. Keep whisking on medium until cheese melts and incorporates into the mixture and it starts getting thicker. It might not get super-thick; don’t worry about it. A lot of the liquid soaks into the pasta while it bakes.

When the sauce is good and done (taste a bit of it to be sure it tastes right), pour the whole thing over the pasta and stir to coat in the pan. Top the whole thing with the rest of the grated parmesan or asiago and the breadcrumbs. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs start to get brown. Serve hot with some sautéed ginger carrots (just sauté them with a bit of butter and ginger ale until they’re tender - thanks Alton Brown!) and a salad.

Cabbage Curry with Tomatoes

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This was my take on a really amazing cabbage curry I had at a Bengali restaurant I frequent with my boyfriend Nick. This version is lighter, fresher and has just a hint of sweetness to it. It was amazing over potato/cheddar pierogies, but you can also have it over basmati or brown rice. The key is to get a fairly small, young cabbage - it has much more tender leaves that get a bit sweet when you cook them.

To make it: 
  • 1 small head of cabbage, sliced very thin
  • 6 medium-sized plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced thinly
  • 1 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly into half-moon shapes
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped roughly
  • 2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) - you can also use butter, peanut oil or mustard oil (mustard oil is nice in this)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Penzey’s Maharishi Curry Powder (or another curry powder you like)
  • 1 tbsp brown mustard seeds, crushed
  • salt to taste

Melt ghee in a shallowish stockpot and add spices. Cook until they start to crackle and you get that great smell like curry is happening in your house. Add onions and garlic and sauté on medium-high for about 5-10 minutes until onions are soft. Add the rest of the veggies and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until veggies (especially cabbage) are soft and wilty. Serve over potato and onion pierogies or over basmati rice.

Baked Brown Rice

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This is the absolute best and only acceptable way to cook brown rice. This makes a good amount, but you can use it for just about anything. It will store for about a week in the refrigerator.

To make it: 
  • 1-1/2 cup brown rice
    2-2/4 cup boiling water
    1 tsp olive oil or butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay out rice and butter or oil in an 8″ square glass baking dish. Add boiling water and stir to make sure all the rice is submerged. Cover with a double-layer (this is important!) of aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for one hour, until all liquid is absorbed. When it’s done, take it out of the oven, remove the foil (carefully, because it will have plenty of steam), and cover the pan with a clean towel for 5 minutes. Remove towel and fluff with a fork.