One of my stated foodie goals to start the year is that I want to experiment more with heirloom and artisanal grains and such in my cooking and baking so I decided first up is lentils. These are black or beluga lentils, which hold their shape quite nicely when you prepare them. They have a bit of a rice like flavor and would do well as a side dish, if you want to up the protein and get rid of some carbs. This salad was a great lunch, flavor packed with the peppery arugula and tangy feta. Definitely a make again for me.
January 2021
As you folks are well aware, I sometimes have this tendency to put “unusual” flavor combinations together. Today is no exception, though I don’t think that this combination is all that odd. I give you: Pistachio and Wild Cherry Thumbprint Cookies. Ground pistachios in the dough and sprinkled on top, fantastic wild cheery jam (literally the best jam that I have ever tasted!) in the “thumbprints”. Great combo, in my opinion. If you can’t find cherry jam, plum or apricots would also be good substitutes.
Today happens to be National Cookie Bar Day. Or National Blondie Day. Or National Vanilla Brownie Day. So in honor of this very exciting “holiday”, I decided to make these Triple Mini-Chip Blondies (Recipe: ) with Semi-sweet, White and Butterscotch Mini-Chips. They are ooey, gooey and 100% delicious. Just what you are craving on a Friday afternoon!
January is made for comfort food. It’s chilly and snowing just a bit which made it the perfect time to make these Cheesy Shells with Meatballs. Full disclosure: this is one of those times that you can bought store bought parts of this meal. I included directions on how to make meatballs, but you can also go buy some pre-cooked frozen meatballs. And I didn’t make the marinara or pesto sauces either — store bought is just fine. While people have this perception that it is hard to stuff shells (or manicotti, for that matter), if you cook the pasta al dente, it isn’t much of an issue. Enjoy!