Holiday Recipes

I’ve always been a big list maker. I’m just that type of person. I also tend to make said lists on random scraps of paper and Post-Its and then promptly lose them. I’m also that type of person. Luckily, my summer bucket list is pretty much the same every single year, and I’ve committed it to memory at this point, so I don’t really need to write it down. But I thought I’d document it here for posterity/personal motivation/your voyeuristic pleasure…

Summer To-Do List 2018:
Eat a lobster roll on a dock.
Get popovers at Jordan Pond House.
Climb a mountain.
Ride a bike. (Preferably by water of some sort.)
Picnic in Sheep’s Meadow.
Eat an ice cream cone. (Yes, I eat ice cream every week but never in a cone. A cone is for a special summer occasion.)
SANGRIAAA.
Wear an all-white ensemble. Bonus points if it’s linen.
Crush a grilled cheese at the Northeast Harbor pool.
Roll down a grassy hill.
Beat Logan at tennis.
Make Caprese Quinoa Bake.
Drink an Aperol Spritz while floating in a pool.
Swim in the sub-zero Atlantic waters surrounding Mount Desert Island. (This gives me a headache, but I feel obligated to dunk once a summer.)
Attend an outdoor concert.
Hot dogs.
Nap on as many boats as humanly possible. (Have you ever taken a nap on a boat? Puts a normal nap to shame.)
Drink beer at a baseball game.
Bake zucchini bread.

I’m fully aware that this is an extremely food- and booze-centric list, but that shouldn’t really come as a shock. These are my passions. Sadly, the only things I’ve ticked off so far this summer are lobster roll on a dock, hot dogs, and zucchini bread (we’ll talk about the latter in a second). I need to step up my game.

Not to worry, friends, I made a plan!

Tonight, I will go to Beyonce and Jay-Z at MetLife (outdoor concert, check), where I will attempt to wear all white and eat an ice cream cone.

Next weekend, I head up to Maine, where I will cross off all Mount Desert Island-themed activities. It will be an action-packed 56 hours, but I feel confident I can get them all in—it’s simply a matter of creative scheduling. For example: I could ride a bike to the Northeast Harbor pool to swim in the ocean and fuel up with a grilled cheese before beating Logan at tennis, after which I nap on a boat, SANGRIAAA, and roll down a hill. BOOM. 7 items done in one afternoon.

I’ll squeeze in the few remaining to-dos between next weekend and Labor Day and cap off my summer with a Yankees game in early September. Bucket list handled.

What’s on your summer bucket list? Does it include zucchini bread? Because it should. Specifically these bite-size beauties, which are my personal favorite way to eat zucchini bread. I love tiny food (duh), but I also dig that these bites are ideal for on-the-go breakfasting/snacking, and they freeze like a dream. They’re packed with whole-grain goodness thanks to a combo of whole-wheat flour and rolled oats, lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, and kept moist (sorry) with unsweetened apple sauce. Not to mention the nutritional boost provided by their namesake zucchini. Zucchini bread bites are the perfect way to take advantage of a summer zucchini haul, and I’m keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that they make an appearance in your kitchen.

If you’re not a tiny food fetishist, you can use the recipe to make full-size muffins (just add about 7-10 minutes to the cook time) or a loaf (which should take about 50 minutes or so).

For the full recipe, hop on over to FromThePod.com.

p.s. If you’re in NYC, and also have a summer baseball game on your to-do list, I’m giving away 2 tickets to the Yankees game on 9/14 on Instagram courtesy of my friends at Peapod Delivers, who happen to be the official grocer of the New York Yankees. May the odds be ever in your favor.

This post is sponsored by my longtime friends at Peapod Delivers. As always, all opinions are very obviously my own.

An elegant no bake strawberry tart with a creamy almond mascarpone filling. This tart recipe is perfect for spring or summer, requires only a handful of ingredients, and comes together quickly! 

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Guys! I’m so excited to share this strawberry mascarpone tart recipe with you. It’s been a long time coming.

First off, it is shockingly simple to make, requires few ingredients, and is extremely fun to decorate and assemble. The absolute best part? This strawberry tart is a no bake dessert, which means that you won’t need to blind bake anything or even preheat the oven. You can also easily adapt the recipe with other flavors, berries, or seasonal fruit. I love it!

The tart requires a few steps, an hour of chill time in the refrigerator, and that’s about it. If you’re looking for a special treat for Mother’s Day, be sure to bookmark this one!

Secondly, and most importantly, this strawberry tart recipe hails from my good friend Jessica Merchant’s brand new cookbook The Pretty Dish. [Affiliate links included below.]

I’m pretty sure Jessica needs no introduction, but she is the incredibly talented, generous, and hard-working food blogger behind How Sweet Eats. Not only does she make some of the most creative, yet approachable recipes out there, she is also a fantastic writer. Jessica has poured her heart and soul into this book and it shows. I could literally gush on and on about it.

Her latest cookbook is packed with more than 150 brand new recipes, as well as 50 simple beauty DIY recipes (homemade face and hair masks, lip balms, bath melts, and lots more!), kitchen playlists, entertaining ideas, and more. It is such a fun mix!

Each recipe is also accompanied by a beautiful photograph too. I’ve been the lucky recipient of The Pretty Dish since its release in late March, and I’ve had the opportunity to make several recipes from it already. They’ve all been fantastic!

Why You’ll Love this Strawberry Tart Recipe:

I had the hardest time deciding on which recipe to share with you all, but I kept coming back to this beautiful tart. Not only are the ingredients just coming into season, but it would also be a wonderful Mother’s Day dessert. To quote Jessica: 

“This strawberry tart looks super fancy but is pretty easy. It doesn’t require a ton of ingredients. And it tastes fantastic. The filling is almond-flavored mascarpone and oh-so-creamy. A bit like cheesecake, but creamier and not as rich. Plus, it comes together in minutes.”

In the original recipe, Jessica suggests keeping the strawberries whole and slicing them into roses. Since my strawberries were all different sizes, I chose to forgo the strawberry roses in lieu of layered slices. I’ve included instructions for both options!

Since this is a no bake dessert, it goes without being said that this tart is ideal for entertaining on hot summer days!

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart: Ingredient Breakdown

• The tart crust is a simple mixture of graham cracker crumbs, almond meal (or almond flour – they’re interchangeable in this recipe!), melted butter, and almond butter. It comes together in seconds and gives the tart great texture.
• The filling is made up of mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract. It has a very distinct almond flavor. The mascarpone mixture is thick and creamy, yet isn’t overly sweet, which I absolutely love. I added a touch of vanilla bean paste (substitute 1:1 with vanilla extract) to my version. Once the filling is added to the crust, it needs to set in the fridge for a minimum of one hour – otherwise it won’t slice cleanly.
• The tart is topped with fresh strawberries then drizzled with honey and garnished with toasted almond slices for texture and fresh mint. 

One of the reasons why I love this recipe so much, aside from its wonderful taste, is that it can be adapted in so many ways. Strawberries and almonds pair extremely well together, but you could easily adapt this recipe with other seasonal berries, stone fruit, etc.

You can also mix up the crust with other nut flours or cookie crumbs. Get creative and give it your own twist!

If you love this recipe, be sure to pick yourself up a copy – The Pretty Dish would also make a fantastic gift for a girlfriend or loved one too!

No Bake Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

Yield: 6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 1 Hour 30 minutes

This strawberry tart recipe is perfect for spring or summer, requires only a handful of ingredients, and comes together quickly! This recipe can be adapted easily with other summer berries or stone fruit. The tart crust and mascarpone filling can be prepped one to two days ahead – leave off the fruit until the day of to ensure the best texture and prevent any weeping. 

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3/4 cup (90 grams) graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup (60 grams) almond meal or almond flour
• 5 tablespoons (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons (50 grams) almond butter, melted

Filling:

• 12 ounces (340 grams) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 16 ounces (2 pints) fresh strawberries, stemmed, and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon (20 grams) honey
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
• fresh mint leaves, for garnishing (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare the crust: In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, almond meal (or flour), butter, and almond butter until combined and all the crumb are moistened. Press the crust into an 8-inch round tart pan (*the original recipe in the book was prepared in a 14″ x 4″ tart pan, this recipe will also work with this size). If desired, use the bottom of a small measuring cup to tamp the crust down evenly. Set aside.
2. Prepare the filling: In a bowl, stir together the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and almond extract until creamy and combined. Spread evenly over the graham crust. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. While the tart is in the fridge, slice the strawberries. Trim off the stems and slice vertically into thin slices. Remove the tart from the fridge and distribute the strawberry slices onto the mascarpone filling – feel free to do this however you wish. To achieve a similar look as the photos above: starting from the outside of the tart and working your way in, layer the strawberry slices next to each other, in a circular pattern with the pointed ends facing out. Repeat, layering the strawberry slices slightly with each circle and so on.
4. Drizzle the tart with honey. Garnish with sliced almonds and mint, if using.
5. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge, covered loosely with plastic wrap, until ready to serve.

Reprinted (with a few minor changes) with permission from The Pretty Dish by Jessica Merchant.

All images and text ©A Beautiful Plate.

Tips For Success:

• To make graham cracker crumbs, place broken graham cracker cookies (this recipe requires roughly 6 full pieces!) in a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until finely crumbed.
• To toast almond slices, heat almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until golden in color. Transfer to a separate bowl and cool completely.

Table for One is a column by Senior Editor Eric Kim, who loves cooking for himself—and only himself—and seeks to celebrate the beauty of solitude in its many forms.

I love celery seed; it's probably my favorite spice in the drawer. Which is weird because I hate fresh celery—it's cold, fibrous, and unfeeling (and I once read that you actually lose calories just by chewing it).

But eventually Nigella Lawson taught me, through cooking, to appreciate its flavor. To treat it (and its seed) like a spice. Turns out Apium graveolens, once you stop and smell its stalks, has a light herbal quality that wonderfully perfumes whatever you add it to. And so, began my life-long journey cooking with it as an ingredient (rather than despising it on its own) in all manner of dishes, including risotto, stew, and this potato soup.

This soup came about because I like soup. A lot. For a variety of reasons. But Lawson said it best in this NPR interview, where she talks about "bowl food" (food you eat out of a bowl): "I like the feeling of eating when every spoon or forkful is reassuringly the same as the last...And then, of course, there are days when chewing feels like too much and I'm very happy to have soup."

On those days when even chewing can feel like too much, it helps to have a recipe that's as easy to cook as it is to eat—or, er, drink. For this soup, all you do is throw everything into a pot, boil it for a bit, and then puree it. The rewards for this minimal amount of effort are maximal: You have something warm and comforting to eat through the entire weekend.

And should you have any left over, soup travels particularly well in a thermos, which means you can take it to work and sip it at your desk.

Cooking for one doesn't just mean single portions of chicken breasts or plates of risotto you only eat once. It also means keeping simple recipes like these in your repertoire so that you can sustain yourself throughout the week. This time of year, I love having a big Dutch oven full of potato soup waiting for me at home, either to have on its own with crusty bread, or as a makeshift appetizer while I cook myself something more substantial to eat—like fish, steak, or more soup.

Soup is the one thing I wouldn't want to make just one bowl of anyway, especially when it's as aromatic as this one (even though you only need a handful of ingredients for it: celery, celery seed, potato, onion, and stock). But the thing I love most about this recipe is that it lets me use up all that leftover celery sitting at the bottom of my crisper drawer.

Raise your hand if you've ever bought an entire head of celery, only to be asked by a recipe for two measly ribs? A stalk of celery is always so much cheaper than any of the pre-chopped, pre-sticked packages you can find at the store these days, which is why I never buy the latter.

Here's where you can put the other seven to eight ribs to use, finally, and enjoy a solo night of endless not-chewing.

(1) Did you know that celery seeds are so small that you only need an ounce to plant an acre?
(2) In your opinion, do you eat or drink soup? Let us know in the comments below.

In October, the Hershey Company announced it was working on a new Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Well, Reese’s Thins are finally here, and they’re 40 percent thinner than the original, which… sounds terrifying, because why would you mess with that perfect chocolate-to-peanut butter ratio?  

The Best Chocolate Shop in Every State

Daily Meal staffers were able to taste-test the slim confection prior to its official launch, and while we never turn our noses up at chocolate, we think we’ll stick with the OG cup.

Did Hershey’s make these thinner so we would eat less? Was that the point? Not happening. Plot foiled. We could gladly kill a bag of these without hesitation; they are still Reese’s, after all.

Reese’s Thins are a fine enough choice, because the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is the closest thing to God we’ll ever know, but what makes a regulation Reese’s great is the fact that there’s always more peanut butter than chocolate. That’s simply not the case here. 

Reese's cut the size of their cup by cutting the best part: the peanut butter. And we missed it. If the chocolate coating was a little thinner, maintaining the iconic ratio in a standard cup, things could have worked out between us. But we’re sorry, Thins, it’s over. It’s you, not us. We’re taking the kids to our sister’s. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the normal amount of peanut butter in a cup, Reese’s Thins could very well be for you. And if, unlike us, you are able to ration your portions, Thins are just 56 calories each as opposed to the regular-sized cups, which are 110 calories each. So that’s another win for dieters who still want that Reese’s goodness in their lives.

They come individually wrapped in milk and dark chocolate flavors packed in a small bag for $2.49 or a shareable pack for $4.09. Fans can find them on store shelves nationwide starting in March 2019. Looks like we’ve all been given another reason to eat chocolate every day.

Okay. So remember when I WAS ON THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW LAST WEEK?!?!?!?!

The Ingredients.

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, and so is Tamari wheat-free)
1 tablespoon Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste (I used red, and went with 1.5 T)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional. I put it in because I was thrilled to have another use for fish sauce!)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 large eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
chicken thighs (I used 5 frozen boneless, skinless)

And! 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated. I bought this. I totally forgot to use it. It's probably for the best, since we aren't huge ginger people.

The Directions.

Combine the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili paste, and fish sauce in the bottom of your crockpot stoneware. 

Taste. If you think you need more chili paste, add some, carefully. It's hot stuff!

Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, flipping them over a few times so they get nice and saucy.

Wash and cut the vegetables, and add to the crock. (PS. There's a lot of peeling and chopping here. I highly recommend you doing this the night before so you aren't standing in the kitchen swearing in your bathrobe at 6am. Trust me on this one.)

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. This is done when the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables have reached desired tenderness.

I cooked ours on high for 5 hours. The vegetables were soft, but not squishy, and the chicken was cooked, but still had shape.

Serve over white rice.

The Verdict.

This is good, very good! 

Rachael and her staff know what they are doing! 

The prep time was more than I'm used to, and although it looks like a bunch of ingredients, it came together easily. 

If you are assembling the night before, put the chicken in the sauce to marinate, but keep the vegetables separate until the morning when you plug in the crock.

This dish is full of flavor that is so on-the-money. 

It was not too spicy, and the kids ate a good amount--mostly the chicken. 

And one of them dipped it in bbq sauce, but whatever.

I'm excited to try out the Indian, and do a side-by-side comparison!

Indian Curry
Indian Chicken
Vegetarian Curry
Thai Coconut Soup
Lamb Vindaloo
Tomato Curried Potatoes
Indian Spinach with Potatoes

Source: https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/07/crockpot-thai-curry-recipe.html

Pressure cooker cornbread is a great side dish any time of year. Making this cornbread recipe in an Instant Pot is especially nice in the summer, when you don’t want to heat up the house using the oven.

Recently, Genene Abraham and others in the Facebook pressure cooking groups I’m part of posted about how great cornbread “bakes” up in the pressure cooker. So I decided to give it a try and “baked” some pressure cooker cornbread to serve along side my Pressure Cooker Posole, a pork and hominy stew. 

How to Make Pressure Cooker Cornbread in an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is one of the most popular brands of electric pressure cookers. They are easy to use and your Instant Pot can help you create this delicious Cornbread!

I love using my half size bundt pan in the pressure cooker. Things “bake” faster and more evenly because it cooks from the inside out as well. Also, it’s so pretty when you serve it. If you don’t have a half-size bundt pan, any cake pan that fits in the pressure cook should work as well. (Depending on the size of the pan, you may need to add more pressure cooking time.)

While testing this recipe, I accidentally added extra milk to the batter. The cornbread with the extra milk came out lighter and fluffier than the cornbread I prepared following the package directions. I liked the lighter texture better, so I increased the milk in my pressure cooker cornbread recipe.

Jiffy Corn Muffin Mis inexpensive and claims to be America’s favorite, so that’s what I used to make my cornbread. If you prefer to make your cornbread from scratch, this Buttermilk Cornbread recipe is easily adapted to the pressure cooker as well.

Update: This Pressure Cooker Cornbread is one of my most-requested recipes, so I’ve updated the post with a video so you can see for yourself just how easy it is to make!

Pressure Cooker Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 2 8.5-ounce packages Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the corn muffin mix, milk and eggs just until blended. The batter will be lumpy.

Spoon batter into half sized bundt pan sprayed with non-stick spray. (I did not cover the pan with foil.)

Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooker and place the trivet in the bottom. Put the bundt pan on the trivet. (Use a foil sling to help make removing the bundt pan easier.)

Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 20 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.

Carefully remove the bundt pan to a wire rack to cool uncovered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently loosen edges, remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Pin It:

Plus: Costco’s new cheese wraps, a Starbucks latte that tastes like cookies, and how food might be effected as a result of the government shutdown.

New research suggests that millions of people who think they have food allergies are actually just food intolerant. [TIME]

Costco is selling a keto-friendly tortilla replacement: Cheese wraps! [Delish]

Starbucks debuted a new latte this week that tastes like cookie butter. [TODAY.com]

Here’s how food might be impacted due to the government shutdown. [USA Today]

For the first time ever, Peeps is offering a few fans the opportunity to tour their sugary-laden factory. [Food & Wine]

Mario Batali will not be charged for two alleged assaults in New York according to law enforcement. [CNN]

Chobani expands offerings to include a dairy-free options. The new line will have a coconut base. [Fortune]

I like it when sweet and spicy flavors co-mingle, so I was intrigued by the idea of making a Jamaican dry rub of my own to use on chicken or fish.

That, and when ever I hear someone on TV name a dish "Jamaican Me Crazy" something or other, I simultaneously groan and laugh. Every. Single. Time.

We've had rather heavy meals lately, and needed to lighten it up a bit. Cooking fish in your crockpot is super easy, and results in a perfectly cooked, flaky fish, with no icky fish smell.

and! since you're cooking the fish in foil, the crock is virtually spotless when you're finished; an added bonus.

The Ingredients.

For the jerk rub:

1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder (I used onion)
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this was TOO much for us. Don't use this much. -- start with 1/8 for super mild or 1/4 for normal)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon  thyme
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

or buy a bottle of Jamaican jerk rub seasoning, and use about 1/4 cup.

HONESTLY, this is such a good seasoning blend you could really make this up and put on a happy label and give it out as gifts. You're welcome! :-)

The Directions.

Combine all of the spice run ingredients in a bowl. Spread out a length of foil, and put the fish in the middle of it. Rub both sides of the fish with the dry rub. Fold the foil over and make an enclosed packet. If it looks like there is a gap and it might leak fish juice out, use another piece to wrap around, just in case.

Put the foil packet into the crockpot. Do not add any water.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Fish doesn't take long to cook. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with rice or pasta and vegetables.

The Verdict.

The salmon cooked perfectly, but the spice rub was way too spicy for me (SEE ADDED NOTE UP ABOVE). I needed a big bite of rice with each bite to act as a fire extinguisher. Adam wasn't home to taste it, he'll have the leftovers.

 I didn't even try to get the kids to eat any---it was much too spicy.

BUT! I still liked the flavor---I would definitely use a dry jerk rub again, but use much less cayenne, or leave it out all together and just stick with the chipotle chili powder and the black pepper.

Source: https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2008/07/crockpot-jamaican-salmon.html