Category: Appetizers

Appetizers

Flashback Friday – What’s Cookin’

by Wendi16 Comments on Flashback Friday – What’s Cookin’

Flashback Friday

Today’s Flashback Friday entry was originally posted on 9/3/07 at Exit 51.

What’s Cookin’

There was a time when my ‘cooking’ skills consisted of zapping frozen meals, heating up cans of soup, or adding butter and water to a packet of dehydrated whatever and calling it dinner. Then through the magic of food magazines and cooking shows, I discovered that with a little more effort, I could take a bag’s worth of ingredients and turn them into a meal.

Of course, this is not to say that I don’t give in to the seduction of convenience food from time to time. There are days when I want the mac n cheese but don’t feel like the fuss and Trader Joe’s is more than happy to oblige.

I do try and plan at least one meal a week that is pulled from the stack of recipes I’ve gotten off the web or out of magazines. The keepers get put into a bulging three inch binder for future use and the rest get recycled. Here’s one of the latest keepers, adapted from a recent Washington Post food chat:

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Washington Post

1/2 pound frozen peas, thawed
1 shallot
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
fresh cilantro to taste
tiny pinch red pepper flakes
juice from half of a lime

Place ingredients into food processor and pulse until combined to your preferred texture. If you like a chunky texture, pulse less. If you want a smoother texture, pulse more.

I added some block style feta cheese in brine – maybe a tablespoon’s worth – to try and mimick that creamy smoothness you get in guacamole.

Great as an appetizer with chips but also nice spread on a turkey sandwich…yum.

Appetizers, Side Dishes

If At First You Don’t Succeed

by Wendi4 Comments on If At First You Don’t Succeed

Skillet Roasted Fish

As trite as it may sound to say ‘try, try again’, that’s exactly what I’m going do. Because the Skillet Roasted Fish that I tested for Cook’s Illustrated before our breakup came close to their goal of being well browned and moist. Except that it wasn’t well browned. It got the moist part right though, which is why I’m going to do two one thing:

  • Tinker with the recipe myself and see if I can’t find a foolproof way to get a golden brown crust.
  • Hold onto the test recipe to see if Cook’s Illustrated changes it in any way when it goes to print.

Since this is a recipe currently in development by CI, I cannot go into the how of it all just now. But if you’re curious about the accompanying veg, you’re in luck.  This originally appeared on Exit 51, but that’s no reason it can’t have a place at BAH.

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Adapted from the Washington Post

  • 1/2 pound frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
  • fresh cilantro to taste
  • tiny pinch red pepper flakes
  • juice from half of a lime

Place ingredients into food processor and pulse until combined to your preferred texture. If you like a chunky texture, pulse less. If you want a smoother texture, pulse more.

I added some block style feta cheese in brine – maybe a tablespoon’s worth – to try and mimick that creamy smoothness you get in guacamole.

Great as an appetizer with chips but also nice spread on a turkey sandwich or served as a side with some not quite browned Skillet Roasted Fish…yum.

{Printable Recipe}

Appetizers, Main Course, South Beach Diet

Mother Necessity

by Wendi4 Comments on Mother Necessity

Spice Dusted Tuna

Schoolhouse Rock taught me that necessity is the mother of invention.

Mother Necessity
With her good intentions,
Where would this country be
Without her inventions?

So when faced with a need, I try to get creative in my solution.  I look at what I do have and see if I can’t repurpose an item.  It’s amazing how many ordinary household items can be used in ways they are not specifically designed for.  For instance, did you know that in a pinch, a basket style coffee filter can be used to line a cake pan instead of parchment?  It can. Continue reading “Mother Necessity” →