Eat your heart out

Since we have been on the topic of food lately, let’s just continue the trend today in preparation for Friday’s food photography workshop. I find the greatest culinary inspiration online from some of the most talented and innovative food bloggers. Who are some of these people? Well, I’m glad you asked or at least wondered in your head. Below is my next list of 30 cooking/food blogs that will whet your appetite.

30 Cooking/Food Blogs to Whet Your Appetite

1.   Steamy Kitchen
2.   Good Life Eats
3.   Our Best Bites
4.   They Draw and Cook
5.   Life's Ambrosia
6.   Good Cheap Eats
7.   Sunday Suppers
8.   Joy the Baker
9.   101 Cookbooks
10. Buns In My Oven
11. Everybody Likes Sandwiches
12. Picky Palate
13. Taste Spotting
14. New Asian Cuisine
15. Canelle et Vanille
16. Smitten Kitchen
17. The Girl Who Ate Everything
18. Snappy Gourmet
19. Elana's Pantry
20. Italian Dish Blog
21. Baked Bree
22. Passionate About Baking
23. Bakers Royale
24. Simply Recipes
25. Matt Bites
26. Serious Eats
27. Pioneer Woman Cooks
28. The Kitchn
29. Tartelette
30. Pinch My Salt

{They Draw And Cook} Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Teresa on Pinterest

What a spud

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted a recipe on here. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking. I have, but for some reason, some strange phenomenon happens when I cook. I follow the directions step-by-step, and then oddly enough I end with something that looks nothing like and (I don’t think) tastes anything like the recipe. Isn’t cooking just following a set of directions? Easier said than done. Let’s just say that some of the recipes I tried weren’t exactly successes. However, once in a while, I’ll make something that’s worthy of a blog mention.

Recently, maybe since the weather’s warmed up some, I’ve had a craving for some potato salad - a summer cookout staple. Also, it’s a good way to use up some of those leftover Easter eggs you might have. The first place I turn to for recipes is the Internet, since there is no shortage of cooking and recipe websites. Allrecipes.com is one site that I’ll sometimes visit to find quick and easy recipes. I found a pretty simple potato salad recipe and adapted it a little so that it would be a little healthier.

Creamy Red Potato Salad

Ingredients:
3 lbs. clean, scrubbed red potatoes
1 package of turkey bacon, cooked
6 eggs, hard boiled
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups fat free or low fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Peel and chop hard boiled eggs. Crumble cooked bacon and set aside.
3. Chop the cooked potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion and celery.
4. Add mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

Modifications I might make for next time: 

Add some dill and/or paprika for some extra flavor
Cut up some pickles and mix them in or add relish
Use green onions instead of a red onion

Click here to download the recipe card

Cookies the Italian way

I would have to say that I have more of a salt tooth than a sweet tooth. Normally, I would much prefer a bag of chips over a sugary dessert. I am embarrassed to admit that I “may or may not have” devoured almost an entire bag of chips in one sitting. However, I will often get the hankering for a sweet snack. In my opinion, the greatest dessert ever created is crème brulee, but I’m a little apprehensive about torching my food…so I’ll start off making desserts that require a little less fire-wielding experience. The recipe I tried this week...pizzelles! What are pizzelles, you ask? Well, that’s what my husband asked. They are Italian cookies that are similar in texture and taste to a waffle cone…not overly sweet, crispy, light, easy to make, plus they’re pretty and look fancy.

This recipe only calls for a few ingredients that you’ll probably already have on hand, but you’ll definitely need to have a pizzelle press to make these. I have been wanting to try to make these for a while now and found out that my mom happened to have an old one that she never used, so I got mine as a hand me down. It worked fine and I can’t complain because it was free, but the pizzelle iron didn’t create the ideal pattern and texture that I would have liked. However, that didn’t stop me from wolfing these things down like they were devoid of calories. Keep in mind that even though they may taste relatively healthy-ish, they do contain a stick of butter – that’s why they taste so good. I have had my eyes set on this one for a while, but I don’t really feel like it’s that practical to buy an appliance to make one thing (kind of like those quesadilla makers, which we actually have because it was a gift). However, after realizing just how easy pizzelles are to make, I may just use the rest of our credit card points to get a new pizzelle iron.

{ PIZZELLE COOKIES } (from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
    •    3 eggs
    •    3/4 cup white sugar
    •    1/2 cup butter, melted
    •    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    •    1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    •    2 teaspoons baking powder
 
Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and blend into the batter until smooth.
2. Heat the pizzelle iron, and brush with oil. Drop about one tablespoon of batter onto each circle on the iron. You may need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time depending on the iron. Bake for 20 to 45 seconds, or until steam is no longer coming out of the iron. Carefully remove cookies from the iron. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
3. For chocolate pizzelles, add 1/4 cup cocoa sifted together with flour and baking powder, 1/4 cup more sugar and 1/4 teaspoon more baking powder. I find that for the chocolate mixture, the iron must be well oiled to start and then brush on more as needed.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 102 | Total Fat: 4.5g | Cholesterol: 37mg

Below is a free printable recipe card for your recipe file.

What's cookin'

I am by no means a gourmet chef or even a chef, for that matter. I never understood why people would slave over a hot stove for hours preparing food, when it takes just a few minutes to devour it. However, after I got married and left home, I realized my mom isn't going to be cooking for me anymore and now someone else depends on me to feed him. Since my ever-trusty meals of spaghetti and potato wedges have grown a little stale the past few years, I've decided I need to add new recipes to my repertoire of culinary "masterpieces". Well, not so much masterpieces, but just edible creations that my husband willingly consumes.

Earlier this week, I found a recipe on the Cooking Light website that looked extremely easy...okay, it was so easy that I really wouldn't even call it cooking. It's basically combining a few ingredients (I didn't even have to turn on the stove). 

{ Curried Chicken Salad } from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 cup chopped skinless, boneless Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken (about 4 ounces)
• 3/4 cup chopped Braeburn apple (about 1 small)
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 3  tablespoons raisins
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation: Combine mayonnaise, curry powder, and water in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add the Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken, chopped apple, celery, raisins, and salt; stir mixture well to combine. Cover and chill.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 222 (22% from fat)| Fat: 5.4g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.7g,poly 2g) | Protein: 17.5g | Carbohydrate: 26.9g | Fiber: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Iron: 1.5mg | Sodium: 731mg | Calcium: 30mg

** I bought a cooked rotisserie chicken (1/2 price at Walmart) and used the breast meat. It was a tad on the salty side, so I didn't add any extra salt - just black pepper. I also used whatever apple I had in the fridge, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Braeburn. You can substitute the mayonnaise for fat free mayo, Miracle Whip or plain yogurt. **

Below is a free printable recipe card that you can download for your recipe file.