This weekend was beautiful — it was cold and rainy. Some of you may think I’m crazy for calling a cold, rainy day beautiful, but living in Phoenix, those days are few and far between. We look forward to rainy, cool days the way Seattle residents look forward to sunny days. What better activity to partake in on a rare rainy winter day (other than snuggling up in bed!) than making cookies?
(Every time I see a bag of marshmallows, I feel compelled to squish it. Does that make me weird?)
Most people who know me, know that I rarely turn down chocolate. As a kid, one of my favorite ice cream flavors (and to this day still ranks in the top 3) was rocky road. What’s not to love about awesome chocolate ice cream, with marshmallows and almonds? Plain perfection.
A few years ago, on a whim, I set out to make some rocky road candy. I went to the store and randomly bought some chocolate, marshmallows and salted almonds. I threw them together with not much of a plan in mind, and the finished product was damn near perfect in my eyes. I don’t think I’ve created such a hassle-free dessert recipe since.
When I was growing up, I don’t really recall eating a lot of meatloaf. It’s a very basic, homey kind of dish, yet I do not have a lot of memories of my mom cooking it for dinner.
Once I started cooking on my own, it was not a dish I would have chosen if I had my pick. Red meat, while tasty, has never been my go-to entree of choice, primarily because I’d rather have something more healthy and more vegetable-heavy. For better or worse, ground beef is always generally inexpensive and that’s a definite plus when shopping on my limited budget. Save for the rest of the ingredients, which are generally pantry staples, one meatloaf runs a little over 4 bucks and can serve almost as many people. It’s great because you can still turn out an easy, delicious meal when hard times are upon you. I’m glad I decided to embrace the humble dish that is meatloaf. Now, it’s one of my bi-weekly staples for dinner, and I just love it. Try this version and I dare you to tell me that you don’t also love it!
I know this is the second post on potatoes in about as many days, but can you blame me? Potatoes are just so damned tasty. Mashed potatoes are one of those foods that I could just eat for the entire meal. It wouldn’t be balanced, for sure, but it would be a meal! They’re the best kind of comfort food. Warm, filling, with a hit of butter for good measure. I always used to make my mashed potatoes with the standard butter and milk, but then I started replacing half the milk with sour cream. They was good, but not great. It was when I used all sour cream and no milk, that I was finally satisfied with my mashed potatoes. These are creamy and slightly tangy, rich but not overwhelmingly so. Perfect with any meal, or as a meal in themselves if you’re so inclined. Don’t worry, I won’t tell.
If I had to say which side dish I cook the most, it would definitely be potatoes. They’re cheap, taste great, are quick to cook, and don’t require a lot of fancy ingredients to make them taste fantastic — salt and pepper is generally all they really need, and maybe a bit of butter if you feel like gilding the lily.
Both food snobs and picky eaters alike can find something to love in potatoes. One such satisfying dish is these simple roasted baby potatoes. They’ve got the necessary salt and pepper, as well as some fresh rosemary and garlic to punch them up a bit. Since the little potatoes are left whole, the outside takes on a slightly crispy texture, absorbing all the herbs and all that tasty fresh garlic. The insides stay perfectly creamy and soft, with nothing but earthy potato flavor.
These little taters are very simple to prepare and will do just fine left to their own devices in a hot oven while you prepare the rest of dinner on the stove. They are excellent with roast chicken, and would be equally welcome with a good steak and a simple salad. My favorite accompaniment for these guys? Just a bowl and a fork, thank-you-very-much.
I wake up for work at 5:30 every morning. At this time of the year it’s still pitch dark outside (and cold, even for Arizona standards!), and it makes it very hard to get moving, much less to eat breakfast. All I want to do is turn off my alarm clock, send a text that says “Sorry I won’t be coming in today, I’m far too sleepy.”, and go back to bed.
oven + apron 