Tag Archives: Lemon

My Life Before

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After just a few days as a vegeterian, I can officially tell you it is hard, and it’s not because the food isn’t good – it really is. The difficult part, for me at least, is the planning.

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I knew I wanted to launch this experiment in March, but for some reason, I didn’t prepare well. The weekend before I stocked up on meat and fish for the freezer. (What was I thinking?) Then, on Friday, I looked at the calendar and thought, “Oh no, I didn’t buy anything to make.” So, I kicked off my days of healthy veggies and whole grains with two boxed meals and a McFlurry, also there was a brownie/cookie. It was bad people.

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Luckily, I was able to get to the store on Sunday, so I have some things planned and ready to go now. The only real issue is that two weeks ago I discovered my new favorite lunch. It’s this fantastic couscous salad that is easily customizable. Tuna is one of the main ingredients, and while I could make a vegeterain version of this, I don’t want to. It’s really good just as it is. So while I can’t eat it, would you make some for yourself, please? Someone should really be eating it. Continue reading →

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Drink & Be Merry

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We had some friends over to watch football and eat an unhealthy amount of queso. I’ve been wanting to try a mulled apple cider recipe I found in the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray for a while now and thought this would be a good excuse.

Our largest pot was occupied with chili, so I threw the ingredients into the slow cooker instead. I started the mixture on high an hour before the party and then, turned it down to warm as guests started to arrive.

It was really delicious. Serving the alcohol on the side allows guests to mix their own drink and keeps it kid-friendly, perfect for holiday get togethers. Something tells me this will be popping up a lot around our house over the next few weeks. You should try it at your house too. Continue reading →

Zucchini, Garbanzo and Lemon Couscous

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When I started to make dinner last week, I discovered the main course hadn’t thawed, and we were out of boxed mac and cheese, our go-to last-minute dinner. So, I was left to root around our kitchen cabinets. Thank God I had cleaned them out the day before, or I would be writing this from under several bags of unknown flours.

I had some zucchini in the fridge and the ingredients to make this, so I thought I’d try bulking it up with couscous and garbanzo beans. It sounded like dinner to me and was on the table in under 20 minutes.

On the surface, it might sound a little boring, but I can’t tell you enough about how good it was. The squeeze of fresh lemon and red chili flakes really bring the whole thing to life. Oh and by the way, it’s also pretty delicious day two as lunch. It’s the sort of thing that’s perfect to pack for work or eat on a lazy evening. Continue reading →

Happy Hour: Just Peachy

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I’ve never been a mixologist. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I made a mix drink that wasn’t just alcohol and soda. This weekend, I decided to take a stab at my first fancy cocktail. Instead of developing my own recipe I looked to a cocktail expert, Kelly of The Best Remedy, for inspiration. If you’ve never swung by her blog, you are missing out. The photography is gorgeous, and the recipes are something special. She features a lot of really beautiful drink recipes. Continue reading →

Five years ago, I married the most wonderful man.

In honor of our time together, I made chocolate covered strawberries this weekend. They did not turn out…at all.

So, I tried again a few days later, because I had a good feeling about this recipe. Sometimes, you just know when something is right. Continue reading →

Asparagus with Lemon and Heat

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Asparagus is perfect this time of year. In the past, I’ve always made it the same way – roasted on high heat and served with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Although this method is delicious, I wanted to try something new.

Ever since making this meal, I’ve fallen in love with the combination of lemon and crushed red pepper flakes. I thought it might be a nice complement to asparagus and add a bit of freshness.

The citrus of the lemon and heat from the red pepper make this quick side dish flavorful. Pretty enough to serve for friends, it comes together in 15 minutes or less. Not too shabby for a weeknight meal. Continue reading →

Orzo with Feta, Walnuts, Parsley, Lemon & Dried Apricots

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In an effort to use up the ingredients filling our cabinets, I made a lovely pasta salad with orzo and a few other items I had on hand last week. Simple to put together, this recipe uses items I commonly have on hand in my kitchen and is a riff on a Rachael Ray dish I made a few weeks ago. Hers combines many of the same flavors: walnuts, parsley and feta. Mine has the addition of chopped dried apricots and lemon juice. Fairly virtuous, this easy dish works well for lunch with egg salad sandwiches or as a side dish at a potluck. Continue reading →