A Life in Food
Steak sizzling away on a hot grill is my kryptonite. It will (and has) stopped me dead in my tracks, prompting me to fill my nostrils with that delicious aroma. Brush on a simple espresso and bourbon glaze and you have just upped your grill game exponentially.
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Sandwiches are the focus this week. They are a lunchbox staple and the ultimate “to-go” food, but they don’t need to be boring. The Dinner Divas have 5 incredible sandwiches from an open-faced tartine of wine-poached pears and gorgonzola to gorgeous layers of vegetables on hearty bread.
How it works: Every Friday morning, a new meal plan will show up in your email. It will consist of 5 dinner options, plus 2 extras. Those two extras could be side dishes, dessert, drinks, etc. The Dinner Divas weekly menu plans will feature (mostly) healthy, seasonal foods that don’t take all day to prepare. Getting the weekly menu delivered to your inbox on Friday morning gives you the chance to make your shopping list and get organized for the week ahead. We’ve got so much good stuff this week! I’d love to hear from you & see your creations! Post a pic using #DinnerDivas and tag @pookspantry! I hope this weekly menu plan provides inspiration and makes life a little easier… one meal at a time.
We begin the week with these adorable Mini Crab Rolls from The Chef Next Door. A little light prep on Sunday makes these even easier to get on the table at the start of the week.
Next up this week are my tartines. A tartine is a fancy open-faced sandwich. I have two recipes in one post, so you really get a bonus here! Wine-Poached Pear with Gorgonzola Dolce and Prosciutto, Fig Jam and Parmesan Tartines
Our third sandwich this week is Chicken Salad with Lemon Dill Yogurt Dressing from Comfortably Domestic. Swap the mayo for this zingy yogurt dressing and make a batch of this chicken salad tonight.
Pastry Chef Online has made a Gourmet BLT with Avocado and it is one of my all time favorite combos. If you have never put avocado on a BLT, friends, you are missing out on something delicious.
The last sandwich this week is Girl in the Little Red Kitchen’s Summer Vegetable Sandwich Bar. There is nothing boring about this and the Bulgarian feta?! Yes, please.
Now, it’s time for the extras! We have 2 different desserts this week for you that use the best of summer fruits.
First are these Cherry Hand Pies from Pook’s Pantry (me!). They are small and portable, so they are perfect for little hands and portion controlled for bigger hands, because I need that. Fresh cherry filling and a homemade crust make these the perfect summer treat.
Last up this week is this beautiful Blueberry Galette from The Chef Next Door. Rustic and filled with fresh blueberries, it’s a perfect weekend dessert.
That’s all for this week friends. Thank you for spending a part of your day with us, join us next week as we do breakfast for dinner!
Caprese eggplant stacks are irresistible. Roasted eggplant brushed with flavorful pesto, gooey, melted fresh mozzarella and perfectly ripe summer tomatoes. It’s a hit with vegetarians and meat eaters alike!
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This week is the kick-off to something new around here. I’ve collaborated with a few of my favorite blogger gals to bring you a week’s worth of dinner ideas! How it works: Every Friday morning, a new meal plan will show up in your email. It will consist of 5 dinner options, plus 2 extras. Those two extras could be side dishes, dessert, drinks, etc. The menus will feature (mostly) healthy, seasonal foods that don’t take all day to prepare. Getting the meal plan delivered to your inbox on Friday morning gives you the chance to make your shopping list and get organized for the week ahead. With all the springtime activities and summer break right around the corner, I hope this weekly meal plan provides inspiration and makes life a little easier… one meal at a time.
One Pot Chicken and Spinach Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce – Pook’s Pantry
Skillet Pork Marsala with Roasted Asparagus – The Chef Next Door
Chicken Bahn Mi Vegetable and Rice Bowl – Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Crispy Black Bean Burritos – Comfortably Domenstic
Low Carb Chicken Fajita Lunch Bowls – Pook’s Pantry
Smashed Roasted Beets with Pesto and Goat Cheese – The Wimpy Vegetarian
Summer Salad with Roasted Apple Vinaigrette – Pastry Chef Online
Thank you so much for joining us! We look forward to seeing you here every Friday for more weekly meal plans!
Chili. It’s a crowd pleaser for a reason and it just got even better. With the addition of dark beer and an Instant Pot, it’s magical. Chili that tastes like it lazily simmered away half of the afternoon in 30 minutes.
My original intention with this chili was bison instead of ground beef, however I didn’t embrace the idea of a $12 serving of chili. When did that happen? I’m used to paying a little more for food, but the price of bison has gone up quite a bit since the last time I purchased it. Once I regained my composure and the mothers of young children took their hands away from the delicate little ears, I set off toward the ground beef.
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This post is sponsored by Idaho®Potatoes. All opinions are my own.
Potatoes. Everyone loves them and they are available year round. However, I’m sure you get stuck in the same potato rut like I do. You need new ideas! Well, this one is our new “Go-To”. It has tons of veggies, it’s healthy, it’s gluten-free and if you leave the egg off, it’s vegan.
We all have a piece of that or a hunk of this in the fridge just waiting to get used up in something , right? Here is the perfect way to use up a few of those ingredients that are hanging out patiently awaiting their destiny.
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Curried cauliflower with golden raisins and ginger is a great side for chicken or steak, but it can stand on its own as a meatless meal.
We are eating more vegetables these days. Also, we are eating healthier. At least, we are trying to eat healthier (when I’m not eating cookies). I love vegetables, I honestly prefer them over meat most of the time. However, they can be boring if you never jazz them up. Otherwise, we’d eat them without complaint. A little spice can go a long way. For example – curry powder.
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This is my first in a series of sponsored posts by Idaho® Potato! I’m thrilled to be working with them, they are the BEST! All opinions are my own.
Curry seems to be one of those flavors that people feel very strongly about. They either love it or they hate it, there’s not much middle ground. I’m in the “love it” camp. Just the smell of curry makes my heart flutter. A long, long time ago in a city far, far away when I was in culinary school, we would wander the streets of NYC and more often than not we ended up in an area of Manhattan that had lots of spice shops and Indian restaurants. I think that’s where my love of curry was born.
I suggest making this with a meaty fish like corvina or halibut. A delicate fish like sole would get lost in the aggressive flavor of the curry. That being said, the potatoes are really the star of the show. They absolutely make the dish. The crunchy outside and fluffy inside of the potatoes make it a perfect vessel to soak up that luscious sauce. The bright tang of the tomato combined with the heady, warm spiciness of the curry against the creamy flesh of the potato makes for a perfect bite.
It’s so good that I’ve considered making it vegan by omitting the fish, doubling the potatoes and adding in more peas, onions, chickpeas, etc.
A word on trial and error:
Cooking well takes practice. The more you cook, the better you get. You will begin to develop a feel for flavors that pair well (sometimes without even needing to taste it, you’ll just “know”) and even after you’ve been doing it professionally for 14 years, it’s not always perfect. See Below…
Recipe Testing:
This was the first version. Do you see how yellow the sauce is? The curry was just a “pinch” too much. It overpowered the coconut flavor. I backed off just a half teaspoon the next time around and it was perfect.
Take risks, learn from mistakes… That’s the only way to develop your palate and learn. That statement also applies to so much more in life. It’s a pretty good mantra.
Chef’s Tip: How to get those potatoes SUPER crispy
Chef’s Tip: Always put the “good side” face down first in the pan.
How do you know? Here’s a photo to help!
Assemble like a Pro:
Let’s Cook!
Cooking for people who don’t particularly care for vegetables can present a challenge. Do you know anyone like this? I have a number of clients are who aren’t huge fans of vegetables, so I have to think of ways to make them appealing. You could pull a tomato off of the vine and hand it to me with dirt on it and I’d eat it without protesting, but I love vegetables… …
Spicy arugula, creamy butternut squash and white beans drizzled with maple vinaigrette. This is the perfect fall salad.
A few months ago, we were in Vancouver for our honeymoon. Whenever we tell people that we spent our honeymoon in Vancouver, it goes one of two ways: If they’ve never been, they automatically ask “Why Vancouver?” and for those that have been, it’s usually a smile and a sigh. They get it. There’s a reason I had to tell you a bit of backstory… I planned for MONTHS for this trip. Every single detail, including activities and eating. Ok, it was mostly eating… One of the “must do” activities was biking the perimeter of Stanley Park. The weather did not cooperate with us and it rained almost every single day of our trip.
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