It was time to sauté the green beans…but the cantaloupe sitting on the shelf whispered excitedly “me too, me too!” Peculiar mixture, but I obliged. It was delicious! Throw in a few big basil leaves at the end, also. Sauteed green beans and cantaloupe #taste #cook #5senses #greenbeans #cantaloupe #cooking #unusualmixtures #food #ontheflycooking

For Xmas Eve, we had fresh ravioli with dinner and in a stroke of inspiration, I had an idea for the extra raviolis that were not going to be served- save them for the morning after. How nice would they be once fried gently in butter, maybe with a dusting of powdered sugar on top? I envisioned squishing a little jelly into their centers before frying them (I used strawberry Polaner all-fruit) and laying them into a pan of melted butter. Once golden brown, I gave them a dustin

I had some arugula in the refrigerator and a vision of pizza in my mind. On my trip to the store, the pizza crusts were on sale, further proof of the “meant to be” serendipitous nature of my culinary idea. First, I set to work zesting a little lemon, juicing it and mixing it with some olive oil, basil, and parsley. I let the mixture settle into the chicken breast I was about to saute (in butter). Next, I chopped up the garlic that is so necessary for broccoli rabe. It emitted

Thanks to the BF’s DRAFT magazine (I scored a deal on Groupon for the subscription, thank you very much), I’ve been making better use of my crockpot. Or rather, I’ve been actually using my crockpot. I don’t know why I didn’t get into this sooner. I am loving this thing. And making Italian Pork Roast with Fennel and Potatoes was the most fun I’ve had with food preparation in a long time. It was just a great sensory experience, starting with the mashing of garlic and salt in my

After becoming acquainted with ras el hanout a couple of years ago, I’m always excited about finding a recipe that makes use of it. And we indeed found one while flipping through the BF’s latest copy of DRAFT Magazine- Moroccan Beef Stew. My hankering for not following a recipe to the letter was in check on the day I made this delight, particularly because of the lack of vegetables in the original recipe. So I included some baby carrots and celery to the mix (and served with

A few weeks ago, I had a hankering for comfort food in the form of pancakes (or flapjacks, if you prefer). I could clearly envision them topped with lightly sauteed peaches. Could practically taste them. So of course, I went about making my enthusiastic, good-natured argument of “pancakes for breakfast!” We used Kodiak Power Cakes to make sure we amped up our protein intake. S made the flapjacks and I went to work on our nearly-unusable peaches. Nothing a little butter in the

When I’m looking to make a meal quickly, I sometimes reach for Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Triangoli. I boil them as directed on the package, then quickly saute them with a little butter and cinnamon (mmm)! This time, I added some fresh tarragon to the mix. It added a nice spin to a familiar flavor for me. Butternut squash triangoli (Trader Joe’s) sauteed in butter with cinnamon and fresh tarragon. I always enjoy experimenting with flavors and this is a combination that I m

This past weekend was my mother’s birthday, so we (the boyfriend S and I) set out to create an enticing and elegant yet quaint dinner party at home. On the menu was the following: ❤ watermelon sauteed in coconut oil (inspired by an aphrodisiac cooking class we took with Chef Fed), finished with a dusting of cinnamon and drizzled with an exquisite star anise-infused maple glaze, painstakingly created by S. The aroma of the maple syrup and star anise made the whole house smell