Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and meatballs - you can't go wrong with this dish!

I loosely based my recipe off "Mom's Meatballs" from Allrecipes.com. Chop one onion, and mix with approximately 3 pounds of ground beef. While the original recipe then adds ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, I poured steak sauce in instead - I think it gives the meat more flavor. Mix with 3/4 cup bread crumbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Form into one-inch balls:

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Bake for about 10 minute at 400 degrees. When no longer pink in the middle, add meatballs to your preferred tomato sauce:

Meanwhile, I prepared some broccoli in my new favorite way - roasted! Another great tip from Iowa girl...and so much easier than sauteing broccoli on the stove. Just toss broccoli spears with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until reaching your desired tenderness. I like my veggies to get crispy and slightly browned.

Perfection!

A quick and easy meal, that feels more special than your average meat sauce.

--R

Reunion

S. and I had a little reunion two weeks ago because I was in Baltimore for a high school friend's wedding. Just wanted to share the lovely spread S. had waiting for me back at the house:

Now this is perfection: 4 kinds of cheese, fresh bread (not pictured), figs and olives. Pair with a bottle of prosecco, a rooftop deck and my best friend...that's my ideal evening. :)

We meant to get a picture together but weren't so happy with any of our tries. Pagey, on the other hand, was feeling especially photogenic:

Go Ravens!

Miss you, S.!

--R

Chicken Curry Masala

Ever since a trip to India about five years ago, I have been a HUGE fan of Indian cooking. I ate Indian food three meals a day for six weeks, and I never got tired of it. In fact, when I came back to the States, I think I went into Indian-food withdrawal. Since then, I try to eat this delicious cuisine out as regularly as possible.

But, on a budget, going out to restaurants all the time just isn't feasible. If you want the dish, you've got to recreate it at home. Unfortunately, my past attempts at Indian food haven't gone over so well. For example, I bought a biryani paste once from the local supermarket and my dish came out inedible...

However, my new Canadian supermarket has a large selection of ethnic foods, especially Indian. I noticed tons of spice mixes for all my favorite dishes, and the Chicken Curry Masala mix caught my eye. Time to give home-cooked Indian another spin!

First, chop 1 onion and saute in oil until golden.

Next, add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder (bought separately) and stir. Next, add one heaping tablespoon of the Chicken Curry Masala mix (the brand is MDH), and salt to taste. I also sprinkled some red pepper flakes and paprika in because I like my Indian super spicy. After stir frying this combination for 2-3 minutes, add chicken (my recipe called for a cut, whole chicken, but I opted for boneless chicken breasts instead). Cook for about 10 minutes.

Now, here's the key ingredient that thickened my sauce and really changed the whole dish:

Plain yogurt! I did not add yogurt to my previous curry attempts, and the result is a thin sauce that lacks the richness of Indian dishes. Yogurt is crucial. Add about half a container along with 1/4 cup of water and mix. Reduce stove to low heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

And serve over steamed rice:

I was so pleased with how this dish came out and proceeded to eat it for the next 3 days in a row. The Chicken Curry Masala mix was a lifesaver, and produced the most authentic Indian dish I've ever made. The mix is a real money saver too, because otherwise you'd need to buy about 20 different spices to recreate the combination. I'm already excited to make this dish again, as well as try some of the other MDH mixes. I'll keep you posted :)

--R

Two Tofu Attempts

S and I have become avid readers of a food blog called IowaGirlEats. Iowa Girl often cooks tofu, a product I have very little experience with. Other than my occasional Chinese food order of 'Tofu with Mixed Vegetables," I'm clueless. But Iowa Girl made it look so easy, and has talked up it's health benefits so much, that I thought I'd give tofu a try in the kitchen.

First try: Baking Tofu

I followed Iowa Girl's recipe pretty closely. I cubed some extra firm tofu and mixed it with soy sauce, agave nectar, garlic powder, along with a dash of rice vinegar and a dash of a teriyaki marinade I had leftover in the fridge. I did leave out the recommended sesame oil though, as I didn't have any...Then pop in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, I made a stir fry sauce with equal splashes water and soy sauce, a dash of rice vinegar, a generous scoop of chopped garlic, 1 tbsp peanut butter and some shakes of red pepper flakes. I poured the sauce over some spinach and mushrooms in a saute pan, and started broccoli steaming in another pot.

About 15 minutes into baking, something seems to be burning. My tofu cubes have blackened on the bottom of the pan and remain soft and sponge-like everywhere else. Maybe this could have been avoided with the sesame oil? I don't know...but I took them out of the oven and scraped them into the saute pan anyway.

Next, add the broccoli.

And then some freshly-steamed rice. Stir and serve.

So the flavor of this dish was great, and I felt very healthy while eating it. However, the tofu was kind of a bust. I wanted my tofu crispy without the downside of frying, which definitely didn't happen.

Second try: Sauteing Tofu

So the very next day I still had half a block of tofu and a fridge full of veggies left. So I gave tofu another chance. I followed the same exact recipe except I just sauteed the tofu cubes in the sauce instead of the whole bakingfiasco. Everything came out about the same - no crispiness, but at least my cooking time was reduced. Also, I used rice sticks instead of plain rice.

I found these in the Asian section of my grocery store. Pretty delicious, actually!

The sticks only need to boil for about 2-3 minutes, and then get tossed into the pan:

So will I be trying tofu again? Probably not anytime soon. First, my tofu tries were made when my husband was out of town...I don't think I could get him to eat tofu anywhere, much less my soggy attempts. Second, I think I only really like tofu when it's crispy and fried...and frying tofu seems to defeat the purpose of eating healthy. Oh well...I would definitely recommend the sauce and the rice sticks though :)

Next up: Chicken Curry Masala. Now this dish was a success!

--R

World's Finest Donair

As I mentioned briefly in an earlier post, I recently moved to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada!

(view into downtown from our apartment)

I'm still getting adjusted to this new city and new country, which always has its ups and downs. My favorite part about being in a new place, though, is exploring my different food options. Even going to the supermarket is a new experience (i.e. all the different potato chip flavors - "dressed up," "dill pickle," lots of flavors involving sour cream), or how all the labels are in English and French.

But the best part has to be trying the restaurants, from fast food to fine dining. I've come to learn that Canadians, or at least Edmontonians, are big fans of the donair. There's probably a donair shop every few blocks around here. What is a donair, you ask? Well, it's basically a gyro, as far as I can tell. Shaved lamb in a pita with tomato, lettuce and onion. However, instead of the traditional Greek tzatziki sauce, a donair is served with a sweet sauce (which, according to the internet, is made with evaporated milk, garlic, sugar and white vinegar).

Maybe I'm just not used to it yet, but I still prefer tzatziki to the sweet sauce. Luckily, "World's Finest Donair," the donair place across the street from our apartment, serves both. Woohoo.

For our latest visit, I decided to try the falafel. World's Finest serves their falafel in crumbles, as opposed to the more solid pieces I'm used to, but the taste remains the same. Served in a pita with tomato, lettuce, onion, cucumber, pickled beets, hummus, hot sauce AND tzatziki!

Ok, so this meal is a big mess (not helped by my dog whacking the whole styrofoam container off the coffee table with his tail, sending pieces all over the white carpet)...but it sure is good. I think I prefer the falafel to the donair, actually.

Served with a side of fries, topped with a spicy, mystery seasoning. Yum.

We'll definitely be back to World's Finest Donair. It's good, reliable food and the location can't be beat, especially when we get into the arctic temperatures I've been hearing so much about...

--R

Dressed-Up Ramen

I've always had a special place in my heart for Ramen and Cup O' Noodles. My mom would buy them occasionally when we were younger, and for whatever reason it always seemed like a special treat.

Now Ramen noodles don't seem nearly as exciting; they're more like one of those foods you make when there's absolutely nothing else in the kitchen to eat. Kind of a bottom of the barrel meal.

However, there are a few ways to dress this dish up and make a hearty meal. There's actually recipes all over the internet about this, but I figured I would share my personal favorite.

While the 2 cups of water are boiling on the stove, toss in a desired amount of vegetables. I had a frozen mix of corn, peas, carrots and lima beans, so I threw in a generous amount. You could add any veggies you like though. Once your water is boiling, add the noodles and HALF the included Ramen seasoning (I had the Chicken flavored one, but I think the Oriental flavor might work even better). Ramen seasoning is ridiculously high in sodium, and you just don't need to use it all for this recipe.

Now, the fun part. You can add whatever seasonings you want. I absolutely love spicy foods, particularly Indian flavors, so I add a few dashes of Yellow Curry Powder, a sprinkling of Garam Masala, and a little bit of red pepper flakes. All of these spices are very strong, so be careful you don't add too much or your mouth will be on fire.

Lastly, crack one egg into the mix and stir. I was wary of this part, but a good friend from high school insisted and I won't eat my Ramen without egg now. SO good.

Voila!

This whole meal takes about 5 minutes, and doesn't ever take a special trip to the store. Just use whatever you have laying around in your kitchen! Give this recipe a try and you won't be disappointed.

--R

Saute

Saute - not just a method of cooking, but a great little restaurant in Baltimore on the corner of Hudson and Linwood.

http://www.sauteofbaltimore.com/

Before our big move (to Edmonton, Alberta!), my husband(!) and I went out to dinner in the old neighborhood. I'd read some mixed reviews online about Saute, so we weren't sure what to expect. Luckily, we were in for a pleasant surprise. A very friendly hostess seated us immediately, and an oversized glass of white sangria was a great start to the meal.

For an appetizer, we shared a "taste portion" of the Pulled Duck Nachos. This was definitely the standout dish of the evening - tortilla chips topped with tender duck, bread and butter peppers and melted Vermont white cheddar. Seriously delicious...this was my first experience with duck nachos and I would order them again in a heartbeat. Not a small portion either - any larger and we wouldn't have had room for our entrees.

yum!

For my entree, I ordered the Ultimate Meatloaf. This awesome meatloaf was wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and piled on creamy mashed potatoes and Saute's take on 'green bean casserole': crunchy, fresh green beans and thinly-sliced, fried and crispy onion slices. I'm a big fan of meatloaf, I think it's comforting and delicious almost all the time, but this version takes the cake.

omg so good

My husband ordered the Bistro Filet - served with foie gras shallot butter, fingerling potatoes, blackberries and arugula. As great as it sounds, his meal was actually pretty average - tasty, but nothing special. Order the meatloaf instead for a better meal and a lower price to boot. Needless to say, he was jealous :)

-R