When I’ve had a really long work day, there’s nothing I want more than a quick, easy and delicious dinner. And if carbs are involved, that’s a bonus. This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta his all the marks and makes enough for a whole family. Even though I was only cooking this dish for me and my husband, I wasn’t complaining because I was able to devour the leftovers for a couple days. :-)
With spring in full swing, there’s no better way to celebrate the season than with this delicious, vibrant and healthy salad. It’s packed with arugula, quinoa, asparagus, peas, bell pepper, toasted slivered almonds, pecorino romano…the list goes on! The salad is finished off with a simple lemon vinaigrette, and can be topped with grilled chicken or left as a vegetarian dish.
I was stumped on what to make for dinner the other night, but knowing I had leftover asparagus in the fridge that needed to be used, I at least had a starting point. Since we also had frozen bacon, dried pasta and citrus, I decided to toss everything together and turn it into a delicious pasta. The dish was light, flavorful and definitely hit the spot. Pretty sure it has become a new favorite in our house!
Up until now, I’ve been too scared to make risotto (silly, I know). I assumed my attempt would result in a mushy disaster, even though I’ve watched my mom cook the rice over a dozen times.
But good news, it turned out just right! The risotto was al dente, creamy and full of flavor, with a slight tang from the lemon zest. I made enough to feed me for an entire week, so whoever wants to come over for dinner, please do!
Last weekend and this week have been pretty busy, from helping my new roommate, Megan, move into my apartment to work piling up at the office. I did, however, find time on Sunday to make a quick trip to Trader Joe’s and to whip up this pasta salad. Since it continues to warm up here in LA, I figured this cold pasta would be perfect for lunch.
Megan and I are devoting the rest of the week to furnishing and decorating the apartment. Last night, we painted our table and chairs white, while sipping on wine and listening to the Hall & Oates Pandora station. It was pretty ideal. :)
I’ve recently been inspired to recreate delectable dishes I’ve eaten at various restaurants. I give full credit to my friend, Ellen, for this idea.
I’ve already attempted to recreate the white truffle mac & cheese from Taste on Melrose, the Moscow mules from The Hudson LA and the Burrata pizza from Bottega Louie in Downtown LA.
Most recently, I took a stab at imitating the Californian asparagus with parma prosciutto, ricotta salata and fried egg from Eveleigh on Sunset.
Though I wouldn’t consider my interpretation up to par with the dish at Eveleigh, it came pretty close. The combination of the silky and salty prosciutto, slightly charred asparagus and gooey fried egg was divine. The dish is best served hot, so timing the preparation correctly is crucial. No one wants to eat cold eggs!
If you remember, I recently featured a product review for Swanson Health Products. Linda over at Savoring Every Bite just posted a fabulous recipe for medjool date and walnut bread for Swanson’s blogger recipe contest. Be sure to check it out and show her some love!
By Andy
This asparagus pesto pizza is by far one of my favorite appetizers my brother Andy makes. So, when he made the pizza the other week, I had to snap a few shots so I could feature it on my site.
The creamy pesto and gooey cheeses perfectly juxtapose the slightly charred pizza crust. My description and photos don’t do it justice though–you need to eat a slice yourself to understand. Thank you Bobby Flay for your ingenious recipes.
If you have any vegetarian friends, I highly suggest making this for them. :)
This marks my 100th post on Sweet Caroline’s Cooking. Can’t believe it!
Ever since my family and I dined at The Hali’imaile General Store in 2000, located in Maui, we’ve been making recipes from its Hawaiian-style cookbook.
This is by far our favorite and most visited recipe in the book. The moist and flaky halibut coated with the chile mayonnaise and sweet, mango-lime butter sauce is absolutely divine. Conveniently, for the non-fish eaters in our family, the ingredients also work wonderfully with chicken.
I guarantee your guests will be impressed and eternally grateful if you serve them this dish at a dinner party.
When I read the title of this recipe on the Food Network website, I was instantly sold. Cooking and baking with alcohol adds a unique dimension of flavor to dishes that other ingredients often can’t imitate.
I altered the recipe a bit, primarily because I didn’t have some of the ingredients on hand. For the batter, I used Blue Moon beer, since I already had some in my fridge. The citrus infused beer worked splendidly with the lemon juice and zest in the dipping sauce and batter. My roommate absolutely loved the sauce and commented on how well it would pair with grilled artichokes.
Frying the asparagus posed somewhat of a challenge, as the batter was extremely sticky. Therefore, my roommate and I created an assembly line–I coated the asparagus in the batter while she fried a few at a time.
I recommend serving the asparagus immediately after frying, or warming in the oven before serving.
