Bittman's Banana Bread

I'm finished with grad school. I've graduated, I've got a decent handle on things at work, the house is clean, we're heading to a Philadelphia Union game tonight, and I have a bunch of overripe bananas on the table. Life. Is. Good.

Sweet Potato Hash w/ Chorizo and Crumbled Feta

Looking for a delicious dish? Want healthy ingredients in there? Want it to be really easy? Made in only one pan? You've come to the right place...

Onion Potato Soup

I just couldn't go one more day without blogging. It's been since October.

OCTOBER.

Black Bean Cakes

Chipotle Black Bean Hummus

I don't think there will be any of this left when Paul gets home tonight...

My mouth is on fire and yet I can't/won't stop. At least I will definitely get my 8 glasses of water today.

Kale-Tempeh-Lentil Bowl

Earlier this year I got knocked out by a virus, spent two full weeks laying down, and felt weak and shabby by the time I recovered. I hated the way I felt so I made the decision to run. I downloaded the RunKeeper app to my iPhone and started the free Couch to 5K program. I even signed up for an actual run that would be the cap to my training program and my semester.

Sausage & White Bean Skillet

I was recently faced with the dilemma of an almost empty fridge, a grumbly tummy, and the desire to not leave the house. A totally unique situation, I'm sure. Paul and I were also getting ready to leave on a church camping trip for several days and we didn't want to buy any food to potentially spoil while we were gone.

Lemon Zucchini Pasta

I am finally at a point where I can really come back to my hobbies and side projects. There are times in my life, and I'm sure in yours, when I have to evaluate what I need to do, what's really vital, and make decisions accordingly. Even though I love doing this blog it's just a passion project, and when sh!t got real, it had to go on the back burner.

But now life is fairly calm again. I'm in a good place with school, I've got a good handle on work, and I have a backlog of recipes I want to make. Another thing I'm doing is running. I've talked before about how Paul is a runner and I am not, though I'm sure it would do me some good. I also made delicious breakfast cookies when I talked about that... After being sick in early March and laying on a couch for almost two weeks, I decided I needed to get moving. I started a couch to 5K program on the RunKeeper app on my phone. Paul suggested that instead of just trying to become a runner I should sign up for a race to work for. So I did!

Lentil-Walnut Burgers

In this installment of Adventures in Housesitting...

I keep getting locked in the bathroom.  Seriously.  It's kind of embarrassing but there it is.  Every night after I wash my face and brush my teeth I have to call to Paul to help free me from the outside.  One of these days...

Magical White Bean Soup Revisited

I mentioned this soup back in mid-November, but it's so good I think it deserves it's own page.

It's PHENOMENAL.

With just vegetables, a touch of oil, and white beans, it's flavorful, satisfying, vegan and gluten free, and did I mention that it's seriously yummy?

It's kicked up a few notches when you stir in a spoonful of home made vinaigrette and give it a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  You don't need to do much to it.  When we had friends over for dinner back in November, we had bowls of parmesan, prosciutto, and chopped rosemary as well as a little pitcher of vinaigrette on the table for everyone to top as they pleased.  It went over splendidly.

I found this recipe in the book Bread & Wine  
by Shauna Niequist.  I cannot recommend this book enough.  Not only is it a fabulous read, full of stories about life and love, family and friendship, almost every chapter has a killer recipe at the end.  Every single thing I've made from this book has been the best thing I've ever made.  

If you're looking for a hearty, delicious, feel-good meal, try this soup.  You will NOT be sorry.

Kale Pesto

I don't know about you, but I like kale.  I always buy too much and often can't find ways to use it all before it becomes, well, unusable.

I also love pesto.  I love it on pasta and sandwiches, tofu and potatoes, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I have found the solution to my kale conundrum.  This is a great recipe!  And it's SO EASY!  I first made this kale pesto and put it on a pizza with goat cheese and olive oil, almost exactly as the recipe called for.

Delicious.  

I've made it since then and have used it on whole wheat pasta with hot italian sausage, and I plan to spread some on slices of fresh baked toasty bread and top it with scrambled eggs and thin slices of pancetta.  Maybe a sprinkle of parmesan on top.  Now I'm hungry. On to the food.

Never say never!

For the first time in my life, my mom asked me to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner.  I also got to sit at the grown-ups table, which was nice, but I was secretly pleased that I still had a chocolate turkey waiting for me at my plate.

For 29 years I have heard my father lament the times he was forced to eat brussel sprouts as a child.  To this day, he swears he hates them and will not eat them.

In addition to a dessert, my mom asked me to bring a vegetable.

Challenge accepted.

Not a fan of traditional Thanksgiving dishes, I poured over recipes using brussel sprouts in interesting ways.  I brought my dish in its disassembled form, tossed it together just before dinner was ready, and made my dad try it before he knew what it was.  HE LIKED IT!

Whole-Wheat Orzo w/ Artichoke Almond Pesto

On so many nights Paul asks the question: What do you want to do for dinner?

About 80% of the time I answer that I want "the orzo."  Tonight was no exception.

I have been going through a serious lemon phase recently.  I want it on everything (I even put one in a Yuengling - it was good), especially bitter greens and garlicky pasta, and there are more recipes to post on that front, but it all starts here.  This pasta dish makes great leftovers and I always look forward to having it for lunch at work.

If you're new to cooking, this dish will make you feel quite proficient.  This beautiful, rustic, nutty pesto is virtually impossible to foul up.

Okay, enough with the chit-chat!  On to the good stuff...