bruschetta: am to pm.

breakfast:

ricotta w. honey and basil.

adapted from martha stewart

• fresh ricotta
• baby basil leaves
• honey

1. spread fresh ricotta onto toasts. add a few basil leaves, and drizzle with your favorite honey.
   

lunch:

mozzarella with pesto, arugula, and parmesan.

from martha stewart

• mozzarella cheese
• pesto {homemade or store brought}
• arugula
• shaved parmesan cheese
• fresh-ground pepper

1. place slices of mozzarella cheese on toasts. drizzle with homemade or store-bought pesto. top with arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese. season with freshly ground pepper. 

dinner:

ricotta with roasted plum tomatoes, prosciutto, and rosemary.

adapted from bon appetit

serves 6

• 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), quartered lengthwise
• 12 1/2-inch-thick diagonally cut baguette slices (each 3 to 4 inches long)
• 12 tablespoons ricotta cheese, divided
• 6 thin prosciutto slices, cut in half crosswise
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup microgreens or baby arugula

1. preheat oven to 425°F. stir 6 tablespoons oil, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in large bowl to blend. add tomato quarters and stir to coat. let stand 5 minutes. line rimmed baking sheet with foil. lift tomatoes from marinade and arrange, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet.
2. roast tomatoes until skin is browned and blistered and tomatoes are very tender, about 35 minutes. cool tomatoes on sheet. maintain oven temperature.
3. arrange bread slices on another rimmed baking sheet. brush top of each with reserved marinade (including garlic and rosemary bits).
4. roast bread until top is golden, 10 to 12 minutes. cool toasts on sheet.
5. spread 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese on each toast; sprinkle with pepper. fold prosciutto halves over and place on ricotta. arrange 2 tomato quarters atop prosciutto. whisk lemon juice and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in medium bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. add microgreens and toss to coat. top bruschetta with micro-greens. arrange on platter and serve.
   

chilled cucumber and potato soup.

it slowly creeps up on you. that awful feeling when you put on your jeans on and they're way tighter than you remember. you brush it off as long as you can but eventually....when it becomes to painful physically or emotionally, you have to do something. it has come to that point for me. no, i'm not obese i probably would barely be considered chubby but i a little too heavy for my own comfort.

i don't believe in dieting because it's pointless and doesn't work {sorry folks}. nope, this has to be done the slow, steady, and most aggravating way. just because i have to eat less, at the moment, doesn't mean i'm going to sacrifice taste. this cold cucumber soup is low in calories and has a bundle of flavor. if you've ever eaten vichyssoise and liked it, you'll enjoy this to. don't worry, i'll still be making my cakes and cookies, my beef and pasta....i just won't be eating as much of them. healthy, as it turns out, is not as hard as it seems.

chilled cucumber and potato soup.

serves 4

adapted from whole living

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2 in pieces
• 2 cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 low-fat buttermilk
• 3 tbsp. dill, chopped
• salt and pepper

1. cook the onions for 3 min. add the potatoes and cook for another for 3 min.
2. then add the cucumbers. season with pepper. cook until almost tender, about 5 min.
3. add the broth cover and bring to a boil. then reduce about and also to cook through, about 12 minutes.
4. turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly. puree soup in batches in a blender.
5. add the buttermilk, dill, and 3/4 tsp. salt. chill soup for at least 2 hours before serving.

berries with buttermilk and honey.

it's funny how one ingredient can turn you on to a whole slew of recipes you wouldn't have considered making before. for me this past week that ingredient has been low-fat buttermilk. i had to initially buy it for the chocolate cake i made but i had so much leftover that i decided to try and find other recipes that called for it. one of those recipes was chilled cucumber and potato soup {it's coming up} and another, this one, was berries with buttermilk and honey.

honestly on it's own buttermilk always scared me. i remember the first time i cooked with it i called my mom to ask if it had somehow gone bad. "it smells really sour, there's yellow bits in it, it's super thick....it's gross!" turns out, that's just buttermilk and i could handle it mixed into a batter or dressing where i didn't have to look at and think about it.

in this recipe buttermilk is the star ingredient..... it's sweetened up a bit, but it's just buttermilk being buttermilk, all on its own. i love any kind of berry so i knew it had that going for it but when i was about to pour the buttermilk mixture onto those juicy, perfect berries i kept thinking i was making a huge mistake.

turns out, i was wrong, as i mostly am about cooking. when my expectations are high the dish turns out to be slightly disappointing, when my expectations are low the dish usually {and obviously} turns out better than expected. when i have no expectations the recipe usually blows my mind.....like berries with buttermilk and honey.

this would be very easy to double or triple and the recipe could easily pass as a light desert but i enjoy fruit for breakfast more than anything else so it's breakfast, gosh darn it!

berries with buttermilk and honey.

adapted from martha stewart

serves 1

• 1/2 cup cold low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup of ice
• 3 tbsp. of honey
• handful of baby mint leaves
• mixed berries {i used raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries}

1. blend buttermilk, ice, and honey in a blender until frothy. combine cleaned berries with fresh mint in a bowl. pour the buttermilk mixture over berries and mint {i ended up needing only 3/4 of the the mixture}.
   
   
   

chocolate cake.

i'm picky about chocolate. i think the fuss that's made over it is pretty ridiculous. i've heard people make sounds eating chocolate that should be reserved for the bedroom. i don't get it! if my girlfriend has a piece of fudge she gets off and if i do i just feel nauseous. chocolate is so sweet and rich and overpowering and not that amazing.... sorry if i sound bitter but i'm secretly jealous of that "ohh....ahh" experience.

sure, i can handle a few shaving in some ice cream or a glass of it mixed with milk, but that's about it. chocolate cake on the other hand is one of those strange anomalies. it's desert, which i'm already not crazy about, and it's chocolate, which most of the time i can't stand. the thing is i love it! a fat slice with a glass of icy milk and i can almost start to feel that giddy excitement. again, i can only have a few bites until i start to get overwhelmed by it's sicking sweetness but, those few bites are amazing.

when my friend alex was nice enough to cook me dinner i brought this cake as a contribution. again, i had to square off with my old adversary accubake whirlpool and this time i almost had him. based off of the advice of my girlfriend lo, i decided to underbake the cake with the hopes of finally defeating him. it worked for the most part, the cake turned out moist and tasted spot on but there was still a little something wrong with the texture. a bit spongy perhaps? it was minor and i feel i had my first victory {fuck you accubake!}.

after some stellar improvised chicken lettuce wraps, alex and i tore at the cake with a couple of forks and washed it down with some lactaid milk......it might have been a perfect meal.

one-bowl chocolate cake.

from martha stewart

makes one 8'' double layer cake

cake:

• unsalted butter, softened, for pans
• 3/4 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder, plus more for pans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

frosting:

• 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 4 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup sour cream

cake:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter two 8-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep); dust with cocoa.
2. sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer. beat on low speed until just combined.
3. raise speed to medium, and add eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. divide batter between pans. bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. let cool for 15 minutes. turn out from pans. transfer, faceup, to wire racks. let cool completely.
5. spread 2 cups chocolate frosting onto top of 1 cooled layer. top with remaining layer; frost top and sides with remaining 2 cups frosting.
   

frosting:

1. sift together sugar, cocoa, and salt.
2. beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
3. reduce speed to medium-low; gradually add sugar-cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.
4. pour in chocolate in a slow, steady stream. add sour cream; beat until combined.

fettuccine with fresh corn.

you've heard this old conversation starter before. what would eat for your last meal? as much as i enjoy a wide variety of foods and flavors this is still a very easy question to answer. it would be gino's spaghetti marinara...without a doubt, case closed.

when i was a little girl i seemed to go to new york with my parents quite a bit and when i was there with my dad he always took me to gino. it was one of those old-school new york restaurants across the street from the big bloomingdales uptown. it was the type of italian joint where most patrons were regulars and the waiters were italian....at least, new york italians. you could've imagined a mafia scene being filmed at their corner table beneath their zebra wallpaper.

the first time my dad took me there he told me i had to get the spaghetti marinara.....it wasn't a choice. i was irritated, i remember wanting a steak...i didn't like pasta that much. the smallish bowl of spaghetti was eventually plopped down in front of me and i tasted......and tasted, and tasted. it was gone pretty quickly. gino, sadly, just recently closed for good {why? come back! you've been around since 1945 for god's sake!} but its marinara has been my "last meal" and pasta, in general, has been my favorite food ever since that first bite.

now i can and sometimes do eat pasta for every meal. another reason to love it is because it's one of those foods that's so simple make yet easy to mix up. a hearty bolognese sauce in the winter, a creamy carbonara in the fall, some peas, butter and asparagus in the spring, corn and bacon in the summer......

this dish, though untraditional, turned out nice, light, and fresh. it's a great summer pasta dish. adding chopped almonds i understand could throw some people off but it did end up adding a nice crunchy dimension {what i'm really saying is that it made the pasta sauce fucking good....add it!}.

fettuccine with fresh corn.

adapted from bon appetit

serves 2

• 2 bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 3 large ears)
  
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of chopped almonds, for serving
• 1/2 lb. fettuccine
• 1/2 tbsp. of unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided
  
• salt & pepper

1. cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often. transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet.
2. add corn, garlic, coarse salt, and pepper to drippings in skillet. sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes.
3. transfer 1/2 the corn kernels to small bowl and reserve. scrape remaining corn mixture into a blender with butter. puree.
   
4. cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. drain, reserving some pasta cooking liquid.
5. return pasta to pot. add corn puree, reserved corn kernels, 1/2 the basil leaves, and 1/2 the parmesan. toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid if needed. season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

6. transfer pasta to large shallow bowl. sprinkle with remaining basil leaves, parmesan, reserved bacon, and chopped almonds. serve.

roast chicken with bread salad.

everyone seems to have a very distinct opinion on the proper way to roast a chicken. do you roast per pound or roughly estimate? and how do you know when it's properly done? do you use an instant thermometer or do you see if the juices run clear? butter or olive oil? under the breast or in the cavity? to tin foil or not to tin foil? for all these reasons and more a roast chicken can seem like an overwhelming task. on top of that chicken is one of those things that gets a bad wrap for being boring, tasteless, and dry. it also sometimes seems to get itself involved with salmonella which is another strike against it. "so you say it doesn't taste of much AND could, on the off chance, potentially kill you? count me in!"

when i suggested that i roast a chicken for a friend, he didn't seem too impressed, in fact, he pretty much begged me not to make it. "how about pork? ....or maybe some lamb or something?" ouch, i get it! even my friends don't have confidence that i can properly roast a chicken. well, friendship be damned! i would roast a chicken and succeed!

then i got off my kitchen stool where i usually make these declarations and became nervous. what if i didn't? i would need something else to help salvage the meal. a backup plan.....that's where the bread salad came in. and no, this isn't the famous zuni cafe roast chicken and bread salad recipe. if that's what your looking to recreate i suggest you look at any reasonable food blog like this one, or maybe this one, how about this one? i've seen that recipe so many times that even i don't care how good it might be. it's probably great, but never trust hype.....it leads to expectations and i didn't want my expectations to be high at all. at least if i failed with random recipes i, in my own mind, wouldn't get all the blame. it was probably a bad recipe.....

the funny thing is that the meal didn't end up needing to be saved at all....the chicken was moist and delicious, it's skin crispy and golden {my buddy had seconds!}. it was hardly intimidating to make and my bread salad was a perfect compliment. it may not be from the zuni cafe cookbook but it was still super bomb {yeah, i typed that. deal!}

roast chicken with edible roasting rack

adapted from martha stewart

serves 4-6

• a day-old baguette
• whole chicken {about 5 pounds}
• 2 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
• a bunch of thyme
• 7 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• 1/2 a lemon, quartered
• salt & pepper

1. preheat oven to 425. arrange torn day-old baguette in a roasting pan.
2. place the cleaned chicken on bread. stuff 3-4 thyme sprigs under the skin of each breast. season the cavity with salt and pepper then stuff with the lemon, a small handful of thyme sprigs, and 2 smashed garlic cloves. cross and tie legs with kitchen twine.
3. brush the chicken with the softened butter. season the outside liberally with salt and pepper.
4. scatter the rest of the garlic cloves and 4-6 more thyme sprigs at the bottom of the pan.
5. roast chicken and bread for 40 minutes. then remove bread from pan and set aside for the salad. continue roasting the chicken for around another 15 minutes or until done*.
6. cover chicken with tin foil and let rest for 10 minutes. carve and serve.

*as i briefly referenced above, doneness can be checked by a instant-read thermometer. insert into the thickest part of the thigh and the temperature should read 165. if you're old school, like me, you can also check doneness by cutting into the thigh. if the juices run clear it should be ready.

farmers market bread salad

adapted from gourmet

serves 2

• 1 sliced portabella mushroom
• 3 cups of watercress
• 1/3 cup gouda cheese, cuded
• handful of chives, chopped
• handful of dill sprigs
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dijon mustand
• salt & pepper

before roasting chicken*:

1. preheat oven to 425 with rack in the middle.
2. toss mushroom w. 1 tbsp olive oil, salt & pepper. roast in 1 layer in a 4-sided sheet pan, turning once, until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes. let cool.

*mushrooms can be roasted 4 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

once the croutons are removed from roasting pan:

1. whisk together vinegar, mustard, and olive oil until combined. salt and pepper to taste.
2. toss half the dressing on the warm croutons. toss the other half with the mushrooms, gouda, watercress and herbs.
3. serve croutons with salad.

chocolate, almond + banana parfaits.

parfaits are sort of the ugly ducklings of the desert world. it's difficult to make them look good but they usually taste awesome. c'mon, can i really convince you that parfaits are delicious? no, they honestly look pretty sloppy so much so that i'm not posting a pic of the finished product. you're probably thinking 'gross, why on earth would i want to eat or make that?' but, trust me, this is a good everyday desert. all those layers of different flavors and textures seem like something that i would've found equally frightening and exciting to eat as a kid.....who am i kidding? parfaits still seems so wrong, but are so right. this particular combo is fairly classic. if you've enjoyed a frozen chocolate banana you'll probably be into this too.

chocolate, almond + banana parfaits.

adapted from bon appetit

serves 2

• vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 a bar of bittersweet chocolate
• amaretto liquor
• 1/2 cup marcona almonds
• 1 large banana

1. roughly chop almonds and cut the banana into quarter-inch slices.
2. heat the chopped chocolate in a double boiler until melted. add a generous splash of amaretto to the melted chocolate and stir until blended.
3. layer banana and almonds into the bottom of two tall glasses. top each with the melted chocolate and layer with a scoop of ice cream. repeat. finish the parfaits with a drizzle of chocolate, slices of banana and a sprinkle of almonds.