Posts

Showing posts from February, 2013

Seven Layer Bean Dip - Caity

Image
My freshman year of college, I went to a Super Bowl party at a friend's house and my mom suggested I make this easy Seven Layer Bean Dip. I've never gone back since. I make it every year and it's always a big hit. It's easy to throw together and tastes better than the store bought stuff. When you make it yourself you can make the layers as thick or thin as you like (extra guacamole for me please!).  Enjoy with chips and ice cold beer, while you watch the Super Bowl or the Puppy Bowl (my personal favorite).  One year ago:  Quick Spinach and Tortellini Soup ,  Cheesy Blasters Two years ago:  Spanish Tortilla with Chorizo ,  Balsamic Asparagus with Parmesan

Hawaiian Style Kalbi Short Ribs - Jaymie

Image
Let me start off this post by stating that I am not Korean, nor am I Hawaiian, but I am from Hawaii and I LOVE Korean food! My hunt for a kalbi recipe started after my mom had visited me in California, and brought me this amazing pre-made kalbi marinade from Hawaii!  The marinade had just the right amount of each ingredient and wasn't too salty.  I started going through my Hawaiian cookbooks and searched online to see which ingredients were the main players of this incredible sauce.  The most recent recipe I tried was the one right off of the Foodland re-usable shopping bag from Hawaii!  Erin pointed it out to me the last time she visited us, and I've kept the bag handy ever since. After trying out a couple of different kalbi recipes, I decided that these ratios best suit my taste, but feel free to add more or less of each ingredient.  I hope my take on this Hawaiian favorite will be enjoyed by everyone at your BBQ!  One year ago:  Quick Spinach and Tortellini So

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Sage - Cathy

Image
I lear n ed to make t he s e simple, delectable r oasted potat oes from a fr iend, Alice LappĆ© , who is a wonderful cook and o ne of the most gracious hostesses I know.  I watched her make these at her house and the flavor and cr ispness of the potatoes and the sage was fabulous.   I have made these many, many times since, always th inking o f the many r elaxed, wonderful meals we hav e enjoyed at the LappĆ© home.  I t j ust occurred to me that this may not be her exact metho d because I may or may not have been talki ng and drinking wine, and perhaps not paying as close attention as I wou ld have liked , but this is pretty much the metho d.  Apologies to Alice if it 's not quite right. We are l ucky enough to have Farmer Kevin growing our very own organic potat oes out in the North 40 (actually more like the West ) .   Even though this past summer our marauding band of deer attacked a bunch of our pot ato plants (we' d never seen that one before) , the pla

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Crisp Herbs - Caity

Image
  Valentine's Day is fast approaching! If you are thinking of spending the night at home making dinner, this is a great recipe to make. It's simple and the flavor is fantastic; the crisp herbs compliment the richness of the steak perfectly AND it makes you look like an fancy shmancy chef (which you are of course!).  Serve with Mom's Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Sage or risotto,  Erin's Balsamic Asparagus with Parmesan  and Panna Cotta for dessert. Happy Valentine's Day!  One year ago: Orange Creamsicle Cookies , Quick Spinach and Tortellini Soup Two years ago: Balsamic Asparagus with Parmesan , Paprika Shrimp Pasta

Buttery Snickerdoodle Cake - Erin

Image
  This amazing deliciousness is from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook by Deb Perelman ( here ) and I recently made it to take to a Superbowl party where it very quickly vanished.  It's basically like a giant snickerdoodle that's cooked perfectly so it's chewy and gooey and amazing!  My only alteration was that I did more of the cinnamon sugar topping because it's so delicious, so you could scale that back if you want. what you will need cookie base: 8 Tbsp unsalted butter , room temperature 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp cream of tartar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp table salt 3/4 cup sugar 1 large egg 1/4 cup milk gooey layer: 1/4 cup corn syrup 1/4 cup half-and-half 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 12 Tbsp butter , room temperature 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp table salt 1 large egg 1 1/4 cups flour topping: 3 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Tutu's Cucumber Kim Chee - Caity

Image
Kim chee (or kimchi) is a traditional Korean condiment made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. The most common type is made with nappa cabbage. It is salty and spicy and a great side to many meals. My favorite way, and the way my mom has always made it, is with cucumbers. She learned to make it from her mom, my grandmother, Tutu.  The spice and color of kim chee comes from a ground red pepper. Tutu prefers to use a certain kind of ground red pepper that is ki nd of partially ground, partially flaked that can be hard to find on the mainland (as in not Hawaii). Try the Asian markets, or in a pinch you can used crushed red pepper. Adjust the heat to your own preference. Koreans traditionally make kim chee very, very gar licky--adjust to your own taste. It is good served with some kind of Asian barbecued meat (like teriyaki or kalbi beef ) and lots of rice. It is quite salty so use sparingly; it's more like a condiment than a side dish.  One year ago:  E

Kalua Pig in the Crockpot - Caity

Image
Kalua pig has always been one of my favorite types of pork. I had no idea it was so easy to make! We made a big batch for the Super Bowl and it was great to have a little taste of warmer weather. My mom has made this recipe for years and has had it in the Walsh Cookbook for a long time. Here is what she said about the recipe: "This is a wonderful recipe from a very dear friend of Tutu and Grandpa Walter's: Marie Bunton. Marie was a fabulous cook and an amazing, gracious hostess. Though elderly, she managed living alone for quite a few years after her husband George, one of Grandpa Walter's colleagues and close friends passed away. She continued to live for a long time in their beautiful home in Kailua that had a lovely yard and a pool where her cute dog liked to swim. Kalua pork is of course, meant to be served in the traditional Hawaiian way as part of a luau with poi. But it is also good served over rice, cooked with cabbage or other foods, or even used as a tac

Easy Refrigerator Berry Oatmeal - Caity

Image
I admit it, cold oatmeal sounds a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle creepy. But I promise this is awesome! My mom thinks it tastes a little bit like Swiss muesli. This recipe is easy to make, tasty, and perfect for an on-the-go breakfast. The combination of the yogurt, fruit and oatmeal keeps me full until lunchtime; it's high in protein, calcium and fiber; low in fat and sugar.  This oatmeal is also made with chia seeds (yes, like a chia pet!). Chia seeds can be found at many stores, but are more likely to be at Whole Foods, New Seasons, etc than Safeway or Fred Meyer. They contain more omega 3 fatty acids than flax seeds and omega 3 acids are important for a healthy heart.  This recipe is from a website called "The Yummy Life" which I found on Pinterest. Erin and I experimented with all sorts of variations when she was in Portland this summer. Our favorite recipe used vanilla yogurt, blueberry preserves and topped with fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.