Tag Archives: Cooking

a trio of tartines

by reallyrisa Posted on April 9, 2013

The second warm weather sweeps into town I find myself abandoning all things hot and oven-baked. With the windows wide open the smell of our fig tree wafts right in on the sweet breeze and I can’t help but want fresh, clean, simple meals. We spent the afternoon on Sunday at Reading Terminal Market picking up fresh fixings to make a French favorite … tartines (we were inspired by a recent visit here). We may have abandoned our immediate plans to visit Paris, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still crave its cuisine. Tartines are open-faced sandwiches that you can top with just about anything that suits your palate. We went with a few vegetarian options and tried to keep them light and healthy. We looked for a hearty wheat bread, but it being late on a Sunday and all, we struck out and went with fresh sourdough instead (tip: be sure to lightly toast each slice). The best part about these cute little bite-ables is how easy they are to make! The only cooking required was the sautéed spinach, which I could eat at every meal.

Bonus: be sure to scroll all the way down for my favorite … the dessert tartine!

[garlic hummus + green apple + red onion]

[avocado + tomato + alfalfa sprouts + fresh lemon juice + salt and pepper]

[Spanish goat cheese + garlic spinach + red onion + salt and pepper]

[and for dessert: nutella + bananas + roasted hazelnuts!]

Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes | Tagged Cooking, Food, Healthy Living, Philadelphia, Recipes | 3 Comments

my kitchen is broken

by reallyrisa Posted on February 27, 2013

More like it’s dead to me. Or I’m broken. I don’t know what is going on, but everything I have cooked in the last month has died. I have spent hours laboring in the kitchen over some serious recipes for you and not one of them is worth sharing (aside from the homemade sushi, but since that’s not actual cooking I’m blaming my appliances). I’ve tried butternut squash risotto (three hours later and my rice was so al dente I broke a tooth, well not really, but you get it), chicken barley soup (blech) and chilean sea bass over parmesan spinach orzo (I didn’t have spinach and the orzo was not edible). I think it’s time for cooking classes. I’ve wanted to try this place in Philly for a while so perhaps now’s the time. I think it’s less of a cooking class and more of a drink-wine-and-watch-the-chef-whip-up-some-magical-cullinary-magnificence-like-it’s-child’s-play kind of thing. So who’s with me?

by the way. remember i told you my husband wanted to spend $159 on a pound of jamón iberico at reading terminal market the other day? i compromised and we indulged in some seranno ham instead. yum.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged Cooking, Life | 3 Comments

shrimp bruschetta {w/pasta}

by reallyrisa Posted on January 16, 2013

Every time we visit my family down the shore I make mental notes of recipes I’d like to steal from my aunt and uncle. This shrimp bruschetta is one of them. It doubles as an appetizer and a main dish, which makes it twice as delicious. In the summer we eat it with toasted french bread, as you would a normal bruschetta, but the other night Chris and I were craving something a little heartier for the winter so we threw it over farfalle. My uncle traditionally uses feta cheese, but I threw in fresh mozzarella instead (not recommended if you’re serving this hot). There are no real measurements to this recipe, it’s all about trusting your taste buds, but I promise it’s very simple and it’s the best bruschetta I’ve had. Enjoy! {scroll down for the recipe}

ingredients:
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
grilled shrimp
kalamata olives
tomatoes
fresh parsley
fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into cubes)
pepper to taste

instructions:
skewer shrimp, lightly coat with olive oil, season with pepper and grill until opaque
chop olives, tomatoes and parsley and mix in a bowl
add olive oil and just a splash or balsamic to the olive mixture (go light on the balsamic at first. you can always add.)
once shrimp are cooled, chop and add to olive mixture
add cubes of mozzarella (or feta)
adjust olive oil and balsamic and add pepper to taste

serve on toasted french bread or farfalle pasta!

Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes | Tagged Cooking, Fish and Seafood, Food, Recipes | 1 Comment

homemade pommes frites + garlic mussels

by reallyrisa Posted on November 29, 2012

We love seafood. Love. And mussels are near the top of the list. The best thing about them is how easy they are to make. Potatoes on the other hand, are new to our kitchen. I decided to try my hand at homemade pommes frites last weekend to accompany our usual garlic mussels and I am so glad I did. They were delicious and way easy. They take a while though so we sort of failed with our timing, but hey, lesson learned. We used this pommes frites recipe from the blog Smitten Kitchen. As for the mussels, we usually just wing it.

for the mussels:
first, soak them for about 10 minutes and then rinse them to get the sand off.
toss any mussels that are broken or already open.
throw white wine, butter, a bit of olive oil and minced garlic into a pan and bring it to a light boil.
add scallions and the mussels.
when the mussels are open, they are done!
once you’ve put them into your serving bowl, pour the leftover wine mixture over top to add more flavor.
easy peasy.

Posted in Cooking, Food | Tagged Cooking, Fish and Seafood, Food, Recipes | Leave a comment

italian wedding soup w/turkey meatballs

by reallyrisa Posted on November 15, 2012

I discovered Italian wedding (or escarole) soup about two years ago but it wasn’t until I spotted it on my favorite recipe blog that I actually considered making it on my own. P.S. Have you seen the move “Julie and Julia?” Because right now I am to SkinnyTaste.com as Julie was to Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Seriously. I can’t stop. Anyway, I was surprised by the simplicity of this recipe. The most time-consuming part was making the turkey meatballs but even that didn’t take me more than 10 to 15 minutes. I’ve been eating leftovers for two days now and it’s just as delicious as the night I made it. But the best part of all, my husband went for seconds! Now that is what I call success.

escarole