Since we still have a few Meyer lemons on our tree, we’ve been looking for good new recipes featuring lemon as a key ingredient. We came across this pasta recipe and decided to try it. We also like the fact that it is a vegetarian dish (and by “we,” I mean me. Dan is less enthusiastic about my one-vegetarian-meal-per-week initiative.) This recipe also meets our criteria of being easy for a weeknight. Although we served the pasta with a sauteed chicken dish, it could easily be its own main dish. Continue reading “Pasta and Vegetables with Warm Lemon Vinaigrette”
Category: Recipes
Pico de Gallo
If you’re familiar with Tex-Mex cooking at all, you know that pico de gallo is a staple of this type of cuisine. Even though we don’t cook Tex-Mex all that often at home, we certainly eat a lot of it at local restaurants. We never really considered making homemade pico, until we found the recipe for “Disappearing” Pork Tenderloin, which includes pico de gallo as a topping for the pork. One of the great things about pico is how versatile it is — you can use it with many different dishes (not all of which are traditionally Tex-Mex), from pork tenderloin, to tacos, to fish. Delicioso! Continue reading “Pico de Gallo”
“Disappearing” Pork Tenderloin with Pico de Gallo
Cooking pork tenderloin usually yields enough pork for two main dishes in one week, especially when you cook two tenderloins, which is how tenderloin is typically packaged. If you don’t want to cook both tenderloins, you can always separate them and freeze one for later. We found this grilled pork tenderloin recipe in Weber’s Big Book of Grilling, one of our favorite grilling cookbooks. We thought it would taste good on its own, and would be good as leftovers incorporated into a different dish later in the week. This recipe takes a little extra time because the pork requires a marinade, a rub and a pico de gallo topping. But the end result is worth your while. According to Weber, “after one bite you’ll know how we came up with the name for this recipe.” Continue reading ““Disappearing” Pork Tenderloin with Pico de Gallo”
Ciabatta Bread
We made bread for the very first time last weekend. One of our favorite food writers/bloggers, Michael Ruhlman, declared that January should be bread making month, and we were inspired. We decided to try this recipe for ciabatta bread because it seemed like a relatively easy introduction to homemade bread, and it really was. Despite our uncertainty along the way that we were doing it right, our Ciabatta bread actually turned out great. We bake now! Continue reading “Ciabatta Bread”
Light Mac-and-Cheese
Who doesn’t love Macaroni and Cheese? We do, and a couple of our friends do as well. So, by special request, we are posting our favorite mac-n-cheese recipe. We found this recipe for a light version in Cook’s Illustrated’s “The Best Light Recipe.” It’s really good and more healthy than other recipes. According to Cook’s Illustrated, this version has 290 less calories than classic mac-and-cheese and 30 less grams of fat. The secrets are low-fat ingredients and using cornstarch to thicken the cheese rather than a buttery (and high-in-fat) roux. We have professed our love for Cook’s Illustrated cookbooks before, and likely will again. The best thing about them is that the folks at the Cook’s Illustrated test kitchens do all the work for you — testing all the different ingredients and variations to come up with the best possible recipe. We highly recommend all their books, including their Light Recipe book. Continue reading “Light Mac-and-Cheese”
Chef Salad-ish (with leftover ham)
I call this “Chef Salad-ish” because I’m not really sure what all the ingredients are for classic chef salad, nor do I know what kind of dressing to use. But I’m pretty sure that chef salad has ham in it, and we just happened to have some ham left over from our Grilled Ham Steak. As you could probably guess, Dan was out of town on the night I made this salad, which meant I had to cook my own dinner. So, aside from take-out, this is about as simple as it gets here at FoodieLawyer. Continue reading “Chef Salad-ish (with leftover ham)”
Citrus-Marinated Grilled Ham Steak
We adapted this recipe from “Tequila-Marinated Ham Steaks” in Weber’s “Real Grilling” cookbook. (As an aside, we use this book so often that it is falling apart – pages are literally falling out. Obviously, we highly recommend it.) This is a great weeknight recipe and a good alternative if you get tired of the usual chicken, pork or beef main dishes. We’ve made this recipe with the tequila in the marinade and without, but haven’t really noticed a difference in the end result. Since most of our tequila is usually consumed in margarita form, we typically leave it out of the marinade. Continue reading “Citrus-Marinated Grilled Ham Steak”
“Engagement Mussels”
For the past several years, Dan and I have made it a point to stay in on New Year’s Eve. He cooks something different and maybe a little more extravagant than usual, then we watch a classic movie. It’s a relaxing way to celebrate the end of the year, as well as the end of the usually hectic holiday season. This year, we decided to cook mussels in a champagne broth and watch the movie “Vertigo.” We had a lovely evening. Happy New Year! Continue reading ““Engagement Mussels””
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a nicely sauteed vegetable! We’ll be having these this Christmas Eve with steak au poivre and roasted red potatoes. Perhaps not the most traditional holiday meal, but any good food shared with loved ones makes the dining experience memorable, and these brussels sprouts will be a delicious addition to ours. We hope that all of you are enjoying great food and special time with your loved ones this holiday season as well. Continue reading “Sauteed Brussels Sprouts”
Homemade Salsa
It’s not too late to make a holiday gift for the Tex-Mex fans in your life. My mom has a great recipe for homemade salsa that is easy, fresh-tasting and delicious. Some very special people on our Christmas list love this salsa, and I don’t make it for them often enough. (Yes, you read that right — this is one of the very few recipes that I make all on my own!) I made a couple of batches for our friends this year. Continue reading “Homemade Salsa”