I’m just a little bit in love with baking fresh bread. This Maple Whole Wheat Bread is certainly a hearty bread. The bit of maple syrup gives it a surprisingly delightful sweetness, but not overwhelming, which means this is still a great bread for making sandwiches with it.
Carrot Cake was a tradition in my family. We always made it for my father’s birthday. My father doesn’t care for crowds, and I never remember going out for his birthday celebrations. Once, we threw him a party when he turned 40. But otherwise, his birthdays were a stay at home affair.
My mother would also make this carrot cake. Which was odd given on everyone else’s birthdays, we ate a lot of store-bought cakes (especially ice cream cakes) or my maternal grandma, the family cake baker and decorator, would make them.
Food processors are genius when making this cake. I have memories of using a cheese grater to grate carrots. Now, I just throw all those carrots in my food processor, and wham, they’re shredded.
This cake stood the test of time with my taste buds. It’s delicious.
Crepes are wonderful versatile. They work as a sweet treat or a savory dinner. The ones I made in this example were full of mushroom, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. They are delicious so get creative with the filling. Recently, I revisited the recipe and did a cauliflower, tomato, and pepper jack filling. You can always go for a breakfast filling with eggs or something sweet like jam or nutella.
Crepes are super easy to make. If you can cook pancakes, you can do this.
I listen to NPR every day on the way home from work. Because of the economic recession, they were doing a piece on how to feed your family of four with only $10. To me, cooking cheaply is always a win. Especially something yummy. This chef told a wonderful story about how his wife made this for him when they were first married. (And he was probably less famous and making less money.) I find it’s always encouraging to cook if I hear more about how wonderful this dish is. Jason really loves this dish.
I’d never eaten an egg salad sandwich until about a year ago. I know that sounds silly as they’re supposed to be something of a staple sandwich. Or perhaps just an alternative to PB&J? But when I came across this recipe, which was so simple, yet so flavorful, I had to try egg salad.
To my pleasure, this egg salad sandwich rocks. It’s so good, I’ll admit to eating the egg salad even without bread. (If you’re interested in making your own bread to go along, I highly recommend this white bread which I’ve made a dozen times.)
When corn comes into season, these Sweet Corn Cakes are the first thing on my plate. Of course, they’re even better with avocados on top. They probably aren’t the healthiest option. Make sure to pat the grease out of them. They are just delicious. The original recipe is here.
Nothing is better than a bowl of Egg Drop Soup. At least when it comes to soup.
I remember going to Chinese restaurants as a child and sometimes wishing I could just order a big bowl of the soup. Which would’ve been a bad thing for me as a child due to a childhood egg allergy.
Thankfully, now that I’m all grown up, I don’t have the allergy anymore and I can make a big pot of it anytime I want. Plus, this is possibly one of the easiest recipes I know.
Beet greens have become a favorite side dish of mine. I’d never had them until this year. Every week, I call my maternal grandparents, and my grandma told me about some beet greens she was cooking for dinner. I didn’t even know you could eat them!
The best greens are early-to-midpoint in the beet season. You want them to have been picked just as they sprout up and when they’re small/medium sized. Unfortunately, later in the season, they get too big and began to lose flavor.
Steamed Beet Greens
Ingredients:
Beet greens Salt, to taste
Beet greens only need to be steamed. They take maybe 8-10 minutes until tender and edible. Add some salt while their still warm to bring out the flavor.
Frittata is one of my favorite things to make. It makes as a wonderful breakfast/brunch or dinner. Kind of like an omelet, except I find it more filling. Kale is a great match, both in texture and taste. It really adds something to the egg, onion, and potato mixture. The original recipe, which I’ve made so many times I don’t even look at it anymore.
I have a potato chip obsession, but slowly kale chips, which are far more healthy for you, have been replacing my salty, crunchy cravings. These are easy to make. They also cook super quickly.
I’ve used a variety of kale — green kale, red Russian kale, and Italian kale — and my favorite is red Russian kale as it’s a little sweeter.