So, why am I posting about Thanksgiving in February? The gloomy days of November have come and gone long ago, making way for the gloomy days of February, and I still have the flavors of Thanksgiving on the brain?
This dish was inspired by a dish posted on one of my first and favorite food blogs, Thyme for Cooking. Even though there’s more to turkey than Thanksgiving, for some reason, seeing Katie’s dish just got me thinking “I want Thanksgiving food tonight” and this is what came of it. The idea was something hearty, comfort-foodish, and Thanksgiving all on one plate without the day(s) long marathon of stress and cooking way too much. I did this by making a creamy butternut squash risotto infused with sage (my reason for entering in this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Erin from The Skinny Gourmet) and topped off with spiced strips of Turkey tenderloin and reconstituted dried cranberries–all very Thanksgivingy flavors. I also
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Posted by mike on February 14th, 2008 in Fruit, Main course
Chili is one of those dishes that can incite some passionate arguments, because when it comes to opinions on what should/shouldn’t be in a chili recipe, like ass holes, everybody has one (as the saying goes). Should it include beans? Meat? Tomato? Pasta (the answer to that, of course, is no and I don’t care where you come from 
)? These are life or death decisions in the chili world. So given that, here’s my take on a good and hearty bowl of chili.
While this chili has a lot of familiar flavors, it does nonetheless include one very special ingredient. I’ve been hanging on to this item for a few weeks now, keeping it near and dear until the right dish came along and beckoned for it as I only had one handy. See, if I like anything in my chili, its some punch–chili is a dish that simply should (must!) have some heat to it. I’ve grown my own peppers
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Posted by mike on February 11th, 2008 in Barbeque, Beef, Main course, Mexican, Pork, Soup & Stew
So with all of the different ice creams I’ve made recently, I have found myself with a ton of egg whites on hand (fourteen!). Meringues seemed like an appropriate way to quickly put some of those to use without throwing off the weekly food budget. Better still, its been so long since I had meringues, so why not?
Chocolate chip cookies, cakes, ice creams, etc are all awesome desserts, but when you have any one of those, there’s no questioning that you just ate something that was “bad” for you. Meringues are one of those treats you simply don’t feel guilty about eating though–they’re light as air, simple, and sweet (notice I didn’t say it is healthier–it just seems better!). With a nice crunchy outside and a delicious, marshmallowy inside, how can you go wrong? Seeing how the effort and the cost is so minimal, this is a great way to make a simple, finger-food dessert. Plus, playing with my KitchenAid still hasn’t gotten
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Posted by mike on February 8th, 2008 in Dessert
This is my second venture into the world of Moroccan flavored food (the other part: a delicious side of tagine veggies) and was the original dish that prompted me to start preserving lemons. A whole chicken is braised and simmered in an herby, lemon-olive sauce, and is then cooked in a tagine for a delicious, savory meal.
The dish sounds pretty simple and the name, also, simple–simple enough that you might doubt the flavors. I mean, yeah, lemons are good and olives are good, its a curious pair, but will it really go anywhere?
Well, I really can’t do the chicken justice–the combination of lemons and olives simmering in a slow heat, somehow, some way, brings out the best of those two to create something new and exciting. They just sort of merge into one harmonious taste. The chicken itself is spiced in a curious, savory way and the meat itself is incredibly tender, prepared essentially like a braise, but in a
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Posted by mike on February 5th, 2008 in Chicken, Fruit, Main course, Mediterranean, Sauce
Tagines are a special kind of cookware, but they also refer to a class of food slow-cooked in a tagine. I chose to go with a Moroccan styled dish: a medley of vegetables cooked in a tagine style (a proper tagine would be cooked in, well, a tagine, but seeing how I don’t actually have one, a Dutch oven will have to do. Doh!).
This dish is easy to make, the only real killer being prepping the vegetables. I had seen a version of this dish which looked awfully appealing, so I figured I’d try my hand at it with a few twists. I chose to use this as a healthy side dish to get my veggies (main course coming up next!), but you could also tailor it to be more of a main course for vegetarians by serving a larger portion of it over a bed of rice or cous cous, maybe with a nice flat bread on the side.
Flavor-wise,
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Posted by mike on February 3rd, 2008 in Main course, Mediterranean, Side dish
BTW, I was tagged by Ning of Heart...
