R is for... Recipes

As I often Twitter about, I am a HUGE foodie. Between LA restaurants and cooking at home in my kitchen (my favorite room in our home), I put almost as much thought and effort into food as I do into interior design! And let's be honest, they are totally related. A beautiful home really ought to be filled with beautiful food and wonderful aromas.

Here are some of my favorite things to make:

This French toast recipe from the Barefoot Contessa was featured in House Beautiful. It was DELISH!

French Toast Bread Pudding
Serves 8

• 1 challah bread, sliced 3/4-inch thick
• 8 extra large eggs
• 5 cups half and half or milk (I used whole milk)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Confectioner's sugar and pure maple syrup for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the bread in two layers in a 9 x 13 x 2 square or oval baking dish, cutting to fit the dish, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, honey, orange zest, vanilla and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread and press the bread down to soak completely.
4. Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan. Add very hot tap water to come an inch up the side of the baking dish. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, tenting it so the foil doesn't touch the pudding. Make two slashes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 34 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
5. Using a small sieve, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve in squares with maple syrup for drizzling.

Here's how mine turned out.
And we had leftovers for a few days too :) And I got a bit fancy with my maple syrup drizzling.


I have also Twittered about my yummy homemade Caesar Salad dressing (courtesy of Guy Fieri from the Food Network)
Here's what mine looked like (once it was 99% eaten!)

• 1 egg (please do not use raw egg if you aren't comfortable/aren't able to for medical reasons - if you want to know what those are - click here.) I usually only use the yolk
  
• 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
  
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 heads of romaine lettuce
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan, for garnish

1. Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lettuce and cheese and whisk to combine.
2. Cut the stems off the heads of Romaine and fan out the lettuce on a serving platter. Sprinkle the parmesan over the lettuce and drizzle the dressing on top. Serve immediately.


Two nights ago I made a recipe from the Williams-Sonoma catalog and my tummy and my hubby were both very grateful.


The meatballs are stuffed with mozzarella cheese, which melts when it cooks and is divine!

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups torn pieces crustless white bread
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (plus I used more to garnish at the end)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 5 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1" cubes
• 7 cups tomato sauce (I used jarred - shhh!)
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked and drained
• Grated Parmesan for serving

1. In a large saute/simmer pan over medium heat, warm 1 tbs oil. Add onion and salt; cook 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Let cool. In bowl, combine bread and buttermilk. Add beef, onion mixture, parsley, thyme, 2 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix with hands until cohesive. Form into 10 meatballs (I made mine smaller so I had more.) Stuff cheese cube into center of each one; re-roll meatball.

2. In same pan over medium high heat, warm 2 tbs oil. Brown meatballs in 2 batches, 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Pour tomato sauce into pan; add meatballs. Simmer over medium heat, turning meatballs once, until cooked through, 25-30 minutes. Serve spaghetti in bowls, top with sauce and meatballs. Top with cheese.

3. Yum.



One of my husband's favorites, and a perfect winter dish, is this Asian Short Ribs recipe from Real Simple. It doesn't look too pretty in the picture, but it tastes amazing.

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
• 1 small green cabbage (about 1 pound), quartered
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Add the short ribs and carrots and arrange in a single layer. Lay the cabbage on top.

2. Cook, covered, on high for 5 to 6 hours (or on low for 7 to 8 hours―see note below), until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

3. Transfer the cabbage, short ribs, and carrots to plates. With a large spoon or ladle, skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard.

4. If the slow cooker is on the low setting, turn it to high. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Whisk into the cooking liquid and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs and vegetables and sprinkle with the scallions (if using).



I am a huge fan of lentils. Tasty. Filling. Yum. This image is from Metropolitan Home, but the recipe, which doesn't include bacon or a poached egg is from Epicurious. But adding bacon and a poached egg could only make it better (I think when in doubt, add bacon.)

1 2/3 cups lentils (11 ounces), rinsed well
5 cups water
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound escarole, chopped (4 cups packed)
1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1. Simmer lentils, water, broth, bay leaf, and half of garlic in a 4-quart pot, uncovered, 12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wide heavy 5- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown sausage, about 7 minutes. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

3. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, carrots, celery, remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add sausage and lentils with cooking liquid and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Stir in escarole and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

This final dish, one-pot salmon from Real Simple is super easy, super delish, great for making if you are having guests over on a school night.

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
• kosher salt and pepper
• 4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1. Mix the rice and 2 1/3 cups water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. Slice the salmon on a diagonal into four 3/4-inch-thick pieces. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on top of the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook 7 minutes.

3. Scatter the peas over the salmon and rice. Cover and cook until the rice and peas are tender and the salmon is opaque and beginning to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Mix the soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, rice, and peas and serve.


As Julia Child would say, "Bon Appetit!"