This past weekend we continued to stay on the no meat track, and I decided to make an old favorite of mine: Red pepper paprika pasta. I used to make this a lot when I was at university, not only because it tastes awesome, it is also very very easy to make and great if you’re on a slightly tight food budget. Preparation and cooking time is less than 30 minutes, so it’s also a great go-to recipe on busy weekdays when you have a house full of hangry family members. If you’re in a tight spot and want to cut down on the time spent chopping the veggies, you…
-
-
Divinely decadent shrimp appetizer
Here is our second appetizer for our Roaring ‘20s Gatsby themed New Year’s dinner. We started out with oysters, or what we called Roaring Rockefeller oysters, and we thought that a natural next step is a fresh little bite with shrimp and herb cream with a touch of lemon and watercress. We recommend you use a very small type of shrimp, as we thought this would be one in a row of appetizers, and small shrimp will make this dish look very elegant and delicate. North Atlantic shrimp are great, or maybe you can even get your hands on a batch of Danish ‘fjordrejer’ (frozen as the fresh ones are…
-
Toast for fall
This October I find myself cooking a lot with zucchini, almost to the point where you’d think I grew them in my own garden. Maybe you’re growing them yourself and are trying to find good use for the overwhelming yield this sturdy little plant produces, or maybe, like me, you just brought home a whole bunch for the price of almost nothing. Either way, these zucchini toast with fresh herbs are a wonderful way to make the most of this very reasonably priced, yet very delicious vegetable. As the days are getting shorter (way too fast!), and there’s no way of ignoring that fall is here, I really like cooking…
-
Addictive appetizer dip
Just before guests arrive I’m always very busy making dinner ready. Of course my husband can entertain the guests until dinner is ready, but when coming to our house, our guests are used to not only lots of spirited conversations, but certainly also lots of treats for their tummies. This spinach, artichoke and cheese dip is the perfect treat to serve right when the guests arrive. With lots of fresh spinach, artichokes and no less than five cheeses, it’s sure to lay the foundations for a great evening of entertaining. As we all know, a happy belly is, after all, the foundation for relaxation, great thinking and overall wellbeing. Making…
-
Little heavenly ricotta bites
Need a great idea for an appetizer that is fast and easy to make and that will instantly charm your guests’ taste buds? In my book these little heavenly ricotta cream bites are the perfect appetizers. They are creamy, crunchy and light with that amazing freshness and fragrance that basil and lemon so perfectly provide. I’ve been making these for years, and every time I serve them, they seem to be gone before I know it, and my guests always ask for the recipe. I think it often comes as a surprise that these little pale rather innocently looking mouthfuls are so powerful and packed with taste. Because of the…
-
The no fuss showstopper
Vitello Tonnato is a delicious dish for the taste buds, but not always so for the eyes. It tends to have a greyish color and with the capers on top it sometimes ends up looking more like a bowl of oatmeal gone bad. That doesn’t sound at all like the showstopper advertised above, but with a little twist or two it can be. Instead of the classic Italian starter, this version of Vitello Tonnato serves as the main course of a dinner where you finally have time to entertain your guests while wooing them with your fabulous cooking skills. The garnishing sauces for the veal can be made a day ahead, and…
-
Easy now… I already made dinner.
Need an idea for an everyday kid-friendly salad? Try out this easy to make chicken pasta salad! My normal workday starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Before I go to work I need to wake and feed the kids (I have 3), get them dressed and drive the youngest of them to school. All of that takes about 1.5 hours. After I get off from work I have to pick up my youngest and drive home to make dinner. If dinner is not served by 6 p.m. I have 3 very hungry kids shouting and crying until they are fed. It all runs on af pretty tight…
