Month: May 2014

Is that a Zucchini in your pocket…? Mini Turkey-Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Published by

We unintentionally brought home a human-baby sized zucchini from the Portland Farmer’s Market.  I swear, I had every intention of returning this behemoth to its rightful owners (our friends who purchased it for all of $2) but this zucchini had other plans and instead managed to stow away in my suitcase headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas–sorry Janette!  We spent almost all day Memorial Day making things with this giant zucchini! First I made a casserole with the ingredients you see pictured below.  That was tasty, but not quite tasty enough to share with you yet.  Then we made a zucchini pizza with parmesan, basil pesto and olives.  Now, that was really tasty and I’ll be sharing that one soon.  But this recipe for “Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin” from the cookbook “Jerusalem” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi was the clear winner.  Can you believe I was able to get three entire dishes from one giant zucchini? I have had this cookbook for a few months now and so far …

My 100th Post! Plus, Surviving the Portland Boil of 2014

Published by

It’s my 100th post!  A couple of weeks ago, after I published my 99th post, I started to feel a little anxiety over what my 100th post would look like.  I initially thought that I wanted to do something BIG and insanely complicated.  A blog post that would cause balloons and confetti to fall from the sky.  But, that didn’t exactly happen.  Instead, I got myself so wound up about my 100th post, that I couldn’t seem to write anything at all.  And soon after that, I was out of town for two weekends in a row! So, instead of a big, complicated recipe, I’m going to show you some of my vacation photos! I make no bones about the fact that someday I would like to retire in Portland, Oregon.  Our dearest friends abandoned us relocated to Portland in 2011 and have been enticing us to move there ever since.  And since my feet first landed on Portland soil that first time in 2011, I’ve fallen inextricably, entirely in love with the place.   …

Purple Kale and Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Published by

Last week in a fit of health-filled exuberance, the Husband declared Mondays “Raw Food Monday”.  Now, I know this man and I knew the look I would get if on Monday evening I brought him a nice pile of crudités. It would be the look of “well this is tasty, but where is dinner?” I think an important part of being in a relationship is understanding what your partner really means when they say stuff like “Let’s have Raw Food Mondays”.  In my relationship, it means, “I’m feeling like I overindulged on the weekend and would really like to eat healthier”.  So, without saying a word, when Raw Food Monday came around, I set to work making this Purple Kale and Farro salad. Filled to the brim with leafy greens, whole grain farro, zucchini and tomatoes, I knew it would check all the healthy boxes and be filling as well even it if didn’t fit the qualifications of “raw food”. As normal, around dinnertime on Monday, the Husband asked “what’s for dinner?”.  “A salad” I replied. He immediately looked …

The Infusion Project – Homemade Infused Vodkas and Flavored Simple Syrups

Published by

  I live in Las Vegas.  And if you know anything about my town, it’s that good drinks ain’t free.  A nicely crafted cocktail in a lounge on the Las Vegas Strip will likely set you back at least $18, and that’s before a tip and that’s part of the reason why I started learning how to make cocktails at home!  Another reason for learning how to mix cocktails at home is that it’s just plain fun and in my opinion, it kind of makes you look like a bad-ass!  My approach to cocktail mixing is really similar to the way I approach cooking: using fresh, homemade ingredients and really good quality spirits! Lately, I’ve been thinking of ways to “up my game” in the home cocktail mixing arena.  I have a couple of really great cocktail books at home, but I found that each time I wanted to make something from them, a key ingredient for the cocktail should have been made…last week!  And that key ingredient was often an infused spirit.  That scenario occurred enough that I finally decided …