Shrimp Quinoa Salad

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SALMON IN POTATO CASE

Recipe adapted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

In terms of presentation, I didn't execute this recipe very well- it's supposed to look more like this. But conceptually, it was still a tender piece of salmon cooked between two layers of crispy potatoes, and it was delicious!   I don't really like fish (unless it's sushi), but I try to work it into our dinners every now so that we're not eating red meat all the time. This recipe is definitely a nice twist on pan fried salmon and can be made with things that are usually lying around the kitchen.

SUMMER REFRESH // Beet Juice

It's been a crazy busy summer. Tons of unhealthy eating- it's definitely time to try and detox. My mother in law gave us a juicer last Christmas, and I love it so much! I know a part of it is psychological, but I can't help but feel like all the grease and toxins in my body are getting zapped with every sip. My recent favorite has been adding beets to our juices because of its beautiful color and health benefits.

SPRING EATING // Butternut squash and Edible Pansies

* When cooking with flowers, make sure flowers are free of pesticides and are intended for cooking
* cover lid of blender with cloth instead of the cap in order to let steam out but still prevent soup from splashing out

Spring is in the air, and I can't think of anything more spring like than eating actual flowers on a bed of bright deep orange butternut squash soup. Recipe adapted from here.

CHEVRON LEMON TARTS

I decided to make some lemon bars with the lemons I picked from my tree. Adapted from this recipe here

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

This recipe is adapted from Bon Apetite's Ricotta Cheesecake Recipe. These were so yummy I kept eating them while I was taking pictures. The ricotta makes these so fluffy and light, and the bite size makes you keep coming back for more. The recipe was also pretty simple. I'm not much of a baker (I don't like having to be precise and measure things...I feel like with cooking there's more room for winging it and substituting ingredients if you don't have all of them), but this recipe was pretty foolproof and something I'd actually make again.

P.S. Speaking of making things again, I woke up 2 hours early this week to remake another batch of this orange marmalade before going to work. I don't think I can ever return to store bought jam again!

EGGPLANT GRATIN

Got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa in Paris. It's really great if you are looking for filling comfort food that's not packed with carbs and meat. I'm not really much of a red wine person, but I had a glass with this and was quite a happy camper!

ORANGE AND LEMON MARMALADE

My aunt Ruth gave me some lemons from her backyard and I decided to make some orange lemon marmalade. I usually start my mornings with a cup of coffee and bowl of oatmeal, but wanted to make some jam  to spread on a piece of toast real quick for the days when I didn't have time to make my oatmeal (I'm kind of particular with the way I make it).

This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa's book, Barefoot Contessa at Home, who got the recipe from Anna Pump's book, Loaves and Fishes.     Some tips from when I made it- if you're watching your sugar intake, I didn't actually have 8 cups of sugar when I made this and ended up using about half, and it still tasted pretty sweet to me. Also make sure you slice your oranges and lemons super super thin... otherwise some chunks can taste really rindy.

FOOD WE COOKED FROM THE FARM

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS:
A very loose adaptation of this recipe here. I used to make this with cous cous, but since it's not "Taylor approved", I used ground turkey instead.  It turned out to be very filling but in a light way, and really quick to make.  I feel like you could really put anything you wanted in there to, so if you have the peppers, it's one of those recipes where you won't have to go buy more ingredients.









BRUSCHETTA
A very loose adaptation of this recipe here. The main thing I took from it was to roast half the tomatoes and mix with uncooked tomatoes. I made the tomato mixture the night before, so all the flavors had some time to meld together, then put it on freshly grilled bread.  This was insanely good. I usually try to buy whole wheat for home cooking, but if I'm going to eat white bread, this is how to do it!