Barley Succotash

It’s been hot here, although I think the temperature is finally going to break today. I know I shouldn’t complain about the weather. It’s only been in the high 20’s. Crazy I know what that means right? It’s about high 70’s, low 80’s.

You’re probably reading this thinking, um, Mariel, that’s not hot. I know – I know, I just moved from DC where it’s hotter than hell. In DC low 80’s would feel like a wonderful cold front because summer is usually 100° with about a million percent humidity. But the thing is, high 70’s is hot here because air conditioning isn’t so much a thing here. Our flat doesn’t have air conditioning, the library doesn’t have air conditioning, and when you walk down the street you never pass a store and feel the cold blast of AC. We got a fan and that helps a ton.

Sweet and Tangy Wings

For me, chicken wings have sentimental value. That might sound like a stupid thing to say, but I think most people have at least one food that makes them feel happy, or nostalgic, or something gushy like that. Chicken wings are one of my happy foods.

Wings were a staple of my junior and senior year of college. Every Thursday, my friends and I would race to Cornerstone, our favorite local bar, to take advantage of 25¢ wings. The thing is, you had to arrive before 10pm to get the deal. If you couldn’t get there by 10, we would call in your order to one of our friends who was already there (and if you were first to arrive you usually had to order about half a dozen varieties of wings). But what made wing night so great, is that it was a standing date with my friends. We’d eat a ton, have a vodka cranberry (pretty much all of our drink of choice at the time), and then we’d dance all night. It was a blast, and today wings still remind me of happy times with my college buddies. Below are some college pictures, circa 2007.

Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Fritters)

I love kitchen gadgets and accessories. Unfortunately, not all of my gadgets will get moved to London – you know space concerns, different outlet plugs, and such. So I want to use my gadgets before I put them in storage. The deep fryer is number one on that list. (My friends have even asked if I’ll have a deep fryer party).

Anyway, I’ve made today’s recipe before but I thought the deep fryer would take it up a notch. This recipe is a Puerto Rican recipe that is essentially seasoned ground beef, covered in potatoes, formed in to a ball, and then deep fried. Over the years, Ryan and I have made this recipe about a half a dozen times with mixed success. It always tastes good, but often the balls fall apart either while being formed or while in the oil. I thought using the deep fryer would help ensure good taste and good looks.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

I have an ever-growing collection of wish-list recipes. I am constantly pinning recipes on Pinterest and ripping things out of Food & Wine magazine. I collect things that I think have lots of vegetables, that have a holiday theme, or that include my current ingredient obsession. There’s so much good stuff, but I think I only cook about 20% of what I collect. So, I’ve decided to make an effort and once a week attempt something from my vast collection.

I chose this recipe because it has some vegetables, good spice flavor, and ingredients already in my pantry. It’s an easy to make and very filling vegetarian dish. Also, this recipe makes a lot of servings. I’ve been eating it for lunch and breakfast for almost a week – which is fine because it’s tasty. Finally, it’s good both warm and cold so it’s a perfect on-the-go meal. Try it out, it’s yummy.

Quinoa with tomatoes, olives, and feta

Earlier this week I went to Harrods to browse the fancy clothes, the gorgeous food displays, and the cute tourist wares. Harrods is a huge maze of a department store! I found an art gallery, many restaurants, an Egyptian themed escalator, furniture, amazing designer shoes, and a book store. I loved the book store and there were so many cookbooks! I was good and didn’t buy any, but I did thumb through. All those cookbooks made me long to have a real kitchen with more resources at my disposal. I can’t wait until we’re in a real apartment. What should I cook first when I’m back in a full kitchen? I’m taking suggestions.

Cheddar Ranch Dip

It’s almost Christmas! I’m sure your menu is set, ingredients are in the fridge, and maybe some desserts are already made. If you need one more item to fill out your snack foods and hors d’oeuvres, might I suggest this dip? I’m kind of crazy about it and sort of have a two-decade long love-affair with it.

Years ago, let’s estimate that I was ten-years-old, my Uncle Jose and Titi Lisa lived kind of near a Wegmans. They still live near Wegmans, but when our story begins there weren’t that many Wegmans locations so living kind of near a Wegmans was special. Anyway, one time my family went to visit them, and they served a cheddar ranch dip from Wegmans with some Wheat Thins. It was the best snack ever. I love cheese and crackers, and this just took it up a notch. It’s very cheesy and tangy. It was creamy, but also had a pleasing lumpy texture from the shredded cheese. We devoured it. And every time we visited after that, they bought it. I always looked forward to it. We’d arrive and give our kisses and hugs hello, then go about catching up. All the while, I knew that dip was waiting for us in the door of the fridge. But when would it be taken out?!

Whole Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is a week away, and I’m sure many of you are planning your menus or debating what to make. Me too. I still don’t know what I want to contribute, although my mom has requested last week’s key lime pie. But, if you’re  looking for something a bit simple that will also be a crowd favorite, might I suggest you consider homemade cranberry sauce?

Now, some of you might be saying, “Mariel are you crazy?! I love canned cranberry sauce and it is a Thanksgiving staple.” And I hear you. Canned cranberry sauces is sweet, predictable, and tastes pretty good. But let me give you four reasons to consider making it yourself.

Beet Dip

Beets are one of my favorite vegetables. They are sweet, colorful, and tasty. Usually, I’m perfectly happy roasting them and eating them warm out of the oven or cool over salads. But this time, I wanted to try something different. You know, variety is the spice of life and all. I’ve been thinking of borscht, and I’ve even bugged two of my friends for recipes, but I’m intimidated to make a stew I’ve never even eaten before. One day I’m going to make it, but I’m not ready yet.

Then, when I found a recipe for this beet dip I was really excited.  I think dip is wonderful because it’s a great excuse to eat crackers, bread, and cheese. Most importantly, this dip is easy to make and it is pretty. This recipe is just like hummus, only instead of chickpeas it has beets. I was excited for some new twists on old favorites. I served it when my friend Emily and her boyfriend Matt came over and it went over really well. It has the nice, sweet, earthy flavor of beets and the lemon juice gives it a nice bright, citrus flavor. It went even faster than the regular hummus!

Adapted from Food 52.

Pici Pasta, Tomato Sauce, and Salad

It’s been a tough week in my kitchen. I made a couple of dishes I was really excited about and they both came out…fine. They were edible and tasted all right, but neither were blog-worthy. I tried out a carrot sambal salad I had eaten at Whole Foods. It came out both crunchy and soupy. It has the consistency of coleslaw, which I really don’t like. But, I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that good when the recipe called for “1/4 rice wine vinegar.” One quarter of what?! A teaspoon? A cup? A bottle?

And then I tried a roasted acorn squash stuffed with rice and lentils. It came out under cooked and under seasoned. That was probably a recipe that with a little tweaking I could get right, but I was still disappointed.

Rosemary Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese

I’m finally accepting that it’s fall. School has been back in session for over a month, I’m wearing a sweater to work, I’m drinking pumpkin spice coffee, and I just bought a set of Halloween cookie cutters. Summer is officially over. And that means, it’s time for me to accept the change in food seasons too. It’s time to move on from the berries and light leafy vegetables, and on to apples, root vegetables, and heartier greens. I’m excited for many thing,s but one fall vegetable I love is Brussels sprouts.

Yes, you read that right, I’m a big fan of Brussels sprouts. Growing up, I had always seen on kids on TV scrunch up their faces, stick out their tongues, and groan “eww Brussels sprouts.” So, I thought they were going to be gross and inedible. But then, a few years ago my friend Emily got them in her farm share and had me over and served them to me for dinner. I was nervous. I was 25 years old, I’d never tried a Brussels sprout, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself by refusing to eat my veggies. I cautiously speared one with my fork and tried it. And I liked it! Everything I had thought before was wrong! It was like when the character in Green Eggs and Ham finally tries the green eggs and ham, and realizes that after repeatedly saying  “I do not like them Sam-I-Am,” his world is blown and he does in fact like the new and strange looking food.